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African trypanosomiasis encompasses diseases caused by pathogenic trypanosomes, infecting both humans and animals. In the present article, we dissected the possible role of members of the interleukin (IL)-12 family during infection with Trypanosoma brucei brucei and Trypanosoma evansi in mice. IL-12p35(-/-), IL-12p40(-/-), and IL-12p35(-/-)/p40(-/-) mice were susceptible to both pathogens, as was demonstrated by the increased mortality among these mice, compared with wild-type C57BL/6 mice. The different IL-12p70(-/-) mouse strains showed similar mortality kinetics, suggesting that IL-12p70--but not the IL-12p80 homodimer or IL-23--plays a crucial role in survival. Although there were similar plasma levels of immunoglobulin (Ig) M and IgG2a in IL-12-deficient mice and wild-type mice, interferon (IFN)- gamma production, especially during early infection, was severely impaired in all IL-12p70(-/-) mouse strains, demonstrating an IL-12p70-dependent mechanism for IFN- gamma production. Because IFN- gamma receptor-deficient mice (IFN- gamma R(-/-)) were also highly susceptible to both Trypanosoma species, IL-12p70-dependent IFN- gamma production seems to be the important mechanism involved in resistance against both pathogens. Copyright © 2007 Infectious Diseases Society of America [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Parkinson's disease (PD) is the fastest-growing neurodegenerative disorder, currently affecting ~7 million people worldwide. PD is clinically and genetically heterogeneous, with at least 10% of all cases explained by a monogenic cause or strong genetic risk factor. However, the vast majority of our present data on monogenic PD is based on the investigation of patients of European White ancestry, leaving a large knowledge gap on monogenic PD in underrepresented populations. Gene-targeted therapies are being developed at a fast pace and have started entering clinical trials. In light of these developments, building a global network of centers working on monogenic PD, fostering collaborative research, and establishing a clinical trial-ready cohort is imperative. Based on a systematic review of the English literature on monogenic PD and a successful team science approach, we have built up a network of 59 sites worldwide and have collected information on the availability of data, biomaterials, and facilities. To enable access to this resource and to foster collaboration across centers, as well as between academia and industry, we have developed an interactive map and online tool allowing for a quick overview of available resources, along with an option to filter for specific items of interest. This initiative is currently being merged with the Global Parkinson's Genetics Program (GP2), which will attract additional centers with a focus on underrepresented sites. This growing resource and tool will facilitate collaborative research and impact the development and testing of new therapies for monogenic and potentially for idiopathic PD patients., Competing Interests: I have read the journal’s policy and the authors of this manuscript have the following competing interests: Roy N. Alcalay received consulting fees from Avrobio, Caraway, Ono Therapeutics, GSK, Merck, Sanofi, Janssen and grants from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, DOD, the Parkinson’s Disease Foundation, and the NIH. Melinda Barkhuizen received a PhD scholarship from the National Research Foundation of South Africa (grant numbers 89230 and 98217) and internal funding from the research center where the study was conducted (DST/NWU Preclinical Drug Development Platform, North-West University, South Africa); Ampath Pathology laboratories in South Africa donated services in the form of drawing participant blood for DNA extractions, Several neurologists in South Africa assisted the authors with identifying patients with Parkinson`s disease and referring them to the genotyping study; the North-West University, South Africa provided Ethical oversight and approval of the genotyping project. Vincenzo Bonifati received grants from Stichting Parkinson Fonds (Netherlands) and Alzheimer Nederland, he received honoraria from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS), for lectures and as Chair of the International Congress Scientific Program Committee (2020-2021), and from Elsevier Ltd. as co-Editor in Chief of the journal Parkinsonism & Related Disorders (2018-current); he is unpaid member of the Stichting Parkinson Fonds (Netherlands). Kathrin Brockmann received grants from the German Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF; PDStrat; FKZ 031L0137B) and from the German Center for Neurodegenerative Diseases (DZNE), consulting fees from Abbvie, Lundbeck, UCB, Zambon, Roche, and honoraria from Abbvie and UCB. Jordi Clarimon is full-time employee at Lundbeck A/S (Denmark). Mario Cornejo-Olivas has subcontracts with Cleveland Clinic and San Marcos Foundation for recruiting participants for the LARGE PD study in Peru. Jean-Christophe Corvol received grants from Sanofi and the Michael J. Fox Foundation, consulting fees from Biogen, UCB, Denali, Idorsia, Prevail therapeutics, Theranexus, and honoraria from Biogen. Joana Damásio received honoraria from Zambon Pharmaceuticals. Anna De Rosa received grants for ROPAD – the Rostock International Parkinson’s Disease Study, sponsored by Centogene and grants from Zambon and AIFA (Italian Agency of Drug), and she is member of the advisory board at BIAL. Joaquim Ferreira received grants from Fundação MSD (Portugal), Novartis, Medtronic, and Abbvie, and lecture fees from Lundbeck, Abbvie, BIAL, Biogen, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, ONO, Affiris, and Zambon, payment for expert testimony from Novartis, and he participates in advisory boards of Lundbeck, Abbvie, BIAL, Affiris, Sunovion Pharmaceuticals, and Zambon; he is employed by CNS (Campus Néurologico Sénior) and the Medical Faculty of Lisbon. Emilia Gatto received consulting fees from Bago Argentina, honoraria from Bago Argentina,UCB, IPMDS, and Europharm, and participates in advisory boards of Bago Argentina and UCB. Nir Giladi received grants from the Michael J Fox Foundation, The National Parkinson Foundation, The European Union, The Israel Science Foundation Teva, NNE program, Biogen, Ionis, Sieratzki Family Foundation, and The Aufzien Academic Center in Tel-Aviv University; he holds royalties or licenses at Lysosomal Therapeutics (LTI); he received consulting fees from Sionara, NeuroDerm, Pharma2B, Denali, Neuron23, Sanofi-Genzyme, Biogen, and Abbvie; he received honoraria from Abbvie, Sanofi-Genzyme, and the Movement Disorder Society. Nobutaka Hattori received grants from the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS; 18H04043, 21H04820, 19K22603), the Japan Agency for Medical Research and Development (AMED; JP20dm0307101, JP20dm0207070, JP20ek0109358, JP19ek0109393, JP19gm0710011, JP19km0405206), Health Labour Sciences Research Grant (20FC1049, H29-FC1-062, H29-FC1-033), and the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JPMJMS2024-5); he participates in advisory boards at Dai-Nippon Sumitomo Pharma, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Kyowa Kirin, TEIJIN PHARMA LIMITED, Novartis Pharma, Ono Pharmaceutical, Biogen Idec Japan, and Kissei Pharmaceutical; he receives consulting fees from Hisamitsu Pharma; he received honoraria from Dai-Nippon Sumitomo Pharma, Takeda Pharmaceutical, Kyowa Kirin, AbbVie GK, Nippon Boehringer Ingelheim, Otsuka Pharmaceutical, Novartis Pharma, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Ono Pharmaceutical, FP Pharmaceutical, Eisai, Kissei Pharmaceutical, Nihon Medi-physics, and Daiichi Sankyo; he received payment for expert testimony from Mitsubishi Tanabe Pharma; he received support for attending meeting from Takeda Pharmaceutical, and Kyowa Kirin; he has 17 patents planned or pending and 5 issued; he is Team Leader at the Neurodegenerative Disorders Collaborative Laboratory, RIKEN Center for Brain Science; he holds equity stock (8%) of PARKINSON Laboratories Co. Ltd., unrelated to the submitted work. Silvia Jesús has received grants from “Consejería de Salud y Familias” PI-0459-2018, “acción B Clínicos-Investigdores” B-0007-2019 and from the “instituto de Salud Carlos III” PI-18/01898; she received honoraria from Abbvie, Bial, Merz, UCB, Italfarmaco, Zambon and Server. Valtteri Kaasinen received grants from Turku University Foundation, Päivikki and Sakari Sohlberg Foundation, and the Finnish Cultural Foundation; he received consulting fees from Nordic Infucare, Abbvie, and Adamant Health; he received honoraria from Nordic Infucare and Abbvie; he received Support for attending meetings and/or travel from Nordic Infucare; he participates on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board at Nordic Infucare and Abbvie; he is board member of the Finnish Neurological Society. Christine Klein received royalties from Oxford University Press; she received consulting fees from Centogene and Retromer Therapeutics; she received payment or honoraria from Desitin Pharma; she received support to attend meetings from the Movement Disorder Society; she participates on a Data Safety Monitoring Board or Advisory Board at the Else Kroener Fresenius Foundation. Peter Klivenyi received honoraria from Abbvie and Medtronic. Vladimir Kostic received Grant 17590 from the Ministry of Education, Science and Technological Development of Serbia; he received honoraria from Novartis and Boehringer Ingelheim. Shen-Yang Lim received the following grants, (i) Stipend - Global Parkinson’s Genetics Program (GP2) Working Group Co-Lead Award, from the Michael J. Fox Foundation, (ii) Michael J. Fox Foundation (Grant 18305: "Identifying leucocyte and urine biomarkers in PD patients with LRRK2 G2385R variant"). George Mellick received grants from the National Health and Medical Research Foundation, Australia (APP1151854, APP1084560). Lukasz Milanowski received grants from the Polish National Agency for Academic Exchange Iwanowska’s Fellowship PPN/IWA/2018/1/00006/U/00001/01, the APDA, the Foundation for Polish Science (FNP) and the Haworth Family Professorship in Neurodegenerative Diseases Fund. Pablo mir received grants from the Spanish Ministry of Science and Innovation (RTC2019-007150-1), the Instituto de Salud Carlos III-Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional (ISCIII-FEDER, PI19/01576), and the Consejería de Salud y Bienestar Social de la Junta de Andalucía (PE-0210-2018); he received payment or honoraria for lectures from Abbvie, Abbott, and Zambon; he received Support for attending meetings and travel from Abbvie. Shalini Padmanabhan is employed by the Michael J. Fox Foundation. Andreas Puschmann received grants from Region Skåne, Sweden, Skåne University Hospital, Sweden, The Swedish Parkinson Academy, The Swedish Parkinson Foundation (Parkinsonfonden), MultiPark – a strategic research environment at Lund University, and Bundy Academy, Sweden; he received honoraria from Elsevier (Associate editor for Parkinsonism and Related Disorders), from the International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society (MDS), and from the International Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders; he received support for travels from the International Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders; he is board member of the International Association of Parkinsonism and Related Disorders. Mariana Spitz received funding from Centogene for the ROPAD study; she received support for travels from Roche. Justin Solle is employed by the Michel J. Fox Foundation. Oksana Suchowersky received grants from Roche and WaveLifeSciences; she holds royalties or licenses at UpToDate; she received consulting fees from Abbvie and Sunovion; she received honoraria from the World Parkinson Conference; she participates in advisory boards at Alexion; she is board member of the Parkinson Society Alberta. Pichet Termsarasab received book royalties from Elsevier and Springer Nature Switzerland; he received honoraria for manuscript writing from MedLink Neurology and for lectures from Viatris. Bart van de Warrenburg received grants from Radboudumc, ZonMW, Hersenstichting, Gossweiler Foundation, and the Michael J Fox Foundation; he holds royalties or licenses at BSL Springer Nature; he received consulting fees from uniQure; he received honoraria from UKM Medical Center Kuala Lumpur; he participates in Medical advisory board of patient organizations (unpaid); he is unpaid member of Steering committees or executive boards of various research consortia; he received a wearable sensor set by Brugling Fund/Hersenstichting. Caroline H. Williams-Gray collaborates with Astra-Zeneca on the microbiome in Parkinson’s disease; she received consultancy fees from Modus Outcomes and Evidera, Inc./GlaxoSmithKline; she received honoraria from Profile Pharma Limited. Eva-Juliane Vollstedt, Harutyun Madoev, Anna Aasly, Azlina Ahmad-Annuar, Bashayer Al-Mubarak, Victoria Alvarez, Ignacio Amorin, Grazia Annesi, David Arkadir, Soraya Bardien, Roger A. Barker, A. Nazli Basak, Agnita Boon, Laura Brighina, Andrea Carmine Belin, Jonathan Carr, Leonor Correia Guedes, David Crosiers, Parimal Das, Patricia de Carvalho Aguiar, Jolanta Dorszewska, Sibel Ertan, Rosangela Ferese, Gençer Genç, Pilar Gómez-Garre, Hasmet Hanagasi, Faycal Hentati, Dorota Hoffman-Zacharska, Sergey N. Illarioshkin, Joseph Jankovic, Anneke Kievit, Dariusz Koziorowski, Andrea A. Kühn, Anthony E. Lang, Chin-Hsien Lin, Katja Lohmann, Vladana Markovic, Mika Henrik Martikainen, Marcelo Merello, Özgür Öztop-Çakmak, Márcia Mattos Gonçalves Pimentel, Teeratorn Pulkes, Ekaterina Rogaeva, Esther M. Sammler, Maria Skaalum Petersen, Matej Skorvanek, Ai Huey Tan, Avner Thaler, Vitor Tumas, Enza Maria Valente, Ruey-Mei Wu, Baorong Zhang, and Alexander Zimprich report no conflict of interest. This does not alter our adherence to PLOS ONE policies on sharing data and materials., (Copyright: © 2023 Vollstedt et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.)

Background: As gene-targeted therapies are increasingly being developed for Parkinson's disease (PD), identifying and characterizing carriers of specific genetic pathogenic variants is imperative. Only a small fraction of the estimated number of subjects with monogenic PD worldwide are currently represented in the literature and availability of clinical data and clinical trial-ready cohorts is limited., Objective: The objectives are to (1) establish an international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals with PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical characterization data for each included individual; and (3) further promote collaboration of researchers in the field of monogenic PD., Methods: We conducted a worldwide, systematic online survey to collect individual-level data on individuals with PD-linked variants in SNCA, LRRK2, VPS35, PRKN, PINK1, DJ-1, as well as selected pathogenic and risk variants in GBA and corresponding demographic, clinical, and genetic data. All registered cases underwent thorough quality checks, and pathogenicity scoring of the variants and genotype-phenotype relationships were analyzed., Results: We collected 3888 variant carriers for our analyses, reported by 92 centers (42 countries) worldwide. Of the included individuals, 3185 had a diagnosis of PD (ie, 1306 LRRK2, 115 SNCA, 23 VPS35, 429 PRKN, 75 PINK1, 13 DJ-1, and 1224 GBA) and 703 were unaffected (ie, 328 LRRK2, 32 SNCA, 3 VPS35, 1 PRKN, 1 PINK1, and 338 GBA). In total, we identified 269 different pathogenic variants; 1322 individuals in our cohort (34%) were indicated as not previously published., Conclusions: Within the MJFF Global Genetic PD Study Group, we (1) established the largest international cohort of affected and unaffected individuals carrying PD-linked variants; (2) provide harmonized and quality-controlled clinical and genetic data for each included individual; (3) promote collaboration in the field of genetic PD with a view toward clinical and genetic stratification of patients for gene-targeted clinical trials. © 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society., (© 2023 The Authors. Movement Disorders published by Wiley Periodicals LLC on behalf of International Parkinson and Movement Disorder Society.)

Astrocytes play a central role in the neuroimmune response by responding to CNS pathologies with diverse molecular and morphological changes during the process of reactive astrogliosis. Here, we used a computational biological network model and mathematical algorithms that allow the interpretation of high-throughput transcriptomic datasets in the context of known biology to study reactive astrogliosis. We gathered available mechanistic information from the literature into a comprehensive causal biological network (CBN) model of astrocyte reactivity. The CBN model was built in the Biological Expression Language, which is both human-readable and computable. We characterized the CBN with a network analysis of highly connected nodes and demonstrated that the CBN captures relevant astrocyte biology. Subsequently, we used the CBN and transcriptomic data to identify key molecular pathways driving the astrocyte phenotype in four CNS pathologies: samples from mouse models of lipopolysaccharide-induced endotoxemia, Alzheimer's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis; and samples from multiple sclerosis patients. The astrocyte CBN provides a new tool to identify causal mechanisms and quantify astrogliosis based on transcriptomic data., (© 2022. The Author(s).)

Background: Exposure to inflammation exacerbates injury in neonatal encephalopathy (NE). We hypothesized that brain biomarker mRNA, cytokine mRNA and microRNA differentiate inflammation (E. coli LPS), hypoxia (Hypoxia), and inflammation-sensitized hypoxia (LPS+Hypoxia) in an NE piglet model., Methods: Sixteen piglets were randomized: (i) LPS 2 μg/kg bolus; 1 μg/kg infusion (LPS; n = 5), (ii) Saline with hypoxia (Hypoxia; n = 6), (iii) LPS commencing 4 h pre-hypoxia (LPS+Hypoxia; n = 5). Total RNA was acquired at baseline, 4 h after LPS and 1, 3, 6, 12, 24, 48 h post-insult (animals euthanized at 48 h). Quantitative PCR was performed for cytokines (IL1A, IL6, CXCL8, IL10, TNFA) and brain biomarkers (ENO2, UCHL1, S100B, GFAP, CRP, BDNF, MAPT). MicroRNA was detected using GeneChip (Affymetrix) microarrays. Fold changes from baseline were compared between groups and correlated with cell death (TUNEL) at 48 h., Results: Within 6 h post-insult, we observed increased IL1A, CXCL8, CCL2 and ENO2 mRNA in LPS+Hypoxia and LPS compared to Hypoxia. IL10 mRNA differentiated all groups. Four microRNAs differentiated LPS+Hypoxia and Hypoxia: hsa-miR-23a, 27a, 31-5p, 193-5p. Cell death correlated with TNFA (R = 0.69; p < 0.01) at 1-3 h and ENO2 (R = -0.69; p = 0.01) at 48 h., Conclusions: mRNA and miRNA differentiated hypoxia from inflammation-sensitized hypoxia within 6 h in a piglet model. This information may inform human studies to enable triage for tailored neuroprotection in NE., Impact: Early stratification of infants with neonatal encephalopathy is key to providing tailored neuroprotection. IL1A, CXCL8, IL10, CCL2 and NSE mRNA are promising biomarkers of inflammation-sensitized hypoxia. IL10 mRNA levels differentiated all three pathological states; fold changes from baseline was the highest in LPS+Hypoxia animals, followed by LPS and Hypoxia at 6 h. miR-23, -27, -31-5p and -193-5p were significantly upregulated within 6 h of a hypoxia insult. Functional analysis highlighted the diverse roles of miRNA in cellular processes.

Congenital heart defects (CHD) is one of the most common types of birth defects. Thanks to advances in surgical techniques and intensive care, the majority of children with severe forms of CHD survive into adulthood. However, this increase in survival comes with a cost. CHD survivors have neurological functioning at the bottom of the normal range. A large spectrum of central nervous system dysmaturation leads to the deficits seen in critical CHD. The heart develops early during gestation, and CHD has a profound effect on fetal brain development for the remainder of gestation. Term infants with critical CHD are born with an immature brain, which is highly susceptible to hypoxic-ischemic injuries. Perioperative blood flow disturbances due to the CHD and the use of cardiopulmonary bypass or circulatory arrest during surgery cause additional neurological injuries. Innate patient factors, such as genetic syndromes and preterm birth, and postoperative complications play a larger role in neurological injury than perioperative factors. Strategies to reduce the disability burden in critical CHD survivors are urgently needed.

Placental and fetal hypoxia caused by perinatal hypoxic-ischemic events are major causes of stillbirth, neonatal morbidity, and long-term neurological sequelae among surviving neonates. Brain hypoxia and associated pathological processes such as excitotoxicity, apoptosis, necrosis, and inflammation, are associated with lasting disruptions in epigenetic control of gene expression contributing to neurological dysfunction. Recent studies have pointed to DNA (de)methylation, histone modifications, and non-coding RNAs as crucial components of hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE). The understanding of epigenetic dysregulation in HIE is essential in the development of new clinical interventions for perinatal HIE. Here, we summarize our current understanding of epigenetic mechanisms underlying the molecular pathology of HI brain damage and its clinical implications in terms of new diagnostic, prognostic, and therapeutic tools., (Copyright © 2020 Bustelo, Barkhuizen, van den Hove, Steinbusch, Bruno, Loidl and Gavilanes.)

Somatosensory evoked potentials (SSEPs) are a valuable tool to assess functional integrity of the somatosensory pathways and for the prediction of sensorimotor outcome in perinatal injuries, such as perinatal hypoxia-ischemia (HI). In the present research, we studied the translational potential of SSEPs together with sensory function in the male adult rat with perinatal HI compared to the male healthy adult rat. Both somatosensory response and evoked potential were measured at 10-11 months after global perinatal HI. Clear evoked potentials were obtained, but there were no group differences in the amplitude or latency of the evoked potentials of the preceding sensory response. The bilateral tactile stimulation test was also normal in both groups. This lack of effect may be ascribed to the late age-of-testing and functional recovery of the rats.

There is an urgent need for therapies that could reduce the disease burden of preterm hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy. Here, we evaluate the long-term effects of multipotent adult progenitor cells (MAPC) on long-term behavioral outcomes in a preterm rat model of perinatal asphyxia. Rats of both sexes were treated with two doses of MAPCs within 24 h after the insult. Locomotor, cognitive and psychiatric impairments were evaluated starting at 1.5 (juvenile) and 6 months (adult). Hypoxia-ischemia affected locomotion, cognition, and anxiety in a sex-dependent manner, with higher vulnerability observed in males. The MAPC therapy partially attenuated deficits in object recognition memory in females of all tested ages, and in the adult males. The hypoxic insult caused delayed hyperactivity in adult males, which was corrected by MAPC therapy. These results suggest that MAPCs may have long-term benefits for neurodevelopmental outcome after preterm birth and global hypoxia-ischemia, which warrants further preclinical exploration., (Crown Copyright © 2019. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Serum indices can give valuable information and should be interpreted as a result. Lipaemia can influence results through different mechanisms, an important one being the electrolyte exclusion effect. A case of pseudohyponatraemia due to this is reported. A 15-year-old female with type 2 diabetes was seen for follow-up. Her biochemistry results revealed severe hyponatraemia of 118 mmol/L. Her capillary glucose concentration was 13.7 mmol/L with a corrected sodium of 122 mmol/L. A lipaemic index of 3+ (absolute value 1320) was noted, which was not flagged by the laboratory information system, as it was below the critical lipaemia limit for sodium determination. Repeated analysis of the same sample using a direct ion selective electrode method, the serum sodium concentration was 134 mmol/L (sodium corrected for glucose = 138 mmol/L). A triglyceride concentration was requested, which was severely raised (100.1 mmol/L). The electrolyte exclusion effect is an analytical phenomenon that causes falsely low electrolyte concentrations in the presence of severe lipaemia or hyperproteinaemia when using indirect analytical methods. These methods are used on many modern-day automated chemistry analysers and should be considered in a patient with asymptomatic hyponatraemia., Competing Interests: Potential conflict of interest: None declared.

Objective: To assess the utility of glycated albumin (GA%) as a diagnostic marker of type 2 diabetes and prediabetes in an African population., Methods: GA% levels were determined in a sample of 1294 mixed ancestry adults (74.2% women) residing in Cape Town using an enzymatic method. The participants' glycemic status was based on oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)., Results: The mean age was 47.8 years with a mean body mass index (BMI) of 28.7 kg/m 2 . Obesity was more pronounced in the screen-detected diabetes and prediabetes groups with mean BMI's of 32.5 kg/m 2 and 31.5 kg/m 2 respectively. The optimal thresholds of GA% to diagnose screen-detected diabetes and prediabetes, were 14.90% and 12.75% respectively. For screen-detected diabetes, the C-statistic was higher for HbA1c than GA% (p = .034) with values of 0.899 (95% CI 0.855-0.943) and 0.873 (0.782-0.892) respectively. The agreement between GA% and HbA1c at their optimal thresholds for diagnosing screen-detected diabetes, was kappa = 0.33 (95% CI 0.26-0.40) and was higher than the agreement for prediabetes, kappa = 0.16 (0.11-0.21). The performance of GA% to identify screen-detected diabetes at the optimal threshold of 14.90%, was 64.8% (95% CI 54.1%-74.6%) for sensitivity and 93.5% (92.0%-94.9%) for specificity. GA% was significantly less sensitive, but more specific than HbA1c (at the optimal threshold of 6.15%) for screen-detected diabetes diagnosis (both p ≤ .002 from McNemar tests for sensitivity and specificity comparisons)., Conclusions: GA% performed less well than HbA1c to identify participants with OGTT-diagnosed type 2 diabetes or prediabetes (HbA1c cut-off of 6.15% and 5.95% respectively) in this population., (Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

Introduction: The age of diagnosis of Huntington's disease (HD) varies among individuals with the same HTT CAG-repeat expansion size. We investigated whether early-life events, like perinatal insults or neurodevelopmental disorders, influence the diagnosis age., Methods: We used data from 13,856 participants from REGISTRY and Enroll-HD, two large international multicenter observational studies. Disease-free survival analyses of mutation carriers with an HTT CAG repeat expansion size above and including 36 were computed through Kaplan-Meier estimates of median time until an HD diagnosis. Comparisons between groups were computed using a Cox proportional hazard survival model adjusted for CAG-repeat expansion length. We also assessed whether the group effect depended on gender and the affected parent., Results: Insults in the perinatal period were associated with an earlier median age of diagnosis of 45.00 years (95%CI: 42.07-47.92) compared to 51.00 years (95%CI: 50.68-51.31) in the reference group, with a CAG-adjusted hazard ratio of 1.61 (95%CI: 1.26-2.06). Neurodevelopmental disorders were also associated with an earlier median age of diagnosis than the reference group of 47.00 years (95% CI: 43.38-50.62) with a CAG-adjusted hazard ratio of 1.42 (95%CI: 1.16-1.75). These associations did not change significantly with gender or affected parent., Conclusions: These results, derived from large observational datasets, show that perinatal insults and neurodevelopmental disorders are associated with earlier ages of diagnosis of magnitudes similar to the effects of known genetic modifiers of HD. Given their clear temporal separation, these early events may be causative of earlier HD onset, but further research is needed to prove causation., (Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

BackgroundGeneral anesthetics could protect key neurotransmitter systems, such as the dopaminergic system, from hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE) by limiting excessive glutamatergic neurotransmission. However, anesthetics may adversely affect inflammation and tau phosphorylation.MethodsA near-term sheep model of HIE by umbilical cord occlusion (UCO) under anesthesia was used. The effect of propofol and isoflurane on the dopaminergic neurotransmitter phenotype in the substantia nigra (SN) was studied using tyrosine hydroxylase immunohistochemistry. The overall microglial response and tau phosphorylation were also measured in the SN, surrounding the midbrain gray matter structures and the hippocampal white matter.ResultsThe isoflurane-treated UCO group had fewer tyrosine hydroxylase-expressing neurons in the SN at 8 h after the insult than the propofol-treated UCO or sham-operated groups (P<0.05). The microglial response was unchanged in the SN region. In the thalamus and the hippocampal stratum moleculare layer, the propofol-treated UCO group had a lower microglial response than the corresponding sham-operated group. Both UCO and the use of anesthetics additively increased tau phosphorylation in the SN region, thalamus, and hippocampus.ConclusionThe choice of anesthetics is important for an emergency C-section. Propofol could potentially protect the dopaminergic neurotransmitter phenotype within the SN at the cost of a widespread increase in tau phosphorylation.

Background: The molecular basis of Parkinson's disease in South African population groups remains elusive. To date, substitutions in the GBA gene are the most common large-effect genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The primary objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of GBA substitutions in South Africans with idiopathic Parkinson's disease., Methods: Participants were recruited from tertiary hospitals in the Gauteng Province in South Africa. All participants were screened for substitutions in GBA exon 8-11 and the full coding region was analysed in 20 participants. Peripheral β -glucocerebrosidase enzymatic activity of GBA -carriers was measured in mixed leukocytes., Results: Of 105 Caucasian Parkinson's disease participants (82.7% Afrikaner) with an average age of disease onset of 61.9 ± 12.2 years and 40 controls (age 73.4 ± 12.4 years) were included. Heterozygous GBA substitutions were identified in 12.38% of affected participants (p.G35A, p.E326K, p.I368T, p.T369M, p.N370S, p.P387L and p.K441N) and 5.00% of controls (p.E326K and p.T369M). The substitutions ranged from predicted benign to moderately damaging; with p.E326K and p.T369M most prevalent, followed by the Afrikaner Gaucher disease substitution p.P387L. Severe Gaucher disease mutations, like p.L444P, were absent in this cohort. Enzyme activity analysis revealed a nonsignificant reduction in the GBA -Parkinson's disease individuals (14.49 ± 2.30 nmol/h/mg protein vs. 15.98 ± 3.06 nmol/h/mg in control samples). GBA substitutions occur in both young-onset and late-onset Parkinson's cases in the cohort., Conclusion: Mild GBA substitutions that may not cause Gaucher disease were a common risk factor for Parkinson's disease in the participant group.

GBA mutations are to date the most common genetic risk factor for Parkinson's disease. The GBA gene encodes the lysomal hydrolase glucocerebrosidase. Whilst bi-allelic GBA mutations cause Gaucher disease, both mono- and bi-allelic mutations confer risk for Parkinson's disease. Clinically, Parkinson's disease patients with GBA mutations resemble idiopathic Parkinson's disease patients. However, these patients have a modest reduction in age-of-onset of disease and a greater incidence of cognitive decline. In some cases, GBA mutations are also responsible for familial Parkinson's disease. The accumulation of α-synuclein into Lewy bodies is the central neuropathological hallmark of Parkinson's disease. Pathologic GBA mutations reduce enzymatic function. A reduction in glucocerebrosidase function increases α-synuclein levels and propagation, which in turn inhibits glucocerebrosidase in a feed-forward cascade. This cascade is central to the neuropathology of GBA-associated Parkinson's disease. The lysosomal integral membrane protein type-2 is necessary for normal glucocerebrosidase function. Glucocerebrosidase dysfunction also increases in the accumulation of β-amyloid and amyloid-precursor protein, oxidative stress, neuronal susceptibility to metal ions, microglial and immune activation. These factors contribute to neuronal death. The Mendelian Parkinson's disease genes, Parkin and ATP13A2, intersect with glucocerebrosidase. These factors sketch a complex circuit of GBA-associated neuropathology. To clinically interfere with this circuit, central glucocerebrosidase function must be improved. Strategies based on reducing breakdown of mutant glucocerebrosidase and increasing the fraction that reaches the lysosome has shown promise. Breakdown can be reduced by interfering with the ability of heat-shock proteins to recognize mutant glucocerebrosidase. This underlies the therapeutic efficacy of certain pharmacological chaperones and histone deacetylase inhibitors. These therapies are promising for Parkinson's disease, regardless of mutation status. Recently, there has been a boom in studies investigating the role of glucocerebrosidase in the pathology of Parkinson's disease. This merits a comprehensive review of the current cell biological processes and pathological pictures involving Parkinson's disease associated with GBA mutations., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

African trypanosomes are the causative agents of Human African Trypanosomosis (HAT/Sleeping Sickness) and Animal African Trypanosomosis (AAT/Nagana). A common hallmark of African trypanosome infections is inflammation. In murine trypanosomosis, the onset of inflammation occurs rapidly after infection and is manifested by an influx of myeloid cells in both liver and spleen, accompanied by a burst of serum pro-inflammatory cytokines. Within 48 hours after reaching peak parasitemia, acute anemia develops and the percentage of red blood cells drops by 50%. Using a newly developed in vivo erythrophagocytosis assay, we recently demonstrated that activated cells of the myeloid phagocytic system display enhanced erythrophagocytosis causing acute anemia. Here, we aimed to elucidate the mechanism and immune pathway behind this phenomenon in a murine model for trypanosomosis. Results indicate that IFNγ plays a crucial role in the recruitment and activation of erythrophagocytic myeloid cells, as mice lacking the IFNγ receptor were partially protected against trypanosomosis-associated inflammation and acute anemia. NK and NKT cells were the earliest source of IFNγ during T. b. brucei infection. Later in infection, CD8+ and to a lesser extent CD4+ T cells become the main IFNγ producers. Cell depletion and transfer experiments indicated that during infection the absence of NK, NKT and CD8+ T cells, but not CD4+ T cells, resulted in a reduced anemic phenotype similar to trypanosome infected IFNγR-/- mice. Collectively, this study shows that NK, NKT and CD8+ T cell-derived IFNγ is a critical mediator in trypanosomosis-associated pathology, driving enhanced erythrophagocytosis by myeloid phagocytic cells and the induction of acute inflammation-associated anemia.

Interleukin-(IL)-4 and IL-13 signal through heterodimeric receptors containing a common IL-4 receptor-alpha (IL-4Ralpha) subunit, which is important for protection against helminth infections, including schistosomiasis. Previous studies demonstrated important roles for IL-4Ralpha-responsive hematopoietic cells, including T cells and macrophages in schistosomiasis. In this study, we examined the role of IL-4Ralpha responsiveness by nonhematopoietic smooth muscle cells during experimental acute murine schistosomiasis. Comparative Schistosoma mansoni infection studies with smooth muscle cell-specific IL-4Ralpha-deficient (SM-MHC(cre)IL-4Ralpha(-/flox)) mice, heterozygous control (IL-4Ralpha(-/flox)) mice, and global IL-4Ralpha-deficient (IL-4Ralpha(-/-)) mice were conducted. S. mansoni-infected SM-MHC(cre)IL-4Ralpha(-/flox) mice showed increased weight loss and earlier mortalities compared with IL-4Ralpha(-/flox) mice, despite comparable T(H)2/type 2 immune responses. In contrast to highly susceptible IL-4Ralpha-deficient mice, increased susceptibility in SM-MHC(cre)IL-4Ralpha(-/flox) mice was not accompanied by intestinal tissue damage and subsequent sepsis. However, both susceptible mutant mouse strains failed to efficiently expel eggs, demonstrated by egg reduction in the feces compared with control mice. Reduced egg expulsion was accompanied by impaired IL-4/IL-13-mediated hypercontractile intestinal responses, which was present in the more resistant control mice. Together, we conclude that IL-4Ralpha responsiveness by smooth muscle cells and subsequent IL-4- and IL-13-mediated hypercontractility are required for host protection during acute schistosomiasis to efficiently expel S. mansoni eggs and to prevent premature mortality.

To determine the immunological role played by interleukin (IL)-12 family members in Trypanosoma congolense infection, IL-12p35(-/-), IL-12p40(-/-), and IL-12p35(-/-)/p40(-/-) mice were used. While the latter 2 strains lack all IL-12 homologues, IL-12p35(-/-) mice still produce IL-12p80 homodimers and IL-23. Compared with wild-type mice, all infected IL-12-deficient mouse strains showed prolonged survival, whereas parasitemia levels were unaltered. Interferon (IFN)-gamma production in IL-12-deficient mice was strikingly reduced during the acute and chronic stages of infection, coinciding with significantly reduced chronic-stage hepatocellular damage, as demonstrated by histological analysis and plasma aspartate transaminase measurements. In contrast, IL-10 production was not affected by the absence of IL-12. Taken together, these results show that, during T. congolense infection, the absence of IL-12, but not the IL-12p80 homodimer or IL-23, leads to a reduction in IFN-gamma production, which reduces hepatic pathology and improves host survival in conjunction with IL-10 without negatively affecting parasitemia control.

The initial host response toward the extracellular parasite Trypanosoma brucei is characterized by the early release of inflammatory mediators associated with a type 1 immune response. In this study, we show that this inflammatory response is dependent on activation of the innate immune system mediated by the adaptor molecule MyD88. In the present study, MyD88-deficient macrophages are nonresponsive toward both soluble variant-specific surface glycoprotein (VSG), as well as membrane-bound VSG purified from T. brucei. Infection of MyD88-deficient mice with either clonal or nonclonal stocks of T. brucei resulted in elevated levels of parasitemia. This was accompanied by reduced plasma IFN-gamma and TNF levels during the initial stage of infection, followed by moderately lower VSG-specific IgG2a Ab titers during the chronic stages of infection. Analysis of several TLR-deficient mice revealed a partial requirement for TLR9 in the production of IFN-gamma and VSG-specific IgG2a Ab levels during T. brucei infections. These results implicate the mammalian TLR family and MyD88 signaling in the innate immune recognition of T. brucei.

The allelic frequencies of TaqI, PstI, and variable number of tandem repeat (VNTR) polymorphisms of the IL-1beta, IL-1 receptor (IL-1Re), and IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) respectively, were investigated in black and white patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and compared with control individuals. Plasma concentrations of IL-1beta and IL-1Ra were also determined in these individuals. The IL-1beta TaqI(-) allele was significantly more frequent in 50 white IBD patients (60%) compared with 47 white controls (17%), and 20 black patients (20%) (P=0.00001 and P=0.0001, respectively). The IL-1Re PstI(-) allele was significantly more frequent in 20 black patients (75%) compared with 50 white patients (44%) (P=0.0001). The frequency of the IL-1Ra 240-bp allele was lower in black (12%) compared with white controls (25%), (P=0.0151), and the 410-bp allele was more frequent in black (87%) compared with white (73%) controls (P=0.0096). Linkage disequilibrium was found in black individuals homozygous for the 410-bp allele of IL-1Ra, and the PstI(-) allele of IL-1Re (84%) (P=0.0032). There was a significantly increased level of IL-1Ra in black patients compared with white patients and black controls (P=0.0006 and P=0.0008, respectively). The population differences in allelic frequencies of the IL-1 gene cluster and IL-1Ra concentrations suggest that genetic and environmental factors play an important role in susceptibility to IBD.