1,720,958 research outputs found
To (the) brain or not to (the) brain? Distal signaling and non-neural players in brain hyperexcitability.
No full textThe brain is a highly dynamic organ whose functions depend on the intricate interplay among neurons, glial cells, endothelial cells, and immune components. Traditionally viewed as the domain of neuronal signaling, emerging evidence underscores the crucial role of the neurovascular unit, where neuronal, glial, vascular, and immune interactions collectively sustain brain health and adaptability.
In this study, we explored the modulation of neuronal excitability, a fundamental property underlying cognition, sensory processing, and movement, by focusing on the interplay between immune signaling and the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Neuronal excitability is finely regulated by the balance of excitatory and inhibitory signals, and disruptions in this equilibrium are often implicated in pathological conditions such as epilepsy and neurodegenerative diseases.
A central focus of our investigation was CXCL17, a chemokine widely expressed in mucosal tissues. Our findings revealed its expression not only in intestinal mucosal tissues but also in key brain regions such as the hippocampus and cerebellum. Through its receptor, GPR25, CXCL17 may influence not only immune cell recruitment, but also neuronal function and plasticity. This suggests a potential role in memory and learning, as well as involvement in pathological mechanisms, including epilepsy and multiple sclerosis. Experimental evidence supports the hypothesis that CXCL17 and its receptor GPR25 modulate inflammation, immune cell recruitment, and may influence neuronal excitability, offering new insights into disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic avenues.
We also investigated the role of gut microbiota in brain excitability via the microbiota-gut-brain axis. Our findings provide evidence that mice receiving microbiota from epileptic animals exhibit greater susceptibility to status epilepticus compared to those receiving “healthy” microbiota, following a subclinical dose of pilocarpine. The lower seizure thresholds observed in these animals support the hypothesis that the microbiota influences neuronal excitability in the brain.
Moreover, using a mouse model of temporal lobe epilepsy, we characterized dynamic shifts in microbiota composition during acute and chronic disease phases. Notably, we identified an abundance increase of Desulfovibrio, a bacterium that produces hydrogen sulfide, an agent with dual roles in neuroprotection and neurotoxicity. Conversely, Akkermansia Muciniphila, which emerged in the chronic phase, may exert neuroprotective effects by maintaining gut barrier integrity and modulating immune responses. These findings highlight the complexity of microbial interactions, where certain bacteria exacerbate neuroinflammation and lower seizure thresholds, whereas others contribute to neuroprotection and seizure resistance.
By integrating the study of chemokine signaling, neuroinflammatory pathways, and microbiota dynamics, our work underscores the intricate connections between the immune system, gut, and brain. This research opens new perspectives on targeting these interactions to develop innovative therapeutic strategies for neurological disorders such as epilepsy. Future studies should further investigate the complex relationship between immune signaling, microbiota, and neuronal excitability to uncover novel approaches for disease prevention and treatment
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Get PDFThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Get PDF“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Appropriate Similarity Measures for Author Cocitation Analysis
Get PDFWe provide a number of new insights into the methodological discussion about author cocitation analysis. We first argue that the use of the Pearson correlation for measuring the similarity between authors’ cocitation profiles is not very satisfactory. We then discuss what kind of similarity measures may be used as an alternative to the Pearson correlation. We consider three similarity measures in particular. One is the well-known cosine. The other two similarity measures have not been used before in the bibliometric literature. Finally, we show by means of an example that our findings have a high practical relevance.information science;Pearson correlation;cosine;similarity measure;author cocitation analysis
Phage-Microbiota Crosstalk: Implications for Central Nervous System Disorders
Get PDFThe gut microbiota constitutes a complex community of microorganisms (including bacteria, viruses, fungi, and protozoa) within the intestinal tract. Over the years, an increasing number of studies have highlighted the bidirectional communication between the gut microbiota and the central nervous system (CNS), a relationship commonly referred to as the "microbiota-gut-brain axis". In particular, the crosstalk between the gut microbiota and the brain has been associated with the pathogenesis and progression of various CNS disorders. Phages, or bacteriophages, viruses that specifically infect bacteria, constitute the most abundant viral component within the gut microbiota. However, despite their abundance and significance in the gut microbial community, studies exploring the relationship between phages and the CNS remain surprisingly limited. This review examines the biological interplay between gut-resident phages and the CNS. Furthermore, we discuss the current literature linking phages to CNS-related pathologies
Dispelling the Myths Behind First-author Citation Counts
Get PDFWe conducted a full-scale evaluative citation analysis study of scholars in the XML research field to explore just how different from each other author rankings resulting from different citation counting methods actually are, and to demonstrate the capability of emerging data and tools on the Web in supporting more realistic citation counting methods. Our results contest some common arguments for the continued
use of first-author citation counts in the evaluation of scholars, such as high correlations between author rankings by first-author citation counts and other citation
counting methods, and high costs of using more realistic citation counting methods that are not well-supported by the ISI databases. It is argued that increasingly available digital full text research papers make it possible for citation analysis studies to go beyond what the ISI databases have directly supported and to employ more
sophisticated methods
koamabayili/VECTRON-author-checklist: VECTRON author checklist
No full textWe have done our best to complete the author checklist relating to the use of animals in the hut study. Note that the objective for the hut study was to evaluate the IRS treatment applications for residual efficacy against Anopheles mosquitoes, including the local An. coluzzii mosquito population. Cows were only used to attract mosquitoes into the huts and no tests were carried out directly on the cows. The author checklist is intended for use with studies where experiments are carried out on animals, which is why we have had such difficulty in completing this for the hut study, as many of the questions do not relate to how the cows were used
Author-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.
No full textAuthor-wise bibliometric analysis based on entropy.</p
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