, 2010) Hydrocarbon-degrading extremely halophilic Archaea were

, 2010). Hydrocarbon-degrading extremely halophilic Archaea were also isolated from a saltern crystallizer pond in the south of France (Tapilatu et al., 2010). Degradation of aromatic compounds by haloarchaea was first documented by Emerson et al. (1994) in Haloferax strain D1227 that grew on benzoate, cinnamate, and phenylpropionate. Aerobic degradation of p-hydroxybenzoic acid by a Haloarcula sp. follows an unusual metabolic pathway (Fairley et al., 2002).

More halophilic Archaea growing on benzoic acid, p-hydroxybenzoic acid, salicylic acid, and on a mixture of the polycyclic hydrocarbons naphthalene, anthracene, PLX4032 phenanthrene, pyrene and benzo[a]anthracene, with and without 0.05% yeast extract, were isolated from different geographic locations: salt flats in Bolivia, salterns in Chile and Puerto Rico, a sabkha in Saudi Arabia, and the Dead Sea. Most isolates were affiliated with the genus Haloferax (Cuadros-Orellana et al., 2006; Bonfá et al., 2011). Genomic information revealed that the recently discovered nanohaloarchaeal organisms lead an aerobic heterotrophic life style. Olaparib in vivo The presence of lactate dehydrogenase may point to a potential for fermentative metabolism. The genes encoding the enzymes of the Embden–Meyerhof glycolytic pathway were identified, and both the oxidative

(based on glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase as the key enzyme) and the nonoxidative branches of the pentose phosphate pathway were present. This is the first case in which the complete pentose phosphate Lck pathway was demonstrated in a member of the Archaea (Narasingarao et al., 2012). Oxygen has a low solubility in salt-saturated brines, and therefore, it may easily become a limiting factor for the development of halophilic Archaea. Some produce gas vesicles or posses aerotaxis sensors (e.g. HemAT in Halobacterium) (Hou et al.,

2000) that enable them to reach the water–air interface, while others have the capacity to grow anaerobically. Variants of anaerobic growth documented within the Halobacteriaceae include the use of alternative electron acceptors such as nitrate, dimethylsulfoxide, trimethylamine N-oxide or fumarate, fermentation of arginine, and possibly other types of fermentation as well (Oren, 2006). Considering the low concentrations of nitrate generally encountered in hypersaline brines and the apparent lack of regeneration of nitrate by nitrification at high salt concentrations, the process can be expected to occur only to a limited extent in nature (Oren, 1994). Some halophilic Archaea (e.g. Har. marismortui, Har. vallismortis, Hfx. mediterranei) can grow anaerobically when nitrate is present as the electron acceptor, forming gaseous nitrogen and/or nitrous oxide (Mancinelli & Hochstein, 1986).

In 1995 (n = 191), significantly older children were referred to

In 1995 (n = 191), significantly older children were referred to specialized pediatric

dental care compared to 2008 (n = 179). In addition, a shift of surgical referrals to very young children with high caries levels was clearly noticed, resulting in considerably more oral rehabilitation performed under GA in 2008 (n = 73). Thus, the mean values of 6.4 fillings and 2.7 extractions per child were quite high. Preventive treatment approaches for primary dentition in Germany need further improvement by focusing on high caries-risk groups, as specialized pediatric dentistry bears the great burden of providing oral rehabilitations under GA in young children. “
“International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2012; 22: 435–441 Background.  Hydrophilic adhesives Screening Library price may be used as pit and fissure sealants (sealants), but there is concern about the ability of self-etching Navitoclax cell line adhesives to bond sealants to enamel. Aim.  To study the bond strength (BS) and morphology of adhesive systems used as sealants. Design.  OptiBond FL, OptiBond All-in-One, combined OptiBond All-in-One + OptiBond FL adhesive, and Fluroshield were applied to the occlusal surfaces of 16 primary molars (n = 4). Teeth were stored in distilled water (24 h at 37°C) and sectioned through the interface to obtain sticks (0.8 mm2) tested under a tensile load (0.5 mm/min). Failure modes were observed. Data were analysed

by ANOVA and Tukey’s tests (α = 5%). The morphology of 12 primary molars was examined in terms of the etching pattern and resin reproduction. Results.  Differences in the BS were found (P = 0.001), with OptiBond FL showing the highest (36.84 ± 5.7 MPa), Fluroshield (24.26 ± 2.13 MPa) and OptiBond All-in-One (17.12 ± 4.97 MPa) similar, and OptiBond Liothyronine Sodium All-in-One + OptiBond FL adhesive the lowest (9.8 ± 2.94 MPA). OptiBond FL showed the best results in terms of morphology. Conclusion.  Under the conditions of this study, OptiBond FL was the best material to be used for sealing. “
“International Journal of Paediatric Dentistry 2013; 23: 145–152 Background.  Alternatives to vital pulpotomy treatment in primary teeth are being sought because of the high formaldehyde

content of traditional formocresol (FC) pulpotomy medicaments. Aim.  The aim was to compare the clinical and radiographic success of vital pulpotomy treatment in primary molars using 3% sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) versus a 1 : 5 dilution of Buckley’s FC. Design.  Pulpotomies were performed in primary molars of healthy children between 3 and 10 years old. Sixty-five primary teeth were randomized into two groups that were evaluated for treatment outcomes. Following treatment, the pulp chamber was filled with zinc oxide eugenol (ZnOE) and restored with a stainless steel crown cemented with glass ionomer cement. Clinical and radiographic outcomes were recorded at 6 and 12 months. Results.  The control (FC) and experimental (NaOCl) groups demonstrated 100% clinical success at 6 and 12 months.

All analyses were conducted using stata/mp (version 110; StataCo

All analyses were conducted using stata/mp (version 11.0; StataCorp LP, College Station, TX, USA). The data set contained information on 35 368 participants. Tanespimycin Of these, 20 791 started cART before 1998 or before entering the study, or did not start cART. A further 3826 participants did not have CD4 measurements within the baseline period or between 6 and 108 months post-cART. Of the remaining 10 751 participants, 3682 had insufficient HIV-1 RNA measurements, leaving

7069 participants eligible for inclusion in analyses. Table 1 presents characteristics of the participants according to baseline CD4 cell count group. Most were men, approximately half were homosexual or bisexual, and approximately half were of White

ethnicity. Compared with participants with baseline CD4 counts ≥25 and <500 cells/μL, a higher percentage of participants with baseline CD4 counts <25 cells/μL were female, Black African and heterosexual. Median baseline viral load decreased with increasing baseline CD4 cell count, and median follow-up time in all baseline CD4 cell count groups was ≥35 months. Forty-one per cent of participants (2880) had 4 or more years of follow-up. Figure 1 shows observed geometric mean CD4 CP 868596 cell count trajectories, and those predicted by the best-fitting fractional polynomial model, according to baseline CD4 cell count group. Because of overlap between the curves, panel (a) shows trajectories for participants with baseline CD4 counts 0–24, 50–99, 200–349 and ≥500 cells/μL, while panel (b) shows the intermediate

groups (25–49, 100–199 and 350–499 cells/μL). For participants with baseline CD4 counts <100 cells/μL, predicted CD4 counts after approximately 3 years of follow-up were generally less than observed CD4 counts. This is likely to be because observed CD4 cell counts are biased by loss to follow-up Interleukin-2 receptor as a result of deaths among participants with low or declining CD4 cell counts. Between-group differences in predicted CD4 count remained approximately constant over time for participants with baseline CD4 counts <350 cells/μL, but declined with time in participants with higher baseline CD4 counts. CD4 counts continued to increase up to 8 years after starting cART, except for participants with baseline CD4 counts ≥350 cells/μL. Mean CD4 count reached a plateau after the first 2 years on cART among participants with baseline CD4 counts ≥350 and <500 cells/μL and declined slightly after the first year on cART among those with baseline CD4 counts ≥500 cells/μL. Of the 7069 participants, 5089 (72%) had no record of virological failure, while 1980 had at least one HIV-1 RNA measurement >1000 copies/mL after 6 months of treatment.

The upstream and downstream

ORFs of the feh gene were pro

The upstream and downstream

ORFs of the feh gene were proposed to encode GntR family transcriptional regulator, TetR family transcriptional regulator, conserved hypothetical protein and hypothetical protein, respectively, based on their significant similarity to the genome of R. erythropolis PR4 (Sekine et al., 2006) (Appendix S1). The nucleotide sequences of feh gene were successfully amplified by over-lapping PCR and ligated with pET-29a(+), then the recombinant plasmids were transformed into E. coli BL21(DE3). The recombinants harbouring pET-29a-feh produced clear transparent halos on LB plates containing 0.2 mmol L−1 IPTG Selumetinib concentration as inducer and 200 mg L−1 FE as indicator. A single purple band was observed by zymogram analysis of the crude enzyme Linsitinib extract of recombinants and one clear transparent halo was also observed when another part of the gel was put on a MSM plate containing 200 mg L−1 FE as indicator (Fig. 5a, lane 2, 4). These phenomena were consistent with the crude enzyme

extract of Rhodococcus sp. T1. HPLC analysis showed that 93% of FE was hydrolysed to FA after 10 μL of the crude enzyme extract of recombinants being added into 4 mL of reaction buffer containing 25 mg L−1 FE and incubated for 10 min at 37 °C. SDS-PAGE analysis of the crude enzyme extract showed remarkable expression of feh gene. The molecular mass of the FE hydrolase was observed to be www.selleck.co.jp/products/MDV3100.html about 41 kDa (Fig. 5b), and this was consistent with the molecular mass deduced from amino acid sequence. These results indicated that the feh

gene was successfully cloned and expressed in E. coli. The crude enzyme extract of recombinants could also form distinct transparent halos on MSM plates containing haloxyfop-R-methyl, quizalofop-p-ethyl and cyhalofop-butyl as indicator (data not shown). The feh gene was identified to belong to beta-lactamase family by Pfam database (Finn et al., 2010). However, it showed no activity against standard beta-lactamases substrates for there was no growth of E. coli BL21(DE3) harbouring pET-29a-feh on the LB plates containing 0.2 mmol L−1 IPTG, 50 mg L−1 kanamycin, 100 mg L−1 penicillin or ampicillin. Similar phenomena were also reported about two novel metagenome-derived esterases EstA3 and EstCE1. The primary structures of EstA3 and EstCE1 showed significant similarities to beta-lactamases, but they showed no beta-lactamases activity (Elend et al., 2006). The sequence identity of protein Feh and ChbH described recently by Nie et al. (2011) was only 9.2%. This work was financially supported by the Genetically Modified Organisms Breeding Major Project (2009ZX08009-056B), the National Natural Science Foundation (Grant No. 3077033), the Introduction of International Advanced Agricultural Science and Technology Project (2011-Z21), and the Fundamental Research Fund for the Central Universities. “
“The IncF plasmid p1658/97 (c.

Stage I accounted for 43%, stage II for 9%, stage III for 29%, an

Stage I accounted for 43%, stage II for 9%, stage III for 29%, and stage IV for 8% of patients with ovarian cancer. Treatment Annual Report in 2005: The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with cervical cancer were 91% in stage I, 78% in stage II, 57% in stage III, and 30% in stage IV. The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with

endometrial cancer were 95% in stage I, 89% in stage II, 77% in stage III, and 23% in STI571 price stage IV. The 5-year overall survival rates of patients with ovarian surface epithelial-stromal tumors were 92% in stage I, 75% in stage II, 50% in stage III and 39% in stage IV. The Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology (JSOG) collects and analyzes annual data on the clinicopathologic factors and prognosis of gynecologic cancers from member institutions every year to investigate Akt inhibitor the trends in gynecologic cancers in Japan. Herein, we present the Patient Annual Report in 2011 and the Treatment Annual Report in 2005. (The data presented in this paper were quoted and modified from Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica 64 (12) 2340–2388, 2012[1] and Acta Obstetrica et Gynaecologica Japonica 65 (3) 1147–1208, 2013[2]). Data on patients in whom treatment was started in 2011 were collected, then were retrospectively analyzed and summarized in the Patient Annual Report in 2011. Data on the prognosis of patients

who were started on treatment in 2005 were collected then were analyzed and summarized in the Treatment Annual Report in 2005, assuming that a 5-year follow-up period is necessary. This study was conducted with the approval Endonuclease of the ethics committee of JSOG. The subjects included 9038 patients with stage 0 cervical cancer (carcinoma in situ), 6660 with stage I–IV cervical cancer, 440 with stage 0 endometrial cancer (atypical endometrial hyperplasia), 7273 with stage I–IV endometrial cancer, 4672 with ovarian cancer, and 1420 with ovarian

tumors of borderline malignancy in whom the diagnosis was made histopathologically in each of the 305 member institutions of JSOG and who were started on treatment between January and December 2011. Clinical stages for cervical cancer and surgical stages for endometrial and ovarian cancer, including borderline malignancy, were based on the International Federation of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (FIGO) 1988 staging system. Data on the age, clinical stage, histological type, and treatment were collected for patients with cervical cancer. Data on the age, surgical stage, histological type, and treatment were collected for patients with endometrial cancer patients. Data on the age, surgical stage, histological type and treatment were collected for the patients with ovarian cancer and ovarian tumors of borderline malignancy.

The remaining lysate was digested extensively with nucleases and

The remaining lysate was digested extensively with nucleases and proteinase K and dialysed (2000 molecular-weight cut-off) against water to remove small molecules, particularly monosaccharides. The dialysed lysates were subjected to methanolysis and derivatized with the HMDS + TMCS + pyridine, 3 : 1 : 9 (Sylon™ HTP) Kit (Sigma). Volumes equivalent to 100 μg of protein were analysed by GC/MS with an Buparlisib mw Agilent Technologies 6890N Network GC System and a 5973 Network Mass Selective Detector with MSD Productivity Chemstation Software Rev. D.00.00. The amount of EPS-I was calculated from the area under the major

galactose peak, with comparison to galactose standards of known amount. We investigated whether the production of EPS-I was involved with the ability of M. pulmonis to avoid binding to alveolar macrophages and to be killed (Fig. 1). Significantly more CTG1701, which lacks EPS-I, bound to macrophages than did CTG38 or the complemented CTG1701-C (Fig. 1a) (P < 0.001).

By avoiding binding, and hence subsequent phagocytosis, EPS-I is antiphagocytic. Surprisingly, more CTG38 was bound by macrophages than was CTG1701-C (P < 0.001). Once the mycoplasmas were bound to the macrophages, there was no significant difference in the survival of bound CTG38 and CTG1701 at any time point (Fig. 1b). However, CTG1701-C survived significantly better at 8 h than did CTG38 and CTG1701 (P < 0.006). The difference between CTG38 and CTG1701-C in regard to binding to macrophages and subsequent killing was unexpected given that these two strains possess identical Selleckchem TGFbeta inhibitor Vsa proteins and have no known differences other than the original mutation that disrupted MYPU_7410 and its complementation. We had noted in three separate experiments C1GALT1 using three different media that the yield of EPS-I from CTG1701-C was relatively high. The amount of EPS-I associated with CTG38

and CTG1701-C was quantitated by GC/MS, by assaying equivalent amounts of lysate as determined by protein concentration. CTG38 and CTG1701-C had 24 and 123 ng EPS-I μg−1 protein, respectively, indicating a fivefold difference in the amount of polysaccharide. Depending on the medium and other culture conditions, there is a high degree of variability in the amount of mannose glycosides, detected by GC/MS, in M. pulmonis lysates. These results suggested that the mycoplasma is proficient at binding mannosylated molecules. Many such molecules would be encountered in the host and might affect phagocytosis. Although yeast extract is not present in the murine host, its mannosylated cell wall proteins might interact with the mycoplasma in a similar fashion as mannosylated host proteins. The addition of yeast extract to the assay buffer led to a significant increase in killing by alveolar macrophages for all three strains of mycoplasma, but CTG1701-C still survived significantly better at 8 h than did CTG38 and CTG1701 (Fig. 2).

, 2008) Escherichia coli strains were cultured aerobically

, 2008). Escherichia coli strains were cultured aerobically

on Luria agar or in Luria broth (Sambrook et al., 1989). Media were supplemented with antibiotics where necessary: gentamicin (200 μg mL−1), erythromycin (10 μg mL−1) and ampicillin (100 μg mL−1). RecQ sequences from the B. fragilis strains 638R (GenBank accession number CBW23724.1) and NCTC 9343 (GenBank accession number NC_003228) were used to search for the presence of putative recQ homologues in the genomes of other members of the Bacteroides group (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/genomes/lproks.cgi). INK 128 price Sequences were analysed using blast (Altschul et al., 1997), clustalx (Thompson et al., 1997) and mega version 4 (Tamura et al., 2007). RNA was explored for secondary structure using mfold (Zuker, 2003), while the presence of potential known riboswitches was investigated using RibEX (Abreu-Goodger & Merino, 2005) and RFAM (http://www.sanger.ac.uk/Software/Rfam/search.shtml). Extraction of genomic DNA was performed as described by

Casanueva et al. (2008). RNA extraction and RT-PCR analysis of the recJ, recQ and tpr transcripts were performed as described by Patel et al. (2008) using the primer sets indicated (Supporting Information, Table S1). Primers specific for the B. fragilis ORFs BF638R_3282, BF638R_3781 and BF638R_3932 were used to PCR amplify internal fragments of the recQ genes Q1, Q2 and Q3, respectively (Table S1). Nutlin-3a The PCR products were blunt-end ligated into the SmaI site of pGERM (Table 1) and the DNA transformed into E. coli JM109 (Salyers et al., 2000). Recombinant plasmids pGQ1, pGQ2 and pGQ3 (Table 1) were sequenced to verify the identity of all inserts. Plasmids were transformed into E. coli S17-1, before mating with B. fragilis 638R (Hooper et al., 1999). Bacteroides fragilis transconjugants were selected on BHISA containing gentamicin (200 μg mL−1) and erythromycin (10 μg mL−1). Interruptions of the

target genes were confirmed by PCR using primers external to each gene (Table S1) in combination with M13 primers that recognize the pGERM vector (Casanueva et al., 2008), followed by nucleotide sequencing of PCR products. Bacteroides fragilis strains 638R and recQ mutant strains RecQ1, RecQ2 and RecQ3 were grown for 16 h cAMP in 10 mL BHISB. The cultures were subinoculated into fresh BHISB at a starting OD600 nm of 0.1 and incubated anaerobically. Growth was measured as the increase in OD600 nm over an 8-h period using a Beckman DU530 spectrophotometer. Three independent experiments were performed for each strain. Metronidazole (final concentration 6 μg mL−1) was added to mid-log-phase BHISB cultures (OD600 nm 0.4–0.5) of B. fragilis 638R and recQ mutants RecQ1, RecQ2 and RecQ3. Aliquots were removed from the cultures at 0, 30 and 60 min after the addition of metronidazole, dilutions were made and the cells were plated on BHISA.

This might also indicate that this unknown function

could

This might also indicate that this unknown function

could be under the control of the FljA protein. It is tempting to speculate that a site-directed integration event also occurred in the case of the yjjY mutants. An IS30-based site-directed integration system could be utilized in several ways, for example to search for and to tag the targets of DNA-binding PI3K Inhibitor Library high throughput proteins in vivo. The IS30 transposase has a number of features that make the further development of the IS30-based site-directed integration system as a tool for functional genomics worthwhile. These advantages include the high activity of the (IS30)2 intermediate structure (Olasz et al., 1993; Kiss & Olasz, 1999; Table S1), the lack of size limitations (high-molecular-weight plasmids can be integrated as well – unpublished data), the integrated product is stable in the absence of the IS30 transposase because IS30 is not present in the vast majority of bacteria and IS30 is active both in bacteria and in eukaryotes (Szabo et al., 2003). Apitolisib supplier Fusion of the IS30 transposase with transcription factors, repressors, DNA methylases or with any other kind of DNA-binding proteins

may establish a vast array of potential integration sites. A further advantage of this mutagenesis system is that it might be useful in such cases when the sequence of the target gene is not known (e.g. new isolates of pathogenic bacteria), and the traditional molecular methods (e.g. Datsenko & Wanner, 2000) cannot be applied. In such a situation, the adaptation of this technique is more promising. Because of the absence of flagellae, the lack of antiflagellar

antibodies can be used as a negative marker in the serological differentiation of vaccinated chicks from those infected by wild strains of S. Enteritidis (Adriaensen et al., 2007). It is believed that nonmotile mutants produced by our site-directed mutagenesis method could also aid the development of a negatively marked vaccine against S. Enteritidis infection of chicks. This study was supported by the Hungarian Grant NKFP 4/040/2001 and in part by the EU FP6 SUPASALVAC and CRAB (LSH-2004-2.1.2-4) Program. Dolutegravir We thank M. Szabó, J. Kiss and Z. Nagy for their helpful advice and fruitful discussions on molecular techniques. We also thank I. Könczöl, E. Keresztúri and M. Turai for their skilful help with the bacterial techniques. Fig. S1. Determination of yjjY insertions by PCR amplification. Table S1. Transposition frequency of the pFOL1069 integration donor in the Salmonella Enteritidis 11 recipient strain mediated by the wt and the IS30–FljA fusion protein. Please note: Wiley-Blackwell is not responsible for the content or functionality of any supporting materials supplied by the authors. Any queries (other than missing material) should be directed to the corresponding author for the article.

Prednisolone 60 mg/day for 3 weeks and tapered over the next 3 we

Prednisolone 60 mg/day for 3 weeks and tapered over the next 3 weeks is an alternative [63]. The British Infection Society guidelines on TB meningitis [3] suggest that adults (>14 years old) should start treatment with dexamethasone 0.4 mg/kg/24 h with a reducing course over 6–8 weeks. This works out to be a higher dose for most patients seen in the United Kingdom. Studies have shown that corticosteroids increase the risks of high blood pressure and raised blood glucose, and can cause fluid retention [57,58]. The

risk of infectious complications does not seem to be increased [57,58,61], although the data for an increase in the occurrence of Kaposi’s sarcoma was found in some studies but not others. Treatment for a defined number of days without accounting for the number of doses taken may result in under-treatment. Determination of whether or not treatment

has been completed should therefore be based on total number of doses taken as well check details as duration of therapy. For example: a 6-month daily regimen (given 7 days/week) should consist of at least 182 doses of isoniazid and rifampicin, and 56 doses of pyrazinamide. It is recommended that all of the doses for the initial phase be taken within 3 months and those for the 4-month continuation phase be taken within 6 months. The 6-month regimen should therefore be completed by 9 months. Treatment interruptions are common in HIV-associated TB. Data to support recommendations are scant. Regardless of the timing and duration of the interruption, if the patient was on self-supervised therapy, then DOT should subsequently be used. If the patient was already being managed INCB018424 with DOT, additional measures may be necessary to ensure adherence, for instance provision of transport, food and

social services. The CDC suggest the following [64]: Initial phase: If the interruption occurs during the initial phase and is 14 days or more in duration, treatment should be restarted from the beginning. Baseline investigations: CD4 cell count and percentage; HIV-infected patients have more drug reactions, especially those with low CD4 cell counts. Further, they may be starting concomitant antiretroviral and other therapies, all of which may cause hepatotoxicity [65]. We recommend that liver function tests should be rechecked Mannose-binding protein-associated serine protease at 1–2 weeks even if asymptomatic. Patients with pre-existing liver disease need close monitoring, for instance every 2 weeks for the first 2 months. Most physicians will see the patient 2 weeks after starting anti-tuberculosis therapy and then monthly until stable and 1–2-monthly until therapy has been completed. The role of a TB specialist nurse and multidisciplinary team is essential in the management of coinfected patients. Patients with pulmonary TB who still have a productive cough after 2 months of therapy should have a repeat sputum smear and culture. The initial phase of treatment should be continued until results are available.

e mirror-directed movements are recognized as symmetrical) Furt

e. mirror-directed movements are recognized as symmetrical). Further study is needed to clarify this effect. There are several discrepancies in the methodology for examining interhemispheric interactions, including tested muscle (thumb vs. index finger), contraction manner (static and dynamic), TMS techniques (single-pulse vs. paired-pulse), directions of forces and cursors (up–down vs. left–right), and the contribution of antagonistic muscles. In our study, bilateral thumb abductions required almost the same amount of effort. However, the

magnitude of left and right contractions Talazoparib was different in the previous experiment (Yedimenko & Perez, 2010). Thus, it remains unclear whether those different parameters account for the discrepant findings regarding interhemispheric interactions. Animal experiments demonstrated that some neurons in M1 have uncrossed motor pathways to the ipsilateral limb muscles (Edgley et al., Selleck BMS354825 2004; Lacroix et al., 2004; Jankowska & Stecina, 2007; Brus-Ramer et al., 2009; Yoshino-Saito et al., 2010). In line with these findings, human experiments demonstrated that an MEP can be elicited at the muscle ipsilateral to the M1 where TMS was applied (Wasserman et al., 1994; Ziemann

et al., 1999; Kagerer et al., 2003). The close latency between the ipsilateral and contralateral MEPs indicated that TMS was able to excite the ipsilateral muscle without going through a transcallosal circuit. next Although we cannot

completely exclude the possible involvement of such uncrossed motor pathways or other subcortical mechanisms, we argue that the ipsilateral motor response obtained in the present study resulted from the transcallosal motor circuit. First, studies conducted on callosotomy patients demonstrated that the CC is essential for producing an inhibitory response in ipsilateral hand muscles, with a latency of approximately 30 ms (Meyer et al., 1995, 1998). The latency in the present study was almost identical to that in these lesion studies. Second, to generate an ipsilateral MEP consistently requires a relatively high stimulus intensity and strong activation of the muscle at which the ipsilateral MEP is evoked (Wasserman et al., 1994; Ziemann et al., 1999), and the probability of obtaining an ipsilateral MEP is muscle-dependent. For intrinsic hand muscles, an ipsilateral MEP was frequently observed in the first dorsal interosseous, but not in the APB, even at high TMS intensity and muscle activation (Ziemann et al., 1999; Jung & Ziemann, 2006). Indeed, we did not observe any ipsilateral MEP components in any of the participants (Figs 3-5). Third, our control experiment demonstrated that the magnitude of the ipsilateral inhibitory response was independent of the excitation of the crossed CST, suggesting that this inhibition was derived from supraspinal sources.