Causal association of circulating inflammatory proteins on neurodegenerative diseases: Insights from a mendelian randomization study.

Neuroinflammation is increasingly recognized as a pivotal factor in the development and progression of neurodegenerative disorders. While correlations between inflammatory cytokines and these diseases are documented, the definitive causal dynamics remain to be elucidated. We explored the causal association between 91 circulating inflammatory cytokines and Alzheimer's disease (AD), amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), multiple sclerosis (MS) and Parkinson's disease (PD) through Mendelian randomization analysis. Leveraging genetic variants from the most comprehensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) available for these cytokines, AD, ALS, MS and PD, we sought to uncover the causality. Our study validated a causal influence of genetically determined cytokine levels on the susceptibility to AD, with notable cytokines including C-X-C motif chemokine 1 (OR = 0.9993, p = 0.0424), Interleukin-18 (OR = 0.9994, p = 0.0186), Leukaemia inhibitory factor receptor (OR = 0.9993, p = 0.0122) and Monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (OR = 0.9992, p = 0.0026) in risk attenuation. Additionally, a positive causal relationship was identified between two cytokines-C-C motif chemokine 19 (OR = 1.0005, p = 0.0478) and Fms-related tyrosine kinase 3 ligand (OR = 1.0005, p = 0.0210)-and AD incidence. Conversely, transforming growth factor-alpha (OR = 0.8630, p = 0.0298), CD40L receptor (OR = 0.7737, p = 1.1265E-09) and Interleukin-12 subunit beta (OR = 0.8987, p = 0.0333) showed inverse associations with ALS, MS and PD, respectively. The consistency observed in various MR analyses, alongside sensitivity analysis, underscored the absence of horizontal pleiotropy, thus supporting our causal findings. This study reveals, for the first time, a genetically anchored causal nexus between levels of circulating inflammatory cytokines and the risk of neurodegenerative diseases.

Molecular subtypes based on immunologic and epithelial-mesenchymal transition gene sets reveal tumor immune microenvironment characteristics and implications for immunotherapy of patients with glioma.

The tumor immune microenvironment (TIME) significantly influences cancer progression and treatment. This study sought to uncover novel TIME-related glioma biomarkers to advance antitumor immunotherapies by integrating data from sequencing of bulk RNA as well as scRNA. Immunologic and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) characteristics were used to classify glioma patients into two immune subtypes (ISs) and two EMT subtypes (ESs). Patients in IS1 and ES1, characterized by high immune infiltration and low stemness scores, exhibited poor clinical outcomes and limited responsiveness to immunotherapy. A new risk signature was developed using 16 genes and validated in independent glioma cohorts. Among these, HAVCR2, IL18, LAGLS9, and PTPN6 emerged as hub genes, with IL18 identified as a potential independent indicator. The upregulation of IL18 in high-grade gliomas and U-251 MG cells aligned with bioinformatics analysis. These insights deepen the understanding of TIME-related mechanisms in glioma and highlight potential therapeutic targets, offering a theoretical foundation for effective antitumor immunotherapies in glioma.

The dynamic molecular characteristics of neutrophils are associated with disease progression in dengue patients.

Dengue, the most prevalent mosquito-borne disease worldwide, poses a significant health burden. This study integrates clinical data and transcriptomic datasets from different phases of dengue to investigate distinctive and shared cellular and molecular features. Clinical data from 29 dengue patients were collected and analyzed alongside a public transcriptomic data set (GSE28405) to perform differential gene expression analysis, functional enrichment, immune landscape assessment, and development of machine learning model. Neutropenia was observed in 54.79% of dengue patients, particularly during the defervescence phase (65.79%) in clinical cohorts. Bioinformatics analyses corroborated a significant reduction in neutrophil immune infiltration in dengue patients. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis demonstrated that dynamic changes in neutrophil infiltration levels could predict disease progression, especially during the defervescence phase, with the area under the curve of 0.96. Three neutrophil-associated biomarkers-DHRS12, Transforming growth factor alpha, and ZDHHC19-were identified as promising for diagnosing and predicting dengue progression. In addition, the activation of neutrophil extracellular traps was significantly enhanced and linked to FcγR-mediated signaling pathways and Toll-like receptor signaling pathways. Neutrophil activation and depletion play a critical role in dengue's immune response. The identified biomarkers and their associated pathways offer potential for improved diagnosis and understanding of dengue pathogenesis and progression.

Genetic analyses unravel the causal association of cytokine levels on lichen simplex chronicus risk: insights from a mendelian randomization study.

Lichen simplex chronicus (LSC) presents a challenge in dermatology due to its elusive pathogenic mechanisms. While associations between circulating inflammatory cytokines and LSC were observed, the definitive causal dynamics remain to be elucidated. Our study used a two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) approach to investigate causal relationships. We applied a suite of MR methodologies, including IVW, Weighted Median, MR-Egger, Weighted Mode, Simple Mode, MR-PRESSO, and the Steiger test, to ensure robust causal inference. Our analysis confirmed the causal impact of genetically determined cytokine levels on LSC risk, particularly MMP-10 (OR = 0.493, P = 0.004) and DNER (OR = 0.651, P = 0.043) in risk attenuation. We also found a positive causal correlation between GDNF levels (OR = 1.871, P = 0.007) and LSC prevalence. Notably, bidirectional causality was observed between DNER and LSC. Consistency across various MR analyses and sensitivity analyses confirmed the absence of horizontal pleiotropy, validating the causal estimates. This pioneering MR investigation unveils a novel genetically anchored causal relationship between the circulating levels of MMP-10, DNER, and GDNF and LSC risk. Although further validation is requisite, our findings augment the understanding of cytokine mediation in LSC and underscore prospective avenues for research.

Identification of key regulatory molecules in the early development stage of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases, the incidence of which increases with age, and the pathological changes in the brain are irreversible. Recent studies have highlighted the essential role of long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) in AD by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). Our aim was to construct lncRNA-associated ceRNA regulatory networks composed of potential biomarkers for the early stage of AD. AD related datasets come from AlzData and GEO databases. The R package 'Limma' identifies differentially expressed genes (DEGs), Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) and Gene Ontology (GO) databases for functional enrichment analysis. Protein-protein interactions (PPIs) in DEGs were constructed in the STRING database, and Cytoscape software identified DEGs. Convergent functional genomics (CFG) analysis of differentially expressed hub genes (referred to as early-DEGs) in the brain before the development of AD pathology. The AlzData database analyses the expression levels of early-DEGs in different nerve cells. The lncRNA-miRNA-mRNA regulatory network was established according to the ceRNA hypothesis. We identified four lncRNAs (XIST, NEAT1, KCNQ1OT1 and HCG18) and four miRNAs (hsa-let-7c-5p, hsa-miR-107, hsa-miR-129-2-3p and hsa-miR-214-3p) were preliminarily identified as potential biomarkers for early AD, competitively regulating Atp6v0b, Atp6v1e1 Atp6v1f and Syt1. This study indicates that NEAT1, XIST, HCG18 and KCNQ1OT1 act as ceRNAs in competitive binding with miRNAs to regulate the expression of Atp6v0b, Atp6v1e1, Atp6v1f and Syt1 before the occurrence of pathological changes in AD.

Neuregulin 4 (Nrg4) cooperates with melatonin to regulate the PRL expression via ErbB4/Erk signaling pathway as a potential prolactin (PRL) regulator.

Neuregulin-4 (Nrg4) and melatonin play vital roles in endocrine diseases. However, there is little discussion about the function and potential mechanism of Nrg4 and melatonin in prolactin (PRL) regulation. The human normal pituitary data from Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis (GEPIA) database was used to explore the correlation between NRG4 and PRL. The expression and correlation of NRG4 and PRL were determined by Immunofluorescence staining (IF) and human normal pituitary tissue microarray. Western Blot (WB) was used to detect the expression of PRL, p-ErbB2/3/4, ErbB2/3/4, p-Erk1/2, Erk1/2, p-Akt and Akt in PRL-secreting pituitary GH3 and RC-4B/C cells treated by Nrg4, Nrg4-small interfering RNA, Erk1/2 inhibitor FR180204 and melatonin. The expression of NRG4 was significantly positively correlated with that of PRL in the GEPIA database and normal human pituitary tissues. Nrg4 significantly increased the expression and secretion of PRL and p-Erk1/2 expression in GH3 cells and RC-4B/C cells. Inhibition of Nrg4 significantly inhibited PRL expression. The increased levels of p-Erk1/2 and PRL induced by Nrg4 were abolished significantly in response to FR180204 in GH3 and RC-4B/C cells. Additionally, Melatonin promotes the expression of Nrg4, p-ErbB4, p-Erk1/2, and PRL and can further promote the expression of p-Erk1/2 and PRL in combination with Nrg4. Further investigation into the function of Nrg4 and melatonin on PRL expression and secretion may provide new clues to advance the clinical control of prolactinomas and hyperprolactinemia.

Cytokine IL-5 and HGF: combined prediction of non-/low immune response to hepatitis B vaccination at birth in infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers.

Background: The immune response to hepatitis B vaccine may be influenced by numerous factors, and patients with non/low response re-exposed to hepatitis B virus remain susceptible. Thus, a better understanding of the underlying mechanisms of non/low immune response in infants born to Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg)-positive mothers is essential. Methods: 100 infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers from 2015 to 2020 were enrolled in the study, further divided into the non/low response group (n=13) and the moderate strong response group (n=87) based on the quantification of hepatitis B surface antibody at 12 months of age. The differential expression of 48 immune-related cytokines in the two groups was compared and analyzed in detail. The key cytokines were further identified and clinically predictive models were developed. Results: We found that 13 cytokines were lowly expressed and one cytokine was highly expressed in the non/low response group, compared with the moderate strong response group at birth. In addition, 9 cytokines were lowly expressed and one cytokine was highly expressed in the non/low response group at 12 months of age. Furthermore, we found that IL-5 and HGF were promising predictors for predicting the immunization response to hepatitis B vaccine in infants, and the combination of the two cytokines showed the best predictive efficiency, with an area under the curve (AUC) value of 0.844. Conclusion: The present study provides a theoretical basis on cytokines for developing and implementing effective immunotherapies against non/low immune response in infants born to HBsAg-positive mothers.

Evolving immune evasion and transmissibility of SARS-CoV-2: The emergence of JN.1 variant and its global impact.

The continuous evolution of SARS-CoV-2 variants constitutes a significant impediment to the public health. The World Health Organization (WHO) has designated the SARS-CoV-2 variant JN.1, which has evolved from its progenitor BA.2.86, as a Variant of Interest (VOI) in light of its enhanced immune evasion and transmissibility. The proliferating dissemination of JN.1 globally accentuates its competitive superiority and the potential to instigate fresh surges of infection, notably among cohorts previously infected by antecedent variants. Notably, prevailing evidence does not corroborate an increase in pathogenicity associated with JN.1, and antiviral agents retain their antiviral activity against both BA.2.86 and JN.1. The sustained effectiveness of antiviral agents offers a beacon of hope. Nonetheless, the variant's adeptness at eluding the immunoprotective effects conferred by extant vaccines highlights the imperative for the development of more effective vaccines and therapeutic approaches. Overall, the distinct evolutionary trajectories of BA.2.86 and JN.1 underscore the necessity for ongoing surveillance and scholarly inquiry to elucidate their implications for the pandemic's evolution, which requires the international communities to foster collaboration through the sharing of data, exchange of insights, and collective scientific endeavors.

Early and Sensitive Detection of Pathogens for Public Health and Biosafety: An Example of Surveillance and Genotyping of SARS-CoV-2 in Sewage Water by Cas12a-Facilitated Portable Plasmonic Biosensor.

Infectious diseases severely threaten public health and global biosafety. In addition to transmission through the air, pathogenic microorganisms have also been detected in environmental liquid samples, such as sewage water. Conventional biochemical detection methodologies are time-consuming and cost-ineffective, and their detection limits hinder early diagnosis. In the present study, ultrafine plasmonic fiber probes with a diameter of 125 µm are fabricated for clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeats/CRISPR-associated protein (CRISPR/Cas)-12a-mediated sensing of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). Single-stranded DNA exposed on the fiber surface is trans-cleaved by the Cas12a enzyme to release gold nanoparticles that are immobilized onto the fiber surface, causing a sharp reduction in the surface plasmon resonance (SPR) wavelength. The proposed fiber probe is virus-specific with the limit of detection of ~2,300 copies/ml, and genomic copy numbers can be reflected as shifts in wavelengths. A total of 21 sewage water samples have been examined, and the data obtained are consistent with those of quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR). In addition, the Omicron variant and its mutation sites have been fast detected using S gene-specific Cas12a. This study provides an accurate and convenient approach for the real-time surveillance of microbial contamination in sewage water.

Wastewater surveillance and an automated robot: effectively tracking SARS-CoV-2 transmission in the post-epidemic era.

Wastewater-based epidemiology (WBE) has exhibited great utility in the early and rapid identification of SARS-CoV-2. However, the efficacy of wastewater surveillance under China's previous strict epidemic prevention policy remains to be described. We collected the WBE data of wastewater treatment plants (WWTPs) in the Third People's Hospital of Shenzhen and several communities to determine the significant effectiveness of routine wastewater surveillance in monitoring the local spread of SARS-CoV-2 under tight containment of the epidemic. The results of 1 month of continuous wastewater surveillance showed that positive signals for SARS-CoV-2 RNA were detected in the wastewater samples, and a significant positive correlation was observed between the virus concentration and the number of daily cases. In addition, the community's domestic wastewater surveillance results were confirmed even 3 days before, or simultaneously with, the infected patient being confirmed as having the virus. Meanwhile, an automated sewage virus detection robot, ShenNong No.1 robot, was developed, showing a high degree of agreement with experimental data, offering the possibility of large-scale multi-point surveillance. Overall, our results illustrated the clear indicative role of wastewater surveillance in combating COVID-19 and provided a practical basis for rapidly expanding the feasibility and value of routine wastewater surveillance for future emerging infectious diseases.

LASS2 impairs proliferation of glioma stem cells and migration and invasion of glioma cells mainly via inhibition of EMT and apoptosis promotion.

LAG1 longevity assurance homolog 2 (LASS2), a highly conserved transmembrane protein, has been reported in several cancer types. However, the roles of LASS2 in glioma biology remain elusive. In the present study, we investigated the expression of LAAS2 in human glioma tissues and the effects of LASS2 on glioma stem cell (GSC) proliferation. Roles of LASS2 in glioma cell migration and invasion were also researched both in vitro and in vivo. Our results demonstrated that the level of LASS2 is gradually reduced with the increase of glioma grade. The level of LASS2 is significantly lower in GSCs than in non GSCs, whereas LASS2 overexpression reduced the sphere formation and promoted the differentiation of CD133+ glioblastoma cells, as was indicated by reduced levels of CD133 and Nestin. In addition, LASS2 overexpression significantly reduced colony formation, migration, and invasion of glioma cells by promoting tumor cell apoptosis and inhibiting epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). Overexpression of LASS2 inhibited U-87 MG cell-derived glioma xenograft growth in nude mice in a manner similar to in vitro. Our findings indicate that LASS2 can function as a suppressor of glioma growth, suggesting that modulation of LASS2 expression may contribute to a novel strategy for the management of glioma via inhibition of GSCs.

Mutational profiling of low-grade gliomas identifies prognosis and immunotherapy-related biomarkers and tumour immune microenvironment characteristics.

Low-grade glioma (LGG) is a heterogeneous tumour with the median survival rate less than 10 years. Therefore, it is urgent to develop efficient immunotherapy strategies of LGG. In this study, we analysed mutation profiles based on the data of 510 LGG patients from the Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database and investigated the prognostic value of mutated genes and evaluate their immune infiltration. Tumor Immune Dysfunction and Exclusion (TIDE) algorithm was used to indicate the characteristics of gliomas that respond to immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) therapy. Univariate and multivariate cox regression analysis was performed to identify indicators to construct the nomogram model. 485 (95.47%) of 508 LGG samples showed gene mutation, and 9 mutated genes were significantly related to overall survival (OS), among which 6 mutated genes were significantly correlated with OS between mutation and wildtypes. Immune infiltration and immune score analyses revealed that these six mutated genes were significantly associated with tumour immune microenvironment in LGG. The response of LGG with different characteristics to ICB was evaluated by TIDE algorithm. Finally, CIC gene was screened through both univariate and multivariate Cox regression analyses, and the nomogram model was established to determine the potential prognostic value of CIC in LGG. Our study provides comprehensive analysis of mutated genes in LGG, supporting modulation of mutated genes in the management of LGG.

Neuregulin 2 (NRG2) is expressed in gliomas and promotes migration of human glioma cells.

INTRODUCTION: Glioma is the most common primary brain tumour in adults. Numerous studies have shown that neuregulins (NRGs) may be involved in the formation of glioma. Although NRG1 has been extensively studied in glioma, the functions of NRG2 in glioma development remain elusive. MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the present study, we investigated the expression of NRG2 in different grades of human glioma samples, and analysed the functional effects of NRG2 in glioma cells mainly using wound healing assay and transmigration assay. RESULTS: We found that NRG2 was differentially expressed in different grades of human glioma/glioblastoma tissues. The data from wound healing assays demonstrated that NRG2 can differentially promote the migration of SHG44 human glioma, and U251 and U-87 MG human glioblastoma cells at different time points. The results of cell transmigration assays showed that, compared with the vehicle control, the number of cells that migrated to the underside of the insert was increased significantly for all the 3 cell lines treated with 5 nM of NRG2 for 12 hours. CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, our results demonstrated that NRG2 is expressed in gliomas to varying extents, and it may play roles in the migration of glioma cells in vitro. These data suggest that treatment targeting NRG2 signalling may partly reverse the migration-based metastasis of glioma cells.

Integrative Analysis of Neuregulin Family Members-Related Tumor Microenvironment for Predicting the Prognosis in Gliomas.

Gliomas, including brain lower grade glioma (LGG) and glioblastoma multiforme (GBM), are the most common primary brain tumors in the central nervous system. Neuregulin (NRG) family proteins belong to the epidermal growth factor (EGF) family of extracellular ligands and they play an essential role in both the central and peripheral nervous systems. However, roles of NRGs in gliomas, especially their effects on prognosis, still remain to be elucidated. In this study, we obtained raw counts of RNA-sequencing data and corresponding clinical information from 510 LGG and 153 GBM samples from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) database. We analyzed the association of NRG1-4 expression levels with tumor immune microenvironment in LGG and GBM. GSVA (Gene Set Variation Analysis) was performed to determine the prognostic difference of NRGs gene set between LGG and GBM. ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve and the nomogram model were constructed to estimate the prognostic value of NRGs in LGG and GBM. The results demonstrated that NRG1-4 were differentially expressed in LGG and GBM in comparison to normal tissue. Immune score analysis revealed that NRG1-4 were significantly related to the tumor immune microenvironment and remarkably correlated with immune cell infiltration. The investigation of roles of m6A (N6-methyladenosine, m6A)-related genes in gliomas revealed that NRGs were prominently involved in m6A RNA modification. GSVA score showed that NRG family members are more associated with prognosis in LGG compared with GBM. Prognostic analysis showed that NRG3 and NRG1 can serve as potential independent biomarkers in LGG and GBM, respectively. Moreover, GDSC drug sensitivity analysis revealed that NRG1 was more correlated with drug response compared with other NRG subtypes. Based on these public databases, we preliminarily identified the relationship between NRG family members and tumor immune microenvironment, and the prognostic value of NRGs in gliomas. In conclusion, our study provides comprehensive roles of NRG family members in gliomas, supporting modulation of NRG signaling in the management of glioma.

Construction of Long Noncoding RNA-Associated ceRNA Networks Reveals Potential Biomarkers in Alzheimer's Disease.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a chronic neurodegenerative disease that seriously impairs both cognitive and memory functions mainly in the elderly, and its incidence increases with age. Recent studies demonstrated that long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) play important roles in AD by acting as competing endogenous RNAs (ceRNAs). OBJECTIVE: In this study, we aimed to construct lncRNA-associated ceRNA regulatory networks composed of potential biomarkers in AD based on the ceRNA hypothesis. METHODS: A total of 20 genes (10 upregulated genes and 10 downregulated genes) were identified as the hub differentially expressed genes (DEGs). The functional enrichment analysis showed that the most significant pathways of DEGs involved include retrograde endocannabinoid signaling, synaptic vesicle circle, and AD. The upregulated hub genes were mainly enriched in the cytokine-cytokine receptor interaction pathway, whereas downregulated hub genes were involved in the neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction pathway. After convergent functional genomic (CFG) ranks and expression level analysis in different brain regions of hub genes, we found that CXCR4, GFAP, and GNG3 were significantly correlated with AD. We further identified crucial miRNAs and lncRNAs of targeted genes to construct lncRNA-associated ceRNA regulatory networks. RESULTS: The results showed that two lncRNAs (NEAT1, MIAT), three miRNAs (hsa-miR-551a, hsa-miR-133b and hsa-miR-206), and two mRNA (CXCR4 and GNG3), which are highly related to AD, were preliminarily identified as potential AD biomarkers. CONCLUSION: Our study provides new insights for understanding the pathogenic mechanism underlying AD, which may potentially contribute to the ceRNA mechanism in AD.

Neuregulins in Neurodegenerative Diseases.

Neurodegenerative diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson's disease (PD) and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), are typically characterized by progressive neuronal loss and neurological dysfunctions in the nervous system, affecting both memory and motor functions. Neuregulins (NRGs) belong to the epidermal growth factor (EGF)-like family of extracellular ligands and they play an important role in the development, maintenance, and repair of both the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral nervous system (PNS) through the ErbB signaling pathway. They also regulate multiple intercellular signal transduction and participate in a wide range of biological processes, such as differentiation, migration, and myelination. In this review article, we summarized research on the changes and roles of NRGs in neurodegenerative diseases, especially in AD. We elaborated on the structural features of each NRG subtype and roles of NRG/ErbB signaling networks in neurodegenerative diseases. We also discussed the therapeutic potential of NRGs in the symptom remission of neurodegenerative diseases, which may offer hope for advancing related treatment.

Neuregulin 1 enhances cell adhesion molecule L1 like expression levels and promotes malignancy in human glioma.

Neural cell adhesion molecular L1-like protein (CHL1) is a member of the cell adhesion molecule L1 family and serves an important role in the development and progression of tumors. The cytokine neuregulin 1 (NRG1) has been indicated in the tumorigenesis and promotion of metastasis through the modulation of L1. However, the roles of NRG1 in regulating CHL1 in glioma have not been elucidated. The present study investigated the protein expression levels and roles of CHL1 and the possible correlation between NRG1 and CHL1 protein expression levels in human gliomas, both in vivo and in vitro. Using immunohistochemistry coupled with a human glioma tissue microarray, it was demonstrated that the percentage of CHL1-positive areas was the highest in grade II glioma tissues. Using immunofluorescence staining, a positive correlation was identified between the expression levels of CHL1 and proliferating cell nuclear antigen. In addition, CHL1 downregulation also resulted in increased senescence of U-87 MG human glioblastoma cells. In vitro, administration of NRG1α induced a significant increase in CHL1 protein expression levels in human glioma SHG-44 and U251 cells and in human glioblastoma U-87 MG cells, whereas NRG1ß failed to increase CHL1 expression levels in U251 cells. These findings were further confirmed by the downregulation of NRG1 expression levels using small interfering RNA treatment, which resulted in the reduction of CHL1 protein expression levels in U-87 MG cells. These data indicate that NRG1 can regulate CHL1 protein expression levels in gliomas, that it is correlated with malignancy, and that NRG1 may contribute to malignancy by upregulating CHL1 protein expression levels in glioma/glioblastoma cells.

An Overview of Experimental and Clinical Spinal Cord Findings in Alzheimer's Disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder that occurs mainly in the elderly and presenile life stages. It is estimated that by the year 2050, 135 million people will be affected by AD worldwide, representing a huge burden to society. The pathological hallmarks of AD mainly include intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) caused by hyperphosphorylation of tau protein, formation of extracellular amyloid plaques, and massive neural cell death in the affected nervous system. The pathogenesis of AD is very complicated, and recent scientific research on AD is mainly concentrated on the cortex and hippocampus. Although the spinal cord is a pivotal part of the central nervous system, there are a limited number of studies focusing on the spinal cord. As an extension of the brain, the spinal cord functions as the bridge between the brain and various parts of the body. However, pathological changes in the spinal cord in AD have not been comprehensively and systematically studied at present. We here review the existing progress on the pathological features of AD in the spinal cord.

The dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea will benefit from future climate change: The interactive effects of ocean acidification, warming and high irradiance on photophysiology and hemolytic activity.

Due to global climate change, marine phytoplankton will likely experience low pH (ocean acidification), high temperatures and high irradiance in the future. Here, this work report the results of a batch culture experiment conducted to study the interactive effects of elevated CO2, increased temperature and high irradiance on the harmful dinoflagellate Akashiwo sanguinea, isolated at Dongtou Island, Eastern China Sea. The A. sanguinea cells were acclimated in high CO2 condition for about three months before testing the responses of cells to a full factorial matrix experimentation during a 7-day period. This study measured the variation in physiological parameters and hemolytic activity in 8 treatments, representing full factorial combinations of 2 levels each of exposure to CO2 (400 and 1000µatm), temperature (20 and 28°C) and irradiance (50 and 200µmol photons m-2s-1). Sustained growth of A. sanguinea occurred in all treatments, but high CO2 (HC) stimulated faster growth than low CO2 (LC). The pigments (chlorophyll a and carotenoid) decreased in all HC treatments. The quantum yield (Fv/Fm) declined slightly in all high-temperature (HT) treatments. High irradiance (HL) induced the accumulation of ultraviolet-absorbing compounds (UVabc) irrespective of temperature and CO2. The hemolytic activity in the LC treatments, however, declined when exposed to HT and HL, but HC alleviated the adverse effects of HT and HL on hemolytic activity. All HC and HL conditions and the combinations of high temperature*high light (HTHL) and high CO2*high temperature*high light (HCHTHL) positively affected the growth in comparison to the low CO2*low temperature*low light (LCLTLL) treatment. High temperature (HT), high light (HL) and a combination of HT*HL, however, negatively impacted hemolytic activity. CO2 was the main factor that affected the growth and hemolytic activity. There were no significant interactive effects of CO2*temperature*irradiance on growth, pigment, Fv/Fm or hemolytic activity, but there were effects on Pm, α, and Ek. If these results are extrapolated to the natural environment, it can be hypothesized that A. sanguinea cells will benefit from the combination of ocean acidification, warming, and high irradiance that are likely to occur under future climate change. It is assumed that faster growth and higher hemolytic activity and UVabc of this species will occur under future conditions compared with those the current CO2 (400µatm) and temperature (20°C) conditions.