The Interaction of Diet and Mitochondrial Dysfunction in Aging and Cognition

Aging is inevitable and it is one of the major contributors to cognitive decline. However, the mechanisms underlying age-related cognitive decline are still the object of extensive research. At the biological level, it is unknown how the aging brain is subjected to progressive oxidative stress and neuroinflammation which determine, among others, mitochondrial dysfunction. The link between mitochondrial dysfunction and cognitive impairment is becoming ever more clear by the presence of significant neurological disturbances in human mitochondrial diseases. Possibly, the most important lifestyle factor determining mitochondrial functioning is nutrition. Therefore, with the present work, we review the latest findings disclosing a link between nutrition, mitochondrial functioning and cognition, and pave new ways to counteract cognitive decline in late adulthood through diet

Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy: Towards diagnosis. A case report

Mitochondrial diseases may cause a wide range of central and peripheral nervous system disorders, as well as muscle disorders. The diagnostic workup routinely includes electrophysiological, morphological, neuroimaging and genetic studies. In some cases, the diagnosis may be ascertained only when mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) examination in the muscle is performed. We report on a case of a 24-year-old woman, with a 7-year history of slowly progressive cerebellar syndrome and bilateral ptosis. Mitochondrial encephalomyopathy was suspected, based on the clinical picture and results of examinations, but the typical red ragged fibers were not found in the muscle biopsy. The results of molecular analysis of mtDNA showed a mtDNA deletion in the muscle and, on a level detectable only with polymerase chain reaction method, in blood leukocytes. This case emphasizes the important role of mtDNA studies in muscle in nonspecific multisystem mitochondrial disorders, even without clinical muscle involvement

Identification of the first in Poland CACNA1A gene mutation in familial hemiplegic migraine. Case report

Introduction Migraine is a common neurological disorder characterized by a particular phenotype, complex pathophysiology and a heterogeneous genetic background. Among several heritable forms, familial hemiplegic migraine is the best described one. In the majority of cases it is caused by mutations in one of three different genes. Case report Clinical symptoms of a 47 year old proband (and independently described in his 20 year old son) as well as differential diagnosis are discussed in the presented report. The most characteristic were recurrent attacks of blurred vision, paresthesias and hemiparesis often accompanied by speech disturbances and followed by severe headache with vomiting. Advanced morphological and genetic procedures were required to exclude MELAS, CADASIL and Call-Fleming syndrome. Finally, the definite diagnosis was possible after the application of the whole exome sequencing technique. It confirmed, for the first time in the Polish population, a heterozygous T666M mutation (c.1997C>T; p.Thr666Met) in the CACNA1A gene in the proband, the proband's son and in several other family members. Conclusion The presented report provides clinical and genetic insight into familial hemiplegic migraine 1 resulting from a mutation in the CACNA1A gene

Psychometric evaluation of the nine-item problematic Internet use questionnaire (PIUQ-9) in nine European samples of internet users

Objectives: The nine-item Problematic Internet Use Questionnaire (PIUQ-9) is a brief self-report screening instrument for problematic internet use. The main objective of the present study was to explore the psychometric properties of the PIUQ-9 among nine different language-based samples of European internet users (Italian, German, French, Polish, Turkish, Hungarian, English, and Greek). Methods: The total sample comprised 5,593 internet users (38.1% men), aged between 18 and 87 years (M = 25.81; SD = 8.61). Via online recruitment, participants completed the PIUQ-9, the Brief Symptom Inventory (BSI) and items about time spent online. Results: Confirmatory factor analysis demonstrated that the bifactor model with one general factor (i.e., general problem) and two-specific factors (i.e., obsession and neglect + control disorder) yielded acceptable or good fit indices in all subsamples except for one. The common variance index in the bifactor model indicated that the general problem factor explained from 57.0 to 76.5% of common variance, which supports the presence of a strong global factor. According to the multiple indicators multiple causes (MIMIC) model, psychiatric symptoms had a moderate-to-strong direct effect on the general problem factor in all subsamples, ranging from β = 0.28 to β = 0.52 supporting the construct validity of the scale. Furthermore, in a majority of the subsamples, time spent online during the weekend had considerably higher effect sizes on the general problem factor than time spent online during weekdays. Conclusion: The present study highlights the appropriate psychometric properties of the PIUQ-9 across a number of European languages and cultures

Dinosaurs reveal the geographical signature of an evolutionary radiation

Dinosaurs dominated terrestrial ecosystems across the globe for over 100 million years and provide a classic example of an evolutionary radiation. However, little is known about how these animals radiated geographically to become globally distributed. Here, we use a biogeographical model to reconstruct the dinosaurs’ ancestral locations, revealing the spatial mechanisms that underpinned this 170-million-year-long radiation. We find that dinosaurs spread rapidly initially, followed by a significant continuous and gradual reduction in their speed of movement towards the Cretaceous/Tertiary boundary (66 million years ago). This suggests that the predominant mode of dinosaur speciation changed through time with speciation originally largely driven by geographical isolation—when dinosaurs speciated more, they moved further. This was gradually replaced by increasing levels of sympatric speciation (species taking advantage of ecological opportunities within their existing environment) as terrestrial space became a limiting factor. Our results uncover the geographical signature of an evolutionary radiation

On representative functions method for clustering of 2D contours with application to pottery fragments typology

We investigate clustering of 2D contours which represent cross-sections of rotationally symmetric objects. We propose modifications of the existing representations of digitized 2D contours and similarity measures. In particular, we represent each of the investigated objects as a single number and two functions and we use the DTW distance to measure their similarity. We apply our method to clustering of pottery fragments

Elastomer composites containing ionic liquids

Ciecze jonowe w postaci soli benzyloimidazoliowych, alkilopirydyniowych, alkilopirolidyniowych i alkilopiperydyniowych zastosowano jako substancje zwiększające stopień zdyspergowania nanocząstek aktywatora wulkanizacji (tlenku cynku) i napełniacza (krzemionki) w elastomerze butadienowo-styrenowym (SBR). W celu zmniejszenia zawartości tlenku cynku wwyrobach gumowych, zamiast tradycyjnego mikrometrycznego ZnO, zastosowano cząstki tlenku cynku o wymiarach nanometrycznych. Dodatek do mieszanek kauczukowych cieczy jonowych pozwolił na otrzymanie jednorodnej dyspersji nanocząstek w SBR. Dzięki temu uzyskano skrócenie czasu i obniżenie temperatury wulkanizacji oraz zwiększenie gęstości usieciowania, stabilności termicznej i odporności na starzenie pod wpływem promieniowania UV wytworzonych wulkanizatów. Wulkanizaty te charakteryzowały się o 60 % mniejszą zawartością tlenku cynku niż próbki referencyjne.Ionic liquids (ILs), such as benzylimidazolium, alkylpyrrolidinium, alkylpyridinium and alkylpiperidinium salts, were applied to improve the degree of dispersion of vulcanization activator nanoparticles (zinc oxide) and silica filler in butadiene-styrene elastomer (SBR). In order to reduce the amount of zinc oxide in rubber products, nanosized zinc oxide was used instead of traditional microsized ZnO activator. It was found that the addition of ILs to rubber compounds allowed the formation of homogenous dispersion of nanoparticles in SBR, resulting in a shortened vulcanization time and decreased vulcanization temperature as well as increased crosslink density, thermal stability and resistance to UV ageing compared to traditional vulcanizates. Moreover, the amount of zinc oxide in rubber compounds was reduced by 60 % in comparison with reference samples containing micrometer-sized ZnO