Afferent Projections to the Calca/CGRP-Expressing Parabrachial Neurons in Mice.

The parabrachial nucleus (PB), located in the dorsolateral pons, contains primarily glutamatergic neurons that regulate responses to a variety of interoceptive and cutaneous sensory signals. One lateral PB subpopulation expresses the Calca gene, which codes for the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP). These PB neurons relay signals related to threatening stimuli such as hypercarbia, pain, and nausea, yet their inputs and their neurochemical identity are only partially understood.

Effectiveness and Predictors of Long-Term Treatment Response to Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis Cohort: General Analysis and Focus on High-Cardiovascular-Risk Subgroup-A Multicenter Study.

The treatment landscape for Rheumatoid Arthritis (RA) has evolved significantly with the introduction of Janus kinase inhibitors (JAKi), such as Tofacitinib (TOFA), which offer a new therapeutic option for patients who have failed or are intolerant to conventional synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (csDMARDs). Safety concerns, particularly related to cardiovascular and cancer risks, prompted a need for additional investigation in real-world clinical settings. This study aimed to evaluate the long-term effectiveness and predictors of response to TOFA in two subpopulations of RA patients, categorized by differing cardiovascular risk profiles.

Identifying the Brain Circuits that Regulate Pain-Induced Sleep Disturbances.

Pain therapies that alleviate both pain and sleep disturbances may be the most effective for pain relief, as both chronic pain and sleep loss render the opioidergic system, targeted by opioids, less sensitive and effective for analgesia. Therefore, we first studied the link between sleep disturbances and the activation of nociceptors in two acute pain models. Activation of nociceptors in both acute inflammatory (AIP) and opto-pain models led to sleep loss, decreased sleep spindle density, and increased sleep fragmentation that lasted 3 to 6 hours.

In Vitro Characterization of Human Cell Sources in Collagen Type I Gel Scaffold for Meniscus Tissue Engineering.

Strategies to repair the meniscus have achieved limited success; thus, a cell-based therapy combined with an appropriate biocompatible scaffold could be an interesting alternative to overcome this issue. The aim of this project is to analyze different cell populations and a collagen gel scaffold as a potential source for meniscus tissue engineering applications. Dermal fibroblasts (DFs) and mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) isolated from adipose tissue (ASCs) or bone marrow (BMSCs) were analyzed.

Multicenter observational study on the efficacy of selective Janus Kinase-1 inhibitor upatacitinib in rheumatoid arthritis.

Background: Upadacitinib (UPA) is a selective, reversible Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) approved for the treatment of RA. However, there is still no solid evidence on the long-term efficacy of UPA in treated patients. The purpose of this study was to determine the efficacy of UPA to obtain remission or low disease activity (LDA) in a series of UPA patients in patients with RA after 6 and 12 months of treatment in a real-world setting.

A hypothalamic circuit for circadian regulation of corticosterone secretion.

The secretion of cortisol in humans and corticosterone (Cort) in rodents follows a daily rhythm which is important in readying the individual for the daily active cycle and is impaired in chronic depression. This rhythm is orchestrated by the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN) which governs the activity of neurons in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus that produce the corticotropin-releasing hormone (PVH neurons). The dorsomedial nucleus of the hypothalamus (DMH) serves as a crucial intermediary, being innervated by the SCN both directly and via relays in the subparaventricular zone, and projecting axons to the PVH, thereby exerting influence over the cortisol/corticosterone rhythm.

Afferent projections to the /CGRP-expressing parabrachial neurons in mice.

The parabrachial nucleus (PB), located in the dorsolateral pons, contains primarily glutamatergic neurons which regulate responses to a variety of interoceptive and cutaneous sensory signals. The lateral PB subpopulation expressing the gene which produces the neuropeptide calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) relays signals related to threatening stimuli such as hypercarbia, pain, and nausea, yet the afferents to these neurons are only partially understood. We mapped the afferent projections to the lateral part of the PB in mice using conventional cholera toxin B subunit (CTb) retrograde tracing, and then used conditional rabies virus retrograde tracing to map monosynaptic inputs specifically targeting the PB neurons.

Numerically Exact Simulation of Photodoped Mott Insulators.

A description of long-lived photodoped states in Mott insulators is challenging, as it needs to address exponentially separated timescales. We demonstrate how properties of such states can be computed using numerically exact steady state techniques, in particular, the quantum Monte Carlo algorithm, by using a time-local ansatz for the distribution function with separate Fermi functions for the electron and hole quasiparticles. The simulations show that the Mott gap remains robust to large photodoping, and the photodoped state has hole and electron quasiparticles with strongly renormalized properties.

A magnetar giant flare in the nearby starburst galaxy M82.

Magnetar giant flares are rare explosive events releasing up to 10 erg in gamma rays in less than 1 second from young neutron stars with magnetic fields up to 10 G (refs. ). Only three such flares have been seen from magnetars in our Galaxy and in the Large Magellanic Cloud in roughly 50 years.

A spatially-resolved transcriptional atlas of the murine dorsal pons at single-cell resolution.

The "dorsal pons", or "dorsal pontine tegmentum" (dPnTg), is part of the brainstem. It is a complex, densely packed region whose nuclei are involved in regulating many vital functions. Notable among them are the parabrachial nucleus, the Kölliker Fuse, the Barrington nucleus, the locus coeruleus, and the dorsal, laterodorsal, and ventral tegmental nuclei.

Neural Correlates of Semantic Interference and Phonological Facilitation in Picture Naming: A Systematic Review and Coordinate-Based Meta-analysis.

Semantic interference (SI) and phonological facilitation (PF) effects occur when multiple representations are co-activated simultaneously in complex naming paradigms, manipulating the context in which word production is set. Although the behavioral consequences of these psycholinguistic effects are well-known, the involved brain structures are still controversial. This paper aims to provide a systematic review and a coordinate-based meta-analysis of the available functional neuroimaging studies investigating SI and PF in picture naming paradigms.

Neural alterations underlying executive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease: A systematic review and coordinate-based meta-analysis of functional neuroimaging studies.

Parkinson's Disease's (PD) neuropsychological profile is often characterized by altered performance in executive functions (EF) tasks, with a remarkable impact on patients' quality of life. To date, the available neuroimaging literature lacks conclusive evidence about neural patterns underlying EF deficits in PD. Here, we aimed to synthesize the results of PET/fMRI studies examining the differences in brain activation between PD patients and controls during EF tasks, focusing on the three main EF sub-components: cognitive flexibility, working memory, and response inhibition.

A spatially-resolved transcriptional atlas of the murine dorsal pons at single-cell resolution.

The "dorsal pons", or "dorsal pontine tegmentum" (dPnTg), is part of the brainstem. It is a complex, densely packed region whose nuclei are involved in regulating many vital functions. Notable among them are the parabrachial nucleus, the Kölliker Fuse, the Barrington nucleus, the locus coeruleus, and the dorsal, laterodorsal, and ventral tegmental nuclei.

Long-Term Retention Rate of Tofacitinib in Rheumatoid Arthritis: An Italian Multicenter Retrospective Cohort Study.

: Tofacitinib (TOFA) was the first Janus kinase inhibitor (JAKi) to be approved for the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). However, data on the retention rate of TOFA therapy are still far from definitive. : The goal of this study is to add new real-world data on the TOFA retention rate in a cohort of RA patients followed for a long period of time.

Top-down reconfiguration of SMA cortical connectivity during action preparation.

The Bereitschaftspotential (BP), a scalp potential recorded in humans during action preparation, is characterized by a slow amplitude increase over fronto-central regions as action execution approaches. We recorded TMS evoked-potentials (TEP) stimulating the supplementary motor area (SMA) at different time-points during a Go/No-Go task to assess whether and how cortical excitability and connectivity of this region change as the BP increases. When approaching BP peak, left SMA reactivity resulted greater.

Real life use of prostacyclin analog (iloprost), a multi-centric survey data from the Scleroderma study group Emilia Romagna (Sclero-RER) and review of the literature.

Background And Aim: Iloprost is recommend worldwide for the treatment of RP and the healing of DUs. The aim of this study is to report the regimens of Iloprost administered in different rheumatological centers within the same regional Health System Methods: A questionnaire exploring different items related to the use of Iloprost was developed and reviewed by three expert rheumatologists. The questionnaire was distributed as an online survey to all local SSc referral centers in Emilia-Romagna (Italy).

Therapeutic Effects of Apremilast on Enthesitis and Dactylitis in Real Clinical Setting: An Italian Multicenter Study.

Introduction: Enthesitis and dactylitis are difficult-to-treat features of psoriatic arthritis (PsA), leading to disability and affecting quality of life.

Objective: The aim of this study is to evaluate enthesitis (using the Leed enthesitis index (LEI)) and dactylitis at 6 and 12 months in patients treated with apremilast.

Methods: Patients affected by PsA from fifteen Italian rheumatological referral centers were screened.

Prolonged activation of EP3 receptor-expressing preoptic neurons underlies torpor responses.

Many species use a temporary drop in body temperature and metabolic rate (torpor) as a strategy to survive food scarcity. A similar profound hypothermia is observed with activation of preoptic neurons that express the neuropeptides Pituitary Adenylate-Cyclase-Activating Polypeptide (PACAP), Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), or Pyroglutamylated RFamide Peptide (QRFP), the vesicular glutamate transporter, Vglut2 or the leptin receptor (LepR), estrogen 1 receptor (Esr1) or prostaglandin E receptor 3 (EP3R) in mice. However, most of these genetic markers are found on multiple populations of preoptic neurons and only partially overlap with one another.

Tapping Culture Collections for Fungal Endophytes: First Genome Assemblies for Three Genera and Five Species in the Ascomycota.

The Ascomycota form the largest phylum in the fungal kingdom and show a wide diversity of lifestyles, some involving associations with plants. Genomic data are available for many ascomycetes that are pathogenic to plants, but endophytes, which are asymptomatic inhabitants of plants, are relatively understudied. Here, using short- and long-read technologies, we have sequenced and assembled genomes for 15 endophytic ascomycete strains from CABI's culture collections.

Glutamatergic pedunculopontine tegmental neurons control wakefulness and locomotion via distinct axonal projections.

Study Objectives: The pedunculopontine tegmental (PPT) nucleus is implicated in many brain functions, ranging from sleep/wake control and locomotion, to reward mechanisms and learning. The PPT contains cholinergic, GABAergic, and glutamatergic neurons with extensive ascending and descending axonal projections. Glutamatergic PPT (PPTvGlut2) neurons are thought to promote wakefulness, but the mechanisms through which this occurs are unknown.

Primary progressive aphasia and motor neuron disease: A review.

Background: This study aims at reviewing, within the framework of motor neuron disease-frontotemporal degeneration (MND-FTD)- disorders, evidence on the co-occurrence between primary progressive aphasia (PPA) and MND in order to profile such a complex at pathological, genetic and clinical levels.

Methods: This review was pre-registered (osf.io/ds8m4) and performed in accordance with the 2020 PRISMA guidelines.