Safinamide alleviates hyperalgesia via inhibiting hyperexcitability of DRG neurons in a mouse model of Parkinson's disease.

Pain is a widespread non-motor symptom that presents significant treatment challenges in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). Safinamide, a new drug recently introduced for PD treatment, has demonstrated analgesic effects on pain in PD patients, though the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. To investigate the analgesic and anti-PD effect of safinamide, 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mouse model was used, and rasagiline as positive control on motor symptoms.

TREM-1 mediates interaction between substantia nigra microglia and peripheral neutrophils.

Microglia-mediated neuroinflammation is considered a pathological feature of Parkinson’s disease. Triggering receptor expressed on myeloid cell-1 (TREM-1) can amplify the inherent immune response, and crucially, regulate inflammation. In this study, we found marked elevation of serum soluble TREM-1 in patients with Parkinson’s disease that positively correlated with Parkinson’s disease severity and dyskinesia.

Circular RNA PTP4A2 regulates microglial polarization through STAT3 to promote neuroinflammation in ischemic stroke.

Objective: Microglial polarization plays a critical role in neuroinflammation and may be a potential therapeutic target for ischemic stroke. This study was to explore the role and underlying molecular mechanism of Circular RNA PTP4A2 (circPTP4A2) in microglial polarization after ischemic stroke.

Methods: C57BL/6J mice underwent transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), while primary mouse microglia and BV2 microglial cells experienced oxygen glucose deprivation/reperfusion (OGD/R) to mimic ischemic conditions.

PACAP/PAC1-R activation contributes to hyperalgesia in 6-OHDA-induced Parkinson's disease model rats via promoting excitatory synaptic transmission of spinal dorsal horn neurons.

Pain is a common annoying non-motor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD) that causes distress to patients. Treatment for PD pain remains a big challenge, as its underlying mechanisms are elusive. Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP) and its receptor PAC1-R play important roles in regulating a variety of pathophysiological processes.

FungiExpresZ: an intuitive package for fungal gene expression data analysis, visualization and discovery.

Bioinformatics analysis and visualization of high-throughput gene expression data require extensive computer programming skills, posing a bottleneck for many wet-lab scientists. In this work, we present an intuitive user-friendly platform for gene expression data analysis and visualization called FungiExpresZ. FungiExpresZ aims to help wet-lab scientists with little to no knowledge of computer programming to become self-reliant in bioinformatics analysis and generating publication-ready figures.

Inhibition of Spinal 5-HT3 Receptor and Spinal Dorsal Horn Neuronal Excitability Alleviates Hyperalgesia in a Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) is increasingly recognized as a major factor associated with poor life quality of PD patients. However, classic therapeutic drugs supplying dopamine have limited therapeutic effects on PD-related pain. This suggests that there is a mechanism outside the dopamine system that causes pain in PD.

Mechanical properties of an interpenetrating network poly(vinyl alcohol)/alginate hydrogel with hierarchical fibrous structures.

Bioinspired hierarchical fibrous structures were constructed in an interpenetrating poly(vinyl alcohol, PVA)/alginate hydrogel network to improve its mechanical properties. The interpenetrating hydrogel network with hierarchical fibrous structures was prepared by combining the confined drying method and freeze-thaw method. First, Ca cross-linked alginate formed a nano-micro hierarchical fibrous structure the confined drying method.

Carbon Catabolite Repression Governs Diverse Physiological Processes and Development in Aspergillus nidulans.

Carbon catabolite repression (CCR) is a common phenomenon of microorganisms that enable efficient utilization of carbon nutrients, critical for the fitness of microorganisms in the wild and for pathogenic species to cause infection. In most filamentous fungal species, the conserved transcription factor CreA/Cre1 mediates CCR. Previous studies demonstrated a primary function for CreA/Cre1 in carbon metabolism; however, the phenotype of / mutants indicated broader roles.

Induction of Parkinsonian-Like Changes via Targeted Downregulation of Astrocytic Glutamate Transporter GLT-1 in the Striatum.

Background: Previous investigations have suggested that decreased expression of glutamate transporter-1 (GLT-1) is involved in glutamate excitotoxicity and contribute to the development of Parkinson's disease (PD), GLT-1 is decreased in animal models of PD. GLT-1 is mainly expressed in astrocytes, and the striatum is a GLT-1-rich brain area.

Objective: The aim was to explore the function and mechanism of astrocytic GLT-1 in PD-like changes.

Functional MRI in Parkinson's disease with freezing of gait: a systematic review of the literature.

Background: Freezing of gait (FOG), a common and disabling symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD), is characterized by an episodic inability to generate effective stepping. Functional MRI (fMRI) has been used to evaluate abnormal brain connectivity patterns at rest and brain activation patterns during specific tasks in patients with PD-FOG. This review has examined the existing functional neuroimaging literature in PD-FOG, including those with treatment.

Carbon Catabolite Repression in Filamentous Fungi Is Regulated by Phosphorylation of the Transcription Factor CreA.

Filamentous fungi of the genus are of particular interest for biotechnological applications due to their natural capacity to secrete carbohydrate-active enzymes (CAZy) that target plant biomass. The presence of easily metabolizable sugars such as glucose, whose concentrations increase during plant biomass hydrolysis, results in the repression of CAZy-encoding genes in a process known as carbon catabolite repression (CCR), which is undesired for the purpose of large-scale enzyme production. To date, the CH transcription factor CreA has been described as the major CC repressor in spp.

Requirements for RNA polymerase II preinitiation complex formation in vivo.

Transcription by RNA polymerase II requires assembly of a preinitiation complex (PIC) composed of general transcription factors (GTFs) bound at the promoter. In vitro, some GTFs are essential for transcription, whereas others are not required under certain conditions. PICs are stable in the absence of nucleotide triphosphates, and subsets of GTFs can form partial PICs.

The clinical and imaging features of gray matter heterotopia: a clinical analysis on 15 patients.

Objective: To investigate the clinical and imaging features of gray matter heterotopia (GMH) and improve the clinicians' understanding of the disease.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 15 patients with GMH diagnosed at The Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from November 2014 to November 2016. Their clinical and imaging features are also summarized.

The clinical and imaging features of hypertrophic pachymeningitis: a clinical analysis on 22 patients.

Objective: To explore the clinical and imaging features of patients with hypertrophic cranial pachymeningitis (HCP).

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on 22 patients with HCP diagnosed at the Affiliated Hospital of Xuzhou Medical University from February 2014 to September 2017.

Results: A headache was present as an initial symptom in 18 patients.

Clinical and imaging characteristics of subacute combined degeneration complicated with white matter lesions in the brain: a report of five cases.

Purpose: To report five cases of subacute combined degeneration (SCD) with brain involvement and explore its clinical and imaging characteristics.

Methods: A retrospective study was performed on the clinical data and brain MRI of five patients with subacute combined degeneration with brain involvement (out of 107 cases with SCD in total). White matter lesions (WML) assessment was performed qualitatively using Fazekas scale score.

Arsenic Trioxide Reduces Global Histone H4 Acetylation at Lysine 16 through Direct Binding to Histone Acetyltransferase hMOF in Human Cells.

Histone post-translational modification heritably regulates gene expression involved in most cellular biological processes. Experimental studies suggest that alteration of histone modifications affects gene expression by changing chromatin structure, causing various cellular responses to environmental influences. Arsenic (As), a naturally occurring element and environmental pollutant, is an established human carcinogen.

Negative Regulation of p21Waf1/Cip1 by Human INO80 Chromatin Remodeling Complex Is Implicated in Cell Cycle Phase G2/M Arrest and Abnormal Chromosome Stability.

We previously identified an ATP-dependent human Ino80 (INO80) chromatin remodeling complex which shares a set of core subunits with yeast Ino80 complex. Although research evidence has suggested that INO80 complex functions in gene transcription and genome stability, the precise mechanism remains unclear. Herein, based on gene expression profiles from the INO80 complex-knockdown in HeLa cells, we first demonstrate that INO80 complex negatively regulates the p21Waf1/Cip1 (p21) expression in a p53-mediated mechanism.

Clinical observation of gastric bypass in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Background: Roux-en-Y gastric bypass (GBP) is the main surgical procedure used in type 2 diabetes. The objective of this study was to evaluate the different types of GBP in treatment of type 2 diabetes.

Methods: Patients with type 2 diabetes were randomly divided into two groups: those who underwent gastrojejunal loop anastomosis bypass and those who underwent gastrojejunal Roux-en-Y bypass.

[Double-pump implantation chemotherapy for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the value of infusion chemotherapy by pump implantation via hepatic artery or portal vein or both (double-pump chemotherapy, DPC) for hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer.

Methods: Thirty patients with hepatic metastasis from colorectal cancer were divided into three groups: 1. Group I-DPC (12 patients).

[Super-selective pump-insertion into the target artery and regional intraarterial infusion chemotherapeutant and immunizator in treatment of the latter gastrointestinal cancer].

Objective: To evaluate the effect of operative selective pump-insertion into the tumorous target artery, postoperative regional infusion chemotherapeutant and immunizator for treatment the latter gastrointestinal cancer.

Methods: The effect of operative super-selective pump-insertion into the tumorous nutritious artery, postoperative regional infusion chemotherapeutant and immunizator for treatment 88 cases patients suffering from irremovable gastrointestinal cancer was observed. Of them, 45 cases were gastric cancer, 31 cases were rectal cancer, 11cases were colic cancer.