Schizophrenia and Glutathione: A Challenging Story.

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a devastating mental illness with a complex and heterogeneous clinical state. Several conditions like symptoms, stage and severity of the disease are only some of the variables that have to be considered to define the disorder and its phenotypes. SZ pathophysiology is still unclear, and the diagnosis is currently relegated to the analysis of clinical symptoms; therefore, the search for biomarkers with diagnostic relevance is a major challenge in the field, especially in the era of personalized medicine.

Use of a telovelar approach for complete resection of a choroid plexus tumor in a dog.

Objective: To describe a telovelar approach to the fourth ventricle for excision of a choroid plexus tumor within the ventricle.

Animal: A 3-year-old entire male Chihuahua.

Study Design: Case report METHODS: A 3-year-old dog with two-month history of progressive vestibular signs and subdued mentation was diagnosed with a fourth ventricle tumor.

Clinical signs, MRI findings and outcome in dogs with peripheral vestibular disease: a retrospective study.

Background: Vestibular dysfunction is relatively common in dogs, with a prevalence of 0.08% reported in primary veterinary care in the UK. There are several studies investigating how to differentiate between peripheral and central vestibular disease but only limited information regarding the possible underlying causes for peripheral vestibular dysfunction in dogs.

Evaluation of concurrent analysis of cerebrospinal fluid samples collected from the cerebellomedullary cistern and lumbar subarachnoid space for the diagnosis of steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis in dogs.

Objective: To evaluate whether concurrent analysis of CSF samples from 2 collection sites (cerebellomedullary cistern [CMC] and lumbar subarachnoid space [LSS]) versus only 1 site could improve the diagnostic sensitivity of CSF analysis for dogs with suspected steroid-responsive meningitis arteritis (SRMA).

Animals: 111 client-owned dogs with SRMA diagnosed at 3 veterinary referral hospitals between 2011 and 2017.

Procedures: Only dogs with CSF collected from both sites (CMC and LSS) and with no previous history of corticosteroid administration were included.

Thoracic vertebral canal stenosis due to articular process hypertrophy in two cats treated by hemilaminectomy with partial osteotomy of the spinous process.

Case Summary: A 9-year-old neutered female British Shorthair cat (case 1) and a 13-year-old neutered male domestic shorthair cat (case 2) showed signs of chronic T3-L3 myelopathy, which progressed over 6 and 12 months, respectively. On presentation, case 1 had moderate pelvic limb proprioceptive ataxia and ambulatory paraparesis, and case 2 was non-ambulatory paraparetic and had urinary incontinence. Bilateral enlargement of the articular process joints at T11-T12 in case 1 and T3-T4 in case 2 causing dorsolateral extradural spinal cord compression was shown on MRI.

Anesthetic effects of isoflurane and propofol on cerebrospinal fluid biochemical markers in healthy dogs.

Background: The study of brain energy metabolism (BEM) markers in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is a potential diagnostic and prognostic tool for many central nervous system (CNS) diseases. To date, in veterinary medicine, few studies are reporting physiologic ranges for some BEM markers. Recently, the influence of anesthetic drugs on BEM markers has been described in mice; subsequently, the study of CSF-BEM markers has gained increasing attention.

Occurrence of Panagrellus (Rhabditida: Panagrolaimidae) Nematodes in a Morphologically Aberrant Adult Specimen of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae).

An aberrant specimen of Rhynchophorus ferrugineus (Coleoptera: Dryophthoridae) also known as red palm weevil (RPW), the most economically important insect pest of palms in the world, was found among a batch of conspecifics reared for research purposes. A morphological analysis of this weevil revealed the presence of nematodes associated with a structured cuticle defect of the thorax. These nematodes were not able to be cultured, but were characterized by molecular analysis using 28S and 18S ribosomal DNA and shown to belong to the family Panagrolaimidae (Rhabditida), within a clade of Panagrellus.

Oscheius onirici sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae): a new entomopathogenic nematode from an Italian cave.

Oscheius onirici sp. n. (Nematoda: Rhabditidae) was isolated from a karst cave soil of Central Italy.

Frataxin silencing inactivates mitochondrial Complex I in NSC34 motoneuronal cells and alters glutathione homeostasis.

Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is a hereditary neurodegenerative disease characterized by a reduced synthesis of the mitochondrial iron chaperon protein frataxin as a result of a large GAA triplet-repeat expansion within the first intron of the frataxin gene. Despite neurodegeneration being the prominent feature of this pathology involving both the central and the peripheral nervous system, information on the impact of frataxin deficiency in neurons is scant. Here, we describe a neuronal model displaying some major biochemical and morphological features of FRDA.

Uncommon acute neurologic presentation of canine distemper in 4 adult dogs.

Four uncommon cases of canine distemper (CD) were diagnosed in vaccinated adult dogs. All dogs had acute onset of neurologic signs, including seizures, abnormal mentation, ataxia, and proprioceptive deficits. Polymerase chain reaction for CD virus was positive on cerebrospinal fluid in 2 cases.

Comparative study of select biochemical markers in cerebrospinal fluid of healthy dogs before and after treatment with nutraceuticals.

Background: Several studies indicate that changes in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition depend on the disease stage and reflect modification of brain energy metabolism (BEM). Also, it has been reported that a decline in cognitive functions may be mitigated by incorporating nutraceuticals in the diet.

Objective: Assuming the beneficial effect of nutraceuticals on BEM and oxidative damage, the aim of this study was to determine if the administration of a nutraceutical compound results in changes of select CSF biomarkers in healthy adult Beagle dogs.

Friedreich's Ataxia: A Neuronal Point of View on the Oxidative Stress Hypothesis.

A prominent feature of Friedreich's ataxia (FRDA) is the neurodegeneration of the central and peripheral nervous systems, but little information is available about the mechanisms leading to neuronal damage in this pathology. Currently, no treatments delay, prevent, or reverse the inexorable decline that occurs in this condition. Evidence of oxidative damage has been demonstrated in Friedreich's ataxia, and this damage has been proposed as the origin of the disease.

Frataxin deficiency leads to reduced expression and impaired translocation of NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) in cultured motor neurons.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathogenesis of Friedreich's Ataxia (FRDA), a neurodegenerative disease caused by the decreased expression of frataxin, a mitochondrial protein responsible of iron homeostasis. Under conditions of oxidative stress, the activation of the transcription factor NF-E2-related factor (Nrf2) triggers the antioxidant cellular response by inducing antioxidant response element (ARE) driven genes. Increasing evidence supports a role for the Nrf2-ARE pathway in neurodegenerative diseases.

Neuroprotection: the emerging concept of restorative neural stem cell biology for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases.

During the past decades Neural Stem Cells have been considered as an alternative source of cells to replace lost neurons and NSC transplantation has been indicated as a promising treatment for neurodegenerative disorders. Nevertheless, the current understanding of NSC biology suggests that, far from being mere spare parts for cell replacement therapies, NSCs could play a key role in the pharmacology of neuroprotection and become protagonists of innovative treatments for neurodegenerative diseases. Here, we review this new emerging concept of NSC biology.

Effect of protein glutathionylation on neuronal cytoskeleton: a potential link to neurodegeneration.

Neurons are highly susceptible to oxidative stress and oxidation of cytoskeletal proteins is considered one of the first steps of neurodegeneration. Protein glutathionylation is a key event in the redox regulation of protein function and constitutes a sensor of tissue oxidative stress in patho-physiological conditions. In this study, we analyzed for the first time tubulin glutathionylation and its relation to neurites degeneration.

Time constraints and positional cues in the developing cerebellum regulate Purkinje cell placement in the cortical architecture.

To elucidate the mechanisms that regulate neuronal placement and integration in the cerebellar circuitry, we assessed the fate of Purkinje cells transplanted to embryonic, juvenile and adult hosts, asking how architectural changes of the developing cortex influence their anatomical incorporation. Donor Purkinje cells navigate through the host parenchyma either along their natural migratory pathway or following unusual routes. In the latter case, donor neurons fail to orientate correctly and to establish the cortico-nuclear projection.

Cerebellar granule cells transplanted in vivo can follow physiological and unusual migratory routes to integrate into the recipient cortex.

CNS repair by cell transplantation requires new neurons to integrate into complex recipient networks. We assessed how the migratory route of transplanted granule neurons and the developmental stage of the host rat cerebellum influence engraftment. In both embryonic and postnatal hosts, granule cells can enter the cerebellar cortex and achieve correct placement along their natural migratory pathway.

Neurogenesis in the cerebellum.

In the past few years, genetic fate mapping experiments have changed our vision of cerebellar development, particularly in redefining the origin of gabaergic and glutamatergic neurons of the cerebellar cortex and highlighting the precise spatio-temporal sequence of their generation. Here the authors review cerebellar neurogenesis and discuss the fate mapping studies with other new information stemming from transplantation experiments, in an effort to link the developmental potential of neural progenitor populations of the cerebellum with their spatio-temporal origin.

Generation of distinct types of periglomerular olfactory bulb interneurons during development and in adult mice: implication for intrinsic properties of the subventricular zone progenitor population.

The subventricular zone (SVZ) of the lateral ventricle develops from residual progenitors of the embryonic lateral ganglionic eminence (LGE) and maintains neurogenic activity throughout life. Precursors from LGE/SVZ migrate to the olfactory bulb (OB) where they differentiate into local interneurons, principally in the granule layer and glomerular layer (GL). By in situ dye labeling, we show that neonatal and adult SVZ progenitors differentially contribute to neurochemically distinct types of periglomerular interneurons in the GL.

Different types of cerebellar GABAergic interneurons originate from a common pool of multipotent progenitor cells.

Different cerebellar phenotypes are generated according to a precise spatiotemporal schedule, in which projection neurons precede local interneurons. Glutamatergic neurons develop from the rhombic lip, whereas GABAergic neurons originate from the ventricular neuroepithelium. Progenitors in these germinal layers are committed toward specific phenotypes already at early ontogenetic stages.

Rapid-cooling and storage of plant nematodes at -140 degrees C.

Low temperatures can assure the long-term or even indefinite preservation of important biological specimens. Nematode cryopreservation allows for the availability of large numbers of living nematodes at any one time, especially for experimental purposes. New isolates of Bursaphelenchus have recently been collected, including Bursaphelenchus eremus (Rühm) Goodey.

Selective rather than inductive mechanisms favour specific replacement of Purkinje cells by embryonic cerebellar cells transplanted to the cerebellum of adult Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mice.

Cell replacement after neuronal degeneration in the adult CNS depends on the availability of specific cues to direct specification, differentiation and integration of newly born neurons into mature circuits. Following recent reports indicating that neurogenic signals may be reactivated in the adult injured CNS, here we asked whether such signals are expressed in the cerebellum after Purkinje cell degeneration. Thus, we compared the fate of embryonic cerebellar cells transplanted to the cerebella of adult wild-type and Purkinje cell degeneration (pcd) mutant mice.

Neuronal replacement and integration in the rewiring of cerebellar circuits.

Repair of CNS injury or degeneration by cell replacement may lead to significant functional recovery only through faithful reconstruction of the original anatomical architecture. This is particularly relevant for point-to-point systems, where precisely patterned connections have to be re-established to regain adaptive function. Despite the major interest recently drawn on cell therapies, little is known about the mechanisms and the potentialities for specific integration of new neurons in the mature CNS.