Whilst the pathophysiology at a cellular level has been defined, the cause of Parkinson’s disease (PD) remains poorly understood. This neurodegenerative disorder is associated with impaired dopamine transmission in the substantia nigra, and protein accumulations known as Lewy bodies are visible in affected neurons. Cell culture models of PD have indicated impaired mitochondrial function, so the focus of this paper is on the quality control processes involved in and around mitochondria. Mitochondrial autophagy (mitophagy) is the process through which defective mitochondria are removed from the cell by internalisation into autophagosomes which fuse with a lysosome. This process involves many proteins, notably including PINK1 and parkin, both of which are known to be coded on genes associated with PD. Normally in healthy individuals, PINK1 associates with the outer mitochondrial membrane, which then recruits parkin, activating it to attach ubiquitin proteins to the mitochondrial membrane. PINK1, parkin, and ubiquitin cooperate to form a positive feedback system which accelerates the deposition of ubiquitin on dysfunctional mitochondria, resulting in mitophagy. However, in hereditary PD, the genes encoding PINK1 and parkin are mutated, resulting in proteins that are less efficient at removing poorly performing mitochondria, leaving cells more vulnerable to oxidative stress and ubiquitinated inclusion bodies, such as Lewy bodies. Current research that looks into the connection between mitophagy and PD is promising, already yielding potentially therapeutic compounds; until now, pharmacological support for the mitophagy process has not been part of the therapeutic arsenal. Continued research in this area is warranted.
Parkinson’s disease (PD) is an increasing threat to first-world nations as their population ages, with around one in 100 suffering from it by age 60. Incurable, with treatments that do little to delay disease progression, PD induces severe disability and even death in those afflicted. The search for preventative measures has revealed the widely used psychoactive stimulant caffeine, which competitively inhibits adenosine receptors to induce a wide variety of effects. The inhibition of inflammation and microglial cell activation to reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced cellular damage and the resultant mitochondrial dysfunction of the dopaminergic neurons appears to be the main pathway, inducing neuronal loss via the activation of the intrinsic pathway to apoptosis. Mouse models and human data reinforce that caffeine delays the onset of PD in a dose-dependent manner. Evidence suggests it is more beneficial in men than women and is not beneficial at all in women undergoing hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Additionally, some studies suggest that although caffeinated drinks such as cola and tea are beneficial, there may be other products in coffee that prevent the effect, though this requires further research. Although there is strong evidence that caffeine is neuroprotective, there is less evidence that it delays the onset of PD. Given the association with cardiovascular disease, it may be disadvantageous overall to the majority of the population to supplement caffeine, though still a beneficial preventative technique for individuals with a genetic predisposition to PD that may otherwise suffer early onset.
Objective: Bibliometrics analysis is a widely used approach that enables influential research within specific fields to be identified To identify the 100 most-cited articles in breast radiology and analyse the trend in breast imaging research. Methods and materials: A systematic search was conducted using the Thomson Rheuters Web of Science database. The results were ranked according to citation count and screened to create a single database. Data including first author, year of publication, journal, country of origin, primary institution, number of citations and average number of citations per year were extracted, as well as the impact factor and the 5-year impact factor of journals publishing the articles. Results: The systematic search yielded a total of 114,426 articles, after filters were applied to include papers that were available in English only. Citations for the 100 most-cited articles ranged from 515 to 3660. Half of the articles on the list were published between 2001 and 2010. Radiology has the most number of publications (n = 17), followed by JAMA-Journal of The American Medical Association (n = 9). CA-A Cancer Journal For Clinicians had the highest impact factor of 286.13. Mammogram (n = 49) was the most commonly studied modality, followed by Magnetic Resonance (n = 26). The most common topic of publication was diagnosis (n = 83). Conclusion: This research serves as a guide to the most influential articles on the topic of breast radiology.
BACKGROUND The Internet has become a major source of information on health-related issues. OBJECTIVE The aim is to evaluate the quality and readability of online information present on nasopharyngeal cancer using recognised scoring tools METHODS Keywords including “nasopharyngeal cancer” and “nasopharyngeal carcinoma” were searched for using internet search engines: Google, Yahoo and Bing. Website authorship were classified: academic, commercial, or unspecified. Each website was assessed for readability using the Flesch Reading Ease score and the Flesch-Kincaid grade level. Quality of information was assessed using the JAMA and DISCERN tools and presence of a HONcode seal. RESULTS A total of thirty websites were included in our study. Over half of the websites were academic (60%; 18/30). The average JAMA and DISCERN scores of all websites were 2.57 0.95 and 50.38 11.82, respectively, with a median of 2.0 (range 1-4) and 53.50 (range 29-75), respectively. Commercial websites had the highest JAMA score with a mean of 3.50 0.52. Academic websites had the highest DISCERN score with a mean of 50.83 12.19. Five websites had the HON code seal. Commercial websites had a significantly higher JAMA mean score than academic (P-value < .001) and unspecified (P < .04) websites. Readability was difficult as none of the websites were at or below the recommended sixth-grade readability level. CONCLUSIONS Internet information relating to nasopharyngeal cancer is of variable and suboptimal quality. Given this variability in quality, healthcare providers should direct patients to known sources of reliable, readable online information. Identification of reliable sources may be aided by known markers of quality such as HON-code certification. CLINICALTRIAL n
ObjectivesWith the exponential growth of literature on coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19), we undertook a bibliometric analysis of the top 100 most cited COVID‐19‐related articles in anosmia, to identify high‐impact studies relating to anosmia as a symptom of early COVID‐19 infection.MethodsThe top 100 cited papers were searched on the Thompson Reuters Web of Science database. We performed a title‐specific search using (“anosmia,” “loss of smell,” “olfactory dysfunction,” “hyposmia,” or “reduced smell”) and (“COVID‐19,” “SARS‐CoV‐2,” or “new coronavirus”) as our search terms. The top 100 most cited English‐language articles were obtained and reviewed.ResultsFrom 2020 to 2022, our search yielded a total of 2,176 articles. Bibliometric analysis of the top 100 full manuscripts found that the most cited article had a citation count of 1,378 and the paper acknowledged that sudden anosmia or ageusia were common presentations in COVID‐19 patients with no nasal symptoms. The top 100 papers were published in 54 journals and were cited 12,980 times. The highest proportion of first authors affiliated instituted in the United States, and the publications from the United Kingdom and France were the most influential. The European Archives of Oto‐Rhino‐Laryngology was the journal with the highest number of total citations (1,558).ConclusionThis study provided valuable data on the top 100 most cited COVID‐19 anosmia‐related articles published to date.
scite is a Brooklyn-based organization that helps researchers better discover and understand research articles through Smart Citations–citations that display the context of the citation and describe whether the article provides supporting or contrasting evidence. scite is used by students and researchers from around the world and is funded in part by the National Science Foundation and the National Institute on Drug Abuse of the National Institutes of Health.
customersupport@researchsolutions.com
10624 S. Eastern Ave., Ste. A-614
Henderson, NV 89052, USA
Copyright © 2024 scite LLC. All rights reserved.
Made with 💙 for researchers
Part of the Research Solutions Family.