Article
Neurosciences
Young Hee Sung, Young Noh, Eung Yeop Kim
Summary: Thin-section neuromelanin-sensitive MRI provides insights into the affected regions of the substantia nigra pars compacta in early-stage Parkinson's disease, with specific areas (nigrosome 1 and 2) showing significant spatial differences between patients and healthy subjects.
HUMAN BRAIN MAPPING
(2021)
Review
Cell Biology
Amrita Kulkarni, Kumari Preeti, Kamatham Pushpa Tryphena, Saurabh Srivastava, Shashi Bala Singh, Dharmendra Kumar Khatri
Summary: Protein dyshomeostasis plays a key role in age-related neurodegenerative disorders, such as Parkinson's disease, characterized by the deposition of Lewy bodies composed of alpha-synuclein protein aggregates. The proper functioning of proteostasis, including unfolded protein response, ubiquitin-proteasome system, and autophagy-lysosome pathway, is crucial for protein synthesis, folding, confirmation, and degradation. Mutational changes in the genes involved in these pathways, as well as epigenetic modifications and microRNA-mediated transcriptional changes, contribute to proteostasis dysregulation. Defective proteostasis leads to the deposition of proteins, which can serve as potential biomarkers for early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease. Targeting different aspects of proteostasis machinery holds promise for delaying the accumulation of pathological hallmarks.
AGEING RESEARCH REVIEWS
(2023)
Article
Cell Biology
Gian-Carlo Eyer, Stefano Di Santo, Ekkehard Hewer, Lukas Andereggen, Stefanie Seiler, Hans Rudolf Widmer
Summary: The study revealed that co-expression of Nogo-A in nigral dopaminergic neurons of patients with Parkinson's disease decreases significantly with age, contrary to observations in normal aging and the animal model of Parkinson's disease. This suggests that Nogo-A may play a substantial role in the vulnerability of dopaminergic neurons in Parkinson's disease.
Article
Neurosciences
Mojtaba Jokar, Zhijia Jin, Pei Huang, Ying Wang, Youmin Zhang, Yan Li, Zenghui Cheng, Yu Liu, Rongbiao Tang, Xiaofeng Shi, Jihua Min, Fangtao Liu, Shengdi Chen, Naying He, E. Mark Haacke, Fuhua Yan
Summary: This study developed a comprehensive imaging biomarker for diagnosing Parkinson's disease by using a template-based, automatic segmentation method to detect the features of neuromelanin and iron in the substantia nigra. The combination of the N1 sign with other quantitative measures significantly improved the accuracy of Parkinson's disease diagnosis.
Article
Neurosciences
Cui Liu, Nan-Wei Kang, Ying Wang, Yan Xue, Xin-Yi Chen, Lei Chen
Summary: The present study investigated the effects of apelin on the spontaneous firing activity of nigral dopaminergic neurons and found that it may serve as a neuroprotective factor in Parkinson's disease.
Article
Neurosciences
Cui Liu, Nan-Wei Kang, Ying Wang, Yan Xue, Xin-Yi Chen, Lei Chen
Summary: The neuropeptide apelin modulates the firing activity of nigral dopaminergic neurons and may serve as a neuroprotective factor in Parkinson's disease.
Article
Cell Biology
Carmela Conte, Angela Ingrassia, John Breve, John J. J. Bol, Evelien Timmermans-Huisman, Anne-Marie van Dam, Tommaso Beccari, Wilma D. J. van de Berg
Summary: This study found an increased expression of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) in the brains of Parkinson's disease (PD) patients, which colocalized with phosphorylated α-synuclein (pSer129-aSyn) at the site of damage, suggesting a potential role in mediating the neuroinflammatory response in PD.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Mauro G. Silva, Gerardo R. Corradi, Juan Perez Duhalde, Myriam Nunez, Eliana M. Cela, Daniel H. Gonzales Maglio, Ana Brizzio, Martin R. Salazar, Walter G. Espeche, Mariela M. Gironacci
Summary: This study found that COVID-19 patients have higher levels of ACE2 expression and enzymatic activity in their blood compared to healthy individuals, while levels of AngII and Ang-(1-7) are lower. Even when excluding COVID-19 patients under RAS blockade treatment, ACE2 expression and enzymatic activity remain higher in COVID-19 patients, suggesting the involvement of RAS in COVID-19.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Atila Duque Rossi, Joao Locke Ferreira de Araujo, Tailah Bernardo de Almeida, Marcelo Ribeiro-Alves, Camila de Almeida Velozo, Jessica Maciel de Almeida, Isabela de Carvalho Leitao, Samila Natiane Ferreira, Jessica da Silva Oliveira, Hugo Jose Alves, Helena Toledo Scheid, Debora Souza Faffe, Rafael Mello Galliez, Renata Eliane de Avila, Gustavo Gomes Resende, Mauro Martins Teixeira, Orlando da Costa Ferreira Junior, Terezinha Marta P. P. Castineiras, Renan Pedra Souza, Amilcar Tanuri, Renato Santana de Aguiar, Shana Priscila Coutinho Barroso, Cynthia Chester Cardoso
Summary: ACE2 and TMPRSS2 levels are positively correlated with age, which is strongly associated with respiratory distress. Increased ACE2 levels have a protective effect against this outcome, while the TMPRSS2/ACE2 ratio is associated with risk. In modeling COVID-19 severity, the TMPRSS2/ACE2 ratio outperforms ACE2.
SCIENTIFIC REPORTS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ernest W. W. Wang, Gregory L. L. Brown, Mechelle M. M. Lewis, Leslie C. C. Jellen, Cunfeng Pu, Melinda L. L. Johnson, Hairong Chen, Lan Kong, Guangwei Du, Xuemei Huang
Summary: This retrospective study found that susceptibility MRI metrics in the substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc) are associated with glial density and tau burden, key neuropathologic features in parkinsonism. The results highlight the importance of MRI in assessing the pathological characteristics of SNc in Parkinson's disease.
MOVEMENT DISORDERS
(2023)
Review
Cell Biology
Aisha Tabassum, Mohammad Shahid Iqbal, Sadia Sultan, Raghad Ali Alhuthali, Deena Ismail Alshubaili, Raghad Salah Sayyam, Lama Mohammed Abyad, Ahmed H. Qasem, Ahmad F. Arbaeen
Summary: Understanding the interaction between SARS-CoV-2, ACE2, bradykinin, and its metabolite des-Arg9-bradykinin is crucial in understanding the pathogenesis of COVID-19 and developing new treatment approaches.
MEDIATORS OF INFLAMMATION
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Tomas Rajtik, Peter Galis, Linda Bartosova, Ludovit Paulis, Eva Goncalvesova, Jan Klimas
Summary: This study explores the mechanisms of alternative RAS branches under different types of hypoxic stimuli, including acute, intermittent, and chronic hypoxia, the effects on tissues like the heart, vessels, and lungs, and the clinical relevance of the studied phenomenon. Additionally, it presents future strategies for utilizing alternative RAS as a diagnostic tool and a promising pharmacological target in severe hypoxia-associated cardiovascular and cardiopulmonary diseases.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2021)
Article
Multidisciplinary Sciences
Xiaoyu Liu, Hao Zhang, Chuanfen Li, Zhibin Chen, Qian Gao, Muxuan Han, Feng Zhao, Dan Chen, Qiuyue Chen, Minghui Hu, Zifa Li, Sheng Wei, Xiwen Geng
Summary: This study aimed to determine the optimal dose and administration duration of curcumin in alleviating the movement symptoms of Parkinson's disease. The results showed that a 160 mg/kg/d treatment for 2 weeks was the most effective in improving behavioral disorders, while the 40/80 mg/kg/d treatments had limited effectiveness. Comparing the effects of 1-week and 2-week interventions, the 2-week treatment showed better alleviation of symptoms.
Article
Genetics & Heredity
Kristina Jevnikar, Luka Lapajne, Daniel Petrovic, Andrej Meglic, Mateja Logar, Natasa Vidovic Valentincic, Mojca Globocnik Petrovic, Ines Cilensek, Polona Jaki Mekjavic
Summary: This study found that the presence of the AGTR2 rs1403543-AA genotype is associated with an increased risk of COVID-19 retinopathy. However, the genotype frequencies of other selected gene polymorphisms are not significantly associated with the presence or severity of COVID-19.
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Yining Gao, Hongxia Li, Huoqing Luo, You Ni, Yifan Feng, Lu He, Qinming Zhou, Ji Hu, Sheng Chen
Summary: This study investigated the underlying mechanisms of movement disorders caused by anti-IgLON5 antibodies. The results showed that mice injected with these antibodies exhibited persistent movement impairments for up to 3 months, which may be related to impaired dopaminergic pathway and neurodegenerative changes induced by the antibodies.