1-methyl-6,7-dihydroxy-1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinoline (Sal) is a kind of catechol isoquinoline compound, which mainly exists in mammalian brain and performs a variety of biological functions. Through in vivo metabolism, Sal can be transformed into endogenous neurotoxins and can participate the occurrence of Parkinson’s disease (PD). This has attracted widespread concern of researchers. Recently, many research works have shown that Sal may lead to alcohol addiction and regulate hormone release of the neuroendocrine system, which indicated that it is a potential regulator of dopaminergic neurons. In this paper, we discuss the neural functions of Sal on the above aspects, and wish to provide some theoretical supports for further research on its mechanism.
Parkinson’s disease is a common chronic progressive neurodegenerative disease, and its main pathological change is the degeneration and loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra striatum. Vitamin D receptors are widely distributed in neurons and glial cells, and the normal function of substantia nigra striatum system depends on the level of vitamin D and the normal expression of vitamin D receptors. In recent years, from basic to clinical research, there are some differences in the conclusion of the correlation of vitamin D and its receptor gene polymorphism with Parkinson’s disease. This paper aims to review the research on the correlation of vitamin D and vitamin D receptor gene polymorphism with Parkinson’s disease, and discuss the future research direction in this field.
At present the parkinsonian rigidity assessment depends on subjective judgment of neurologists according to their experience. This study presents a parkinsonian rigidity quantification system based on the electromechanical driving device and mechanical impedance measurement method. The quantification system applies the electromechanical driving device to perform the rigidity clinical assessment tasks (flexion-extension movements) in Parkinson’s disease (PD) patients, which captures their motion and biomechanical information synchronously. Qualified rigidity features were obtained through statistical analysis method such as least-squares parameter estimation. By comparing the judgments from both the parkinsonian rigidity quantification system and neurologists, correlation analysis was performed to find the optimal quantitative feature. Clinical experiments showed that the mechanical impedance has the best correlation (Pearson correlation coefficient r = 0.872, P < 0.001) with the clinical unified Parkinson’s disease rating scale (UPDRS) rigidity score. Results confirmed that this measurement system is capable of quantifying parkinsonian rigidity with advantages of simple operation and effective assessment. In addition, the mechanical impedance can be adopted to help doctors to diagnose and monitor parkinsonian rigidity objectively and accurately.
Feature representation is the crucial factor for the magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) based computer-aided diagnosis (CAD) of Parkinson’s disease (PD). Deep polynomial network (DPN) is a novel supervised deep learning algorithm, which has excellent feature representation for small dataset. In this work, a stacked DPN (SDPN) based ensemble learning framework is proposed for diagnosis of PD, which can improve diagnostic accuracy for small dataset. In the proposed framework, SDPN was performed on each subset of extracted features from MRI images to generate new feature representation. The support vector machine (SVM) was then adopted to perform classification task on each subset. The ensemble learning algorithm was then performed on all the SVM classifiers to generate the final diagnosis for PD. The experimental results on the Parkinson’s Progression Markers Initiative dataset (PPMI) showed that the proposed algorithm achieved the classification accuracy, sensitivity and specificity of 90.15%, 85.48% and 93.27%, respectively, with the brain network features, and it also got the classification accuracy of 87.18%, sensitivity of 86.90% and specificity of 87.27% on the multi-view features extracted from different brain regions. Moreover, the proposed algorithm outperformed other algorithms on the MRI dataset from PPMI. It suggests that the proposed SDPN-based ensemble learning framework has the feasibility and effectiveness for the CAD of PD.
ObjectiveTo summarize and evaluate the quality of methodology, report and evidence of the systematic reviews and meta-analyses (SRs/MAs) of acupuncture and moxibustion interventions for Parkinson's disease. MethodsEight databases including CNKI, WanFang Data, VIP, CBM, PubMed, EMbase, Cochrane Library and Web of Science were searched from inception to May 1, 2023. The quality of methodology, report and evidence involved in these studies were evaluated by AMSTAR 2, PRISMA and GRADE tool. ResultsA total of 28 SRs/MAs were included, and the findings of included studies showed that acupuncture and moxibustion had a clinical advantage for Parkinson's disease. The methodological quality of all studies was extremely low. Thirteen reports were relatively complete, 14 reports had certain flaws, and 1 report had relatively serious flaws. And of the 126 reports for seven outcomes, 1 was graded as high, 12 as moderate, 57 as low, and 56 as critically low. ConclusionThe current evidence shows that acupuncture and moxibustion have a certain clinical effect for Parkinson's disease, but the methodological quality and evidence quality of related SRs/MAs are low, and the standardization still needs to be improved. The efficacy of acupuncture and moxibustion in Parkinson's disease still needs to be verified by high-quality clinical studies in the future.
Objective To investigate the association between parkin gene S/N167 polymorphism and the risk for Parkinson’s Disease (PD) using the methods of meta-analysis. Method References were retrieved through the computerized Medline, Cochrane Library and CBM search from 1998 to 2003. Similar search strategies were applied to each of these databases. The unpublished data of our study were also included.Studies eligible for this meta-analysis should meet the following inclusion criterias: ① presentation of original data and a cross-sectional design. ② PD as the outcome of interest. ③ an odds ratio (or enough information to calculate it) reported to quantify the association between the frequencies of genotypes and alleles of parkin gene S/N167 polymorphism and the risk for PD. All analyses were conducted with ’Review Manager’ Version 4.2 software. Results A total of 1 239 PD patients and 1 168 control studies were studied. The combined data statistics revealed the frequencies of the genotypes and alleles were higher, but showed no statistically difference, for the total PD group from that ofthe control group (Z=1.57, P=0.12). After stratification according to eastern or western origin, the frequencies of G/A+A/A genotype and a allele of eastern origin were significantly higher [test for overall effect: P=0.01, OR=1.41, 95%CI= (1.08 to1.83); P=0.01, OR=1.25, 95%CI= (1.08 to1.44), respectively] in the PD group than that in the control group. After including our unpublished data, the results remained constant, and the trend was much more pronounced. Conversely, there was no difference [test for overall effect: P=0.08, OR=0.55, 95%CI= (0.30 to1.02); P=0.08, OR=0.55, 95%CI= (0.28 to1.08)] in the frequencies of allele and genotype of western origin between the PD patients and the controls. Conclusions The meta-analysis suggests that the parkin gene S/N167 polymorphism might be a genetic risk factor for PD of eastern origin, but not a definite risk for PD of western origin.
Dysphagia is a common non-motor symptom in Parkinson’s disease (PD), with a high incidence and insidious progression. It can lead to complications such as dehydration, malnutrition, aspiration pneumonia, and even death, seriously affecting the quality of life and prognosis of patients. Therefore, early screening, assessment, and intervention are crucial for improving the quality of life and prognosis of PD patients with dysphagia. This article mainly reviews the risk factors and management strategies of dysphagia in PD, with the aim of providing a reference for healthcare professionals to conduct subsequent evaluations and develop targeted interventions.
ObjectiveTo evaluate visual field changes in early mild Parkinson's disease. Methods A total of 66 eyes of 33 cases with early mild Parkinson's disease and 72 eyes of 36 age-matched normal individuals were enrolled into the study. Humphrey Field Analyzer II was applied for central visual field test. The visual field indices of mean deviation (MD) and pattern standard deviation (PSD) were analyzed to evaluate the location and the characteristics of visual field defect in this study. ResultsVisual field indices MD (-3.4±2.5) dB was significantly changed in patients with PD when compared to the controls (-0.6±1.7) dB. PSD (4.3±2.6) was significantly higher in patients with PD than that in the control group (2.1±1.8) dB. Glaucoma hemifield test (GHT) assessment was within normal limits in the controls. Of the 33 patients (66 eyes) in PD, GHT showed outside normal limits in 31 eyes, borderline in 8 eyes, and within normal limits in 27 eyes. 31 eyes outside normal limits appeared glaucomatous visual field defects, in which 16 with nasal step and 5 with arcuate defect. ConclusionsVisual field indices including MD and PSD in early mild patients with PD were significantly worse than that in the controls group. GHT abnormalities could be found in early mild PD patients with visual field defects, including pericentral scotoma and nasal step, which mimicked glaucomatous changes.