A potential patient stratification biomarker for Parkinson´s disease based on LRRK2 kinase-mediated centrosomal alterations in peripheral blood-derived cells.

Parkinson´s disease (PD) is a common neurodegenerative movement disorder and leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) is a promising therapeutic target for disease intervention. However, the ability to stratify patients who will benefit from such treatment modalities based on shared etiology is critical for the success of disease-modifying therapies. Ciliary and centrosomal alterations are commonly associated with pathogenic LRRK2 kinase activity and can be detected in many cell types.

Evaluation of the airborne bacterial population in the periodically confined Antarctic base Concordia.

The environmental airborne bacterial population in relation to human confinement was investigated over a period of 1 year in the Concordia Research Station, which is located on the Eastern Antarctic plateau. The unique location of the station makes it suitable for different research domains such as glaciology, atmospheric sciences, astronomy, etc. Furthermore, it is used as a test bed for long-duration spaceflights to study the physiologic and psychological adaptation to isolated environments.

Diagnosis of white coat hypertension in pregnant women with teletransmitted home blood pressure.

Objectives: To assess the diagnosis and prognosis of white coat hypertension (WCH) as detected by home blood pressure (HBP) monitoring measured telemetrically in pregnant women with recently discovered hypertension.

Methods: 57 women evaluated using HBP monitoring.

Results: The prevalence of WCH was high (76%).

Recombinant production and properties of binding of the full set of mouse secreted phospholipases A2 to the mouse M-type receptor.

To date, 12 secreted phospholipases A2 (sPLA2s) have been identified in the mouse species and divided into three structural collections (I/II/V/X, III, and XII). On the basis of their different molecular properties and tissue distributions, each sPLA2 is likely to exert distinct functions by acting as an enzyme or ligand for specific soluble proteins or receptors, among which the M-type receptor is the best-characterized target. Here, we present the properties of binding of the full set of mouse sPLA2s to the mouse M-type receptor.

Secreted phospholipase A2 inhibitors are also potent blockers of binding to the M-type receptor.

Mammalian secreted phospholipases A(2) (sPLA(2)s) constitute a family of structurally related enzymes that are likely to play numerous biological roles because of their phospholipid hydrolyzing activity and binding to soluble and membrane-bound proteins, including the M-type receptor. Over the past decade, a number of competitive inhibitors have been developed against the inflammatory-type human group IIA (hGIIA) sPLA(2) with the aim of specifically blocking its catalytic activity and pathophysiological functions. The fact that many of these inhibitors, including the indole analogue Me-Indoxam, inhibit several other sPLA(2)s that bind to the M-type receptor prompted us to investigate the impact of Me-Indoxam and other inhibitors on the sPLA(2)-receptor interaction.