Neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases

Recent clinical research has demonstrated that berry fruits can prevent age-related neurodegenerative diseases and improve motor and cognitive functions. The berry fruits are also capable of modulating signaling pathways involved in inflammation, cell survival, neurotransmission and enhancing neuroplasticity. The neuroprotective effects of berry fruits on neurodegenerative diseases are related to phytochemicals such as anthocyanin, caffeic acid, catechin, quercetin, kaempferol and tannin. In this review, we made an attempt to clearly describe the beneficial effects of various types of berries as promising neuroprotective agents.

抽象和具体概念具有不同结构的表示框架

The architecture supporting our conceptual knowledge of abstract words has rem ained almost entirely unexplored. By contrast, a vast neuropsychological, neurol inguistic and neuroimaging literature has addressed questions relating to the st ructure of the semantic system underpinning our knowledge of concrete items (e.g . artefacts and animals). In the context of semantic refractory access dysphasia , a series of experiments exploring and comparing abstract and concrete word com prehesion are described. We demonstrate that semantically associated abstract wo rds reliably interfere with one another significantly more than semantically syn onymous abstract words,while concrete words show the reverse pattern. We report the first evidence that abstract and concrete word meanings are based in represe ntational systems that have qualitatively different properties. More specificall y, we show that abstract concepts, but not concrete concepts, are represented in an associative neural network. Furthermore, our patient was found to have signi ficantly greater difficulty in identifying high frequency than low frequency abs tract words. This observation constitutes the first evidence of an inverse word frequency effect.Our results challenge the generality of many existing models of human conceptual knowledge, which derive their structure from experimental find ings in the concrete domain alone.

变异型克-雅病的神经心理学特征:遗传性和散发性朊蛋白病患者的对照研究

Objective: To assess cognitive function in variant Creutzfe- ldt-Jakob disease (vCJD). We describe the neuropsychological profiles of 10 c ases and compare these data with cross sectional data obtained from patients wit h histologically confirmed sporadic CJD and cases with inherited prion disease w ith confirmed mutations in the prion protein gene. Methods: Patients referred to the Specialist Cognitive Dis orders Clinic at the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery and the National Prion Clinic at St Mary’s Hospital, London for further investigation o f suspected CJD were recruited into the study. The neuropsychological test batte ry evaluated general intelligence, visual and verbal memory, nominal skills, lit eracy skills, visual perception and visuospatial functions, and visuospatial and executive function. Results: The results indicate that moderate to severe cogni tive decline is a characteristic feature of vCJD. Specifically,verbal and visual memory impairments and executive dysfunction were pervasive in all disease grou ps. Nominal skills were impaired in variant and sporadic CJD, significantly so w hen compared with the inherited prion disease group. Perceptual impairment was l ess frequent in the vCJD group than in the sporadic and inherited groups. Conclu sion: This study confirms the occurrence of generalised cognitive decline in pat ients with vCJD. Although decline in cognitive function ultimately affects all d omains, there is a suggestion that some components of visual perception may be s pared in vCJD. The results also suggest that nominal function may be preserved i n some cases with inherited prion disease.

Silencing of Astrocyte Elevated Gene-1 (AEG-1) inhibits the proliferative and invasive potential through interaction with Exostosin-1 (EXT-1) in primary and metastatic colon cancer cells

Colon cancer is the third major cause of cancer deaths,accounting for about 8%in terms of mortality globally.The present study aims to explore the effect of silencing Astrocyte Elevated Gene-1(AEG-1),a metastasis mediating factor,and how it interacts with Exostosin-1(EXT-1)protein to inhibit the proliferative and invasive potential in colon cancer cells.Forward siRNA transfection was performed using AEG-1 siRNA in SW480 and SW620 colon cancer cell lines,and the expression levels of mRNA and protein were analyzed by Real-time PCR and Immunofluorescence.A simple bioinformatics approach was carried out to identify the possible interactions between AEG-1 and EXT-1 using Easy Networks and Pathway Commons Database.Cell survival and clonal efficiency were determined using Cell Counting Kit-8 assay and clonogenic assay,apoptosis using flow cytometry analysis,migration and invasion using scratch and Transwell assays,respectively.Forward siRNA transfection significantly suppressed the expression of AEG-1 in mRNA and protein levels on SW480 and SW620 colon cancer cells.From our results,we found that EXT-1 mRNA and protein level was significantly upregulated in AEG-1 siRNA transfected cells.Moreover,treatment with AEG-1 siRNA inhibited the proliferation,clonogenic ability,migration,and invasion and also induced apoptosis.Through the bioinformatic approach,our data analyses pointed towards the crosstalk between AEG-1 and EXT-1 mediated through Patched-1(PTCH-1)protein.Our current results demonstrated that silencing AEG-1 can restrain cell proliferation,migration,and invasion,ultimately leading to apoptosis.In AEG-1 siRNA transfected cells,PTCH-1 activity might be modulated by several genes and,in turn,affects the EXT-1 activity.Collectively,these observations not only provide insight into the interplay between AEG-1 and EXT-1 but also suggest that AEG-1 may represent a possible candidate therapeutic target through interaction with EXT-1 in colon cancer.

Beneficial effects of date palm fruits on neurodegenerative diseases

Date palm tree（Phoenix dactylifera L.）is an important crop,which is cultivated in many countries extending from North Africa to the Middle East,including many of the GCC（Gulf Cooperation Council）Countries（Allaith,2008）.

阿尔茨海默病的自然史:对一个家族性队列进行症状出现前和症状发生时的纵向研究

Background: Knowledge of the evolution of cognitive deficits in Alzheimer dise ase is important for our understanding of disease progression. Previous reports, however, have either lacked detail or have not covered the presymptomatic stage s. Objective: To delineate the onset and progression of clinical and neuropsycho logical abnormalities in familial Alzheimer disease. Methods: Nineteen subjects with familial Alzheimer disease underwent serial clinical and neuropsychological assessments. Eight of these had undergone presymptomatic assessments. The follo w up period was 1 to 10 years (mean, 5 years). The relative timing of the occur rence of 3 markers of disease onset and progression (onset of symptoms, Mini Me ntal State Examination score ≤24, and impaired score on a range of neuropsychol ogical tests) were compared using the binomial exact test. Results: Neurological abnormalities were not prominent, although myoclonus appeared early in some. Mi ni Mental State Examination score was not sensitive to early disease. Memory an d general intelligence deficits appeared at an earlier stage, in some patients w hen pre symptomatic. Perceptual, naming, and especially spelling skills were pr eserved to a late stage. Conclusion: Familial Alzheimer disease may have a long prodromal phase of several years with subtle deficits initially of general intel ligence and memory, while spelling, naming, and perception are relatively preser ved until a late stage.