Decoding Urinary Tract Infection Trends: A 5-Year Snapshot from Central Portugal.

Introduction: This study analyzes urinary tract infections (UTIs) in a hospital in Central Portugal over a five-year period, focusing on bacterial prevalence, patient demographics, and antibiotic resistance patterns. This investigation aims to provide insights that can guide improved infection control and treatment strategies.

Methods: A total of 6161 positive urine cultures collected over five years were examined, with particular emphasis on 2019 due to a peak in infection rates.

Functional differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells into neuron-like cells exhibiting electrophysiological activity.

Background And Aim: Human dental pulp stem cells (hDPSCs) constitute a promising alternative for central nervous system (CNS) cell therapy. Unlike other human stem cells, hDPSCs can be differentiated, without genetic modification, to neural cells that secrete neuroprotective factors. However, a better understanding of their real capacity to give rise to functional neurons and integrate into synaptic networks is still needed.

Adhesive and Conductive Fibrous Hydrogel Bandages for Effective Peripheral Nerve Regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injury is a common disease resulting in reversible and irreversible impairments of motor and sensory functions. In addition to conventional surgical interventions such as nerve grafting and neurorrhaphy, nerve guidance conduits are used to effectively support axonal growth without unexpected neuroma formation. However, there are still challenges to secure tissue-mimetic mechanical and electrophysiological properties of the conduit materials.

GPCR oligomerization across classes: A2AR-mediated regulation of mGlu5R activation.

The adenosine A receptor (AR), a class A GPCR, is a known player in neurological diseases, including Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's disease, and is also implicated in SARS-CoV-2 infection. Recent studies have revealed its oligomerization with metabotropic glutamate receptor type 5 (mGluR), a class C G protein coupled receptor (GPCR) that exists in the homodimeric form. Simultaneous activation of both receptors synergistically enhances mGluR-mediated effects in the hippocampus.

Cellular expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 and amyloid beta deposition in human and rat epileptogenic brain.

Decreased capillary expression of low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (LRP1) has been linked to increased brain amyloid beta (Aβ) accumulation in Alzheimer's disease (AD). Aβ accumulation has also been observed in (a subset of) temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) patients, suggesting a potential link between epilepsy and AD. This study examines cellular LRP1 expression in human and rat epileptogenic brain tissue to explore LRP1's role in epilepsy.

An update on drug repurposing in Parkinson's disease: Preclinical and clinical considerations.

The strategy of drug repositioning has historically played a significant role in the identification of new treatments for Parkinson's disease. Still today, numerous clinical and preclinical studies are investigating drug classes, already marketed for the treatment of metabolic disorders, for their potential use in Parkinson's disease patients. While drug repurposing offers a promising, fast, and cost-effective path to new treatments, these drugs still require thorough preclinical evaluation to assess their efficacy, addressing the specific neurodegenerative mechanisms of the disease.

Significance of birth in the maintenance of quiescent neural stem cells.

Birth is one of the most important life events for animals. However, its significance in the developmental process is not fully understood. Here, we found that birth-induced alteration of glutamine metabolism in radial glia (RG), the embryonic neural stem cells (NSCs), is required for the acquisition of quiescence and long-term maintenance of postnatal NSCs.

Depressive Symptoms and Amyloid Pathology.

Importance: Depressive symptoms are associated with cognitive decline in older individuals. Uncertainty about underlying mechanisms hampers diagnostic and therapeutic efforts. This large-scale study aimed to elucidate the association between depressive symptoms and amyloid pathology.

Emotional Movement Kinematics Guide Twelve-Month-Olds' Visual, but Not Manual, Exploration.

The ability to recognize and act on others' emotions is crucial for navigating social interactions successfully and learning about the world. One way in which others' emotions are observable is through their movement kinematics. Movement information is available even at a distance or when an individual's face is not visible.

Prone Transpsoas Lumbar Interbody Fusion for Degenerative Disc Disease.

Background: Prone transpsoas lumbar interbody fusion (PTP) is a newer technique to treat various spinal disc pathologies. PTP is a variation of lateral lumbar interbody fusion (LLIF) that is performed with the patient prone rather than in the lateral decubitus position. This approach offers similar benefits of lateral spinal surgery, which include less blood loss, shorter hospital stay, and quicker recovery compared with traditional open spine surgery.

Dendritic cells in triple-negative breast cancer: From pathophysiology to therapeutic applications.

Breast cancer is the second most commonly diagnosed cancer in women and the fifth leading cause of cancer-related deaths worldwide. It is a highly heterogeneous disease, consisting of multiple subtypes that vary significantly in clinical characteristics and survival outcomes. Triple-negative breast cancer (TNBC) is a particularly aggressive and challenging subtype of breast cancer.

Nav1.8, an analgesic target for nonpsychotomimetic phytocannabinoids.

Pain impacts billions of people worldwide, but treatment options are limited and have a spectrum of adverse effects. The search for safe and nonaddictive pain treatments has led to a focus on key mediators of nociceptor excitability. Voltage-gated sodium (Nav) channels in the peripheral nervous system-Nav1.

The (un)known crosstalk between metabolism and mechanotransduction: Implications for metabolic syndrome (MetS)-associated neurological complications.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) has been associated with disruptions in tissue mechanical homeostasis and inflammatory and metabolic derangements. However, the direct correlation between metabolic alterations and changes in tissue stiffness, and whether they could play a role as upstream initiators of disease pathology remains to be investigated. This emerging concept has yet to be put into clinical practice as many questions concerning the interplay between extracellular matrix mechanical properties and regulation of metabolic pathways remain unsolved.

Targeted Metabolomics for the Analysis of Cresol in Mouse Brain: Impact of Biological Sex and Strain.

-Cresol, an environmental contaminant and endogenous metabolite derived primarily from the conversion of l-tyrosine by intestinal microflora, is gaining increasing attention, due to its potential impact on human health. Recent studies have highlighted elevated levels of -cresol and its metabolites, including -cresyl sulfate and -cresyl glucuronide, in various populations, suggesting a correlation with neurodevelopmental and neurodegenerative conditions. While the role of this compound as a uremic toxin is well established, its presence and concentration within the central nervous system (CNS) remain largely unexplored.

Chitinase-3-like-1: a multifaceted player in neuroinflammation and degenerative pathologies with therapeutic implications.

Chitinase-3-like-1 (CHI3L1) is an evolutionarily conserved protein involved in key biological processes, including tissue remodeling, angiogenesis, and neuroinflammation. It has emerged as a significant player in various neurodegenerative diseases and brain disorders. Elevated CHI3L1 levels have been observed in neurological conditions such as traumatic brain injury (TBI), Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD), Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), multiple sclerosis (MS), Neuromyelitis optica (NMO), HIV-associated dementia (HAD), Cerebral ischemic stroke (CIS), and brain tumors.

Histone Methyltransferase G9a in Primary Sensory Neurons Promotes Inflammatory Pain and Transcription of and via Bivalent Histone Modifications.

Transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) and vanilloid 1 (TRPV1) channels are crucial for detecting and transmitting nociceptive stimuli. Inflammatory pain is associated with sustained increases in TRPA1 and TRPV1 expression in primary sensory neurons. However, the epigenetic mechanisms driving this upregulation remain unknown.

Epilepsy and employment: A qualitative interview study with heads of human resources and occupational physicians in Austria - A call for legislative optimization according to the WHO Intersectoral Global Action Plan.

Objective: People with epilepsy (PWEs) often face difficulties in obtaining or keeping employment. To determine the views on this topic of the heads of human resources (HHRs) and occupational physicians (OCPs).

Method: Twelve HHRs and five OCPs underwent a telephone interview concerning the opportunities and limitations of job applications for PWEs.

Prognostic Value of Signal Abnormalities on Brain MRI in Post-Anoxic Super-Refractory Status Epilepticus: A Single-Center Retrospective Study.

Background: Epileptiform activity, including status epilepticus (SE), occurs in up to one-third of comatose survivors of cardiac arrest and may predict poor outcome. The relationship between SE and hypoxic-ischemic brain injury (HIBI) is not established.

Methods: This is a single-center retrospective study on consecutive patients with post-anoxic super-refractory SE.

Episodic and associative memory from spatial scaffolds in the hippocampus.

Hippocampal circuits in the brain enable two distinct cognitive functions: the construction of spatial maps for navigation, and the storage of sequential episodic memories. Although there have been advances in modelling spatial representations in the hippocampus, we lack good models of its role in episodic memory. Here we present a neocortical-entorhinal-hippocampal network model that implements a high-capacity general associative memory, spatial memory and episodic memory.

Inhibition of methionine aminopeptidase in C2C12 myoblasts disrupts cell integrity via increasing endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Proteasome-dependent protein degradation and the digestion of peptides by aminopeptidases are essential for myogenesis. Methionine aminopeptidases (MetAPs) are uniquely involved in, both, the proteasomal degradation of proteins and in the regulation of translation (via involvement in post-translational modification). Suppressing MetAP1 and MetAP2 expression inhibits the myogenic differentiation of C2C12 myoblasts.

Impact of Nutrition on the Gut Microbiota: Implications for Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative disease that is characterized by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta and by the anomalous accumulation of α-synuclein aggregates into Lewy bodies and Lewy neurites. Research suggests 2 distinct subtypes of PD: the brain-first subtype if the pathology arises from the brain and then spreads to the peripheral nervous system (PNS) and the body-first subtype, where the pathological process begins in the PNS and then spreads to the central nervous system. This review primarily focuses on the body-first subtype.

Glia: The Cellular Glue that binds Circadian Rhythms and Sleep.

Glia are increasingly appreciated as serving an important function in the control of sleep and circadian rhythms. Glial cells in Drosophila and mammals regulate daily rhythms of locomotor activity and sleep as well as homeostatic rebound following sleep deprivation. In addition, they contribute to proposed functions of sleep, with different functions mapping to varied glial subtypes.