August 2021

Sauna use as a lifestyle practice to extend healthspan

Parkinson's Disease, Pre-PD /

Sauna use, sometimes referred to as “sauna bathing,” is characterized by short-term passive exposure to high temperatures, typically ranging from 45 °C to 100 °C (113 °F to 212 °F), depending on modality. This exposure elicits mild hyperthermia, inducing a thermoregulatory response involving neuroendocrine, cardiovascular, and cytoprotective mechanisms that work in a synergistic fashion in an attempt to maintain homeostasis. […]

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Parkinson’s disease risk genes act in glia to control neuronal α-synuclein toxicity

A-Synuclein, Parkinson's Disease /

We identified 4 modifiers: aux, Lrrk, Ric, and Vps13, orthologs of the human genes GAK, LRRK2, RIT2, and VPS13C, respectively. Knockdown of each gene exacerbated neurodegeneration as measured by total and dopaminergic neuron loss. Knockdown of each modifier also increased α-synuclein oligomerization. These results suggest that some Parkinson’s disease risk genes exert their effects in glia and that glia can influence

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Multimodal retinal imaging to detect and understand Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease

Biomarkers, Parkinson's Disease, Pre-PD, Symptoms / Diagnosis, Vision /

Retinal neurodegeneration and visual dysfunctions have been reported in a majority of Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s patients, and, in light of the quest for novel biomarkers for these neurodegenerative proteinopathies, the retina has been receiving increasing attention as an organ for diagnosing, monitoring, and understanding disease. Thinning of retinal layers, abnormalities in vasculature, and protein deposition can be imaged at unprecedented resolution,

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Vitamin C Supplementation in Healthy Individuals Leads to Shifts of Bacterial Populations in the Gut—A Pilot Study

Gut Dysbiosis, Gut Microbiota, Gut Permeability / Leaky Gut, Vitamins / Supplements / Nutraceuticals /

Daily supplementation of high-dose vitamin C led to an increase in the relative abundances of Lachnospiraceae (p < 0.05), whereas decreases were observed for Bacteroidetes (p < 0.01), Enterococci (p < 0.01) and Gemmiger formicilis (p < 0.05). In addition, trends for bacterial shifts were observed for Blautia (increase) and Streptococcus thermophilus (decrease). High-dose vitamin

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A blood marker for Parkinson’s Disease: Neuronal exosome-derived α-synuclein

A-Synuclein, Biomarkers, Parkinson's Disease, Pre-PD, Symptoms / Diagnosis /

To date, no reliable clinically applicable biomarker has been established for Parkinson’s disease (PD). Our results indicate that a long hoped blood test for Parkinson’s disease may be realized. We here assess the potential of pathological α-synuclein originating from neuron-derived exosomes from blood plasma as a possible biomarker. Following the isolation of neuron-derived exosomes from

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Quercetin Prevents Oxidative Stress-Induced Injury of Periodontal Ligament Cells and Alveolar Bone Loss in Periodontists

Periodontitis /

In conclusion, the present study revealed that quercetin ameliorated the oxidative damage and improved the antioxidative ability of PDLCs by activating the NRF2 signaling pathway in vitro and in vivo (Figure 7). In addition, quercetin could prevent alveolar bone absorption in periodontitis. Therefore, quercetin may be a potential therapeutic candidate for treatment of periodontitis. CLICK

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Parkinson’s disease patients’ short chain fatty acids production capacity after in vitro fecal fiber fermentation

Butyrate, Diet and Exercise, Gut Permeability / Leaky Gut, Parkinson's Disease, Probiotics, Prebiotics and Symbiotics, Short Chain Fatty Acids /

Short-chain fatty acid production was analyzed by headspace solid-phase micro-extraction gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Clostridium coccoides and C. leptum were quantified through 16S-rRNA gene-targeted group-specific qPCR. Factors influencing short-chain fatty acid production were investigated using linear mixed models. After fiber fermentation, butyrate concentration varied between 25.6 ± 16.5 µmol/g and 203.8 ± 91.9 µmol/g for Parkinson’s patients and between 52.7 ± 13.0 µmol/g and 229.5 ± 42.8 µmol/g for controls. Inulin had

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Genetic and environmental factors in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases and promising therapeutic intervention via fecal microbiota transplantation

Biomarkers, Fecal Transplants (FMT), Gut Dysbiosis, Gut Microbiota, Gut Permeability / Leaky Gut, Gut-Brain axis /

The gut microbiota provides potential therapeutic targets that can be regulated as new interventions for neurodegenerative diseases. In this review, we discuss genetic and environmental risk factors for neurodegenerative diseases, summarize the communication among the components of the microbiota-gut-brain axis, and discuss the treatment strategy of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT). FMT is a promising treatment

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Gut brain axis: an insight into microbiota role in Parkinson’s disease

Biomarkers, Fecal Transplants (FMT), Gut Dysbiosis, Gut Microbiota, Gut Permeability / Leaky Gut, Gut-Brain axis, Parkinson's Disease, Pre-PD, Probiotics, Prebiotics and Symbiotics /

The gut-brain axis is a two-way communication system, which explains how through the vagus nerve, the gut microbiota can affect the central nervous system (CNS), including brain functions related to the ENS, as well as how CNS can alter various gut secretions and immune responses. As a result, this dysbiosis or alteration in gut microbiota

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Alterations in the gut microbiota contribute to cognitive impairment induced by the ketogenic diet and hypoxia

Gut Dysbiosis /

Here, we show that a carbohydrate-restricted (ketogenic) diet potentiates CI induced by intermittent hypoxia in mice and alters the gut microbiota. Depleting the microbiome reduces CI, whereas transplantation of the risk-associated microbiome or monocolonization with Bilophila wadsworthia confers CI in mice fed a standard diet. B. wadsworthia and the risk-associated microbiome disrupt hippocampal synaptic plasticity, neurogenesis, and gene expression. The CI is associated with

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