Glia contribute to the neuropathology of Parkinson disease (PD), but how they react opposingly to be beneficial or detrimental under pathological conditions, like promoting or eliminating SNCA/α-syn (synuclein alpha) inclusions, remains elusive. Here we present evidence that aux (auxilin), the homolog of the PD risk factor GAK (cyclin G associated kinase), regulates the lysosomal degradation of SNCA/α-syn in glia. Lack of glial GAK/aux increases the lysosome number and size, regulates lysosomal acidification and hydrolase activity, and ultimately blocks the degradation of substrates including SNCA/α-syn.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFVolatile organic compounds (VOCs) produced by potential plant growth-promoting rhizobacteria (PGPR) play an important role in plant interactions. However, the mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not well understood. Our findings show that the influence of VOCs from the PGPR strain (EXTN-1) on tobacco plant growth is dependent on the culture media used.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe periodontal ligament (PDL) is a connective tissue, and PDL cells have a potential to differentiate into cementoblasts, osteoblasts, and gingival fibroblasts. This study investigated whether transcription factor c-Myb could induce differentiation of PDL cells for periodontal regeneration. PDL cells were isolated from extracted teeth and cultured.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA small but growing set of radical SAM (-adenosyl-l-methionine) enzymes catalyze the radical mediated dehydration or dehydrogenation of 1,2-diol substrates. In some cases, these activities can be interchanged via minor structural perturbations to the reacting components raising questions regarding the relative importance of hyperconjugation, proton circulation and leaving group stability in determining the reaction outcome. The present work describes trapping and electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) characterization of an α-hydroxyalkyl radical intermediate during dehydration and dehydrogenation of cytosylglucuronic acid and its derivatives catalyzed by the radical SAM enzyme BlsE and its Glu189Ala mutant from the blasticidin S biosynthetic pathway.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSkin cancer is the world's fifth most diagnosed malignancy and is increasingly occurring in young adults. The elevated morbidity and mortality of skin cancer are known to be highly correlated with its frequent recurrence after tumor excision. Although regimens such as chemotherapy and/or immunotherapy are often administered following surgical treatments, the patients may suffer from severe side effects, drug resistance, and/or high cost during treatments, indicating that the development of an effective and safe modality for skin cancer after surgery is still highly demanded nowadays.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: In children and young adults, tumors in the chest and thoracic wall exhibit a wide variety of types, making it challenging to differentiate between benign and malignant cases before invasive histopathological examination.
Purpose: To evaluate the utility of apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) for discriminating malignant thoracic masses in children and young adults.
Material And Methods: This retrospective study included chest magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans in patients aged <30 years.
Antimicrobial-resistant bacterial contamination of meat poses a significant global public health risk. We aimed to determine antimicrobial resistance profiles and trends of recovered from carcasses of healthy food-producing animals in South Korea during 2010-2023. In total, 4748 isolates obtained from cattle ( = 1582), pigs ( = 1572), and chickens ( = 1594) were assessed for susceptibility to 12 antimicrobials.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAryl hydrocarbon receptor (AhR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor that regulates cell immune responses in a cell type-specific and ligand-dependent manner. In the central nervous system, astrocytic AhR plays important roles in regulating neuroinflammation by mediating responses to endogenous ligands generated from the inflammation-induced indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase 1 (IDO1)/kynurenine (KYN) pathway. We previously demonstrated that reduction of AhR expression decreases lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced pro-inflammatory responses in microglia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study aimed to investigate the association between the use of linear and macrocyclic gadolinium-based contrast agents (GBCAs) and the subsequent development of Parkinson disease (PD).
Methods: In this retrospective cohort study, data were extracted from the Korean National Health Insurance Service database, comprising 1,038,439 individuals. From this population, 175,125 adults aged 40 to 60 years with no history of brain disease were identified.
Population aging has become a prevalent societal trend in the 21st century, giving rise to intricate challenges for healthcare systems. Taiwan is expected to become a "super-aging society" in 2025. In 2020, the Health Promotion Administration, referencing World Health Organization (WHO) guidelines on integrated care for older people (ICOPE), began promoting person-centered functional assessments for older adults to prevent and delay disability, reduce reliance on formal healthcare, and promote healthy aging, aging in place, and active aging.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Colloid Interface Sci
January 2025
Hypothesis: Viscous fingering instabilities of air displacing water displacing mineral oil is controlled by the air injection rate. Given the lower viscosity of the water, air would tend to finger through the water and then after it reaches the oil, proceed to finger through the oil.
Experiments: In a radial Hele-Shaw cell, experiments were conducted on air injection into mineral oil and air injection into a volume of water at the center of the cell which in turn is surrounded by mineral oil.
Objectives: Due to the absence of objective diagnostic criteria, tinnitus diagnosis primarily relies on subjective assessments. However, its neuropathological features can be objectively quantified using electroencephalography (EEG). Despite the existing research, the pathophysiology of tinnitus remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChronic inflammation is a major characteristic of ankylosing spondylitis (AS) and is closely related to the mechanisms of cancer development. Persistent inflammatory responses can lead to DNA damage, gene mutations, and abnormal cell proliferation, all of which may increase the risk of cancer. We also explore the use of biologic therapy of AS and their potential cancer risks.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPulmonary disorders are exacerbated by high blood sugar, leading to a disordered immune defense and increased susceptibility to infection. Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D) is characterized by insulin resistance and inadequate insulin production. Mechanisms leading to pulmonary alternation due to T2D are not clear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFPlant root and soil-associated microbiomes are influenced by niches, including bulk and rhizosphere soil. In this work, we collected bulk and rhizosphere soil samples at four potato developmental stages (leaf growth, flowering, tuber elongation and harvest) to identify whether rhizosphere microbiota are structured in a growth stage-dependent manner. The bacterial and fungal microbiota showed significant temporal differences in the rhizosphere and bulk soil.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFClin Psychopharmacol Neurosci
February 2025
Objective: Recently, various mental health promotion programs using virtual reality (VR) technology have been tried in the psychiatric field. Considering the importance of mental health in pregnant women, VR-assisted mental health promotion programs for pregnant women are needed to be developed. This study aimed to prospectively investigate the efficacy of a VR-assisted mental health promotion program for pregnant women.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: Despite the global prevalence of low fertility rates, male contributions to fertility and reproductive health outcomes have been understudied. This study aims to investigate the male contribution to fertility and explore the underlying biological mechanisms. Specifically, we aim to (1) identify male factors associated with successful pregnancy, (2) develop a fertility index incorporating modifiable factors for both males and females to predict pregnancy rate and (3) explore the relationship of male modifiable factors with semen parameters and molecular characteristics.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFRett syndrome (RTT) is a neurological disorder caused by a mutation in the X-linked methyl-CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2), leading to cognitive and motor skill regression. Therapeutic strategies aimed at increasing brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been reported; however, BDNF treatment has limitations, including the inability to penetrate the blood-brain barrier, a short half-life, and potential for adverse effects when administered via intrathecal injection, necessitating novel therapeutic approaches. In this study, we focused on the adenosine A receptor (AR), which modulates BDNF and its downstream pathways, and investigated the therapeutic potential of CGS21680, an AR agonist, through in vitro and in vivo studies using R106W RTT model.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFWe previously identified a role for dAuxilin (dAux), the fly homolog of Cyclin G-associated kinase, in glial autophagy contributing to Parkinson's disease (PD). To further dissect the mechanism, we present evidence here that lack of glial dAux enhanced the phosphorylation of the autophagy-related protein Atg9 at two newly identified threonine residues, T62 and T69. The enhanced Atg9 phosphorylation in the absence of dAux promotes autophagosome formation and Atg9 trafficking to the autophagosomes in glia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: This study examined the correlation between circulating receptor activator for nuclear factor-κB ligand (RANKL) levels and rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and investigated the association between polymorphisms in the RANKL gene and susceptibility to RA.
Method: We searched the Medline, Embase, and Cochrane databases for relevant publications up to September 2024. A meta-analysis was conducted to assess serum/plasma RANKL levels in patients with RA and controls, and to explore the relationship between RANKL rs9533156 and rs2277438 polymorphisms and RA susceptibility.
Background: Cancer treatments are still limited by various challenges, such as off-target drug delivery, posttreatment inflammation, and the hypoxic conditions in the tumor microenvironment; thus, the development of effective therapeutics remains highly desirable. Exosomes are extracellular vesicles with a size of 30-200 nm that have been widely applied as drug carriers over the last decade. In this study, melanoma-derived exosomes were used to develop a perfluorocarbon (PFC) drug nanocarriers loaded with indocyanine green (ICG) and camptothecin (CPT) (ICFESs) for targeted cancer photochemotherapy.
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