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Background: Despite recent progress in the field of genetics, sporadic late-onset (> 40 years) cerebellar ataxia (SLOCA) etiology remains frequently elusive, while the optimal diagnostic workup still needs to be determined. We aimed to comprehensively describe the causes of SLOCA and to discuss the relevance of the investigations., Methods: We included 205 consecutive patients with SLOCA seen in our referral center. Patients were prospectively investigated using exhaustive clinical assessment, biochemical, genetic, electrophysiological, and imaging explorations., Results: We established a diagnosis in 135 (66%) patients and reported 26 different causes for SLOCA, the most frequent being multiple system atrophy cerebellar type (MSA-C) (41%). Fifty-one patients (25%) had various causes of SLOCA including immune-mediated diseases such as multiple sclerosis or anti-GAD antibody-mediated ataxia; and other causes, such as alcoholic cerebellar degeneration, superficial siderosis, or Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. We also identified 11 genetic causes in 20 patients, including SPG7 (n = 4), RFC1-associated CANVAS (n = 3), SLC20A2 (n = 3), very-late-onset Friedreich's ataxia (n = 2), FXTAS (n = 2), SCA3 (n = 1), SCA17 (n = 1), DRPLA (n = 1), MYORG (n = 1), MELAS (n = 1), and a mitochondriopathy (n = 1) that were less severe than MSA-C (p < 0.001). Remaining patients (34%) had idiopathic late-onset cerebellar ataxia which was less severe than MSA-C (p < 0.01)., Conclusion: Our prospective study provides an exhaustive picture of the etiology of SLOCA and clues regarding yield of investigations and diagnostic workup. Based on our observations, we established a diagnostic algorithm for SLOCA., (© 2022. The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer-Verlag GmbH Germany.)

In this study, we isolated 15 endophytic fungi from five Sudanese medicinal plants. Each fungal endophytic strain was identified by sequencing of internal transcribed spacer (ITS) regions of rDNA. Ethyl acetate extracts were prepared from each endophyte cultivated in vitro and tested for their respective antibacterial activities and antiproliferative activities against human cancer cells. Antibacterial screening was carried out against two bacterial strains: Gram-negative Escherichia coli and Gram-positive methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, by the broth dilution method. Cell viability was evaluated by the MTT procedure after exposure of MCF7 breast cancer cells and HT29 or HCT116 human colon adenocarcinoma cells to each endophytic extract. Of interest, Byssochlamys spectabilis isolated from Euphorbia prostata showed cytotoxicity (IC50 = 1.51 ± 0.2 μg mL(-1)) against MCF7 cells, but had a low effect against HT29 or HCT116 cells (IC50 > 20 μg mL(-1)). Cladosporium cladosporioides 2, isolated from Vernonia amygdalina leaves, showed antiproliferative activities against MCF7 cells (IC50 = 10.5 ± 1.5 μg mL(-1)) only. On the other hand, B. spectabilis and Alternaria sp. extract had antibacterial activities against the S. aureus strain. The findings of this work revealed that endophytic fungi associated with medicinal plants from Sudan could be considered as an attractive source of new therapeutic compounds., (© FEMS 2016. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.)

Ethnopharmacological Relevance: Dodoneine (Ddn) is one of the active compounds identified from Agelanthus dodoneifolius (DC.) Polhill and Wiens, a medicinal plant used in traditional medicine for the treatment of hypertension. This dihydropyranone exerts hypotensive and vasorelaxant effects on rats, and two molecular targets have been characterized: the carbonic anhydrase and the L-type calcium channel in cardiomyocytes with biochemical and electrophysiological techniques, respectively. To further evaluate the involvement of these two molecular targets in vasorelaxation, the effect of Ddn on rat vascular smooth muscle was investigated., Material and Methods: The effects of Ddn on L-type calcium current and on resting membrane potential were characterized in A7r5 cell line using the whole-cell patch-clamp configuration. The molecular identities of carbonic anhydrase isozymes in smooth muscle cells were examined with RT-PCR. Vascular response was measured on rat aortic rings in an organ bath apparatus and the effect of Ddn on intracellular pH was determined by flow cytometry using the pH-sensitive fluorescent probe BCECF-AM [2,7-Bis-(2-Carboxyethyl)-5-(and-6)-Carboxyfluorescein, Acetoxymethyl Ester]., Results: 100µM Ddn reduced calcium current density of about 30%. In addition, carbonic anhydrase II, III, XIII and XIV were shown to be expressed in rat aorta and inhibited in smooth muscle cells by Ddn. This inhibition resulted in a rise in pHi of about 0.31, leading to KCa channel activation, thereby inducing membrane hyperpolarization and vasorelaxation. The results of vascular reactivity experiments obtained with pharmacological tools acting on the L-type calcium current and carbonic anhydrase suggest that Ddn produces its vasorelaxant effect via the inhibition of these two molecular targets., Conclusion: This study demonstrates that Ddn induced vasorelaxation by targeting two proteins involved in the modulation of excitation-contraction coupling: L-type calcium channels and carbonic anhydrase., (Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)