The Role of Combined Muscle Ultrasound and Bioimpedentiometry Parameters for Sarcopenia Diagnosis in a Population of Hospitalized Older Adults.

Background: For the study of quantitative and qualitative muscle parameters, ultrasound and bioelectric impedance analysis are reliable, non-invasive, and reproducible. The aim of this study was to test the combined role of those techniques for the diagnosis of sarcopenia in a population of hospitalized older males and females.

Methods: A total of 70 subjects were recruited, including 10 healthy adults and 60 hospitalized elderly patients with a good level of independence and cooperation, with and without sarcopenia.

A Digital Approach to Improve Infection Screening Among Solid Organ Transplant Candidates.

Background: Pretransplant infection screening (IS) of potential organ recipients is essential to optimal outcome of solid organ transplantation (SOT).

Methods: A pre-post study was performed during 2020-2023 to investigate the impact of the STREAM (Solid organ TRansplant stEwArdship and Multidisciplinary approach) intervention to improve IS in SOT. The intervention, performed in 2022, included the implementation of IS through educational meetings, local guidelines, and the availability of a digital screening tool.

The Role of Ultrasound Muscle Parameters for Myosteatosis and Myofibrosis Measurement in Young, Older, and Obese Subjects.

Objectives: The aim of the study was to compare quantitative and qualitative ultrasound parameters between healthy young adults and post-acute hospitalized older adults with and without physical disability, as well as between normal weight and overweight/obese persons.

Design: Cross-sectional observational study.

Setting And Participants: A total of 120 individuals were recruited: 24 healthy young adults, 24 normal weight and 24 overweight/obese community-dwelling adults, and 48 post-acute hospitalized older adults with different degrees of functional autonomy.

Colonisation with Extended-Spectrum Cephalosporin-Resistant Enterobacterales and Infection Risk in Surgical Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

Introduction: Limited evidence has been reported for surgical site infections (SSIs) in patients undergoing surgery who are carriers of extended-spectrum cephalosporin-resistant Enterobacterales (ESCR-E). A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to evaluate the risk of postoperative infections in adult inpatients colonised with ESCR-E before surgery.

Methods: The Medline, Embase and Cochrane databases were searched between January 2011 and April 2022, following PRISMA indications.

Non-linear cortico-cortical interactions modulated by cholinergic afferences from the rat basal forebrain.

In the adult rat most of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons (BFCN) express the low-affinity p75 nerve growth factor recceptor (NGFr). The immunotoxin 192 IgG-saporin (SAP) provokes a selective loss of NGFr-positive BFCN, somewhat similar to the loss of integrity of BFCN associated with human senile dementia of Alzheimer's type, whereas NGF exerts a trophic action on BFCN. Cortico-cortical interactions are modulated by cholinergic projections of BFCN and it is proposed that alterations of these projections by SAP and by NGF produce opposite effects.

Postnatal intracerebroventricular administrations of NGF alter spatial memory in adulthood.

The present work assessed the effects of intracerebroventricular injections (2x5 mg/2.5 ml) of recombined human nerve growth factor (rhNGF) at postnatal days 2 and 3 upon the development of spatial learning capacities in rats. The treated rats were trained at the age of 22 days to escape onto an invisible platform at a fixed position in space in a Morris navigation task.

Enhanced visuospatial memory following intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor.

The present work assessed the effects of intracerebroventricular injections of rh recombined human nerve growth factor (rh NGF) (5 micrograms/2.5 microl) at postnatal days 12 and 13 upon the development of spatial learning capacities. The treated rats were trained at the age of 22 days to escape onto an invisible platform at a fixed position in space in a Morris navigation task.

Reboxetine in the treatment of depression in the elderly: pilot study.

Elderly patients are particularly susceptible to the potential side effects of current antidepressants due to agerelated physiologic changes. We report a pilot study to examine the tolerability of increasing doses of reboxetine, a selective noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor (selective NRI), in elderly depressed patients. Twelve elderly female patients (75-87 years) with either major depression or dysthymia received reboxetine titrated to 8 mg/day over a 4-week period.

Nerve growth factor modulates information processing in the auditory thalamus.

The spatio-temporal organization of spike discharges was studied in rat auditory thalamus (i.e., medial geniculate body and auditory sector of thalamic reticular nucleus) following a 2-week continuous intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor (NGF).

Decreased choline acetyltransferase activity in nerve growth factor-transgenic mice during brain development.

Activity of the synthetic enzyme for acetylcholine, choline acetyltransferase was investigated during development and in adult nerve growth factor-transgenic mice. A conspicuous reduction of choline acetyltransferase activity was observed in the anterior brain of nerve growth factor-transgenic embryos from embryonic days 13 to 16 (E13 to E16). Choline acetyltransferase activity levels subsequently resumed to normal levels, with the exception of a 15% increase in the adult hippocampus.

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase: early involvement in glutamate-induced neurotoxicity in cultured cerebellar granule cells.

Glutamate neurotoxicity is correlated with an increase of cytosolic free Ca2+. In some cell systems, activation of Ca2+ dependent endonucleases or formation of free radicals can damage DNA and activate the chromatin bound enzyme poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (pADPRP). We have investigated whether pADPRP may be involved in glutamate neurotoxicity in vitro.

Pharmacokinetics of nerve growth factor (NGF) following different routes of administration to adult rats.

The suggested potential for therapeutic use of nerve growth factor (NGF) in the treatment of toxic and degenerative disorders of the nervous system indicates a need to determine its pharmacokinetics. To this end, murine NGF was administered to adult rats and multiple blood samples were withdrawn at intervals. NGF levels, determined in plasma samples by a two-site enzyme immunoassay, were used to determine the pharmacokinetics of NGF.

Intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor affects muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the cerebral cortex of neonatal rats.

The repeated intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor (5 micrograms/2.5 microliters) to neonatal rats induced the activation of choline acetyltransferase in forebrain cholinergic neurons that was paralleled by a concomitant change in the density of muscarinic cholinergic receptors in the cerebral cortex. The administration of nerve growth factor altered muscarinic binding sites in a biphasic fashion during postnatal development.

Fos induction by nerve growth factor in the adult rat brain.

The distribution of Fos, the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos, was studied with immunocytochemistry in the adult male rat brain after nerve growth factor (NGF) administration. NGF was injected in the lateral cerebral ventricle through a previously implanted cannula. The total number of Fos-immunoreactive (ir) neurons in the brain was 2-3 times higher after NGF administration than in control animals (untreated or injected with cytochrome c).

Gangliosides and neurotrophic factors in neurodegenerative diseases: from experimental findings to clinical perspectives.

A large body of experimental data suggests that neurotrophic molecules and/or substances that facilitate their action could be pharmaceutical agents for neurodegenerative pathologies. In particular, it has been demonstrated that nerve growth factor (NGF) exerts a physiological role for forebrain cholinergic neurons, while brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) seems to play a relevant role in rescuing dopaminergic neurons following damage. In addition, gangliosides are reported to potentiate neurotrophic factor effects in vitro as well as in vivo.

Nerve growth factor does not influence the expression of beta amyloid precursor protein mRNA in rat brain: in vivo and in vitro studies.

We investigated the effect of NGF on amyloid precursor protein (APP) mRNA levels in the rat septal/nucleus basalis system. Total APP mRNA and APP 695 mRNA were determined in basal forebrain primary cell cultures exposed acutely and chronically to NGF (150-300 ng/ml) and, in vivo, in the septal area and striatum of rat pups after multiple intracerebroventricular injections of NGF. The trophic factor was able to affect cholinergic neurons in both paradigms, as evidenced by the significant increase of choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) activity induced by NGF in cell cultures (+80%) and in the striatum (+240%) of rat pups.

Characterization of 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine neurotoxicity in vitro and protective effects of ganglioside GM1: implications for Parkinson's disease.

The neurotoxic properties of 2,4,5-trihydroxyphenylalanine (TOPA; the 6-hydroxylated derivative of dopa) was investigated in cultures of central neurons. Application of solutions of TOPA to cerebellar granule cells resulted in a concentration- and time-dependent neuronal death, with prolonged (24 hr) exposure producing a clear left-handed shift in the dose-response relationship from the one observed with a 60-min exposure (LD50: 4 and 29 microM, respectively). This toxicity was largely blocked by the non-N-methyl-D-aspartate antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione.

In vivo activated brain astrocytes may produce and secrete nerve growth factor-like molecules.

The cellular localization of the nerve growth factor-like immunoreactivity (NGF-LIR) has been studied in the septum and hippocampus of the rat brain 7 days following partial electrolytic lesion (2 mA, 30 s) of the septohippocampal pathways or after single intraventricular administration of 15 U of interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta). A double immunostaining technique which allowed a simultaneous localization of NGF-LIR and that of astroglia marker glial fibrillary acidic protein was used. Our data show that after both treatments, apart from neuronal localization of NGF-LIR typical for normal brain, many astrocytes both in the septum and hippocampus became NGF-like immunoreactive.

The pharmacological potential of neurotrophins: a perspective.

Until recently nerve growth factor (NGF) was the only widely characterized neurotrophic factor which had been shown both in vitro and in vivo to be essential for the survival of selected populations of neurons during development and to be important for maintenance of the differentiated phenotype of mature neurons. The recent cloning of new members of the NGF family, namely brain-derived neurotrophic factor neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), NT-4 and NT-5, has greatly expanded our knowledge of the structural properties and neurotrophic activities of these proteins. Elucidation of their developmental and topographical expression and associated receptors in both the central nervous system and peripheral nervous system is proceeding at a brisk pace, leading to proposals for a potential pharmacological use of these proteins.

Neurotrophic factors: from physiology to pharmacology?

The recent cloning of new members of the nerve growth factor (NGF) family, namely brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), as well as the ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has greatly expanded our knowledge of the structural properties and neurotrophic activities of these proteins. Elucidation of their developmental and topographical expression and associated receptors in both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) is proceeding at a brisk pace, leading us to propose a potential pharmacological use of these proteins. This possibility will ultimately rely upon a more complete understanding of the roles of these trophic factors in nervous system physiology and pathology.

N-methyl-D-aspartate-induced neurotoxicity in the adult rat retina.

The present study provides evidence that the adult mammalian retina is highly sensitive to the excitotoxic action of NMDA. In particular, we have investigated the effects of a single intravitreal injection of different doses of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (2-200 nmoles) on the adult rat retina. Morphological evaluation of transverse sections of retinae demonstrated a dose-dependent loss of cells in the ganglion cell layer (GCL) and a reduction in the thickness of the inner plexiform layer.

Choline acetyltransferase activity in murine thymus.

Murine thymus has been demonstrated to contain both cholinergic receptors and acetylcholinesterase activity. In the present study we have investigated the presence of the enzyme choline acetyltransferase in this organ, which is responsible for the synthesis of acetylcholine. Results reported here demonstrate that (1) an appreciable amount of the enzyme is already present in the thymus on the day of birth; (2) its expression is developmentally regulated; and (3) thymic atrophy, induced in young (2-week-old) and adult (6-week-old) mice by i.

Cellular localization of nerve growth factor-like immunoreactivity in hippocampus and septum of adult rat brain.

The cellular localization of the nerve growth factor-like immunoreactivity (NGF-LIR) has been studied in the intact adult rat brain at the level of the hippocampus and the septum. Immunolabelling for NGF combined with counterstaining with cresyl violet and double immunostaining technique, which allowed simultaneous localization of NGF-LIR and that of astroglial marker -GFAP, were used. The data indicate neuronal localization of NGF-like immunoreactivity and a lack of colocalization of NGF-LIR with the immunoreactivity of GFAP in the hippocampus.

Nerve growth factor differentially modulates the expression of its receptor within the CNS.

The effect of nerve growth factor on the expression of nerve growth factor receptor in the central nervous system of newborn and adult rats was studied by means of immunohistochemistry with the monoclonal antibody 192-IgG. Both during development and in adulthood, the intracerebroventricular administration of nerve growth factor elicited a pronounced increase of nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity in the cell bodies and neural processes of the basal forebrain cholinergic nuclei, as compared to cytochrome c-treated rats (controls). A pronounced nerve growth factor-induced increase of nerve growth factor receptor-like immunoreactivity was also observed in central regions innervated by trigeminal and spinal ganglia.