The Olfactory Receptor Pseudo-pseudogene: A Potential Therapeutic Target in Human Diseases

Recently, Prieto-Godino et al.[1] found that the olfactory receptor 75a （Ir75a） gene is a functional pseudo-pseudogene in Drosophila sechellia. For a long time, Ir75a has been regarded as an acetic acid receptor that detects acetic acid and induces obvious olfactory responses in olfactory sensory neurons （OSNs）f2J. Nonetheless, Prieto-Godino et al. confirmed that Ir75a lost its sensitivity to acetic acid in D. sechellia. Thus, the D. sechelfia Ir75a gene is generally recognized as a pseudogene in OSNs.

The therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stem cells in Alzheimer's disease:converging mechanisms

Mesenchymal stem cells （MSCS） are pluripotent stem cells isolated from various tissues, but mostly from bone marrow, adipose tissue, and umbilical cord blood. Well known for their mesenchymal lineages differentiation （e.g., bone, cartilage and fat tissues）, it was suggested that MSCs possess plasticity prop- erties enabling them to differentiate into non-mesenchymal lineages. Indeed, several protocols claimed for differentiating MSCs to neurons in vitro, but concern was raised for the ef- fectiveness and in vivo relevance of such differentiation. Thus, though their neurogenic differentiation properties are still in debate, they were nevertheless, suggested as candidates for treat- ing neurodegenerative disorders such as Parkinson＇s diseases, multiple sclerosis and Alzheimer＇s disease （AD）.

Tetrahydrohyperforin(IDN5706) targets the endoplasmic reticulum for autophagy activation： potential mechanism for Alzheimer＇s disease therapy

Alzheimer’s disease（AD）is the most common form of dementia worldwide among the older population.To date,there is no therapy to stop the destruction of brain cells and all the available treatments only compensate for the loss of synaptic transmission,thus resulting in marginal benefits to patients.

Glyco-sphingo biology: a novel perspective for potential new treatments in Huntington's disease

Huntington＇s disease （HD） is the most common dominantly inherited neurodegenerative disorder, mainly characterized by the progressive striatal and cortical neurodegeneration and as- sociated motor, cognitive and behavioural disturbances （Zuccato et al., 2010）. The disease-causing mutation is an expansion of a GAG trinucleotide repeat （〉 36 repeats） encoding a polygluta- mine stretch in the N-terminal region ofhuntingtin （Htt） （Zuc- cato et al., 2010）, a ubiquitous protein whose function is still unclear （Zuccato et al., 2010）. Expansion of the polyQ stretch endows mutant Htt （mHtt） with toxic properties, and results in the development of a broad array of undesirable effects in both neuronal and non-neuronal cells （Zuccato et al., 2010）. Among all cellular dysfunctions and biochemical imbalances classically associated with HD, perturbed metabolism of （glyco） sphingolipids appears to play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of the disease. Over the last years, we and other have extensively contributed to these findings （Desplats et al., 2007;

SLP-2: a potential new target for improving mitochondrial function in Parkinson's disease

Parkinson＇s disease （PD） is a progressive neurodegenerative disease, which is generally considered a multifactorial disorder that arises owing to a combination of genes and environmental factors. While most cases are idiopathic, in about 10% of the patients a genetic cause can be detected, ascribable to mutations in more than a dozen genes. PD is characterized clinically by tremor, rigidity, reduced mo- tor activity （bradykinesia）, and postural instability and pathological- ly by loss of dopaminergic （DA） neurons in the substantia nigra pars compacta, loss of DA innervation in the striatum, and the presence of a-synuclein positive aggregates in the form of Lewy bodies. The symptomatic treatment of PD with levodopa, which aims at replac- ing dopamine, remains the gold standard, and no neuroprotective or disease-modifying therapy is available. During treatment, the disease continues to progress, and long-term use of levodopa has import- ant limitations including motor complications termed dyskinesias. Therefore, a pharmacological therapy able to prevent or halt the neu- rodegenerative process is urgently required.

The Mitochondrion:A Potential Therapeutic Target for Alzheimer's Disease

Introduction The mitochondrion is a double-membrane organelle consisting of an outer membrane, intermembrane space, inner membrane, cristae, and matrix. It is the ‘‘energy plant’’ that provides most of the energy for cells. Mitochondria also participate in various processes such as calcium homeosta-

Burden of injuries and diseases in Yunnan Tin Miners

The burden of injuries is underestimated to an evengreater extent in developing countries than inindustrialized countries. The objective of this paper is toanalyze injuries and diseases in the monitored work place

Burden of traffic accidents among pedestrians of Fars province, southern Iran; estimate of years of life lost in a sample of Iranian population from 2009 to 2013

Purpose： Traffic injuries are among the leading causes of mortality and morbidity worldwide. Pedestrians have been considered as a high-risk group among road users, especially in middle- or low-income communities. This study attempted to determine the burden of pedestrians＇ fatalities in Fars, the southern province of Iran using years of life lost （YLL） approach. Methods： The data used in this study were retrieved from Fars Forensic Medicine Organization database on pedestrian traffic accidents. The YLL from 2009 to 2013 was estimated using the method presented by World Health organization. Some epidemiological characteristics of pedestrians＇ fatalities were analyzed by SPSS. Results： Although YLL among 1000 male pedestrians decreased from 2.5 in 2009 to 1.5 in 2013, it increased from 0.9 to 2.1 among 1000 females during the same period. Higher proportion of death was found in female, illiterate, and married pedestrians {p 〈 0.001 ）. In addition, mortality was higher in pedestrians living the cities, during daytime, at home, and in hospitals （p 〈 0.001 ）. Conclusion： Consistent with the global trends, burden of pedestrian accidents in Fats was also excep- tionally high. Considering the national and cultural aspects of different countries, improving the safety of pedestrians demands a multi-dimensional approach with interventional factors concerning policies, rules, pedestrians, motor vehicles and environmental conditions taken into consideration.