Aberrant Structural-Functional Coupling of Large-scale Brain Networks in Older Women with Subthreshold Depression.

Objectives: Subthreshold depression (SD) is common in the older population, more so in females than males, and can lead to serious physical and mental ill-health. However, the underlying neurobiology remains unclear. This study used multimodal magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to investigate the topological organization and coupling of the structural and functional brain networks in older women with SD.

A bibliometric and visualization analysis of electrochemical biosensors for early diagnosis of eye diseases.

Electrochemical biosensors can provide an economical, accurate and rapid method for early screening of disease biomarkers in clinical medicine due to their high sensitivity, selectivity, portability, low cost and easy manufacturing, and multiplexing capability. Tear, a fluid naturally secreted by the human body, is not only easily accessible but also contains a great deal of biological information. However, no bibliometric studies focus on applying electrochemical sensors in tear/eye diseases.

Dispersion-based cognitive intra-individual variability in former American football players: Association with traumatic encephalopathy syndrome, repetitive head impacts, and biomarkers.

Exposure to repetitive head impacts (RHI), such as those experienced in American football, is linked to cognitive dysfunction later in life. Traumatic encephalopathy syndrome (TES) is a proposed clinical syndrome thought to be linked to neuropath-ology of chronic traumatic encephalopathy (CTE), a condition associated with RHI from football. Cognitive intra-individual variability (d-CIIV) measures test-score dispersion, indicating cognitive dysfunction.

Persistent Penumbral Profiles Indicate a Potentially Good Outcome in Acute Stroke Patients Without Major Reperfusion.

Background: It is acknowledged that penumbra can exist beyond 24 hours after stroke onset.

Aims: The aim of this study was to explore the association between penumbral persistence at 24-72 hours and clinical outcomes in patients who did not achieve major reperfusion.

Methods: Eligible patients participating in the International Stroke Perfusion Imaging Registry with repeated 24-72 hours perfusion imaging were retrospectively included in this study.

RADAR-AD: assessment of multiple remote monitoring technologies for early detection of Alzheimer's disease.

Background: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting millions worldwide, leading to cognitive and functional decline. Early detection and intervention are crucial for enhancing the quality of life of patients and their families. Remote Monitoring Technologies (RMTs) offer a promising solution for early detection by tracking changes in behavioral and cognitive functions, such as memory, language, and problem-solving skills.

Nuclear calcium signaling in D1 receptor-expressing neurons of the nucleus accumbens regulates molecular, cellular and behavioral adaptations to cocaine.

Background: The persistence of cocaine-evoked adaptations relies on gene regulations within the reward circuit, especially in the ventral striatum (i.e., nucleus accumbens (NAc)).

Inaudible airborne ultrasound affects emotional states in the olfactory bulbectomized rat depression model.

Recently, exposure to sounds with ultrasound (US) components has been shown to modulate brain activity. However, the effects of US on emotional states remain poorly understood. We previously demonstrated that the olfactory bulbectomized (OBX) rat depression model is suitable for examining the effects of audible sounds on emotionality.

The Receptor for Advanced Glycation End-products in the Mouse Anterior Cingulate Cortex is Involved in Neuron‒Astrocyte Coupling in Chronic Inflammatory Pain and Anxiety Comorbidity.

Previous studies have shown that astrocyte activation in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), accompanied by upregulation of the astrocyte marker S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B), contributes to comorbid anxiety in chronic inflammatory pain (CIP), but the exact downstream mechanism is still being explored. The receptor for advanced glycation end-products (RAGE) plays an important role in chronic pain and psychosis by recognizing ligands, including S100B. Therefore, we speculate that RAGE may be involved in astrocyte regulation of the comorbidity between CIP and anxiety by recognizing S100B.

Core blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease: A single-center real-world performance study.

Background: The new criteria for Alzheimer's disease pave the way for the introduction of core blood biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease (BBAD) into clinical practice. However, this depends on the demonstration of sufficient accuracy and robustness of BBADs in the intended population.

Objectives: To assess the diagnostic performance of core BBADs in our memory clinic, comparing them with cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) analysis.

Microstructural white matter injury contributes to cognitive decline: Besides amyloid and tau.

Background: Cognitive decline and the progression to Alzheimer's disease (AD) are traditionally associated with amyloid-beta (Aβ) and tau pathologies. This study aims to evaluate the relationships between microstructural white matter injury, cognitive decline and AD core biomarkers.

Methods: We conducted a longitudinal study of 566 participants using peak width of skeletonized mean diffusivity (PSMD) to quantify microstructural white matter injury.

Potential therapeutic effect of dimethyl fumarate on Treg/Th17 cell imbalance in biliary atresia.

The imbalance between Tregs and proinflammatory Th17 cells in children with biliary atresia (BA) causes immune damage to cholangiocytes. Dimethyl fumarate (DMF), an immunomodulatory drug, regulates the Treg/Th17 balance in diseases like multiple sclerosis (MS). This study explores DMF's effect on Treg/Th17 balance in BA and its potential mechanism.

Variation in venom yield, protein concentration and regeneration toxicity in the scorpion Buthus lienhardi.

Scorpion venom research aims to develop treatments for dangerous species and identify candidates for new drugs. The extraction of high-quality venom, which is essential, requires mastery of the extraction and maintenance of scorpions. It is in this perspective that we have undertaken this present work which aims to contribute to scientifically mastering venom yields and the factors that influence them in scorpions.

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis caused by FUS mutations: advances with broad implications.

Autosomal dominant mutations in the gene encoding the DNA and RNA binding protein FUS are a cause of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), and about 0·3-0·9% of patients with ALS are FUS mutation carriers. FUS-mutation-associated ALS (FUS-ALS) is characterised by early onset and rapid progression, compared with other forms of ALS. However, different pathogenic mutations in FUS can result in markedly different age at symptom onset and rate of disease progression.

A forward genetic screen identifies potassium channel essentiality in SHH medulloblastoma maintenance.

Distinguishing tumor maintenance genes from initiation, progression, and passenger genes is critical for developing effective therapies. We employed a functional genomic approach using the Lazy Piggy transposon to identify tumor maintenance genes in vivo and applied this to sonic hedgehog (SHH) medulloblastoma (MB). Combining Lazy Piggy screening in mice and transcriptomic profiling of human MB, we identified the voltage-gated potassium channel KCNB2 as a candidate maintenance driver.

Protocol for alleviating alcohol-induced conditioned place preference in mice using alternating bilateral sensory stimulation.

Alternating bilateral sensory stimulation (ABS) is a clinical physical therapy technique effective in treating post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, its utilization in treating conditions beyond PTSD remains limited. Here, we present a protocol to reduce ethanol-induced conditioned place preference (CPP) using 4 Hz ABS.

SERT-Deficient Mice Fed Western Diet Reveal Altered Metabolic and Pro-Inflammatory Responses of the Liver: A Link to Abnormal Behaviors.

Background: The inheritance of the short allele, encoding the serotonin transporter (SERT) in humans, increases susceptibility to neuropsychiatric and metabolic disorders, with aging and female sex further exacerbating these conditions. Both central and peripheral mechanisms of the compromised serotonin (5-HT) system play crucial roles in this context. Previous studies on SERT-deficient (Sert) mice, which model human SERT deficiency, have demonstrated emotional and metabolic disturbances, exacerbated by exposure to a high-fat Western diet (WD).

Laser Welding of Micro-Wire Stent Electrode as a Minimally Invasive Endovascular Neural Interface.

Minimally invasive endovascular stent electrodes are an emerging technology in neural engineering, designed to minimize the damage to neural tissue. However, conventional stent electrodes often rely on resistive welding and are relatively bulky, restricting their use primarily to large animals or thick blood vessels. In this study, the feasibility is explored of fabricating a laser welding stent electrode as small as 300 μm.

Chromosome 4 Duplication Associated with Strabismus Leads to Gene Expression Changes in iPSC-Derived Cortical Neurons.

Background/objectives: Strabismus is the most common ocular disorder of childhood. Three rare, recurrent genetic duplications have been associated with both esotropia and exotropia, but the mechanisms by which they contribute to strabismus are unknown. This work aims to investigate the mechanisms of the smallest of the three, a 23 kb duplication on chromosome 4 (hg38|4:25,554,985-25,578,843).

Mitochondrial base editing: from principle, optimization to application.

In recent years, mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) base editing systems have emerged as bioengineering tools. DddA-derived cytosine base editors (DdCBEs) have been developed to specifically induce C-to-T conversion in mtDNA by the fusion of sequence-programmable transcription activator-like effector nucleases (TALENs) or zinc-finger nucleases (ZFNs), and split deaminase derived from interbacterial toxins. Similar to DdCBEs, mtDNA adenine base editors have been developed with the ability to introduce targeted A-to-G conversions into human mtDNA.

Patient-reported outcomes in sarcopenia: An ICFSR task force report.

The International Conference on Frailty and Sarcopenia Research (ICFSR) Task Force convened in March 2024 to address patient-reported outcomes measures (PROMs) in the field of sarcopenia. PROMs are crucial to enhance healthcare services at both individual and societal levels. PROMs complement objective outcome measures by capturing insights that patients are best suited to judge.

Hippocampal transcriptome analysis in ClockΔ19 mice identifies pathways associated with glial cell differentiation and myelination.

Background: ClockΔ19 mice demonstrate behavioral characteristics and neurobiological changes that closely resemble those observed in bipolar disorder (BD). Notably, abnormalities in the hippocampus have been observed in patients with BD, yet direct molecular investigation of human hippocampal tissue remains challenging due to its limited accessibility.

Methods: To model BD, ClockΔ19 mice were employed.

Single-cell transcriptomic profiling of rat iridocorneal angle at perinatal stages: revisiting the development of periocular mesenchyme.

The periocular mesenchyme (POM) gives rise to key structures in the ocular anterior segment, and its malformation leads to anterior segment dysgenesis (ASD) with iridocorneal angle (ICA) abnormalities. However, the transcriptional profile of the POM and the regulatory mechanisms governing cell-fate decision during anterior eye and ICA development remain poorly understood. In this study, we performed a comprehensive time-series analysis by sequencing rat anterior ocular samples collected at five consecutive perinatal stages: embryonic days 16.

Comparative proteomic landscapes elucidate human preimplantation development and failure.

Understanding mammalian preimplantation development, particularly in humans, at the proteomic level remains limited. Here, we applied our comprehensive solution of ultrasensitive proteomic technology to measure the proteomic profiles of oocytes and early embryos and identified nearly 8,000 proteins in humans and over 6,300 proteins in mice. We observed distinct proteomic dynamics before and around zygotic genome activation (ZGA) between the two species.

Cognitive Bias in Adult Zebrafish (): A Systematic Review.

Objective: In recent years, the use of zebrafish () as laboratory models has significantly increased. Ensuring their welfare is crucial, with the cognitive bias test emerging as a valuable tool to assess their emotional state. This systematic review examines the application of the cognitive bias test in zebrafish research.