140 results match your criteria: "Zayed Centre for Research[Affiliation]"

Climate change and disorders of the nervous system.

Lancet Neurol

June 2024

Centre for Neuromuscular Diseases, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK; MRC International Centre for Genomic Medicine in Neuromuscular Diseases, Department of Neuromuscular Diseases, UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, University College London, London, UK.

Anthropogenic climate change is affecting people's health, including those with neurological and psychiatric diseases. Currently, making inferences about the effect of climate change on neurological and psychiatric diseases is challenging because of an overall sparsity of data, differing study methods, paucity of detail regarding disease subtypes, little consideration of the effect of individual and population genetics, and widely differing geographical locations with the potential for regional influences. However, evidence suggests that the incidence, prevalence, and severity of many nervous system conditions (eg, stroke, neurological infections, and some mental health disorders) can be affected by climate change.

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Background: Genetic syndromes of hyperkinetic movement disorders associated with epileptic encephalopathy and intellectual disability are becoming increasingly recognized. Recently, a de novo heterozygous NACC1 (nucleus accumbens-associated 1) missense variant was described in a patient cohort including one patient with a combined mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation (OXPHOS) deficiency.

Objectives: The objective is to characterize the movement disorder in affected patients with the recurrent c.

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Article Synopsis
  • Cockayne syndrome (CS) is a rare genetic disorder caused by mutations in proteins CSA or CSB, leading to severe neurological symptoms and developmental dysregulation.
  • Researchers studied induced pluripotent stem cells from CS patients and healthy controls to compare their development using neurospheres and cerebral organoids, focusing on gene expression changes (RNA-Seq).
  • Findings revealed that CSB-deficient cells had altered signaling pathways, including upregulation of techniques related to growth and downregulation of processes essential for brain and neuron development, indicating that CS affects both neurodevelopment and neurodegeneration.
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Nonwoven fiber meshes for oxygen sensing.

Biosens Bioelectron

July 2024

Nanoengineered Systems Laboratory, UCL Mechanical Engineering, University College London, London, WC1E 7JE, United Kingdom; Wellcome/EPSRC Centre for Interventional and Surgical Sciences-WEISS, University College London, London, W1W 7TS, United Kingdom. Electronic address:

Article Synopsis
  • Accurate oxygen sensing is vital for the use of wearable devices in clinical and non-clinical settings; this research presents a method to create nonwoven polymeric fibrous mats for this purpose.
  • The study utilizes airbrush spraying to manufacture nonwoven fiber meshes that integrate a phosphorescent dye, demonstrating non-cytotoxicity and enhanced oxygen sensitivity.
  • The final product features improvements in mechanical properties and enables oxygen concentration mapping using smartphone cameras, indicating potential advancements in cell culture and healthcare monitoring.
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APP gene dosage is strongly associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. Genomic duplication of the APP locus leads to autosomal dominant early-onset AD. Individuals with Down syndrome (trisomy of chromosome 21) harbour three copies of the APP gene and invariably develop progressive AD with highly characteristic neuropathological features.

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Neuroblastoma is the most common extracranial solid tumour in children, comprising close to 10% of childhood cancer-related deaths. We have demonstrated that activation of NTRK1 by TP53 repression of PTPN6 expression is significantly associated with favourable survival in neuroblastoma. The molecular mechanisms by which this activation elicits cell molecular changes need to be determined.

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A "universal strategy" replacing the full-length cDNA may treat >99% of people with cystic fibrosis (pwCF), regardless of their specific mutations. Cas9-based gene editing was used to insert the cDNA and a truncated CD19 () enrichment tag at the locus in airway basal stem cells. This strategy restores CFTR function to non-CF levels.

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The 2023 ESC guidelines for the management of cardiomyopathies: the 10 commandments.

Eur Heart J

April 2024

Arrhythmia Section, Department of Cardiology, Hospital Clínic, Universitat de Barcelona, C/ del Rosselló, 149, L'Eixample, 08036, Barcelona, Spain.

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Naturally occurring stilbenoids, such as the ()-stilbenoid resveratrol and the ()-stilbenoid combretastatin A4, have been considered as promising lead compounds for the development of anticancer drugs. The antitumour properties of stilbenoids are known to be modulated by cytochrome P450 enzymes CYP1A1 and CYP1B1, which contribute to extrahepatic phase I xenobiotic and drug metabolism. Thirty-four methyl ether analogues of resveratrol were synthesised, and their anticancer properties were assessed, using the MTT cell proliferation assay on a panel of human breast cell lines.

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DNAJC6 encodes auxilin, a co-chaperone protein involved in clathrin-mediated endocytosis (CME) at the presynaptic terminal. Biallelic mutations in DNAJC6 cause a complex, early-onset neurodegenerative disorder characterized by rapidly progressive parkinsonism-dystonia in childhood. The disease is commonly associated with additional neurodevelopmental, neurological and neuropsychiatric features.

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Gene therapy for neurotransmitter-related disorders.

J Inherit Metab Dis

January 2024

Developmental Neurosciences, Zayed Centre for Research into Rare Disease in Children, Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, UK.

Article Synopsis
  • * Current strategies include gene therapies, with 38 clinical trials underway for pediatric metabolic disorders, and novel approaches for enhancing dopamine synthesis in Parkinson's disease.
  • * Recent approvals, like the AAV2 gene therapy for AADC deficiency, show promise for treating these conditions, but the review highlights the need to consider various challenges in developing effective NT gene therapies.
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Article Synopsis
  • Proximal tubular epithelial cells (PTEC) in kidneys face toxicity from metabolites and drugs, but the kidney can regenerate these damaged cells.
  • Research shows that human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSC) differentiate into proximal tubular epithelial-like cells (PTELC), which resemble PTEC and can perform crucial functions like albumin endocytosis.
  • When exposed to nephrotoxins like cisplatin and cyclosporin A, hiPSC and differentiating hiPSC are more sensitive than fully differentiated PTELC, indicating potential challenges for kidney cell regeneration.
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The Extracorporeal Life Support Organization (ELSO) maintains the world's largest extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO) registry by volume, center participation, and international scope. This 2022 ELSO Registry Report describes the program characteristics of ECMO centers, processes of ECMO care, and reported outcomes. Neonates (0-28 days), children (29 days-17 years), and adults (≥18 years) supported with ECMO from 2009 through 2022 and reported to the ELSO Registry were included.

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Dysfunction of the neuronal endolysosome and macroautophagy/autophagy pathway is emerging as an important pathogenic mechanism in frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). The (valosin-containing protein) gene is of significant relevance, directly implicated in both FTD and ALS. In our recent study, we used patient-derived stem cells to study the effects of mutations on the endolysosome and autophagy system in human cortical excitatory neurons.

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Mouse models for inherited monoamine neurotransmitter disorders.

J Inherit Metab Dis

May 2024

Department of Biomedicine and Center for Translational Research in Parkinson's Disease, University of Bergen, Bergen, Norway.

Several mouse models have been developed to study human defects of primary and secondary inherited monoamine neurotransmitter disorders (iMND). As the field continues to expand, current defects in corresponding mouse models include enzymes and a molecular co-chaperone involved in monoamine synthesis and metabolism (PAH, TH, PITX3, AADC, DBH, MAOA, DNAJC6), tetrahydrobiopterin (BH) cofactor synthesis and recycling (adGTPCH1/DRD, arGTPCH1, PTPS, SR, DHPR), and vitamin B cofactor deficiency (ALDH7A1), as well as defective monoamine neurotransmitter packaging (VMAT1, VMAT2) and reuptake (DAT). No mouse models are available for human DNAJC12 co-chaperone and PNPO-B deficiencies, disorders associated with recessive variants that result in decreased stability and function of the aromatic amino acid hydroxylases and decreased neurotransmitter synthesis, respectively.

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Molecular and Phenotypic Characterization of the -Related Disorder.

Neurology

January 2024

From the Department of Pediatric Clinical Epileptology (Z.G.-S., J.D.B., A.A.A.), Sleep Disorders and Functional Neurology, University Hospitals of Lyon, HCL, Member of ERN Epicare, France; Neuroscience Department (A.V., T.P., R.G.) IRCCS, Children's Hospital Meyer, Member of ERN Epicare, and University of Florence, Italy; Univ Lyon (L.M., N.P., D.S., N.C., J.C., G.L.), Univ Lyon 1, CNRS, INSERM, Physiopathologie et Génétique du Neurone et du Muscle, UMR5261, U1315, Institut NeuroMyoGène, France; Pediatric Neurology Unit (C.M.K., J.F.), University Hospitals of Geneva, Switzerland; Child Neurology and Psychiatric Unit (C.M., E.C.), Children's Hospital G. Salesi, Azienda Universitaria Ospedaliera delle Marche, Ancona, Italy; Department of Neurology (B.M.A.), University Hospitals of Montpellier; Department of Genetics (D.S., N.C., A. Labalme, G.L.), University Hospitals of Lyon, HCL, Member of ERN Epicare, France; Paediatric Epilepsy Research (A.A.A.), Child Neurology Department, Member of the ERN EpiCARE, San Juan de Dios Children's Hospital, Barcelona, Spain; Division of Neurology (V.A.C., S.M.R., I.H.), and The Epilepsy NeuroGenetics Initiative (ENGIN) (V.A.C., S.M.R., K.L.H., I.H.), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA; Department of Neurology (V.A.C., S.M.R., I.H.), University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, Philadelphia; Univ Rouen Normandie (F.L., G.N.), Inserm U1245 and CHU Rouen, Department of Genetics and Reference Center for Developmental Disorders; Department of Pediatric Neurology (G.A.M., A. Lebas), University Hospitals of Rouen; Department of Pediatric Neurology (H.O.T.), Hospital of Alpes Léman, Annemasse, France; Department of Pediatric Neurology (A.R.), Barcelona Children's Hospital, University of Barcelona, Spain; Developmental Neurosciences (A.N., M.A.K., K.R., R.S.), Zayed Centre for Research, University College of London, Great Ormond Street Hospital, Institute of Child Health, United Kingdom; Institute of Medical Genetics (P.J.), University of Zürich; Department of Neuropediatrics (G. Ramantani, K.S.), University Children's Hospital and University of Zürich, Switzerland; Department of Neurology (M.K.), Medical University of Vienna, Austria; Division of Pediatric Neurology, Developmental Medicine and Social Pediatrics (L.G.), Department of Pediatrics, Dr. von Hauner Children's Hospital, Ludwig-Maximilians-University, Munich, Germany; Institute of Human Genetics (S.V.), Medical University of Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria; Werner-Forßmann-Krankenhaus (S.V., S.T.), Eberswalde, Germany; Pediatric Neurology Discipline (D.C.), Neurosciences Department, Carol Davila University of Medicine Bucharest; Pediatric Neurology Clinic (D.C.), Al Obregia Hospital, Center of Expertise for Pediatric Neurology Rare Disorders, Member of ERN EpiCARE, Bucharest, Romania; Institute of Clinical Molecular Biology (M.P., I.H.), Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany; Mission Fullerton Genetics Center (C.H.-E.), Asheville, NC; Department of Neurology (I.K.), Svt. Luka's Institute of Child Neurology and Epilepsy, Moscow; Department of Medical Genetics (I.R.), Kazan State University, Russia; Division of Child Neurology (D.S.R.), Department of Pediatrics, UPMC Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh, PA; Department of Molecular and Human Genetics (J.A.R.), Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX; Division of Clinical Genetics and Dysmorphology (M.A., K.G., J.M.G.), Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Los Angeles, CA; Department of Neurology (A.I.), University Hospitals of Armand Trousseau, AP-HP, Paris; Department of Pediatric Neurology (N.V.), University Hospitals of Marseille, AP-HM; Univ. Lille (T.S.), CHU Lille, ULR7364, RADEME, Institute of Medical Genetics; Department of Clinical Genetics (R.C.), CHU Lille, France; Institute of Human Genetics (P.Z., S.N., K.P., T.B., I.M., M.R., R.A.J.), University of Leipzig Medical Center, Germany; Institute of Human Genetics (S.T.), Medical University of Innsbruck, Austria; Department of Biomedical and Health Informatics (DBHi) (I.H.), Children's Hospital of Philadelphia, PA; Department of Pediatric Neurology (F.E.J., K.K.), Brain Center UMC Utrecht, Member of ERN Epicare, Utrecht, the Netherlands; Department of Neurology (G. Rudolf), Strasbourg University Hospital; and Nantes Université (S.K.), CHU Nantes, Service de Génétique Médicale, and CNRS, INSERM, l'institut du thorax, France.

Background And Objectives: Heterozygous variants in RAR-related orphan receptor B () have recently been associated with susceptibility to idiopathic generalized epilepsy. However, few reports have been published so far describing pathogenic variants of this gene in patients with epilepsy and intellectual disability (ID). In this study, we aimed to delineate the epilepsy phenotype associated with pathogenic variants and to provide arguments in favor of the pathogenicity of variants.

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Aim: To review our experience of laparoscopic inguinal hernia repair (LIHR) regarding complication rates, the practice of closing the asymptomatic patent processes vaginalis (PPV), and comparison of complication rates between pre-term (< 37 week gestation) and term infants.

Methods: Retrospective review of LIHR performed between 2009 and 2021. Repair was performed by intracorporal single or double purse string/purse string + Z-stitch using a non-absorbable suture.

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Background: Alström syndrome (ALMS) is a rare autosomal recessive disease that is associated with mutations in ALMS1 gene. The main clinical manifestations of ALMS are retinal dystrophy, obesity, type 2 diabetes mellitus, dilated cardiomyopathy and multi-organ fibrosis, characteristic in kidneys and liver. Depletion of the protein encoded by ALMS1 has been associated with the alteration of different processes regulated via the primary cilium, such as the NOTCH or TGF-β signalling pathways.

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Aims: The validated HCM Risk-Kids model provides accurate individualized estimates of sudden cardiac death risk in children with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM). A second validated model, PRIMaCY, also provides individualized estimates of risk, but its performance and clinical impact has not been independently investigated. The aim of this study was to investigate the clinical impact of using the PRIMaCY sudden cardiac death (SCD) risk model in childhood HCM.

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Article Synopsis
  • Whole genome sequencing (WGS) is being increasingly used to diagnose rare diseases, but traditional methods often have low diagnostic yields, typically 25-30%.
  • In a study involving 122 rare disease patients and their relatives, a comprehensive bioinformatics approach led to a diagnostic yield of 35%, with 39% solved when including novel gene candidates.
  • The study also identified several novel genes, expanded the phenotypic understanding of existing conditions, and resulted in critical changes to clinical diagnoses and treatments for some patients.
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Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) are two incurable neurodegenerative diseases that exist on a clinical, genetic and pathological spectrum. The VCP gene is highly relevant, being directly implicated in both FTD and ALS. Here, we investigate the effects of VCP mutations on the cellular homoeostasis of human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived cortical neurons, focusing on endolysosomal biology and tau pathology.

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Background: Pantothenate kinase-associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) is a rare, neurodegenerative disorder that manifests with progressive loss of ambulation and refractory dystonia, especially in the early-onset classic form. This leads to osteopenia and stress on long bones, which pose an increased risk of atraumatic femur fractures. The purpose of this study is to describe the unique challenges in managing femur fractures in PKAN and the effect of disease manifestations on surgical outcomes.

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Analysis of genetic variability in Turner syndrome linked to long-term clinical features.

Front Endocrinol (Lausanne)

October 2023

Genetics & Genomic Medicine Research and Teaching Department, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, University College London, London, United Kingdom.

Background: Women with Turner syndrome (TS) (45,X and related karyotypes) have an increased prevalence of conditions such as diabetes mellitus, obesity, hypothyroidism, autoimmunity, hypertension, and congenital cardiovascular anomalies (CCA). Whilst the risk of developing these co-morbidities may be partly related to haploinsufficiency of key genes on the X chromosome, other mechanisms may be involved. Improving our understanding of underlying processes is important to develop personalized approaches to management.

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Article Synopsis
  • Bilirubin-induced neurological damage (BIND) can lead to kernicterus due to defects in bilirubin conjugation, allowing free bilirubin to harm the brain.
  • Researchers used human-induced pluripotent stem cell (hiPSC)-derived 3D brain organoids to study BIND and its effects on the developing brain, finding that free bilirubin causes neuro-inflammation.
  • Gene analyses revealed activation of inflammatory pathways and an increase in pro-inflammatory cytokines, suggesting that this hiPSC model is a valuable tool for understanding BIND and kernicterus.
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