Protein tau phosphorylation in the proline rich region and its implication in the progression of Alzheimer's disease.

Tau has a wide variety of essential functions in the brain, but this protein also plays a determining role in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other neurodegenerative diseases called tauopathies. This is due to its abnormal aggregation and the subsequent formation of neurofibrillary tangles. Tau hyperphosphorylation appears to be a critical step in its transformation into an aggregated protein.

The Neurotoxic Effect of Ochratoxin-A on the Hippocampal Neurogenic Niche of Adult Mouse Brain.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a common secondary metabolite of Aspergillus ochraceus, A. carbonarius, and Penicillium verrucosum. This mycotoxin is largely present as a contaminant in several cereal crops and human foodstuffs, including grapes, corn, nuts, and figs, among others.

The effect of a mindfulness-based therapy on different biomarkers among patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a randomised controlled trial.

Mindfulness-based interventions have shown some efficacy in decreasing stress levels and improving quality of life. However, so far, only a few studies have studied this type of intervention among patients with inflammatory bowel disease and none of them have studied their effects on inflammatory biomarkers. This current study was a two-armed, single-centre, randomised (2:1 ratio) controlled trial used to evaluate the effects of a mindfulness-based intervention (n = 37) compared to standard medical therapy (n = 20) in patients with Crohn's disease or ulcerative colitis.

Assessment of Toxic Effects of Ochratoxin A in Human Embryonic Stem Cells.

Ochratoxin A (OTA) is a mycotoxin produced by different and species, and it is considered a common contaminant in food and animal feed worldwide. On the other hand, human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) have been suggested as a valuable model for evaluating drug embryotoxicity. In this study, we have evaluated potentially toxic effects of OTA in hESCs.

Progesterone anti-inflammatory properties in hereditary retinal degeneration.

The interactions between steroid gonadal hormones and the retina (a part of the visual system and the central nervous system (CNS)) have received limited attention and beneficial effects of these hormones in retinal diseases is controversial. Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is the most common cause of retinal hereditary blindness and to date no treatment is available. However, results regarding the effects of progesterone on the progression of RP are promising.

Neuroprotection of Brain Cells by Lipoic Acid Treatment after Cellular Stress.

We have previously observed that in vivo lipoic acid (LA) treatment induced a protective effect onto primary cortical neurons after brain injury. In an effort to better understand LA action mechanism in the brain, in the present study, we stressed brain cells in vitro and ex vivo and then analyzed by inmmunocytochemistry and biochemical assays, the changes induced by LA on cell survival and on the concentration of oxidative stress markers, such as glutathione (GSH), oxidized glutathione (GSSG), and malondialdehyde (MDA). The stressors used were lipopolysaccharide (LPS), dopamine, and l-buthionine-S,R-sulfoximine (BSO).

Combined application of polyacrylate scaffold and lipoic acid treatment promotes neural tissue reparation after brain injury.

Primary Objective: The aim of this study was to investigate the reparative potential of a polymeric scaffold designed for brain tissue repair in combination with lipoic acid.

Research Design: Histological, cytological and structural analysis of a combined treatment after a brain cryo-injury model in rats.

Methods And Procedures: Adult Wistar rats were subjected to cryogenic brain injury.

Evaluation of the pathogenic potential, antimicrobial susceptibility, and genomic relations of Yersinia enterocolitica strains from food and human origin.

Yersinia enterocolitica is a food-borne pathogen that causes gastroenteritis with occasional postinfection sequels. This study was aimed to determinate the pathogenic potential, antimicrobial susceptibility, and genomic relationships of Y. enterocolitica strains of different bioserotypes (B/O) isolated from foods and human samples in San Luis, Argentina.

Neural tissue regeneration in experimental brain injury model with channeled scaffolds of acrylate copolymers.

The objective of the present study was to evaluate the biocompatibility and cell hosting ability of a copolymer scaffold based on ethyl acrylate (EA) and hydroxyl ethyl acrylate (HEA) in vivo after an experimental brain injury. Wistar rats were subjected to cryogenic traumatic brain injury. We evaluated the tissue response to the implanted materials after 8 weeks.

Lipoic acid and bone marrow derived cells therapy induce angiogenesis and cell proliferation after focal brain injury.

Unlabelled: Abstract Introduction: Traumatic brain injury is a main cause of disability and death in developed countries, above all among children and adolescents. The intrinsic inability of the central nervous system to efficiently repair traumatic injuries renders transplantation of bone marrow-derived cells (BMDC) a promising approach towards repair of brain lesions. On the other hand, many studies have reported the beneficial effect of Lipoic acid (LA), a potent antioxidant promoting cell survival, angiogenesis and neuroregeneration.

Neurotoxic effects of ochratoxin A on the subventricular zone of adult mouse brain.

Ochratoxin A (OTA), a mycotoxin that was discovered as a secondary metabolite of the fungal species Aspergillus and Penicillium, is a common contaminant in food and animal feed. This mycotoxin has been described as teratogenic, carcinogenic, genotoxic, immunotoxic and has been proven a potent neurotoxin. Other authors have previously reported the effects of OTA in different structures of the central nervous system as well as in some neurogenic regions.

Lipoic acid treatment after brain injury: study of the glial reaction.

After trauma brain injury, oxidative substances released to the medium provoke an enlargement of the initial lesion, increasing glial cell activation and, occasionally, an influx of immune cells into the central nervous system, developing the secondary damage. In response to these stimuli, microglia are activated to perform upregulation of intracellular enzymes and cell surface markers to propagate the immune response and phagocytosis of cellular debris. The phagocytosis of debris and dead cells is essential to limit the inflammatory reaction and potentially prevent extension of the damage to noninjured regions.

Biomaterials coated by dental pulp cells as substrate for neural stem cell differentiation.

This study is focused on the development of an in vitro hybrid system, consisting in a polymeric biomaterial covered by a dental pulp cellular stroma that acts as a scaffold offering a neurotrophic support for the subsequent survival and differentiation of neural stem cells. In the first place, the behavior of dental pulp stroma on the polymeric biomaterial based on ethyl acrylate and hydroxy ethyl acrylate copolymer was studied. For this purpose, cells from normal human third molars were grown onto 0.

Three-dimensional scaffolds as a model system for neural and endothelial 'in vitro' culture.

Biomaterials based on the hydrophobic homopolymer poly(ethyl acrylate), PEA, and its copolymers with hydroxyethyl acrylate, p(EA-co-HEA) and methacrylic acid, p(EA-co-MAAc) were prepared as polymeric scaffolds with interconnected pores of 90 microns and tested in vitro as culture substrates and compared for their impact on the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSC) obtained from the subventricular zone (SVZ) of postnatal rats and human endothelial cells (HUVEC). Immunocytochemical staining assay for specific markers show that p(EA-co-MAAc) scaffolds were suitable substrates to promote cell attachment and differentiation of adult NSC and HUVEC cells.

Differentiation of postnatal neural stem cells into glia and functional neurons on laminin-coated polymeric substrates.

A series of polymeric biomaterials, including poly(methyl acrylate), chitosan, poly(ethyl acrylate) (PEA), poly(hydroxyethyl acrylate) (PHEA), and a series of random copolymers containing ethyl acrylate, hydroxyethyl acrylate, and methyl acrylate were tested in vitro as culture substrates and compared for their effect on the differentiation of neural stem cells (NSCs) obtained from the subventricular zone of postnatal rats. Immunocytochemical assay for specific markers and scanning electron microscopy techniques were employed to determine the adhesion of the cultured NSCs to the different biomaterials and the respective neuronal differentiation. The functional properties and the membrane excitability of differentiated NSCs were investigated using a patch-clamp.

Substrate chemistry-dependent conformations of single laminin molecules on polymer surfaces are revealed by the phase signal of atomic force microscopy.

The conformation of single laminin molecules adsorbed on synthetic substrates is directly observed making use of the phase magnitude in tapping mode atomic force microscopy (AFM). With AFM, it is not possible to differentiate the proteins on the substrate if use is made of the height signal, since the roughness of the material becomes of the same order of magnitude as the adsorbed protein, typically 10 nm height. This work shows how AFM can be exploited to reveal protein conformation on polymer materials.

Survival and differentiation of embryonic neural explants on different biomaterials.

Biomaterials prepared from polyacrylamide, ethyl acrylate (EA), and hydroxyethyl acrylate (HEA) in various blend ratios, methyl acrylate and chitosan, were tested in vitro as culture substrates and compared for their ability to be colonized by the cells migrating from embryonic brain explants. Neural explants were isolated from proliferative areas of the medial ganglionic eminence and the cortical ventricular zone of embryonic rat brains and cultured in vitro on the different biomaterials. Chitosan, poly(methyl acrylate), and the 50% wt copolymer of EA and HEA were the most suitable substrates to promote cell attachment and differentiation of the neural cells among those tested.

Defective postnatal neurogenesis and disorganization of the rostral migratory stream in absence of the Vax1 homeobox gene.

The subventricular zone (SVZ) is one of the sources of adult neural stem cells (ANSCs) in the mouse brain. Precursor cells proliferate in the SVZ and migrate through the rostral migratory stream (RMS) to the olfactory bulb (OB), where they differentiate into granule and periglomerular cells. Few transcription factors are known to be responsible for regulating NSC proliferation, migration, and differentiation processes; even fewer have been found to be responsible for the organization of the SVZ and RMS.

Compromised generation of GABAergic interneurons in the brains of Vax1-/- mice.

The subcortical telencephalon is the major source of GABAergic interneurons that, during development, tangentially migrate to the cerebral cortex, where they modulate the glutamatergic excitatory action of pyramidal cells. The transcription factor Vax1, an intracellular mediator of both Shh and Fgf signaling, is expressed at high levels in the medial and lateral ganglionic eminences (MGE and LGE, respectively), in the septal area (SA), in the anterior entopeduncular area (AEP) and in the preoptic area (POA). We show that Vax1 expression in the neuroepithelium is graded: low in the ventricular zone (VZ) and high in the subventricular zone (SVZ), in a pattern that closely reproduces that of several members of the Dlx and Gsh family of homeobox transcription factors.