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Impact Of Treatment Response Metrics On Photodynamic Therapy Planning And Outcomes In A Three-Dimensional Model Of Ovarian Cancer, Sriram Anbil, Imran Rizvi, Jonathan P. Celli, Nermina Alagic, Brian W. Pogue, Tayyaba Hasan

Dartmouth Scholarship

Common methods to characterize treatment efficacy based on morphological imaging may misrepresent outcomes and exclude effective therapies. Using a three-dimensional model of ovarian cancer, two functional treatment response metrics are used to evaluate photodynamic therapy (PDT) efficacy: total volume, calculated from viable and nonviable cells, and live volume, calculated from viable cells. The utility of these volume-based metrics is corroborated using independent reporters of photodynamic activity: viability, a common fluorescence-based ratiometric analysis, and photosensitizer photobleaching, which is characterized by a loss of fluorescence due in part to the production of reactive species during PDT. Live volume correlated with both photobleaching …

De Novo Frameshift Mutation In Asxl3 In A Patient With Global Developmental Delay, Microcephaly, And Craniofacial Anomalies., Darrell L. Dinwiddie, Sarah E. Soden, Carol J. Saunders, Neil A. Miller, Emily G. Farrow, Laurie D. Smith, Stephen F. Kingsmore

Manuscripts, Articles, Book Chapters and Other Papers

BACKGROUND: Currently, diagnosis of affected individuals with rare genetic disorders can be lengthy and costly, resulting in a diagnostic odyssey and in many patients a definitive molecular diagnosis is never achieved despite extensive clinical investigation. The recent advent and use of genomic medicine has resulted in a paradigm shift in the clinical molecular genetics of rare diseases and has provided insight into the causes of numerous rare genetic conditions. In particular, whole exome and genome sequencing of families has been particularly useful in discovering de novo germline mutations as the cause of both rare diseases and complex disorders.

CASE PRESENTATION: …

A Study On The Geophylogeny Of Clinical And Environmental Vibrio Cholerae In Kenya, J. Kiiru, A. Mutreja, A. A. Mohamed, R. W. Kimani, J. Mwituria, R. O. Sanaya, J. Muyodi, Gunturu Revathi, J. Parkhill, N. Thomson, G. Dougan, S. Kariuki

Pathology, East Africa

Cholera remains a significant public health challenge in many sub-Saharan countries including Kenya. We have performed a combination of phylogenetic and phenotypic analysis based on whole genome DNA sequences derived from 40 environmental and 57 clinical V. cholerae from different regions of Kenya isolated between 2005 and 2010. Some environmental and all clinical isolates mapped back onto wave three of the monophyletic seventh pandemic V. cholerae El Tor phylogeny but other environmental isolates were phylogenetically very distinct. Thus, the genomes of the Kenyan V. cholerae O1 El Tor isolates are clonally related to other El Tor V. cholerae isolated elsewhere …

The Flexible Fairness: Equality, Earned Entitlement, And Self-Interest, Chunliang Feng, Yi Luo, Ruolei Gu, Lucas S. Broster, Xueyi Shen, Tengxiang Tian, Yue-Jia Luo, Frank Krueger

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

The current study explored whether earned entitlement modulated the perception of fairness in three experiments. A preliminary resource earning task was added before players decided how to allocate the resource they jointly earned. Participants' decision in allocation, their responses to equal or unequal offers, whether advantageous or disadvantageous, and subjective ratings of fairness were all assessed in the current study. Behavioral results revealed that participants proposed more generous offers and showed enhanced tolerance to disadvantageous unequal offers from others when they performed worse than their presumed "partners," while the reverse was true in the better-performance condition. The subjective ratings also …

Psmb9 Codon 60 Polymorphisms Have No Impact On The Activity Of The Immunoproteasome Catalytic Subunit B1i Expressed In Multiple Types Of Solid Cancer, Ji Eun Park, Lin Ao, Zachary Miller, Kyungbo Kim, Ying Wu, Eun Ryoung Jang, Eun Young Lee, Kyung Bo Kim, Wooin Lee

Pharmaceutical Sciences Faculty Publications

The proteasome is a key regulator of cellular protein homeostasis and is a clinically validated anticancer target. The immunoproteasome, a subtype of proteasome expressed mainly in hematopoietic cells, was initially recognized for its role in antigen presentation during the immune response. Recently, the immunoproteasome has been implicated in several disease conditions including cancer and autoimmune disorders, but many of the factors contributing to these pathological processes remain unknown. In particular, the codon 60 polymorphism of the PSMB9 gene encoding the β1i immunoproteasome catalytic subunit has been investigated in the context of a variety of diseases. Despite this, previous studies have …

Mapping Disease At An Approximated Individual Level Using Aggregate Data: A Case Study Of Mapping New Hampshire Birth Defects, Xun Shi, Stephanie Miller, Kevin Mwenda, Akikazu Onda

Dartmouth Scholarship

Limited by data availability, most disease maps in the literature are for relatively large and subjectively-defined areal units, which are subject to problems associated with polygon maps. High resolution maps based on objective spatial units are needed to more precisely detect associations between disease and environmental factors. Method: We propose to use a Restricted and Controlled Monte Carlo (RCMC) process to disaggregate polygon-level location data to achieve mapping aggregate data at an approximated individual level. RCMC assigns a random point location to a polygon-level location, in which the randomization is restricted by the polygon and controlled by the background (e.g., …

Molecular Signatures In Urologic Tumors, Spencer Larkin, Natasha Kyprianou

Surgery Faculty Publications

Urologic tumors continue to represent a huge fraction of cancer cases in the United States, with over 376,310 estimated new diagnoses in 2013. As with many types of tumors, urologic tumors vary greatly in their phenotype, ranging from minimally invasive to malignancies possessing great metastatic potential. The increasing need for more efficient and less invasive methods of cancer detection, as well as the ability to predict severity of the disease phenotype is readily evident--yet reliable methods remain elusive in a clinical setting today. Comprehensive panels of gene clusters are being developed toward the generation of molecular signatures in order to …

Aspirin And Low-Molecular Weight Heparin Combination Therapy Effectively Prevents Recurrent Miscarriage In Hyperhomocysteinemic Women., Pratip Chakraborty, Sayani Banerjee, Piyali Saha, Shyam Sundar Nandi, Sunita Sharma, Sourendra K. Goswami, Baidyanath Chakravarty, Syed N. Kabir

Journal Articles: Cellular & Integrative Physiology

The management of recurrent pregnancy loss (RPL) still remains a great challenge, and women with polycystic ovarian syndrome (PCOS) are at a greater risk for spontaneous abortion. Treatment with low-molecular-weight heparin (LMWH) has become an accepted treatment option for women with RPL; however, the subgroup of women, who are likely to respond to LMWH, has not been precisely identified. The present study evaluated the efficacy of LMWH with reference to PCOS and associated metabolic phenotypes including hyperhomocysteinemia (HHcy), insulin resistance (IR) and obesity. This prospective observational study was conducted at Institute of Reproductive Medicine, Kolkata, India. A total of 967 …

Patterning In Placental 11-B Hydroxysteroid Dehydrogenase Methylation According To Prenatal Socioeconomic Adversity, Allison A. Appleton, David A. Armstrong, Corina Lesseur, Joyce Lee, James F. Padbury, Barry M. Lester

Dartmouth Scholarship

Background:

Prenatal socioeconomic adversity as an intrauterine exposure is associated with a range of perinatal outcomes although the explanatory mechanisms are not well understood. The development of the fetus can be shaped by the intrauterine environment through alterations in the function of the placenta. In the placenta, the HSD11B2 gene encodes the 11-beta hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase enzyme, which is responsible for the inactivation of maternal cortisol thereby protecting the developing fetus from this exposure. This gene is regulated by DNA methylation, and this methylation and the expression it controls has been shown to be susceptible to a variety of stressors from …

Patchy ‘Coherence’: Using Normalization Process Theory To Evaluate A Multi-Faceted Shared Decision Making Implementation Program (Magic), Amy Lloyd, Natalie Joseph-Williams, Adrian Edwards, Andrew Rix, Glyn Elwyn

Dartmouth Scholarship

Implementing shared decision making into routine practice is proving difficult, despite considerable interest from policy-makers, and is far more complex than merely making decision support interventions available to patients. Few have reported successful implementation beyond research studies. MAking Good Decisions In Collaboration (MAGIC) is a multi-faceted implementation program, commissioned by The Health Foundation (UK), to examine how best to put shared decision making into routine practice. In this paper, we investigate healthcare professionals' perspectives on implementing shared decision making during the MAGIC program, to examine the work required to implement shared decision making and to inform future efforts. The MAGIC …

Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Undergoing Total Joint Arthroplasty Increase Hospital Burden., Vinay K Aggarwal, Eric H Tischler, Zachary D Post, Ian Kane, Fabio R Orozco, Alvin Ong

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: More than 3 million people in the United States have atrial fibrillation, most of whom are being managed with anticoagulation therapy for life. The goal of the present study was to examine the effect of chronic anticoagulation therapy on patients with atrial fibrillation who undergo total joint arthroplasty.

METHODS: We retrospectively reviewed all patients undergoing aseptic primary or revision total joint arthroplasty at our facility from March 2007 to August 2011. One hundred and sixty-one patients with atrial fibrillation (Group A) were compared with 161 matched controls (Group B). A total of 112 hips and 210 knees underwent 239 …

Cyclin D1 Determines Estrogen Signaling In The Mammary Gland In Vivo., Mathew C Casimiro, Chenguang Wang, Z Li, Gabriele Disante, Nicole E Willmart, Sankar Addya, Lei Chen, Yang Liu, Michael P. Lisanti, Richard Pestell

Department of Cancer Biology Faculty Papers

The CCND1 gene, which is frequently overexpressed in cancers, encodes the regulatory subunit of a holoenzyme that phosphorylates the retinoblastoma protein. Although it is known that cyclin D1 regulates estrogen receptor (ER)α transactivation using heterologous reporter systems, the in vivo biological significance of cyclin D1 to estrogen-dependent signaling, and the molecular mechanisms by which cyclin D1 is involved, are yet to be elucidated. Herein, genome-wide expression profiling conducted of 17β-estradiol-treated castrated virgin mice deleted of the Ccnd1 gene demonstrated that cyclin D1 determines estrogen-dependent gene expression for 88% of estrogen-responsive genes in vivo. In addition, expression profiling of 17β-estradiol-stimulated cyclin …

Samuel D. Gross, M.D. (1805-1884): An Innovator, Even In Death., Peter R. Bucciarelli, B.S., John C. Kairys, Md, Ernest L. Rosato, Md, Charles J. Yeo, Md, Scott W. Cowan, Md

Department of Surgery Gibbon Society Historical Profiles

Dr. Samuel Gross' contributions to the field of surgery are well known and range from numerous clinical advances to pioneering scholarship and professional activities. Dr. Gross was ceaselessly ambitious and even remarked in his autobiography that his ‘‘conviction has always been that is far better for a man to wear out than to rust out.’’1 It is through this frame of motivation that Dr. Gross lived his life.

The Effect Of Malnutrition On Patients Undergoing Elective Joint Arthroplasty., Ronald Huang, Md, Max Greenky, Bs, Glenn J. Kerr, Md, Mathew S. Austin, Md, Javad Parvizi, Md, Frcs

Rothman Institute Papers

Malnutrition has been linked to serious complications in patients undergoing elective total joint arthroplasty (TJA). This study prospectively evaluated 2,161 patients undergoing elective TJA for malnutrition as defined by either an abnormal serum albumin or transferrin. The overall incidence of malnutrition was 8.5% (184 of 2,161) and the rate of overall complications in the malnourished group was 12% as compared to 2.9% in patients with normal parameters (P55years-old undergoing TJA and is associated with a significant increase in post-operative complications.

Occupational Exposure To Hepatitis C Virus: Early T-Cell Responses In The Absence Of Seroconversion In A Longitudinal Cohort Study., Theo Heller, Jens Martin Werner, Fareed Rahman, Eishiro Mizukoshi, Yuji Sobao, Ann Marie Gordon, Arlene Sheets, Averell H. Sherker, Ellen Kessler, Kathleen S. Bean, Steven K. Herrine, M'Lou Stevens, James Schmitt, Barbara Rehermann

Division of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Faculty Papers

BACKGROUND: T-cell responses have been described in seronegative patients who test negative for hepatitis C virus (HCV) RNA despite frequent HCV exposure. However, the cross-sectional design of those studies did not clarify whether T cells were indeed induced by low-level HCV exposure without seroconversion or whether they resulted from regular acute infection with subsequent antibody loss.

METHODS: Over a 10-year period, our longitudinal study recruited 72 healthcare workers with documented HCV exposure. We studied viremia and antibody and T-cell responses longitudinally for 6 months.

RESULTS: All healthcare workers remained negative for HCV RNA and antibodies. However, 48% developed proliferative T-cell …

Equivalence Of Students' Scores On Timed And Untimed Anatomy Practical Examinations., Guiyan Zhang, Bruce Fenderson, Richard R Schmidt, J J. Veloski

Department of Pathology, Anatomy, and Cell Biology Faculty Papers

Untimed examinations are popular with students because there is a perception that first impressions may be incorrect, and that difficult questions require more time for reflection. In this report, we tested the hypothesis that timed anatomy practical examinations are inherently more difficult than untimed examinations. Students in the Doctor of Physical Therapy program at Thomas Jefferson University were assessed on their understanding of anatomic relationships using multiple-choice questions. For the class of 2012 (n = 46), students were allowed to circulate freely among 40 testing stations during the 40-minute testing session. For the class of 2013 (n = 46), students …

Conservation Of Structure And Mechanism By Trm5 Enzymes., Thomas Christian, Howard Gamper, Ya-Ming Hou

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

Enzymes of the Trm5 family catalyze methyl transfer from S-adenosyl methionine (AdoMet) to the N¹ of G37 to synthesize m¹ G37-tRNA as a critical determinant to prevent ribosome frameshift errors. Trm5 is specific to eukaryotes and archaea, and it is unrelated in evolution from the bacterial counterpart TrmD, which is a leading anti-bacterial target. The successful targeting of TrmD requires detailed information on Trm5 to avoid cross-species inhibition. However, most information on Trm5 is derived from studies of the archaeal enzyme Methanococcus jannaschii (MjTrm5), whereas little information is available for eukaryotic enzymes. Here we use human Trm5 (Homo sapiens; HsTrm5) …

How Television Fast Food Marketing Aimed At Children Compares With Adult Advertisements, Amy M. Bernhardt, Cara Wilking, Anna M. Adachi-Mejia, Elaina Bergamini, Jill Marijnissen, James D. Sargent

Dartmouth Scholarship

Objectives: Quick service restaurant (QSR) television advertisements for children’s meals were compared with adult advertisements from the same companies to assess whether self-regulatory pledges for food advertisements to children had been implemented. Methods: All nationally televised advertisements for the top 25 US QSR restaurants from July 1, 2009 to June 30, 2010 were obtained and viewed to identify those advertising meals for children and these advertisements were compared with adult advertisements from the same companies. Content coding included visual and audio assessment of branding, toy premiums, movie tie-ins, and depictions of food. For image size comparisons, the diagonal length of …

Sessile Serrated Adenomas In The Proximal Colon Are Likely To Be Flat, Large And Occur In Smokers, Tarun Rustagi, Priya Rangasamy, Matthew Myers, Melinda Sanders, Haleh Vaziri, George Y. Wu, John W. Birk, Petr Protiva, Joseph C. Anderson

Dartmouth Scholarship

Aim: To examine the epidemiology and the morphology of the proximal sessile serrated adenomas (SSAs).

Methods: We conducted a retrospective study to identify patients with SSAs using a university-based hospital pathology database query from January 2007 to April 2011. Data collected included: age, gender, ethnicity, body mass index, diabetes, smoking, family history of colorectal cancer, aspirin, and statin use. We collected data on morphology of SSAs including site (proximal or distal), size, and endoscopic appearance (flat or protuberant). We also compared proximal SSAs to proximal tubular adenomas detected during same time period.

Bioengineered Lysozyme Reduces Bacterial Burden And Inflammation In A Murine Model Of Mucoid Pseudomonas Aeruginosa Lung Infection, Charlotte C. Teneback, Thomas C. Scanlon, Matthew J. Wargo, Jenna L. Bement, Karl E. Griswold, Laurie W. Leclair

Dartmouth Scholarship

The spread of drug-resistant bacterial pathogens is a growing global concern and has prompted an effort to explore potential adjuvant and alternative therapies derived from nature's repertoire of bactericidal proteins and peptides. In humans, the airway surface liquid layer is a rich source of antibiotics, and lysozyme represents one of the most abundant and effective antimicrobial components of airway secretions. Human lysozyme is active against both Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, ac

A Unified Framework Integrating Parent-Of-Origin Effects For Association Study, Feifei Xiao, Jianzhong Ma, Christopher I. I. Amos

Dartmouth Scholarship

Genetic imprinting is the most well-known cause for parent-of-origin effect (POE) whereby a gene is differentially expressed depending on the parental origin of the same alleles. Genetic imprinting is related to several human disorders, including diabetes, breast cancer, alcoholism, and obesity. This phenomenon has been shown to be important for normal embryonic development in mammals. Traditional association approaches ignore this important genetic phenomenon. In this study, we generalize the natural and orthogonal interactions (NOIA) framework to allow for estimation of both main allelic effects and POEs. We develop a statistical (Stat-POE) model that has the orthogonal estimates of parameters including …

Spinal Anesthesia: Should Everyone Receive A Urinary Catheter?: A Randomized, Prospective Study Of Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty., Adam G Miller, James Mckenzie, Max Greenky, Erica Shaw, Kishor Gandhi, William J Hozack, Javad Parvizi

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: The objective of this randomized prospective study was to determine whether a urinary catheter is necessary for all patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia.

METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia were randomized to treatment with or without insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter. All patients received spinal anesthesia with 15 to 30 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine. The catheter group was subjected to a standard postoperative protocol, with removal of the indwelling catheter within forty-eight hours postoperatively. The experimental group was monitored for urinary retention and, if necessary, had straight catheterization up to two …

Spinal Anesthesia: Should Everyone Receive A Urinary Catheter?: A Randomized, Prospective Study Of Patients Undergoing Total Hip Arthroplasty., Adam G Miller, Md, James Mckenzie, Bs, Max Greenky, Ba, Erica Shaw, Rnp, Kishor Gandhi, Md, William J Hozack, Md, Javad Parvizi, Md, Frcs

Rothman Institute Papers

BACKGROUND: The objective of this randomized prospective study was to determine whether a urinary catheter is necessary for all patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia.

METHODS: Consecutive patients undergoing total hip arthroplasty under spinal anesthesia were randomized to treatment with or without insertion of an indwelling urinary catheter. All patients received spinal anesthesia with 15 to 30 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine. The catheter group was subjected to a standard postoperative protocol, with removal of the indwelling catheter within forty-eight hours postoperatively. The experimental group was monitored for urinary retention and, if necessary, had straight catheterization up to two …

A Dysfunctional Tricarboxylic Acid Cycle Enhances Fitness Of Staphylococcus Epidermidis During Β-Lactam Stress., Vinai Chittezham Thomas, Lauren C. Kinkead, Ashley Janssen, Carolyn R. Schaeffer, Keith M. Woods, Jill K. Lindgren, Jonathan M. Peaster, Sujata S. Chaudhari, Marat Sadykov, Joselyn Jones, Sameh M. Mohamadi Abdelghani, Matthew C. Zimmerman, Kenneth W. Bayles, Greg A. Somerville, Paul D. Fey

Journal Articles: Pathology and Microbiology

A recent controversial hypothesis suggested that the bactericidal action of antibiotics is due to the generation of endogenous reactive oxygen species (ROS), a process requiring the citric acid cycle (tricarboxylic acid [TCA] cycle). To test this hypothesis, we assessed the ability of oxacillin to induce ROS production and cell death in Staphylococcus epidermidis strain 1457 and an isogenic citric acid cycle mutant. Our results confirm a contributory role for TCA-dependent ROS in enhancing susceptibility of S. epidermidis toward β-lactam antibiotics and also revealed a propensity for clinical isolates to accumulate TCA cycle dysfunctions presumably as a way to tolerate these …

The Drug Facts Box: Improving The Communication Of Prescription Drug Information, Lisa M. Schwartz, Steven Woloshin

Dartmouth Scholarship

Communication about prescription drugs ought to be a paragon of public science communication. Unfortunately, it is not. Consumers see $4 billion of direct-to-consumer advertising annually, which typically fails to present data about how well drugs work. The professional label—the Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) mechanism to get physicians information needed for appropriate prescribing—may also fail to present benefit data. FDA labeling guidance, in fact, suggests that industry omit bene

Thimerosal Exposure And The Role Of Sulfation Chemistry And Thiol Availability In Autism, Janet K. Kern, Boyd E. Haley, David A. Geier, Lisa K. Sykes, Paul G. King, Mark R. Geier

Chemistry Faculty Publications

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurological disorder in which a significant number of the children experience a developmental regression characterized by a loss of previously acquired skills and abilities. Typically reported are losses of verbal, nonverbal, and social abilities. Several recent studies suggest that children diagnosed with an ASD have abnormal sulfation chemistry, limited thiol availability, and decreased glutathione (GSH) reserve capacity, resulting in a compromised oxidation/reduction (redox) and detoxification capacity. Research indicates that the availability of thiols, particularly GSH, can influence the effects of thimerosal (TM) and other mercury (Hg) compounds. TM is an organomercurial compound (49.55% Hg …

Regulation Of Cell Death By Transfer Rna., Ya-Ming Hou, Xiaolu Yang

Department of Biochemistry and Molecular Biology Faculty Papers

SIGNIFICANCE: Both transfer RNA (tRNA) and cytochrome c are essential molecules for the survival of cells. tRNA decodes mRNA codons into amino-acid-building blocks in protein in all organisms, whereas cytochrome c functions in the electron transport chain that powers ATP synthesis in mitochondrion-containing eukaryotes. Additionally, in vertebrates, cytochrome c that is released from mitochondria is a potent inducer of apoptosis, activating apoptotic proteins (caspases) in the cytoplasm to dismantle cells. A better understanding of both tRNA and cytochrome c is essential for an insight into the regulation of cell life and death.

RECENT ADVANCES: A recent study showed that the …

Navigating Veterans With An Abnormal Prostate Cancer Screening Test: A Quasi-Experimental Study, Melissa A. Simon, Narissa J. Nonzee, June M. Mckoy, Dachao Liu, Thanh Ha Luu, Peter Byer, Elizabeth A. Eklund, Elizabeth A. Richey

Dartmouth Scholarship

Prostate cancer disproportionately affects low-income and minority men. This study evaluates the impact of a patient navigation intervention on timeliness of diagnostic resolution and treatment initiation among veterans with an abnormal prostate cancer screen.MethodsParticipants were enrolled between 2006 and 2010. The intervention involved a social worker and lay health worker navigation team that assisted patients in overcoming barriers to care. For navigated (n = 245) versus control (n = 245) participants, we evaluated rates of diagnostic resolution and treatment and adjusted for race, age, and Gleason score.

Deficits In Retrospective And Prospective Components Underlying Prospective Memory Tasks In Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment, Ting Zhou, Lucas S. Broster, Yang Jiang, Feng Bao, Huali Wang, Juan Li

Behavioral Science Faculty Publications

OBJECTIVES: By use of purer indices of PM and RM components than previous studies and adoption of three PM task types, the present study aimed to investigate the deficits of these two components underlying global impairment at a PM task in individuals with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI).

METHODS: Nineteen aMCI patients and 22 normal controls were examined on event-, time- and activity-based PM tasks. Separate scores were obtained for initiation of intentions (i.e. PM component) and for the content of the intentions (i.e. RM component).

RESULTS: Individuals with aMCI achieved lower PM component (but not RM component) scores than …

Autophagy Is Involved In Oligodendroglial Precursor-Mediated Clearance Of Amyloid Peptide, Wenxia Li, Yifen Tang, Zhiqin Fan, Ya Meng, Guang Yang, Jia Luo, Zun-Ji Ke

Internal Medicine Faculty Publications

BACKGROUND: Accumulation of β-amyloid peptides is an important hallmark of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Tremendous efforts have been directed to elucidate the mechanisms of β-amyloid peptides degradation and develop strategies to remove β-amyloid accumulation. In this study, we demonstrated that a subpopulation of oligodendroglial precursor cells, also called NG2 cells, were a new cell type that can clear β-amyloid peptides in the AD transgene mice and in NG2 cell line.

RESULTS: NG2 cells were recruited and clustered around the amyloid plaque in the APPswe/PS1dE9 mice, which is Alzheimer's disease mouse model. In vitro, NG2 cell line and primary NG2 cells engulfed …