Search results for "Nerve"

Identification of neuronal and angiogenic growth factors in an in vitro blood-brain barrier model system: Relevance in barrier integrity and tight ju…

2016

We previously demonstrated that the co-cultivation of endothelial cells with neural cells resulted in an improved integrity of the in vitro blood-brain barrier (BBB), and that this model could be useful to evaluate the transport properties of potential central nervous system disease drugs through the microvascular brain endothelial. In this study we have used real-time PCR, fluorescent microscopy, protein arrays and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays to determine which neural- and endothelial cell-derived factors are produced in the co-culture and improve the integrity of the BBB. In addition, a further improvement of the BBB integrity was achieved by adjusting serum concentrations and grow…

Retinal Thickness and Microvascular Pattern in Early Parkinson's Disease.

2020

A thinning of intraretinal layers has been previously described in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients compared to healthy controls (HCs). Few studies evaluated the possible correlation between retinal thickness and retinal microvascularization. Thus, here we assessed the thickness of retinal layers and microvascular pattern in early PD patients and HCs, using, respectively, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) and SD-OCT-angiography (SD-OCT-A), and more interestingly, we evaluated a possible correlation between retinal thickness and microvascular pattern. Patients fulfilling criteria for clinically established/clinically probable PD and HCs were enrolled. Exclusion criteria …

Variation in Lingual Nerve Course: A Human Cadaveric Study.

2016

The lingual nerve is a terminal branch of the mandibular nerve. It is varied in its course and in its relationship to the mandibular alveolar crest, submandibular duct and also the related muscles in the floor of the mouth. This study aims to understand the course of the lingual nerve from the molar area until its insertion into the tongue muscle. This cadaveric research involved the study of 14 hemi-mandibles and consisted of two parts: (i) obtaining morphometrical measurements of the lingual nerve to three landmarks on the alveolar ridge, and (b) understanding non-metrical or morphological appearance of its terminal branches inserting in the ventral surface of the tongue. The mean distanc…

2-methoxyestradiol impacts on amino acids-mediated metabolic reprogramming in osteosarcoma cells by interaction with NMDA receptor

2017

Deregulation of serine and glycine metabolism, have been identified to function as metabolic regulators in supporting tumor cell growth. The role of serine and glycine in regulation of cancer cell proliferation is complicated, dependent on concentrations of amino acids and tissue-specific. D-serine and glycine are coagonists of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor subunit GRIN1. Importantly, NMDA receptors are widely expressed in cancer cells and play an important role in regulation of cell death, proliferation and metabolism of numerous malignancies. The aim of the present work was to associate the metabolism of glycine and D-serine with the anticancer activity of 2-methoxyestradiol. 2-methoxyest…

Characterizing microstructural tissue properties in multiple sclerosis with diffusion MRI at 7 T and 3 T: The impact of the experimental design

2019

The recent introduction of advanced magnetic resonance (MR) imaging techniques to characterize focal and global degeneration in multiple sclerosis (MS), like the Composite Hindered and Restricted Model of Diffusion, or CHARMED, diffusional kurtosis imaging (DKI) and Neurite Orientation Dispersion and Density Imaging (NODDI) made available new tools to image axonal pathology non-invasively in vivo. These methods already showed greater sensitivity and specificity compared to conventional diffusion tensor-based metrics (e.g., fractional anisotropy), overcoming some of its limitations. While previous studies uncovered global and focal axonal degeneration in MS patients compared to healthy contr…

11q Deletion or ALK Activity Curbs DLG2 Expression to Maintain an Undifferentiated State in Neuroblastoma

2020

High-risk 11q deleted neuroblastomas typically display undifferentiated/poorly differentiated morphology. Neuroblastoma is thought to develop from Schwann cell precursors and undifferentiated neural crest (NC) derived cells. It is therefore vital to understand mechanisms involved in the block of differentiation. We identify an important role for oncogenic ALK-ERK1/2-SP1 signaling in maintenance of undifferentiated NC-derived progenitors via repression of DLG2, a tumor suppressor in neuroblastoma. DLG2 is expressed in the ‘bridge signature’ that represents the transcriptional transition state when neural crest cells or Schwann Cell Precursors become chromaffin cells of the adrenal gland. We …

Impact of the Usher syndrome on olfaction

2015

Usher syndrome is a genetically and clinically heterogeneous disease in humans, characterized by sensorineural hearing loss, retinitis pigmentosa and vestibular dysfunction. This disease is caused by mutations in genes encoding proteins that form complex networks in different cellular compartments. Currently, it remains unclear whether the Usher proteins also form networks within the olfactory epithelium (OE). Here, we describe Usher gene expression at the mRNA and protein level in the OE of mice and showed interactions between these proteins and olfactory signaling proteins. Additionally, we analyzed the odor sensitivity of different Usher syndrome mouse models using electro-olfactogram re…

Development of the whisker-to-barrel cortex system.

2018

This review provides an overview on the development of the rodent whisker-to-barrel cortex system from late embryonic stage to the end of the first postnatal month. During this period the system shows a remarkable transition from a mostly genetic-molecular driven generation of crude connectivity, providing the template for activity-dependent structural and functional maturation and plasticity, to the manifestation of a complex behavioral repertoire including social interactions. Spontaneous and sensory-evoked activity is present in neonatal barrel cortex and control the generation of the cortical architecture. Half a century after its first description by Woolsey and van der Loos the whiske…

2020

Purpose To investigate the retinal nerve fiber layer profile measured by optical coherence tomography and its relation to refractive error and axial length. Methods The Gutenberg Health Study is a population-based study in Mainz, Germany. At the five-year follow-up examination, participants underwent optical coherence tomography, objective refraction and biometry. Peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (pRNFL) was segmented using proprietary software. The pRNFL profiles were compared between different refraction groups and the angle between the maxima, i.e., the peaks of pRNFL thickness in the upper and lower hemisphere (angle between the maxima of pRNFL thickness [AMR]) was computed. Mult…

Dysregulation of C-X-C motif ligand 10 during aging and association with cognitive performance

2017

International audience; Chronic low-grade inflammation during aging (inflammaging) is associated with cognitive decline and neurodegeneration; however, the mechanisms underlying inflammaging are unclear. We studied a population (n = 361) of healthy young and old adults from the MyoAge cohort. Peripheral levels of C-X-C motif chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10) was found to be higher in older adults, compared with young, and negatively associated with working memory performance. This coincided with an age-related reduction in blood DNA methylation at specific CpGs within the CXCL10 gene promoter. In vitro analysis supported the role of DNA methylation in regulating CXCL10 transcription. A polymorph…