Autophagic signatures in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from Parkinson's disease patients.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairments and the accumulation of misfolded α-synuclein. Dysregulation of the autophagy-lysosomal pathway (ALP), responsible for degrading misfolded proteins, has been implicated in PD pathogenesis. However, current diagnostic approaches rely heavily on motor symptoms, which occur due to substantial neurodegeneration, limiting early detection and intervention.

Plasma neurofilament light chain level and orthostatic hypotension in early Parkinson's disease.

To delineate the impact of non-motor markers (REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD), orthostatic hypotension (OH), cardiac sympathetic denervation, hyposmia) on neuronal injury in early-stage Parkinson's disease (PD), we measured the plasma neurofilament light chain (NFL) level of PD patients and evaluated its relationship with these markers. The study population comprised a cohort of 77 patients with PD and 54 controls. OH was assessed using 5-min head-up tilt-table test.

Identification of Cathepsin D as a Plasma Biomarker for Alzheimer's Disease.

Although Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease, there are still no drugs available to treat or prevent AD effectively. Here, we examined changes in levels of selected proteins implicated in the pathogenesis of AD using plasma samples of control subjects and patients with cognition impairment. To precisely categorize the disease, fifty-six participants were examined with clinical cognitive tests, amyloid positron emission tomography (PET) scan, and white matter hyperintensities scored by magnetic resonance imaging.

Identification of BAG2 and Cathepsin D as Plasma Biomarkers for Parkinson's Disease.

The current diagnosis of Parkinson's disease (PD) mostly relies on clinical rating scales related to motor dysfunction. Given that clinical symptoms of PD appear after significant neuronal cell death in the brain, it is required to identify accessible, objective, and quantifiable biomarkers for early diagnosis of PD. In this study, a total of 20 patients with idiopathic PD and 20 age-matched patients with essential tremor according to the UK Brain Bank Criteria were consecutively enrolled to identify peripheral blood biomarkers for PD.

Alpha-Casein and Beta-Lactoglobulin from Cow Milk Exhibit Antioxidant Activity: A Plausible Link to Antiaging Effects.

Studies on the discovery and function of antioxidants are consistently being performed because oxidative stress can cause various diseases. Many compounds and natural products have antioxidant activity in vitro; however, it is often difficult to reproduce their effects in vivo. Additionally, methods to measure antioxidant activities in cells are also scarce.

Ultrasonography and electrophysiological study of median nerve in patients with essential tremor.

Essential tremor (ET) is a common movement disorder characterized by postural or kinetic tremor. We aimed to evaluate median nerve enlargement in patients with ET using ultrasonography (USG). Thirty-eight hands from 19 patients with ET and 24 hands from 13 controls underwent nerve conduction studies (NCS) and USG at the wrist.

Rbfox family proteins make the homo- and hetero-oligomeric complexes.

Rbfox family of proteins that consists of Rbfox1, Rbfox2, and Rbfox3 in mammals regulates alternative pre-mRNA splicing in various tissues via direct binding to their RNA binding element. Although many studies have indicated the splicing activity of each member of the Rbfox family, the interactions of Rbfox family proteins are largely unknown. Here, we have investigated interactions among Rbfox family proteins.

Simultaneous Molecular Detection of and from Raw Vegetables in Korea.

and are well-known coccidian protozoa that can cause waterborne and foodborne diarrheal illnesses. There have been a few reports regarding contamination in different vegetables with , but no data are available regarding the sources of infections in Korea. In the present study, we collected 6 kinds of vegetables (perilla leaves, winter-grown cabbages, chives, sprouts, blueberries, and cherry tomatoes) from July 2014 to June 2015, and investigated contamination by these 2 protozoa using multiplex quantitative real-time PCR.

Infection status of freshwater fish with metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis in Korea.

This study investigated freshwater fish for their current infection status with metacercariae of Clonorchis sinensis in Korea. Twenty-one species of freshwater fish (n = 677) were collected from 34 regions nationwidely from February 2007 to June 2008. They were individually examined by digestion technique.