rudyvdbrink/CitationDatabase huggingface dataset:
Investigation into omacetaxine solution stability for in vitro study.
Biomedical chromatography : BMC, 2012

Omacetaxine is a natural product extract originating from Chinese medicine and finding therapeutic use as a potent myelosuppressive agent in leukemia. When planning in vitro cell biology experiments to assess omacetaxine activity against primary leukemic stem cells, it became apparent that the literature rarely describes the in vitro stability of the molecule, although accessible chromatographic methods have been published. Clearly whole organisms vs their component cells will differ in the way in which they handle xenobiotics, with the latter more dependent on physiochemical parameters such as pH and temperature in the absence of active metabolism or excretion. This could impact on the cells' experience of drug in culture. We therefore report here on examination of a modified, high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) method with assessment of degradant production from a 72 h solution stability study, clearly demonstrating that omacetaxine is highly stable in representative cell culture conditions (37 °C, neutral pH) and persists for many days in marked contrast to its short-half life in vivo.
Molecular biology references.
Current protocols in neuroscience, 2003

Many of the units in this manual describe methods and techniques for the cloning, expression, and structural analysis of neural genes and proteins. We assume that users of these protocols have at least some introductory background in recombinant DNA technology (or are working with a collaborator who does); therefore, we have not provided comprehensive coverage of all of these topics, but rather have concentrated on presenting selected techniques that will be of the most interest and use to the general neuroscience laboratory. More comprehensive coverage of these topics can be found in Current Protocols in Molecular Biology (CPMB), which is extensively cross-referenced throughout this manual. These cross-references are summarized in this appendix.
Biased Neural Representation of Feature-Based Attention in the Human Frontoparietal Network.
The Journal of neuroscience : the official journal of the Society for Neuroscience, 2020

Selective attention is a core cognitive function for efficient processing of information. Although it is well known that attention can modulate neural responses in many brain areas, the computational principles underlying attentional modulation remain unclear. Contrary to the prevailing view of a high-dimensional, distributed neural representation, here we show a surprisingly simple, biased neural representation for feature-based attention in a large dataset including five human fMRI studies. We found that when human participants (both sexes) selected one feature from a compound stimulus, voxels in many cortical areas responded consistently higher to one attended feature over the other. This univariate bias was consistent across brain areas within individual subjects. Importantly, this univariate bias showed a progressively stronger magnitude along the cortical hierarchy. In frontoparietal areas, the bias was strongest and contributed largely to pattern-based decoding, whereas early visual areas lacked such a bias. These findings suggest a gradual transition from a more analog to a more abstract representation of attentional priority along the cortical hierarchy. Biased neural responses in high-level areas likely reflect a low-dimensional neural code that can facilitate a robust representation and simple readout of cognitive variables.
Feasibility trial of metformin XR in people with pre-diabetes and stroke (MIPPS)-randomised open blinded endpoint controlled trial.
Journal of clinical neuroscience : official journal of the Neurosurgical Society of Australasia, 2021

Pre-diabetes is a common condition that affects about 16.4% of Australian adults. Hyperglycaemia is a strong risk factor for the development of stroke. Metformin XR is an approved medication to treat type 2 diabetes in Australia but not pre-diabetes. Additionally, whether it is tolerated following a stroke is unclear. In this pilot study, we aimed to assess the feasibility of Metformin XR in people with stroke and pre-diabetes.
A cross-sectional survey among physicians on internet use for epilepsy-related information.
Epilepsy research, 2020

We investigated views towards the Internet in a sample of Italian healthcare specialists involved in epilepsy field, to identify factors associated with the attitude of being influenced by information found on the Internet.
Prevalence of sleep disorders among medical students and their association with poor academic performance: A cross-sectional study.
Annals of medicine and surgery (2012), 2020

Sleep quality is of paramount importance for human health. This multi-site study measures the proportion and types of self-reported sleep disorders in medical students and evaluates their association with academic performance by Grade Point Average (GPA).
Improving the comfort of nurses caring for stroke patients at the end of life.
International journal of palliative nursing, 2017

End-of-life care of stroke patients is an important aspect of stroke care. It has been previously reported that nurses express discomfort caring for patients at the end of life or caring for patients who have suffered severe strokes. Nurses at our centre expressed similar discomfort.
Mental health plan for workers of the London Nightingale Hospital: following the evidence to support staff.
BMJ military health, 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has extracted an enormous physical health toll on many millions worldwide, and the wider societal impact from economic turmoil, unemployment, social isolation and so forth continue to be measured. A less explored aspect has been the psychological impact on treating healthcare staff, with emerging evidence of 'moral injury' and mental illness for some. This review explores the evidence base for implementing a tiered model of care to minimise this and foster 'post-traumatic growth', and describes the authors' implementation of this in the London Nightingale hospital, with lessons for the armed forces.
Distinct mechanisms govern recalibration to audio-visual discrepancies in remote and recent history.
Scientific reports, 2019

To maintain perceptual coherence, the brain corrects for discrepancies between the senses. If, for example, lights are consistently offset from sounds, representations of auditory space are remapped to reduce this error (spatial recalibration). While recalibration effects have been observed following both brief and prolonged periods of adaptation, the relative contribution of discrepancies occurring over these timescales is unknown. Here we show that distinct multisensory recalibration mechanisms operate in remote and recent history. To characterise the dynamics of this spatial recalibration, we adapted human participants to audio-visual discrepancies for different durations, from 32 to 256 seconds, and measured the aftereffects on perceived auditory location. Recalibration effects saturated rapidly but decayed slowly, suggesting a combination of transient and sustained adaptation mechanisms. When long-term adaptation to an audio-visual discrepancy was immediately followed by a brief period of de-adaptation to an opposing discrepancy, recalibration was initially cancelled but subsequently reappeared with further testing. These dynamics were best fit by a multiple-exponential model that monitored audio-visual discrepancies over distinct timescales. Recent and remote recalibration mechanisms enable the brain to balance rapid adaptive changes to transient discrepancies that should be quickly forgotten against slower adaptive changes to persistent discrepancies likely to be more permanent.
Psychiatric symptoms are the strongest predictors of quality of life in patients with drug-resistant epilepsy or psychogenic nonepileptic seizures.
Epilepsy & behavior : E&B, 2021

This cross-sectional study aimed to determine the effect of psychiatric comorbidity and neurocognitive deficits on the quality of life in a cohort of patients admitted for Video-EEG Monitoring (VEM) for investigation into a presumed seizure disorder.
Identification of UBAP1 mutations in juvenile hereditary spastic paraplegia in the 100,000 Genomes Project.
European journal of human genetics : EJHG, 2020

Hereditary spastic paraplegia (HSP) is a group of heterogeneous inherited degenerative disorders characterized by lower limb spasticity. Fifty percent of HSP patients remain yet genetically undiagnosed. The 100,000 Genomes Project (100KGP) is a large UK-wide initiative to provide genetic diagnosis to previously undiagnosed patients and families with rare conditions. Over 400 HSP families were recruited to the 100KGP. In order to obtain genetic diagnoses, gene-based burden testing was carried out for rare, predicted pathogenic variants using candidate variants from the Exomiser analysis of the genome sequencing data. A significant gene-disease association was identified for UBAP1 and HSP. Three protein truncating variants were identified in 13 patients from 7 families. All patients presented with juvenile form of pure HSP, with median age at onset 10 years, showing autosomal dominant inheritance or de novo occurrence. Additional clinical features included parkinsonism and learning difficulties, but their association with UBAP1 needs to be established.
A multicenter prospective cohort study on the effect of smoking cessation on periodontal therapies in Japan.
Journal of oral science, 2020

Few prospective studies have reported the effects of periodontal therapy on patients who attempted to quit smoking. This study aimed to assess how smoking cessation affects periodontal therapy. Twenty-five smokers with periodontitis were investigated by dividing them into two groups, a smoking cessation support group and a continued smoking group. Those in the support group received counseling and nicotine replacement therapy, followed by periodontal treatment conducted by dentists who had completed an e-learning course on smoking cessation. Clinical parameters were measured at baseline, 3, and 6 months. Most clinical parameters improved for those in the smoking cessation support group. There were no significant improvements in bleeding on probing (BOP) or the number of severe periodontal disease sites in the continued smoking group. Probing pocket depth (PPD) and clinical attachment levels (CAL) at sites that received scaling and root planing (SRP) significantly improved in all subjects. BOP did not improve at reevaluation in the smoking relapse subgroup. Patients in the smoking cessation support program led by dental professionals showed more improvement in BOP than those in the continued smoking group.
Effects of transcranial static magnetic stimulation over the primary motor cortex on local and network spontaneous electroencephalogram oscillations.
Scientific reports, 2021

Transcranial static magnetic stimulation (tSMS) is a novel non-invasive brain stimulation technique that reduces cortical excitability at the stimulation site. We investigated the effects of tSMS over the left primary motor cortex (M1) for 20 min on the local electroencephalogram (EEG) power spectrum and interregional EEG coupling. Twelve right-handed healthy subjects participated in this crossover, double-blind, sham-controlled study. Resting-state EEG data were recorded for 3 min before the intervention and 17 min after the beginning of the intervention. The power spectrum at the left central electrode (C3) and the weighted phase lag index (wPLI) between C3 and the other electrodes was calculated for theta (4-8 Hz), alpha (8-12 Hz), and beta (12-30 Hz) frequencies. The tSMS significantly increased theta power at C3 and the functional coupling in the theta band between C3 and the parietal midline electrodes. The tSMS over the left M1 for 20 min exhibited modulatory effects on local cortical activity and interregional functional coupling in the theta band. The neural oscillations in the theta band may have an important role in the neurophysiological effects induced by tSMS over the frontal cortex.
Stem cell-based therapy treating glioblastoma multiforme.
Hematology/oncology and stem cell therapy, 2021

Glioblastoma (GB) is one of the most malignant types of central nervous system tumours, classified as grade IV by the World Health Organization. Despite the therapeutic advances, the prognosis is ominous, with a median survival of about 12-15 months post diagnosis. Although therapeutic options available can increase the survival, they are ineffective in treating patients with GB. Impairing factors such as the blood-brain barrier, cancer stem cells, and infiltration into brain parenchyma lead to failure of current therapies. Therefore, clinicians need novel/alternative effective strategies to treat GB. Due to their ability to preserve healthy tissues and to provide an effective and long-lasting response, stem cells (SCs) with tropism for tumour cells have attracted considerable attention in the scientific community. As is the case here, SCs can be used to target brain tumour cancer cells, especially high-grade malignant gliomas like GB, by overcoming the resistance and exerting benefits for patients affected with such lethal disease. Herein, we will discuss the research knowledge regarding SC-based therapy for the treatment of GB, focalising our attention on SCs and SC-released extracellular vesicles modified to express/load different antitumour payloads, as well as on SCs exploited as a diagnostic tool. Advantages and unresolved issues of anticancer SC-based therapy will also be considered.
Psychic euosmia among obsessive-compulsive personality disorder patients: A case control study.
World journal of psychiatry, 2021

Psychic euosmia (PE) has been described as a supposed psychological predisposition for which pleasant smells elicit an immediate sense of pleasure, order and calmness in obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD). In this study we tried to verify the interpretation that PE is the counterpart of disgust that has been associated to contamination and moral purity. Disgust and morality are significantly associated in people with obsessive-compulsive personality traits. We expected that OCPD patients would experience higher levels of PE.
In Vivo Assessment of Cell Death and Nigrostriatal Pathway Integrity Following Continuous Expression of C3 Transferase.
Neuroscience, 2020

The bacterial exoenzyme C3 transferase (C3) irreversibly inhibits RhoA GTPase leading to stimulation of axonal outgrowth in injured neurons. C3 has been used successfully in models of neurotrauma and shows promise as an option to support cell survival and axonal growth of dopaminergic (DA) neurons in Parkinson's disease (PD) cell therapy. Whether the continuous expression of C3 in DA neurons is well-tolerated is unknown. To assess the potential neurotoxicity of sustained expression of C3 in DA neurons, we generated Cre recombinase-dependent adeno-associated viral vectors (AAV) for targeted C3 delivery to DA neurons of the mouse substantia nigra pars compacta (SNc). The effect of continuous expression of C3 on DA neurons was assessed by immunohistochemistry and compared to that of Enhanced Yellow Fluorescent Protein (EYFP) as negative controls. We did not find significant reduction of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) expression levels nor the presence of cleaved activated caspase 3. Astrocytic activation as determined by GFAP expression was comparable to EYFP controls. To evaluate the impact of C3 expression on striatal terminals of the nigrostriatal pathway, we compared the rotational behavior of wildtype mice injected unilaterally with either C3 or 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA). Mice injected with C3 exhibited similar ipsiversive rotations to the site of injection in comparison to control mice injected with EYFP and significantly fewer ipsiversive rotations compared to 6-OHDA lesioned mice. Non-significant difference between C3 and EYFP controls in behavioral and histological analyses demonstrate that transduced DA neurons express C3 continuously without apparent adverse effects, supporting the use of C3 in efficacy studies targeting DA neurons.
Recombinant CCL17 Enhances Hematoma Resolution and Activation of CCR4/ERK/Nrf2/CD163 Signaling Pathway After Intracerebral Hemorrhage in Mice.
Neurotherapeutics : the journal of the American Society for Experimental NeuroTherapeutics, 2020

Hematoma is a crucial factor leading to poor prognosis after intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH). Promoting microglial phagocytosis to enhance hematoma resolution may be an important therapeutic target for recovery after ICH. C-C chemokine receptor 4 (CCR4) is important for regulating immune balance in the central nervous system. However, whether CCR4 activation can attenuate hematoma after ICH remains unknown. We aimed to evaluate whether CCL17 (a specific ligand of CCR4) treatment can promote hematoma resolution through CCR4/ERK/Nrf2/CD163 pathway after ICH. A total of 261 adult male CD1 mice were used. Mice were subjected to intrastriatal injection of autologous blood to induce ICH and randomly assigned to receive recombinant CCL17 (rCCL17) or vehicle which was administered intranasally at 1 h after ICH. To elucidate the underlying mechanism, C021, a selective inhibitor of CCR4 and ML385 and a selective inhibitor of Nrf2 were administered 1 h prior to ICH induction. Clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats (CRISPR) knockout for CD163 was administered by intracerebroventricular injection at 48 h before ICH. Brain edema, short- and long-term neurobehavior evaluation, hematoma volume, hemoglobin content, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining were performed. Endogenous CCL17, CCR4, and CD163 expression increased and peaked at 72 h after ICH. CCR4 was expressed by microglia. CCR4 activation with rCCL17 significantly improved neurobehavioral scores and reduced hematoma volume and brain edema compared with vehicle. Moreover, rCCL17 treatment significantly promoted phosphorylation of ERK1/2, increased the expression Nrf2, and upregulated CD163 expression after ICH. The protective effects of rCCL17 were abolished by administration of C021, ML385, and CD163 CRISPR knockout. This study demonstrated that CCR4 activation with rCCL17 promoted hematoma resolution by increasing CD163 expression and CCR4/ERK/Nrf2 pathway activation after ICH, thereby reducing brain edema and improving neurological function. Overall, our study suggests that CCR4 activation may be a potential therapeutic strategy to attenuate hematoma in early brain injury after ICH.
Dust from hog confinement facilities impairs Ca2+ mobilization from sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum by inhibiting ryanodine receptors.
Journal of applied physiology (Bethesda, Md. : 1985), 2013

Individuals working in commercial hog confinement facilities have elevated incidences of headaches, depression, nausea, skeletal muscle weakness, fatigue, gastrointestinal disorders, and cardiovascular diseases, and the molecular mechanisms for these nonrespiratory ailments remain incompletely undefined. A common element underlying these diverse pathophysiologies is perturbation of intracellular Ca(2+) homeostasis. This study assessed whether the dust generated inside hog confinement facilities contains compounds that alter Ca(2+) mobilization via ryanodine receptors (RyRs), key intracellular channels responsible for mobilizing Ca(2+) from internal stores to elicit an array of physiologic functions. Hog barn dust (HBD) was extracted with phosphate-buffered saline, sterile-filtered (0.22 μm), and size-separated using Sephadex G-100 resin. Fractions (F) 1 through 9 (Mw >10,000 Da) had no measurable effects on RyR isoforms. However, F10 through F17, which contained compounds of Mw ≤2,000 Da, modulated the [(3)H]ryanodine binding to RyR1, RyR2, and RyR3 in a biphasic (Gaussian) manner. The Ki values for F13, the most potent fraction, were 3.8 ± 0.2 μg/ml for RyR1, 0.2 ± 0.01 μg/ml and 19.1 ± 2.8 μg/ml for RyR2 (two binding sites), and 44.9 ± 2.8 μg/ml and 501.6 ± 9.2 μg/ml for RyR3 (two binding sites). In lipid bilayer assays, F13 dose-dependently decreased the open probabilities of RyR1, RyR2, and RyR3. Pretreating differentiated mouse skeletal myotubes (C2C12 cells) with F13 blunted the amplitudes of ryanodine- and K(+)-induced Ca(2+) transients. Because RyRs are present in many cell types, impairment in Ca(2+) mobilization from internal stores via these channels is a possible mechanism by which HBD may trigger these seemingly unrelated pathophysiologies.
Tug of War in Spindle Orientation.
Developmental cell, 2016

The evolutionarily conserved Gαi-LGN-NuMA protein complex is a key regulator of spindle orientation, but how its spatiotemporal localization is achieved remains elusive. Chiu et al. (2016) show that SAPCD2 negatively regulates LGN cortical localization by competing with NuMA for LGN binding in both epithelial cells and mouse retinal progenitor cells.
Independence of brain and trunk temperature during hypothermic preconditioning in rats.
Journal of neuroscience methods, 2009

Hypothermic preconditioning is rapid cooling and warming to induce tolerance to ischemia. The purpose of the study was to examine differences in brain and trunk temperature during hypothermic preconditioning.
Cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia in adolescents with comorbid psychiatric disorders: A clinical pilot study.
Clinical child psychology and psychiatry, 2020

Insomnia is common in adolescents and often comorbid with psychiatric disorders. This study evaluated changes in insomnia, sleep, and comorbid symptoms following cognitive-behavioral therapy for insomnia (CBT-I) in adolescents with comorbid psychiatric disorders and chronic pain.
Autoantibodies against the autophagic protein microtubule-associated light-chain 3 (LC3): Immunocharacterization of an atypical ANA pattern.
Autoimmunity, 2020

Autoantibodies to nuclear and cytoplasmic antigens are commonly detected by indirect immunofluorescence (IIF) on HEp-2 cells, and three major staining patterns (nuclear, cytoplasmic, and mitotic) are distinguished. Here, we report an atypical cytoplasmic pattern, not described so far, observed in the serum of a patient with a controversial diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Moreover, for the first time, we have revealed the presence of autoantibodies against the microtubule-associated light-chain 3 (LC3) protein, which plays a key role in the autophagic process. The target antigen has been identified in IIF by means of a competition test using purified anti-LC3 antibodies on HEp-2 cells, and confirmed by Western blot analysis using cellular or recombinant LC3 as antigen, immunoreacted with the patient's serum. The identification of this atypical pattern and the related autoantibody-antigen system sheds new light on autophagy, which is increasingly considered to be involved in the etiopathogenesis of autoimmune disorders, and could contribute to select more personalized therapies.
Oscillatory interactions between sensorimotor cortex and the periphery.
Current opinion in neurobiology, 2007

Field potential recordings from motor cortex show oscillations in the beta-band (approximately 20 Hz), which are coherent with similar oscillations in the activity of contralateral contracting muscles. Recent findings have revised concepts of how this activity might be generated in the cortex, suggesting it could achieve useful computation. Other evidence shows that these oscillations engage not just motor structures, but also return from muscle to the central nervous system via feedback afferent pathways. Somatosensory cortex has strong beta-band oscillations, which are synchronised with those in motor cortex, allowing oscillatory sensory reafference to be interpreted in the context of the oscillatory motor command which produced it.