Bacterial wound infections are a threat to public health. Although antibiotics currently provide front-line treatments for bacterial infections, the development of drug resistance coupled with the defenses provided through biofilm...
ObjectiveTo examine whether plasma neurofilament light chain (NfL) levels were associated with motor and cognitive progression in Parkinson disease (PD).MethodsThis prospective follow-up study enrolled 178 participants, including 116 with PD, 22 with multiple system atrophy (MSA), and 40 healthy controls. We measured plasma NfL levels with electrochemiluminescence immunoassay. Patients with PD received evaluations of motor and cognition at baseline and at a mean follow-up interval of 3 years. Changes in the Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS) part III motor score and Mini-Mental State Examination score were used to assess motor and cognition progression.ResultsPlasma NfL levels were significantly higher in the MSA group than in the PD and healthy groups (35.8 ± 6.2, 17.6 ± 2.8, and 10.6 ± 2.3 pg/mL, respectively, p < 0.001). In the PD group, NfL levels were significantly elevated in patients with advanced Hoehn-Yahr stage and patients with dementia (p < 0.001). NfL levels were modestly correlated with UPDRS part III scores (r = 0.42, 95% confidence interval 0.46–0.56, p < 0.001). After a mean follow-up of 3.4 ± 1.2 years, a Cox regression analysis adjusted for age, sex, disease duration, and baseline motor or cognitive status showed that higher baseline NfL levels were associated with higher risks for either motor or cognition progression (p = 0.029 and p = 0.015, respectively).ConclusionsPlasma NfL levels correlated with disease severity and progression in terms of both motor and cognitive functions in PD.Classification of evidenceThis study provides Class III evidence that plasma NfL level distinguishes PD from MSA and is a surrogate biomarker for PD progression.
Infections
caused by multidrug-resistant (MDR) bacteria present
an emerging global health crisis, and the threat is intensified by
the involvement of biofilms. Some biofilm infections involve more
than one species; this can further challenge treatment using traditional
antibiotics. Nanomaterials are being developed as alternative therapeutics
to traditional antibiotics; here we report biodegradable polymer-stabilized
oil-in-water nanosponges (BNS) and show their activity against dual-species
bacterial biofilms. The described engineered nanosponges demonstrated
broad-spectrum antimicrobial activity through prevention of dual-species
biofilm formation as well as eradication of preformed biofilms. The
BNS showed no toxicity against mammalian cells. Together, these data
highlight the therapeutic potential of this platform.
Cell surface glycans serve fundamental roles in many biological processes, including cell-cell interaction, pathogen infection, and cancer metastasis. Cancer cell surface have alternative glycosylation to healthy cells, making these changes...
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