Home-based tDCS for apathy in Alzheimer's disease: a protocol for a randomized double-blinded controlled pilot study.

Background: Apathy is among the most common behavioral symptoms in dementia and is consistently associated with negative outcomes in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Despite its prevalence and clinical relevance, available pharmacological and non-pharmacological strategies to treat apathy in AD have been marked, respectively, by potentially severe side effects and/or limited efficacy. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a relatively novel non-pharmacological method of neuromodulation with promising results.

Potential Role of Adult Hippocampal Neurogenesis in Traumatic Brain Injury.

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a serious cause of disability and death among young and adult individuals, displaying complex pathophysiology including cellular and molecular mechanisms that are not fully elucidated. Many experimental and clinical studies investigated the potential relationship between TBI and the process by which neurons are formed in the brain, known as neurogenesis. Currently, there are no available treatments for TBI's long-term consequences being the search for novel therapeutic targets, a goal of highest scientific and clinical priority.

Circulating Angiotensin-(1-7) Is Reduced in Alzheimer's Disease Patients and Correlates With White Matter Abnormalities: Results From a Pilot Study.

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia worldwide. Despite the extensive research, its pathophysiology remains largely unelucidated. Currently, more attention is being given to the disease's vascular and inflammatory aspects.

Insights on SARS-CoV-2 Molecular Interactions With the Renin-Angiotensin System.

The emergence of SARS-CoV-2/human/Wuhan/X1/2019, a virus belonging to the species , and the recognition of Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a pandemic have highly increased the scientific research regarding the pathogenesis of COVID-19. The Renin Angiotensin System (RAS) seems to be involved in COVID-19 natural course, since studies suggest the membrane-bound Angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) works as SARS-CoV-2 cellular receptor. Besides the efforts of the scientific community to understand the virus' molecular interactions with human cells, few studies summarize what has been so far discovered about SARS-CoV-2 signaling mechanisms and its interactions with RAS molecules.

Inflammation in Huntington's disease: A few new twists on an old tale.

Huntington's disease (HD) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by prominent loss of neurons in the striatum and cortex. Traditionally research in HD has focused on brain changes as they cause progressive motor dysfunction, cognitive decline and psychiatric disorders. The discovery that huntingtin protein (HTT) and its mutated form (mHTT) are expressed not only in the brain but also in different organs and tissues paved the way for the hypothesis that HD might affect regions beyond the central nervous system (CNS).

Effect of immune activation on the kynurenine pathway and depression symptoms - A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Dysregulated kynurenine (KYN) pathway has been implicated in the pathophysiology of depression. In this systematic review, we examined the relationship between kynurenine pathway metabolites (KYN, kynurenic acid KYNA, tryptophan TRP, quinolinic acid QUIN, KYN/TRP ratio) and depression symptoms in the context of pro-inflammatory activation and immune response. Out of 5,082 articles, fifteen studies were suitable; ten studies (N = 315 medically ill patients treated with interferon-alpha IFN-α) reported baseline and post-intervention plasma KYN, TRP and KYN/TRP ratios which were included in quantitative meta-analysis.

Immune-Based Therapies for Traumatic Brain Injury: Insights from Pre-Clinical Studies.

Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) is a major public health problem. It is the leading cause of death and disability, especially among children and young adults. The neurobiology basis underlying TBI pathophysiology remains to be fully revealed.

First report of collapsing variant of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis triggered by arbovirus: dengue and Zika virus infection.

Background: The collapsing variant of focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) is the most aggressive form of FSGS and is characterized by at least one glomerulus with segmental or global collapse and overlying podocyte hypertrophy and hyperplasia. Viruses can act as aetiological agents of secondary FSGS. This study aims to establish an aetiological link between dengue virus (DENV) infection and the collapsing variant of FSGS and to analyse possible influences of the gene risk alleles on the disease.

Evidence for a role of angiotensin converting enzyme 2 in proteinuria of idiopathic nephrotic syndrome.

Renin angiotensin system (RAS) plays a role in idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS). Most studies investigated only the classical RAS axis. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to evaluate urinary levels of RAS molecules related to classical and to counter-regulatory axes in pediatric patients with INS, to compare the measurements with levels in healthy controls and to search for associations with inflammatory molecules, proteinuria and disease treatment.