Longitudinal cerebrospinal fluid biomarker trajectories along the Alzheimer's disease continuum in the BIOMARKAPD study.

Introduction: Within-person trajectories of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers in Alzheimer's disease (AD) are not well defined.

Methods: We included 467 subjects from the BIOMARKAPD study with at least two serial CSF samples. Diagnoses were subjective cognitive decline (n = 75), mild cognitive impairment (n = 128), and AD dementia (n = 110), and a group of cognitively unimpaired subjects (n = 154) were also included.

Anti-NMDA Receptor Autoantibody Is an Independent Predictor of Hospital Mortality but Not Brain Dysfunction in Septic Patients.

The presence of autoantibodies against neuronal cell surface or synaptic proteins and their relationship to autoimmune encephalitis have recently been characterized. These autoantibodies have been also reported in other pathologic conditions; however, their role during sepsis is not known. This study detected the presence of autoantibodies against neuronal cell surface or synaptic proteins in the serum of septic patients and determined their relationship to the occurrence of brain dysfunction and mortality.

Hass avocado (Persea americana Mill.) oil enriched in phenolic compounds and tocopherols by expeller-pressing the unpeeled microwave dried fruit.

This study investigated how the quality of avocado oil is affected by the fruit ripening stage and peeling, and the drying process used. Expeller pressed avocado oils were obtained from unripe or ripe pitted avocados after drying peeled or unpeeled pulps by convection oven, microwave or freeze-drying. Oils from the unpeeled microwave dried pulp (from unripe or ripe avocados) showed the highest induction period (54.

The inner fluctuations of the brain in presymptomatic Frontotemporal Dementia: The chronnectome fingerprint.

Frontotemporal Dementia (FTD) is preceded by a long period of subtle brain changes, occurring in the absence of overt cognitive symptoms, that need to be still fully characterized. Dynamic network analysis based on resting-state magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a potentially powerful tool for the study of preclinical FTD. In the present study, we employed a "chronnectome" approach (recurring, time-varying patterns of connectivity) to evaluate measures of dynamic connectivity in 472 at-risk FTD subjects from the Genetic Frontotemporal dementia research Initiative (GENFI) cohort.

Association between Adipokines and Biomarkers of Alzheimer's Disease: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: Adipose tissue dysfunction has been implicated in the pathophysiology of Alzheimer's disease. However, the involvement of adipokines, particularly adiponectin, remains unclear.

Objective: To compare serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of adiponectin, leptin and leptin-to-adiponectin ratio in patients within the spectrum of Alzheimer's disease and evaluate their relationship with classical biomarkers and their value as markers of progression.

Adenosine Deaminase Two and Immunoglobulin M Accurately Differentiate Adult Sneddon's Syndrome of Unknown Cause.

Background: The association that exists between livedo reticularis (LR) and stroke is known as Sneddon's syndrome (SnS). The disorder is classified as primary SnS (PSnS), if the cause remains unknown and secondary SnS. The condition is rare and it occurs mainly sporadically.

Erlangen Score as a tool to predict progression from mild cognitive impairment to dementia in Alzheimer's disease.

Background: The previously described and validated Erlangen Score (ES) algorithm enables interpretation of the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD), ordering them on an ordinal scale: from neurochemically normal (ES = 0) through improbable AD (ES = 1), possible AD (ES = 2 or 3), to probable AD (ES = 4). Here we assess the accuracy of the ES in predicting hazards of progression from the mild cognitive impairment (MCI) stage of AD to the dementia stage of the disease (Alzheimer's disease dementia (ADD)) in a novel, single-center cohort.

Methods: Baseline CSF biomarkers (amyloid beta (Aβ) 1-42, Aβ42/40, Tau, and pTau181), interpreted according to the ES, were used to estimate time to progression from the MCI stage of AD to ADD, conditional on age, gender, APOE ε4 genotype, and Mini Mental State Examination score in 144 MCI subjects, using the Extended Cox Model; the subjects were followed-up until they developed dementia or until they had been cognitively stable for at least 2 years.

The neural basis of fatigue in multiple sclerosis: A multimodal MRI approach.

Background: Fatigue is a frequent disabling symptom in multiple sclerosis (MS), but its pathophysiology remains incompletely understood. This study aimed to explore the underlying neural basis of fatigue in patients with MS.

Methods: We enrolled 60 consecutive patients with MS and 60 healthy controls (HC) matched on age, sex, and education.

A comprehensive screening of copy number variability in dementia with Lewy bodies.

The role of genetic variability in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is now indisputable; however, data regarding copy number variation (CNV) in this disease has been lacking. Here, we used whole-genome genotyping of 1454 DLB cases and 1525 controls to assess copy number variability. We used 2 algorithms to confidently detect CNVs, performed a case-control association analysis, screened for candidate CNVs previously associated with DLB-related diseases, and performed a candidate gene approach to fully explore the data.

Increased risk of melanoma in C9ORF72 repeat expansion carriers: A case-control study.

Introduction: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD) are considered part of the same pathological spectrum. There is an increased risk of ALS in patients who have had melanoma. The risk of FTLD in melanoma (or cancer) patients is unknown.

Discriminative capacity and construct validity of the Clock Drawing Test in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

The aim of this study was to analyze the psychometric and diagnostic properties of the Clock Drawing Test (CDT), scored according to the Babins, Rouleau, and Cahn scoring systems, for Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD) screening, and develop corresponding cutoff scores. Additionally, we assessed the construct validity of the CDT through exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis. We developed a cross-sectional study of ambulatory MCI and AD patients, divided in two clinical groups (450 MCI and 250 mild AD patients) and a normal control group ( = 400).

Pharmacophore modeling, docking and molecular dynamics to identify Leishmania major farnesyl pyrophosphate synthase inhibitors.

Leishmaniasis is caused by protozoa of the genus Leishmania spp. and is considered the second most important protozoa in the world due to the number of cases and mortality. Despite its importance in terms of public health, the treatment of patients is limited and has mostly low levels of efficacy and safety.

Quantitative Genetics Validates Previous Genetic Variants and Identifies Novel Genetic Players Influencing Alzheimer's Disease Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers have been extensively investigated in the Alzheimer's disease (AD) field, and are now being applied in clinical practice. CSF amyloid-beta (Aβ1-42), total tau (t-tau), and phosphorylated tau (p-tau) reflect disease pathology, and may be used as quantitative traits for genetic analyses, fostering the identification of new genetic factors and the proposal of novel biological pathways of the disease. In patients, the concentration of CSF Aβ1-42 is decreased due to the accumulation of Aβ1-42 in amyloid plaques in the brain, while t-tau and p-tau levels are increased, indicating the extent of neuronal damage.

Catalytic Scavenging of Plant Reactive Oxygen Species In Vivo by Anionic Cerium Oxide Nanoparticles.

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation is a hallmark of plant abiotic stress response. ROS play a dual role in plants by acting as signaling molecules at low levels and damaging molecules at high levels. Accumulation of ROS in stressed plants can damage metabolites, enzymes, lipids, and DNA, causing a reduction of plant growth and yield.

Data driven diagnostic classification in Alzheimer's disease based on different reference regions for normalization of PiB-PET images and correlation with CSF concentrations of Aβ species.

Positron emission tomography (PET) neuroimaging with the Pittsburgh Compound_B (PiB) is widely used to assess amyloid plaque burden. Standard quantification approaches normalize PiB-PET by mean cerebellar gray matter uptake. Previous studies suggested similar pons and white-matter uptake in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and healthy controls (HC), but lack exhaustive comparison of normalization across the three regions, with data-driven diagnostic classification.

Virtual screening to identify Leishmania braziliensis N-myristoyltransferase inhibitors: pharmacophore models, docking, and molecular dynamics.

Leishmaniasis is caused by several protozoa species belonging to genus Leishmania that are hosted by humans and other mammals. Millions of new cases are recorded every year and the drugs available on the market do not show satisfactory efficacy and safety. A hierarchical virtual screening approach based on the pharmacophore model, molecular docking, and molecular dynamics was conducted to identify possible Leishmania braziliensis N-misristoyltransferase (LbNMT) inhibitors.

The Head Turning Sign in Dementia and Mild Cognitive Impairment: Its Relationship to Cognition, Behavior, and Cerebrospinal Fluid Biomarkers.

Background/aims: The head turning sign (HTS) is frequently noticed in clinical practice, but few studies have investigated its etiological and neuropsychological correlates.

Methods: The presence and frequency of the HTS was operationalized and prospectively evaluated in patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and behavioral-variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD). Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) samples for AD biomarkers were collected.

Cerebrospinal Fluid Total Prion Protein in the Spectrum of Prion Diseases.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total prion protein (t-PrP) is decreased in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). However, data on the comparative signatures of t-PrP across the spectrum of prion diseases, longitudinal changes during disease progression, and levels in pre-clinical cases are scarce. T-PrP was quantified in neurological diseases (ND, n = 147) and in prion diseases from different aetiologies including sporadic (sCJD, n = 193), iatrogenic (iCJD, n = 12) and genetic (n = 209) forms.

Standoff Optical Glucose Sensing in Photosynthetic Organisms by a Quantum Dot Fluorescent Probe.

Glucose is a major product of photosynthesis and a key energy source for cellular respiration in organisms. Herein, we enable in vivo optical glucose sensing in wild-type plants using a quantum dot (QD) ratiometric approach. The optical probe is formed by a pair of QDs: thioglycolic acid-capped QDs which remain invariable to glucose (acting as an internal fluorescent reference control) and boronic acid (BA)-conjugated QDs (BA-QD) that quench their fluorescence in response to glucose.

Identification of new promising Plasmodium falciparum superoxide dismutase allosteric inhibitors through hierarchical pharmacophore-based virtual screening and molecular dynamics.

Malaria is the world's most widespread protozoan infection, being responsible for more than 445,000 annual deaths. Among the malaria parasites, Plasmodium falciparum is the most prevalent and lethal. In this context, the search for new antimalarial drugs is urgently needed.

[Aphasia Rapid Test: Translation, Adaptation and Validation Studies for the Portuguese Population].

Introduction: Classical aphasia evaluation scales are too long to use in the context of acute stroke or as a monitoring tool. The Aphasia Rapid Test is a 26-point scale developed as a bedside assessment to rate aphasia severity in acute stroke patients in less than 3 minutes. We aimed to adapt and validate this scale for European Portuguese.

No supportive evidence for TIA1 gene mutations in a European cohort of ALS-FTD spectrum patients.

We evaluated the genetic contribution of the T cell-restricted intracellular antigen-1 gene (TIA1) in a European cohort of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) patients. Exonic resequencing of TIA1 in 1120 patients (693 FTD, 341 ALS, 86 FTD-ALS) and 1039 controls identified in total 5 rare heterozygous missense variants, affecting the TIA1 low-complexity domain (LCD). Only 1 missense variant, p.