Publications by authors named "Kristina Pilipovic"

Traumatic brain injury (TBI), which is a global public health concern, can take various forms, from mild concussions to blast injuries, and each damage type has a particular mechanism of progression. However, TBI is a condition with complex pathophysiology and heterogenous clinical presentation, which makes it difficult to model for in vitro and in vivo studies and obtain relevant results that can easily be translated to the clinical setting. Accordingly, the pharmacological options for TBI management are still scarce.

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We tested the effects of water-soluble single-walled carbon nanotubes, chemically functionalized with polyethylene glycol (SWCNT-PEG), on primary mouse astrocytes exposed to a severe in vitro simulated traumatic brain injury (TBI). The application of SWCNT-PEG in the culture media of injured astrocytes did not affect cell damage levels, when compared to those obtained from injured, functionalization agent (PEG)-treated cells. Furthermore, SWCNT-PEG did not change the levels of oxidatively damaged proteins in astrocytes.

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is one of the most important causes of death and disability in adults and thus an important public health problem. Following TBI, secondary pathophysiological processes develop over time and condition the development of different neurodegenerative entities. Previous studies suggest that neurobehavioral changes occurring after a single TBI are the basis for the development of Alzheimer's disease, while repetitive TBI is considered to be a contributing factor for chronic traumatic encephalopathy development.

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With the progress of medicine, especially in the last century, life expectancy increased considerably. As a result, age-related diseases also increased, especially malignancies and degenerative diseases of the central nervous system. The incidence and prevalence of neurodegenerative diseases steadily increased over the years, but despite efforts to uncover the pathophysiological processes behind these conditions, they remain elusive.

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The central nervous system (CNS) injury, which occurs because of mechanical trauma or ischemia/hypoxia, is one of the main causes of mortality and morbidity in the modern society. Until know, despite the fact that numerous preclinical and clinical studies have been undertaken, no significant neuroprotective strategies have been discovered that could be used in the brain trauma or ischemia treatment. Although there are many potential explanations for the failure of those studies, it is clear that there are questions regarding the use of experimental models, both in vivo and in vitro, when studying CNS injury and searching new therapeutics.

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Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a disabling disorder and a major cause of death and disability in the world. Both single and repetitive traumas affect the brain acutely but can also lead to chronic neurodegenerative changes. Clinical studies have shown some dissimilarities in transactive response DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) expression patterns following single versus repetitive TBI.

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Little is known about the impairments and pathological changes in the visual system in mild brain trauma, especially repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). The goal of this study was to examine and compare the effects of repeated head impacts on the neurodegeneration, axonal integrity, and glial activity in the optic tract (OT), as well as on neuronal preservation, glial responses, and synaptic organization in the lateral geniculate nucleus (LGN) and superior colliculus (SC), in wild-type mice and transgenic animals with overexpression of human TDP-43 mutant protein (TDP-43) at 6 months after repeated closed head traumas. Animals were also assessed in the Barnes maze (BM) task.

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Increasing evidence points to a relationship between repetitive mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI), the Tar DNA binding protein 43 (TDP-43) pathology and some neurodegenerative diseases, but the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are still unknown. We examined TDP-43 regulation, neurodegeneration, and glial responses following repetitive mTBI in nontransgenic mice and in animals with overexpression of human mutant TDP-43 protein (TDP-43G348C). In the frontal cortices of the injured nontransgenic animals, early TDP-43 cytoplasmatic translocation and overexpression of the protein and its pathological forms were detected.

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We examined damage and repair processes in the rat cerebellum within the first week following moderate traumatic brain injury (TBI) induced by lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) over the left parietal cortex. Rats were killed 1, 3, or 7 days after the injury or sham procedure. Fluoro-Jade B staining revealed 2 phases of neurodegenerative changes in the cell bodies and fibers: first, more focal, 1 day after the LFPI, and second, widespread, starting on post-injury day 3.

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Although cheilitis as a term describing lip inflammation has been identified and recognized for a long time, until now there have been no clear recommendations for its work-up and classification. The disease may appear as an isolated condition or as part of certain systemic diseases/conditions (such as anemia due to vitamin B12 or iron deficiency) or local infections (e.g.

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Recombinant human erythropoietin (rhEpo) is a multi-functional drug with antioxidant potential. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms of its action are still unclear. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of rhEpo on the brain infarct volume as well as on the levels of the neuronal damage, oxidative stress parameters and active caspase-3, nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and haemeoxygenase-1 (HO-1) expressions in the hippocampi of rats exposed to the right middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO) for 1 hr.

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The outcome for gait recovery from paralysis due to spinal lesion remains uncertain even when damage is limited. One critical factor is the survival of motoneurons, which are very vulnerable cells. To clarify the early pathophysiological mechanisms of spinal damage, an in vitro injury model of the rat spinal cord caused by moderate excitotoxicity was used.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study investigates the impact of traumatic brain injury (TBI) on the rat thalamus after lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI), focusing on neuronal changes within the first week.
  • Significant neurodegenerative changes were found in specific thalamic nuclei, with the most neuronal loss occurring on Day 7 and increased apoptotic cell numbers observed on Days 1, 3, and 7.
  • The research highlights a reliance on the apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF) pathway, with limited neuroplastic responses and decreased growth-associated protein-43 expression after TBI.
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Neuroprotective actions of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPARγ) agonists have been observed in various animal models of the brain injuries. In this study we examined the effects of a single dose of pioglitazone on oxidative and inflammatory parameters as well as on neurodegeneration and the edema formation in the rat parietal cortex following traumatic brain injury (TBI) induced by the lateral fluid percussion injury (LFPI) method. Pioglitazone was administered in a dose of 1mg/kg at 10min after the brain trauma.

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Reactive oxygen species are important cause of tissue injury during cerebral ischemia and reperfusion (I/R). Superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) are intracellular enzymes responsible for endogenous antioxidant defense of tissues affected by I/R. The aim of this study was to examine temporal and regional changes of SOD and GSH-Px activities in animals exposed to transient focal cerebral ischemia.

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Purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of low molecular weight heparin, enoxaparin, on different parameters of the hippocampal damage following traumatic brain injury (TBI) in the rat. TBI of moderate severity was performed over the left parietal cortex using the lateral fluid percussion brain injury model. Animals were s.

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Free radicals mediated damage of phospholipids, proteins and nucleic acids results in subsequent neuronal degeneration and cell loss. Aim of this study was to evaluate the existence of lipid and protein oxidative damage and the activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in various rat brain structures 24 h after lateral fluid percussion brain injury (LFPI). Parietal cortex, hippocampus, thalamus, entorhinal cortex, and cerebellum from the ipsilateral hemisphere were processed for analyses of the thiobarbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) and oxidized protein levels as well as for the SOD and GSH-Px activities.

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Several studies have shown the existence of sex differences in the sensitivity to various convulsants in animals and to the development of some epilepsy types in humans. The purpose of this study was to investigate whether there are sex differences in seizure susceptibility and sensitivity of different brain regions to oxidative stress in rats with status epilepticus (SE) induced by lithium-pilocarpine administration, that provides a common experimental model of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) in humans. Latencies to isolated full limbic seizures or SE onset as well as the number of the animals presenting full limbic seizures, SE or full limbic seizures that progressed to SE were recorded for 2 h after pilocarpine administration.

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Electroconvulsive therapy has been used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders since the 1930s, but little progress has been made in understanding the cellular mechanisms underlying its therapeutic and adverse effects. Electroconvulsive shock (ECS) in animals provides a common experimental model for studying the effects of electroconvulsive therapy in humans. In order to examine the changes of the brain oxidative stress parameters in several brain structures in the early time period after ECS-induced seizures, the levels of lipid peroxidation as well as superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) activities in the rat hippocampus, cerebellum, frontal cortex and the pons/medulla region were determined at different time points during the first 24 h after single ECS-induced seizures.

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The effects of hyperbaric oxygen (HBO) treatment on the Na+,K+ -ATPase and superoxide dismutase (SOD) activities were examined in the optic nerves of the rats exposed to global cerebral ischemia. Animals were exposed to global cerebral ischemia of 20-min duration and were either sacrificed or exposed to the first HBO treatment immediately, 0.5, 1, 2, 6, 24, 48, 72 or 168 h after ischemic procedure (for Na+,K+ -ATPase activities measurement) or 2, 24, 48 or 168 h after ischemia (for SOD activities measurement).

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