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Annals of Neurosciences Apr 2024Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a global health concern affecting around 2.6 million people. It is characterised by neural inflammation, myelin breakdown and cognitive...
Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a global health concern affecting around 2.6 million people. It is characterised by neural inflammation, myelin breakdown and cognitive decline. Cognitive impairment, especially reduced cognitive processing speed (CPS), which affects up to 67% of MS patients and frequently manifests before mobility concerns, is one of the disease's most serious side effects. Effective adaptation and the application of cognitive rehabilitation treatments depend on the early diagnosis of cognitive impairment. Although pharmaceutical therapies have some drawbacks, endurance training has become a promising alternative. Intensity-controlled endurance exercise has the ability to delay the onset of MS symptoms and enhance cognitive function. Exercise has also been shown to have neuroprotective effects in a number of neurological disorders, including MS, Parkinson's disease and stroke. This includes both aerobic and resistance training. A mix of aerobic exercise and weight training has shown promise, especially for people with mild cognitive impairment, but according to recent studies any amount of physical activity is beneficial to cognitive performance. In conclusion, this in-depth analysis highlights the crucial part endurance exercise plays in treating MS-related cognitive impairment. It improves not only neurological health in general but also cognitive performance. Exercise can help control MS in a way that dramatically improves quality of life and well-being.
PubMed: 38694717
DOI: 10.1177/09727531241227674 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 3% of those over 65. It's caused by reduced dopaminergic neurons and Lewy bodies,...
Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder affecting over 3% of those over 65. It's caused by reduced dopaminergic neurons and Lewy bodies, leading to motor and non-motor symptoms. The relationship between COMT gene polymorphisms and PD is complex and not fully elucidated. Some studies have reported associations between certain COMT gene variants and PD risk, while others have not found significant associations. This study investigates how COMT gene variations impact cortical thickness changes in PD patients over time, aiming to link genetic factors, especially COMT gene variations, with PD progression. This study analyzed data from 44 PD patients with complete 4-year imaging follow-up from the Parkinson Progression Marker Initiative (PPMI) database. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were acquired using consistent methods across 9 different MRI scanners. COMT single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) were assessed based on whole genome sequencing data. Longitudinal image analysis was conducted using FreeSurfer's processing pipeline. Linear mixed-effect models were employed to examine the interaction effect of genetic variations and time on cortical thickness, while controlling for covariates and subject-specific variations. The rs165599 SNP stands out as a potential contributor to alterations in cortical thickness, showing a significant reduction in overall mean cortical thickness in both hemispheres in homozygotes (Left: P = 0.023, Right: P = 0.028). The supramarginal, precentral, and superior frontal regions demonstrated significant bilateral alterations linked to rs165599. Our findings suggest that the rs165599 variant leads to earlier manifestation of cortical thinning during the course of the disease. However, it does not result in more severe cortical thinning outcomes over time. There is a need for larger cohorts and control groups to validate these findings and consider genetic variant interactions and clinical features to elucidate the specific mechanisms underlying COMT-related neurodegenerative processes in PD.
Topics: Humans; Catechol O-Methyltransferase; Parkinson Disease; Male; Female; Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide; Aged; Longitudinal Studies; Middle Aged; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Cerebral Cortex; Disease Progression; Brain Cortical Thickness; Genetic Predisposition to Disease
PubMed: 38689006
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60828-7 -
Psychological Science Jun 2024As a powerful social signal, a body, face, or gaze facing toward oneself holds an individual's attention. We asked whether, going beyond an egocentric stance, facingness...
As a powerful social signal, a body, face, or gaze facing toward oneself holds an individual's attention. We asked whether, going beyond an egocentric stance, facingness between others has a similar effect and why. In a preferential-looking time paradigm, human adults showed spontaneous preference to look at two bodies facing toward (vs. away from) each other (Experiment 1a, = 24). Moreover, facing dyads were rated higher on social semantic dimensions, showing that facingness adds social value to stimuli (Experiment 1b, = 138). The same visual preference was found in juvenile macaque monkeys (Experiment 2, = 21). Finally, on the human development timescale, this preference emerged by 5 years, although young infants by 7 months of age already discriminate visual scenes on the basis of body positioning (Experiment 3, = 120). We discuss how the preference for facing dyads-shared by human adults, young children, and macaques-can signal a new milestone in social cognition development, supporting processing and learning from third-party social interactions.
Topics: Humans; Animals; Male; Female; Adult; Infant; Visual Perception; Young Adult; Social Perception; Attention; Child, Preschool; Social Cognition; Space Perception; Social Interaction
PubMed: 38683657
DOI: 10.1177/09567976241242995 -
Frontiers in Bioengineering and... 2024Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is essential in diagnosing cervical spondylosis, providing detailed visualization of osseous and soft tissue structures in the cervical...
Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) is essential in diagnosing cervical spondylosis, providing detailed visualization of osseous and soft tissue structures in the cervical spine. However, manual measurements hinder the assessment of cervical spine sagittal balance, leading to time-consuming and error-prone processes. This study presents the Pyramid DBSCAN Simple Linear Iterative Cluster (PDB-SLIC), an automated segmentation algorithm for vertebral bodies in T2-weighted MR images, aiming to streamline sagittal balance assessment for spinal surgeons. PDB-SLIC combines the SLIC superpixel segmentation algorithm with DBSCAN clustering and underwent rigorous testing using an extensive dataset of T2-weighted mid-sagittal MR images from 4,258 patients across ten hospitals in China. The efficacy of PDB-SLIC was compared against other algorithms and networks in terms of superpixel segmentation quality and vertebral body segmentation accuracy. Validation included a comparative analysis of manual and automated measurements of cervical sagittal parameters and scrutiny of PDB-SLIC's measurement stability across diverse hospital settings and MR scanning machines. PDB-SLIC outperforms other algorithms in vertebral body segmentation quality, with high accuracy, recall, and Jaccard index. Minimal error deviation was observed compared to manual measurements, with correlation coefficients exceeding 95%. PDB-SLIC demonstrated commendable performance in processing cervical spine T2-weighted MR images from various hospital settings, MRI machines, and patient demographics. The PDB-SLIC algorithm emerges as an accurate, objective, and efficient tool for evaluating cervical spine sagittal balance, providing valuable assistance to spinal surgeons in preoperative assessment, surgical strategy formulation, and prognostic inference. Additionally, it facilitates comprehensive measurement of sagittal balance parameters across diverse patient cohorts, contributing to the establishment of normative standards for cervical spine MR imaging.
PubMed: 38681963
DOI: 10.3389/fbioe.2024.1337808 -
Scientific Reports Apr 2024Monitoring burned areas in Thailand and other tropical countries during the post-harvest season is becoming increasingly important. High-resolution remote sensing data...
Monitoring burned areas in Thailand and other tropical countries during the post-harvest season is becoming increasingly important. High-resolution remote sensing data from Sentinel-2 satellites, which have a short revisit time, is ideal for accurately and efficiently mapping burned regions. However, automating the mapping of agriculture residual on a national scale is challenging due to the volume of information and level of detail involved. In this study, a Sentinel-2A Level-1C Multispectral Instrument image (MSI) from February 27, 2018 was combined with object-based image analysis (OBIA) algorithms to identify burned areas in Mae Chaem, Chom Thong, Hod, Mae Sariang, and Mae La Noi Districts in Chiang Mai, Thailand. OBIA techniques were used to classify forest, agricultural, water bodies, newly burned, and old burned regions. The segmentation scale parameter value of 50 was obtained using only the original Sentinel-2A band in red, green, blue, near infrared (NIR), and Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI). The accuracy of the produced maps was assessed using an existing burned area dataset, and the burned area identified through OBIA was found to be 85.2% accurate compared to 500 random burned points from the dataset. These results suggest that the combination of OBIA and Sentinel-2A with a 10 m spatial resolution is very effective and promising for the process of burned area mapping.
Topics: Thailand; Satellite Imagery; Algorithms; Image Processing, Computer-Assisted; Agriculture; Trees; Environmental Monitoring; Remote Sensing Technology
PubMed: 38671156
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-60512-w -
Current Topics in Developmental Biology 2024Satellite cells, named for their satellite position around the sarcolemma of the myofibre, are responsible for skeletal muscle regeneration. Satellite cells normally... (Review)
Review
Satellite cells, named for their satellite position around the sarcolemma of the myofibre, are responsible for skeletal muscle regeneration. Satellite cells normally reside in a quiescent state, but rapidly activate the myogenic program and the cell cycle in response to injury. Translational control of gene expression has emerged as an important regulator of satellite cell activity. Quiescent satellite cells maintain low levels of protein synthesis and selectively translate specific mRNAs to conserve limited energy. Activated satellite cells rapidly restore global protein synthesis to meet the demands of proliferating myogenic progenitors that participate in muscle repair. We propose a model by which translational control enables rapid protein level changes in response to injury-induced environmental shifts, serving as both a brake mechanism during quiescence and an accelerator for injury response. In this Chapter, we navigate the processing, translation and metabolism of newly transcribed mRNAs. We review the modifications of mRNA that occur during mRNA processing in the nucleus of satellite cells, and illustrate how these modifications impact the translation and stability of mRNAs. In the cytoplasm, we review how pathways work in concert to regulate protein synthesis globally, while trans acting microRNAs and RNA binding proteins modify specific mRNA translation within a context of tightly regulated protein synthesis. While navigating translational control of gene expression in satellite cells, this chapter reveals that despite significant progress, the field remains nascent in the broader scope of translational control in cell biology. We propose that future investigations will benefit from incorporating emerging global analyses to study translational control of gene expression in rare satellite cells, and we pose unanswered questions that warrant future exploration.
Topics: Satellite Cells, Skeletal Muscle; Animals; Protein Biosynthesis; Humans; Gene Expression Regulation; RNA, Messenger
PubMed: 38670709
DOI: 10.1016/bs.ctdb.2024.02.013 -
Cells Apr 2024Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains a major cause of cerebrovascular morbidity, eliciting severe headaches and vasospasms that have been shown to inversely correlate...
Subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) remains a major cause of cerebrovascular morbidity, eliciting severe headaches and vasospasms that have been shown to inversely correlate with vasodilator calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels. Although dura mater trigeminal afferents are an important source of intracranial CGRP, little is known about the effects of SAH on these neurons in preclinical models. The present study evaluated changes in CGRP levels and expression in trigeminal primary afferents innervating the dura mater 72 h after experimentally induced SAH in adult rats. SAH, eliciting marked damage revealed by neurological examination, significantly reduced the density of CGRP-immunoreactive nerve fibers both in the dura mater and the trigeminal caudal nucleus in the medulla but did not affect the total dural nerve fiber density. SAH attenuated ex vivo dural CGRP release by ~40% and in the trigeminal ganglion, reduced both CGRP mRNA levels and the number of highly CGRP-immunoreactive cell bodies. In summary, we provide novel complementary evidence that SAH negatively affects the integrity of the CGRP-expressing rat trigeminal neurons. Reduced CGRP levels suggest likely impaired meningeal neurovascular functions contributing to SAH complications. Further studies are to be performed to reveal the importance of impaired CGRP synthesis and its consequences in central sensory processing.
Topics: Animals; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Dura Mater; Male; Rats; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage; Neurons; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Trigeminal Ganglion; RNA, Messenger; Trigeminal Nerve
PubMed: 38667268
DOI: 10.3390/cells13080653 -
Animal Reproduction Science Jun 2024To assist in the conservation of collared peccary, it is important to strengthen semen processing protocols. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of... (Comparative Study)
Comparative Study
To assist in the conservation of collared peccary, it is important to strengthen semen processing protocols. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of different commercial extenders (BTS; NUTRIXcell+ and PRIMXcell Ultra) and TRIS + egg yolk on the functional and morphological aspects of collared peccary semen stored at 17 °C for 48 hours. Ten ejaculates obtained by electroejaculation were divided into 4 aliquots and diluted in the respective extenders, then stored in a biological incubator at 17 °C for 12, 24, 36, and 48 hours. The samples were evaluated for kinetic parameters, membrane functionality, membrane integrity, mitochondrial activity, morphology, and sperm-binding capacity. At the end of storage (48 h), promising results were found for motility parameters, with TRIS + egg yolk (71.0 ± 4.6%) being more efficient than NUTRIXcell+ (38.9 ± 10.9%) (P < 0.05) and similar to BTS (42.9 ± 11.9%) and PRIMXcell Ultra (46.8 ± 10.8%). The results for membrane integrity and mitochondrial activity were around ∼30-50%, with TRIS being the only extender to preserve both parameters (58.9 ± 5.3 and 59.2 ± 5.6%) for up to 48 hours, respectively (P < 0.05). Finally, the extenders could guarantee 60% membrane functionality and ∼ 60-70% normal sperm morphology, as well as similar binding capacity among the groups. In conclusion, TRIS + egg yolk is effective in preserving the sperm parameters of collared peccary semen at 17 °C for 48 hours, while PRIMXcell Ultra and BTS are viable alternatives for this purpose.
Topics: Animals; Semen Preservation; Male; Egg Yolk; Cryoprotective Agents; Semen Analysis; Artiodactyla; Tromethamine; Refrigeration; Spermatozoa; Semen
PubMed: 38663148
DOI: 10.1016/j.anireprosci.2024.107478 -
Toxicologic Pathology Apr 2024Nonclinical studies of test articles (TAs) in nonhuman primates are often designed to assess both biodistribution and toxicity. For this purpose, studies commonly use...
Nonclinical studies of test articles (TAs) in nonhuman primates are often designed to assess both biodistribution and toxicity. For this purpose, studies commonly use intravenous perfusion of ice-cold (2°C-8°C) saline to facilitate measurements of TA-associated nucleic acids and proteins, after which tissues undergo later fixation by immersion for histological processing and microscopic evaluation. Intriguingly, minimal apoptosis/single cell necrosis (A/SCN) of randomly distributed neural cells is evident in the cerebral cortex and less often the hippocampus in animals from all groups, including vehicle-treated controls. Affected cells exhibit end-stage features such as cytoplasmic hypereosinophilia, nuclear condensation or fragmentation, and shape distortions, so their lineage(s) generally cannot be defined; classical apoptotic bodies are exceedingly rare. In addition, A/SCN is not accompanied by glial reactions, leukocyte infiltration/inflammation, or other parenchymal changes. The severity is minimal in controls but may be slightly exacerbated (to mild) by TA that accumulate in neural cells. One plausible hypothesis explaining this A/SCN exacerbation is that cold shock (perhaps complicated by concurrent tissue acidity and hypoxia) drives still-viable but TA-stressed cells to launch a self-directed death program. Taken together, these observations indicate that A/SCN in brain processed by cold saline perfusion with delayed immersion fixation represents a procedural artifact and not a TA-related lesion.
PubMed: 38661106
DOI: 10.1177/01926233241247044 -
Frontiers in Medicine 2024The potential for secondary use of health data to improve healthcare is currently not fully exploited. Health data is largely kept in isolated data silos and key...
INTRODUCTION
The potential for secondary use of health data to improve healthcare is currently not fully exploited. Health data is largely kept in isolated data silos and key infrastructure to aggregate these silos into standardized bodies of knowledge is underdeveloped. We describe the development, implementation, and evaluation of a federated infrastructure to facilitate versatile secondary use of health data based on Health Data Space nodes.
MATERIALS AND METHODS
Our proposed nodes are self-contained units that digest data through an extract-transform-load framework that pseudonymizes and links data with privacy-preserving record linkage and harmonizes into a common data model (OMOP CDM). To support collaborative analyses a multi-level feature store is also implemented. A feasibility experiment was conducted to test the infrastructures potential for machine learning operations and deployment of other apps (e.g., visualization). Nodes can be operated in a network at different levels of sharing according to the level of trust within the network.
RESULTS
In a proof-of-concept study, a privacy-preserving registry for heart failure patients has been implemented as a real-world showcase for Health Data Space nodes at the highest trust level, linking multiple data sources including (a) electronical medical records from hospitals, (b) patient data from a telemonitoring system, and (c) data from Austria's national register of deaths. The registry is deployed at the tirol kliniken, a hospital carrier in the Austrian state of Tyrol, and currently includes 5,004 patients, with over 2.9 million measurements, over 574,000 observations, more than 63,000 clinical free text notes, and in total over 5.2 million data points. Data curation and harmonization processes are executed semi-automatically at each individual node according to data sharing policies to ensure data sovereignty, scalability, and privacy. As a feasibility test, a natural language processing model for classification of clinical notes was deployed and tested.
DISCUSSION
The presented Health Data Space node infrastructure has proven to be practicable in a real-world implementation in a live and productive registry for heart failure. The present work was inspired by the European Health Data Space initiative and its spirit to interconnect health data silos for versatile secondary use of health data.
PubMed: 38660421
DOI: 10.3389/fmed.2024.1301660