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Category: neuroscience – Page 14

Brain Plasticity Modulator p75 Neurotrophin Receptor in Human Urine after Different Acute Brain Injuries—A Prospective Cohort Study

Acute brain injuries (ABIs) pose a substantial global burden, demanding effective prognostic indicators for outcomes. This study explores the potential of urinary p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) concentration as a prognostic biomarker, particularly in relation to unfavorable outcomes. The study involved 46 ABI patients, comprising sub-cohorts of aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage, ischemic stroke, and traumatic brain injury. Furthermore, we had four healthy controls. Samples were systematically collected from patients treated at the University Hospital of Turku between 2017 and 2019, at early (1.50 ± 0.70 days) and late (9.17 ± 3.40 days) post-admission time points. Urinary p75NTR levels, measured by ELISA and normalized to creatinine, were compared against patients’ outcomes using the modified Rankin Scale (mRS). Early urine samples showed no significant p75NTR concentration difference between favorable and unfavorable mRS groups. In contrast, late samples exhibited a statistically significant increase in p75NTR concentrations in the unfavorable group (p = 0.033), demonstrating good prognostic accuracy (AUC = 70.9%, 95% CI = 53–89%, p = 0.03). Assessment of p75NTR concentration changes over time revealed no significant variation in the favorable group (p = 0.992) but a significant increase in the unfavorable group (p = 0.009). Moreover, p75NTR concentration was significantly higher in ABI patients (mean ± SD 40.49 ± 28.83–65.85 ± 35.04 ng/mg) compared to healthy controls (mean ± SD 0.54 ± 0.44 ng/mg), irrespective of sampling time or outcome (p < 0.0001). In conclusion, late urinary p75NTR concentrations emerged as a potential prognostic biomarker for ABIs, showing increased levels associated with unfavorable outcomes regardless of the specific type of brain injury. While early samples exhibited no significant differences, the observed late increases emphasize the time-dependent nature of this potential biomarker. Further validation in larger patient cohorts is crucial, highlighting the need for additional research to establish p75NTR as a reliable prognostic biomarker across various ABIs. Additionally, its potential role as a diagnostic biomarker warrants exploration.

What If WW3 Starts Tomorrow? | The 5 Things You Must Do in the First 24 Hours

It’s 3:43 AM. Sirens are howling. Your phone lights up: DEFCON 1. Multiple ICBMs inbound.

World War 3 has just begun.

Would you know what to do in the first minutes? Most people freeze. This guide is for those who act.

In this video, we walk you through the real first steps to take if global war breaks out — not theory, not panic, but practical survival strategy for the first 24 hours: from identifying if you’re in a high-risk zone, to securing water and food, to communicating with loved ones when the grid is down.

💥 Whether it’s a nuclear attack, an EMP, or a cyber blitz — this is what you need to know before it’s too late.

Topics we cover include:

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Can cancer drugs cure Alzheimer’s?

The team took publicly available data from three studies of the Alzheimer’s brain that measured single-cell gene expression in brain cells from deceased donors with or without Alzheimer’s disease. They used this data to produce gene expression signatures for Alzheimer’s disease in neurons and glia.

The researchers compared these signatures with those found in the Connectivity Map, a database of results from testing the effects of thousands of drugs on gene expression in human cells.

Out of 1,300 drugs, 86 reversed the Alzheimer’s disease gene expression signature in one cell type, and 25 reversed the signature in several cell types in the brain. But just 10 had already been approved by the FDA for use in humans.

Poring through records housed in the UC Health Data Warehouse, which includes anonymized health information on 1.4 million people over the age of 65, the group found that several of these drugs seemed to have reduced the risk of developing Alzheimer’s disease over time.

“Thanks to all these existing data sources, we went from 1,300 drugs, to 86, to 10, to just 5,” said the lead author of the paper.

The authors chose 2 cancer drugs out of the top 5 drug candidates for laboratory testing. They predicted one drug, letrozole, would remedy Alzheimer’s in neurons; and another, irinotecan, would help glia. Letrozole is usually used to treat breast cancer; irinotecan is usually used to treat colon and lung cancer.

The team used a mouse model of aggressive Alzheimer’s disease with multiple disease-related mutations. As the mice aged, symptoms resembling Alzheimer’s emerged, and they were treated with one or both drugs.

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Dr. On-Yee (Amy) Lo — Marcus Institute for Aging Research — Functional Independence For Older Adults

Enhancing Functional Independence For Older Adults — Dr. On-Yee “Amy” Lo, Ph.D. — Marcus Institute for Aging Research / Harvard Medical School.

Dr. On-Yee (Amy) Lo, Ph.D. is Assistant Scientist II at the Marcus Institute for Aging Research (https://www.marcusinstituteforaging.org/who-we-are/profiles… and Assistant Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center (https://connects.catalyst.harvard.edu…).

Dr. Lo is a physical therapist and research scientist who aims to prevent functional decline and enhance functional independence for older adults with mobility impairments by conducting experimental and translational research. She has expertise and experience in physical therapy, biomechanics, neuroimaging, and neuromodulation.

Dr. Lo has dedicated her career to enhancing functional independence and quality of life in older adults. Her specific research objectives are:

To investigate connections between the brain and body that enable safe navigation throughout daily environments.

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Decomposition of phenotypic heterogeneity in autism reveals underlying genetic programs

Classes of autism are uncovered with a generative mixture modeling approach leveraging matched phenotypic and genetic data from a large cohort, revealing different genetic programs underlying their phenotypic and clinical traits.

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