Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote tumor progression and have an effect on survival in human cancer. However, little is known regarding their influence on tumor progression and prognosis in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: We analyzed surgically resected tumor specimens of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (n = 47) for distribution and localization of TAMs, as defined by expression of CD68. Abundance of TAMs was correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor recurrence and patients’ survival. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Patients with high density of TAMs in tumor invasive front (TIF) showed significantly higher local and overall tumor recurrence (both ρ < 0.05). Furthermore, high density of TAMs was associated with decreased overall (one-year 83.6 % vs. 75.1 %; three-year 61.3 % vs. 42.4 %; both ρ < 0.05) and recurrence-free survival (one-year 93.9 % vs. 57.4 %; three-year 59.8 % vs. 26.2 %; both ρ < 0.05). TAMs in TIF and tumor recurrence, were confirmed as the only independent prognostic variables in the multivariate survival analysis (all ρ < 0.05). Conclusions: Overall survival and recurrence free survival of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma significantly improved in patients with low levels of TAMs in the area of TIF, when compared to those with a high density of TAMs. These observations suggest their utilization as valuable prognostic markers in routine histopathologic evaluation, and might indicate future therapeutic approaches by targeting TAMs.

Background: Tumor-associated macrophages (TAMs) promote tumor progression and have an effect on survival in human cancer. However, little is known regarding their influence on tumor progression and prognosis in human hilar cholangiocarcinoma. Methods: We analyzed surgically resected tumor specimens of hilar cholangiocarcinoma (n = 47) for distribution and localization of TAMs, as defined by expression of CD68. Abundance of TAMs was correlated with clinicopathologic characteristics, tumor recurrence and patients’ survival. Statistical analysis was performed using SPSS software. Results: Patients with high density of TAMs in tumor invasive front (TIF) showed significantly higher local and overall tumor recurrence (both ρ < 0.05). Furthermore, high density of TAMs was associated with decreased overall (one-year 83.6 % vs. 75.1 %; three-year 61.3 % vs. 42.4 %; both ρ < 0.05) and recurrence-free survival (one-year 93.9 % vs. 57.4 %; three-year 59.8 % vs. 26.2 %; both ρ < 0.05). TAMs in TIF and tumor recurrence, were confirmed as the only independent prognostic variables in the multivariate survival analysis (all ρ < 0.05). Conclusions: Overall survival and recurrence free survival of patients with hilar cholangiocarcinoma significantly improved in patients with low levels of TAMs in the area of TIF, when compared to those with a high density of TAMs. These observations suggest their utilization as valuable prognostic markers in routine histopathologic evaluation, and might indicate future therapeutic approaches by targeting TAMs.

Post-traumatic epilepsy is a common outcome of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). The development of spontaneous seizures after traumatic brain injury generally follows a latent period of little to no symptoms. The series of events occurring in this latent period are not well understood. Additionally, there is no current treatment to prevent the development of epilepsy after TBI (i.e. antiepileptogenics). One cell signaling pathway activated in models of TBI and in models of epilepsy is the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR). mTOR activity is sustained for weeks after the initial insult in models of TBI, and the inhibition of mTOR using rapamycin has shown promising pre-clinical outcomes in rodent models. This makes rapamycin an ideal therapeutic to test various outcomes associated with epileptogenesis after TBI. The results from this study suggest that rapamycin treatment after controlled cortical impact reduces aberrant axonal sprouting of ipsilateral dentate granule cells, prevents increased neurogenesis in the subgranular zone, and differentially alters phasic and tonic inhibition in dentate granule cells. However, rapamycin treatment did not prevent all forms of axon sprouting in the dentate gyrus or cell loss in selected regions of the hippocampus. Collectively these results support a role of mTOR activity in both excitatory and inhibitory plasticity in the mouse dentate gyrus after TBI.

The thesis Inscenation Principles by director K. H. Hilar in National Theatre from 1921 to 1935 (focusing on cooperation with stage designer Vlastislav Hofman) is about director K. H. Hilar's inscenation principles in position as the boss of National theatre from 1921 to 1935. The aim was to focus on Hilar's work at the National Theatre, as well as its cooperation with the actors, the elements of expressionism and later civilism in his arrangement and last but not least, given his cooperation with the set designer, especially with the architect and artist Hofman. Part of thesis involves a lot of images from Hilar inscenations . Most sources are available in the archives of the National Museum in Terezin, and archives of the National Theatre in Prague. The professional literature is available at the Theatre Institute, also in Prague.

Dans ce travail de thèse, j'ai cherché à comprendre les mécanismes de contrôle des fonctions mnésiques par Rxrγ ainsi que l’implication potentielle de la signalisation dopaminergique dans ces mécanismes. Dans ce cadre, j'ai focalisé mon étude sur les fonctions hippocampiques à différent niveaux. J'ai cherché (1) à identifier les populations cellulaires de l'hippocampe exprimant Rxrγ en utilisant des techniques histologiques(immunohistochimie, hybridation in situ) afin de pouvoir (2) étudier les fonctions électrophysiologiques de ces cellules en utilisant la technique du patch-clamp. Pour comprendre le rôle de Rxrγ dans le contrôle des fonctions autonomes de ces cellules et les conséquences sur le réseau neuronal environnant, j’ai étudié les effets de la perte de fonction chez les souris Rxrγ/.Étant donné que différentes sous régions de l'hippocampe sont impliquées dans différents processus mnésiques, et que notamment le gyrus denté a été associé au processus de pattern separation (Leutgeb et al., 2007), j'ai également (3) cherché à préciser les fonctions mnésiques qui dépendent de l'activité de Rxrγ en réalisant des analyses comportementales chez les souris Rxrγ/. Etant donné que Rxrγ possède une activité transcriptionnelle, entre autre sur le gène du récepteur D2 à la dopamine (Drd2) (Samad et al., 1997), j'ai également (4) étudié la signalisation dopaminergique dans l’hippocampe chez les souris sauvages et les mutants nuls Rxrγ/. Enfin, afin de démontrer la spécificité neuroanatomique et homéostatique du contrôle exercé par Rxrγ sur la mémoire,j’ai procédé à (5) l’inactivation spécifique de Rxrγ dans les hippocampes de souris floxées pour ce gène, au moyen d’un virus AAV exprimant la recombinase Cre. / The present thesis work is an attempt to understand the mechanisms of Rxrγ control of memory functions, as well as the potential involvement of dopaminergic signaling in these mecanisms. In this context, I focused my research on hippocampal functions at several distinct levels. The first part of my work (1) aimed at defining the hippocampal cell populations expressing Rxrγ using various histological techniques (immunohistochemistry, in situhybridization) in order to (2) study the electrophysiological functions of these cells using invitro patch-clamp.To identify the role of Rxrγ in the control of cell autonomous functions, as well as the consequences on the surrounding network, I have studied the effects of its loss of function in Rxrγ/mice.As the different subregions of the hippocampus are implicated indistinct aspects of learning and memory, and in particular the dentate gyrus being associated with pattern separation (Leutgeb et al., 2007), I have also tried to dissect the mnemonic processes that rely on Rxrγ activity by performing behavioral analyses of Rxrγ/mice. Considering the transcriptional activities of Rxrγ on Drd2, I have also (4) studied dopaminergic signaling in the hippocampus of wild type and Rxrγ null mutant mice. Finally, to demonstrate the neuroanatomical and homeostatic specificity of Rxrγ control on memory, I performed (5) specific inactivations of Rxrγ in hippocampi of conditional mutant mice that possessed floxed Rxrγ, using AAV vectors expressing recombinase Cre.