Glucose transporter 1 in vascular smooth muscle cells is dispensable for abdominal aortic aneurysm induced by angiotensin II.

Treatment with an inhibitor of glucose use via glucose transporters (GLUT) has been shown to attenuate experimental abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) development in mice. Vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) signaling seems to be essential for angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced AAA in mice. Accordingly, we have tested a hypothesis that VSMC silencing of the major GLUT, GLUT1, prevents AAA development and rupture in mice treated with Ang II plus β-aminopropionitrile.

The use of a pre-hospital questionnaire expedited the acute management of patients with ischemic stroke in a comprehensive stroke center.

Background: Delays in intravenous thrombolysis (IVT) treatment for acute ischemic stroke decrease the benefit of treatment. Difficulties determining a patient's clinical eligibility for IVT is a frequent cause of treatment delays.

Objective: We aimed to assess the effectiveness of the "PROVIDENCE" datasheet, a pre- hospital assessment of contraindications for IVT use applied by emergency medical services personnel.

Current Mouse Models of Intracranial Aneurysms: Analysis of Pharmacological Agents Used to Induce Aneurysms and Their Impact on Translational Research.

Intracranial aneurysms (IAs) are rare vascular lesions that are more frequently found in women. The pathophysiology behind the formation and growth of IAs is complex. Hence, to date, no single pharmacological option exists to treat them.

Plasma-derived biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease and neuropsychiatric symptoms: A community-based study.

Introduction: We examined associations between plasma-derived biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (AD) and neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) in community-dwelling older adults.

Methods: Cross-sectional study involving 1005 persons ≥50 years of age (mean 74 years, 564 male, 118 cognitively impaired), who completed plasma-derived biomarker (amyloid beta 42 [Aβ42]/Aβ40, phosphorylated tau 181 [p-tau181], p-tau217, total tau [t-tau], neurofilament light [NfL]), and NPS assessment.

Results: P-tau181 (odds ratio [OR] 2.

Interactions Between Neuropsychiatric Symptoms and Alzheimer's Disease Neuroimaging Biomarkers in Predicting Longitudinal Cognitive Decline.

Objective: To examine interactions between Neuropsychiatric symptoms (NPS) with Pittsburgh Compound B (PiB) and fluorodeoxyglucose positron emission tomography (FDG-PET) in predicting cognitive trajectories.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study in the setting of the population-based Mayo Clinic Study of Aging in Olmsted County, MN, involving 1581 cognitively unimpaired (CU) persons aged ≥50 years (median age 71.83 years, 54.

Functional Movement Disorders and Deep Brain Stimulation: A Multi-Center Study.

Background: Functional movement disorders (FMD) are a commonly under-recognized diagnosis in patients with underlying neurodegenerative diseases. FMD have been observed in patients undergoing deep brain stimulation (DBS) for Parkinson's disease (PD) and other movement disorders. The prevalence of coexisting FMD among movement disorder-related DBS patients is unknown, and it may occur more often than previously recognized.

Intracranial Hemorrhage Rate and Lesion Burden in Patients With Familial Cerebral Cavernous Malformation.

Background Familial cerebral cavernous alformation (CCM) is an autosomal dominant disease caused by mutations in , , or . Cases typically present with multiple lesions, strong family history, and neurological symptoms, including seizures, headaches, or other deficits. Intracranial hemorrhage (ICH) is a severe manifestation of CCM, which can lead to death or long-term neurological deficits.

Endoplasmic Reticulum Chemical Chaperone 3-Hydroxy-2-Naphthoic Acid Reduces Angiotensin II-Induced Vascular Remodeling and Hypertension In Vivo and Protein Synthesis In Vitro.

Background Investigations into alternative treatments for hypertension are necessary because current treatments cannot fully reduce the risk for the development of cardiovascular diseases. Chronic activation of unfolded protein response attributable to the endoplasmic reticulum stress has been proposed as a potential therapeutic target for hypertension and associated vascular remodeling. Triggered by the accumulation of misfolded proteins, chronic unfolded protein response leads to downstream signaling of cellular inflammation and dysfunction.

Level I PD-MCI Using Global Cognitive Tests and the Risk for Parkinson's Disease Dementia.

Background: The criteria for PD-MCI allow the use of global cognitive tests. Their predictive value for conversion from PD-MCI to PDD, especially compared to comprehensive neuropsychological assessment, is unknown.

Methods: The MDS PD-MCI Study Group combined four datasets containing global cognitive tests as well as a comprehensive neuropsychological assessment to define PD-MCI (n = 467).

Suppression of BMP signaling by PHD2 deficiency in Pulmonary Arterial hypertension.

BMP signaling deficiency is evident in the lungs of patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension. We demonstrated that PHD2 deficiency suppresses BMP signaling in the lung endothelial cells, suggesting the novel mechanisms of dysregulated BMP signaling in the development of pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Automated semantic relevance as an indicator of cognitive decline: Out-of-sample validation on a large-scale longitudinal dataset.

We developed and evaluated an automatically extracted measure of cognition (semantic relevance) using automated and manual transcripts of audio recordings from healthy and cognitively impaired participants describing the Cookie Theft picture from the Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination. We describe the rationale and metric validation. We developed the measure on one dataset and evaluated it on a large database (>2000 samples) by comparing accuracy against a manually calculated metric and evaluating its clinical relevance.

Vascular risk profile and white matter hyperintensity volume among Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic Whites: The HABLE study.

Introduction: Among vascular risk factors we hypothesized that an increased prevalence of diabetes in Hispanics would be associated with greater white matter hyperintensity (WMH) volume, which may contribute to cognitive decline.

Methods: A total of 1318 participants (60% female; 49% Hispanic, 51% non-Hispanic White; age 66.2 ± 8.

Impact of Mild Cognitive Impairment on Quality of Life in Young and Typical Onset Parkinson's Disease.

Introduction: Younger age of onset and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are both independently associated with poorer quality of life (QOL) in Parkinson's disease (PD).

Objectives: The primary objective was to determine whether MCI differentially impacts QOL in young-onset PD (YOPD) and typical-onset PD (TOPD).

Methods: YOPD patients (n = 77) were diagnosed at age 50 or younger, TOPD (n = 77) were diagnosed after age 50, and the groups were matched for cognitive status, education, and disease duration.

Is diabetes associated with increased pathological burden in Alzheimer's disease?

Introduction: We examined the association between Alzheimer's disease (AD) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM) and hypothesized that diabetes is associated with an increased pathological burden in clinically and pathologically diagnosed AD.

Methods: All data were obtained from the Uniform Data Set (UDS) v3, the Neuropathology Data Set, and the Researcher's Data Dictionary-Genetic Data from the National Alzheimer's Coordinating Center. The dataset (37 cases with diabetes and 1158 cases without) relies on autopsy-confirmed data in clinically diagnosed AD patients who were assessed for diabetes type in form A5 or D2 during at least one visit.

MRI biomarkers of small vessel disease and cognition: A cross-sectional study of a cognitively normal Mexican American cohort.

Background: The current project sought to evaluate the impact that white matter hyperintensities (WMH) have on executive function in cognitively normal Mexican Americans, an underserved population with onset and more rapid progression of dementia.

Methods: Data from 515 participants (360 female) enrolled in the Health and Aging Brain Study: Health Disparities project were analyzed. Participants underwent clinical evaluation, cognitive testing, and a brain MRI.

The Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study methods and participant characteristics.

Introduction: Mexican Americans remain severely underrepresented in Alzheimer's disease (AD) research. The Health & Aging Brain among Latino Elders (HABLE) study was created to fill important gaps in the existing literature.

Methods: Community-dwelling Mexican Americans and non-Hispanic White adults and elders (age 50 and above) were recruited.