Exposure to pre-lesion EE in particular promoted structural plasticity as indicated by increased expression of the main cytoskeletal component microtubule associated protein-2 in the lesion dorsal striatum. Continuous EE showed absence of rotational bias

suggesting attenuated dopamine loss. These data indicate that enriched lifestyle before the onset of motor symptoms and rehabilitation programs after diagnosis might be beneficial in patients with Parkinson’s disease. (C)) 2009 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Lens epithelium-derived growth factor (LEDGF)/p75 functions as a bimodal tether during lentiviral DNA integration: its C-terminal integrase-binding Histone Acetyltransferase inhibitor domain interacts with the viral preintegration complex, whereas the N-terminal PWWP domain can bind to cellular chromatin. The molecular basis for the integrase-LEDGF/p75 interaction is understood, while the mechanism of chromatin binding is unknown. The PWWP domain is homologous to other protein interaction modules that together comprise the Tudor clan. Based on primary amino Galunisertib datasheet acid sequence and three-dimensional structural similarities, 24 residues of the LEDGF/p75 PWWP domain were mutagenized to garner essential details of its function during human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) infection. Mutating either Trp-21 or Ala-51,

which line the inner wall of a hydrophobic cavity that is common to Tudor clan members, disrupts chromatin binding and virus infectivity. Consistent with a role for chromatin-associated LEDGF/p75 in stimulating integrase activity during infection, recombinant W21A protein is preferentially defective for enhancing integration into chromatinized target DNA in vitro. The A51P mutation corresponds to the S270P change in DNA methyltransferase 3B that causes human immunodeficiency, centromeric instability,

and facial anomaly syndrome, revealing SC75741 order a critical role for this amino acid position in the chromatin binding functions of varied PWWP domains. Our results furthermore highlight the requirement for a conserved Glu in the hydrophobic core that mediates interactions between other Tudor clan members and their substrates. This initial systematic mutagenesis of a PWWP domain identifies amino acid residues critical for chromatin binding function and the consequences of their changes on HIV-1 integration and infection.”
“Consolidation theory assumes that memories are labile during a limited time window after acquisition, but as time passes, memories become stable and resistant to amnesic agents. However, the vision of immutable memories after consolidation has been challenged. Thus, after the presentation of a reminder, the reactivated old memories become labile and again susceptible to amnesic treatments. This process implies a re-stabilization phase, usually referred to as reconsolidation.

The 5-year rate of freedom from valve-related

complications was 78% +/- 14%.

Conclusions: Recurrent aortic regurgitation early after aortic valve reimplantation frequently involves cusp prolapse and a low commissural height; later, cusp retraction becomes more important. Reoperation within the first 6 postoperative months allows for preservation of the native aortic valve; however, beyond this period, valve replacement within the graft will mostly be required. (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2013;145:774-80)”
“Bacillus IACS-10759 supplier thuringiensis (Bt) has been widely used for 50 years as a safe biopesticide for controlling agricultural and sanitary insect pests because of its insecticidal crystal proteins. In this study a proteomic approach was used to investigate the responses and survival strategies of Bt YBT-1520 under a long-term heat stress condition (42 degrees C). Heat stress mainly influenced the characteristics of YBT-1520 on four aspects: (i) the abilities to synthesise insecticidal this website crystal proteins and other potential pathogenic factors were almost lost, (ii) cell adhesion and motility were also lost, (iii) cell did not sporulate, (iv) cell kept accumulating poly(3-hydroxybutyrate) (PHB). Proteomic analyses to the physiological changes of the strain revealed three strategies

of YBT-1520 for survival under long-term heat stress. The first strategy is to up-regulate enzymes (BDH1, GuaB and PepA) for long-term heat stress tolerance. The second one is to down-regulate metabolic enzymes to reduce metabolic burden. The third strategy is to increase the synthesis and accumulation of PHB. Under heat stress condition, the bacterium adjusted its metabolism by up-/down-regulation and continuous accumulation

of PHB. These strategies would help cells to gain more tolerance to heat stress.”
“Objective: Upcoding or undercoding of risk factors could affect the benchmarking of risk-adjusted mortality rates. The aim was to investigate the effect of misclassification of risk factors on the benchmarking of mortality rates after cardiac surgery.

Methods: A prospective cohort was used comprising all adult cardiac surgery patients in all 16 cardiothoracic centers in The Netherlands from January 1, 2007, to December 31, 2009. A random effects model, GSK1904529A price including the logistic European system for cardiac operative risk evaluation (EuroSCORE) was used to benchmark the in-hospital mortality rates. We simulated upcoding and undercoding of 5 selected variables in the patients from 1 center. These patients were selected randomly (nondifferential misclassification) or by the EuroSCORE (differential misclassification).

Results: In the random patients, substantial misclassification was required to affect benchmarking: a 1.8-fold increase in prevalence of the 4 risk factors changed an underperforming center into an average performing one. Upcoding of 1 variable required even more.

05).

Conclusions: In more than a third of patients with posterior urethral valves renal function reserve is completely depleted at presentation. Decreased or absent renal function reserve may be used as an early indicator of long-term renal deterioration.”
“We investigated the relationship between short-latency and long-latency somatosensory-evoked potentials (SEPs) relating to voluntary movement. In general, the amplitudes of short-latency components in SEPs are attenuated during movement,

Saracatinib in vivo whereas those of long-latency are enhanced, and this phenomenon is termed ‘gating effects’. This study aimed to examine the relationship of changes in amplitude between short-latency and long-latency SEPs. SEPs were recorded from 11 participants at Fz, Cz, Pz, and C4′ by stimulating the left median nerve. Two tasks were conducted; Control and Movement. In Control, the participant was asked to relax with no specific task. In Movement, the participant was encouraged to continue a rapid drumming motion of all fingers of the left hand at a self-paced rate. The amplitudes of short-latency SEPs, the P25 at C4′ and N30 at Fz, were significantly

smaller in the Movement than Control condition. By contrast, the amplitudes of long-latency SEPs, the N140 at Fz, Cz, and Pz were significantly larger in Adriamycin Movement than Control condition. Moreover, a significant positive correlation was observed in the rate of amplitude change between the frontal N30 and vertex N140, indicating that for the participants with a frontal N30 of smaller amplitude during Movement, the amplitude of the vertex N140 was smaller. We inferred that the neural activities in movement-related cortices affected the during sources for the frontal N30 and vertex N140 in the same neuronal network simultaneously. NeuroReport 22:1000-1004 (C) 2011 Wolters Kluwer Health vertical bar Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.”
“Studies of the salivary cortisol awakening response (CAR) may be confounded by delays between waking in the morning and obtaining the ‘waking’ salivary

sample. We used wrist actigraphy to provide objective information about waking time, and studied the influence of delays in taking the waking sample on the CAR. Eighty-three men and women (mean age 61.30 years) who were referred to hospital with suspected coronary artery disease were studied. Saliva samples were obtained on waking and 15 and 30 min later. The mean interval between waking defined by actigraphy and reported waking time was 6.12 +/- (S.D.) 14.8 min, with 55.4% having no delay. The waking saliva sample was obtained an average 5.78 +/- 15.0 min after self-reported waking, and 12.24 +/- 20.3 min after objective waking. The waking cortisol value was significantly higher in participants who had a delay between waking and sampling > 15 min (mean 14.46 +/- 6.34 nmol/l) than in those with zero (mean 10.45 +/- 6.41 nmol/l) or 1-15 min delays (mean 11.51 +/- 5.99 nmol/l, p = 0.043).

Focusing on LPS-tolerance in interleukin-6 (IL-6) production, we found that microglia exhibited a strong tolerance response that matched that of macrophages, whereas astrocytes exhibited only partial tolerance. The astrocyte semi-tolerance was found to be regulated by GSK3. GSK3 inhibitors or knocking down GSK3 levels promoted LPS-tolerance and astrocytes expressing constitutively active GSK3 did

not develop LPS-tolerance. MNK inhibitor These findings identify the critical role of GSK3 in counteracting IL-6 inflammatory tolerance in cells of the CNS, supporting the therapeutic potential of GSK3 inhibitors to reduce neuroinflammation by promoting tolerance. (C) 2010 IBRO. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“The native envelope (Env) spike on the surface of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) is trimeric, and thus trimeric Env vaccine immunogens are currently being explored in preclinical immunogenicity studies. Key challenges have included the production and purification of biochemically homogeneous and stable trimers and the evaluation of these immunogens utilizing standardized virus panels

for neutralization assays. Here we report the binding and neutralizing antibody (NAb) responses elicited by clade A (92UG037.8) and clade C (CZA97.012) Env gp140 trimer immunogens in guinea pigs. These trimers have been selected and engineered for optimal biochemical stability and have defined antigenic properties. Purified gp140 trimers with Ribi adjuvant elicited potent, cross-clade NAb responses Silmitasertib research buy against tier 1 viruses as well as detectable but low-titer NAb responses against select tier 2 viruses from clades A, B, and C. In particular, the clade C

trimer elicited NAbs that neutralized 27%, 20%, and 47% of tier 2 viruses from clades A, B, and C, respectively. Heterologous DNA prime, protein boost as well as DNA prime, recombinant adenovirus boost regimens expressing these antigens, however, did not result in an increased magnitude or breadth of NAb responses in this system. These data demonstrate the immunogenicity of stable, homogeneous clade A and clade C gp140 trimers and exemplify the utility of standardized tier 1 and tier 2 virus panels for assessing the NAb responses of candidate HIV-1 Env immunogens.”
“The MK-8776 nmr brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene contains multiple 5′ promoters which generate alternate transcripts. Previously, we found that pan-BDNF mRNA and protein are reduced in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) from patients with schizophrenia. In this study, we determined which of the four most abundant and best characterized BDNF alternate transcripts, I-IX, II-IX, IV-IX, and VI-IX are altered in schizophrenia. Using a cohort from the NIMH, USA, we found that BDNF II-IX mRNA was significantly reduced in the DLPFC of patients with schizophrenia, and we replicated this finding using a second cohort from Sydney, Australia.

Evaluation of genes regulated differentially is essential

for the development of therapeutic approaches in multifactorial diseases as PD. Our data provide a useful basis for screening candidate targets for early diagnosis and further intervention in PQ-mediated toxicity https://www.selleckchem.com/products/ve-821.html of neural cells. Paraquat (PQ) (1,1-dimethyl-4,4′-bipyridinium dichloride), a widely used herbicide, has been suggested as a potential etiologic factor for the development of Parkinson’s disease (PD). In this sense, understanding of the molecular mechanism underlying PQ-induced toxicity to neural cells is important for optimal use as well as for the development of new drugs. To gain insights into PQ-induced neurotoxicity, polymerase chain reaction (PCR) array analysis focused

on a panel of apoptosis-related genes was performed using neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells. Up to 65 apoptosis-related genes were monitored. Our analysis of apoptotic process through microarray technology showed that in PQ-induced neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, there is a different expression of BIK, CASP3, CASP7, Q-VD-Oph in vivo CRADD, DAPK, FAS, and other related genes, in comparison to unstimulated cells. Evaluation of genes regulated differentially is essential for the development of therapeutic approaches in multifactorial diseases as PD. Our data provide a useful basis for screening candidate targets for early diagnosis and further intervention in PQ-mediated toxicity of neural cells.”
“Inhalation of beryllium dusts generated during milling of ores and cutting of beryl-containing gemstones is associated with development of beryllium sensitization and low prevalence of chronic beryllium disease (CBD). Inhalation of beryllium aerosols generated during primary beryllium production and machining of the metal, alloys, and ceramics are associated with sensitization and high rates of CBD, despite

similar airborne beryllium mass concentrations among these industries. Understanding the physicochemical Selleckchem AZD1480 properties of exposure aerosols may help to understand the differential immunopathologic mechanisms of sensitization and CBD and lead to more biologically relevant exposure standards. Properties of aerosols generated during the industrial milling of bertrandite and beryl ores were evaluated. Airborne beryllium mass concentrations among work areas ranged from 0.001 mu/m(3) (beryl ore grinding) to 2.1 mu/m(3) (beryl ore crushing). Respirable mass fractions of airborne beryllium-containing particles were < 20% in low-energy input operation areas (ore crushing, hydroxide product drumming) and > 80% in high-energy input areas (beryl melting, beryl grinding). Particle specific surface area decreased with processing from feedstock ores to drumming final product beryllium hydroxide.

Complementation

of the gp350 knockout phenotype with CD21Ab substantially enhanced infection rates relative to Delta BLLF1 but remained sevenfold (Raji B-cell line) to sixfold (primary B cells) less efficient than with gp350. We therefore infer that gp350 mainly exerts its functions after the internalization step, presumably during release of the viral capsid from the endosomal compartment, and that CD21-dependent but also CD21-independent molecular mechanisms are involved in this process. The latter appear to be characteristic of B-cell infection since transfection of CD21 in 293 cells improved the infection rates with both Delta BLLF1-CD21Ab and Delta BLLF1-C to a similar extent.”
“The purpose

of this study was to evaluate the stereoselective pain relieving (antiallodynic) activity, antiallodynic anticonvulsant click here correlation, teratogenicity and pharmacokinetic profile of two find more stereoisomers of valnoctamide (VCD). a CNS-active amide derivative of a chiral isomer of valproic acid (VPA). The individual stereoisomers (diastereomers), (2R,3S)-VCD and (2S,3S)-VCD were synthesized and their antiallodynic activity was evaluated in rats using the spinal nerve ligation model of neuropathic pain. The pharmacokinetic profile of the two stereoisomers was evaluated in rats following: 1) i.p. administration of racemic-VCD, 2) i.p. administration of the individual stereoisomers (2R,3S)-VCD and (2S,3S)-VCD. Teratogenicity of racemic-VCD selleck chemicals and its two individual stereoisomers was evaluated in a SWV mouse strain known to be highly susceptible to VPA-induced teratogenicity. Racemic-VCD, (2R,35)-VCD and (2S,3S)VCD showed a dose-related reversal of tactile allodynia with ED50 values of 52, 61 and 39 mg/kg, respectively. (2S,35)-VCD was significantly more potent than (2R,3S)-VCD but the opposite is true for its anticonvulsant-effect. In the teratogenicity evaluation racemic-VCD and its

two individual stereoisomers showed mild embryotoxicity at doses 7-10 times higher than their antiallodynic-ED(50) values, while (2S,3S)-VCD was significantly less embryotoxic than (2R,3S)-VCD and racemic-VCD. Following administration of the racemic-VCD there was an increase in the primary pharmacokinetic parameters of (2S,3S)-VCD but not of (2R,3S)-VCD. This study demonstrates that both racemic-VCD and its stereoisomers show high potency as antiallodynic compounds and possess a wide safety margin. (2S,3S)-VCD is more potent and less embryotoxic than (2R,3S)-VCD and thus, has a potential to become a candidate for development as a new drug for treating neuropathic pain. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection causes substantial morbidity and some deaths in the young and elderly worldwide.

Responses to KCl in the absence and presence of saccharin, and saccharin plus zinc were also determined.

Results: T1R2/3 sweet taste receptors were expressed in human and rat bladder urothelium. Immunostaining was evident in the plasma membrane of the 3 urothelial cell types, particularly umbrella cells. Immunoblotting revealed bands at expected molecular weights in human and rat bladder homogenates. Saccharin augmented rat bladder smooth muscle contraction due to electrical field stimulation only when urothelium was present in the bladder strip. Zinc blocked the enhancing effect of saccharin on

responses to KCl.

Conclusions: T1R2/3 sweet taste receptors are expressed in human and rat bladder urothelium. Activation of these receptors by artificial sweeteners may result in augmented bladder contraction.”
“Objective: learn more To understand the mechanisms underlying chronic interpersonal difficulties and their detrimental influence on mental and physical health. Methods: A total of 103 healthy young women (mean age = SB525334 research buy 17 years) were administered a structured interview to assess the degree of chronic interpersonal stress in their lives. At the same time, blood was

drawn to measure systemic inflammation, the expression of signaling molecules that regulate immune activation, and leukocyte production of the cytokine interleukin-6 after ex vivo stimulation with lipopolysaccharide. All of the immunologic assessments were repeated 6 months later. Results: To the extent Subjects were high in chronic interpersonal stress at baseline, their leukocytes displayed greater increases in messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) for the proinflammatory transcription factor nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-kappa B) over the next 6 months. They also showed larger increases in mRNA for inhibitor Of kappa B, a molecule that sequesters NF-kappa

B in the cytoplasm and minimizes its proinflammatory activities. Chronic interpersonal stress at baseline was unrelated to changes in biomarkers of systemic inflammation but was associated SB273005 molecular weight with increasingly pronounced interleukin-6 responses to lipopolysaccharide. These associations were independent of demographics, lifestyle variables, and depressive symptoms. Conclusions: These findings suggest that chronic interpersonal difficulties accentuate expression of pro- and anti-inflammatory signaling molecules. Although this process does not result in systemic inflammation under quiescent conditions, it does accentuate leukocytes’ inflammatory response to microbial challenge. These dynamics may underlie the excess morbidity associated with social stress, particularly in inflammation-sensitive diseases like depression and atherosclerosis.”
“Cholinergic activities affect olfactory bulb (OB) information processing and associated learning and memory. However, the presence of intrinsic cholinergic interneurons in the OB remains controversial.

The latter region was also a significant predictor of the degree of contralesional slowing of target

detection and the extent to which ipsilesional distracters captured attention of neglect patients. Finally, damage to the FEF and posterior IPS was negatively correlated with the tendency of neglect patients to orient attention toward behaviourally relevant distracters. These findings support the results of functional imaging studies of spatial attention and provide evidence for a network account of neglect, according to which attentional selection of relevant environmental stimuli and the reorienting of attention result from dynamic interactions between the IPS, the dorsal premotor cortex, and the TPJ. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Small numbers of graduates from few medical schools, and emigration of graduates to other countries, contribute to low physician presence in sub-Saharan Africa. The Sub-Saharan African Medical School Study examined MRT67307 in vivo the challenges, innovations, and emerging trends in medical education in the region. We identified 168 medical schools; of the 146 surveyed, 105 (72%) responded. Findings from the study showed that countries are prioritising medical education scale-up as part of health-system this website strengthening, and we identified many innovations in premedical preparation, team-based education, and creative use of

scarce research support. The study also drew attention to ubiquitous faculty shortages in basic and clinical sciences, weak physical infrastructure, and little use of external accreditation. Patterns recorded include the growth of private medical schools, community-based secondly education, and international partnerships, and the benefit of research for faculty development.

Ten recommendations provide guidance for efforts to strengthen medical education in sub-Saharan Africa.”
“Whether mental visual images play a functional role in cognition or that propositional knowledge is sufficient for supporting performance in imagery tasks is a long-standing debate. It cannot be resolved using behavioural data alone, nor by brain imaging data alone; for example, across fMRI studies mental rotation has been shown to involve virtually all areas of the brain. Alternatively participants might adopt different cognitive strategies. We report behavioural and fMRI data for mental rotation from individuals reporting vivid or poor mental imagery. Groups differed in errors but not response times, and differed in brain activation patterns, suggesting that the groups performed the same task in different ways. (C) 2011 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Rats were used in a lick suppression preparation to assess the contribution of conditioned-stimulus (CS)-context and context-unconditioned-stimulus (US) associations to experimental extinction. Experiment 1 investigated whether strengthening the CS-acquisition context association enhances extinction by determining whether stronger extinction is observed when CS-alone trials (i.

65 to 0.76; P<0.001). Of the men who were evaluated, 333 (3.5%) in the finasteride group and 286 (3.0%) in the placebo group had high-grade cancer (Gleason

score, 7 to 10) (relative risk, 1.17; 95% CI, 1.00 to 1.37; P=0.05). Of the men who died, 2538 were in the finasteride group and 2496 were in the placebo group, for 15-year survival rates of 78.0% and 78.2%, respectively. The unadjusted hazard ratio for death in the finasteride group was 1.02 (95% CI, 0.97 to 1.08; P=0.46). Ten-year survival rates were 83.0% selleck compound in the finasteride group and 80.9% in the placebo group for men with low-grade prostate cancer and 73.0% and 73.6%, respectively, for those with high-grade prostate cancer.

ConclusionsFinasteride reduced the risk of prostate cancer by about one third. High-grade prostate cancer was more common in the finasteride group than in the placebo group, but after 18 years of follow-up, there was no significant between-group difference in the rates of overall survival or survival after the diagnosis of prostate cancer. (Funded by the National Cancer Institute.)

The use of finasteride to prevent prostate cancer reduced the risk of low-grade tumors by 43%, as compared with placebo. High-grade tumors were more common in the finasteride group, but long-term follow-up did not show a significant between-group difference in survival. With the advent of prostate-specific

antigen (PSA) testing in the late 1980s, the rate of diagnosis of prostate cancer rose dramatically. Currently, a man in the United States has a 16.5% lifetime risk of receiving a diagnosis of prostate cancer.(1) The timing and magnitude of the 44% reduction learn more in prostate-cancer mortality after the widespread adoption of PSA testing suggest that both screening and treatment improvements have contributed to this decline.(2) Unfortunately,

treatments for prostate cancer (radiation and surgery) are associated with a substantial risk of side effects, including sexual, urinary, and bowel complications, that can dramatically affect quality of life. …”
“Subgroup J avian leukosis virus (ALV-J) isolate GDKP1202 was isolated from a 50-day-old local yellow commercial broiler in the Guangdong province of China in 2012. Here we report the complete genomic sequence of the GDKP1202 isolate, which caused high mortality, serious growth suppression, thymic atrophy, and liver enlargement Selleckchem NU7026 in commercial broilers. A novel potential binding site (5′-GGCACCTCC-3′) for c-myb was identified in the GDKP1202 genome. These findings will provide additional insights into the molecular characteristics in the genomes and pathogenicity of ALV-J.”
“Objective: To review the recent (1995-2009) literature on psychosocial risk and protective factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) among women, including negative emotions, stress, social relationships, and positive psychological factors. Methods: Articles for the review were identified using PubMed and bibliographies of relevant articles.

The results indicate that, in addition to playing a role in implicit sequence learning, the BG and its frontal projections are also involved in explicit sequence learning. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.”
“Taking advantage of the wide tropism of baculoviruses (BVs), we constructed

a recombinant BV (BV(CAR)) pseudotyped with human coxsackie B-adenovirus receptor (CAR), the high-affinity attachment receptor for adenovirus type 5 (Ad5), and used the strategy of piggybacking Ad5-green fluorescent protein (Ad5GFP) vector on BV(CAR) to transduce various cells refractory to Ad5 infection. We Rabusertib concentration found that transduction of all cells tested, including human primary cells and cancer cell lines, was significantly improved using the BV(CAR)-Ad5GFP biviral complex compared to that obtained with Ad5GFP or BV(CAR)GFP alone. We determined the optimal conditions BGJ398 clinical trial for the formation of the complex and found that a high level of BV(CAR)-Ad5GFP-mediated transduction occurred at relatively low adenovirus vector doses, compared with transduction by Ad5GFP

alone. The increase in transduction was dependent on the direct coupling of BV(CAR) to Ad5GFP via CAR-fiber knob interaction, and the cell attachment of the BV(CAR)-Ad5GFP complex was mediated by the baculoviral envelope glycoprotein gp64. Analysis of the virus-cell binding reaction indicated that the presence of BV(CAR) in the complex provided kinetic benefits to Ad5GFP compared to the effects with Ad5GFP alone. The endocytic pathway of BV(CAR)-Ad5GFP did not require Ad5 penton base RGD-integrin interaction. Biodistribution of BV(CAR)-Ad5Luc complex in vivo was studied by intravenous administration to www.selleck.cn/products/pf299804.html nude BALB/c mice and compared to Ad5Luc injected alone. No significant difference in viscerotropism was found between the two inocula, and the liver remained

the preferred localization. In vitro, coagulation factor X drastically increased the Ad5GFP-mediated transduction of CAR-negative cells but had no effect on the efficiency of transduction by the BV(CAR)-Ad5GFP complex. Various situations in vitro or ex vivo in which our BV(CAR)-Ad5 duo could be advantageously used as gene transfer biviral vector are discussed.”
“It has been suggested that object recognition in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) may be strongly influenced both by image format (e.g. colour vs. line-drawn) and by low-level visual impairments, To examine these notions, we tested basic visual functioning and picture naming in 41 AD patients and 40 healthy elderly controls. Picture naming was examined using 105 images representing a wide range of living and nonliving subcategories (from the Hatfield image test [HIT]: [Adlington, R. A., Laws, K. R., & Gale, T. M. (in press). The Hatfield image test (HIT): A new picture test and norms for experimental and clinical use.Journal of Clinical and Experimental Neuropsychology]), with each item presented in colour, greyscale, or line-drawn formats.