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Polyphenols are a group of naturally occurring compounds that possess a range of biological properties capable of potentially mitigating or preventing the progression of age-related cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease (AD). AD is a chronic neurodegenerative disease known as one of the fast-growing diseases, especially in the elderly population. Moreover, as the primary etiology of dementia, it poses challenges for both familial and societal structures, while also imposing a significant economic strain. There is currently no pharmacological intervention that has demonstrated efficacy in treating AD. While polyphenols have exhibited potential in inhibiting the pathological hallmarks of AD, their limited bioavailability poses a significant challenge in their therapeutic application. Furthermore, in order to address the therapeutic constraints, several polymer nanoparticles are being explored as improved therapeutic delivery systems to optimize the pharmacokinetic characteristics of polyphenols. Polymer nanoparticles have demonstrated advantageous characteristics in facilitating the delivery of polyphenols across the blood-brain barrier, resulting in their efficient distribution within the brain. This review focuses on amyloid-related diseases and the role of polyphenols in them, in addition to discussing the anti-amyloid effects and applications of polyphenol-based polymer nanoparticles., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2024 Fang, Zhang, Liu, Yang, Xi, Xie, Diao, Rao, Wang and Yang.)

Bile acids (BAs) metabolism has a significant impact on the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). We found that deoxycholic acid (DCA) increased in brains of AD mice at an early stage. The enhanced production of DCA induces the up-regulation of the bile acid receptor Takeda G protein-coupled receptor (TGR5), which is also specifically increased in neurons of AD mouse brains at an early stage. The accumulation of exogenous DCA impairs cognitive function in wild-type mice, but not in TGR5 knockout mice. This suggests that TGR5 is the primary receptor mediating these effects of DCA. Furthermore, excitatory neuron-specific knockout of TGR5 ameliorates Aβ pathology and cognition impairments in AD mice. The underlying mechanism linking TGR5 and AD pathology relies on the downstream effectors of TGR5 and the APP production, which is succinctly concluded as a "p-STAT3-APH1-γ-secretase" signaling pathway. Our studies identified the critical role of TGR5 in the pathological development of AD.

Purpose: To determine the prevalence of non-carious cervical lesions (NCCLs) in maxillary premolars of different torques and simulated cervical stress profiles of the premolars under coincident loadings using finite element analysis (FEA)., Methods: The CBCT scans of 616 maxillary premolars from 154 subjects were retrospectively evaluated. The premolars were ascribed into low torque group (LTG) <-10.9°, medium torque group (MTG) -10.9° to -3.9°, and high torque group (HTG) >-3.9°, when the torque was referring to the occlusion plane. The prevalence of NCCLs in each group was evaluated. Then finite element models of a maxillary first premolar, its adjacent teeth and alveolar bone were established. The models were prepared with ANSYS software generating the premolars presenting different torques. The mastication scenario for the premolars in maximum intercuspation position was simulated., Results: The prevalence of NCCLs was 15.7% in LTG, 7.9% in MTG and 5.5% in HTG. The prevalence of LTG was significantly higher than that of MTG (P< 0.05) and HTG (P< 0.01). As for FEA, the stresses at the buccal necks of the premolars basically increased with decrease of the torque. The tensile stress peaks were in the cemento-enamel junction in most premolars of the LTG, while in the middle of the crowns in premolars of MTG and HTG., Clinical Significance: Low torque with excessive lingual inclination is a risk factor for NCCLs of maxillary premolars, and excessive tensile stress concentration in buccal necks during mastication may be responsible for that., Competing Interests: The authors declared no conflict of interest., (Copyright©American Journal of Dentistry.)

Optokinetic reflex (OKR) responses provide a convenient means to evaluate visual, integrative and oculomotor function in larval zebrafish. We measured multiple aspects of the OKR response in zebrafish exposed systemically to compounds altering signaling at GABA A receptors in order to derive quantitative concentration-response relationships. The GABA A antagonist picrotoxin caused concentration-dependent decreases in reflex gain, saccade velocity, saccade amplitude, interocular concordance and interocular gain. Conversely, the GABA A agonist gaboxadol provoked increases in reflex gain, saccade velocity, saccade amplitude and ocular range at low concentrations, and decreases in some of these parameters at higher concentrations. These data show that GABA A signaling influences multiple aspects of the OKR (including gain, generation of saccades, and coordination between the two eyes) and provide proof of concept that quantitative OKR analysis can be used as a tool for chemical biology and neuropharmacology applications., (Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: To explore the diagnostic value of ultrasonography for Kimura's disease (KD)., Methods: Retrospectively analyzed the results of two dimension and color Doppler of 21 Kimura's disease carried by 19 patients who were resected and confirmed by pathologhy., Results: Twenty-one KD cases were detected by the ultrasound while none of them was diagnosed by ultrasonography. 21 cases were showed in the lymph nodes (42.9%, 9/21), parotid gland (4.8%, 1/21) and soft tissues (52.4%, 11/21). The masses both in the lymph and in the parotid gland marked hypoechogenicity and round or like-round. Cases in the soft tissues marked hypoechogencity or hyperechogenicity. Color Doppler flow pattern II to III were showed in 19 cases (90.5%, 19/21)., Conclusion: Ultrasonography enables a confident preoperative diagnosis of Kimura's disease.