Glutathione Depletion and MicroRNA Dysregulation in Multiple System Atrophy: A Review.

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a rare neurodegenerative disease characterized by parkinsonism, cerebellar impairment, and autonomic failure. Although the causes of MSA onset and progression remain uncertain, its pathogenesis may involve oxidative stress via the generation of excess reactive oxygen species and/or destruction of the antioxidant system. One of the most powerful antioxidants is glutathione, which plays essential roles as an antioxidant enzyme cofactor, cysteine-storage molecule, major redox buffer, and neuromodulator, in addition to being a key antioxidant in the central nervous system.

Interplay of RNA-Binding Proteins and microRNAs in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The number of patients with neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) is increasing, along with the growing number of older adults. This escalation threatens to create a medical and social crisis. NDs include a large spectrum of heterogeneous and multifactorial pathologies, such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, frontotemporal dementia, Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease and multiple system atrophy, and the formation of inclusion bodies resulting from protein misfolding and aggregation is a hallmark of these disorders.

Inhibition of miR-96-5p in the mouse brain increases glutathione levels by altering NOVA1 expression.

Glutathione (GSH) is an important antioxidant that plays a critical role in neuroprotection. GSH depletion in neurons induces oxidative stress and thereby promotes neuronal damage, which in turn is regarded as a hallmark of the early stage of neurodegenerative diseases. The neuronal GSH level is mainly regulated by cysteine transporter EAAC1 and its inhibitor, GTRAP3-18.

MicroRNA: A Key Player for the Interplay of Circadian Rhythm Abnormalities, Sleep Disorders and Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Circadian rhythms are endogenous 24-h oscillators that regulate the sleep/wake cycles and the timing of biological systems to optimize physiology and behavior for the environmental day/night cycles. The systems are basically generated by transcription-translation feedback loops combined with post-transcriptional and post-translational modification. Recently, evidence is emerging that additional non-coding RNA-based mechanisms are also required to maintain proper clock function.

Direct and Indirect Harassment Experiences and Burnout among Academic Faculty in Japan.

The purpose of this study is three-fold: (1) to compare harassment (sexual, gender, and academic harassment both directly and indirectly experienced - i.e. "directly harassed" and "have seen or heard of someone who experienced harassment", respectively) experienced by males and females, (2) to investigate whether such experiences correlate with burnout, and (3) to explore whether social support might mitigate any such relationship between harassment and burnout.

Pre-pregnancy body mass index as a predictor of low birth weight infants in Japan.

Background And Objectives: The prevalence of low birth weight (LBW) infants in Japan has doubled in the last several decades. The objective of this study was to examine the effects of pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) on LBW infants of Japanese women.

Methods And Study Design: This retrospective study was conducted using data on 1,336 mothers (mean age, 34.

Long working hours and pregnancy complications: women physicians survey in Japan.

Background: Previous studies have investigated the impact of occupational risk factors on health outcomes among physicians. However, few studies have investigated the effects on pregnancy outcomes among physicians. In this study, we examined the association between working hours during pregnancy and pregnancy complications among physicians.