Trolox and recombinant Irisin as a potential strategy to prevent neuronal damage induced by random positioning machine exposure in differentiated HT22 cells

Neuronal death could be responsible for the cognitive impairments found in astronauts exposed to spaceflight, highlighting the need to identify potential countermeasures to ensure neuronal health in microgravity conditions. Therefore, differentiated HT22 cells were exposed to simulated microgravity by random positioning machine (RPM) for 48 h, treating them with a single administration of Trolox, recombinant irisin (r-Irisin) or both. Particularly, we investigated cell viability by MTS assay, Trypan Blue staining and western blotting analysis for Akt and B-cell lymphoma 2 (Bcl-2), the intracellular increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS) by fluorescent probe and NADPH oxidase 4 (NOX4) expression, as well as the expression of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a major neurotrophin responsible for neurogenesis and synaptic plasticity. Although both Trolox and r-Irisin manifested a protective effect on neuronal health, the combined treatment produced the best results, with significant improvement in all parameters examined. In conclusion, further studies are needed to evaluate the potential of such combination treatment in counteracting weightlessness-induced neuronal death, as well as to identify other potential strategies to safeguard the health of astronauts exposed to spaceflight.

A Study about a New Standardized Method of Home-Based Exercise in Elderly People Aged 65 and Older to Improve Motor Abilities and Well-Being: Feasibility, Functional Abilities and Strength Improvements

BACKGROUND

To verify the effects in terms of feasibility, strength and functional abilities of a standardized exercise training method that is partially supported (home training), with the aim of improving motor abilities and well-being.

METHODS

A total of 67 participants underwent two sessions per week for 12 weeks for the program, based on 8 sequences with specific body part targets, with each sequence made up of 9 exercises.

OUTCOME MEASURES

Recording of training session data, Chair Test, Hand Grip Test, Timed Up-and-Go Test, Stork Balance Test, Sit-and-Reach Test, VAS, Perceived Physical Exertion.

RESULTS

In total, 97% of the sample were "adherent" (more than 70% of the prescribed treatments performed). The rate of adverse events was infrequent (only 8). Chair Test +31%, Hand Grip Test +6%, Timed Up-and-Go Test -17%, Stork Balance Test +65%, Sit-and-Reach Test +55%, VAS -34%, Perceived Physical Exertion -69%.

CONCLUSIONS

Home training has good feasibility (adherence, tolerability, safety) and cost-effectiveness ratio and improves both strength and functional abilities, which, in turns, helps to improve motor abilities and well-being.

Whole Body Vibration: A Valid Alternative Strategy to Exercise?

Several studies agree that mechanical vibration can induce physiological changes at different levels, improving neuromuscular function through postural control strategies, muscle tuning mechanisms and tonic vibration reflexes. Whole-body vibration has also been reported to increase bone mineral density and muscle mass and strength, as well as to relieve pain and modulate proprioceptive function in patients with osteoarthritis or lower back pain. Furthermore, vibratory training was found to be an effective strategy for improving the physical performance of healthy athletes in terms of muscle strength, agility, flexibility, and vertical jump height. Notably, several benefits have also been observed at the brain level, proving to be an important factor in protecting and/or preventing the development of age-related cognitive disorders. Although research in this field is still debated, certain molecular mechanisms responsible for the response to whole-body vibration also appear to be involved in physiological adaptations to exercise, suggesting the possibility of using it as an alternative or reinforcing strategy to canonical training. Understanding these mechanisms is crucial for the development of whole body vibration protocols appropriately designed based on individual needs to optimize these effects. Therefore, we performed a narrative review of the literature, consulting the bibliographic databases MEDLINE and Google Scholar, to i) summarize the most recent scientific evidence on the effects of whole-body vibration and the molecular mechanisms proposed so far to provide a useful state of the art and ii) assess the potential of whole-body vibration as a form of passive training in place of or in association with exercise.

Whole Body Vibration Improves Brain and Musculoskeletal Health by Modulating the Expression of Tissue-Specific Markers: FNDC5 as a Key Regulator of Vibration Adaptations

Whole body vibration (WBV) is well known to exert beneficial effects on multiple tissues, improving synaptic transmission, muscle mass, bone quality, and reducing anxiety and depressive behavior. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms are not yet fully understood, and organs and tissues may respond differently to the vibratory stimulus depending on multiple factors. Therefore, we investigated the WBV effects on the brain and musculoskeletal tissue of 4-month-old young mice, evaluating synaptic plasticity by electrophysiological recordings and tissue organization by histology and histomorphometric analysis. Specifically, WBV protocols were characterized by the same vibration frequency (45 Hz), but different in vibration exposure time (five series of 3 min for the B protocol and three series of 2 min and 30 s for the C protocol) and recovery time between two vibration sessions (1 min for the B protocol and 2 min and 30 s for the C protocol). In addition, immunohistochemistry was conducted to evaluate the expression of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5), as well as that of tissue-specific markers, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in brain, myostatin in muscle and collagen I (COL-1) in bone. Our results suggest that the WBV effects depend closely on the type of protocol used and support the hypothesis that different organs or tissues have different susceptibility to vibration. Further studies will be needed to deepen our knowledge of physiological adaptations to vibration and develop customized WBV protocols to improve and preserve cognitive and motor functions.

Physical Exercise and Health: A Focus on Its Protective Role in Neurodegenerative Diseases

Scientific evidence has demonstrated the power of physical exercise in the prevention and treatment of numerous chronic and/or age-related diseases, such as musculoskeletal, metabolic, and cardiovascular disorders. In addition, regular exercise is known to play a key role in the context of neurodegenerative diseases, as it helps to reduce the risk of their onset and counteracts their progression. However, the underlying molecular mechanisms have not yet been fully elucidated. In this regard, neurotrophins, such as brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), glia cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), neurotrophin-3 (NT-3), and neurotrophin-4 (NT-4), have been suggested as key mediators of brain health benefits, as they are involved in neurogenesis, neuronal survival, and synaptic plasticity. The production of these neurotrophic factors, known to be increased by physical exercise, is downregulated in neurodegenerative disorders, suggesting their fundamental importance in maintaining brain health. However, the mechanism by which physical exercise promotes the production of neurotrophins remains to be understood, posing limits on their use for the development of potential therapeutic strategies for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. In this literature review, we analyzed the most recent evidence regarding the relationship between physical exercise, neurotrophins, and brain health, providing an overview of their involvement in the onset and progression of neurodegeneration.

Hippocampal Adaptations to Continuous Aerobic Training: A Functional and Ultrastructural Evaluation in a Young Murine Model

Aerobic training is known to influence cognitive processes, such as memory and learning, both in animal models and in humans. Particularly, in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that aerobic exercise can increase neurogenesis in the dentate gyrus, improve hippocampal long-term potentiation (LTP), and reduce age-related decline in mnemonic function. However, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. Based on this evidence, the aim of our study was to verify whether the application of two aerobic training protocols, different in terms of speed and speed variation, could modulate synaptic plasticity in a young murine model. Therefore, we assessed the presence of any functional changes by extracellular recordings in vitro in mouse hippocampal slices and structural alterations by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Our results showed that an aerobic training protocol, well designed in terms of speed and speed variation, significantly contributes to improving synaptic plasticity and hippocampal ultrastructure, optimizing its benefits in the brain. Future studies will aim to clarify the underlying biological mechanisms involved in the modulation of synaptic plasticity induced by aerobic training.

Neurodegeneration in Niemann-Pick Type C Disease: An Updated Review on Pharmacological and Non-Pharmacological Approaches to Counteract Brain and Cognitive Impairment

Niemann–Pick type C (NPC) disease is an autosomal recessive storage disorder, characterized by abnormal sequestration of unesterified cholesterol in the late endo-lysosomal system of cells. Progressive neurological deterioration and the onset of symptoms, such as ataxia, seizures, cognitive decline, and severe dementia, are pathognomonic features of the disease. In addition, different pathological similarities, including degeneration of hippocampal and cortical neurons, hyperphosphorylated tau, and neurofibrillary tangle formation, have been identified between NPC disease and other neurodegenerative pathologies. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are not yet well understood, and even a real cure to counteract neurodegeneration has not been identified. Therefore, the combination of current pharmacological therapies, represented by miglustat and cyclodextrin, and non-pharmacological approaches, such as physical exercise and appropriate diet, could represent a strategy to improve the quality of life of NPC patients. Based on this evidence, in our review we focused on the neurodegenerative aspects of NPC disease, summarizing the current knowledge on the molecular and biochemical mechanisms responsible for cognitive impairment, and suggesting physical exercise and nutritional treatments as additional non-pharmacologic approaches to reduce the progression and neurodegenerative course of NPC disease.

Amyloid Prefibrillar Oligomers: The Surprising Commonalities in Their Structure and Activity

It has been proposed that a “common core” of pathologic pathways exists for the large family of amyloid-associated neurodegenerations, including Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, type II diabetes and Creutzfeldt–Jacob’s Disease. Aggregates of the involved proteins, independently from their primary sequence, induced neuron membrane permeabilization able to trigger an abnormal Ca²⁺ influx leading to synaptotoxicity, resulting in reduced expression of synaptic proteins and impaired synaptic transmission. Emerging evidence is now focusing on low-molecular-weight prefibrillar oligomers (PFOs), which mimic bacterial pore-forming toxins that form well-ordered oligomeric membrane-spanning pores. At the same time, the neuron membrane composition and its chemical microenvironment seem to play a pivotal role. In fact, the brain of AD patients contains increased fractions of anionic lipids able to favor cationic influx. However, up to now the existence of a specific “common structure” of the toxic aggregate, and a “common mechanism” by which it induces neuronal damage, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission, is still an open hypothesis. In this review, we gathered information concerning this hypothesis, focusing on the proteins linked to several amyloid diseases. We noted commonalities in their structure and membrane activity, and their ability to induce Ca²⁺ influx, neurotoxicity, synaptotoxicity and impaired synaptic transmission.

Increased COVID-19 Lockdown Burden in Italian Adults with Gastrointestinal Diseases

BACKGROUND

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) causes not only severe illness but also detrimental effects associated with the lockdown measures. The present study aimed to evaluate reported lifestyle changes in a cohort of adults in Italy, including physical exercise, food choices, and psychological wellbeing, after two months of lockdown.

METHODS

A web survey on social media (Facebook and LinkedIn) of 32 multiple-choice questions aiming to evaluate the impact of the national COVID-19 lockdown in a sample of Italian adults.

RESULTS

We received 1378 complete responses (women 68.3%, mean age 39.5 ± 12.5 years). The percentage of participants reporting regular exercise decreased during lockdown (52 vs. 56.5%). The vast majority of people continued to consume the three traditional meals per day, but the consumption of meat, fish, and eggs significantly decreased. Women reported more frequent anxiety, sadness, fear, and feelings of insecurity than men. The factors predicting the worst outcome during the lockdown were being a woman, low education and income, gastrointestinal diseases.

CONCLUSION

The lockdown has had a limited impact on food choices and physical exercise in Italian adults of our series, since most of them made an effort to improve their lifestyle. However, women with gastrointestinal diseases reported more frequent negative feelings and poor adaptation to the lockdown.

Role of Electrostatic Interactions in Calcitonin Prefibrillar Oligomer-Induced Amyloid Neurotoxicity and Protective Effect of Neuraminidase

Salmon calcitonin is a good model for studying amyloid behavior and neurotoxicity. Its slow aggregation rate allows the purification of low molecular weight prefibrillar oligomers, which are the most toxic species. It has been proposed that these species may cause amyloid pore formation in neuronal membranes through contact with negatively charged sialic acid residues of the ganglioside GM1. In particular, it has been proposed that an electrostatic interaction may be responsible for the initial contact between prefibrillar oligomers and GM1 contained in lipid rafts. Based on this evidence, the aim of our work was to investigate whether the neurotoxic action induced by calcitonin prefibrillar oligomers could be counteracted by treatment with neuraminidase, an enzyme that removes sialic acid residues from gangliosides. Therefore, we studied cell viability in HT22 cell lines and evaluated the effects on synaptic transmission and long-term potentiation by in vitro extracellular recordings in mouse hippocampal slices. Our results showed that treatment with neuraminidase alters the surface charges of lipid rafts, preventing interaction between the calcitonin prefibrillar oligomers and GM1, and suggesting that the enzyme, depending on the concentration used, may have a partial or total protective action in terms of cell survival and modulation of synaptic transmission.

Identification of Aberrantly-Expressed Long Non-Coding RNAs in Osteoblastic Cells from Osteoporotic Patients

Osteoporosis (OP) is a multifactorial disease influenced by genetic, epigenetic, and environmental factors. One of the main causes of the bone homeostasis alteration is inflammation resulting in excessive bone resorption. Long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs), have a crucial role in regulating many important biological processes in bone, including inflammation. We designed our study to identify lncRNAs misregulated in osteoblast primary cultures derived from OP patients (n = 4), and controls (CTRs, n = 4) with the aim of predicting possible RNA and/or protein targets implicated in this multifactorial disease. We focused on 84 lncRNAs regulating the expression of pro-inflammatory and anti-inflammatory genes and miRNAs. In silico analysis was utilized to predict the interaction of lncRNAs with miRNAs, mRNAs, and proteins targets. Six lncRNAs were significantly down-regulated in OP patients compared to controls: CEP83-AS1, RP11-84C13.1, CTC-487M23.5, GAS5, NCBP2-AS2, and SDCBP2-AS1. Bioinformatic analyses identified HDCA2, PTX3, and FGF2 proteins as downstream targets of CTC-487M23.5, GAS5, and RP11-84C13.1 lncRNAs mediated by the interaction with miRNAs implicated in OP pathogenesis, including miR-21-5p. Altogether, these data open a new regulatory mechanism of gene expression in bone homeostasis and could direct the development of future therapeutic approaches.