Ju Mei,†,‡,∥ Nelson L. C. Leung,†,‡,∥ Ryan T. K. Kwok,†,‡ Jacky W. Y. Lam,†,‡ and Ben Zhong Tang*,†,‡,§ †HKUST-Shenzhen Research Institute, Hi-Tech Park, Nanshan, Shenzhen 518057, China ‡Department of Chemistry, HKUST Jockey Club Institute for Advanced Study, Institute of Molecular Functional Materials, Division of Biomedical Engineering, State Key Laboratory of Molecular Neuroscience, Division of Life Science, The Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Clear Water Bay, Kowloon, Hong Kong, China Guangdong Innovative Research Team, SCUT-HKUST Joint Research Laboratory, State Key Laboratory of Luminescent Materials and Devices, South China University of Technology, Guangzhou 510640, China

Aggregation-Induced Emission: Together We Shine, United We Soar!

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is a continuous endothelial membrane within brain microvessels that has sealed cell-to-cell contacts and is sheathed by mural vascular cells and perivascular astrocyte end-feet The BBB protects neurons from factors present in the systemic circulation and maintains the highly regulated CNS internal milieu, which is required for proper synaptic and neuronal functioning BBB disruption allows influx into the brain of neurotoxic blood-derived debris, cells and microbial pathogens and is associated with inflammatory and immune responses, which can initiate multiple pathways of neurodegeneration This Review discusses neuroimaging studies in the living human brain and post-mortem tissue as well as biomarker studies demonstrating BBB breakdown in Alzheimer disease, Parkinson disease, Huntington disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, multiple sclerosis, HIV-1-associated dementia and chronic traumatic encephalopathy The pathogenic mechanisms by which BBB breakdown leads to neuronal injury, synaptic dysfunction, loss of neuronal connectivity and neurodegeneration are described The importance of a healthy BBB for therapeutic drug delivery and the adverse effects of disease-initiated, pathological BBB breakdown in relation to brain delivery of neuropharmaceuticals are briefly discussed Finally, future directions, gaps in the field and opportunities to control the course of neurological diseases by targeting the BBB are presented

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Blood–brain barrier breakdown in Alzheimer disease and other neurodegenerative disorders

/pdf/a-toll-like-receptor-recognizes-bacterial-dna-2lif1icvoq.pdf

A Toll-like receptor recognizes bacterial DNA

Dendrimer biocompatibility and toxicity.

The blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents neurotoxic plasma components, blood cells, and pathogens from entering the brain. At the same time, the BBB regulates transport of molecules into and out of t...

/pdf/blood-brain-barrier-from-physiology-to-disease-and-back-1xwjgb63cg.pdf

Blood-Brain Barrier: From Physiology to Disease and Back

Human semen is a complex medium containing high concentrations of cytokines, chemokines, and growth factors that play key roles in orchestrating immune responses during reproduction These factors are essential to establishing

/pdf/variability-in-human-semen-content-and-its-potential-effects-3paoc9gr18.pdf

Variability in human semen content and its potential effects in the female reproductive tract

The blood–brain barrier (BBB) mediates cellular and molecular passage between the central nervous system (CNS) and peripheral circulation. Compromised BBB integrity has been linked to neurocognitive deficits in multiple diseases and various infections, including those associated with HIV-1 infection. Understanding the impact of exposure to pharmaceuticals, such as those utilized for pain management by patients suffering from CNS disease, on BBB regulation and function is clinically important. In this study, we modelled two different BBB systems; a primary human co-culture and a cell line monoculture. These systems were both exposed to three daily repeat doses of morphine and examined for alterations to BBB integrity via permeability, PBMC transmigration, and chemokine gradient changes. We did not find any significant changes to either BBB system with repeat morphine dosing, suggesting that repeat morphine exposure may not play a significant role in BBB changes.

https://www.mdpi.com/2076-3425/12/7/888/pdf?version=1657111897

Chronic Low Dose Morphine Does Not Alter Two In Vitro BBB Models

Immediate and Persistent Anti-HIV-1 Activity of the Biguanide-based Compound NB325 Involves Specific Interactions with the Viral Co-receptor CXCR4

Biomarkers of HIV Susceptibility and Disease Progression

Analysis of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV1) long terminal repeat (LTR) sequence variation within the CCAAT/enhancer binding protein (C/EBP) and stimulating protein (Sp) transcription factor binding sites has identified variants that correlate with HIV-associated dementia (HIVD) CdSe/ZnS nanocrytsals have facilitated the investigation of nanoand peco-scale biological components Quantum dot-conjugated oligonucleotides homologous to specific variants of Sp site III and C/EBP site I, were utilized to quantitate the relative abundance of specific LTR variants Quantum dot-conjugated oligonucleotides containing the Sp site III 5T binding site variant (C-to-T change at position 5) or the C/EBP site I 3T site variant, were reacted with plasmid DNA containing increasing concentrations of plasmid with the homologous LTR sequence variant The results suggest that quantum dot-conjugated oligonucleotides specific for sequence variants within the LTR can be used as reporter molecules for identification and quantitation of HIV-1 genetic variation from 2005 International Meeting of The Institute of Human Virology Baltimore, USA, 29 August – 2 September 2005

/pdf/development-of-a-quantum-dot-based-assay-system-for-4br8kvggi5.pdf

Brian Wigdahl

Papers

Variability in human semen content and its potential effects in the female reproductive tract

Chronic Low Dose Morphine Does Not Alter Two In Vitro BBB Models

Immediate and Persistent Anti-HIV-1 Activity of the Biguanide-based Compound NB325 Involves Specific Interactions with the Viral Co-receptor CXCR4

Biomarkers of HIV Susceptibility and Disease Progression

Development of a Quantum Dot-based Assay System for Detection of Specific HIV-1 LTR Sequence Variants