Induced pluripotent stem cells: a tool for modeling Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder. Among its pathologies, progressive loss of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in the substantia nigra is characteristic and contributes to many of the most severe symptoms of PD. Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technology have made it possible to generate patient-derived DA neuronal cell culture and organoid models of PD.

Magnetic Resonance Imaging of Malformations of Cortical Development-A Comprehensive Review.

Malformations of cortical development (MCDs) are structural anomalies that disrupt the normal process of cortical development. These include microcephaly with simplified gyral pattern/microlissencephaly, hemimegalencephaly, focal cortical dysplasia, lissencephaly, heterotopia, polymicrogyria, and schizencephaly. They can present with intractable epilepsy, developmental delay, neurologic deficits, or cognitive impairment.

Mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress in induced pluripotent stem cell models of Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. Two percent of the population above the age of 60 is affected by the disease. The pathological hallmarks of PD include loss of dopaminergic neurons and the presence of Lewy bodies.

Parkinson's Disease and Melanoma: Co-Occurrence and Mechanisms.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that is characterized by loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, depletion of dopamine in the striatum and the presence of Lewy bodies. Cancer is uncontrolled growth of cells in the body and migration of these cells from their site of origin to other parts of the body. PD and cancer are two opposite diseases, one arising from cell proliferation and the other from cell degeneration.

Mitochondrial dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease. About 2% of the population above the age of 60 is affected by the disease. The pathological hallmarks of the disease include the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and the presence of Lewy bodies that are made of α-synuclein.

Modulation of tau phosphorylation by the kinase PKR: implications in Alzheimer's disease.

Double-stranded RNA dependent kinase (PKR) is a pro-apoptotic kinase that controls protein translation. Previous studies revealed that activated PKR is increased in brains with Alzheimer's disease (AD). Glycogen Synthase Kinase Aβ (GSK-3β) is responsible for tau phosphorylation and controls several cellular functions also including apoptosis.

Neuronal phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

The mechanisms of neuronal apoptosis in Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and their relationship to accumulated prion protein (PrP) are unclear. A recent cell culture study showed that intracytoplasmic PrP may induce phosphorylated RNA-dependent protein kinase (PKR(p))-mediated cell stress. The double-stranded RNA protein kinase PKR is a proapoptotic and stress kinase that accumulates in degenerating neurons in Alzheimer disease.

Protective role of exogenous polyamines on salinity-stressed rice (Oryza sativa) plants.

Salt-tolerant Pokkali rice plants accumulate higher polyamines (PAs) such as spermidine (Spd) and spermine (Spm) in response to salinity stress, while the sensitive cultivarM-1-48 is unable to maintain high titres of these PAs under similar conditions. The effects of the triamine Spd and the tetramine Spm on physiological and biochemical changes in 12-day-old rice seedlings were investigated during salinity stress to determine whether they could protect the sensitive plants from stress effects. At physiological concentrations Spd and Spm significantly prevented the leakage of electrolytes and amino acids from roots and shoots induced by salinity stress.