Morphometric assessment of toxicant induced neuronal degeneration in full and restricted contact co-cultures of embryonic cortical rat neurons and astrocytes: Using m-Dinitrobezene as a model neurotoxicant

: Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is an age-associated nervous system disorder and a leading cause of dementia worldwide. Clinically it is described by cognitive impairment, and pathophysiologically by deposition of amyloid plaques and neurofibrillary tangles in the brain and neurodegeneration. This article reviews the pathophysiology, course of neuronal degeneration, and the various possible hypothesis of AD progression. These hypotheses include amyloid cascade, tau hyperphosphorylation, cholinergic disruption, metal dysregulation, vascular dysfunction, oxidative stress, and neuroinflammation. There is an exponential increase in the occurrence of the AD in recent few years that indicate an urgent need to develop some effective treatment. Currently, only 2 classes of drugs are available for AD treatment namely acetylcholinesterase inhibitor and NMDA receptor antagonist. Since AD is a complex neurological disorder and these drugs use a single target approach, alternatives are needed due to limited effectiveness and unpleasant side-effects of these drugs. Currently, plants have been used for drug development research especially because of their multiple sites of action and fewer side effects. Uses of some herbs and phytoconstituents for the management of neuronal disorders like AD have been documented in this article. Phytochemical screening of these plants shows the presence of many beneficial constituents like flavonoids, triterpenes, alkaloids, sterols, polyphenols, and tannins. These compounds show a wide array of pharmacological activities such as anti-amyloidogenic, anticholinesterase, and antioxidant. This article summarizes the present understanding of AD progression and gathers biochemical evidence from various works on natural products that can be useful in the management of this disease.

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Diabetes, Diabetic Complications, and Phosphate Toxicity: A Scoping Review

Current Diabetes Reviews ◽

10.2174/1573399815666191104113236 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 16 (7) ◽

pp. 674-689 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Ronald B. Brown

Keyword(s):

Scoping Review ◽

Diabetic Complications ◽

Inorganic Phosphate ◽

Dietary Intervention ◽

Neuronal Degeneration ◽

Ectopic Calcification ◽

Treatment And Prevention ◽

Research Findings ◽

Serum Inorganic Phosphate ◽

Prevention Of Diabetes

This article presents a scoping review and synthesis of research findings investigating the toxic cellular accumulation of dysregulated inorganic phosphate—phosphate toxicity—as a pathophysiological determinant of diabetes and diabetic complications. Phosphorus, an essential micronutrient, is closely linked to the cellular metabolism of glucose for energy production, and serum inorganic phosphate is often transported into cells along with glucose during insulin therapy. Mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis, endoplasmic reticulum stress, neuronal degeneration, and pancreatic cancer are associated with dysregulated levels of phosphate in diabetes. Ectopic calcification involving deposition of calcium-phosphate crystals is prevalent throughout diabetic complications, including vascular calcification, nephropathy, retinopathy, and bone disorders. A low-glycemic, low-phosphate dietary intervention is proposed for further investigations in the treatment and prevention of diabetes and related diabetic pathologies.

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Functional Characterization of the Adenylyl Cyclase Genesgs-1by Analysis of a Mutational Spectrum inCaenorhabditis elegans

Genetics ◽

10.1093/genetics/161.1.133 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 161 (1) ◽

pp. 133-142 ◽

Cited By ~ 4

Author(s):

Celine Moorman ◽

Ronald H A Plasterk

Keyword(s):

Life Span ◽

Adenylyl Cyclase ◽

Neuronal Degeneration ◽

Functional Characterization ◽

Adenylyl Cyclases ◽

Loss Of Function ◽

C Elegans ◽

Larval Stages ◽

Pharyngeal Pumping

AbstractThe sgs-1 (suppressor of activated Gαs) gene encodes one of the four adenylyl cyclases in the nematode C. elegans and is most similar to mammalian adenylyl cyclase type IX. We isolated a complete loss-of-function mutation in sgs-1 and found it to result in animals with retarded development that arrest in variable larval stages. sgs-1 mutant animals exhibit lethargic movement and pharyngeal pumping and (while not reaching adulthood) have a mean life span that is >50% extended compared to wild type. An extensive set of reduction-of-function mutations in sgs-1 was isolated in a screen for suppressors of a neuronal degeneration phenotype induced by the expression of a constitutively active version of the heterotrimeric Gαs subunit of C. elegans. Although most of these mutations change conserved residues within the catalytic domains of sgs-1, mutations in the less-conserved transmembrane domains are also found. The sgs-1 reduction-of-function mutants are viable and have reduced locomotion rates, but do not show defects in pharyngeal pumping or life span.

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MAT: GIS-Based Morphometry Assessment Tools for Concave Landforms

Remote Sensing ◽

10.3390/rs13142810 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 13 (14) ◽

pp. 2810

Author(s):

Joanna Gudowicz ◽

Renata Paluszkiewicz

Keyword(s):

Rapid Development ◽

Assessment Tools ◽

Lidar Data ◽

Automatic Extraction ◽

Sensing Technology ◽

Digital Elevation ◽

Elevation Data ◽

Elevation Model ◽

Morphometric Assessment ◽

Morphometric Evaluation

The rapid development of remote sensing technology for obtaining high-resolution digital elevation models (DEMs) in recent years has made them more and more widely available and has allowed them to be used for morphometric assessment of concave landforms, such as valleys, gullies, glacial cirques, sinkholes, craters, and others. The aim of this study was to develop a geographic information systems (GIS) toolbox for the automatic extraction of 26 morphometric characteristics, which include the geometry, hypsometry, and volume of concave landforms. The Morphometry Assessment Tools (MAT) toolbox in the ArcGIS software was developed. The required input data are a digital elevation model and the form boundary as a vector layer. The method was successfully tested on an example of 21 erosion-denudation valleys located in the young glacial area of northwest Poland. Calculations were based on elevation data collected in the field and LiDAR data. The results obtained with the tool showed differences in the assessment of the volume parameter at the average level of 12%, when comparing the field data and LiDAR data. The algorithm can also be applied to other types of concave forms, as well as being based on other DEM data sources, which makes it a universal tool for morphometric evaluation.

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Effect of Yuzu (Citrus junos) Seed Limonoids and Spermine on Intestinal Microbiota and Hypothalamic Tissue in the Sandhoff Disease Mouse Model

Medical Sciences ◽

10.3390/medsci9010017 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

pp. 17

Author(s):

Mayumi Minamisawa ◽

Takuma Suzumura ◽

Sudeep Bose ◽

Tetsuyuki Taniai ◽

Gota Kawai ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Mouse Model ◽

Intestinal Microbiota ◽

Neuronal Degeneration ◽

Sandhoff Disease ◽

Short Chain Fatty Acids ◽

Rrna Gene ◽

Wild Type ◽

Degrading Bacteria ◽

Citrus Junos ◽

Hypothalamic Tissue

The effect of limonoids and spermine (Spm) extracted from yuzu (Citrus junos) seeds on the gut and the brain in a mouse model with Sandhoff disease (SD) was investigated. Wild-type and SD mice were fed a normal diet, or a diet supplemented with limonoid, Spm, or limonoid + Spm for 14–18 weeks, and then 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing with extracted DNA from their feces was executed. For SD control mice, intestinal microbiota was mostly composed of Lactobacillus and linked to dysbiosis. For SD and wild-type mice fed with limonoids + Spm or limonoids alone, intestinal microbiota was rich in mucin-degrading bacteria, including Bacteroidetes, Verrucomicrobia, and Firmicutes, and displayed a higher production of short-chain fatty acids and immunoglobulin A. Additionally, SD mice fed with limonoids + Spm or limonoids alone had less inflammation in hypothalamic tissues and displayed a greater number of neurons. Administration of limonoids and/or Spm improved the proportions of beneficial intestinal microbiota to host health and reduced neuronal degeneration in SD mice. Yuzu seed limonoids and Spermine may help to maintain the homeostasis of intestinal microbiota and hypothalamic tissue in the SD mouse model.

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