Epilepsy Diagnosis from EEG Signals Using Continuous Wavelet Transform-Based Depthwise Convolutional Neural Network Model.

Epilepsy is a prevalent neurological disorder characterized by seizures that significantly impact individuals and their social environments. Given the unpredictable nature of epileptic seizures, developing automated epilepsy diagnosis systems is increasingly important. Epilepsy diagnosis traditionally relies on analyzing EEG signals, with recent deep learning methods gaining prominence due to their ability to bypass manual feature extraction.

Epigenetic drug screening identifies enzyme inhibitors A-196 and TMP-269 as novel regulators of sprouting angiogenesis.

Epigenetic therapy has gained interest in treating cardiovascular diseases, but preclinical studies often encounter challenges with cell-type-specific effects or batch-to-batch variation, which have limited identification of novel drug candidates targeting angiogenesis. To address these limitations and improve the reproducibility of epigenetic drug screening, we redesigned a 3D in vitro fibrin bead assay to utilize immortalized human aortic endothelial cells (TeloHAECs) and screened a focused compound library with 105 agents. Compared to the established model using primary human umbilical vein endothelial cells, TeloHAECs needed a higher-density fibrin gel for optimal sprouting, successfully forming sprouts under both normoxic and hypoxic cell culture conditions.

Endothelialization of coronary stents after intra-luminal adenoviral VEGF-A gene transfer in a preclinical porcine restenosis model - Studies with optical coherence tomography, angioscopy, multiphoton and scanning electron microscopy.

Background: Coronary stenting operations have become the main option for the treatment of coronary heart disease. Vessel recovery after stenting has emerged as a critical factor in reducing possible complications. In this study, we evaluated the feasibility, safety and efficacy of locally administered intraluminal gene therapy delivered using a specialized infusion balloon catheter.

Real-Time Tractography-Assisted Neuronavigation for Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

State-of-the-art navigated transcranial magnetic stimulation (nTMS) systems can display the TMS coil position relative to the structural magnetic resonance image (MRI) of the subject's brain and calculate the induced electric field. However, the local effect of TMS propagates via the white-matter network to different areas of the brain, and currently there is no commercial or research neuronavigation system that can highlight in real time the brain's structural connections during TMS. This lack of real-time visualization may overlook critical inter-individual differences in brain connectivity and does not provide the opportunity to target brain networks.

Model organisms for investigating the functional involvement of NRF2 in non-communicable diseases.

Non-communicable chronic diseases (NCDs) are most commonly characterized by age-related loss of homeostasis and/or by cumulative exposures to environmental factors, which lead to low-grade sustained generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS), chronic inflammation and metabolic imbalance. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-like 2 (NRF2) is a basic leucine-zipper transcription factor that regulates the cellular redox homeostasis. NRF2 controls the expression of more than 250 human genes that share in their regulatory regions a cis-acting enhancer termed the antioxidant response element (ARE).

Chlorinated paraffins in particulate matter associated with asthma and its relative symptoms in school-aged children and adolescents: A cross-sectional survey in South China.

Particulate matter (PM) and contaminants attached to PM can increase the risk of respiratory diseases. However, the health risk assessment of chlorinated paraffins (CPs), an emerging pollutant occupying a high proportion of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) in PM, remains scarce. This study aimed to evaluate the association between PM-bound CPs and asthma, along with relative symptoms, in school-aged children and adolescents.

LRRK2 G2019S Mutated iPSC-Derived Endothelial Cells Exhibit Increased α-Synuclein, Mitochondrial Impairment, and Altered Inflammatory Responses.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) serves as an interface between the bloodstream and the central nervous system. It limits the movement of molecules and immune cells, regulates the entry of nutrients, and removes waste products from the brain. The dysfunction of the BBB has been identified in Parkinson's disease (PD) but the role of the BBB and endothelial cells (ECs) has not been well studied.

QClus: a droplet filtering algorithm for enhanced snRNA-seq data quality in challenging samples.

Single-nuclei RNA sequencing remains a challenge for many human tissues, as incomplete removal of background signal masks cell-type-specific signals and interferes with downstream analyses. Here, we present Quality Clustering (QClus), a droplet filtering algorithm targeted toward challenging samples. QClus uses additional metrics, such as cell-type-specific marker gene expression, to cluster nuclei and filter empty and highly contaminated droplets, providing reliable filtering of samples with varying number of nuclei and contamination levels.

Cancer-type somatic mutations in saccular cerebral aneurysms.

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are a major cause of subarachnoidal hemorrhage (SAH) which can have a significant morbidity and mortality. The processes underlying the aneurysm development remains unclear. We performed whole exome sequencing of DNA derived from 20 saccular cerebral aneurysms of 20 patients, followed by somatic variant calling.

Plasma microRNAs as prognostic biomarkers for development of severe epilepsy after experimental traumatic brain injury-EpiBioS4Rx Project 1 study.

Objective: To test a hypothesis that acutely regulated plasma microRNAs (miRNAs) can serve as prognostic biomarkers for the development of post-traumatic epilepsy (PTE).

Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 245) were randomized to lateral fluid-percussion-induced traumatic brain injury (TBI) or sham operation at three study sites (Finland, Australia, United States). Video-electroencephalography (vEEG) was performed on the seventh post-injury month to detect spontaneous seizures.

Roles of the gut microbiota in human neurodevelopment and adult brain disorders.

Growing evidence demonstrates the connection between gut microbiota, neurodevelopment, and adult brain function. Microbial colonization occurs before the maturation of neural systems and its association with brain development. The early microbiome interactions with the gut-brain axis evolved to stimulate cognitive activities.

The mechanisms of Chr.9p21.3 risk locus in coronary artery disease - where are we today?

Despite the advancements and release of new therapeutics in the past few years, cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) have remained the number one cause of death worldwide. Genetic variation of a 9p21.3 genomic locus has been identified as the most significant and robust genetic CVD risk marker on the population level, with the strongest association with coronary artery disease (CAD) and other diseases, including diabetes and cancer.

Cancer Cells Show Higher Sensitivity to Melatonin-Tamoxifen Drug Conjugates than to Combination of Melatonin and Tamoxifen.

Drug conjugates of tamoxifen and melatonin linked through the amide side chain of melatonin (,) were reported as promising agents for future treatment of breast cancer, possibly reversing the adverse effects of tamoxifen. Here, we report the synthesis and pharmacological evaluation of a novel series of anticancer drug conjugates linking melatonin with tamoxifen through polymethylene spacers through the ether oxygen of melatonin (-, -, ) and compare them to the previously reported amide-linked analogues and . All hybrid ligands are antagonists of estrogen receptor alpha and agonists of the melatonin MT receptor with variable potencies.

Circular RNA circ_0061183 regulates microglial polarization induced by airborne ultrafine particles in HMC3 cells via sponging miR-98-5p.

Airborne ultrafine particulate matter (PM) can enter the brain, induce microglia activation, and promote the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Circular RNAs (circRNAs) are also involved in AD pathogenesis. However, the role of AD-related circRNAs in PM-induced microglia activation remains unclear.

The emerging roles of particulate matter-changed non-coding RNAs in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease: A comprehensive in silico analysis and review.

Research on epigenetic‒environmental interactions in the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has accelerated rapidly in recent decades. Numerous studies have demonstrated the contribution of ambient particulate matter (PM) to the onset of AD. Emerging evidence indicates that non-coding RNAs (ncRNAs), including long non-coding RNAs, circular RNAs, and microRNAs, play a role in the pathophysiology of AD.

System Genetics Analysis Reveals Sex Differences in Human Aortic Smooth Muscle Gene Expression.

Background: Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the leading causes of death worldwide. The buildup of atherosclerotic plaque, including lipids and cellular waste, characterizes this disease. Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) can migrate and proliferate to form a fibrous cap that stabilizes the atherosclerotic plaque in response to plaque buildup.

Adverse outcome pathway for the neurotoxicity of Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances: A systematic review.

Per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances (PFAS) are endocrine disruptors with unambiguous neurotoxic effects. However, due to variability in experimental models, population characteristics, and molecular endpoints, the elucidation of mechanisms underlying PFAS-induced neurotoxicity remains incomplete. In this review, we utilized the adverse outcome pathway (AOP) framework, a comprehensive tool for evaluating toxicity across multiple biological levels (molecular, cellular, tissue and organ, individual, and population), to elucidate the mechanisms of neurotoxicity induced by PFAS.

Whisker stimulation with different frequencies reveals non-uniform modulation of functional magnetic resonance imaging signal across sensory systems in awake rats.

Primary sensory systems are classically considered to be separate units, however there is current evidence that there are notable interactions between them. We examined the cross-sensory interplay by applying a quiet and motion-tolerant zero echo time functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technique to elucidate the evoked brain-wide responses to whisker pad stimulation in awake and anesthetized rats. Specifically, characterized the brain-wide responses in core and non-core regions to whisker pad stimulation by the varying stimulation-frequency, and determined whether isoflurane-medetomidine anesthesia, traditionally used in preclinical imaging, confounded investigations related to sensory integration.

Blood cytokines in major depressive disorder in drug-naïve adolescents: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is the most common mental health problem worldwide. Increased levels of inflammation are associated with MDD, though this relationship has been suggested to be bidirectional. The first incidence of a depressive episode usually occurs during adolescence.

Association between the dietary inflammatory index and risk of lung cancer: a multi-centered case-control study.

Purpose: Dietary factors might contribute to the risk of lung cancer by increasing the concentration of inflammatory markers. The literature-derived Dietary Inflammatory Index (DII) has been established to evaluate the inflammatory potential of diet correlated with inflammatory markers. The association between DII scores and the risk of lung cancer has been conflicting.

In vivo rat brain mapping of multiple gray matter water populations using nonparametric D(ω)-R-R distributions MRI.

Massively multidimensional diffusion magnetic resonance imaging combines tensor-valued encoding, oscillating gradients, and diffusion-relaxation correlation to provide multicomponent subvoxel parameters depicting some tissue microstructural features. This method was successfully implemented ex vivo in microimaging systems and clinical conditions with tensor-valued gradient waveform of variable duration giving access to a narrow diffusion frequency (ω) range. We demonstrate here its preclinical in vivo implementation with a protocol of 389 contrast images probing a wide diffusion frequency range of 18 to 92 Hz at b-values up to 2.