Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Vladimir Sobolev, Anastasia Nesterova, Anna Soboleva, Alexandre Mezentsev, Evgenia Dvoriankova, Anastas Piruzyan, Elena Denisova, Olga Melnichenko, Irina Korsunskaya
Summary: Our study demonstrates the involvement of PPAR-gamma in the development of psoriatic lesions, with laser treatment restoring its expression. The transcriptional regulation of PPAR-gamma is correlated with the expression of genes such as IL17, STAT3, FOXP3, and RORC in psoriatic skin and T cells.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Psychology, Experimental
Elizabeth J. Miller, Eva G. Krumhuber, Amy Dawel
Summary: “The Duchenne marker, crow's feet wrinkles, is known for indicating genuine positive emotion in smiles. This study suggests that this facial action is better understood as a marker of emotional intensity rather than genuineness. The presence of the Duchenne marker contributes to the perceived genuineness of smiles, but does not affect the genuineness of sad expressions. However, it does make sad expressions appear sadder and more negative, similar to its effect on smiles.”
Article
Neurosciences
Johannes Gruenwald, Sebastian Sieghartsleitner, Christoph Kapeller, Josef Scharinger, Kyousuke Kamada, Peter Brunner, Christoph Guger
Summary: This study systematically characterizes the fundamental signal properties of HGA in ECoG signals, including the high-gamma frequency band, HGA bandwidth, and the temporal dynamics of HGA. The results show significant variations in these signal properties across subjects and cognitive/behavioral tasks, highlighting the importance of optimizing experiment design and HGA estimation.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Susana Lopez-Lopez, Maria Jose Romero de Avila, Natalia Carolina Hernandez de Leon, Francisco Ruiz-Marcos, Victoriano Baladron, Maria Luisa Nueda, Jorge Laborda, Jose Javier Garcia-Ramirez, Eva M. Monsalve, Maria Jose M. Diaz-Guerra
Summary: NOTCH4 acts as a negative regulator in macrophage activation by interfering with proinflammatory cytokine expression and signaling pathways such as IFN-gamma and STAT1. It also modulates the balance between STAT1 and STAT3 activation, impacting the transcriptional activity of macrophages. Moreover, NOTCH4 affects NF-kappa B and TLR signaling pathways, revealing new insights into the regulation of macrophage-specific effector functions.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2021)
Article
Immunology
Beatriz Garcillan, Rebeca F. Megino, Marta Herrero-Alonso, Alberto C. Guardo, Veronica Perez-Flores, Claudia Juraske, Vincent Idstein, Jose M. Martin-Fernandez, Carsten Geisler, Wolfgang W. A. Schamel, Ana Marin, Jose R. Regueiro
Summary: CD3 subunits, especially CD3γ, play a crucial role in regulating surface TCR expression levels. Studies have shown that the EC domain of CD3γ is essential for surface TCR levels, while the IC domain is important for responding to PMA.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Shane D. McKeon, Finnegan Calabro, Ryan V. Thorpe, Alethia de la Fuente, Will Foran, Ashley C. Parr, Stephanie R. Jones, Beatriz Luna
Summary: Adolescence is a stage of development characterized by neurodevelopmental specialization of cognitive processes, specifically improvement in working memory. Human electroencephalogram (EEG) studies indicate that gamma oscillations support working memory maintenance. However, developmental differences in gamma events during working memory have not been studied.
Article
Neurosciences
Franziska Pellegrini, David J. Hawellek, Anna-Antonia Pape, Joerg F. Hipp, Markus Siegel
Summary: Our study demonstrated that gamma-band activity acts as a cortical gain mechanism that nonlinearly combines the bottom-up drive of different visual features, as evidenced by multiplicative interaction between motion coherence and contrast in their joint drive of gamma-band activity.
Review
Endocrinology & Metabolism
Apoorva Abikar, Chriswin Saimon, Prathibha Ranganathan
Summary: The breast and prostate glands are highly dependent on gonadal steroid hormones for development and homeostasis. Endocrine therapy, such as hormone deprivation, has been practiced for several decades for these cancers. However, resistance to deprivation and hormone independence pose significant challenges. Understanding opposite sex hormone signaling and developing a combination therapy to balance androgen and estrogen signaling is important in the treatment of these cancers.
FRONTIERS IN ENDOCRINOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mervat E. Asker, Sousou Ali, Seham H. Mohamed, Rasha M. A. Abdelaleem, Nahla N. Younis
Summary: This study evaluated the effects of BM-MSCs and/or EPO on fractionated gamma-irradiation induced kidney damage in rats. The results showed that these treatments significantly modulated the tested parameters and were effective in minimizing the hazard effects of radiation. BM-MSCs and EPO exhibited therapeutic potentials against nephrotoxicity induced by gamma-irradiation and EPO potentiated the repair capabilities of BM-MSCs, making the combined treatment a promising therapeutic strategy for radiotherapy-induced kidney damage.
Article
Biology
Caroline Di Bernardi Luft, Ioanna Zioga, Anastasios Giannopoulos, Gabriele Di Bona, Nicola Binetti, Andrea Civilini, Vito Latora, Isabelle Mareschal
Summary: Eye-contact affects synchronization between and within brains, with higher synchronization observed between friends and differences in synchronization between leaders and followers. Eye-contact is an inherently social signal.
COMMUNICATIONS BIOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Economics
Ana Gil Sola, Bertil Vilhelmson
Summary: This study explores how women and men use nearby amenities in urban environments and finds that gender and density have different effects on their choices. The study also finds that economic status, travel habits, and birthplace affect travel distances. Moreover, gender differences are more pronounced in leisure activity choices.
JOURNAL OF TRANSPORT GEOGRAPHY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xue Li, Quan Jiang, Guiyu Song, Mahsa Nouri Barkestani, Qianxun Wang, Shaoxun Wang, Matthew Fan, Caodi Fang, Bo Jiang, Justin Johnson, Arnar Geirsson, George Tellides, Jordan S. Pober, Dan Jane-Wit
Summary: The ZFYVE21-Rubicon-RNF34 (ZRR) signaling complex localizes on endosomes and modulates complement-mediated inflammasome activity, promoting the release of IL-1 and tissue injury. The ZRR complex increases the activation of endosome-associated caspase-1, potentially serving as a therapeutic target for attenuating inflammasome-mediated tissue injury.
NATURE COMMUNICATIONS
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tingling Zou, Lan Ma, Lili Gu, Shuhua Xi, Kaiqiang Zhang, Xiaoying Guo
Summary: This study found that excessive consumption of fluoride leads to dental fluorosis, inhibiting ameloblast differentiation and matrix degradation through the regulation of clock genes, PPAR gamma, and Wnt/beta-catenin signaling pathway.
CHEMICO-BIOLOGICAL INTERACTIONS
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Ebru S. Selen, Michael J. Wolfgang
Summary: The study revealed that activation of mTORC1 by deleting TSC1 in the liver is not enough to suppress PPAR alpha signaling or ketogenesis after fasting.
JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL CHEMISTRY
(2021)
Article
Neurosciences
Vijayakumar Mavanji, Jennifer A. Teske, Catherine M. Kotz, Giuseppe Pellizzer
Summary: Orexin-A (OXA) is a hypothalamic neuropeptide that regulates wakefulness, appetite, reward processing, muscle tone, motor activity, and other physiological processes. It increases the excitability of the sensorimotor system, which leads to an increase in awake time, muscle tone, and spontaneous physical activity (SPA).
JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE RESEARCH
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
David J. Whiteside, Maura Malpetti, P. Simon Jones, Boyd C. P. Ghosh, Ian Coyle-Gilchrist, John C. van Swieten, Harro Seelaar, Lize Jiskoot, Barbara Borroni, Raquel Sanchez-Valle, Fermin Moreno, Robert Laforce, Caroline Graff, Matthis Synofzik, Daniela Galimberti, Mario Masellis, Maria Carmela Tartaglia, Elizabeth Finger, Rik Vandenberghe, Alexandre de Mendonca, Fabrizio Tagliavini, Chris R. Butler, Isabel Santana, Isabelle Le Ber, Alexander Gerhard, Simon Ducharme, Johannes Levin, Adrian Danek, Markus Otto, Sandro Sorbi, Florence Pasquier, Arabella Bouzigues, Lucy L. Russell, Jonathan D. Rohrer, James B. Rowe, Timothy Rittman
Summary: This study investigated the role of changes in functional networks in predicting cognitive decline and conversion to symptomatic disease in familial frontotemporal dementia (FTD). The study found a characteristic pattern of dynamic network changes in FTD, which were correlated with neuropsychological impairment. Among presymptomatic mutation carriers, this pattern of network dynamics was more prominent in those who later converted to the symptomatic phase. Baseline network dynamic changes predicted future cognitive decline in symptomatic participants and older presymptomatic participants.
ALZHEIMERS & DEMENTIA
(2023)
Editorial Material
Neurosciences
Ana Dionisio, Sandra Carvalho, Joao Castelhano
FRONTIERS IN HUMAN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Neurosciences
Carolina Travassos, Alexandre Sayal, Bruno Direito, Joao Pereira, Teresa Sousa, Miguel Castelo-Branco
Summary: This study systematically reviews and analyzes the methodologies to assess the safety and compatibility of somatosensory stimulation devices in the magnetic resonance environment. The findings show a lack of uniformity in testing methodologies and suggest an assessment methodology for devices used in this environment.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Francisco M. Ribeiro, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Joana Goncalves, Joao Martins
Summary: Assessing the molecular mechanism of synaptic plasticity in the cortex is crucial for identifying potential targets in conditions marked by defective plasticity. In this review, two major plasticity protocols (ocular-dominance and cross-modal) in rodents are discussed, focusing on the molecular signaling pathways involved. Additionally, the contribution of different populations of inhibitory and excitatory neurons at different time points is highlighted. The potentially disrupted molecular and circuit alterations in various neurodevelopmental disorders are also explored, and new plasticity paradigms, such as stimulus-selective response potentiation, are presented as potential tools to repair plasticity defects.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Review
Clinical Neurology
Sara Bernardo-Castro, Joao Andre Sousa, Emanuel Martins, Helena Donato, Cesar Nunes, Otilia C. d'Almeida, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Antero Abrunhosa, Lino Ferreira, Joao Sargento-Freitas
Summary: This study aims to assess the evolution of blood-brain barrier permeability (BBBp) throughout different phases of ischemic stroke and its impact on patient outcomes. The results showed that BBBp consistently increases after stroke, peaking in the acute phase. The degree of BBBp influences patient outcomes depending on the stroke phase, highlighting the clinical relevance of BBBp dynamics in stroke care.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF STROKE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Beatriz Caramelo, Tamaeh Monteiro-Alfredo, Joao Martins, Jose Sereno, Joao Castelhano, Bruno Manadas, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Paulo Matafome
Summary: Functional MRI (fMRI) with H-1-MRS was used to study the neurometabolic changes in animal models of obesity and type 2 diabetes. Rats on a high-fat diet showed elevated levels of NAAG and GSH in the hippocampus, whereas diabetic rats showed elevated levels of taurine and GABA(A)R in the visual cortex. These findings suggest different mechanisms and responses to metabolic and vascular insults in different brain regions.
JOURNAL OF NEUROCHEMISTRY
(2023)
Letter
Rheumatology
Ana Margarida Pinto, Rinie Geenen, Tor D. Wager, Winfried Hauser, Eva Kosek, Jacob N. Ablin, Kirstine Amris, Jaime Branco, Dan Buskila, Joao Castelhano, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Leslie J. Crofford, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Marina Lopez-Sola, Mariana Luis, Tiago Reis Marques, Philip J. Mease, Filipe Palavra, Jamie L. Rhudy, Lucina Q. Uddin, Paula Castilho, Johannes W. G. Jacobs, Jose A. P. da Silva
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Letter
Rheumatology
Ana Margarida Pinto, Rinie Geenen, Tor D. Wager, Mark A. Lumley, Winfried Haeuser, Eva Kosek, Jacob N. Ablin, Kirstine Amris, Jaime Branco, Dan Buskila, Joao Castelhano, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Leslie J. Crofford, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Marina Lopez-Sola, Mariana Luis, Tiago Reis Marques, Philip J. Mease, Filipe Palavra, Jamie L. Rhudy, Lucina Q. Uddin, Paula Castilho, Johannes W. G. Jacobs, Jose A. P. da Silva
NATURE REVIEWS RHEUMATOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Joao Pereira, Bruno Direito, Michael Luhrs, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Teresa Sousa
Summary: Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) is a cost-efficient and portable alternative to functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) for assessing cortical activity changes based on hemodynamic signals. This study aimed to analyze the spatial correspondence between fMRI and fNIRS in motor-network regions using a multimodal approach. The results showed significant activation in fMRI data using subject-specific fNIRS-based cortical signals as predictors of interest, indicating the possibility of translating neuronal information from fMRI to fNIRS motor-coverage setup with high spatial correspondence.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Daniela Jardim Pereira, Alexandre Sayal, Joao Pereira, Sofia Morais, Antonio Macedo, Bruno Direito, Miguel Castelo-Branco
Summary: This study tested the ability to regulate the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and explored how feedback contributes to better performance in a single session. The study found that the active group, who received feedback, showed higher and more sustained activity in the target area. Additionally, they also found increased activity in the nucleus accumbens in the active group. This study reinforces the importance of DLPFC as a target for neurofeedback clinical applications and highlights the critical influence of the ventral striatum.
FRONTIERS IN BEHAVIORAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Gao Hao, Haytham Hijazi, Joao Duraes, Julio Medeiros, Ricardo Couceiro, Chan Tong Lam, Cesar Teixeira, Joao Castelhano, Miguel Castelo Branco, Paulo Carvalho, Henrique Madeira
Summary: This article investigates the measurement of code complexity and discusses the results of an experiment comparing different methods. The study finds that popular complexity metrics often do not align with programmers' perception of code complexity and suggests guidelines for improving these metrics.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Neurosciences
Joana Crisostomo, Joao V. Duarte, Nadia Canario, Carolina Moreno, Leonor Gomes, Miguel Castelo-Branco
Summary: Type 2 diabetes affects brain structure, specifically cortical gyrification. This study investigated the impact of variations in glycemic profile over time on gyrification in individuals with type 2 diabetes. The findings suggest that glycemic control might influence gyrification in this metabolic disease.
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Behavioral Sciences
Carla Soares, Gerardo Gonzalo, Joao Castelhano, Miguel Castelo-Branco
Summary: The Default Mode Network (DMN) and the Theory of Mind (ToM) networks are important in understanding self-neurocognition. While the DMN is associated with introspection, the ToM is involved in perspective-taking. However, there is no research on the overlap between DMN and ToM in relation to causal effects induced by psychedelics, and their precise relationship remains unknown. Psychedelics alter self-perception and modulate these networks, which can provide insights into this relationship.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
Review
Behavioral Sciences
Ana Margarida Pinto, Mariana Luis, Rinie Geenen, Filipe Palavra, Mark A. Lumley, Jacob N. Albin, Kirstine Amris, Jaime Branco, Dan Buskila, Joao Castelhano, Miguel Castelo-Branco, Leslie J. Crofford, Mary-Ann Fitzcharles, Winfried Hauser, Eva Kosek, Philip J. Mease, Tiago Reis Marques, Johannes W. G. Jacobs, Paula Castilho, Jose A. P. da Silva
Summary: Research on fibromyalgia has made remarkable progress in understanding the neurobiological and psychosocial mechanisms involved. However, current descriptions of fibromyalgia don't capture the complex interplay between neurophysiological and psychosocial domains. A comprehensive literature review was conducted to synthesize current knowledge, explore multi-level links between different systems, and bridge disparate perspectives. The work of international experts in neurophysiology and psychosocial aspects of fibromyalgia is crucial for developing a model that integrates the main factors, enabling better understanding, assessment, and intervention for fibromyalgia.
NEUROSCIENCE AND BIOBEHAVIORAL REVIEWS
(2023)
