Technology-aided hand functional assessment has received considerable attention in recent years. Its applications are required to obtain objective, reliable, and sensitive methods for clinical ...decision making. This systematic review aims to investigate and discuss characteristics of technology-aided hand functional assessment and their applications, in terms of the adopted sensing technology, evaluation methods and purposes. Based on the shortcomings of current applications, and opportunities offered by emerging systems, this review aims to support the design and the translation to clinical practice of technology-aided hand functional assessment. To this end, a systematic literature search was led, according to recommended PRISMA guidelines, in PubMed and IEEE Xplore databases. The search yielded 208 records, resulting into 23 articles included in the study. Glove-based systems, instrumented objects and body-networked sensor systems appeared from the search, together with vision-based motion capture systems, end-effector, and exoskeleton systems. Inertial measurement unit (IMU) and force sensing resistor (FSR) resulted the sensing technologies most used for kinematic and kinetic analysis. A lack of standardization in system metrics and assessment methods emerged. Future studies that pertinently discuss the pathophysiological content and clinimetrics properties of new systems are required for leading technologies to clinical acceptance.
Nanoplastics (NPs) represent an escalating hazard to both humans and the ecosystem due to their pervasive presence. This review delves into (i) the widespread occurrence of NPs across the different ...environmental matrices, including food; (ii) routes and estimates for human exposure; (iii) the mechanisms of blood–brain barrier (BBB) crossing; and (iv) implications for human health, with a specific focus on molecular features associated with neurotoxicity and neurodegenerative processes. The impact of NPs on the central nervous system, their ability to cross the BBB and the underpinning mechanisms, the potential to initiate neurotoxicity by fostering β-amyloid aggregation, and their interactions with metallo-enzymes (such as superoxide dismutase) are elucidated. The analysis of transcriptomics and epigenomic results, including microRNA dysregulation, unveil how NPs could contribute to neurological disorders. The need for considering overlaps among diverse pathogenetic mechanisms when probing the effects of NPs is discussed. Additional urgent needs are the development of reliable in vitro models for neurotoxicity studies able to mimic the complexity of the nervous system and the exposure of such models to more environmentally relevant NPs. Finally, the development of extremely sensitive detection and analysis methodologies to quantify NPs in environmental and biological matrices is a pressing priority.
Risso and Poit. 'Pyriformis' are horticultural varieties of
Risso. The fruit is very fragrant and pear-shaped, with a bitter juice, a floral flavor, and a very thick rind. The flavedo shows enlarged ...(0.74 × 1.16 mm), spherical and ellipsoidal secretory cavities containing the essential oil (EO), visible using light microscopy, and more evident using scanning electron microscopy. The GC-FID and GC-MS analyses of the EO showed a phytochemical profile characterized by the predominance of D-limonene (93.67%). The EO showed interesting antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activities (IC
0.07-2.06 mg/mL), as evaluated by the in vitro cell-free enzymatic and non-enzymatic assays. To evaluate the effect on the neuronal functional activity, the embryonic cortical neuronal networks grown on multi-electrode array chips were exposed to non-cytotoxic concentrations of the EO (5-200 µg/mL). The spontaneous neuronal activity was recorded and the mean firing rate, mean burst rate, percentage of spikes in a burst, mean burst durations and inter-spike intervals within a burst parameter were calculated. The EO induced strong and concentration-dependent neuroinhibitory effects, with IC
ranging between 11.4-31.1 µg/mL. Furthermore, it showed an acetylcholinesterase inhibitory activity (IC
0.19 mg/mL), which is promising for controlling some of the key symptoms of neurodegenerative diseases such as memory and cognitive concerns.
The aims of this study are to determine the chemical composition of
Mill. and
L. essential oils, to evaluate their cytotoxic effects in SH-SY5Y human neuroblastoma cells, to investigate whether an ...alteration of adenylate cyclase 1 (ADCY1) and of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) expression can take part in the molecular mechanisms of the essential oils, and to study their possible neuronal electrophysiological effects. The essential oils were obtained by hydrodistillation, and studied by GC and GC-MS. In the oils from
and
, linalool was the main component (33.1% and 67.8%, respectively). SH-SY5Y cells were incubated with different concentrations of essential oils and of linalool. Cell viability and effects on ADCY1 and ERK expression were analyzed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide MTT and Western blotting, respectively. Variation in cellular electrophysiology was studied in primary cultures of rat cortical neurons with a multi-electrode array (MEA)-based approach. The essential oils and linalool revealed different cytotoxic activities. Linalool inhibited ADCY1 and ERK expression. Neuronal networks subjected to
and
essential oils showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous electrical activity.
The essential oils (EOs) of three Caprifoliaceae species, the Eurasiatic Valeriana officinalis (Vo), the Himalayan Valeriana jatamansi (Vj) and Nardostachys jatamansi (Nj), are traditionally used to ...treat neurological disorders. Roots/rhizomes micromorphology, DNA barcoding and EOs phytochemical characterization were carried out, while biological effects on the nervous system were assessed by acetylcholinesterase (AChE) inhibitory activity and microelectrode arrays (MEA). Nj showed the highest inhibitory activity on AChE (IC50 67.15 μg/mL) followed by Vo (IC50 127.30 μg/mL) and Vj (IC50 246.84 μg/mL). MEA analyses on rat cortical neurons, carried out by recording mean firing rate (MFR) and mean bursting rate (MBR), revealed stronger inhibition by Nj (IC50 18.8 and 11.1 μg/mL) and Vo (16.5 and 22.5 μg/mL), compared with Vj (68.5 and 89.3 μg/mL). These results could be related to different EO compositions, since sesquiterpenes and monoterpenes significantly contribute to the observed effects, but the presence of oxygenated compounds such as aldehydes and ketones is a discriminating factor in determining the order of potency. Our multidisciplinary approach represents an important tool to avoid the adulteration of herbal drugs and permits the evaluation of the effectiveness of EOs that could be used for a wide range of therapeutic applications.
Glutamate release induced by mild depolarization was studied in astroglial preparations from the adult rat cerebral cortex, that is acutely isolated glial sub-cellular particles (gliosomes), cultured ...adult or neonatal astrocytes, and neuron-conditioned astrocytes. K⁺ (15, 35 mmol/L), 4-aminopyridine (0.1, 1 mmol/L) or veratrine (1, 10 μmol/L) increased endogenous glutamate or ³H d-aspartate release from gliosomes. Neurotransmitter release was partly dependent on external Ca²⁺, suggesting the involvement of exocytotic-like processes, and partly because of the reversal of glutamate transporters. K⁺ increased gliosomal membrane potential, cytosolic Ca²⁺ concentration Ca²⁺i, and vesicle fusion rate. Ca²⁺ entry into gliosomes and glutamate release were independent from voltage-sensitive Ca²⁺ channel opening; they were instead abolished by 2-2-4-(4-nitrobenzyloxy)phenylethylisothiurea (KB-R7943), suggesting a role for the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger working in reverse mode. K⁺ (15, 35 mmol/L) elicited increase of Ca²⁺i and Ca²⁺-dependent endogenous glutamate release in adult, not in neonatal, astrocytes in culture. Glutamate release was even more marked in in vitro neuron-conditioned adult astrocytes. As seen for gliosomes, K⁺-induced Ca²⁺ influx and glutamate release were abolished by KB-R7943 also in cultured adult astrocytes. To conclude, depolarization triggers in vitro glutamate exocytosis from in situ matured adult astrocytes; an aptitude grounding on Ca²⁺ influx driven by the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger working in the reverse mode.
P2X7 receptors trigger Ca2+‐dependent exocytotic glutamate release, but also function as a route for non‐exocytotic glutamate release from neurons or astrocytes. To gain an insight into the ...mechanisms involving the P2X7 receptor as a direct pathway for glutamate release, we compared the behavior of a full‐length rat P2X7 receptor, a truncated rat P2X7 receptor in which the carboxyl tail had been deleted, a rat P2X7 receptor with the 18‐amino acid cysteine‐rich motif of the carboxyl tail deleted, and a rat P2X2 receptor, all of which are expressed in HEK293 cells. We found that the P2X7 receptor function as a route for glutamate release was antagonized in a non‐competitive way by extracellular Mg2+, did not require the recruitment of pore‐forming molecules, and was dependent on the carboxyl tail. Indeed, the truncated P2X7 receptor and the P2X7 receptor with the deleted cysteine‐rich motif both lost their function as a pathway for glutamate release, while still evoking intracellular Ca2+ elevation. No glutamate efflux was observed through the P2X2 receptor. Notably, HEK293 cells (lacking the machinery for Ca2+‐dependent exocytosis), when transfected with P2X7 receptors, appear to be a suitable model for investigating the P2X7 receptor as a route for non‐exocytotic glutamate efflux.
P2X7 receptors as a route for non‐exocytotic glutamate efflux
P2X7 receptors trigger Ca2+‐dependent exocytotic glutamate release, but also function as a route for non‐exocytotic glutamate release. The P2X7 receptor's function for non‐exocytotic glutamate efflux was dependent on the receptor C‐tail and involved the juxtamembrane cysteine‐rich motif of the tail. The finding should be relevant to understand the impact of naturally occurring P2X7 variants on glutamatergic transmission in health and disease.
Although growing evidence suggests that extracellular ATP might play roles in the control of astrocyte/neuron crosstalk in the CNS by acting on P2X₇ receptors, it is still unclear whether neuronal ...functions can be attributed to P2X₇ receptors. In the present paper, we investigate the location, pharmacological profile, and function of P2X₇ receptors on cerebrocortical nerve terminals freshly prepared from adult rats, by measuring glutamate release and calcium accumulation. The preparation chosen (purified synaptosomes) ensures negligible contamination of non-neuronal cells and allows exposure of 'nude' release-regulating pre-synaptic receptors. To confirm the results obtained, we also carried out specific experiments on human embryonic kidney 293 cells which had been stably transfected with rat P2X₇ receptors. Together, our findings suggest that (i) P2X₇ receptors are present in a subpopulation of adult rat cerebrocortical nerve terminals; (ii) P2X₇ receptors are localized on glutamatergic nerve terminals; (iii) P2X₇ receptors play a significant role in ATP-evoked glutamate efflux, which involves Ca²⁺-dependent vesicular release; and (iv) the P2X₇ receptor itself constitutes a significant Ca²⁺-independent mode of exit for glutamate.
In the brain, arachidonic acid (AA) plays a critical role in the modulation of a broad spectrum of biological responses, including those underlying neuroinflammation. By using microfluorometry, we ...investigated the action of extracellular AA in the modulation of the purinoceptor P2X7-mediated elevation of Ca(2+)(i) in cultured neocortical type-1 astrocytes and P2X7-, P2X2-transfected human embryonic kidney (HEK) 293 cells. We report that in cultured astrocytes, AA-induced Ca(2+)(i) elevation is coupled to depletion of intracellular Ca(2+) stores and to a sustained noncapacitative Ca(2+) entry. AA also induced a robust potentiation of the astrocytic P2X7-mediated Ca(2+)(i) rise evoked by the selective agonist 3'-O-(4-benzoyl)benzoyl-ATP (BzATP). Pharmacological studies demonstrate that the selective P2X7 antagonists oxidized ATP and Brilliant Blue G abrogated the AA-mediated potentiation of BzATP-evoked Ca(2+)(i) elevation. Fluorescent dye uptake experiments showed that the AA-induced increase in Ca(2+)(i) was not due to a switch of the P2X7 receptor from channel to the pore mode of gating. The synergistic effect of AA and BzATP was also observed in HEK293 cells stably expressing rat and human P2X7 but not in rat P2X2. Control HEK293 cells responded to AA exposure only with a transient Ca(2+)(i) elevation, whereas in those expressing the P2X7 receptor, AA elicited a potentiation of the BzATP-induced Ca(2+)(i) rise. Together, these findings indicate that AA mediates a complex regulation of Ca(2+)(i) dynamics also through P2X7-mediated Ca(2+) entry, suggesting that variations in AA production may be relevant to the control of both the temporal and spatial kinetics of Ca(2+)(i) signaling in astroglial cells.
The use of essential oils (EOs) is known since long time in traditional medicine and aromatherapy for the management of various oxidative stress-related disorders and has been further increased ...recently for their neuroprotective and anti-aging potentials as well as for reducing anxiety and stress.
The purpose of this work was to evaluate, for the first time, the chemical composition of Citrus lumia Risso EO and its antioxidant, anti-cholinesterase, and neuroactive properties by cell-free and cell-based assays.
The EO has shown strong antioxidant and free radical scavenging properties, particularly in hydrogen atom transfer based assays (β-carotene bleaching and ORAC, IC50 22 μg/mL and 46 μg/mL, respectively), that can be attributed to the high content of monoterpenes, especially d-Limonene (48.905%), and Linalool (18.245%). Furthermore, the EO has shown an interesting anti-acetylcholinesterase activity (IC50 258.25 μg/mL). Data from MTT analysis indicate that the cytotoxicity of EO, evaluated on L929 mouse fibroblasts, is very low, with an IC50 higher than 500 μg/mL at 48 h. Rat neuronal networks subjected to EO showed a concentration-dependent inhibition of spontaneous electrical activity.
Results indicate that C. lumia EO could be an important source of natural antioxidants suggesting an important preventive role in the onset of oxidative stress-related pathologies.
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•Citrus lumia Risso is an ancient citrus species never investigated before.•The EO showed antioxidant, anti-cholinesterase and neuroactive properties.•d-Limonene and Linalool are the major constituents of lumia EO.
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