α-Gal Nanoparticles in CNS Trauma: II. Immunomodulation Following Spinal Cord Injury (SCI) Improves Functional Outcomes.

Background: Previous investigations have shown that local application of nanoparticles presenting the carbohydrate moiety galactose-α-1,3-galactose (α-gal epitopes) enhance wound healing by activating the complement system and recruiting pro-healing macrophages to the injury site. Our companion in vitro paper suggest α-gal epitopes can similarly recruit and polarize human microglia toward a pro-healing phenotype. In this continuation study, we investigate the in vivo implications of α-gal nanoparticle administration directly to the injured spinal cord.

Microglial over-pruning of synapses during development in autism-associated SCN2A-deficient mice and human cerebral organoids.

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a major neurodevelopmental disorder affecting 1 in 36 children in the United States. While neurons have been the focus to understand ASD, an altered neuro-immune response in the brain may be closely associated with ASD, and a neuro-immune interaction could play a role in the disease progression. As the resident immune cells of the brain, microglia regulate brain development and homeostasis via core functions including phagocytosis of synapses.

Positive Allosteric Modulator of SERCA Pump NDC-1173 Exerts Beneficial Effects in Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is an irreversible neurodegenerative disease that affects millions of people worldwide. AD does not have a cure and most drug development efforts in the AD field have been focused on targeting the amyloid pathway based on the "amyloid cascade hypothesis". However, in addition to the amyloid pathway, substantial evidence also points to dysregulated neuronal calcium (Ca) signaling as one of the key pathogenic events in AD, and it has been proposed that pharmacological agents that stabilize neuronal Ca signaling may act as disease-modifying agents in AD.

A t(9;11)(p22;q23) Within the Context of a Complex Karyotype is Associated with a Poor Prognosis in a 19-Year-Old Patient with AML.

A 19-year-old male with a history of irritable bowel syndrome presented with progressive fatigue, periorbital petechiae, and abdominal pain for 2-3 weeks. The peripheral blood smear showed leukocytosis and circulating blasts. Elevated PT, PTT, and FDP with normal fibrinogen were found in the DIC panel workup.