rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Healthy brain, healthy life: a review of diet and exercise interventions to promote brain health and reduce Alzheimer's disease risk.
Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie appliquee, nutrition et metabolisme, 2020

With the world's population aging at a rapid rate, the prevalence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) has significantly increased. These statistics are alarming given recent evidence that a third of dementia cases may be preventable. The role of lifestyle factors, such as diet and exercise, can directly alter the risk of disease development. However, an understanding of the effectiveness of dietary patterns and exercise strategies to reduce AD risk or improve brain function is not fully understood. The aim of this review is to discuss the effects of diet and exercise on AD risk. Key components of the Western and Mediterranean diets are discussed in relation to AD progression, as well as how physical activity promotes brain health. Components of the Western diet (saturated fatty acids and simple carbohydrates) are detrimental to the brain, impair cognition, and increase AD pathologies. While components of the Mediterranean diet (polyunsaturated fatty acids, polyphenols, and antioxidants) are considered to be neuroprotective. Exercise can significantly reduce the risk of AD; however, specific exercise recommendations for older adults are limited and optimal intensity, duration, and type remains unknown. This review highlights important modifiable risk factors for AD and points out potential avenues for future research.
Hypothesis: Tau pathology is an initiating factor in sporadic Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's & dementia : the journal of the Alzheimer's Association, 2021

The etiology of the common, sporadic form of Alzheimer's disease (sAD) is unknown. We hypothesize that tau pathology within select projection neurons with susceptible microenvironments can initiate sAD. This postulate rests on extensive data demonstrating that in human brains tau pathology appears about a decade before the formation of Aβ plaques (Aβps), especially targeting glutamate projection neurons in the association cortex. Data from aging rhesus monkeys show abnormal tau phosphorylation within vulnerable neurons, associated with calcium dysregulation. Abnormally phosphorylated tau (pTau) on microtubules traps APP-containing endosomes, which can increase Aβ production. As Aβ oligomers increase abnormal phosphorylation of tau, this would drive vicious cycles leading to sAD pathology over a long lifespan, with genetic and environmental factors that may accelerate pathological events. This hypothesis could be testable in the aged monkey association cortex that naturally expresses characteristics capable of promoting and sustaining abnormal tau phosphorylation and Aβ production.
What is the impact of robotic rehabilitation on balance and gait outcomes in people with multiple sclerosis? A systematic review of randomized control trials.
European journal of physical and rehabilitation medicine, 2021

In recent years, robot-assisted gait training (RAGT) has been proposed as therapy for balance and gait dysfunctions in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS). Through this systematic review, we aimed to discuss the impact of RAGT on balance and gait outcomes. Furthermore, characteristics of the training in terms of robots used, participants characteristics, protocols and combined therapeutic approaches have been described.
Simultaneous comparison of two sound localization measures.
Hearing research, 2014

Almost all behavioral studies of sound localization have used either an approach-to-target or pointing/orienting task to assess absolute sound localization performance, yet there are very few direct comparisons of these measures. In an approach-to-target task, the subject is trained to walk to a sound source from a fixed location. In an orienting task, finger, head and/or eye movements are monitored while the subject's body is typically constrained. The fact that subjects may also initiate head and eye movements toward the target during the approach-to-target task allows us to measure the accuracy of the initial orienting response and compare it with subsequent target selection. To perform this comparison, we trained cats to localize a broadband noise presented randomly from one of four speakers located ± 30° and ± 60° in azimuth. The cat responded to each sound presentation by walking to and pressing a lever at the perceived location, and a food reward was delivered if the first attempt was correct. In tandem, we recorded initial head and eye orienting movements, via magnetic search coils, immediately following target onset and prior to the walking response. Reducing either stimulus duration or level resulted in a systematic decline in both measurements of localization performance. When the task was easy, localization performance was accurate for both measures. When the task was more difficult, the number of incorrect (i.e., wrong selection) and no-go (i.e., no selection) responses increased. Interestingly, for many of the incorrect trials, there was a dissociation between the orienting response and the target selected, and for many of the no-go trials, the gaze oriented towards the correct target even though the cat did not move to it. This suggests different neural systems governing walking to a target as compared to unconditioned gaze orienting.
Beyond history and "on a roll": The list of the most well-studied human protein structures and overall trends in the protein data bank.
Protein science : a publication of the Protein Society, 2021

Of the roughly 20,000 canonical human protein sequences, as of January 20, 2021, 7,077 proteins have had their full or partial, medium- to high-resolution structures determined by x-ray crystallography or other methods. Which of these proteins dominate the protein data bank (the PDB) and why? In this paper, we list the 273 top human protein structures based on the number of their PDB entries. This set of proteins accounts for more than 40% of all available human PDB entries and represent past trends as well as current status for protein structural biology. We briefly discuss the relationship which some of the prominent protein structures have with protein research as a whole and mention their relevance to human diseases. The top-10 soluble and membrane proteins are all well-known (most of their first structures being deposited more than 30 years ago). Overall, there is no dramatic change in recent trends in the PDB. Remarkably, the number of structure depositions has grown nearly exponentially over the last 10 or more years (with a doubling time of 7 years for proteins, obtained from any organism). Growth in human protein structures is slightly faster (at 5.9 years). The information in this paper may be informative to senior scientists but also inspire researchers who are new to protein science, providing the year 2021 snap-shot for the state of protein structural biology.
Tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula presenting as episodic weakness mimicking periodic paralysis.
Journal of neurointerventional surgery, 2013

We report a rare case of episodic limb weakness caused by a tentorial dural arteriovenous fistula (DAVF) draining into the perimesencephalic veins. A middle-aged man presented with episodes of transient quadriparesis preceded by recurrent vomiting. The patient was initially suspected of having periodic paralysis but, due to the presence of recurrent vomiting and brisk reflexes, MR imaging of the brain was performed which revealed marked T2 hyperintensity of the brainstem and cervical cord along with multiple prominent flow voids. Cerebral angiography showed a Borden type 3 DAVF at the left tentorial margin which was draining into the perimesencepahlic and perimedullary veins and refluxing into the cervical epidural veins. The patient made a remarkable recovery after surgical interruption of the fistula.
I expect what you expect: An electrophysiological study on social expectation of pain.
Psychophysiology, 2020

Expectations and motor reactions related to pain are mainly acquired through personal experiences. Contingent negative variation (CNV) has been shown to be an informative electrophysiological measure of this pain anticipation. Expectations can also arise while observing others in painful conditions. However, it still remains unclear what are the neural correlates of this phenomenon and how the observation of others in pain can subsequently change our personal pain perception as well as our motor reaction to pain. Using CNV as a measure of expectation, this study aims to assess whether expectations formed through observation change the observer's own experience of pain and reaction to pain. A new cooperative task was designed where one participant, the model, received an electrical stimulation while another, the observer, watched the experiment and both were asked to stop the stimulation as fast as possible. Crucially, in a successive session, participants inverted their roles so that models became observers and vice versa. CNV was recorded in both participants simultaneously by means of two synchronized electroencephalograms. Results showed that CNV area did not differ between models and observers and reaction times were significantly faster in observers compared to models. Moreover, observers' pain perception was correlated to models' pain perception as well as to observers' empathy scores. These data show how expectations, perceptions as well as reactions related to pain are crucially affected not only by observation but by personal attitudes toward others and all these changes can be clearly described through CNV.
Multi-level assessment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) reveals relations between neural and neurochemical levels.
BMC psychiatry, 2020

While considerable progress has been made in exploring the psychological, the neural, and the neurochemical dimensions of OCD separately, their interplay is still an open question, especially their changes during psychotherapy.
Neuronal transcription program induced in hippocampal cells cocultured with bone marrow derived mesenchymal cells.
Heliyon, 2020

Several approaches have been applied to harvest bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs) and to differentiate into neurons or neuronal-like cells through chemical stimulation or exposing to growth factors. To date, the data regarding induction or regulation of neuronal transcription program in neuronal-like cells derived from BMSCs is yet unknown. The objective of this study is to co-culture BMSCs with neonatal hippocampal cells and generate neuronal-like cells by direct cell-to-cell contact system without using neuronal growth factors or neurobasal medium. Here, we proposed a role for NeuroD1 and Neurogenin -2 bHLH family of transcription factors implicated in onset of neurogenesis and differentiation of cells into neurons in promoting the interaction of hippocampal cells with BMSCs and their differentiation in to neurons. The proliferation of the cells was assessed with MTT assay and the role of neuronal induction and differentiation transcription regulators NeuroD1 and Neurogenin-2 in cocultured cells was determined through immunocytochemical analysis. We observed activation and expression of the neurogenic transcription factors NeuroD1 and NGN-2 associated with neuronal activation program to initiate the onset of neurogenesis in cocultured cells. Further, our results have shown a significant expression of neuronal progenitor and immature neuronal marker i.e., nestin and tubulin respectively in cocultured cells endorsing the initiation of neuronal activation.
Oligodendrocyte precursor cell specification is regulated by bidirectional neural progenitor-endothelial cell crosstalk.
Nature neuroscience, 2021

Neural-derived signals are crucial regulators of CNS vascularization. However, whether the vasculature responds to these signals by means of elongating and branching or in addition by building a feedback response to modulate neurodevelopmental processes remains unknown. In this study, we identified bidirectional crosstalk between the neural and the vascular compartment of the developing CNS required for oligodendrocyte precursor cell specification. Mechanistically, we show that neural progenitor cells (NPCs) express angiopoietin-1 (Ang1) and that this expression is regulated by Sonic hedgehog. We demonstrate that NPC-derived Ang1 signals to its receptor, Tie2, on endothelial cells to induce the production of transforming growth factor beta 1 (TGFβ1). Endothelial-derived TGFβ1, in turn, acts as an angiocrine molecule and signals back to NPCs to induce their commitment toward oligodendrocyte precursor cells. This work demonstrates a true bidirectional collaboration between NPCs and the vasculature as a critical regulator of oligodendrogenesis.
The authorship in nursing literature: an against trend?
Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2020

Women graduated and engaged in the scientific world are in increasing numbers. The present study aimed to analyze the gender difference in nursing scientific publication and to understand the trend in nursing science is the same or different to that reported in other scientific disciplines.
Methods for Cleaning and Managing a Nurse-Led Registry.
The Journal of neuroscience nursing : journal of the American Association of Neuroscience Nurses, 2020

Clinical registries provide insight on the quality of patient care by providing data to identify associations and patterns in diagnosis, disease, and treatment. This has led to a push toward using large data sets in healthcare research. Nurse researchers are developing data registries, but most are unaware of how to manage a data registry. This article examines a neuroscience nursing registry to describe a quality control and data management process.
Genes, language, cognition, and culture: towards productive inquiry.
Human biology, 2011

The Queen Mary conference on “Integrating Genetic and Cultural Evolutionary Approaches to Language,” and the papers in this special issue, clearly illustrate the excitement and potential of trans-disciplinary approaches to language as an evolved biological capacity (phylogeny) and an evolving cultural entity (glossogeny). Excepting the present author, the presenters/authors are mostly young rising stars in their respective fields, and include scientists with backgrounds in linguistics, animal communication, neuroscience, evolutionary biology, anthropology, and computer science. On display was a clear willingness to engage with different approaches and terminology and a commitment to shared standards of scientific rigor, empirically driven theory, and logical argument. Because the papers assembled here, together with the introduction, speak for themselves, I will focus in this “extro-duction” on some of the terminological and conceptual difficulties which threaten to block this exciting wave of scientific progress in understanding language evolution, in both senses of that term. In particular I will first argue against the regrettably widespread practice of opposing cultural and genetic explanations of human cognition as if they were dichotomous. Second, I will unpack the debate concerning “general-purpose” and “domain-specific” mechanisms, which masquerades as a debate about nativism but is nothing of the sort. I believe that framing discussions of language in these terms has generated more heat than light, and that a modern molecular understanding of genes, development, behavior, and evolution renders many of the assumptions underlying this debate invalid.
Long-term effects of stress early in life on microRNA-30a and its network: Preventive effects of lurasidone and potential implications for depression vulnerability.
Neurobiology of stress, 2020

Exposure to early life stress can interfere with neurodevelopmental trajectories to increase the vulnerability for psychiatric disorders later in life. With this respect, epigenetic mechanisms play a key role for the long-lasting changes in brain functions that may elicit and sustain psychopathologic outcomes. Here, we investigated DNA methylation changes as possible epigenetic mechanism mediating the effect of prenatal stress (PNS), an experimental paradigm associated with behavioral and molecular alterations relevant for psychiatric disorders. We identified 138 genes as being differentially methylated in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and in the hippocampus (HIP) of male and female adult rats exposed to PNS. Among these genes, miR-30a and Neurod1 emerged as potential players for the negative outcomes associated with PNS exposure. Indeed, in addition to showing consistent methylation differences in both brain regions and in both sexes, and interacting with each other, they are both involved in
Hybridization histochemistry of neural transcripts.
Current protocols in neuroscience, 2004

Expression of genes is manifested by the production of RNA transcripts within cells. Hybridization histochemistry (or in situ hybridization) permits localization of these transcripts with cellular resolution or better. Furthermore, the relative amounts of transcripts detected within different tissues or the same tissues in different states (e.g., physiological or developmental) may be quantified. This unit describes hybridization histochemical techniques using either oligonucleotide probes or RNA probes (riboprobes). Also presented is the use of probes labeled with digoxigenin for colorimetric detection of RNA transcripts and a technique to detect the Y chromosome using either mouse or human riboprobes. Finally, a procedure is presented for the autoradiographic detection of radiolabeled probes. Methods are provided for labeling oligodeoxynucleotide and RNA probes and performing northern analyses using these probes.
Kir4.1 RNA Interference by In Utero Electroporation Fails to Affect Ictogenesis and Reveals a Possible role of Kir4.1 in Corticogenesis.
Neuroscience, 2020

Astrocyte dysfunction, and in particular impaired extracellular potassium spatial buffering, has been postulated to have a potential role in seizure susceptibility and ictogenesis. Inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir) channels, and specifically KIR4.1, have a predominant role in K
Bifid nose as the sole manifestation of BNAR syndrome, a FREM1-related condition.
Clinical genetics, 2020

BNAR syndrome (MIM608980) is a very rare condition: nine cases belonging to three unrelated families were reported since its first description in 2002. The distinctive clinical feature is the bifidity of the tip of the nose and its association with anorectal and/or renal anomalies. Its molecular basis consisting of biallelic FREM1 missense or nonsense mutations was elucidated after studying the original Egyptian family and was confirmed in two families originating from Afghanistan and Pakistan. We describe a fourth family originating from Turkey with signs challenging the diagnostic criteria suggested by the description of the three reported families.
Inverse correlation between fatty acid transport protein 4 and vision in Leber congenital amaurosis associated with RPE65 mutation.
Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 2020

Fatty acid transport protein 4 (FATP4), a transmembrane protein in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER), is a recently identified negative regulator of the ER-associated retinal pigment epithelium (RPE)65 isomerase necessary for recycling 11-
Pharmacological characterization of the forced swim test in Drosophila melanogaster.
Invertebrate neuroscience : IN, 2020

The forced swim test is commonly used as a preclinical screen of antidepressant medication efficacy in rats and mice. Neckameyer and Nieto-Romero (Stress 18:254-66, 2015) adopted the forced swim test for use with the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster and showed that behavior in this test is sensitive to several physiologically relevant stressors. However, whether this test might be sensitive to the effects of antidepressant medications or other compounds is unknown. In the current studies, we fed drugs to male and female flies that we expected to either decrease or increase the duration of immobility in the forced swim test, including fluoxetine, desipramine, picrotoxin, reserpine, 3-iodo-tyrosine, and ethanol. Fluoxetine was the only drug tested that affected behavior in this test, and surprisingly, the direction of the effect depended on the duration of feeding. Short-term (30 min) feeding of the drug prior to test resulted in the expected increase in latency to immobility, while a longer feeding duration (20-24 h) decreased this measure. These results suggest that the pharmacological profile of the fly FST is more restricted than that of the rat or mouse FST, and that the duration of drug exposure is an important consideration in pharmacological research using flies.
Use of psychiatric hospitals and social integration of patients with psychiatric disorders: a prospective cohort study in five European countries.
Social psychiatry and psychiatric epidemiology, 2020

Long lengths of stay (LoS) in psychiatric hospitals or repeated admission may affect the social integration of patients with psychiatric disorders. So far, however, studies have been inconclusive. This study aimed to analyse whether long LoS or repeated admissions in psychiatric wards were associated in different ways with changes in the social integration of patients.
Downregulation of long non-protein coding RNA MVIH impairs glioblastoma cell proliferation and invasion through an miR-302a-dependent mechanism.
Human molecular genetics, 2021

Glioblastoma (GB) is the most frequent and malignant type of brain tumor, for which no effective therapy exists. The high proliferative and invasive nature of GB, as well as its acquired resistance to chemotherapy, makes this type of cancer extremely lethal shortly after diagnosis. Long non-protein coding RNAs (lncRNA) are a class of regulatory RNAs whose levels can be dysregulated in the context of diseases, unbalancing several physiological processes. The lncRNA associated with microvascular invasion in hepatocellular carcinoma (lncRNA-MVIH), overexpressed in several cancers, was described to co-precipitate with phosphoglycerate kinase 1 (PGK1), preventing secretion of this enzyme to the extracellular environment and promoting cell migration and invasion. We hypothesized that, by silencing the expression of lncRNA-MVIH, the secretion of PGK1 would increase, reducing GB cell migration and invasion capabilities. We observed that lncRNA-MVIH silencing in human GB cells significantly decreased glycolysis, cell growth, migration, and invasion and sensitized GB cells to cediranib. However, no increase in extracellular PGK1 was observed as a consequence of lncRNA-MVIH silencing, and therefore, we investigated the possibility of a mechanism of miRNA sponge of lncRNA-MVIH being in place. We found that the levels of miR-302a loaded onto RISC increased in GB cells after lncRNA-MVIH silencing, with the consequent downregulation of several miR-302a molecular targets. Our findings suggest a new mechanism of action of lncRNA-MVIH as a sponge of miR-302a. We suggest that lncRNA-MVIH knockdown may be a promising strategy to address GB invasiveness and chemoresistance, holding potential towards its future application in a clinical context.
Brain States: Sensory Modulations All the Way Down.
Current biology : CB, 2020

From wakefulness to sleep, and from moment to moment, the arousal state of the brain is a powerful internal context that shapes our perception and actions. Using cutting-edge imaging methods, two new studies show that arousal already sculpts visual information as it first enters the brain.
A giant keratoacanthoma of the cheek.
Acta bio-medica : Atenei Parmensis, 2019

Keratoacanthoma (KA) is a cutaneous tumor arising on sun-exposed skin and characterized by self-limiting growth and involution. We reported a case of a 92-year-old man presented a 4.5x3.5 cm nodular lesion with a central keratin-filled crater on his left cheek. We performed surgical excision and histopathological examination revealed a keratoacanthoma with perineural invasion. A close follow-up was carried out. (www.actabiomedica.it).