Publications by authors named "A Pizzella"
Angelman syndrome (AS) is a severe neurodevelopmental disorder characterized by motor disfunction, seizures, intellectual disability, speech deficits, and autism-like behavior, showing high comorbidity with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). It is known that stimulation of the serotonin receptor 7 (5-HT7R) can rescue some of the behavioral and neuroplasticity dysfunctions in animal models of Fragile X and Rett syndrome, two pathologies associated with ASD. In view of these observations, we hypothesised that alterations of 5-HT7R signalling might also be involved in AS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCystatin B (CSTB) is a small protease inhibitor protein being involved in cell proliferation and neuronal differentiation. Loss-of-function mutations in CSTB gene cause progressive myoclonic epilepsy 1 (EPM1). We previously demonstrated that CSTB is locally synthesized in synaptic nerve terminals from rat brain and secreted into the media, indicating its role in synaptic plasticity.
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- Milk is a vital part of the diet due to its rich nutrient content, promoting health benefits, especially from human milk for newborns' growth and future health.
- Cow milk is the most widely consumed, but concerns about its saturated fat content have been challenged by studies showing its link to lower mortality and cardiovascular disease risks.
- Recent research is exploring alternative milks, particularly donkey milk, which is closer in composition to human milk and may serve as a beneficial substitute due to varying reactions people have to cow milk.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are characterized by cognitive impairment and behavioural abnormalities. The incidence of NDDs in recent years has increased globally and the pathological mechanism is not fully understood. To date, plentiful evidence has showed that metabolic alterations associated with obesity and related issues such as neuroinflammation, oxidative stress and mitochondrial dysfunction may represent an important risk factor, linking obesity and NDDs.
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- T-cell activation is crucial for the adaptive immune response, and mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation is vital for this process.
- Dihydroorotate dehydrogenase (DHODH) plays a key role in pyrimidine synthesis, and its inhibition affects T-cell clonal expansion but not oxidative phosphorylation.
- This study shows that inhibiting DHODH reduces the proliferation of activated T cells without impacting their survival or effector molecule expression, and that the effects can be reversed by uridine supplementation.