Spatiotemporal expression pattern of dyslexia susceptibility 1 candidate 1 (DYX1C1) during rat cerebral cortex development.

Background: Developmental dyslexia (DD) is a common learning disorder with significant consequences for affected individuals. Although several candidate genes, including dyslexia susceptibility 1 candidate 1 (DYX1C1), have been implicated in dyslexia, their role in brain development remains unclear. We aimed to elucidate the spatiotemporal expression patterns of DYX1C1 during cerebral cortex development in rats.

Differentially Expressed Nedd4-binding Protein Ndfip1 Protects Neurons Against Methamphetamine-induced Neurotoxicity.

To identify factors involved in methamphetamine (METH) neurotoxicity, we comprehensively searched for genes which were differentially expressed in mouse striatum after METH administration using differential display (DD) reverse transcription-PCR method and sequent single-strand conformation polymorphism analysis, and found two DD cDNA fragments later identified as mRNA of Nedd4 (neural precursor cell expressed developmentally downregulated 4) WW domain-binding protein 5 (N4WBP5), later named Nedd4 family-interacting protein 1 (Ndfip1). It is an adaptor protein for the binding between Nedd4 of ubiquitin ligase (E3) and target substrate protein for ubiquitination. Northern blot analysis confirmed drastic increases in Ndfip1 mRNA in the striatum after METH injections, and in situ hybridization histochemistry showed that the mRNA expression was increased in the hippocampus and cerebellum at 2 h-2 days, in the cerebral cortex and striatum at 18 h-2 days after single METH administration.

Behavioural and neurochemical alterations following acute inflammation induced by intraperitoneal and intratracheal injection with lipopolysaccharide in mice.

The persistent symptoms of anxiety, depression, and fatigue that follow severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection and accompany pulmonary inflammation pose significant clinical challenges. However, the correlation between pulmonary inflammation and mental health remains unclear. This study sought to examine the effects of intratracheal injection of lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a bacterial endotoxin, on anxiety-like behaviour in a mouse model suffering with pulmonary inflammation.

Visualization of Modified Bisarylbutadiyne-Tagged Small Molecules in Live-Cell Nuclei by Stimulated Raman Scattering Microscopy.

Visualizing the distribution of small-molecule drugs in living cells is an important strategy for developing specific, effective, and minimally toxic drugs. As an alternative to fluorescence imaging using bulky fluorophores or cell fixation, stimulated Raman scattering (SRS) imaging combined with bisarylbutadiyne (BADY) tagging enables the observation of small molecules closer to their native intracellular state. However, there is evidence that the physicochemical properties of BADY-tagged analogues of small-molecule drugs differ significantly from those of their parent drugs, potentially affecting their intracellular distribution.

Neurogenesis impairment with glial activation in the hippocampus-connected regions of intracerebroventricular streptozotocin-injected mice.

Adult neurogenesis in the hippocampus and subventricular zone (SVZ) is impaired by intracerebroventricular administration of streptozotocin (icv-STZ) to rodents. Although neural cells in the several brain regions which connect with the hippocampus or SVZ is thought to be involved in the adult neurogenesis, few studies have investigated morphological alterations of glial cells in these areas. The present study revealed that icv-STZ induces reduction of neural progenitor cells and a dramatic increase in reactive astrocytes and microglia especially in the hippocampus and various hippocampus-connected brain areas.

Phosphorylated SARM1 is involved in the pathological process of rotenone-induced neurodegeneration.

Sterile alpha and Toll/interleukin receptor motif-containing protein 1 (SARM1) is a NAD+ hydrolase that plays a key role in axonal degeneration and neuronal cell death. We reported that c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activates SARM1 through phosphorylation at Ser-548. The importance of SARM1 phosphorylation in the pathological process of Parkinson's disease (PD) has not been determined.

Simple purification of small-molecule-labelled peptides palladium enolate formation from β-ketoamide tags.

Palladium enolates derived from β-ketocarbonyl compounds serve as key intermediates in various catalytic asymmetric reactions. We found that the palladium enolate formed from β-ketoamide is stable in air and moisture and we applied this property to develop a peptide purification system using β-ketoamide as a small affinity tag in aqueous media. A solid-supported palladium complex successfully captured β-ketoamide-tagged molecules as palladium enolates and released them in high yield upon acid treatment.

Deuterium- and Alkyne-Based Bioorthogonal Raman Probes for In Situ Quantitative Metabolic Imaging of Lipids within Plants.

Plants can rapidly respond to different stresses by activating multiple signaling and defense pathways. The ability to directly visualize and quantify these pathways in real time using bioorthogonal probes would have practical applications, including characterizing plant responses to both abiotic and biotic stress. Fluorescence-based labels are widely used for tagging of small biomolecules but are relatively bulky and with potential effects on their endogenous localization and metabolism.

Quality assessment of Rheum species cultivated in Japan by focusing on M2 polarization of microglia.

In traditional Japanese medicine, Rhei Rhizoma is used as a purgative, blood stasis-resolving and antipsychotic drug. The latter two properties are possibly related to anti-inflammatory effects. Microglia regulate inflammation in the central nervous system.

Multifunctional Metallothioneins as a Target for Neuroprotection in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by motor symptoms based on a loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons and by non-motor symptoms which precede motor symptoms. Neurodegeneration accompanied by an accumulation of α-synuclein is thought to propagate from the enteric nervous system to the central nervous system. The pathogenesis in sporadic PD remains unknown.

Central and Enteric Neuroprotective Effects by Eucommia ulmoides Extracts on Neurodegeneration in Rotenone-induced Parkinsonian Mouse.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease of both the central and peripheral / enteric nervous systems. Oxidative stress and neuroinflammation are associated with the pathogenesis of PD, suggesting that anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory compounds could be neuroprotective agents for PD. Eucommia ulmoides (EU) is a traditional herbal medicine which exerts neuroprotective effects by anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidative properties.

The ability of callus tissues induced from three Allium plants to accumulate health-beneficial natural products, S-alk(en)ylcysteine sulfoxides.

S-Alk(en)ylcysteine sulfoxides (CSOs), such as methiin, alliin, and isoalliin, are health-beneficial natural products biosynthesized in the genus Allium. Here, we report the induction of multiple callus tissue lines from three Allium vegetables, onion (A. cepa), Welsh onion (A.

Benefits and Risks of Delayed Surgery for Ventricular Septal Rupture after Acute Myocardial Infarction.

The timing of surgery for ventricular septal rupture (VSR) after acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains controversial. This study investigated the benefits and risks of delayed surgery for post-AMI VSR and examined differences in echocardiographic findings between early and delay groups.A total of 38 consecutive patients with post-AMI VSR who underwent surgery at our hospital between May 2003 and November 2020 were retrospectively analyzed.

Glial Cells as Possible Targets of Neuroprotection through Neurotrophic and Antioxidative Molecules in the Central and Enteric Nervous Systems in Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the second most common neurodegenerative disease worldwide. The loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons produces its characteristic motor symptoms, but PD patients also have non-motor symptoms such as constipation and orthostatic hypotension. The pathological hallmark of PD is the presence of α-synuclein-containing Lewy bodies and neurites in the brain.

Influence of 5-HT receptor function on anxiety-like behavior induced by a combination treatment with doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in rats.

Anxiety-like behavior induced by a combination of doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide may be mediated by serotonin (5-HT) receptor hyperactivity. The anxiolytic effects of fluoxetine may be inhibited by this combination. The present study examined the mechanisms underlying anxiety-like behavior induced by the combination doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in rats.

Glutathione and Related Molecules in Parkinsonism.

Glutathione (GSH) is the most abundant intrinsic antioxidant in the central nervous system, and its substrate cysteine readily becomes the oxidized dimeric cystine. Since neurons lack a cystine transport system, neuronal GSH synthesis depends on cystine uptake via the cystine/glutamate exchange transporter (xCT), GSH synthesis, and release in/from surrounding astrocytes. Transcription factor nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a detoxifying master transcription factor, is expressed mainly in astrocytes and activates the gene expression of various phase II drug-metabolizing enzymes or antioxidants including GSH-related molecules and metallothionein by binding to the antioxidant response element (ARE) of these genes.

Neuroprotective Effects of Anti-high Mobility Group Box-1 Monoclonal Antibody Against Methamphetamine-Induced Dopaminergic Neurotoxicity.

High mobility group box-1 (HMGB1) is a ubiquitous non-histone nuclear protein that plays a key role as a transcriptional activator, with its extracellular release provoking inflammation. Inflammatory responses are essential in methamphetamine (METH)-induced acute dopaminergic neurotoxicity. In the present study, we examined the effects of neutralizing anti-HMGB1 monoclonal antibody (mAb) on METH-induced dopaminergic neurotoxicity in mice.

Multiwell Raman plate reader for high-throughput biochemical screening.

Although Raman spectroscopy has been used for the quantitative analysis of samples in many fields, including material science, biomedical, and pharmaceutical research, its low sensitivity hindered the application of the analytical capability for high-throughput screening. Here, we developed a high-throughput Raman screening system that can analyze hundreds of specimens in a multiwell plate simultaneously. Multiple high numerical aperture (NA) lenses are assembled under each well in the multiwell plate to detect Raman scattering simultaneously with high sensitivity.

Lactoferrin-like Immunoreactivity in Distinct Neuronal Populations in the Mouse Central Nervous System.

Lactoferrin (Lf) is an iron-binding glycoprotein mainly found in exocrine secretions and the secondary granules of neutrophils. In the central nervous system (CNS), expression of the Lf protein has been reported in the lesions of some neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, as well as in the aged brain. Lf is primarily considered an iron chelator, protecting cells from potentially toxic iron or iron-requiring microorganisms.