Chronic alcohol consumption contributes to numerous diseases, including cancers, cardiovascular diseases, and liver cirrhosis. Epidemiological studies have shown that excessive alcohol consumption is a risk factor for dementia. Along this line, Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia and is caused by the accumulation of amyloid-β (Aβ plaques in neurons. In this study, we hypothesized that chronic ethanol consumption is associated with pathological processing of APP in AD. To investigate the relationship between chronic alcohol consumption and Aβ production, brain samples from rats fed an alcohol liquid diet for 5 weeks were analyzed. We show that the expression levels of APP, BACE1, and immature nicastrin were increased in the cerebellum, hippocampus, and striatum of the alcohol-fed group compared to the control group. Total nicastrin and PS1 levels were induced in the hippocampus of alcohol-fed rats. These data suggest that the altered expression of APP and Aβ-producing enzymes possibly contributes to the chronic alcohol consumption-mediated pathogenesis of AD. [BMB reports 2011; 44(2): 135-139]

We previously described the use of a cell-based screening approach to identify small molecules that regulate adipocyte differentiation. Here we identify the amiloride derivative phenamil as an adipogenic compound. Phenamil acutely induces expression of the key transcription factor of adipogenesis, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) and, consequently, promotes the differentiation of multiple preadipocyte cell lines, including 3T3-L1 and F442A. Interestingly, the adipogenic action of phenamil is distinct from and additive with both PPARγ ligands and the previously identified adipogenic small molecule harmine. To identify signaling pathways mediating phenamil's effects, we performed transcriptional profiling of 3T3-F442A preadipocytes. ETS variant 4 (ETV4) was identified as a gene rapidly induced by phenamil but not by other adipogenic small molecules or PPARγ agonists. Transient expression of ETV4 in preadipocytes enhances the expression of PPARγ. Stable overexpression of ETV4 promotes expression of PPARγ and its downstream target genes and enhances morphological differentiation. Finally, knockdown of PPARγ expression by shRNA blocks the effects of phenamil on adipocyte differentiation and gene expression, but it does not block phenamil induction of ETV4, which suggests that ETV4 acts upstream of PPARγ in differentiation processes. These results identify a phenamil as new small molecule tool for the probing of adipocyte differentiation that acts, at least in part, through induction of ETV4 expression.

As the design rule of wafer has been shrinking, the patterns on the mask also need to be getting smaller and even smaller for some sub-resolution assist features, which makes mask inspection process need a high resolution (HR) inspection systems. For this HR mask inspection, most mask inspector makers adopt a TDI(Time Delay & Integration) sensor to enhance acquired image quality with the acceptable scan speed, thus, to minimize the inspection cost. However, even TDI sensor may not get a sufficient gray level of pattern image for the most advanced mask patterns. Furthermore, it might generate some false defects depending on the pattern shape and scan direction (in combination with pattern direction). We manufactured two programmed defect masks (PDM); one is a ArF EPSM and another is a EUV mask. By inspecting these masks with perpendicular scan directions, respectively, we evaluated the correlation between scan direction and defect size/shape experimentally. We found that the inspection with the parallel direction to pattern direction can increase the inspectability for the patterns and the defect sensitivity since this helps to enhance signal to noise ratio from the TDI sensor. Our analysis can increase sensitivity of TDI sensor effectively without any additional hardware modification.