SARS-CoV-2 antibody determination in a vaccinated and recovered cohort in Austria.

Since December 2019 the world has been dealing with a severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus type 2 (SARS-CoV-2) pandemic. The first SARS-CoV-2 vaccine was made available in Europe at the end of 2020. 202 volunteers from the vicinity of the University of Applied Sciences Wiener Neustadt took part in this study; their IgG levels recognizing the RBD of SARS-CoV-2 were determined.

The positive effect of spermidine in older adults suffering from dementia after 1 year.

Background: A positive effect of the effect of a 3-month oral spermidine intake on memory performance has already been demonstrated. The continuation of this study aimed to examine whether there could be observed an improvement in memory performance after one year.

Method: 45 residents of the nursing home "Gepflegt Wohnen" in Hart bei Graz, Styria, Austria, were given a daily dose of 3.

Impact of P-gp and BCRP on pulmonary drug disposition assessed by PET imaging in rats.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp) and breast cancer resistance protein (BCRP) are two efflux transporters which are expressed in the apical (i.e. airway lumen-facing) membranes of lung epithelial cells.

Prevalence of asymptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection in an Austrian cohort.

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) first emerged at the end of 2019, causing the coronavirus disease (COVID-19). The main sources of infections are infected and asymptomatic persons. One major problem of the pandemic are the diverse symptoms and the varying manifestations of the illness.

Rubella and tick-borne encephalitis vaccination rates among staff and students at Austrian University of Applied Sciences.

Objectives: Rubella and tick-borne encephalitis (TBE) are infectious diseases caused by viruses. Rubella is an air-borne infection. TBE, on the other hand, is transmitted by virus-infected ticks.

The positive effect of spermidine in older adults suffering from dementia : First results of a 3-month trial.

The worldwide prevalence of dementia is estimated at 35.6 million and will rise to 115 million by 2050. There is therefore an urgent need for well-founded dementia diagnostics and well-researched therapeutic options.

Brain Distribution of Dual ABCB1/ABCG2 Substrates Is Unaltered in a Beta-Amyloidosis Mouse Model.

Background: ABCB1 (P-glycoprotein) and ABCG2 (breast cancer resistance protein) are co-localized at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), where they restrict the brain distribution of many different drugs. Moreover, ABCB1 and possibly ABCG2 play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD) by mediating the brain clearance of beta-amyloid (Aβ) across the BBB. This study aimed to compare the abundance and activity of ABCG2 in a commonly used β-amyloidosis mouse model (APP/PS1-21) with age-matched wild-type mice.

Spermidine in dementia : Relation to age and memory performance.

Previous studies have highlighted that spermidine has the ability to trigger the important process of dissolving amyloid-beta plaques by autophagy. This manuscript focuses on the correlation of serum spermidine levels between age and between performance in mini-mental state examinations. It will serve as a premise for an ongoing multicentric placebo-controlled study, which focuses on the effect of oral spermidine supplementation on memory performance.

Protein measurements in venous plasma, earlobe capillary plasma and in plasma stored on filter paper.

In this study, levels of inflammatory protein biomarkers in venous plasma, plasma derived from capillary blood from the earlobe, and capillary plasma stored as dried plasma spots (DPS) were compared. Samples from 12 male individuals were assessed with a panel of 92 inflammation-related proteins using multiplex proximity extension assay. Correlations between sample types varied greatly between analytes.

Age dependency of cerebral P-glycoprotein function in wild-type and APPPS1 mice measured with PET.

P-glycoprotein (P-gp, ABCB1) is an efflux transporter at the blood-brain barrier (BBB), which mediates clearance of beta-amyloid (Aβ) from brain into blood. We used ()-[C]verapamil PET in combination with partial P-gp inhibition with tariquidar to measure cerebral P-gp function in a beta-amyloidosis mouse model (APPtg) and in control mice at three different ages (50, 200 and 380 days). Following tariquidar pre-treatment (4 mg/kg), whole brain-to-plasma radioactivity concentration ratios () were significantly higher in APPtg than in wild-type mice aged 50 days, pointing to decreased cerebral P-gp function.

Serum netrin-1 in relation to gadolinium-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging in early multiple sclerosis.

Background: Netrin-1, a secreted laminin-related protein, is known to regulate not only axonal guidance and neuronal cell migration, but also blood-brain barrier integrity and inflammation. Two preliminary studies reported altered serum netrin-1 levels in multiple sclerosis; however, associations with longitudinal clinical and magnetic resonance imaging activity have not been investigated.

Objectives: We aimed to assess serum netrin-1 in multiple sclerosis and controls with respect to disease activity and its temporal dynamics.

Lipocalin-2 as an Infection-Related Biomarker to Predict Clinical Outcome in Ischemic Stroke.

Objectives: From previous data in animal models of cerebral ischemia, lipocalin-2 (LCN2), a protein related to neutrophil function and cellular iron homeostasis, is supposed to have a value as a biomarker in ischemic stroke patients. Therefore, we examined LCN2 expression in the ischemic brain in an animal model and measured plasma levels of LCN2 in ischemic stroke patients.

Methods: In the mouse model of transient middle cerebral artery occlusion (tMCAO), LCN2 expression in the brain was analyzed by immunohistochemistry and correlated to cellular nonheme iron deposition up to 42 days after tMCAO.

Maternal neurofascin-specific autoantibodies bind to structures of the fetal nervous system during pregnancy, but have no long term effect on development in the rat.

Unlabelled: Neurofascin was recently reported as a target for axopathic autoantibodies in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS), a response that will exacerbate axonal pathology and disease severity in an animal model of multiple sclerosis. As transplacental transfer of maternal autoantibodies can permanently damage the developing nervous system we investigated whether intrauterine exposure to this neurofascin-specific response had any detrimental effect on white matter tract development. To address this question we intravenously injected pregnant rats with either a pathogenic anti-neurofascin monoclonal antibody or an appropriate isotype control on days 15 and 18 of pregnancy, respectively, to mimic the physiological concentration of maternal antibodies in the circulation of the fetus towards the end of pregnancy.

Plasma midregional pro-adrenomedullin improves prediction of functional outcome in ischemic stroke.

Background: To evaluate if plasma levels of midregional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) improve prediction of functional outcome in ischemic stroke.

Methods: In 168 consecutive ischemic stroke patients, plasma levels of MR-proADM were measured within 24 hours from symptom onset. Functional outcome was assessed by the modified Rankin Scale (mRS) at 90 days following stroke.

MEF2 negatively regulates learning-induced structural plasticity and memory formation.

Memory formation is thought to be mediated by dendritic-spine growth and restructuring. Myocyte enhancer factor 2 (MEF2) restricts spine growth in vitro, suggesting that this transcription factor negatively regulates the spine remodeling necessary for memory formation. Here we show that memory formation in adult mice was associated with changes in endogenous MEF2 levels and function.

Circulating Dickkopf-1 in acute ischemic stroke and clinically stable cerebrovascular disease.

Objectives: Previous data suggest that Dickkopf-1 (Dkk-1), an inhibitor of the canonical/β-catenin cascade of the Wnt pathway, is upregulated in carotid atherosclerosis and acute myocardial ischemia. It is currently unclear if such upregulation also occurs in cerebral ischemia.

Methods: We measured plasma levels of Dkk-1 in patients with acute ischemic stroke (n=57) within 24h from symptom onset, in patients with clinically stable cerebrovascular disease (n=29) and in healthy controls (n=29).

Maze training in mice induces MRI-detectable brain shape changes specific to the type of learning.

Multiple recent human imaging studies have suggested that the structure of the brain can change with learning. To investigate the mechanism behind such structural plasticity, we sought to determine whether maze learning in mice induces brain shape changes that are detectable by MRI and whether such changes are specific to the type of learning. Here we trained inbred mice for 5 days on one of three different versions of the Morris water maze and, using high-resolution MRI, revealed specific growth in the hippocampus of mice trained on a spatial variant of the maze, whereas mice trained on the cued version were found to have growth in the striatum.