On the evolution and genetic diversity of the bread wheat D genome.

Bread wheat (Triticum aestivum) became a globally dominant crop after incorporating the D genome from the donor species Aegilops tauschii, but the evolutionary history that shaped the D genome during this process remains to be clarified. Here, we propose a renewed evolutionary model linking Ae. tauschii and the hexaploid wheat D genome by constructing an ancestral haplotype map covering 762 Ae.

Tai Chi improves non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease: One-year randomized controlled study with the investigation of mechanisms.

Background: Tai Chi was found to improve motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD). Whether long-term Tai Chi training could improve non-motor symptoms (NMS) and the related mechanisms were unknown.

Objective: To investigate Tai Chi's impact on non-motor symptoms in PD and related mechanisms.

Effect of long-term Tai Chi training on Parkinson's disease: a 3.5-year follow-up cohort study.

Background: Tai Chi has shown beneficial effects on the motor and non-motor symptoms of Parkinson's disease (PD), but no study has reported the effect of long-term Tai Chi training.

Objective: To examine whether long-term Tai Chi training can maintain improvement in patients with PD.

Methods: Cohorts of patients with PD with Tai Chi training (n=143) and patients with PD without exercise as a control group (n=187) were built from January 2016.

Prosaposin maintains lipid homeostasis in dopamine neurons and counteracts experimental parkinsonism in rodents.

Prosaposin (PSAP) modulates glycosphingolipid metabolism and variants have been linked to Parkinson's disease (PD). Here, we find altered PSAP levels in the plasma, CSF and post-mortem brain of PD patients. Altered plasma and CSF PSAP levels correlate with PD-related motor impairments.

Spatial lipidomics reveals brain region-specific changes of sulfatides in an experimental MPTP Parkinson's disease primate model.

Metabolism of MPTP (1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine) to the neurotoxin MPP in the brain causes permanent Parkinson's disease-like symptoms by destroying dopaminergic neurons in the pars compacta of the substantia nigra in humans and non-human primates. However, the complete molecular pathology underlying MPTP-induced parkinsonism remains poorly understood. We used dual polarity matrix-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry imaging to thoroughly image numerous glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids in coronal brain tissue sections of MPTP-lesioned and control non-human primate brains (Macaca mulatta).

Impaired migratory phenotype of CD4 T cells in Parkinson's disease.

Dysfunctions in the immune system appear implicated in both disease onset and progression of Parkinson's disease (PD). Neurodegeneration observed in the brain of PD patients has been associated with neuroinflammation that is linked to alterations in peripheral adaptive immunity, where CD4 T cells are key players. In the present study, we elucidated the immunological aspect of PD by employing a wide range of cellular assays, immunocytochemistry and flow cytometry to examine CD4 T cells.

Decreased Prosaposin and Progranulin in the Cingulate Cortex Are Associated with Schizophrenia Pathophysiology.

Prosaposin (PSAP) and progranulin (PGRN) are two lysosomal proteins that interact and modulate the metabolism of lipids, particularly sphingolipids. Alterations in sphingolipid metabolism have been found in schizophrenia. Genetic associations of PSAP and PGRN with schizophrenia have been reported.

Mechanisms of motor symptom improvement by long-term Tai Chi training in Parkinson's disease patients.

Background: Tai Chi has been shown to improve motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD), but its long-term effects and the related mechanisms remain to be elucidated. In this study, we investigated the effects of long-term Tai Chi training on motor symptoms in PD and the underlying mechanisms.

Methods: Ninety-five early-stage PD patients were enrolled and randomly divided into Tai Chi (n = 32), brisk walking (n = 31) and no-exercise (n = 32) groups.

GRP78 Level Is Altered in the Brain, but Not in Plasma or Cerebrospinal Fluid in Parkinson's Disease Patients.

Accumulation of misfolded proteins results in cellular stress, and is detected by specific sensors in the endoplasmic reticulum, collectively known as the unfolded protein response (UPR). It has been prominently proposed that the UPR is involved in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). In the present study, the levels of the UPR proteins and mRNA transcripts were quantified in brain tissue from PD patients and matched controls.

IL1B polymorphism is associated with essential tremor in Chinese population.

Background: The aim of the study was to investigate the genetic risk factors of essential tremor (ET) in Chinese Population.

Methods: A total of 225 ET patients (25 ET patients also had restless legs syndrome (RLS) and were excluded from final analysis) and 229 controls were recruited. The diagnosis of ET was based on the Consensus Statement of the Movement Disorders Society on tremor.

Clinical correlates of decreased plasma coenzyme Q10 levels in patients with multiple system atrophy.

Introduction: Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease. Recent studies revealed decreased coenzyme Q10 (COQ10) levels in the cerebellum and blood samples of MSA patients. But few studies focused on the associations of COQ10 with the clinical symptoms of MSA.

Fatigue correlates with LRRK2 G2385R variant in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients.

Introduction: Fatigue is common in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD). The leucine-rich repeat kinase 2 (LRRK2) G2385R variant predisposes individuals to develop PD in China. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether the LRRK2 G2385R variant is associated with fatigue in patients with PD.

Validation of the Parkinson Fatigue Scale in Chinese Parkinson's disease patients.

Objective: Fatigue is a common nonmotor symptom in Parkinson's disease (PD); however, the Parkinson's disease fatigue scale (PFS), which is designed to measure fatigue in PD, has not been validated in China. The aim of this study was to determine the validity and reliability of the Chinese version of the PFS in PD patients.

Methods: A total of 115 PD patients were evaluated at baseline and after 7 days.

Mutation Analysis of Gene in Chinese Familial Essential Tremor and Familial Parkinson's Disease.

. has already been nominated as PARK13 which may cause Parkinson's disease, though there are still discrepancies among these results. Recently, Gulsuner et al.

Mutation analysis of CHCHD2 gene in Chinese Han familial essential tremor patients and familial Parkinson's disease patients.

CHCHD2 is the latest identified Parkinson's disease (PD)-causing gene, and previous studies have reported the same CHCHD2 variant (182C>T, Thr61Ile) in both PD and essential tremor (ET) patients. Whether CHCHD2 gene mutations are involved in both of these diseases remains unclear. We sequenced CHCHD2 gene in 171 familial ET patients, 133 autosomal dominant Parkinson's disease patients, and 211 normal controls.

Diagnostic Accuracy of Transcranial Sonography of the Substantia Nigra in Parkinson's disease: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis.

A large number of articles have reported substantia nigra hyperechogenicity in Parkinson's disease (PD) and have assessed the diagnostic accuracy of transcranial sonography (TCS); however, the conclusions are discrepant. Consequently, this systematic review and meta-analysis aims to consolidate the available observational studies and provide a comprehensive evaluation of the clinical utility of TCS in PD. Totally, 31 studies containing 4,386 participants from 13 countries were included.

Serum Insulin-Like Growth Factor-1 in Patients with De Novo, Drug Naïve Parkinson's Disease: A Meta-Analysis.

Objective: Insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) is reported to be neuroprotective in the setting of Parkinson's disease (PD), and there is increasing interest in the possible association of serum IGF-1 levels with PD patients, but with conflicting results. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to evaluate the association of serum IGF-1 levels in de novo, drug naïve PD patients compared with healthy controls.

Methods: Pubmed, ISI Web of Science, OVID, EMBASE, and Cochrane library databases from 1966 to October 2014 were utilized to identify candidate studies using Medical Subjective Headings without language restriction.