Search results for "Research"
showing 10 items of 25967 documents
Heterogeneous Indicators of Cognitive Performance and Performance Variability Across the Lifespan
2020
Reaction time (RT) and RT variability are core components of cognitive performance that can be captured through brief and easy-to-administer tasks of simple RT and choice RT. The current study aims to describe age-related differences in cognitive performance, toward better characterizing normative performance across the lifespan. We examined mean and variability of response times on a simple RT and choice RT tasks in a large and diverse web-based sample (10,060 visitors to TestMyBrain.org). We also examined lifespan-related differences in response time variability using multiple different approaches (raw variability, mean scaled variability, and mean residualized variability). These analyse…
Characterization of NO-Induced Nitrosative Status in Human Placenta from Pregnant Women with Gestational Diabetes Mellitus
2017
Dysregulation of NO production is implicated in pregnancy-related diseases, including gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). The role of NO and its placental targets in GDM pregnancies has yet to be determined. S-Nitrosylation is the NO-derived posttranslational protein modification that can modulate biological functions by forming NO-derived complexes with longer half-life, termed S-nitrosothiol (SNO). Our aim was to examine the presence of endogenous S-nitrosylated proteins in cysteine residues in relation to antioxidant defense, apoptosis, and cellular signal transduction in placental tissue from control (n=8) and GDM (n=8) pregnancies. S-Nitrosylation was measured using the biotin-switch …
Apoptosis and Mobilization of Lymphocytes to Cardiac Tissue Is Associated with Myocardial Infarction in a Reperfused Porcine Model and Infarct Size i…
2017
ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) is the most severe outcome of coronary artery disease. Despite rapid reperfusion of the artery, acute irrigation of the cardiac tissue is associated with increased inflammation. While innate immune response in STEMI is well described, an in-depth characterization of adaptive immune cell dynamics and their potential role remains elusive. We performed a translational study using a controlled porcine reperfusion model of STEMI and the analysis of lymphocyte subsets in 116 STEMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI). In the animal model, a sharp drop in circulating T lymphocytes occurred within the first hours after reper…
Differential Associations of IL-4 With Hippocampal Subfields in Mild Cognitive Impairment and Alzheimer’s Disease
2019
Background/Aims: A bi-directional communication between the immune system and the central nervous system has been recently suggested. Among many cytokines, the role of IL-4 - with anti-inflammatory properties- in counteracting age-related inflammatory changes in the brain is strongly supported among studies. With this study, we aimed at investigating the association between volumetric measures of hippocampal subregions -in healthy older controls (HC), subjects affected by mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer’s Disease (AD)- with circulating levels of IL-4. Methods: From AddNeuroMed Project 113 HC, 101 stable MCI (sMCI), 22 converter MCI (cMCI) and 119 AD were included. Hippocampal …
THE EFFICACY AND SAFETY OF INFLUENZA VACCINATION IN OLDER PEOPLE: AN UMBRELLA REVIEW OF EVIDENCE FROM META-ANALYSES OF BOTH OBSERVATIONAL AND RANDOMI…
2020
Vaccination is the main public health intervention to prevent influenza. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of influenza vaccination including systematic reviews and meta-analyses of observational studies and randomized controlled trials (RCTs). Peer-reviewed systematic reviews with meta-analyses of prospective studies that investigated the association of influenza vaccination with any health-related outcome, as well as RCTs that investigated the efficacy and safety of influenza vaccination, were included. Among 1240 references, 6 meta-analyses were included. In cohort studies of community-dwelling older people influenza vaccination was associated with a lower risk of hospitalizat…
Biological and biophysics aspects of metformin-induced effects: cortex mitochondrial dysfunction and promotion of toxic amyloid pre-fibrillar aggrega…
2016
The onset of Alzheimer disease (AD) is influenced by several risk factors comprising diabetes. Within this context, antidiabetic drugs, including metformin, are investigated for their effect on AD. We report that in the C57B6/J mice, metformin is delivered to the brain where activates AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), its molecular target. This drug affects the levels of β- secretase (BACE1) and β-amyloid precursor protein (APP), promoting processing and aggregation of β-amyloid (Aβ), mainly in the cortex region. Moreover, metformin induces mitochondrial dysfunction and cell death by affecting the level and conformation of Translocase of the Outer Membrane 40 (TOM40), voltage-dependent anion-sel…
Determinants of Quality of Life According to Cognitive Status in Parkinson’s Disease
2020
Background: Quality of life (QoL) was worse in Parkinson's disease patients with mild cognitive impairment (PD-MCI) or dementia (PDD) than PD patients with normal cognition (PD-NC). The aim of this study was to investigate and compare the potential heterogeneous determinants of QoL in PD patients with different cognitive statuses. Methods: We recruited 600 PD patients, including 185 PD-NC patients, 336 PD-MCI patients and 79 PDD patients, in this cross-sectional study. All patients completed the QoL assessment by the 39-item Parkinson's Disease Questionnaire (PDQ-39), as well as clinical evaluations and neuropsychological tests. The determinants of the QoL were analysed by multiple stepwise…
Incidence of Mild Cognitive Impairment and Dementia in Parkinson's Disease: The Parkinson's Disease Cognitive Impairment Study.
2018
Background: Cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) includes a spectrum varying from Mild Cognitive Impairment (PD-MCI) to PD Dementia (PDD). The main aim of the present study is to evaluate the incidence of PD-MCI, its rate of progression to dementia, and to identify demographic and clinical characteristics which predict cognitive impairment in PD patients. Methods: PD patients from a large hospital-based cohort who underwent at least two comprehensive neuropsychological evaluations were retrospectively enrolled in the study. PD-MCI and PDD were diagnosed according to the Movement Disorder Society criteria. Incidence rates of PD-MCI and PDD were estimated. Clinical and demographic…
Precuneus Dysfunction in Parkinson's Disease With Mild Cognitive Impairment.
2018
Background: Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) frequently occurs in Parkinson's disease (PD). Neurovascular changes interact with neurodegenerative processes in PD. However, the deficits of cerebral blood flow (CBF) perfusion and the associated functional connectivity (FC) in PD patients with MCI (PD-MCI) remain unclear. Purpose: This study aimed to explore the specific neurovascular perfusion alterations in PD-MCI compared to PD with normal cognition (PD-NC) and healthy controls (HCs), and to further examine the resultant whole brain FC changes in the abnormal perfusion regions. Methods: Relative CBF (rCBF) was calculated using arterial spin labeling (ASL) in 54 patients with PD (27 patients …
Raman Spectroscopic Measurements of Dermal Carotenoids in Breast Cancer Operated Patients Provide Evidence for the Positive Impact of a Dietary Regim…
2015
Dermal carotenoids are a feasible marker of the body antioxidative network and may reveal a moderate to severe imbalance of the redox status, thereby providing indication of individual oxidative stress. In this work noninvasive Resonance Raman Spectroscopy (RRS) measurements of skin carotenoids (skin carotenoid score (SCS)) were used to provide indications of individual oxidative stress, each year for five years, in 71 breast cancer (BC) patients at high risk of recurrence. Patients’ SCS has been correlated with parameters relevant to BC risk, waist circumference (WC), and body mass index (BMI), in the aim of monitoring the effect of a dietary regimen intended to positively affect BC risk f…