Eine derartige chronische Exposition kann schließlich eine Ausweitung der Mn-Deposition über den Globus pallidus hinaus auf den gesamten Bereich der Basalganglien zur Folge haben, einschließlich der Pars compacta Atezolizumab der Substantia nigra, die bei der PK betroffen ist [4]. Bei der Suche nach den Quellen und den Folgen dieser chronischen Exposition haben sich die Untersuchungen in der letzten Zeit auf drei Hauptthemen konzentriert, von denen wiederum jedes verschiedene Forschungsfelder

umfasst: (1) Epidemiologische Studien zur Mn-Exposition und den damit verbundenen Gesundheitsrisiken, einschließlich einer erhöhten Prävalenz der Parkinson-Krankheit, auch unter Berücksichtigung einer lebenslangen Exposition Es ist offensichtlich, dass sich diese Hauptthemen z. T. überlappen.

Daher leisten kürzlich veröffentlichte Artikel häufig auch Beiträge zu mehr als einem selleck inhibitor dieser Felder. Es ist jedoch erwähnenswert, dass alle Arten von Untersuchungen zur Toxizität von Mn in irgendeiner Weise auf einer zuverlässigen Element- oder Speziesbestimmung beruhen. Daher sollte betont werden, dass es bei der Gewinnung von Proben und beim Umgang damit sehr leicht zur Kontamination kommen kann. Darüber hinaus können Messmethoden wie die ICP-qMS und andere durch Interferenzen gestört oder durch hoch konzentrierte Elemente in der Matrix beeinflusst werden. Die in der Übersicht behandelten Artikel enthielten entweder Angaben zur Qualitätskontrolle oder waren solide verfasst, so dass es keinen Anlass gab, aufgrund einer beeinträchtigten Analyse die Ergebnisse anzuzweifeln. In den letzten 5-7 Jahren wurde eine Reihe sehr informativer Übersichtsartikel über Mn publiziert. Neben neuen Befunden, die bis zur Veröffentlichung dieser Reviews bekannt geworden waren, behandelten sie u. a. auch Basiswissen über Manganismus und die Toxikologie von Mn, einschließlich

einiger grundlegender Mechanismen, Resorption, Verteilung, Exkretion und damit auch die entsprechenden biologischen Halbwertszeiten sowie schließlich die typischen Mn-Spiegel in Körperflüssigkeiten oder Geweben des Menschen. Diese grundlegenden und immer noch gültigen Informationen werden hier nicht wieder aufgegriffen, und der interessierte Leser sei Org 27569 an diese früheren vergleichenden Übersichtsartikel verwiesen [5], [6], [7], [8], [9] and [10]. Die vorliegende Arbeit enthält daher nur eine kurze Zusammenfassung zu Szenarios der Mn-Exposition und befasst sich v. a. mit neueren Ansätzen der Mn-Forschung, einschließlich der Mn-Speziation. Mangan tritt in der Natur in einer Vielzahl geologischer Umfelder als Bestandteil von mehr als 30 Manganoxidmineralien auf, am häufigsten in Form seiner unlöslichen Oxide MnO2 und Mn3O4[11]. Hohe Mn-Gehalte finden sich daher in Böden, die durch Erosion von Erdkrustengestein entstanden sind, was in der Folge zur Mn-Deposition in Pflanzen führt.

When adult participants are presented with real words and non-words in isolation, real words elicit stronger EEG coherence in the beta-band in comparison to the resting

state, but non-words do not LY2109761 (von Stein, Rappelsberger, Sarnthein, & Petshe, 1999). This indicates that lexical processing induces beta-band synchronization in adults. The beta-band increase in phase synchronization found in our infants suggests that the same neural network may be recruited for processing words already at the age of 11 months. The third key finding is that the N400 component was significantly larger for sound symbolically mismatching than matching pairs. The difference in ERP amplitude between the match and mismatch condition suggests that 11-month-olds’ brain sensitively responds to congruency of sound-shape correspondences. Furthermore, the timing and topography of this ERP modulation is strikingly similar to the typical N400 effect (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011). Although there is widespread agreement in the literature that the N400

response reflects semantic integration difficulty both in adults and infants (Friedrich and Friederici, 2005, Friedrich and Friederici, 2011, Kutas and Federmeier, 2011 and Parise and Csibra, Vorinostat in vivo 2012), the neural mechanism underlying N400 is not perfectly understood (Kutas & Federmeier, 2011), especially in infants. In our case, however, the results from the amplitude change in the earlier time window along with the large-scale posterior-anterior synchrony observed in the beta band over the left hemisphere in the N400 time window jointly suggest that N400 modulation reflects the detection of an anomaly at a conceptual

rather than perceptual level. Indeed, when visual shape and spoken word were sound-symbolically mismatched, it was more difficult for infants to integrate the two and establish the pairing. In other words, sound symbolism may help infants to acquire the concept of word from novel sound-referent Protein tyrosine phosphatase pairing. This study goes beyond effects of sound symbolism previously demonstrated in infant behavioural measures (Maurer et al., 2006, Ozturk et al., 2013, Peña et al., 2011 and Walker et al., 2010), as it revealed the neural processes linking perceptual cross-modal processing and language development. The amplitude change, phase synchronization, and ERP results jointly indicate that, while it is processed in a cross-modal perceptual network, sound symbolism triggers semantic processing in the left hemisphere mapping speech sounds to visually presented referents. Sound symbolism may serve as an important bootstrapping mechanism for establishing referential insights for speech sounds.

At low shear rates, the typical Newtonian plateau was experimentally detected in the flow curves of guar/polyol

systems. The plateau region, where viscosity has a constant value, decreased with increasing solute concentration. This behavior is in accordance with previous results reported to pure guar gum solutions (Chenlo, Moreira, & Silva, 2010). Pure polyol solutions showed Newtonian behavior, in agreement with previously reported results obtained at room temperature (Lim, Seo, & Youn, 2004; Siefarth et al., 2011). The Cross equation was the best model for describing pseudoplastic behavior of pure guar solutions and solutions of G01 with polyol (Table 2). The behavior of G05 and G1 solutions was different from the rheological Dabrafenib cost PD0325901 in vitro profiles observed for the lower concentration of gum and the Cross model did not fit adequately to these flow curves. There was evidence of an apparent yield stress associated with particulate inclusions and this was also observed with the higher guar and polyol concentrations. These results are similar to those obtained in rheological studies of mixtures of guar galactomannan and insoluble particulate inclusions or ‘fillers’ (Rayment, Ross-Murphy, & Ellis, 1995, 1998, 2000). According to these authors this type of rheological behavior can be more easily described with inclusion a yield stress term (σ0)

modified Cross equation as follows: equation(2) η=η∞+η0−η∞1+kCRγ˙n+σ0γ Table 3 shows the rheological parameters of the modified Cross model for solutions with 0.5 and 1.0 g/100 g concentrations of guar gum with polyols. In all systems the time constant increased significantly with increasing polyol concentration. Viscosity values at zero-shear rate also significantly increased with increasing guar and polyol concentration. In all systems the presence of 40 g/100 g polyol decreased the n value, demonstrating an increase in the degree of pseudoplasticity.

For samples G1, G1M10, G1S10 G1X10 the parameter infinite shear rate viscosity (η∞) resulted in negative values during fitting. In order to eliminate this inconsistency we decided to establish a fixed value for this parameter and only adjust the additional fitting parameters. Idoxuridine The criterion adopted to set the value of consisted in assuming a linear relationship between and guar concentration for each polyol concentration. The samples of guar 0.1 g/100 g, pure and with polyols, did not present viscoelastic behavior, as shown in Fig. 2, which shows the variations in the energy storage modulus (G′) and the phase angle (δ) as a function of the angular frequency, obtained with a 5% deformation amplitude. Nevertheless, the rheological measurements carried out in 0.5 and 1 g/100 g guar solutions provided evidence that the presence of polyols, and the increase in their concentrations, increased the values of G′, resulting in more structured systems.

There have been more sequence changes [5] and potentially more selective events [53 and 54] in the chimp lineage than in ours. In fact, the statistical techniques for identifying accelerated regions have already been applied to other lineages [4• and 10]. The data and methods are already available to explore patterns of accelerated region evolution across the mammalian phylogeny. These studies will shed light on what, if anything, is uniquely human about the genes and pathways targeted by accelerated evolution in our species. Papers of particular interest, published within the period of review, have been highlighted as: • LDK378 of special interest This work was supported by the San Simeon Fund and institutional

funds from the Gladstone Institutes. “
“The publisher regrets that several errors appeared in the original paper. The correct text is below. In the abstract section, the fourth sentence should read as follows: As a result, we found that patients with ADHD PCI-32765 purchase had decreased ALFF in the right inferior frontal cortex and bilateral cerebellum and the vermis as well as increased ALFF in the right

anterior cingulated cortex, left sensorimotor cortex, and bilateral brainstem. In Fig. 3, the numbers beside the blue bar (upper) should be −3.828 and −2.796, respectively. And the numbers besides the red and yellow bar (lower) should be +2.796 and +4.604, respectively. “
“Current Opinion in Genetics & Development 2012, 22:229–237 This review comes from a themed issue on Molecular and genetic bases of disease Edited by Beverly Emanuel and Steve Warren For a complete overview see the Issue and the Editorial 0959-437X/$ – see front

matter, © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. DOI 10.1016/j.gde.2012.03.002 else Autism spectrum disorder (Figure 1) is a lifelong developmental condition that affects about 1 in 110 individuals [1], with onset before the age of three years. It is characterized by abnormalities in communication, impaired social function, repetitive behaviors and restricted interests [2]. The presentation of autistic features is variable, with symptoms ranging from mild to severe, sometimes with poor clinical outcomes. These individuals vary greatly in cognitive development, with some who function well above average and others showing profound intellectual disability. In a clinical genetics setting, individuals with ASD or who exhibit autistic-like behaviors have become increasingly apparent [3]. One of the hallmarks of ASD is a 4:1 male to female gender bias, which may rise to 11:1 when considering Asperger disorder [4]. There is strong evidence for the importance of complex genetic factors comprised of different forms of genetic variation (or architecture) in the etiology of ASD (Figure 2). Earlier family studies [5, 6, 7 and 8] found 8–19% recurrence of ASD among sibs of affected probands.

5 cm of antero-posterior diameter), usually involving the distal tract of the common carotid artery and extending through the bulb to the internal carotid artery origin, can be easily recognized. Moreover, the 3D reconstruction, rotating in the different planes, EX 527 mw allows a better global identification of the anatomy (Fig. 2). However, the reconstruction images have always to be considered with caution for final diagnostic decisions, as flow disturbances can cause several artifacts in the post-processing image reconstruction:

final 3D pictures cannot be considered alone and without the previous or concomitant mandatory analysis of the bidimensional images. Extracranial vessels course abnormalities are frequent and generally asymptomatic in the general population [15]. According to their angle in respect to the vessel, they can be classified in “tortuosities” and “kinkings”, when changes in the vessel course are greater than 90°. Even though these alterations are asymptomatic and without clinical relevance in the normal subject, tortuosities and kinkings have to be identified prior to surgical procedures, since they may hinder – for example – the intravascular positioning of a stent, while the anatomical approach and clamping of the internal carotid artery may be easier during endarterectomy [16]. Bidimensional standard US imaging with Duplex, Color and Power Doppler easily reveal

the changes of the blood flow direction according to the vessel direction change. While in the bidimensional images it is usually necessary to repeatedly correct the color box insonation Tacrolimus chemical structure angle or to adjust the probe orientation to obtaining optimal complete vessel recognition, the

3D reconstruction can be of help to gain the whole visualization “at a glance” [to view the figure, please visit the online supplementary file]. 3D imaging of carotid stenosis have been performed with different techniques: (1) by the 3D reconstruction of the internal carotid artery plaque structure from either the US B-Mode and/or from the vessel wall parenchymal (CT/MRI) imaging; (2) by the 3D reconstruction of the inner residual lumen, visualized Acetophenone with the Power Doppler or with other imaging techniques. These two methods may have their own disadvantages, fundamentally represented by the possibility of under interpretation of the stenosis in case 2, because the vessel considered as normal reference is – actually – only supposed-to-be-so, not being the vessel wall directly visualized. In Fig. 3 (Clip 3), the 3D reconstruction of a cases of internal carotid artery stenosis is presented. Note as the visualization of the “missing part” of the vessel lumen in 3D US, reconstructed on the basis of the residual flow. Increased blood flow velocities may induce an underestimation of the stenosis in the 3D ultrasound reconstruction, because the image is computed on the base of the flow signal – increased in this case – from the inward flow.

To study changes in relative quantity of CD184 (CXCR4) and CD62L (L-selectin) on the cell subsets, the median fluorescence intensity (MFI) of the labeled anti-CD184-antibody and anti-CD62L-antibody was analyzed. Samples for measuring hormone concentrations were kept frozen at −70 °C until assay. Cortisol in serum and adrenocorticotropic

hormone (ACTH) in plasma were measured using a commercial assay (Immulite, Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Deerfiled, USA). Aldosterone was measured in serum, also using learn more a commercial assay (DPC-Biermann, Bad Nauheim, Germany). Epinephrine and norepinephrine were measured in plasma by standard high-performance liquid chromatography. Sensitivity, intraassay and interassay coefficients of variation were as follows: cortisol 0.2 μg/dL, less than 10%; ACTH 9 pg/mL, less than 9.5%; aldosterone 11 pg/mL, less than 16%; epinephrine 2 pg/mL, less than 6.5%; norepinephrine 5 pg/mL, less than 6%. Sleep stages were determined off-line from polysomnographic recordings following standard criteria (Rechtschaffen and Kales, 1968). For each night, sleep onset (with

reference to lights off at 23:00 h), total sleep time (sum of time spent in sleep stages 1, 2, 3, and 4 and REM sleep), and the time as well as percentage of total sleep time spent in the different sleep stages were calculated. In addition, ICG-001 cost we determined the time between awakening of subjects around 4:00 h for the second administration of spironolactone or placebo and falling asleep again. SWS was defined by the sum of stage 3 and 4 sleep. Analyses of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measurements were calculated on T cell subpopulations (absolute counts, CXCR4 expression, CD62L expression) and hormones. Factors new included were “Condition” (spironolactone versus placebo), “Early/late” (23:00–3:30 h versus 5:00–9:30 h) and ”Time” (reflecting the four time points of measurements during the early and late night, respectively). We included the factor “Early/late” since we expected the

effects of spironolactone only during the early night, when the impact of sleep on T cell migration is evident (see Section 1). Degrees of freedom were corrected according to the Greenhouse-Geisser procedure. In case of ANOVA effects, paired t tests were analyzed at single time points. A p-value <0.05 was considered significant. Data are presented as mean ± SEM. T cells were classified as CD4+ (T-helper) and CD8+ (cytotoxic) T cells, and both of these subpopulations were further divided in naïve, central memory, effector memory and effector T cells. The absolute counts of all subpopulations with the exception of effector CD4+ and effector CD8+ T cells showed a peak during the first night half (23:00–3:30 h) followed by a decline until the last blood sampling at 9:30 h (F(1,10) ⩾ 9.68, p ⩽ 0.01, for main effects of Early/late and F(3,30) ⩾ 8.27, p ⩽ 0.

The clusters were visualized using an inverted

optic microscope. Dental pulp stem cells were isolated and expanded in vitro from EGFP-transgenic mice. The cells are plastic-adherent and showed rapid expansion and proliferation capacity in vitro after isolation. Approximately 80% of the cells proliferated after 48 h of culture ( Fig. 2). A polymorphic morphology was observed in the cell populations obtained. Initially the cells had rounded or fibroblastoid shapes ( Fig. 1a). Cells with fusiform ( Fig. 1b) and stellate shapes ( Fig. 1c) began to appear amongst fibroblastoid cells after 20–28 days of culture. Curiously, in one batch of cells, some elongated cells acquired the contraction capacity (see supplemental material). Proliferative mDPSC showed a normal karyotype in the passages evaluated ( Dasatinib cell line Fig. 1d). In only one isolate, tetraploidy was found in 40% of the cells in the sixth passage (data not shown). The formation of cell clusters in vitro was also observed (data not shown). More than 90% of the cells expressed GFP ( Fig. 2 and Fig. 3c). After long term cryopreservation, mDPSC are capable of quickly restarting proliferation in culture, in a manner similar to that of recently isolated cells. To investigate the phenotypic characteristics of the mDPSC, cell cultures were analysed

using antibodies against several cell surface and intracellular antigens. In the third passage, flow cytometric analysis revealed the expression of cell surface molecules that characterize mesenchymal stem cells, TSA HDAC research buy such as CD90,

CD73, STRO-1 and Ly6a/Sca-1 (Fig. 2). In contrast, the percentage of hematopoietic cell markers was low Methane monooxygenase (CD117) or undetectable (CD34, CD11b, or CD45) in this passage. The expression of hematopoietic stem cell markers was detected only in the first passage (data not shown). Approximately 80% of the cells were positive for the endothelial cell marker CD31 (Fig. 2). Similar results were observed with cells cultured until the 18th passage (data not shown). Cells were positive for alkaline phosphatase (Fig. 3a) such as observed in the positive control, a culture of embryonic stem cells (Fig. 3b). Curiously, the expression of others embryonic stem cells markers, such as SSEA-1, was strongly positive in mDPSC cultures (Fig. 3d), whereas SSEA-4 and TRA-1-60 markers were not detected by immunofluorescence analysis (Fig. 3e and f). The transcript ZFP42/Rex-1, but not Nanog, was detected in undifferentiated stem cells by RT-PCR analysis ( Fig. 4). Flow cytometry analysis confirmed that approximately 25% of the cells were positive for Pou5f1/Oct-4 ( Fig. 2). Confluent monolayers of the mDPSC were submitted to conditions known to promote osteogenesis, chondrogenesis and adipogenesis. Control mDPSC were cultured only with growth medium (Fig. 5b, d and f).

Spray-dried, water-extracted GJG powder was obtained from Tsumura & Co. (Tokyo, Japan). GJG was approved in 1986 as a drug for clinical use by the Japanese

Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare. It is produced at the Shizuoka plant which meets Japanese pharmaceutical GMP (good manufacturing practice). The local pharmaceutical administration of Shizuoka Prefecture assesses the GMP status of the plant every 5 years. The plant has had permission for pharmaceutical production for more than 30 years, and the production process has been well validated. Since active substances are still ambiguous, quality control is conducted by quantitation of major components. In the case of GJG, paeoniflorin (moutan bark), loganin (Rehmannia root), and total alkaloids (processed aconite root) are chosen as marker compounds for quality control. Paeoniflorin, loganin, and total alkaloids in 1 g of GJG extract powder used in our experiments were 2.11, selleckchem find more 1.58, and 0.11 mg, respectively. In 10 lots (a total of 20 lots) produced before and behind this lot, paeoniflorin, loganin, and total alkaloids were within ± 10% of the range of this content, and quality was managed satisfactorily. Other physicochemical properties, e.g. loss on drying, water content, ash, heavy metals, etc., were also examined in all lots.

GJG extract is listed in the Japanese Pharmacopeia, and the material used in this study met that description. The general manufacturing procedure of GJG extract powder is as follows. Ten kinds of botanical raw materials are crushed and then weighed in accordance with the mixing ratio as shown in Table S1. The mixture of botanical raw materials is extracted 12 times with ion-exchanged water for 60 min at 100 °C. The extract is centrifuged to obtain a supernatant, which is then concentrated in vacuo. The

concentrated extract solution is dried by a spray dryer. The standard yield of extract powder is around 16% of the total weight of botanical raw materials. A three-dimensional high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) profile of a methanol solution of GJG was performed according to our Racecadotril previous procedure ( Hattori et al. 2010) and is shown in Fig. 1. 3D-HPLC analysis and LC/MS analysis of the crude drugs involved in GJG are shown in Figs. S1–S3. Seven-week-old male SAMP8 mice were purchased from SLC, Inc. (Shizuoka, Japan) and divided into 2 groups: those fed a normal diet (powdered mouse food; Oriental Yeast Co. Ltd. (Tokyo, Japan; P8 + N group; n = 10)); and those fed a normal diet supplemented with 4% (w/w) GJG (P8 + GJG group; n = 10). As controls, 7-week-old male SAMR1 mice were purchased from SLC and also divided into 2 groups: those fed a normal diet (R + N group; n = 10) and those fed a normal diet supplemented with 4% (w/w) GJG (R + GJG group; n = 11). General conditions and body weight were recorded for all mice.

It has been proposed that MPAs can serve to hedge against inevitable uncertainties, errors, and biases in fisheries management (Lauck et al., 1998). It is certainly true that while fisheries-independent research needs to be done in Chagos/BIOT there will always be selleck chemicals a degree of uncertainty surrounding research on pelagic organisms and their environment. The costs and logistics involved with such data collection in such a remote location reinforce the need to act now to

implement a precautionary approach to achieve sustainability in marine fisheries in the context of the extreme overexploitation in the western Indian Ocean. Modelling studies indicate that effort displacement can counteract the benefits arising from pelagic area closures (Baum et al., 2003 and Worm et al., 2003). Baum

et al. (2003) suggested that an effective measure to reduce the displacement effort was to avoid regions of high fishing effort in favour of areas of lower fishing effort, thus reducing the amount of effort that can be displaced. AZD2281 clinical trial While some displacement is possible in Chagos/BIOT following implementation of the marine reserve, the reduced area of ocean available for fishing may result in a decrease in fishing effort through vessel decommissioning or a large-scale change in fishing patterns. This is particularly relevant when considering the broader regional context, particularly the de facto closure of the Somalia

fishery due to piracy ( Mangi et al., 2010). More generally, overcapacity of the global tuna fleet is an issue that needs to be addressed by all regional fisheries management organisations and fishing nations – marine reserves should be seen as a part of this broader management scheme. There may be some opportunity for monitoring activity in Chagos/BIOT Adenosine triphosphate that helps establish any consequences of shifting fishing effort in the region. This paper highlights several uncertainties in the benefits and limitations of spatial closure for tuna and other pelagic species. However, the Chagos/BIOT MPA was not primarily initiated as a fisheries management tool, rather to conserve the unique and rich biodiversity of this region, both in the coastal and pelagic realm. The relatively pristine nature of the coral reefs of Chagos/BIOT is particularly important considering the 2008 Status of the World’s coral reefs report reporting 19% of the original global coral reef area has already been lost through direct human impacts, with a further 15% seriously threatened within 10–20 years, and another 20% under threat in 20–40 years (Wilkinson, 2008). These predictions do not take into account the accelerating problem of climate change on the oceans (Veron et al., 2009).

Sechs Monate nach Ende der MeHg-Exposition wurde im Gehirn der Affen eine höhere Hg2+-Konzentration beobachtet, während das organische Quecksilber

aus dem Gehirn verschwunden war. Die ermittelte Halbwertszeit des organischen Quecksilbers im Gehirn dieser erwachsenen Affen betrug 37 Tage. Dieser Zeitraum war konsistent über verschiedene Gehirnregionen hinweg und vergleichbar mit der Halbwertszeit von MeHg im Gehirn von Affenbabys, check details die von Burbacher et al. bestimmt worden war [114]. Die ermittelte Halbwertszeit von Hg2+ im Gehirn derselben erwachsenen Affen variierte erheblich zwischen verschiedenen Bereichen im Gehirn: Sie betrug zwischen 227 und 540 Tagen. Die Hg2+-Konzentration unterschied sich ebenfalls deutlich zwischen den einzelnen Gehirnregionen. Sechs Monate nach dem Ende der Exposition gegenüber MeHg war sie in einigen Bereichen gleich geblieben (Thalamus), während sie in anderen (Hypophyse) auf das Doppelte angestiegen war [112]. Stereologische und autometallogeraphische Untersuchungen ergaben Hinweise darauf, dass Hg2+ im Gehirn der Affen persistierte und mit einer signifikanten Erhöhung der Anzahl der Mikroglia sowie einem Rückgang der Anzahl der Astrozyten verbunden war. Es ist bemerkenswert, dass diese Effekte 6 Monate nach dem Ende einer chronischen

Exposition gegenüber MeHg beobachtet Selleck Adriamycin wurden [110], [111] and [115] und dass sie bei den erwachsenen Tieren mit Hg2+-Gehalten im Gehirn

verbunden waren, die etwa fünfmal höher lagen als diejenigen, die von Burbacher et al. [114] bei den mit Ethylquecksilber behandelten Affenbabys Protirelin beobachtet worden waren. Bei einigen Studien zeigten MeHg und Ethylquecksilber in Experimenten an Gewebekulturen gleiche Toxizität, während sich Hg2+ in neuronalen Zellmodellsystemen sowohl von Vertebraten als auch von Invertebraten als weniger toxisch erwies. In PC12-Phäochromozytomzellen beispielsweise ist MeHg, gemessen am Überleben der Zellen, 6- bis 40-mal toxischer als Hg2+[116] and [117]. Während Hg2+ und MeHg in einer Insektenzelllinie nahezu äquivalente Zytotoxizität zeigten, inhibierte MeHg in diesen Zellen die Proliferation etwa 20-mal stärker als Hg2+[118]. Darüber hinaus verzögerte MeHg 10-mal stärker als Hg2+ das Wachstum von Nervenfasern bei Spinalganglien-Explantaten von Hühnern [119]. Insgesamt sprechen diese Untersuchungen in einer Reihe von Modellen, die von Invertebraten- bis hin zu Säugersystemen reichen, gegen die Auffassung, dass Hg2+ sowohl bei Exposition gegenüber MeHg wie auch gegenüber Ethylquecksilber die eigentliche Ursache der Schäden ist. Diese Untersuchungen sollten jedoch mit Vorsicht interpretiert werden, da sie alle unter den artifiziellen Bedingungen von Gewebekulturen durchgeführt wurden.