Drug-Induced Parkinsonism: Too Many Cooks in the Kitchen.

Drug-induced parkinsonism (DIP) is a condition characterized by the development of parkinsonian symptoms as a result of medication use. It is often misdiagnosed and can be challenging to differentiate from Parkinson's disease (PD). In this case presentation, we describe the clinical course of a 64-year-old male who presented with parkinsonian symptoms while using atypical antipsychotics, which was originally misdiagnosed as PD.

Fully sequencing the cassava full-length cDNA library reveals unannotated transcript structures and alternative splicing events in regions with a high density of single nucleotide variations, insertions-deletions, and heterozygous sequences.

The primary transcript structure provides critical insights into protein diversity, transcriptional modification, and functions. Cassava transcript structures are highly diverse because of alternative splicing (AS) events and high heterozygosity. To precisely determine and characterize transcript structures, fully sequencing cloned transcripts is the most reliable method.

Rehabilitation Outcomes of Cortical Blindness and Characteristics Secondary to Cardiac Arrest: A Review.

We reviewed the published literature on rehabilitation outcomes in patients with cortical blindness (CB) and highlighted the characteristic features and prognosis of CB due to cardiac arrest. The studies excluded were those involving the pediatric population ( View Article and Find Full Text PDF

Src family kinase targeting in head and neck tumor cells using SU6656, PP2 and dasatinib.

Background: We have recently shown a frequent upregulation of Src-family kinases (SFK) in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC). Here we tested, if SFK targeting is effective especially in HNSCC cells with upregulated SFK signaling.

Methods: The impact of SFK inhibitors SU6656, PP2 and dasatinib on three HNSCC cell lines with different SFK activity levels was analyzed using proliferation and colony formation assays, Western blot and functional kinomics.

Ethanol-Mediated Novel Survival Strategy against Drought Stress in Plants.

Water scarcity is a serious agricultural problem causing significant losses to crop yield and product quality. The development of technologies to mitigate the damage caused by drought stress is essential for ensuring a sustainable food supply for the increasing global population. We herein report that the exogenous application of ethanol, an inexpensive and environmentally friendly chemical, significantly enhances drought tolerance in Arabidopsis thaliana, rice and wheat.

Ethanol treatment enhances drought stress avoidance in cassava (Manihot esculenta Crantz).

External application of ethanol enhances tolerance to high salinity, drought, and heat stress in various plant species. However, the effects of ethanol application on increased drought tolerance in woody plants, such as the tropical crop "cassava," remain unknown. In the present study, we analyzed the morphological, physiological, and molecular responses of cassava plants subjected to ethanol pretreatment and subsequent drought stress treatment.

Accelerated Implementation of a Virtual Neurology Clerkship Amid a Global Crisis.

The standard neurology clinical experience in medical school focuses primarily on bedside patient encounters; however, the limitations of the clinical environment due to the current COVID-19 pandemic have accelerated the need for virtual curriculum development. To provide guidance to Neurology clerkship directors during this unprecedented time, the American Academy of Neurology (AAN) Undergraduate Education Subcommittee (UES) formed a workgroup to develop an outline for a virtual curriculum, provide recommendations, and describe models of integrating virtual curricula into the neurology clerkship. In this overview, we discuss different methods of virtual instruction, hybrid models of clerkship training and the challenges to its implementation, professionalism issues, and modification of feedback and assessment techniques specific to the virtual learning environment.

Analyzing tyrosine kinase activity in head and neck cancer by functional kinomics: Identification of hyperactivated Src family kinases as prognostic markers and potential targets.

Signal transduction via protein kinases is of central importance in cancer biology and treatment. However, the clinical success of kinase inhibitors is often hampered by a lack of robust predictive biomarkers, which is also caused by the discrepancy between kinase expression and activity. Therefore, there is a need for functional tests to identify aberrantly activated kinases in individual patients.

Receptor tyrosine kinase MET as potential target of multi-kinase inhibitor and radiosensitizer sorafenib in HNSCC.

Background: The multi-kinase inhibitor sorafenib displays antitumoral effects in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC); however, the targeted kinases are unknown. Here we aimed to identify those kinases to determine the mechanism of sorafenib-mediated effects and establish candidate biomarkers for patient stratification.

Methods: The effects of sorafenib and MET inhibitors crizotinib and SU11274 were analyzed using a slide-based antibody array, Western blotting, proliferation, and survival assays.

Analysis of methylated circulating DNA in cancer patients' blood.

Circulating extracellular nucleic acids derived from body fluids such as blood are commonly analyzed to assess malignant diseases. Efficient isolation, extraction, quantification, modification, and analysis methods remain important for utilizing circulating nucleic acids as potential molecular biomarkers. Our refined techniques of DNA isolation from serum, sodium bisulfite modification of extracted DNA, and methylation analysis provide a robust approach for quantitative analysis of circulating tumor-related DNA.

Quantification of LINE1 in circulating DNA as a molecular biomarker of breast cancer.

Developing a noninvasive test for detecting and monitoring breast cancer progression would help in providing better procedures for the treatment of breast cancer. Increases in the absolute quantity of circulating DNA and DNA integrity have been previously reported in breast cancer patients. LINE1 is one of the most abundant sequences in the human genome, with about 520,000 copies per genome.

Estrogen receptor and HER2/neu status affect epigenetic differences of tumor-related genes in primary breast tumors.

Introduction: Estrogen receptor (ER)-positive breast cancers are considered prognostically more favorable than ER-negative tumors, whereas human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER)2/neu-positive breast cancers are associated with worse prognosis. The objective of the present study was to determine whether ER-positive and ER-negative status relates to epigenetic changes in breast cancer-related genes. To evaluate epigenetic differences in tumor-related genes relating to ER and HER2/neu status of primary tumors, we examined the promoter methylation status of the promoter region CpG islands of eight major breast tumor-related genes (RASSF1A, CCND2, GSPT1, TWIST, APC, NES1, RARbeta2, and CDH1).