Search results for "OTR"
showing 10 items of 6791 documents
Imaging correlates of behavioral impairments: An experimental PET study in the rat pilocarpine epilepsy model
2018
Abstract Psychiatric comorbidities are prevalent in patients with epilepsy and greatly contribute to the overall burden of disease. The availability of reliable biomarkers to diagnose epilepsy-associated comorbidities would allow for effective treatment and improved disease management. Due to their non-invasive nature, molecular imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography (PET) are ideal tools to measure pathologic changes. In the current study we investigated the potential of [18F]fluoro-2-deoxy- d -glucose ([18F]FDG) and 2′-methoxyphenyl-(N-2′-pyridinyl)-p-18F-fluoro-benzamidoethylpiperazine ([18F]MPPF) as imaging correlates of neurobehavioral comorbidities in the pilocarpine …
An update on intracerebral stem cell grafts.
2018
Introduction: Primary neurological disorders are notoriously debilitating and deadly, and over the past four decades stem cell therapy has emerged as a promising treatment. Translation of stem cell therapies from the bench to the clinic requires a better understanding of delivery protocols, safety profile, and efficacy in each disease. Areas covered: In this review, benefits and risks of intracerebral stem cell transplantation are presented for consideration. Milestone discoveries in stem cell applications are reviewed to examine the efficacy and safety of intracerebral stem cell transplant therapy for disorders of the central nervous system and inform design of translatable protocols for c…
Is Danggui Safe to be Taken by Breast Cancer Patients?-A Skepticism Finally Answered by Comprehensive Preclinical Evidence.
2019
Angelica sinensis (AS, Danggui) has long been regarded to stimulate breast cancer growth; hence, the use of AS in breast cancer patients remains a major concern for both patients and practitioners. Since safety studies of herbs would be unethical to carry out in patients, the present study aimed to investigate the potential unsafe effects of AS in a systematic pre-clinical approach. Human breast cancer cells, breast orthotopic tumor-bearing mouse models, as well as primary breast cancer cells from patients’ tumors were used to evaluate the effect of AS hot water extract on the progression of breast tumors and/or growth of breast cancer cells. We showed that AS is not that stimulatory in bre…
Cestode parasites release extracellular vesicles with microRNAs and immunodiagnostic protein cargo.
2017
Intercellular communication is crucial in multiple aspects of cell biology. This interaction can be mediated by several mechanisms including extracellular vesicle (EV) transfer. EV secretion by parasites has been reported in protozoans, trematodes and nematodes. Here we report that this mechanism is present in three different species of cestodes, Taenia crassiceps, Mesocestoides corti and Echinococcus multilocularis. To confirm this we determined, in vitro, the presence of EVs in culture supernatants by transmission electron microscopy. Interestingly, while T. crassiceps and M. corti metacestodes secrete membranous structures into the culture media, similar vesicles were observed in the int…
Vitamin D and Its Analogues Decrease Amyloid-β (Aβ) Formation and Increase Aβ-Degradation
2017
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is characterized by extracellular plaques in the brain, mainly consisting of amyloid-β (Aβ), as derived from sequential cleavage of the amyloid precursor protein. Epidemiological studies suggest a tight link between hypovitaminosis of the secosteroid vitamin D and AD. Besides decreased vitamin D level in AD patients, an effect of vitamin D on Aβ-homeostasis is discussed. However, the exact underlying mechanisms remain to be elucidated and nothing is known about the potential effect of vitamin D analogues. Here we systematically investigate the effect of vitamin D and therapeutically used analogues (maxacalcitol, calcipotriol, alfacalcidol, paricalcitol, doxercalcife…
SARS-CoV2 vertical transmission with adverse effects on the newborn revealed through integrated immunohistochemical, electron microscopy and molecula…
2020
Background: The occurrence of trans-placental transmission of severe acute respiratory syndrome corona virus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remains highly debated. Placental positivity for SARS-CoV-2 has been reported in selected cases, but infection or virus-associated disease of fetal tissues or newborns remains to be demonstrated. Methods: We screened for SARS-CoV-2 spike (S) protein expression placentas from 101 women who delivered between February 7 and May 15 2020, including 15 tested positive for SARS-CoV-2 RNA, 34 tested negative, and 52 not evaluated as they did not meet testing criteria (32), or delivered before COVID-19 pandemic declaration (20). Immunostain for SARS-CoV-2 nucleocapsid…
A longitudinal DTI and histological study of the spinal cord reveals early pathological alterations in G93A-SOD1 mouse model of amyotrophic lateral s…
2017
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disease characterized by selective motor neuron degeneration in the motor cortex, brainstem and spinal cord. It is generally accepted that ALS is caused by death of motor neurons, however the exact temporal cascade of degenerative processes is not yet completely known. To identify the early pathological changes in spinal cord of G93A-SOD1 AIS mice we performed a comprehensive longitudinal analysis employing diffusion-tensor magnetic resonance imaging alongside histology and electron microscopy, in parallel with peripheral nerve histology. We showed the gradient of degeneration appearance in spinal cord white and gray matter, startin…
Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a Multisystem Pathology: Insights into the Role of TNFα
2017
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is considered a multifactorial, multisystem disease in which inflammation and the immune system play important roles in development and progression. The pleiotropic cytokine TNFαis one of the major players governing the inflammation in the central nervous system and peripheral districts such as the neuromuscular and immune system. Changes in TNFαlevels are reported in blood, cerebrospinal fluid, and nerve tissues of ALS patients and animal models. However, whether they play a detrimental or protective role on the disease progression is still not clear. Our group and others have recently reported opposite involvements of TNFR1 and TNFR2 in motor neuron dea…
Acute onset of bulbar amyotrophic lateral sclerosis after flu – look at the differential diagnosis: A case report
2018
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a neurodegenerative disorder affecting upper and lower motor neurones. It can be either familial (fALS) or sporadic (sALS). ALS is characterized by muscle weakness and atrophy that can involve the limbs and trunk (i.e. the spinal form of the disease) or speech and swallowing (i.e. the bulbar form). The aetiology of sALS remains unclear although a gene–environment interaction has been proposed as a concomitant trigger for the neurodegenerative process together with viral infections, smoking, heavy metals and pesticide exposure. Herein, we report the case of a 67-year-old woman who experienced an acute onset of bulbar ALS with an atypical clinical cours…
Drug Distribution to Retinal Pigment Epithelium: Studies on Melanin Binding, Cellular Kinetics, and Single Photon Emission Computed Tomography/Comput…
2016
Melanin binding is known to affect the distribution and elimination of ocular drugs. The purpose of this study was to evaluate if the extent of drug uptake to primary retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) cells could be estimated based on in vitro binding studies with isolated melanin and evaluate the suitability of single photon emission computed tomography/computed tomography (SPECT/CT) in studying pigment binding in vivo with pigmented and albino rats. Binding of five compounds, basic molecules timolol, chloroquine, and nadolol and acidic molecules methotrexate and 5(6)-carboxy-2',7'-dichlorofluorescein (CDCF), was studied using isolated melanin from porcine choroid-RPE at pH 5.0 and 7.4. The…