Neuronal pentraxin 2 correlates with neurodegeneration but not cognition in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH).

Aim Of The Study: Neuronal pentraxin-2 (NPTX2) is a synaptic protein responsible for modulating plasticity at excitatory synapses. While the role of NPTX2 as a novel synaptic biomarker in cognitive disorders has been elucidated recently, its role in idiopathic normal pressure hydrocephalus (iNPH) is not yet understood.

Clinical Rationale For Study: To determine if NPTX2 predicts cognition in patients with iNPH, and whether it could serve as a predictive marker for shunt outcomes.

Middle-aged and older people's preference for medical-elderly care integrated institutions in China: a discrete choice experiment study.

Background: With the continuing impact of the aging population, medical-elderly care integrated institutions, as a way to bear the pressure of medical and elderly care, effectively ensure the quality of life of the elderly in their later years.

Objectives: To explore the preferences of medical-elderly care integrated institutions among Chinese middle-aged and older people and to provide a reference for establishing elderly-oriented development of medical-elderly care integrated institutions.

Methods: In this study, a discrete choice experiment (DCE) was used to investigate the preferences of people aged 45 years and older in medical-elderly care integrated institutions in China from October 20, 2022, to November 10, 2022.

NPTX2 in Cerebrospinal Fluid Predicts the Progression From Normal Cognition to Mild Cognitive Impairment.

Objective: This study examined whether cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) baseline levels of the synaptic protein NPTX2 predict time to onset of symptoms of mild cognitive impairment (MCI), both alone and when accounting for traditional CSF Alzheimer's disease (AD) biomarker levels. Longitudinal NPTX2 levels were also examined.

Methods: CSF was collected longitudinally from 269 cognitively normal BIOCARD Study participants (mean baseline age = 57.

The neuronal pentraxin Nptx2 regulates complement activity and restrains microglia-mediated synapse loss in neurodegeneration.

Complement overactivation mediates microglial synapse elimination in neurological diseases such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and frontotemporal dementia (FTD), but how complement activity is regulated in the brain remains largely unknown. We identified that the secreted neuronal pentraxin Nptx2 binds complement C1q and thereby regulates its activity in the brain. Nptx2-deficient mice show increased complement activity, C1q-dependent microglial synapse engulfment, and loss of excitatory synapses.

Neuronal pentraxin 2 is required for facilitating excitatory synaptic inputs onto spinal neurons involved in pruriceptive transmission in a model of chronic itch.

An excitatory neuron subset in the spinal dorsal horn (SDH) that expresses gastrin-releasing peptide receptors (GRPR) is critical for pruriceptive transmission. Here, we show that glutamatergic excitatory inputs onto GRPR neurons are facilitated in mouse models of chronic itch. In these models, neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2), an activity-dependent immediate early gene product, is upregulated in the dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons.

Long Noncoding RNA LOC554202 Predicts a Poor Prognosis and Correlates with Immune Infiltration in Thyroid Cancer.

Thyroid cancer (TC) is one of the widely diagnosed carcinomas in women before the age of 30. Nevertheless, there is currently a lack of specific biomarkers for predicting the prognosis of TC. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) were important regulators in human cancer progression as previously described.

Correction: Boiten et al. Pathologically Decreased CSF Levels of Synaptic Marker NPTX2 in DLB Are Correlated with Levels of Alpha-Synuclein and VGF. 2021, , 38.

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Update on neurological symptoms in patients infected with severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2.

Novel coronavirus 19 (COVID-19) is the latest and most intense epidemic, which is caused by the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2). In addition to causing respiratory symptoms, SARS-CoV-2 can have severe effects on the nervous system. Clinically, COVID-19 patients have been reported ranging from mild hypogeusia and hyposmia to severe neurological disorders, such as encephalopathy, encephalitis, strokes, and seizures syndrome.

A biomarker-authenticated model of schizophrenia implicating NPTX2 loss of function.

Schizophrenia is a polygenetic disorder whose clinical onset is often associated with behavioral stress. Here, we present a model of disease pathogenesis that builds on our observation that the synaptic immediate early gene NPTX2 is reduced in cerebrospinal fluid of individuals with recent onset schizophrenia. NPTX2 plays an essential role in maintaining excitatory homeostasis by adaptively enhancing circuit inhibition.

Applications of nanomaterials in COVID-19 pandemic.

The novel coronavirus 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic represents one of the biggest global health threats in the last two decades, so researchers around the world are searching for solutions and treatments for COVID-19. At the time of writing, there are no specific drugs that have demonstrated suitable effectiveness in treating COVID-19. The current challenge involves designing tools for the prevention, rapid and accurate diagnosis, drug delivery, and effective treatment of this novel coronavirus.

VAMP-2 is a surrogate cerebrospinal fluid marker of Alzheimer-related cognitive impairment in adults with Down syndrome.

Background: There is an urgent need for objective markers of Alzheimer's disease (AD)-related cognitive impairment in people with Down syndrome (DS) to improve diagnosis, monitor disease progression, and assess response to disease-modifying therapies. Previously, GluA4 and neuronal pentraxin 2 (NPTX2) showed limited potential as cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) markers of cognitive impairment in adults with DS. Here, we compare the CSF profile of a panel of synaptic proteins (Calsyntenin-1, Neuroligin-2, Neurexin-2A, Neurexin-3A, Syntaxin-1B, Thy-1, VAMP-2) to that of NPTX2 and GluA4 in a large cohort of subjects with DS across the preclinical and clinical AD continuum and explore their correlation with cognitive impairment.

Epidemiological investigation of a COVID-19 family cluster outbreak transmitted by a 3-month-old infant.

Objective: To investigate the clinical characteristics, epidemiological characteristics, and transmissibility of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) in a family cluster outbreak transmitted by a 3-month-old confirmed positive infant.

Methods: Field-based epidemiological methods were used to investigate cases and their close contacts. Real-time fluorescent reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) was used to detect Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) for all collected specimens.

Pathologically Decreased CSF Levels of Synaptic Marker NPTX2 in DLB Are Correlated with Levels of Alpha-Synuclein and VGF.

Dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is a neurodegenerative disease where synaptic loss and reduced synaptic integrity are important neuropathological substrates. Neuronal Pentraxin 2(NPTX2) is a synaptic protein that drives the GABAergic inhibitory circuit. Our aim was to examine if NPTX2 cerebral spinal fluid (CSF) levels in DLB patients were altered and how these levels related to other synaptic protein levels and to cognitive function and decline.

[Expression and Mechanism of KAT2A and CDK4/CDK6 in Children with Acute Leukemia].

Objective: To investigate the expression and mechanism of histone acetyltransferase 2A (KAT2A) and cyclin D1 dependent kinase 4/6 (CDK4/CDK6) in children with acute leukemia(AL).

Methods: Seventy-one children with leukemia were selected from June 2017 to November 2018 and were enrolled in AL children group. 59 persons of healthy physical examination were selected and enrolled in control group.

Liquid biopsy for ALK-positive early non-small-cell lung cancer predicts disease relapse.

We aimed to determine whether circulating tumor cells (CTCs) and cell-free DNA (cfDNA) aids in prognosis of relapse-free survival (RFS). Non-small cell lung cancer patients with mutations were recruited prospectively. CTCs and cfDNA were quantified at different time points.

Cerebrospinal fluid profile of NPTX2 supports role of Alzheimer's disease-related inhibitory circuit dysfunction in adults with Down syndrome.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of death in adults with Down syndrome (DS). There is an urgent need for objective markers of AD in the DS population to improve early diagnosis and monitor disease progression. NPTX2 has recently emerged as a promising cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarker of Alzheimer-related inhibitory circuit dysfunction in sporadic AD patients.

Identification of novel cerebrospinal fluid biomarker candidates for dementia with Lewy bodies: a proteomic approach.

Background: Diagnosis of dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is challenging, largely due to a lack of diagnostic tools. Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have been proven useful in Alzheimer's disease (AD) diagnosis. Here, we aimed to identify novel CSF biomarkers for DLB using a high-throughput proteomic approach.

[Effect of polyphyllin D on proliferation and apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer cells].

Polyphyllin D is a steroid saponin monomer in Polyphyllin, with antibacterial, analgesic, sedative, anti-tumor and other pharmacological effects, but is rarely reported in pancreatic cancer. This study detected apoptosis-relevant indicators, in order to explore the effect of polyphyllin D on the proliferation and apoptosis of human pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells and relevant mechanisms of action. After pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells were treated with polyphyllin D(0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5 μg·μL~(-1)) for 24, 48 and 72 hours, CCK-8 method was used to detect the effect of polyphyllin D on the proliferation of pancreatic cancer Panc-1 cells.

LncRNA ZFAS1 serves as a prognostic biomarker to predict the survival of patients with ovarian cancer.

Ovarian cancer (OC) is one of the most fatal types of gynecological malignancy. Certain long non-coding RNAs (lncRNA) have been reported to have crucial roles in cancer progression. Zinc finger nuclear transcription factor, X-box binding 1-type containing 1 antisense RNA 1 (ZFAS1) is a novel regulator lncRNA in various cancer types.

Resting-State Functional Connectivity Is Associated With Cerebrospinal Fluid Levels of the Synaptic Protein NPTX2 in Non-demented Older Adults.

Intrinsic functional connectivity of large-scale brain networks has been shown to change with aging and Alzheimer's disease (AD). These alterations are thought to reflect changes in synaptic function, but the underlying biological mechanisms are poorly understood. This study examined whether Neuronal Pentraxin 2 (NPTX2), a synaptic protein that mediates homeostatic strengthening of inhibitory circuits to control cortical excitability, is associated with functional connectivity as measured by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) in five large-scale cognitive brain networks.

The potent mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4 with fusidic acid in in vivo bioaccumulation.

1. The accumulation of fusidic acid (FA) after multiple doses of FA has been reported on in previous studies but the related mechanisms have not been clarified fully. In the present study, we explain the mechanisms related to the mechanism-based inactivation of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4.

NPTX2 and cognitive dysfunction in Alzheimer's Disease.

Memory loss in Alzheimer's disease (AD) is attributed to pervasive weakening and loss of synapses. Here, we present findings supporting a special role for excitatory synapses connecting pyramidal neurons of the hippocampus and cortex with fast-spiking parvalbumin (PV) interneurons that control network excitability and rhythmicity. Excitatory synapses on PV interneurons are dependent on the AMPA receptor subunit GluA4, which is regulated by presynaptic expression of the synaptogenic immediate early gene NPTX2 by pyramidal neurons.

Screening of Drug Metabolizing Enzymes for the Ginsenoside Compound K In Vitro: An Efficient Anti-Cancer Substance Originating from Panax Ginseng.

Ginsenoside compound K (CK), a rare ginsenoside originating from Panax Ginseng, has been found to possess unique pharmacological activities specifically as anti-cancers. However, the role of cytochrome P450s (CYPs) in the metabolism of CK is unclear. In this study, we screened the CYPs for the metabolism of CK in vitro using human liver microsomes (HLMs) or human recombinant CYPs.