Volumetric analysis on MRI and PET images for the early diagnosis of Alzheimer’s disease

In this paper we present the development of a software for the extraction of the hippocampus and surrounding medial-temporal-lobe (MTL) regions from T1-weighted magnetic resonance (MR) and from Positron Emission Tomography (PET) images with no interactive input from the user. With this software we introduce a novel statistical index computed on the intensities in the automatically extracted MTL regions. This index is a measure of gray-matter (GM) atrophy and allows to: distinguish between (a) patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD), patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), (b) patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment who will later develop AD in a time frame of 2 years (aMCIconv), and (c) a set of age-matched elderly controls. Once refined, this method could be used to infer about the clinical outcome of aMCI patients

Prevalence and pharmacologic management of familial hypercholesterolemia in an unselected contemporary cohort of patients with stable coronary artery disease

INTRODUCTION: Familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) is an inherited disorder characterized by elevated plasma levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) associated with premature cardiovascular disease. METHODS: Using the data from the START (STable Coronary Artery Diseases RegisTry) study, a nationwide, prospective survey on patients with stable coronary artery disease (CAD), we described prevalence and lipid lowering strategies commonly employed in these patients. The study population was divided into "definite/probable FH," defined as a Dutch Lipid Clinic Network (DLCN) score ≥6, "possible FH" with DLCN 3-5, and "unlikely FH" in presence of a DLCN <3. RESULTS: Among the 4030 patients with the DLCN score available, 132 (3.3%) were classified as FH (2.3% with definite/probable and 1.0% with possible FH) and 3898 (96.7%) had unlikely FH. Patients with both definite/probable and possible FH were younger compared to patients not presenting FH. Mean on-treatment LDL-C levels were 107.8 ± 41.5, 84.4 ± 40.9, and 85.8 ± 32.3 (P < 0.0001) and a target of ≤70 mg/dL was reached in 10.9%, 30.0%, and 22.0% (P < 0.0001) of patents with definite/probable, possible FH, and unlikely FH, respectively. Statin therapy was prescribed in 85 (92.4%) patients with definite/probable FH, in 38 (95.0%) with possible FH, and in 3621 (92.9%) with unlikely FH (P = 0.86). The association of statin and ezetimibe, in absence of other lipid-lowering therapy, was more frequently used in patients with definite/probable FH compared to patients without FH (31.5% vs 17.5% vs 9.5%; P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: In this large cohort of consecutive patients with stable CAD, FH was highly prevalent and generally undertreated with lipid lowering therapies

AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 in Mural Granulosa Cells Are Not Correlated to Different Ovarian Stimulation Protocols in Patients Undergoing Assisted Reproductive Treatment

(1) Background: In this paper we aim to study the relationship between the expression levels of molecules involved in apoptotic/survival pathways, considered as molecular markers of oocyte competence (i.e., AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2) in mural granulosa cells (MGCs) and the administration of r-FSH alone or combined with exogenous r-LH, in ovarian stimulation protocol. Moreover, we aim to evaluate oocyte competence by comparing normally cleaved embryos that were transferred in the uterus, with embryos that were arrested during in vitro culture. (2) Methods: The study included 34 normo-responder women undergoing ICSI procedures. All subjects were divided into two groups. Group A consisted of 18 women stimulated with r-FSH and used as a control group; Group B consisted of 14 women stimulated with r-FSH combined with r-LH. The MGCs were obtained from individual follicles. Immunoblot analyses were carried out to analyze the AKT, p-AKT, ERK1/2, and p-ERK1/2 levels in MGCs and to correlate them with the ovarian stimulation protocol. Furthermore, the oocyte competence was evaluated, for each follicle, according to the development of the embryo during in vitro culture and the pregnancy outcome. (3) Results: We found no significant difference in the levels of molecules in isolated MGCs between groups A and B. These results, in light of our previous research, suggest for the first time, to our knowledge, that cumulus cells and mural granulosa cells in the same follicle show different expression levels of molecules involved in the apoptotic mechanism. (4) Conclusions: Our results could clarify some controversial data in the literature where cumulative cell pools of cumulus and granulosa were analyzed, described as ovarian follicle cells, and used as markers of oocyte competence. In this paper, we found evidence that cumulus and granulosa cells need to be analyzed separately

APOPTOTIC ANALYSIS OF CUMULUS CELLS FOR THE SELECTION OF COMPETENT OOCYTES TO BE FERTILIZED BY INTRACYTOPLASMIC SPERM INJECTION (ICSI)

Oocyte quality is one of the main factors for the success of in vitro fertilization protocols. Apoptosis is known to affect oocyte quality and may impair subsequent embryonic development and implantation. The aim of this study was to investigate the apoptosis rate of single and pooled cumulus cells of cumulus cell\u2013oocyte complexes (COCs), as markers of oocyte quality, prior to intracytoplasmatic sperm injection (ICSI).We investigated the apoptosis rate by TUNEL assay (DNA fragmentation) and caspase-3 immunoassay of single and pooled cumulus cells of COCs. The results showed that DNA fragmentation in cumulus cells was remarkably lower in patients who achieved a pregnancy than in those who did not. Cumulus cell apoptosis rate could be a marker for the selection of the best oocytes to be fertilized by intracytoplasmatic sperm injection

Effects of Hypohydration on Work Performance and Tolerance to plus Gz Acceleration in Man

Hypohydration effects on work performance and tolerance to acceleration stress in ma

Autophagy as a defense strategy against stress: focus on Paracentrotus lividus sea urchin embryos exposed to cadmium

Autophagy is used by organisms as a defense strategy to face environmental stress. This mechanism has been described as one of the most important intracellular pathways responsible for the degradation and recycling of proteins and organelles. It can act as a cell survival mechanism if the cellular damage is not too extensive or as a cell death mechanism if the damage/stress is irreversible; in the latter case, it can operate as an independent pathway or together with the apoptotic one. In this review, we discuss the autophagic process activated in several aquatic organisms exposed to different types of environmental stressors, focusing on the sea urchin embryo, a suitable system recently included into the guidelines for the use and interpretation of assays to monitor autophagy. After cadmium (Cd) exposure, a heavy metal recognized as an environmental toxicant, the sea urchin embryo is able to adopt different defense mechanisms, in a hierarchical way. Among these, autophagy is one of the main responses activated to preserve the developmental program. Finally, we discuss the interplay between autophagy and apoptosis in the sea urchin embryo, a temporal and functional choice that depends on the intensity of stress conditions

The Role of Autophagy and Apoptosis During Embryo Development

Programmed cell death (PCD) and cell survival are two sides of the same coin. Autophagy and apoptosis are crucial processes during embryo development of Invertebrates and Vertebrates organisms, as they are necessary for the formation of a new organism, starting from a fertilized egg. Fertilization triggers cell remodeling from each gamete to a totipotent zygote. During embryogenesis, the cells undergo various processes, thus allowing the transformation of the embryo into an adult organism. In particular, cells require the appropriate tools to suddenly modify their morphology and protein content in order to respond to intrinsic and external stimuli. Autophagy and apoptosis are involved in cell proliferation, differentiation and morphogenesis. Programmed cell death is a key physiological mechanism that ensures the correct development and the maintenance of tissues and organs homeostasis in multicellular organisms. PCD has been classified into three types, according to the morphology that the dying cells acquire and the molecular machinery involved: PCD type I or apoptosis; PCD type II or autophagy and PCD type III or necrosis (not involved in physiological development). These different types of cell death have specific features that can be used to be identified and characterized. Apoptosis is a highly conserved, genetically-controlled process through which certain cells destroy themselves. Autophagy is an evolutionarily conserved pathway used by eukaryotes for degrading and recycling various cellular constituents, such as long-lived proteins and entire organelles, that was mainly detected in those tissues where abundant cell death is required. Both autophagy and apoptosis are induced under stress conditions as an adaptive response against stress. Usually, environmental stress cause severe effects on embryonic development. Embryos of different species, exposed to different types of physical or chemical stress, temporarily suspend their development and activate several protective strategies, including PCD II and PCD III. Research has yet to elucidate the interplay between these key processes. Not all types of PCD are always detected in association with a developmental process. Unlike the degeneration of tissues of some invertebrates, the tissues of vertebrates undergo PCD preferentially through an apoptotic mechanisms. In this chapter, we will briefly describe some specific features of apoptotic and autophagic processes. We will focus our attention in some useful model systems of invertebrates and vertebrates organisms, where autophagy and apoptosis occur both in physiological and stress conditions; specifically, we will analyze embryos of: the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, the insect Drosophila melanogaster, the sea urchin Paracentrotus lividus, the fish Danio Rerio, the mouse mammalian model, and finally we will consider the differentiation of the male and female embryonic germlines in humans

Skeletal Divergence and Condylar Asymmetry in Patients with Temporomandibular Disorders (TMD): A Retrospective Study

Introduction. This study was aimed at evaluating the association between vertical skeletal patterns, condylar height symmetry, and temporomandibular disorders in adults. Methods. The study sample consisted of 200 patients (ages 18-30 years old) retrospectively recruited: 100 with temporomandibular disorders (TMD) and 100 without TMD (control), diagnosed by Diagnostic Criteria for the Temporomandibular Disorders (DC/TMD). For each subject, skeletal divergence was assessed on lateral cephalograms, and condylar height symmetry was evaluated by orthopantomography (Habets' method). Results. Subjects with temporomandibular disorders showed a strong association with condylar asymmetry (p0.29). Conclusions. Although it does not imply a direct cause-and-effect relationship, the present study suggests condylar asymmetry and hyperdivergent skeletal pattern are more likely to be associated with a higher risk of temporomandibular disorder joint diseases in adult patients