Linking higher amyloid beta 1-38 (Aβ(1-38)) levels to reduced Alzheimer's disease progression risk.

Introduction: The beneficial effects of amyloid beta 1-38, or Aβ(1-38), on Alzheimer's disease (AD) progression in humans in vivo remain controversial. We investigated AD patients' cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) Aβ(1-38) and AD progression.

Methods: Cognitive function and diagnostic change were assessed annually for 3 years in 177 Aβ-positive participants with subjective cognitive decline (SCD), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and dementia from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE) longitudinal cognitive impairment and dementia study (DELCODE) cohort using the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Preclinical Alzheimer's Cognitive Composite (PACC), Clinical Dementia Rating (CDR), and National Institute of Neurological and Communicative Disorders and Stroke-Alzheimer's Disease and Related Disorders Association (NINCDS-ADRDA) criteria.

Depressive Symptoms and Amyloid Pathology.

Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.

Locus coeruleus signal intensity and emotion regulation in agitation in Alzheimer's disease.

Hyperphosphorylated tau accumulation is seen in the noradrenergic locus coeruleus from the earliest stages of Alzheimer's disease onwards and has been associated with symptoms of agitation. It is hypothesized that compensatory locus coeruleus-noradrenaline system overactivity and impaired emotion regulation could underlie agitation propensity, but to our knowledge this has not previously been investigated. A better understanding of the neurobiological underpinnings of agitation would help the development of targeted prevention and treatment strategies.

Informal care for people with dementia in Europe.

Introduction: Informal care estimates for use in health-economic models are lacking. We aimed to estimate the association between informal care time and dementia symptoms across Europe.

Methods: A secondary analysis was performed on 13,529 observations in 5,369 persons from 9 European pooled cohort or trial studies in community-dwelling persons with dementia.

Blarcamesine for the treatment of Early Alzheimer's Disease: Results from the ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 Phase IIB/III trial.

Background: There are no approved oral disease-modifying treatments for Alzheimer's disease (AD).

Objectives: The objective of this study was to assess efficacy and safety of blarcamesine (ANAVEX®2-73), an orally available small-molecule activator of the sigma-1 receptor (SIGMAR1) in early AD through restoration of cellular homeostasis including autophagy enhancement.

Design: ANAVEX2-73-AD-004 was a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, 48-week Phase IIb/III trial.

Environmental enrichment is associated with favorable memory-related functional brain activity patterns in older adults.

Background: In humans, environmental enrichment (EE), as measured by the engagement in a variety of leisure activities, has been associated with larger hippocampal structure and better memory function. The present cross-sectional study assessed whether EE during early life (13-30 years) and midlife (30-65 years) is associated with better preserved memory-related brain activity patterns in older age.

Methods: In total, 372 cognitively unimpaired older adults (aged ≥60 years old) of the DZNE-Longitudinal Study on Cognitive Impairment and Dementia (DELCODE; DRKS00007966) were investigated.

The Biomechanics of Nickel Titanium Instrument Fracture in Root Canal Therapy: A Narrative Review.

The use of motorized nickel titanium instruments is an essential component in contemporaneous clinical endodontics. The mechanical properties of nickel titanium are optimal for the cleaning and shaping of root canal systems. However, instrumentation carries risks, particularly instrument fracture, which may become an obstacle to achieving adequate disinfection of the canal system.

Novel, standardized sample collection from the brain-nose interface.

Background: Diagnostics for neurodegenerative diseases lack non-invasive approaches suitable for early-stage biochemical screening and routine examination of neuropathology. Biomarkers of neurodegenerative diseases pass through the brain-nose interface (BNI) and accumulate in nasal secretion. Sample collection from the brain-nose interface presents a compelling prospect as basis for a non-invasive molecular diagnosis of neuropathologies.

Physicochemical and functional properties of a novel clodronate-containing chelating gel: A comparative in vitro study.

Aim: All commercial chelating gels contain EDTA which reacts chemically with sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl). This research aimed to develop a non-EDTA clodronate gel and to measure physicochemical and functional gel properties of the novel and commercial gels.

Methodology: A 1.

Effect of intracanal cryotherapy on post-operative pain in single-visit endodontic retreatment: a randomized clinical trial.

Background: This randomized clinical trial aimed to evaluate the effect of intracanal cryotherapy with 2-4 °C normal saline irrigation on post-operative pain after single-visit non-surgical root canal retreatment.

Methods: Forty-six single-rooted, single-canal teeth requiring non-surgical root canal retreatment were randomly assigned to two groups (n = 23): a cryotherapy group and a control group. All the treatments were completed during a single visit.

Artificial intelligence-based rapid brain volumetry substantially improves differential diagnosis in dementia.

Introduction: This study evaluates the clinical value of a deep learning-based artificial intelligence (AI) system that performs rapid brain volumetry with automatic lobe segmentation and age- and sex-adjusted percentile comparisons.

Methods: Fifty-five patients-17 with Alzheimer's disease (AD), 18 with frontotemporal dementia (FTD), and 20 healthy controls-underwent cranial magnetic resonance imaging scans. Two board-certified neuroradiologists (BCNR), two board-certified radiologists (BCR), and three radiology residents (RR) assessed the scans twice: first without AI support and then with AI assistance.

Blood-based quantification of Aβ oligomers indicates impaired clearance from brain in ApoE ε4 positive subjects.

Background: Quantification of Amyloid beta (Aβ) oligomers in plasma enables early diagnosis of Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and improves our understanding of underlying pathologies. However, quantification necessitates an extremely sensitive and selective technology because of very low Aβ oligomer concentrations and possible interference from matrix components.

Methods: In this report, we developed and validated a surface-based fluorescence distribution analysis (sFIDA) assay for quantification of Aβ oligomers in plasma.

Regulatory issues related to the use of sodium hypochlorite solutions in endodontics.

Aim: To assess the regulation of sodium hypochlorite (NaOCl) solutions for endodontic usage in some of the world's main dental markets, in view of the European Union's recent move to classify antimicrobial root canal irrigants as high-risk devices under their Medical Device Regulation (MDR).

Methodology: The authors consulted legal texts available online and communicated with local health authorities wherever necessary to assess into which medical device category NaOCl solutions intended for endodontic application were subsumed. Furthermore, it was investigated whether there were sources outside the dental market to obtain NaOCl solutions for root canal treatments.

Cognitive reserve against Alzheimer's pathology is linked to brain activity during memory formation.

The cognitive reserve (CR) hypothesis posits that individuals can differ in how their brain function is disrupted by pathology associated with aging and neurodegeneration. Here, we test this hypothesis in the continuum from cognitively normal to at-risk stages for Alzheimer's Disease (AD) to AD dementia using longitudinal data from 490 participants of the DELCODE multicentric observational study. Brain function is measured using task fMRI of visual memory encoding.

Evaluation of Cold and Electric Pulp Tests for Assessing the Success of Inferior Alveolar Nerve Block for Mandibular First Molars Diagnosed with Symptomatic Irreversible Pulpitis.

Introduction: Fear of dentistry, often due to past painful experiences, is a significant barrier preventing patients from visiting dentists. Achieving effective pain control, especially during root canal treatments, is crucial. However, inferior alveolar nerve blocks (IANBs) have a low success rate, influenced by factors such as anxiety, anatomical variations, and technique limitations, leading to anesthesia failure.

Controversial terminology in root and canal anatomy: A comprehensive review.

Discipline-specific terminology is a central element of the vocabulary used by dentists and scientists in the context of their professional activities and plays a critical role in the understanding of dentistry. A number of controversial terms and non-standardized definitions exist in the field of endodontology. For example, in root and canal anatomy, variations exist in the definitions of root morphology (including apical bifurcation, fusion and dilaceration), pulp chamber anatomy (including the outline of the floor, pulp horns and location of the root canal orifice), apical root canal bifurcations, canal isthmuses, accessory canals and apical foramen.

Perivascular space enlargement accelerates in ageing and Alzheimer's disease pathology: evidence from a three-year longitudinal multicentre study.

Background: Perivascular space (PVS) enlargement in ageing and Alzheimer's disease (AD) and the drivers of such a structural change in humans require longitudinal investigation. Elucidating the effects of demographic factors, hypertension, cerebrovascular dysfunction, and AD pathology on PVS dynamics could inform the role of PVS in brain health function as well as the complex pathophysiology of AD.

Methods: We studied PVS in centrum semiovale (CSO) and basal ganglia (BG) computationally over three to four annual visits in 503 participants (255 females; mean = 70.

Longitudinal evidence for a mutually reinforcing relationship between white matter hyperintensities and cortical thickness in cognitively unimpaired older adults.

Background: For over three decades, the concomitance of cortical neurodegeneration and white matter hyperintensities (WMH) has sparked discussions about their coupled temporal dynamics. Longitudinal studies supporting this hypothesis nonetheless remain scarce.

Methods: We applied global and regional bivariate latent growth curve modelling to determine the extent to which WMH and cortical thickness were interrelated over a four-year period.

Patterns of Pulpal Mineralization in Mandibular Anteriors: A Micro-computed Tomography Analysis.

Introduction: Current understanding of the morphology of pulpal mineralizations is limited. Understanding the specific location and type of such mineralizations will aid clinicians in diagnosis, case complexity assessment, and treatment planning. Therefore, this study correlated the appearance of a reduced canal volume (CV) in conventional radiographs with the presence of pulp mineralizations (PMs) utilizing micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis.

The Therapeutic Use of Dental Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Human Clinical Trials.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), characterized by their undifferentiated and multipotent nature, can be derived from various sources, including bone marrow, adipose, and dental tissues. Among these, dental MSCs (DSCs) exhibit universal MSC characteristics and are attracting considerable attention for regenerating oral and craniofacial tissues. This review provides a contemporary overview of recently published clinical studies using DSCs for various orodental and maxillofacial regenerative applications, including bone, periodontal, and endodontic regeneration.