Oxidative stress as a bridge between age and stroke: A narrative review.

Stroke is the third most common cause of death globally and a leading cause of disability. The cellular and molecular changes following stroke and causes of neuronal death are not fully understood, and there are few effective treatments currently available. A rapid increase in the levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) post stroke can overwhelm antioxidant defenses and trigger a series of pathophysiologic events including the inflammatory response, blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption, apoptosis, and autophagy, ultimately leading to neuron degeneration and apoptosis.

Oxytocin alleviates cognitive and memory impairments by decreasing hippocampal microglial activation and synaptic defects via OXTR/ERK/STAT3 pathway in a mouse model of sepsis-associated encephalopathy.

Background: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a diffuse brain dysfunction, characterized by cognitive and memory impairments closely linked to hippocampal dysfunction. Though it is well-known that SAE is a diffuse brain dysfunction with microglial activation, the pathological mechanisms of SAE are not well established and effective clinical interventions are lacking. Oxytocin (OXT) is reported to have anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective roles.

Oxytocin Improves Intracerebral Hemorrhage Outcomes by Suppressing Neuronal Pyroptosis and Mitochondrial Fission.

Background: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) causes severe sensorimotor dysfunction and cognitive decline which are aggravated by secondary brain injury, yet there are no effective management to alleviate these outcomes. Pyroptosis is strongly related to neuroinflammation, which plays a crucial role in the pathophysiological processes of secondary brain injury after ICH. OXT (oxytocin), as a pleiotropic neuropeptide, has multiple functions including anti-inflammation and antioxidation.

Intertwined associations between oxytocin, immune system and major depressive disorder.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a prominent psychiatric disorder with a high prevalence rate. The recent COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the already high prevalence of MDD. Unfortunately, a significant proportion of patients are unresponsive to conventional treatments, necessitating the exploration of novel therapeutic strategies.

Identification of biomarkers and therapeutic targets related to Sepsis-associated encephalopathy in rats by quantitative proteomics.

Background: Sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE) is a common and severe complication of sepsis. While several studies have reported the proteomic alteration in plasma, urine, heart, etc. of sepsis, few research focused on the brain tissue.

The Key Drivers of Brain Injury by Systemic Inflammatory Responses after Sepsis: Microglia and Neuroinflammation.

Sepsis is a leading cause of intensive care unit admission and death worldwide. Most surviving patients show acute or chronic mental disorders, which are known as sepsis-associated encephalopathy (SAE). Although accumulating studies in the past two decades focused on the pathogenesis of SAE, a systematic review of retrospective studies which exclusively focuses on the inflammatory mechanisms of SAE has been lacking yet.

Mitochondrial Quality Control: A Pathophysiological Mechanism and Therapeutic Target for Stroke.

Stroke is a devastating disease with high mortality and disability rates. Previous research has established that mitochondria, as major regulators, are both influenced by stroke, and further regulated the development of poststroke injury. Mitochondria are involved in several biological processes such as energy generation, calcium homeostasis, immune response, apoptosis regulation, and reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation.

The genetic diversity of soil bacteria affected by phytoremediation in a typical barren rare earth mined site of South China.

The soil bacterial diversity is one of the most important indicators to evaluate the effect of phytoremediation. In this study, the technologies of Sequence-Related Amplified Polymorphism (SRAP) and 16S rRNA gene sequence analysis were used to evaluate the soil bacterial diversity after phytoremediation in a barren rare earth mined area. The results showed that the plant density was remarkably increased after the phytoremediation.

Characterization of a gene encoding clathrin heavy chain in maize up-regulated by salicylic acid, abscisic acid and high boron supply.

Clathrin, a three-legged triskelion composed of three clathrin heavy chains (CHCs) and three light chains (CLCs), plays a critical role in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) in eukaryotic cells. In this study, the genes ZmCHC1 and ZmCHC2 encoding clathrin heavy chain in maize were cloned and characterized for the first time in monocots. ZmCHC1 encodes a 1693-amino acid-protein including 29 exons and 28 introns, and ZmCHC2 encodes a 1746-amino acid-protein including 28 exons and 27 introns.

Gold nanocages as photothermal transducers for cancer treatment.

Gold nanocages represent a new class of nanomaterials with compact size and tunable optical properties for biomedical applications. They exhibit strong light absorption in the near-infrared region in which light can penetrate deeply into soft tissue. After PEGylation, the Au nanocages can be passively delivered to tumors in animals.