The promise of molecular science in brain health. What breakthroughs are anticipated in the next 20 years?

Brain health means optimal physiological brain function across the normal life-course. It encompasses not only healthy brain aging but also brain diseases, their diagnosis and treatment. In all these areas, molecular science has advanced our understanding.

Myostatin inhibits insulin-like growth factor 1-dependent citrate secretion and osteogenesis via nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase-4 in a mouse mesenchymal stem cell line.

Citrate is an indispensable component of bone. Reduced levels of citrate in bone and serum are reported in the elderly and in osteoporosis patients. Myostatin (Mstn) is implicated in skeletal homeostasis, but its effects on osteogenesis remain incompletely understood.

World Trade Center dust induces nasal and neurological tissue injury while propagating reduced olfaction capabilities and increased anxiety behaviors.

Previous and in vivo World Trade Center particulate matter (WTC) exposure studies have provided evidence of exposure-driven oxidative/nitrative stress and inflammation on respiratory tract and aortic tissues. What remains to be fully understood are secondary organ impacts due to WTC exposure. This study was designed to test if WTC particle-induced nasal and neurologic tissue injury may result in unforeseen functional and behavioral outcomes.

Coronavirus Disease and Cardiovascular Disease: A Literature Review.

Background And Aim: Although severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 primarily affects the respiratory system, involvement of cardiovascular system is not uncommon and a range of cardiac manifestations among Coronavirus Disease (COVID-19) patients were reported in the literature. Furthermore, it is evident from scientific literature that the incidence of deaths and hospitalizations has been increasingly more among COVID-19 subjects with pre-existing cardiovascular disease (CVD). Various pathophysiological mechanisms have been proposed to explain the cardiovascular involvement in COVID-19.

Reflex Gastroesophageal Disorders and Functional Dyspepsia: Potential Confounding Variables for the Progression of Chronic Periodontitis: A Clinical Study.

Aim: To probe into the possible connection between gastroesophageal reflux disorders (GERDs) and functionally occurring dyspepsia as a factor raising the risk of chronic periodontitis.

Materials And Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out on 40 patients with chronic periodontitis with age group between 40-60 years. The test group included 20 people diagnosed with gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD), according to the Montreal Definition and Classification agreement, and chronic periodontitis.

AdipoRon prevents myostatin-induced upregulation of fatty acid synthesis and downregulation of insulin activity in a mouse hepatocyte line.

Liver diseases such as non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) are characterized by excess hepatic accumulation of lipid droplets and triglycerides which are associated with defective insulin action. Myostatin (Mstn) and adiponectin, secreted by muscle cells and adipocytes, respectively, play important roles in regulating insulin signaling and energy metabolism. The mechanisms underlying the actions of Mstn and adiponectin remain largely unknown.

Myostatin inhibits glucose uptake via suppression of insulin-dependent and -independent signaling pathways in myoblasts.

The glucose transporter 4 (Glut4) mediates insulin-dependent glucose uptake. Glut4 expression levels are correlated with whole-body glucose homeostasis. Insulin signaling is known to recruit Glut4 to the cell surface.

Nandrolone-induced nuclear accumulation of MyoD protein is mediated by Numb, a Notch inhibitor, in C2C12 myoblasts.

Signaling via the androgen receptor (AR) stimulates myogenic progenitor differentiation. In addition, myogenic differentiation factor D (MyoD) and Numb, a Notch inhibitor, play key roles in regulating myogenic differentiation. Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, upregulates both MyoD and Numb expression in myogenic cells.

Lyme Arrhythmia in an Avid Golfer: A Diagnostic Challenge and a Therapeutic Dilemma.

Lyme disease is a multisystem disorder affecting dermatologic, cardiac, nervous and musculoskeletal systems. Cardiac manifestations occur in about 5% of Lyme infections and stem from the involvement of the cardiac conduction system, resulting in varying degrees of sino-atrioventricular block. Occasionally, Lyme infection may also present with myopericarditis.

BEZ235: When Promising Science Meets Clinical Reality.

An article in a recent issue of reports the results of a phase I clinical trial of BEZ235 in patients with advanced renal cell carcinoma. The study was terminated early due to toxicity and a lack of clinical efficacy. The rapid and concise publication of this type of clinical result is necessary for effective collaboration and, ultimately, better outcomes for cancer patients.

Novel application of brain-targeting polyphenol compounds in sleep deprivation-induced cognitive dysfunction.

Sleep deprivation produces deficits in hippocampal synaptic plasticity and hippocampal-dependent memory storage. Recent evidence suggests that sleep deprivation disrupts memory consolidation through multiple mechanisms, including the down-regulation of the cAMP-response element-binding protein (CREB) and of mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signaling. In this study, we tested the effects of a Bioactive Dietary Polyphenol Preparation (BDPP), comprised of grape seed polyphenol extract, Concord grape juice, and resveratrol, on the attenuation of sleep deprivation-induced cognitive impairment.

ANKRD1 modulates inflammatory responses in C2C12 myoblasts through feedback inhibition of NF-κB signaling activity.

Transcription factors of the nuclear factor-kappa B (NF-κB) family play a pivotal role in inflammation, immunity and cell survival responses. Recent studies revealed that NF-κB also regulates the processes of muscle atrophy. NF-κB activity is regulated by various factors, including ankyrin repeat domain 2 (AnkrD2), which belongs to the muscle ankyrin repeat protein family.

Impaired mitochondrial energy metabolism as a novel risk factor for selective onset and progression of dementia in oldest-old subjects.

Recent evidence shows that Alzheimer disease (AD) dementia in the oldest-old subjects was associated with significantly less amyloid plaque and fibrillary tangle neuropathology than in the young-old population. In this study, using quantitative (q) PCR studies, we validated genome-wide microarray RNA studies previously conducted by our research group. We found selective downregulation of mitochondrial energy metabolism genes in the brains of oldest-old, but not young-old, AD dementia cases, despite a significant lack of classic AD neuropathology features.

Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, stabilizes Numb protein through inhibition of mdm2 in C2C12 myoblasts.

Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, slows denervation atrophy of rat muscle, prevents denervation-induced nuclear accumulation of intracellular domain of the Notch receptor, and elevates expression of Numb. Numb acts as an inhibitor of Notch signaling and promotes myogenic differentiation of satellite cells. Turnover of Numb is regulated by mdm2, an E3 ubiquitin ligase.

Nandrolone reduces activation of Notch signaling in denervated muscle associated with increased Numb expression.

Nandrolone, an anabolic steroid, slows denervation-atrophy in rat muscle. The molecular mechanisms responsible for this effect are not well understood. Androgens and anabolic steroids activate Notch signaling in animal models of aging and thereby mitigate sarcopenia.