Search results for "Ligo"
showing 10 items of 1427 documents
Ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture for nusinersen administration in spinal muscular atrophy patients.
2020
Background and purpose The purpose was to report the results of ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture for the administration of nusinersen in spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) patients with complex spines. Methods Eighteen SMA patients (five children, five adolescents and eight adults) with either severe scoliosis or spondylodesis were evaluated for ultrasound-guided lumbar puncture. Ultrasound was performed with a 3.5 MHz transducer to guide a 22 gauge × 15 mm needle, which was placed in the posterior lumbar space following a parasagittal interlaminar approach. Results Twelve patients had undergone spinal instrumentation (nine growing rods and three spinal fusion) whilst the other six showed sever…
Impairment of intracellular antiviral defense with age: age-dependent changes in expression of interferon-induced and double-stranded RNA-activated 2…
1995
The 2',5'-oligoadenylate (2-5A) system is involved in the defense of mammalian cells against virus infection. In a previous study [25], we demonstrated that the activities of the enzymes which synthesize and degrade 2-5A [2-5A synthetase (2-5OAS) and 2',3'-exoribonuclease] and of the enzyme that is activated by 2-5A (ribonuclease L) change during aging and development in different tissues of rat. The age-dependent decrease in 2-5OAS activity and increase in 2-5A nuclease activity results in a decrease in the cellular 2-5A content, suggesting that the efficiency of the antiviral 2-5A system is impaired in aged rats. Here we determined the age-dependent changes in the level of mRNA coding for…
Immunological and immunogenetic markers in sporadic Alzheimer’s disease
2006
Background: Common polymorphisms of genes controlling inflammation-modulating cytokines and acute-phase proteins which play important roles in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer''s disease (AD) have been shown to be associated with AD. Aims: The immunological and immunogenetic markers potentially useful for the AD risk evaluation and diagnosis are briefly reviewed. Conclusion: The state-of-the-art of immunological and immunogenetic markers of AD indicates that new tools and strategies are necessary to identify gene products useful as diagnostic tools.
A53T-Alpha-Synuclein Overexpression Impairs Dopamine Signaling and Striatal Synaptic Plasticity in Old Mice
2010
BACKGROUND: Parkinson's disease (PD), the second most frequent neurodegenerative disorder at old age, can be caused by elevated expression or the A53T missense mutation of the presynaptic protein alpha-synuclein (SNCA). PD is characterized pathologically by the preferential vulnerability of the dopaminergic nigrostriatal projection neurons. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS: Here, we used two mouse lines overexpressing human A53T-SNCA and studied striatal dysfunction in the absence of neurodegeneration to understand early disease mechanisms. To characterize the progression, we employed young adult as well as old mice. Analysis of striatal neurotransmitter content demonstrated that dopamine (DA…
The aged brain: Genesis and fate of residual progenitor cells in the subventricular zone
2015
Neural stem cells (NSCs) persist in the adult mammalian brain through life. The subventricular zone (SVZ) is the largest source of stem cells in the nervous system, and continuously generates new neuronal and glial cells involved in brain regeneration. During aging, the germinal potential of the SVZ suffers a widespread decline, but the causes of this turn down are not fully understood. This review provides a compilation of the current knowledge about the age-related changes in the NSC population, as well as the fate of the newly generated cells in the aged brain. It is known that the neurogenic capacity is clearly disrupted during aging, while the production of oligodendroglial cells is no…
Muscular transcriptome in postmenopausal women with or without hormone replacement.
2007
The loss of muscle mass and strength with aging is well characterized, but our knowledge of the molecular mechanisms underlying the development of sarcopenia remains incomplete. Although menopause is often accompanied with first signs of age-associated changes in muscle structure and function, the effects of hormone replacement therapy (HRT) or menopause-related decline in estrogen production in the muscles of postmenopausal women is not well understood. Furthermore the knowledge of the global transcriptional changes that take place in skeletal muscle in relation to estrogen status has thus far been completely lacking. We used a randomized double-blinded study design together with an explor…
RGD-mimic polyamidoamine-montmorillonite composites with tunable stiffness as scaffolds for bone tissue-engineering applications
2017
This paper reports on the development of montmorillonite (MMT)-reinforced hydrogels, based on a peptidomimetic polyamidoamine carrying guanidine pendants (AGMA1), as substrates for the osteo-induction of osteoblast precursor cells. AGMA1 hydrogels of various degrees of crosslinking responded favourably to MMT reinforcement, giving rise to composite hydrogels with shear storage modulus G', when fully swollen in water, up to 200 kPa, i.e. 20 times higher than the virgin hydrogels and of the same order or higher than other hydrogel-based composites proposed for orthopaedic applications. This significant improvement was ascribed to the effective interpenetration between the polymer matrix and t…
Similar endometrial development in oocyte donors treated with either high- or standard-dose GnRH antagonist compared to treatment with a GnRH agonist…
2005
Background This descriptive study evaluates the impact on endometrial development of standard and high doses of a GnRH antagonist in stimulated cycles compared with GnRH agonist and natural cycles. Methods Thirty-one oocyte donors were treated with a combination of rFSH and 0.25 mg/day ganirelix (standard dose), 2 mg/day ganirelix (high dose) or 0.6 mg/day buserelin (long protocol). Vaginal progesterone (200 mg/day) was administered in the luteal phase. Endometrial biopsies were performed 2 and 7 days after HCG administration. Additional biopsies were carried out in a subset of 12 subjects, 2 and 7 days following the LH peak of their previous natural cycle. Biopsies were evaluated histologi…
Intra-Nasally Administered Oligopeptide Lunasin Acts as a Possible Anti-Psychotic Agent in Mice Models
2019
Background and Objectives: Previously we have shown that synthetic lunasin, a 43 amino acid residue-containing peptide, after its central (intracisternal) administration in mice demonstrated antagonism against dopaminergic drug behavioural effects, indicating a putative antipsychotic/anti-schizophrenic profile of lunasin. The aims of the present studies were: to test whether lunasin would show an influence on the dopaminergic system after intranasal administration, and to examine the effect(s) of lunasin on serotonin and glutamatergic systems, which could play an essential role in antipsychotic action. Materials and Methods: Lunasin was administered intra-nasally at doses 0.1 and 1 nmol/mou…
Atmospheric protein chemistry influenced by anthropogenic air pollutants: nitration and oligomerization upon exposure to ozone and nitrogen dioxide
2017
The allergenic potential of airborne proteins may be enhanced via post-translational modification induced by air pollutants like ozone (O3) and nitrogen dioxide (NO2). The molecular mechanisms and kinetics of the chemical modifications that enhance the allergenicity of proteins, however, are still not fully understood. Here, protein tyrosine nitration and oligomerization upon simultaneous exposure of O3 and NO2 were studied in coated-wall flow-tube and bulk solution experiments under varying atmospherically relevant conditions (5–200 ppb O3, 5–200 ppb NO2, 45–96% RH), using bovine serum albumin as a model protein. Generally, more tyrosine residues were found to react via the nitration pathw…