Galanin Transgenic Mice with Elevated Circulating Galanin Levels Alleviate Demyelination in a Cuprizone-Induced MS Mouse Model

Multiple Sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating autoimmune disease of the central nervous system (CNS) with a presumed autoimmune etiology. Approved treatments for MS are immunoregulatory and are able to reduce the inflammatory components of the disease. However, these treatments do not suppress progressive clinical disability. Approaches that directly protect myelin-producing oligodendrocytes and enhance remyelination are likely to improve long-term outcomes and reduce the rate of axonal damage. Galanin (GAL) is a bioactive neuropeptide that is widely distributed throughout the nervous system and has diverse neuromodulatory effects. In this study, using the cuprizone (CPZ) demyelination model of MS, we demonstrate that GAL has pronounced neuroprotective effects with respect to demyelination and remyelination. Using our GAL transgenic mouse (GAL-Tg), we identified a novel attenuation of OLs against CPZ induced demyelination, which was exerted independently of progenitor cells. Alleviation of myelin breakdown in the GAL-Tg mice was observed to be significant. Furthermore, we observed changes in the expression of the GAL receptor GalR1 during the demyelination and remyelination processes. Our data strongly indicate that GAL has the capacity to influence the outcome of primary insults that directly target OLs, as opposed to cases where immune activation is the primary pathogenic event. Taken together, these results suggest that GAL is a promising next-generation target for the treatment of MS

Temporal-spatial profiling of pedunculopontine galanin-cholinergic neurons in the lactacystin rat model of Parkinson’s disease

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is conventionally seen as resulting from single-system neurodegeneration affecting nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. However, accumulating evidence indicates a multi-system degeneration and neurotransmitter deficiencies, including cholinergic neurons which degenerate in a brainstem nucleus, the pedunculopontine nucleus (PPN), resulting in motor- and cognitive impairments. The neuropeptide galanin can inhibit cholinergic transmission, whilst being upregulated in degenerating brain regions associated with cognitive decline. Here we determined the temporal-spatial profile of progressive expression of endogenous galanin within degenerating cholinergic neurons, across the rostro-caudal axis of the PPN, by utilising the lactacystin-induced rat model of PD. First, we show progressive neuronal death affecting nigral dopaminergic and PPN cholinergic neurons, reflecting that seen in PD patients, to facilitate use of this model for assessing the therapeutic potential of bioactive peptides. Next, stereological analyses of the lesioned brain hemisphere found that the number of PPN cholinergic neurons expressing galanin increased by 11%, compared to sham-lesioned controls, increasing by a further 5% as the neurodegenerative process evolved. Galanin upregulation within cholinergic PPN neurons was most prevalent closest to the intra-nigral lesion site, suggesting that galanin upregulation in such neurons adapt intrinsically to neurodegeneration, to possibly neuroprotect. This is the first report on the extent and pattern of galanin expression in cholinergic neurons across distinct PPN subregions in both the intact rat CNS and lactacystin lesioned rats. The findings pave the way for future work to target galanin signaling in the PPN, to determine the extent to which upregulated galanin expression could offer a viable treatment strategy for ameliorating PD symptoms associated with cholinergic degeneration

On the boundary of 2-dimensional ideal polyhedra

summary:It is proved that for every two points in the visual boundary of the universal covering of a $2$-dimensional ideal polyhedron, there is an infinity of paths joining them

Επί του συνόρου των δισδιάστατων συμπλόκων

The present work is related to the study of the visual boundary of hyperbolic two dimensional simplicial complexes. We construct (and study) spaces by gluing hyperbolic triangles with at least two vertices at infinity. We glue the triangles by isometries along their sides and we study the derived spaces. In the first chapter it is proved that for every two points in the visual boundary of the universal covering of a two dimensional ideal polyhedron, there is an infinity of paths joining them. In the second chapter, a class of hyperbolic two dimensional complexes X is defined. It is shown that the limit set of the action of π1(X) on the universal covering of X, is equal to the visual boundary and also that the visual boundary is path connected and locally path connected. Finally, in the third chapter a kind of Sierpinski set is described which is homeomorphic to the visual boundary of certain ideal polyhedra.Η παρούσα διατριβή αφορά στη μελέτη του συνόρου υπερβολικών δισδιάστατων πολυέδρων. Οι χώροι οι οποίοι μελετώνται κατασκευάζονται κολλώντας υπερβολικά τρίγωνα τα οποία έχουν 2 τουλάχιστον κορυφές στο άπειρο. Οι συγκολλήσεις γίνονται με ισομετρίες κατά μήκος των πλευρών των τριγώνων και οι χώροι οι οποίοι προκύπτουν εφοδιάζονται φυσιολογικά με μία γεωμετρία η οποία έχει ομοιότητες με την γεωμετρία των υπερβολικών πολλαπλοτήτων. Αρχικά μελετάμε τις βασικές ιδιότητες των δισδιάστατων ιδεωδών πολυέδρων και αποδεικνύουμε ότι: «Για κάθε δύο σημεία του συνόρου του καθολικού καλύμματος του χώρου που κατασκευάζουμε, υπάρχει άπειρο πλήθος υποχώρων του συνόρου ομοιομορφικών με το οι οποίοι περιέχουν τα σημεία αυτά». Στη συνέχεια, για μια ειδική κλάση πολυέδρων που κατασκευάζουμε κολλώντας με ισομετρίες κατά μήκος των πλευρών τους πεπερασμένα υπερβολικά τρίγωνα τα οποία έχουν δύο κορυφές στο άπειρο, αποδεικνύουμε επιπλέον ότι: «το σύνορο του καθολικού καλύμματος του χώρου που κατασκευάζουμε είναι τοπικά συνεκτικό κατά τόξα». Τέλος, στην τρίτη ενότητα δίδουμε μια τοπολογική περιγραφή του συνόρου των ιδεωδών πολυέδρων διάστασης 2

SWIPT – Ταυτόχρονη μεταφορά πληροφορίας και ενέργειας σε ασύρματα δίκτυα

Η ταυτόχρονη μετάδοση πληροφορίας και ενέργειας στα ασύρματα τηλεπικοινωνιακά δίκτυα (SWIPT), δίνει τη δυνατότητα στα τερματικά να φορτίζουν την μπαταρία τους από το περιβάλλον, μέσω ηλεκτρομαγνητικής ακτινοβολίας, δίνοντας τη δυνατότητα εξοικονόμησης σημαντικών ποσών ενέργειας. Θα εξετάσουμε τις διάφορες τεχνικές που υλοποιούν τη συγκεκριμένη τεχνολογία, συγκρίνοντας την αναλογία απόδοσης και απαιτούμενης ενέργειας (rate – energy) και θα προσπαθήσουμε να αντιμετωπίσουμε προβλήματα που πιθανώς θα προκύψουν.Simultaneous wireless information and power transfer in wireless telecommunication systems gives terminals the opportunity to charge their battery from the environment via electromagnetic radiation, which leads to energy saving. This paper reviews the different techniques which implement this technology and compares the rate – energy tradeoff. Problems that arise in the process will be discussed