Trabecular Bone Score as a Complementary Tool for the Assessment of Bone Mineral Density in Patients with Asymptomatic Monoclonal Gammopathies.

Monoclonal gammopathies, such as Monoclonal Gammopathy of Undetermined Significance (MGUS) and Smoldering Multiple Myeloma (SMM), are conditions marked by the overproduction of specific monoclonal proteins. Patients with these conditions are known to have a higher risk of fractures compared to the general population, yet there are no established guidelines for assessing or managing their skeletal health. The Trabecular Bone Score (TBS), which can be calculated from DXA images of the lumbar spine, provides additional insights into bone microarchitecture.

Similarities and differences between nigral and enteric dopaminergic neurons unravel distinctive involvement in Parkinson's disease.

In addition to the well-known degeneration of midbrain dopaminergic neurons, enteric neurons can also be affected in neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson's disease (PD). Dopaminergic neurons have recently been identified in the enteric nervous system (ENS). While ENS dopaminergic neurons have been shown to degenerate in genetic mouse models of PD, analyses of their survival in enteric biopsies of PD patients have provided inconsistent results to date.

Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor is essential for enteric neuronal development, maintenance, and regulation of gastrointestinal transit.

Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is expressed in the brain and is neuroprotective. We have previously shown that CDNF is also expressed in the bowel and that its absence leads to degeneration and autophagy in the enteric nervous system (ENS), particularly in the submucosal plexus. We now demonstrate that enteric CDNF immunoreactivity is restricted to neurons (submucosal > myenteric) and is not seen in glia, interstitial cells of Cajal, or smooth muscle.

Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor-deficiency leads to degeneration of enteric neurons and altered brain dopamine neuronal function in mice.

Cerebral dopamine neurotrophic factor (CDNF) is neuroprotective for nigrostriatal dopamine neurons and restores dopaminergic function in animal models of Parkinson's disease (PD). To understand the role of CDNF in mammals, we generated CDNF knockout mice (Cdnf), which are viable, fertile, and have a normal life-span. Surprisingly, an age-dependent loss of enteric neurons occurs selectively in the submucosal but not in the myenteric plexus.

A prepubertal giant juvenile fibroadenoma in a 12-year-old girl: Case report and brief literature review.

Introduction: Giant juvenile fibroadenomas represent only the 0.5% of all fibroadenomas, constituting a rare condition in adolescence. In prepuberty, the presence of this condition is extremely rare.