A number of a disintegrin and metalloprotease (ADAM) family members are expressed in mammalian male reproductive organs such as testis and epididymis. These reproductive ADAMs are divided phylogenically into three major groups: ADAMs 1, 4, 6, 20, 21, 24, 25, 26, 29, 30, and 34 (the first group); ADAMs 2, 3, 5, 27, and 32 (the second group); and ADAMs 7 and 28 (the third group). Previous mouse knockout studies indicate that ADAM1, ADAM2, and ADAM3 have intricate expressional relationships, playing critical roles in fertilization. In the present study, we analyzed processing, biochemical characteristics, localization, and expressional relationship of the previously-unexplored, second-group ADAMs (ADAM5, ADAM27, and ADAM32). We found that all of the three ADAMs are made as precursors in the testis and processed during epididymal maturation, and that ADAM5 and ADAM32, but not ADAM27, are located on the sperm surface. Using sperm from Adam2(-/-) and Adam3(-/-) mice, we found that, among the three ADAMs, the level of ADAM5 is modestly and severely reduced in Adam3 and Adam2 knockout sperm, respectively. Further, we analyzed ADAM7, an epididymis-derived sperm surface ADAM from the separate phylogenetic group, in the knockout sperm. We found that the level of ADAM7 is also significantly reduced in both Adam2 and Adam3-null sperm. Taken together, our results suggest a novel expressional relationship of ADAM5 and ADAM7 with ADAM2 and ADAM3, which play critical roles in fertilization.

The present results provide convincing evidence that presynaptic dopaminergic denervation in PD plays a crucial role in the development of LID.

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These results suggest that normosmic PD is a unique clinical phenotype with a more benign course, compared to hyposmic PD. Either less pathologic involvement in the olfactory system or a greater potential for olfactory neurogenesis in normosmic PD may contribute to this benign process compared to hyposmic PD.

Purpose Dopamine transporter (DAT) imaging can demonstrate presynaptic dopaminergic neuronal loss in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, differentiating atypical parkinsonism (APD) from PD is often difficult. We investigated the usefulness of dual-phase F-18 FP-CIT positron emission tomography (PET) imaging in the differential diagnosis of parkinsonism. Methods Ninety-eight subjects [five normal, seven druginduced parkinsonism (DIP), five essential tremor (ET), 24 PD, 20 multiple system atrophy-parkinson type (MSA-P), 13 multiple system atrophy-cerebellar type (MSA-C), 13 progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP), and 11 dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB)] underwent F-18 FP-CIT PET. PET images were acquired at 5 min (early phase) and 3 h (late phase) after F-18 FP-CIT administration (185 MBq). Regional uptake pattern of cerebral and cerebellar hemispheres was assessed on early phase images and striatal DAT binding pattern was assessed on late phase images, using visual, quantitative, and statistical parametric mapping (SPM) analyses. Results Striatal DAT binding was normal in normal, ET, DIP, and MSA-C groups, but abnormal in PD, MSA-P, PSP, and DLB groups. No difference was found in regional uptake on early phase images among normal DAT binding groups, except in the MSA-C group. Abnormal DAT binding groups showed different regional uptake pattern on early phase images compared with PD in SPM analysis (FDR< 0.05). When discriminating APD from PD, visual interpretation of the early phase image showed high diagnostic sensitivity and specificity (75.4 % and 100 %, respectively). Regarding the ability to distinguish specific APD, sensitivities were 81 % for MSA-P, 77 % for MSA-C, 23 % for PSP, and 54.5 % for DLB. Conclusions Dual-phase F-18 FP-CIT PET imaging is useful in demonstrating striatal DAT loss in neurodegenerative parkinsonism, and also in differentiating APD, particularly MSA, from PD.

SUVmax and MTV measured on pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT may be useful in predicting the clinical outcomes in OPSCC patients. This study investigated the clinical prognostic value of imaging parameters from pretreatment (18)F-FDG PET/CT in 221 patients who underwent definitive treatment for oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma. High maximum standardized uptake value and metabolic tumour volume were independently associated with decreased disease-free and overall survival outcomes.

The cingulum bundle (CB) connects gray matter structures of the limbic system and as such has been implicated in the etiology of schizophrenia. There is growing evidence to suggest that the CB is actually comprised of a conglomeration of discrete sub-connections. The present study aimed to use Diffusion Tensor tractography to subdivide the CB into its constituent sub-connections, and to investigate the structural integrity of these sub-connections in patients with schizophrenia and matched healthy controls. Diffusion Tensor Imaging scans were acquired from 24 patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia and 26 matched healthy controls. Deterministic tractography was used in conjunction with FreeSurfer-based regions-of-interest to subdivide the CB into 5 sub-connections (I1 to I5). The patients with schizophrenia exhibited subnormal levels of FA in two cingulum sub-connections, specifically the fibers connecting the rostral and caudal anterior cingulate gyrus (I1) and the fibers connecting the isthmus of the cingulate with the parahippocampal cortex (I4). Furthermore, while FA in the I1 sub-connection was correlated with the severity of patients' positive symptoms (specifically hallucinations and delusions), FA in the I4 sub-connection was correlated with the severity of patients' negative symptoms (specifically affective flattening and anhedonia/asociality). These results support the notion that the CB is a conglomeration of structurally interconnected yet functionally distinct sub-connections, of which only a subset are abnormal in patients with schizophrenia. Furthermore, while acknowledging the fact that the present study only investigated the CB, these results suggest that the positive and negative symptoms of schizophrenia may have distinct neurobiological underpinnings.