Lubricin (PRG4) antifouling coating enables the development of an immunosensor for the detection of nerve growth factor in cell culture media.

Growth factors (GFs) are the unique signaling molecules that enable constant communication and feedback between cells, modulating cell behavior and maintaining the structure and function of tissues. Traditional methods to detect and quantify GFs, such as ELISA, offer high specificity but are usually costly, present lower limits of detection, typically require sample processing, and are time-consuming. Electrochemical sensing emerges as a promising alternative due to their rapid responses and easy operation; however, they are prone to biofouling when challenged in complex biological environments.

Movement Disorders in Hereditary Cerebellar Ataxia.

Background: Hereditary cerebellar ataxia (HCA) represents a complex group of disorders, with a wide spectrum of neurological symptoms. Among these, non-ataxia movement disorders (MD) have been increasingly acknowledged, with variable frequency across different forms.

Objectives: To characterize the type and frequency of MD in patients with HCA.

Validation of the Portuguese version of the Movement Disorder Society non-motor rating scale (MDS-NMS) in Parkinson's disease.

Background: The Movement Disorder Society Non-Motor Rating Scale (MDS-NMS) serves as a comprehensive clinical assessment tool for non-motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) OBJECTIVES: This study aims to validate the Portuguese version of the MDS-NMS, addressing the critical need for culturally adapted rating scales in Portuguese-speaking populations.

Methods: This multicenter, cross-sectional study engaged native Portuguese-speaking PD patients from 16 Movement Disorders Centers across Portugal and Brazil. We conducted a meticulous translation process into Portuguese, including forward-backward translation and cognitive pretesting.

Validation of the Portuguese MDS-UPDRS: Challenges to Obtain a Scale Applicable to Different Linguistic Cultures.

Background: The MDS-UPDRS has been available in English since 2008, showing satisfactory clinimetric results and being proposed as the new official benchmark scale for Parkinson's disease (PD), being cited as a core instrument for PD in the National Institutes of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Common Data Elements program. For this reason, the MDS created guidelines for development of MDS-UPDRS official, clinimetrically validated translations.

Objective: This study presents the formal process used to obtain the officially approved Portuguese version of the MDS-UPDRS.

Wired for Success: Probing the Effect of Tissue-Engineered Neural Interface Substrates on Cell Viability.

This study investigates the electrochemical behavior of GelMA-based hydrogels and their interactions with PC12 neural cells under electrical stimulation in the presence of conducting substrates. Focusing on indium tin oxide (ITO), platinum, and gold mylar substrates supporting conductive scaffolds composed of hydrogel, graphene oxide, and gold nanorods, we explored how the substrate materials affect scaffold conductivity and cell viability. We examined the impact of an optimized electrical stimulation protocol on the PC12 cell viability.

DRD3 Predicts Cognitive Impairment and Anxiety in Parkinson's Disease: Susceptibility and Protective Effects.

Background: A possible genetic contribution of dopamine D3 receptor (DRD3) to cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) has yet to be investigated.

Objective: To explore the effects of rs6280 (Ser9Gly) genotype on PD patients' cognitive performance and to clarify possible interactions with psychopathology.

Methods: Two hundred and fifty-three consecutive PD patients underwent neurological and neuropsychological evaluations, which included: Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), Hoehn & Yahr scale (H&Y), Dementia Rating Scale-2 (DRS-2), and Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

A tissue-engineered neural interface with photothermal functionality.

Neural interfaces are well-established as a tool to understand the behaviour of the nervous system recording and stimulation of living neurons, as well as serving as neural prostheses. Conventional neural interfaces based on metals and carbon-based materials are generally optimised for high conductivity; however, a mechanical mismatch between the interface and the neural environment can significantly reduce long-term neuromodulation efficacy by causing an inflammatory response. This paper presents a soft composite material made of gelatin methacryloyl (GelMA) containing graphene oxide (GO) conjugated with gold nanorods (AuNRs).

Reagentless protein-based electrochemical biosensors.

The creation of reagentless protein-based biosensors that are capable of monitoring molecular analytes directly in bodily fluids could revolutionize our understanding of biology and personalized health monitoring. The limited number of molecular sensors that are currently available in the market depends on the specific enzymatic or chemical reactivity of their target analytes and therefore are not applicable to many relevant biomarkers. Aiming to overcome this limited molecular sensing generality, a new class of reagentless protein-based electrochemical sensors has been introduced for the direct measurements of biomarkers in unprocessed biological fluids.

The impact of electrical stimulation protocols on neuronal cell survival and proliferation using cell-laden GelMA/graphene oxide hydrogels.

The development of electroactive cell-laden hydrogels (bioscaffolds) has gained interest in neural tissue engineering research due to their inherent electrical properties that can induce the regulation of cell behaviour. Hydrogels combined with electrically conducting materials can respond to external applied electric fields, where these stimuli can promote electro-responsive cell growth and proliferation. A successful neural interface for electrical stimulation should present the desired stable electrical properties, such as high conductivity, low impedance, increased charge storage capacity and similar mechanical properties related to a target neural tissue.

Striatum expresses region-specific plasticity consistent with distinct memory abilities.

The striatum mediates two learning modalities: goal-directed behavior in dorsomedial (DMS) and habits in dorsolateral (DLS) striata. The synaptic bases of these learnings are still elusive. Indeed, while ample research has described DLS plasticity, little remains known about DMS plasticity and its involvement in procedural learning.

An Iterative and Collaborative End-to-End Methodology Applied to Digital Mental Health.

Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms together with advances in data storage have recently made it possible to better characterize, predict, prevent, and treat a range of psychiatric illnesses. Amid the rapidly growing number of biological devices and the exponential accumulation of data in the mental health sector, the upcoming years are facing a need to homogenize research and development processes in academia as well as in the private sector and to centralize data into federalizing platforms. This has become even more important in light of the current global pandemic.

Intracellular Properties of Deep-Layer Pyramidal Neurons in Frontal Eye Field of Macaque Monkeys.

Although many details remain unknown, several positive statements can be made about the laminar distribution of primate frontal eye field (FEF) neurons with different physiological properties. Most certainly, pyramidal neurons in the deep layer of FEF that project to the brainstem carry movement and fixation signals but clear evidence also support that at least some deep-layer pyramidal neurons projecting to the superior colliculus carry visual responses. Thus, deep-layer neurons in FEF are functionally heterogeneous.

Evaluation of Multivariable Modeling Methods for Monitoring the Health of Guyed Towers in Overhead Power Lines.

This article proposes a methodology for monitoring the structural stability of each tower of an electric power transmission line through sensor measurements which estimates the different situations that may indicate the need for intervention to prevent the structure collapsing. The extended Kalman filter was adopted to predict the failures, considering sensor fusion techniques such as the displacements of the upper central position of the tower above certain limits. The load of the stay cables is calculated from the natural frequencies, which are determined by the accelerometers connected to the cables.

Spontaneous Intracranial Hypotension Followed by Intracranial Hypertension.

Introduction: Spontaneous intracranial hypotension is a secondary cause of headache caused by suspected cerebrospinal fluid leaks. It is associated with vascular changes that may predispose to superficial siderosis. When treated with an epidural blood patch, rebound intracranial hypertension may ensue.

Past appendectomy may be related to early cognitive dysfunction in Parkinson's disease.

Introduction: The vermiform appendix is a potential site of initiation of Parkinson's disease (PD) pathology. We hypothesized that the appendectomy earlier in life may alter the clinical expression of PD.

Objective: To explore the effects of appendectomy prior to onset of PD motor symptoms on patients' symptoms, in particular on cognitive dysfunction.

Sensor Positioning Influences the Accuracy of Knee Rom Data of an E-Rehabilitation System: A Preliminary Study with Healthy Subjects.

E-rehabilitation is the term used to define medical rehabilitation programs that are implemented at home with the use of information and communication technologies. The aim was to test whether sensor position and the sitting position of the patient influence the accuracy of knee range of movement (ROM) data displayed by the BPMpathway e-rehabilitation system. A preliminary study was conducted in a laboratory setting with healthy adults.

Concurrent Thalamostriatal and Corticostriatal Spike-Timing-Dependent Plasticity and Heterosynaptic Interactions Shape Striatal Plasticity Map.

The striatum integrates inputs from the cortex and thalamus, which display concomitant or sequential activity. The striatum assists in forming memory, with acquisition of the behavioral repertoire being associated with corticostriatal (CS) plasticity. The literature has mainly focused on that CS plasticity, and little remains known about thalamostriatal (TS) plasticity rules or CS and TS plasticity interactions.

Unveiling the relationship between central parkinsonian pain and motor symptoms in Parkinson's disease.

Background: Pain in Parkinson's disease (PD) is a common and heterogeneous non-motor symptom. Although the characteristics and predictors of pain in general and of central pain in particular are still largely unknown.

Methods: A semi-structured interview, the Brief Pain Inventory and the Pain Disability Index were used to identify and characterize pain in a consecutive series of 292 PD patients.

Modulation of Spike-Timing Dependent Plasticity: Towards the Inclusion of a Third Factor in Computational Models.

In spike-timing dependent plasticity (STDP) change in synaptic strength depends on the timing of pre- vs. postsynaptic spiking activity. Since STDP is in compliance with Hebb's postulate, it is considered one of the major mechanisms of memory storage and recall.

Robustness of STDP to spike timing jitter.

In Hebbian plasticity, neural circuits adjust their synaptic weights depending on patterned firing. Spike-timing-dependent plasticity (STDP), a synaptic Hebbian learning rule, relies on the order and timing of the paired activities in pre- and postsynaptic neurons. Classically, in ex vivo experiments, STDP is assessed with deterministic (constant) spike timings and time intervals between successive pairings, thus exhibiting a regularity that differs from biological variability.

Clinical spectrum of C9orf72 expansion in a cohort of Huntington's disease phenocopies.

The expansion in the C9orf72 gene has been recently reported as a genetic cause of Huntington's disease (HD) phenocopies. We aim to assess the frequency of the C9orf72 gene expansion in a Portuguese HD phenocopies cohort. Twenty HD phenotype-like patients without diagnosis were identified in our institutional database.