Vascular endothelial growth factor is an effective biomarker for vascular dementia, not for Alzheimer's disease: A meta-analysis.

Introduction: Vascular pathology is known to contribute to dementia and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is a well-established biomarker associated with vascular alterations. Nonetheless, research findings on VEGF in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are inconsistent across various studies.

Methods: We conducted a meta-analysis to elucidate relationships between VEGF and AD/VaD.

Alzheimer's disease early diagnostic and staging biomarkers revealed by large-scale cerebrospinal fluid and serum proteomic profiling.

Amyloid-β, tau pathology, and biomarkers of neurodegeneration make up the core diagnostic biomarkers of Alzheimer disease (AD). However, these proteins represent only a fraction of the complex biological processes underlying AD, and individuals with other brain diseases in which AD pathology is a comorbidity also test positive for these diagnostic biomarkers. More AD-specific early diagnostic and disease staging biomarkers are needed.

Upregulation of Wnt2b exerts neuroprotective effect by alleviating mitochondrial dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease.

Aims: This study investigated the relationship between plasma Wnt2b levels and Alzheimer's disease (AD), and explored the effect of Wnt2b on mitochondrial dysfunction in AD.

Methods: Healthy and AD subjects, AD transgenic mice, and in vitro models were used to investigate the roles of Wnt2b in abnormalities in canonical Wnt signaling and mitochondria in AD. RT-qPCR, immunoblotting, and immunofluorescence analysis were performed to assay canonical Wnt signaling.

Population Structure in China Suggests a South-to-North Expansion.

The distribution range of root-knot nematode is rapidly expanding, posing a severe threat to rice production. In this study, the sequences of cytochrome oxidase subunit I () genes of rice populations from all reported provinces in China were amplified and sequenced by PCR. The distribution pattern and phylogenetic tree showed that all 54 populations in China have distinct geographical distribution characteristics; specifically, cluster 1 (southern China), cluster 2 (central south and southwest China), and cluster 3 (central and eastern China).

NMDA Receptor GluN2B Subunit Is Involved in Excitotoxicity Mediated by Death-Associated Protein Kinase 1 in Alzheimer's Disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative dementia among the elderly. Excitotoxicity has been implicated as playing a dominant role in AD, especially related to the hyperactivation of excitatory neurons. Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin-dependent kinase and involved in the pathogenesis of AD, but the roles and mechanisms of DAPK1 in excitotoxicity in AD are still uncertain.

Carnosic Acid Attenuates AβOs-Induced Apoptosis and Synaptic Impairment via Regulating NMDAR2B and Its Downstream Cascades in SH-SY5Y Cells.

Neuronal death and synaptic loss are principal pathological features of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Amyloid beta oligomers (AβOs) constitute the main neurotoxin underscoring AD pathology. AβOs interact with N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDARs), resulting in neurotoxic events, including activation of apoptosis and synaptic impairment.

CaMKIIα Signaling Is Required for the Neuroprotective Effects of Dl-3-n-Butylphthalide in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of neurodegenerative disease and most anti-AD drugs have failed in clinical trials; hence, it is urgent to find potentially effective drugs against AD. DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) is a compound extracted from celery seed and is a multiple-target drug. Several studies have demonstrated the neuroprotective effects of NBP on cognitive impairment, but the mechanisms of NBP remains relatively unexplored.

Decreased Levels of Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 Are Associated with Alzheimer's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Background: Alterations in levels of peripheral insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) in Alzheimer's disease (AD) have been reported in several studies, and results are inconsistent.

Objective: We conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the relationship between peripheral and cerebrospinal fluid IGF-1 levels and AD or mild cognitive impairment (MCI).

Methods: A systematic search in PubMed, Medline, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library was conducted and 18 studies were included.

Toxic amyloid-β oligomers induced self-replication in astrocytes triggering neuronal injury.

Background: Soluble amyloid-β oligomer (AβO) induced deleterious cascades have recently been considered to be the initiating pathologic agents of Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, little is known about the neurotoxicity and production of different AβOs. Understanding the production and spread of toxic AβOs within the brain is important to improving understanding of AD pathogenesis and treatment.

DAPK1: a Novel Pathology and Treatment Target for Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease and seriously damages the health of elderly population. Clinical drug research targeting at classic pathology hallmarks, such as amyloid-β (Aβ) and tau protein, failed to achieve effective cognitive improvement, suggesting that the pathogenesis of AD is much complicated, and there are still other unknown and undetermined important factors. Death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1) is a calcium/calmodulin-dependent serine/threonine kinase that plays an important role in various neuronal injury models.

Sulforaphane Inhibits the Generation of Amyloid-β Oligomer and Promotes Spatial Learning and Memory in Alzheimer's Disease (PS1V97L) Transgenic Mice.

Abnormal amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregates are a striking feature of Alzheimer's disease (AD), and Aβ oligomers have been proven to be crucial in the pathology of AD. Any intervention targeting the generation or aggregation of Aβ can be expected to be useful in AD treatment. Oxidative stress and inflammation are common pathological changes in AD that are involved in the generation and aggregation of Aβ.

Genetics of vascular dementia - review from the ICVD working group.

Background: Vascular dementia is a common disorder resulting in considerable morbidity and mortality. Determining the extent to which genes play a role in disease susceptibility and their pathophysiological mechanisms could improve our understanding of vascular dementia, leading to a potential translation of this knowledge to clinical practice.

Discussion: In this review, we discuss what is currently known about the genetics of vascular dementia.

Genome-wide miRNAs expression profiles of Schistosoma japonicum schistosomula in response to artesunate.

Aim: miRNAs play a significant role in pharmacogenomics and are likely to be important in the molecular mechanism of atesunate (ART) effects on Schistosoma japonicum.

Methods: We sequenced the RNAs using an Illumina (Solexa) DNA sequencer and compared the relative expression levels of the miRNAs in 10-day-old schistosomula from ART and the parallel control group.

Results: We characterized 95 known miRNAs from S.

[Design and Fabrication of Silver Nanoparticles/Graphen Complex Substrate and Its Application for Detecting Uranium (Ⅵ)].

Uranium is one of the important nuclear materials to nuclear industry. Because of the direct disposal of spent fuel, there is still a huge possibility that uranium migrates into the groundwater, causing water contamination. It is of great importance to understand the concentration and their species distribution in aqueous solutions.

Association between vitamin D and development of otitis media: A PRISMA-compliant meta-analysis and systematic review.

Background: Nutrients related to serum vitamin D level were previously shown to be significantly associated with the risk of many chronic diseases. This study aimed to assess potential relationships between serum vitamin D level and otitis media (OM) risk.

Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, and Cochrane Library databases were searched till Aug 18, 2015 for studies of quantitative OM risk estimates in relation to serum vitamin D level.

Overlap between Headache, Depression, and Anxiety in General Neurological Clinics: A Cross-sectional Study.

Background: Many studies have reported that depression and anxiety have bidirectional relationship with headache. However, few researches investigated the roles of depression or anxiety in patients with headache. We surveyed the prevalence of depression and anxiety as a complication or cause of headache among outpatients with a chief complaint of headache at neurology clinics in general hospitals.

Brain Amyloid-β Plays an Initiating Role in the Pathophysiological Process of the PS1V97L-Tg Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Amyloid-β (Aβ) aggregation, tau hyperphosphorylation, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation are major pathophysiological events in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the relationships among these processes and which first exerts an effect are unknown. In the present study, we investigated age-dependent behavioral changes and the sequential pathological progression from the brain to the periphery in AD transgenic (PS1V97L-Tg) mice and their wild-type littermates.

Application of the IWG-2 Diagnostic Criteria for Alzheimer's Disease to the ADNI.

Background: The International Working Group (IWG) recently proposed the revised diagnostic criteria for Alzheimer's disease (AD) to define and refine several types of AD, and to reclassify AD-related biomarkers into diagnostic and progression markers, but its performance is not known.

Objective: This study was designed to describe the application of the revised IWG criteria in the Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Initiative (ADNI) dataset, and to ascertain whether diagnostic and progression markers show significant differences in their relationships to AD severity and progression.

Methods: Based on the requirements of the refined criteria, 857 ADNI subjects with memory evaluation and at least one pathophysiological marker (CSF or amyloid imaging biomarkers) were eligible and reclassified in this study, and we calculated the associations of diagnostic (CSF and amyloid PET) and progression markers (MRI and fluorodeoxyglucose-PET) with AD severity and progression respectively.

Factors Associated with In-Hospital Delay in Intravenous Thrombolysis for Acute Ischemic Stroke: Lessons from China.

In-hospital delay reduces the benefit of intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) in acute ischemic stroke (AIS), while factors affecting in-hospital delay are less well known in Chinese. We are aiming at determining the specific factors associated with in-hospital delay through a hospital based cohort. In-hospital delay was defined as door-to-needle time (DTN) ≥60 min (standard delay criteria) or ≥75% percentile of all DTNs (severe delay criteria).

Changes in the blood-nerve barrier after sciatic nerve cold injury: indications supporting early treatment.

Severe edema in the endoneurium can occur after non-freezing cold injury to the peripheral nerve, which suggests damage to the blood-nerve barrier. To determine the effects of cold injury on the blood-nerve barrier, the sciatic nerve on one side of Wistar rats was treated with low temperatures (3-5°C) for 2 hours. The contralateral sciatic nerve was used as a control.

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma agonists for Alzheimer's disease and amnestic mild cognitive impairment: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common neurodegenerative disease in the elderly, and close associations between AD and diabetes have been found. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-γ) agonists, as newly-developed oral hypoglycaemic agents, were evaluated as a possible therapy for AD.

Aim: We systematically evaluated the efficacy and safety of PPAR-γ agonists in the treatment of AD and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), the prodromal stage of AD.