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Introduction: Sleep problems commonly occur in Parkinson's disease (PD) and significantly affect patients' quality of life. A possible effect on subjective sleep disturbances of monoamine oxidase-B inhibitors (MAOB-Is) has been described., Methods: This prospective, observational, single-centre study involved 45 fluctuating PD patients complaining sleep problems as documented by the PD Sleep Scale -2nd version (PDSS-2 ≥18) starting rasagiline 1 mg/daily or safinamide 100 mg/daily, according to common clinical practice, and maintaining antiparkinsonian therapy unchanged. Polysomnography (PSG), sleep questionnaires (PDSS-2, Epworth Sleepiness Scale - ESS), and motor function were evaluated at baseline (T0) and after 4 months of treatment (T1)., Results: Safinamide was prescribed in thirty patients and rasagiline in fifteen patients. Both drugs induced a significant improvement in Movement Disorder Society Unified PD Rating Scale III scores. Patients treated with rasagiline showed a significant increase in stage 1 (N1) Non-REM sleep compared to T0, with no significant effects on sleep scales. Patients treated with safinamide showed a significant increase in stage 3 of Non-REM sleep and sleep efficiency and a reduction in the rate of periodic limb movements, matching a significant reduction in PDSS-2 and ESS scales compared to T0., Conclusion: This study showed that safinamide, in addition to having a significant effect on PD motor symptoms, like the other MAOB-Is, may exert a specific beneficial effect on subjective and objective sleep, probably driven by its dual mechanism of action, which involves both dopaminergic and glutamatergic neurotransmission., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Objective/background: Idiopathic/isolated REM sleep behavior disorder (iRBD) is widely regarded as an early sign of neurodegeneration leading to synucleinopathies. While circadian rhythm alterations in iRBD have been preliminarily demonstrated, evidence on melatonin secretion patterns in this clinical condition is limited. To address this knowledge gap, this exploratory study aimed to integrate salivary melatonin measurement with actigraphic monitoring in individuals with iRBD and age-matched healthy controls (HC) under real-life conditions., Methods: Participants diagnosed with iRBD and HC underwent clinical evaluation and wore an actigraph for seven days and nights. Salivary melatonin concentrations were measured at five time points during the last night of recording. Comparative analyses were conducted on clinical data, actigraphic parameters, and melatonin levels between the two groups., Results: iRBD participants (n = 18) showed greater motor (p < 0.01) and non-motor symptoms (p < 0.001), alongside disruptions in circadian sleep-wake rhythm compared to HC (n = 10). Specifically, actigraphy revealed a delayed central phase measurement (p < 0.05), reduced activity during the most active hours (p < 0.001), and decreased relative amplitude (p < 0.05). Total salivary melatonin concentration was significantly lower in iRBD (p < 0.05), with a slight but non-significant phase delay in dim light melatonin onset., Conclusions: This exploratory study highlights a dysregulation of circadian sleep-wake rhythm coupled with reduced melatonin secretion in iRBD. Future research could add to these preliminary findings to evaluate novel treatment approaches to regulate the sleep-wake cycle and elucidate the implications of circadian dysregulation in the conversion from iRBD to neurodegeneration., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare the following financial interests/personal relationships which may be considered as potential competing interests: Claudio Liguori reports financial support was provided by Government of Italy Ministry of Universitiy and Research. Nicola Biagio Mercuri reports financial support was provided by Government of Italy Ministry of University and Research. The other authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) causes sleep fragmentation and excessive daytime sleepiness (EDS). OSA has been hypothesised to impair the circadian sleep-wake rhythm, and this dysregulation may in turn exacerbate OSA-related diurnal symptoms. Hence, this study aimed to assess the sleep-wake rhythm through actigraphy, and its relationship with EDS in patients with untreated OSA. Patients with moderate-severe OSA (apnea-hypopnea index ≥15/h) and healthy controls (HC) underwent a 7-day actigraphic recording to evaluate the sleep-wake rhythm. Participants underwent a sleep medicine visit and completed the self-report questionnaires assessing EDS (Epworth sleepiness scale, ESS), sleep quality (Pittsburgh sleep quality index, PSQI), and chronotype (morningness-eveningness questionnaire, MEQ). This study included 48 OSA patients (72.9% males; mean age 56.48 ± 9.53 years), and 22 HC (45.5% males; mean age 53.73 ± 18.20 years). After controlling for MEQ scores, actigraphic recording showed that the OSA patients present a lower sleep time (p = 0.011) and sleep efficiency (p = 0.013), as well as a higher sleep latency (p = 0.047), and sleep fragmentation (p = 0.029) than the HC. Regarding the sleep-wake rhythm actigraphic parameters, the OSA patients showed a lower average activity during the most active 10-hour period (p = 0.036) and a lower day/night activity ratio (p = 0.007) than the HC. Patients with OSA also reported higher ESS (p = 0.005) and PSQI scores (p < 0.001), and a chronotype less of morning type (p = 0.027) than the HC. In conclusion, this study documented a reduced diurnal motor activity and lower day/night activity ratio in OSA patients than in controls. These findings suggest a dysregulation of the circadian sleep-wake rhythm in OSA, possibly related to both EDS and reduced daytime motor activity., (© 2024 European Sleep Research Society.)

Starch bioengineering in cereals has produced a plethora of genotypes with new nutritional and technological functionalities. Modulation of amylose content from 0 to 100% was inversely correlated with starch digestibility and promoted a lower glycemic index in food products. In wheat, starch mutants have been reported to exhibit various side effects, mainly related to the seed phenotype. However, little is known about the impact of altered amylose content and starch structure on plant metabolism. Here, three bread wheat starch mutant lines with extreme phenotypes in starch branching and amylose content were used to study plant responses to starch structural changes. Omics profiling of gene expression and metabolic patterns supported changes, confirmed by ultrastructural analysis in the chloroplast of the immature seeds. In detail, the identification of differentially expressed genes belonging to functional categories related to photosynthesis, chloroplast and thylakoid (e.g. CURT1), the alteration in the accumulation of photosynthesis-related compounds, and the chloroplast alterations (aberrant shape, grana stacking alteration, and increased number of plastoglobules) suggested that the modification of starch structure greatly affects starch turnover in the chloroplast, triggering oxidative stress (ROS accumulation) and premature tissue senescence. In conclusion, this study highlighted a correlation between starch structure and chloroplast functionality in the wheat kernel., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS.. All rights reserved.)

The chloroplast (cp) genome diversity has been used in phylogeny studies, breeding, and variety protection, and its expression has been shown to play a role in stress response. Smooth- and curly-leafed endives ( Cichorium endivia var. latifolium and var. crispum ) are of nutritional and economic importance and are the target of ever-changing breeding programmes. A reference cp genome sequence was assembled and annotated (cultivar 'Confiance'), which was 152,809 base pairs long, organized into the angiosperm-typical quadripartite structure, harboring two inverted repeats separated by the large- and short- single copy regions. The annotation included 136 genes, 90 protein-coding genes, 38 transfer, and 8 ribosomal RNAs and the sequence generated a distinct phyletic group within Asteraceae with the well-separated C. endivia and intybus species. SSR variants within the reference genome were mostly of tri-nucleotide type, and the cytosine to uracil (C/U) RNA editing recurred. The cp genome was nearly fully transcribed, hence sequence polymorphism was investigated by RNA-Seq of seven cultivars, and the SNP number was higher in smooth- than curly-leafed ones. All cultivars maintained C/U changes in identical positions, suggesting that RNA editing patterns were conserved; most cultivars shared SNPs of moderate impact on protein changes in the ndhD , ndhA , and psbF genes, suggesting that their variability may have a potential role in adaptive response. The cp transcriptome expression was investigated in leaves of plants affected by pre-harvest rainfall and rainfall excess plus waterlogging events characterized by production loss, compared to those of a cycle not affected by extreme rainfall. Overall, the analyses evidenced stress- and cultivar-specific responses, and further revealed that genes of the Cytochrome b6/f, and PSI-PSII systems were commonly affected and likely to be among major targets of extreme rain-related stress.

Knotted1 -like homeobox (KNOX) transcription factors are involved in plant development, playing complex roles in aerial organs. As Prunus species include important fruit tree crops of Italy, an exhaustive investigation of KNOX genes was performed using genomic and RNA-seq meta-analyses. Micropropagation is an essential technology for rootstock multiplication; hence, we investigated KNOX transcriptional behavior upon increasing 6-benzylaminopurine (BA) doses and the effects on GF677 propagules. Moreover, gene function in Prunus spp. was assessed by Gisela 6 rootstock transformation using fluorescence and peach KNOX transgenes. Based on ten Prunus spp., KNOX proteins fit into I-II-M classes named after Arabidopsis. Gene number, class member distribution, and chromosome positions were maintained, and exceptions supported the diversification of Prunus from Cerasus subgenera, and that of Armeniaca from the other sections within Prunus . Cytokinin (CK) cis-elements occurred in peach and almond KNOX promoters, suggesting a BA regulatory role in GF677 shoot multiplication as confirmed by KNOX expression variation dependent on dose, time, and interaction. The tripled BA concentration exacerbated stress, altered CK perception genes, and modified KNOX transcriptions, which are proposed to concur in in vitro anomalies. Finally, Gisela 6 transformation efficiency varied (2.6-0.6%) with the genetic construct, with 35S:GFP being more stable than 35S:KNOPE1 lines, which showed leaf modification typical of KNOX overexpression.