Degeneration of the cholinergic system in individuals with subjective cognitive decline: A systematic review

BACKGROUND

Subjective cognitive decline (SCD) is a risk factor for future cognitive impairment and dementia. It is uncertain whether the neurodegeneration of the cholinergic system is already present in SCD individuals. We aimed to review the current evidence about the association between SCD and biomarkers of degeneration in the cholinergic system.

METHOD

Original articles were extracted from three databases: Pubmed, Web of Sciences, and Scopus, in January 2023. Two researchers screened the studies independently.

RESULTS

A total of 11 research articles were selected. SCD was mostly based on amnestic cognitive complaints. Cholinergic system biomarkers included neuroimaging markers of basal forebrain volume, functional connectivity, transcranial magnetic stimulation, or biofluid. The evidence showed associations between basal forebrain atrophy, poorer connectivity of the cholinergic system, and SCD CONCLUSIONS: Degenerative changes in the cholinergic system can be present in SCD. Subjective complaints may help when identifying individuals with brain changes that are associated with cognitive impairment. These findings may have important implications in targeting individuals that may benefit from cholinergic-target treatments at very early stages of neurodegenerative diseases.

DNA metabarcoding the diet of Podarcis lizards endemic to the Balearic Islands

Dietary studies are essential to unravel the functioning of ecosystems and ultimately to understand biodiversity. This task, which at first may seem simple, becomes especially complex in those cases of omnivorous species with highly variable diets. In this regard, the emergence of next-generation DNA sequencing methodologies represents a powerful tool to address the problem. Here we implement a high-throughput metabarcoding strategy based on the analysis of four molecular markers aimed at sequencing both mitochondrial (animal prey) and chloroplast (diet plants) genome fragments from fecal samples of two lizard species endemic to the Balearic Archipelago (Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis) obtained through non-invasive methods. The results allowed for the characterization of their diets with a high degree of taxonomic detail and have contributed a large number of new trophic records. The reported diets are based mainly on the consumption of arthropods, mollusks and plants from a diversity of taxonomic orders, as well as carrion and marine subsidies. Our analyses also reveal inter- and intra-specific differences both in terms of seasonality and geographical distribution of the sampled lizard populations. These molecular findings provide new insights into the trophic interactions of these threatened endemic lizards in their unique and isolated ecosystems.

Faecal Microbiota Divergence in Allopatric Populations of Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis, Two Lizard Species Endemic to the Balearic Islands

Gut microbial communities provide essential functions to their hosts and are known to influence both their ecology and evolution. However, our knowledge of these complex associations is still very limited in reptiles. Here we report the 16S rRNA gene faecal microbiota profiles of two lizard species endemic to the Balearic archipelago (Podarcis lilfordi and P. pityusensis), encompassing their allopatric range of distribution through a noninvasive sampling, as an alternative to previous studies that implied killing specimens of these IUCN endangered and near-threatened species, respectively. Both lizard species showed a faecal microbiome composition consistent with their omnivorous trophic ecology, with a high representation of cellulolytic bacteria taxa. We also identified species-specific core microbiota signatures and retrieved lizard species, islet ascription, and seasonality as the main factors in explaining bacterial community composition. The different Balearic Podarcis populations are characterised by harbouring a high proportion of unique bacterial taxa, thus reinforcing their view as unique and divergent evolutionary entities.

Diet of the Insular Lizard, Podarcis lilfordi (Günther, 1874): Complementary Morphological and Molecular Approaches

The diets of insular lizards are extremely varied, depending on the different environmental characteristics of each island population. This is particularly evident in the case of the populations of small coastal islets of the Balearic Islands, where the Balearic lizard, Podarcis lilfordi, is found. The study of trophic ecology carried out by means of traditional tools, such as morphological analysis of feces, has made it possible to detect numerous prey and nutritional elements. However, these methods are clearly insufficient, as some rare groups are not detected. It is also difficult to identify remains of marine subsidies or of foods contributed to these small islands by other predators, such as seabirds. The current study demonstrates the advantages of combining morphological diet analysis with the molecular study of individual feces samples obtained from the same populations. We obtained a greater diversity of prey groups using the combined methodologies, with each method identifying prey items that were not detected using the other method. Particularly, the study of diets at the molecular level identified plant species consumed by lizards that were, occasionally, not identified in morphological analyses. Conversely, the traditional morphological study of an equivalent number of fecal samples allowed for the identification of several prey groups that had not been detected in the molecular study. From this viewpoint, the advantages and disadvantages of each methodology are discussed.

Diagnostic yield and complications of extended lymphadenectomy versus limited lymphadenectomy combined with radical prostatectomy

BACKGROUND

Lymphadenectomy for prostate cancer (PC) is the most reliable procedure for detecting lymphatic metastases. The optimal extension of this procedure is still a topic of debate.

OBJECTIVE

To analyse the diagnostic performance and complications of extended lymphadenectomy (ELD) and limited lymphadenectomy (LLD) in a series of patients with high-risk PC who underwent radical prostatectomy (RP).

MATERIAL AND METHODS

A retrospective study was conducted on patients with high d'Amico risk who underwent RP with lymphadenectomy between 1999 and 2014. A comparative analysis was performed of the diagnostic capacity of lymphatic metastases of ELD and LLD and of postoperative complications at 90 days.

RESULTS

Ninety-three patients were analysed, 20 (21.5%) and 73 (78.5%) of whom underwent ELD and LLD, respectively. The mean age of the series was 65.26 years (SD, 5.51). The median follow-up was 1.51 (0.61-2.29) years in the ELD group and 5.94 (3.61-9.10) in the LLD group. The median number of nodes obtained was 13 (9-23) in the ELD group compared with 5 (2-8) in the LLD group (p <.001). The percentages of patients with positive nodes in the ELD and LLD groups were 35% and 5.47%, respectively (p <.001). The overall complication rate at 90 days was 35.5% (33 patients). In the ELD group, 12 patients (60%) had complications, compared with 21 patients (28.8%) in the LLD group (p=.016), with no significant differences in severity according to the Clavien scale (p=.73).

CONCLUSIONS

In our series, the detection of metastatic nodes was significantly greater with ELD. ELD increases the number of complications, with no differences compared with LLD in severity according to the modified Clavien scale.

Safe endoscopic resection of gangliocytic paraganglioma of the major duodenal papilla

A case of gangliocytic paraganglioma of the papilla of Vater in a 76-year-old man with a history of recurrent obstructive jaundice is presented. This is the first case of gangliocytic paraganglioma of the major papilla successfully resected by endoscopic ampullectomy.

[Evaluation of the CIS Allergen Screen I kit versus the Pharmacia Cap System and skin tests in the diagnosis of respiratory allergy]

This study has given evaluation of a new pneumallergen diagnostic test CIS Allergen Screen I in comparison with Pharmacia Cap System and intradermal skin test. Five allergens (Mite (DPT) D1, Mite (DF) D2, Cat E1, Dog E2, Orchard grass G3) have been studied with in vitro tests (CIS Allergen Screen I Cap System) and the results obtained gave on patient to patient comparison a sensitivity of 91%, a specificity of 100% and on allergen comparison a sensitivity of 84%, a specificity of 99% and an accuracy of 93%. Compared with intradermal skin test for two allergens (Mite (DT) D1 and Orchard grass G3), CIS Allergen Screen I have good results to G3 but less specificity and sensitivity to D1. These results could be to depend on different standardisation between allergen extracts especially for Mite.