Optical Detection of the Spatial Structural Alteration in the Human Brain Tissues/Cells and DNA/Chromatin due to Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative disorders, highlighting the urgent need for early, reliable biomarkers. Structural disorder at the subcellular level, particularly in nuclear components such as DNA/chromatin, offers a promising diagnostic target. In this study, we applied two mesoscopic physics-based optical techniques-partial wave spectroscopy (PWS) and inverse participation ratio (IPR)-to quantify nanoscale structural alterations in postmortem human brain tissues and nuclei.

Crosstalk between DNA damage and cGAS-STING immune pathway drives neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by substantial degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and dopamine depletion in the striatum, leading to debilitating motor and non-motor impairments. Recent studies provide clues on the pathogenic role of DNA damage in age-related neurodegenerative diseases, but the molecular mechanisms of DNA damage response in PD remain poorly understood. We found that the accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DDSBs), and/or DNA repair deficits, are key in the pathogenesis of PD and drives cyclic GMP-AMP synthase (cGAS) and stimulator of interferon genes (STING) immune regulatory pathway, contributing to neuroinflammation and dopaminergic neurodegeneration in human postmortem PD and non-PD brains as well as in experimental models of PD.

DNA Damage Response Regulation Alleviates Neuroinflammation in a Mouse Model of α-Synucleinopathy.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disorder marked by the degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra, leading to decreased dopamine levels in the striatum and causing a range of motor and non-motor impairments. Although the molecular mechanisms driving PD progression remain incompletely understood, emerging evidence suggests that the buildup of nuclear DNA damage, especially DNA double-strand breaks (DDSBs), plays a key role in contributing neurodegeneration, promoting senescence and neuroinflammation. Despite the pathogenic role for DDSB in neurodegenerative disease, targeting DNA repair mechanisms in PD is largely unexplored as a therapeutic approach.

Influence of Varicocelectomy on Assisted Reproductive Technology Outcomes of Infertile Patients with Varicocele: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Varicocele can lead to impaired semen parameters and induce infertility. Varicocelectomy is considered the gold standard for varicocele treatment. However, its impact on improving assisted reproductive technologies (ARTs) outcomes remains contentious.

Optical detection of the spatial structural alteration in the human brain tissues/cells and DNA/chromatin due to Parkinson's disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered one of the most frequent neurological diseases in the world. There is a need to study the early and efficient biomarkers of Parkinson's, such as changes in structural disorders like DNA/chromatin, especially at the subcellular level in the human brain. We used two techniques, Partial wave spectroscopy (PWS) and Inverse Participation Ratio (IPR), to detect the changes in structural disorder in the human brain tissue samples.

The Association between Long Non-Coding RNAs and Alzheimer's Disease.

Neurodegeneration occurs naturally as humans age, but the presence of additional pathogenic mechanisms yields harmful and consequential effects on the brain. Alzheimer's disease (AD), the most common form of dementia, is a composite of such factors. Despite extensive research to identify the exact causes of AD, therapeutic approaches for treating the disease continue to be ineffective, indicating important gaps in our understanding of disease mechanisms.

Crosstalk between the DNA damage response and cellular senescence drives aging and age-related diseases.

Cellular senescence is a crucial process of irreversible cell-cycle arrest, in which cells remain alive, but permanently unable to proliferate in response to distinct types of stressors. Accumulating evidence suggests that DNA damage builds over time and triggers DNA damage response signaling, leading to cellular senescence. Cellular senescence serves as a platform for the perpetuation of inflammatory responses and is central to numerous age-related diseases.

An Overview of UBTF Neuroregression Syndrome.

Recently, a recurrent de novo dominant mutation in (c.628G>A, p.Glu210Lys; E210K) was identified as the cause of a neurological disorder which has been named UBTF Neuroregression Syndrome (UNS), or Childhood-Onset Neurodegeneration with Brain Atrophy (CONDBA).

Coherent ultrafast photoemission from a single quantized state of a one-dimensional emitter.

Femtosecond laser-driven photoemission source provides an unprecedented femtosecond-resolved electron probe not only for atomic-scale ultrafast characterization but also for free-electron radiation sources. However, for conventional metallic electron source, intense lasers may induce a considerable broadening of emitting energy level, which results in large energy spread (>600 milli-electron volts) and thus limits the spatiotemporal resolution of electron probe. Here, we demonstrate the coherent ultrafast photoemission from a single quantized energy level of a carbon nanotube.

Behavioral and molecular effects of Ubtf knockout and knockdown in mice.

The UBTF E210K neuroregression syndrome is caused by de novo dominant mutations in UBTF (NM_014233.3:c.628G > A, p.

The Expression of Pyroptosis-Related Gene May Influence the Occurrence, Development, and Prognosis of Uterine Corpus Endometrial Carcinoma.

Background: Increasing evidence has demonstrated that pyroptosis exerts key roles in the occurrence, development, and prognosis of uterine corpus endometrial carcinoma (UCEC). However, the mechanism of pyroptosis and its predictive value for prognosis remain largely unknown.

Methods: UCEC data were acquired from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database.

Nanocone-Shaped Carbon Nanotubes Field-Emitter Array Fabricated by Laser Ablation.

The nanocone-shaped carbon nanotubes field-emitter array (NCNA) is a near-ideal field-emitter array that combines the advantages of geometry and material. In contrast to previous methods of field-emitter array, laser ablation is a low-cost and clean method that does not require any photolithography or wet chemistry. However, nanocone shapes are hard to achieve through laser ablation due to the micrometer-scale focusing spot.

Stable Field Emission from Vertically Oriented SiC Nanoarrays.

Silicon carbide (SiC) nanostructure is a type of promising field emitter due to high breakdown field strength, high thermal conductivity, low electron affinity, and high electron mobility. However, the fabrication of the SiC nanotips array is difficult due to its chemical inertness. Here we report a simple, industry-familiar reactive ion etching to fabricate well-aligned, vertically orientated SiC nanoarrays on 4H-SiC wafers.

Blue, green, and grey water footprints assessment for paddy irrigation-drainage system.

Water footprint (WF) quantifies the impact of paddy field evapotranspiration (ET) and non-point source pollution on water resources and is an evaluation index for water sustainability. However, it is difficult to measure accurately using the existing method, which is based on parameter assumption without considering the field water conditions. In this study, a generic and physically based method for blue, green, and grey water accounting in paddy rice cultivation is introduced.

Palmaris Brevis Syndrome: A Treatable Pseudodystonia.

Background: Palmaris brevis syndrome, a pseudodystonia characterized by abnormal involuntary contractions of the palmaris brevis muscle which resides in the hypothenar eminence, is believed to be due to compressive irritation of motor fibers which arise from the superficial branch of the ulnar nerve.

Case Report: Herein, we review the origins, differential diagnosis and pathophysiology of the palmaris brevis syndrome, and effective treatment of a patient with workplace modifications and injections of botulinum toxin type A.

Discussion: Prompt diagnosis of the palmaris brevis syndrome facilitates effective treatment and resolution.

A Novel Variant of ATP5MC3 Associated with Both Dystonia and Spastic Paraplegia.

Background: In a large pedigree with an unusual phenotype of spastic paraplegia or dystonia and autosomal dominant inheritance, linkage analysis previously mapped the disease to chromosome 2q24-2q31.

Objective: The aim of this study is to identify the genetic cause and molecular basis of an unusual autosomal dominant spastic paraplegia and dystonia.

Methods: Whole exome sequencing following linkage analysis was used to identify the genetic cause in a large family.

Alterations in the Gut-Microbial-Inflammasome-Brain Axis in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD), a progressive neurodegenerative disorder characterized by memory loss and cognitive decline, is a major cause of death and disability among the older population. Despite decades of scientific research, the underlying etiological triggers are unknown. Recent studies suggested that gut microbiota can influence AD progression; however, potential mechanisms linking the gut microbiota with AD pathogenesis remain obscure.

Maternal fever during preconception and conception is associated with congenital heart diseases in offspring: An updated meta-analysis of observational studies.

Backgrounds: Many studies have evaluated the effect of maternal fever on the development risk of congenital heart diseases (CHDs) in offspring, but the findings were inconsistent. Furthermore, a complete overview of the existing data was also missing. Therefore, we intend to provide updated epidemiologic evidence to estimate the association between maternal fever and the risk of overall CHDs and specific CHD phenotypes in offspring.

Brain Selective Estrogen Treatment Protects Dopaminergic Neurons and Preserves Behavioral Function in MPTP-induced Mouse Model of Parkinson's Disease.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is characterized by progressive degeneration of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra and loss of both motor and non-motor features. Several clinical and preclinical studies have provided evidence that estrogen therapy reduces the risk of PD but have limitations in terms of adverse peripheral effects. Therefore, we examined the potential beneficial effects of the brain-selective estrogen prodrug, 10β, 17β-dihydroxyestra-1,4-dien-3-one (DHED) on nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurodegeneration and behavioral abnormalities in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) mouse model of PD.

Corrigendum to "N-Acetyl Cysteine as a Novel Polymethyl Methacrylate Resin Component: Protection against Cell Apoptosis and Genotoxicity".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2019/1301736.].

DNA Double-Strand Break Accumulation in Alzheimer's Disease: Evidence from Experimental Models and Postmortem Human Brains.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease that accounts for a majority of dementia cases. AD is characterized by progressive neuronal death associated with neuropathological lesions consisting of neurofibrillary tangles and senile plaques. While the pathogenesis of AD has been widely investigated, significant gaps in our knowledge remain about the cellular and molecular mechanisms promoting AD.

Presynaptic PRRT2 Deficiency Causes Cerebellar Dysfunction and Paroxysmal Kinesigenic Dyskinesia.

PRRT2 loss-of-function mutations have been associated with familial paroxysmal kinesigenic dyskinesia (PKD), infantile convulsions and choreoathetosis, and benign familial infantile seizures. Dystonia is the foremost involuntary movement disorder manifest by patients with PKD. Using a lacZ reporter and quantitative reverse-transcriptase PCR, we mapped the temporal and spatial distribution of Prrt2 in mouse brain and showed the highest levels of expression in cerebellar cortex.

The Role of Neurovascular System in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

The neurovascular system (NVS), which consisted of neurons, glia, and vascular cells, is a functional and structural unit of the brain. The NVS regulates blood-brain barrier (BBB) permeability and cerebral blood flow (CBF), thereby maintaining the brain's microenvironment for normal functioning, neuronal survival, and information processing. Recent studies have highlighted the role of vascular dysfunction in several neurodegenerative diseases.

DNA double-strand breaks: a potential therapeutic target for neurodegenerative diseases.

The complexity of neurodegeneration restricts the ability to understand and treat the neurological disorders affecting millions of people worldwide. Therefore, there is an unmet need to develop new and more effective therapeutic strategies to combat these devastating conditions and that will only be achieved with a better understanding of the biological mechanism associated with disease conditions. Recent studies highlight the role of DNA damage, particularly, DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), in the progression of neuronal loss in a broad spectrum of human neurodegenerative diseases.