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In the face of the global biodiversity decline, ecological restoration measures to actively enhance urban biodiversity and options for biodiversity-friendly greenspace management are high on the agenda of many governments and city administrations. This review aims to summarize and advance the current knowledge on urban grassland restoration by synthesizing research findings on restoration approaches and biodiversity-friendly management measures globally. Indeed, we found restoration approaches to be generally effective in increasing biodiversity; yet, there were variations in the outcomes due to the difference in soil disturbance methods, management regimes, the set of species introduced to a site, and the specific local setting. Based on the reviewed studies, we formulated recommendations for maximizing restoration success of urban grasslands through: i) creating a network of heterogeneous urban greenspaces and enhancing connectivity between them; ii) maintaining the spontaneous vegetation in vacant lots and wasteland sites that can provide habitats for various invertebrate species; iii) evaluating actual soil conditions, soil seed bank, and seed rain before restoration efforts take place since these seed sources could considerably affect the restoration outcomes, iv) preserving nutrient-poor conditions in urban greenspaces instead of introducing nutrient-rich topsoil; v) shifting to less intensive, biodiversity-friendly management in urban greenspaces by reducing mowing frequency and avoiding the use of chemicals; and vi) utilizing native dry grassland species for climate adaptation without irrigation. We further identified knowledge gaps regarding i) city-scale and regional-scale effects of restoration, ii) effects of interventions on multiple taxa and multiple ecosystem services, iii) restoration in small versus mega-cities, and iv) in the global south. These gaps should be addressed in future studies for making general guidelines for urban grassland restoration broadly applicable., Competing Interests: Declaration of competing interest The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (Copyright © 2024 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.)

Background: Rising from a chair or the sit-to-stand (STS) task is frequently impaired in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD). These patients commonly attribute such difficulties to weakness in the lower extremities. However, the role of muscle strength in the STS transfer task has not been fully elucidated., Objective: We aim at determining the role of muscle strength in the STS task., Methods: We studied 90 consecutive patients with PD and 52 sex- and age-matched controls. Lower limb strength was determined in both legs by clinical examination using the Medical Research Council Scale, dynamometric (leg flexion) and weighting machine (leg pressure) measures. Patients were interrogated regarding the presence of subjective lower limb weakness or allied sensations., Results: There were 20 patients (22.2%) with abnormal STS task (item 3.9 of the MDS-UPDRS-III ≥2 points). These patients had higher modified Hoehn and Yahr stage ( P   <  0.001) and higher total motor scores of the MDS-UPDRS( P   <  0.001), compared with 70 PD patients with normal STS task. Patients with abnormal STS task endorsed lower limb weakness more frequently and had lower muscle strength in the proximal lower extremities, compared to PD patients with normal STS task and normal controls. The presence of perceived lower limb weakness increased the risk of an abnormal STS task, OR: 11.93 (95% C.I. 1.51-94.32), whereas a hip extension strength ≤9 kg/pressure also increased the risk of abnormal STS task, OR: 4.45 (95% C.I. 1.49-13.23). In the multivariate regression analysis, bradykinesia and decreased hip strength were related to abnormal STS task., Conclusions: Patients with PD and abnormal STS task complain more commonly of lower limb weakness and have decreased proximal lower limb strength compared to patients with PD and normal STS task, likely contributing to abnormalities in performing the STS task., Competing Interests: The authors declare that there are no conflicts of interest., (Copyright © 2023 José Fidel Baizabal-Carvallo et al.)

Background: Lower limb weakness is a long-recognized symptom in patients with Parkinson's disease (PD), described by James Parkinson in his seminal report on 'paralysis agitans'. However, little is known on the frequency, clinical correlations, and association with objective decrease in muscle strength in such patients., Objective: The objective of this study was to assess the frequency of objective and perceived lower limb weakness in patients with PD., Methods: We studied 90 consecutive patients with PD and 52 age-matched controls. We recorded clinical and demographic variables, as well as perceived weakness and allied abnormal lower limb sensations, including 'heavy legs', 'fatigued legs', and 'pain'. Symptoms consistent with restless legs syndrome were not considered. Lower limb strength was determined in both legs by means of the Medical Research Council scale, dynamometric (leg flexion) and weighting machine (leg pressure) measures., Results: Weakness and allied abnormal lower limb sensations were reported in 69% of patients with PD and 21% of healthy controls. Patients with PD had decreased leg pressure compared with healthy controls ( p  = 0.002). Among patients with PD, an association between perceived leg weakness (and allied sensations) and gait freezing ( p  = 0.001) was observed in the multivariate regression analysis; however, these variables only explained 30.4% of the variance. Moreover, PD patients with and without abnormal lower limb sensations had similar muscle strength by objective measurements., Conclusion: Perceived lower limb weakness and allied abnormal sensations are common in patients with PD. However, there is a dissociation between perceived weakness and objective muscle strength in the lower limbs. These abnormal sensations were mostly related to gait freezing but a causal association is questionable., Competing Interests: The authors declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article., (© The Author(s), 2022.)

Microglia, the main immunocompetent cells of the brain, regulate neuronal function, but their contribution to cerebral blood flow (CBF) regulation has remained elusive. Here, we identify microglia as important modulators of CBF both under physiological conditions and during hypoperfusion. Microglia establish direct, dynamic purinergic contacts with cells in the neurovascular unit that shape CBF in both mice and humans. Surprisingly, the absence of microglia or blockade of microglial P2Y12 receptor (P2Y12R) substantially impairs neurovascular coupling in mice, which is reiterated by chemogenetically induced microglial dysfunction associated with impaired ATP sensitivity. Hypercapnia induces rapid microglial calcium changes, P2Y12R-mediated formation of perivascular phylopodia, and microglial adenosine production, while depletion of microglia reduces brain pH and impairs hypercapnia-induced vasodilation. Microglial actions modulate vascular cyclic GMP levels but are partially independent of nitric oxide. Finally, microglial dysfunction markedly impairs P2Y12R-mediated cerebrovascular adaptation to common carotid artery occlusion resulting in hypoperfusion. Thus, our data reveal a previously unrecognized role for microglia in CBF regulation, with broad implications for common neurological diseases., Competing Interests: Disclosures: D. Máthé reported grants from European Union H2020 HCEMM-739593 and from NRDIO, Hungary, TKP-BIOImaging-2020-4.1.1-TKP2020 during the conduct of the study. D. Máthé is CEO and stakeholder of CROmed Ltd. Z. Lenkei reported personal fees from Iconeus outside the submitted work. No other disclosures were reported., (© 2022 Császár et al.)

The NKCC1 ion transporter contributes to the pathophysiology of common neurological disorders, but its function in microglia, the main inflammatory cells of the brain, has remained unclear to date. Therefore, we generated a novel transgenic mouse line in which microglial NKCC1 was deleted. We show that microglial NKCC1 shapes both baseline and reactive microglia morphology, process recruitment to the site of injury, and adaptation to changes in cellular volume in a cell-autonomous manner via regulating membrane conductance. In addition, microglial NKCC1 deficiency results in NLRP3 inflammasome priming and increased production of interleukin-1β (IL-1β), rendering microglia prone to exaggerated inflammatory responses. In line with this, central (intracortical) administration of the NKCC1 blocker, bumetanide, potentiated intracortical lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced cytokine levels. In contrast, systemic bumetanide application decreased inflammation in the brain. Microglial NKCC1 KO animals exposed to experimental stroke showed significantly increased brain injury, inflammation, cerebral edema and worse neurological outcome. Thus, NKCC1 emerges as an important player in controlling microglial ion homeostasis and inflammatory responses through which microglia modulate brain injury. The contribution of microglia to central NKCC1 actions is likely to be relevant for common neurological disorders., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Parkinson's disease is neurodegenerative disorder with an initial robust response to levodopa. As the disease progresses, patients frequently develop dyskinesia and motor fluctuations, which are sometimes resistant to pharmacological therapy. In recent years, abnormalities in gut microbiota have been identified in these patients with a possible role in motor manifestations. Dysbiosis may reduce levodopa absorption leading to delayed "On" or "no-On" states. Among 84 consecutive patients with PD, we selected 14 with levodopa-induced dyskinesia and motor fluctuations with a Movement Disorders Society Unified Parkinson's Disease Rating Scale (MDS-UPDRS) part IV ≥ 8 points following a trial of pharmacological adjustment 2-3 months prior to study enrollment or adjustments in deep brain stimulation therapy. Patients received treatment with sodium phosphate enema followed by oral rifaximin and polyethylene glycol for 7 and 10 days, respectively. Evaluations between 14 to 21 days after starting treatment showed improvement in MDS-UPDRS-IV ( P = 0.001), including duration ( P = 0.001) and severity of dyskinesia ( P = 0.003); duration of medication "Off"-state ( P = 0.004); functional impact of motor fluctuations ( P = 0.047) and complexity of motor fluctuations ( P = 0.031); no statistical improvement was observed in "Off" dystonia ( P = 0.109) and total motor scores ( P = 0.430). Marked to moderate improvement in dyskinesia was observed in 57% of cases with blinded evaluation of videos. About 80% of patients perceived moderate to robust improvement at follow-up. A therapeutic strategy aimed at decontamination of intestines showed benefit in motor fluctuations and dyskinesia. Further studies should confirm and clarify the mechanism of improvement observed in these patients., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Baizabal-Carvallo, Alonso-Juarez and Fekete.)

Impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) are aberrant behavior such as pathological gambling, hypersexuality, binge eating, and compulsive buying, which typically occur as a result of dopaminergic therapy. Numerous studies have focused on the broad spectrum of ICDs-related behaviors and their tremendous impact on patients and their family members. Recent advances have improved our understanding of ICDs. In this review, we discuss the epidemiology, pathogenesis and treatment of ICDs in the setting of PD., Competing Interests: The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest., (Copyright © 2021 Zhang, Wang, Feng, Fekete, Jankovic and Wu.)

Background: At least 17% of the population suffers from osteoarthritis (OA) in Hungary, according to the European Health Interview Survey. In Hungary, until now there was no OA-specific questionnaire available for the lower limb, in order to monitor the health-related quality of life (HRQoL). This gap gave the relevance of this research. The aim of the study was to perform the Hungarian cross-cultural adaptation and validation of the French-developed Osteoarthritis Knee and Hip Quality of Life (OAKHQoL) questionnaire., Methods: The five-step translation procedure of the original OAKHQoL was performed by the expert panel and the translators. The created Hungarian version (OAKHQoL-HUN) was tested in six different geographical areas of Hungary. The validity and the reliability of this adapted tool was analyzed by our research group., Results: A total of 99 patients completed the questionnaires (78 women and 21 men), with the average age of 66.6 years (standard deviation (SD) 12.1), living with OA for more than 10 years. Excellent internal consistency was observed in the following domains: physical activity (α = 0.93), mental health (α = 0.91) and pain (α = 0.89). Good correlation was determined between physical subscales ( r  = 0.615-0.676) and mental subscales ( r  = 0.633-0.643) compared to generic quality of life instruments (World Health Organization Quality of life - BREF questionnaire and EQ-5D-3L)., Conclusion: The OAKHQoL-HUN is the first valid and reliable tool for measuring the Hungarian lower limb OA patients' quality of life., Trial Registration: This study is registered (24950-3/2016/EKU) by the National Ethics Committee: the Hungarian Medical Research Council., Competing Interests: Conflict of interest: The authors declare that there is no conflict of interest., (© The Author(s), 2020.)

Seminatural habitats are declining throughout the world; thus, the role of small anthropogenic habitats in the preservation of plants is becoming increasingly appreciated. Here, we surveyed the orchid flora of roadside verges in five Central European countries (Austria, Hungary, Romania, Slovakia, and Slovenia) and tested how the surrounding landscape matrix affects the overall number of species and individuals, and also different functional groups of orchids. We found more than 2,000 individuals of 27 orchid species during our surveys. According to our results, the increasing coverage of agricultural and urban areas negatively affects both the number of orchid species and individuals on roadsides. Our study further suggests that differences in the surrounding habitats affect which species are found on roadsides, since the increasing coverage of grasslands or forested areas around orchid occurrences had a significant positive effect on the number of grassland or forest-dwelling species and individuals, respectively. Most variance in orchid numerosity and diversity was explained by the cover of the suitable habitat types of the respective taxa in the surrounding landscape of the sampling points. This highlights the importance of roadsides acting as refugia for numerous species and valuable plant communities as well as in supporting biodiversity in general., Competing Interests: The authors declare that they have no known competing financial interests or personal relationships that could have appeared to influence the work reported in this paper., (© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by motor impairment. Freezing of gait, impaired mobility and falls are common problems in these patients. We aimed to evaluate the effect of a novel therapy for these patients., Methods: We studied patients with moderate to severe freezing of gait who underwent antigravity treadmill training twice a week for 4 consecutive weeks with 50% reduction of body weight., Results: We enrolled 26 consecutive patients with PD, 19 completed the study. There were 10 males; mean age at evaluation was 72.7 ± 10.1 years. Compared to baseline, patients showed improvement in the Freezing of Gait Questionnaire ( p = 0.001); and a mean reduction of 7 s in the Timed Up & Go (TUG) test ( p = 0.004). Moderate or significant improvement in gait was reported by 84% of patients., Conclusions: Antigravity treadmill training improved freezing of gait and mobility in patients with PD.

In this paper, we report a remarkable population of the rare plant Sternbergia colchiciflora found along a busy road section in the downtown of county seat Veszprém (W-Hungary). The population contains at least 7000 individuals and spreads across fifteen grassy traffic islands. Regarding the position of individuals, their relative distance from the road/sidewalk within the traffic islands differed significantly from a hypothetical uniform distribution, with higher number of individuals situated close to the island edges than expected by chance. Besides this rare bulbous plant, several other dry grassland specialist plant species were also found in these habitat patches, e.g., Astragalus austriacus, Festuca rupicola, Filipendula vulgaris, Muscari neglectum, Petrorhagia saxifraga, Potentilla arenaria, Ranunculus illyricus, Salvia nemorosa, Sanguisorba minor, Teucrium chamaedrys, Thesium linophyllon, Verbascum phoeniceum and Vinca herbacea. The origin of these dry grassland plants in this highly disturbed urban environment is uncertain; possibly, they were introduced ca. 15 years ago in the course of earthworks during the construction of the road. Recent management (frequent and motorized lawn mowing) seems to favor the Sternbergia colchiciflora, while the habitat is currently not directly threatened. Unfortunately, the potential for local conservation appears to be highly limited., (© 2020. The Author(s).)

Microglia are the main immune cells in the brain and have roles in brain homeostasis and neurological diseases. Mechanisms underlying microglia-neuron communication remain elusive. Here, we identified an interaction site between neuronal cell bodies and microglial processes in mouse and human brain. Somatic microglia-neuron junctions have a specialized nanoarchitecture optimized for purinergic signaling. Activity of neuronal mitochondria was linked with microglial junction formation, which was induced rapidly in response to neuronal activation and blocked by inhibition of P2Y12 receptors. Brain injury-induced changes at somatic junctions triggered P2Y12 receptor-dependent microglial neuroprotection, regulating neuronal calcium load and functional connectivity. Thus, microglial processes at these junctions could potentially monitor and protect neuronal functions., (Copyright © 2020 The Authors, some rights reserved; exclusive licensee American Association for the Advancement of Science. No claim to original U.S. Government Works.)

Field studies have shown that waterbirds, especially members of the Anatidae family, are major vectors of dispersal by endozoochory for a broad range of plants lacking a fleshy fruit, yet whose propagules can survive gut passage. Widely adopted dispersal syndromes ignore this dispersal mechanism, and we currently have little understanding of what traits determine the potential of angiosperms for endozoochory by waterbirds. Results from previous experimental studies have been inconsistent as to how seed traits affect seed survival and retention time in the gut and have failed to control for the influence of plant phylogeny. Using 13 angiosperm species from aquatic and terrestrial habitats representing nine families, we examined the effects of seed size, shape, and hardness on the proportion of seeds surviving gut passage through mallards ( Anas platyrhynchos ) and their retention time within the gut. We compiled a molecular phylogeny for these species and controlled for the nonindependence of taxa due to common descent in our analyses. Intact seeds from all 13 species were egested, but seed survival was strongly determined by phylogeny and by partial effects of seed mass and hardness (wet load): species with seeds harder than expected from their size, and smaller than expected from their loading, had greater survival. Once phylogeny was controlled for, a positive partial effect of seed roundness on seed survival was also revealed. Species with seeds harder than expected from their size had a longer mean retention time, a result retained after controlling for phylogeny. Our study is the first to demonstrate that seed shape and phylogeny are important predictors of seed survival in the avian gut. Our results demonstrate that the importance of controlling simultaneously for multiple traits and relating single traits (e.g., seed size) alone to seed survival or retention time is not a reliable way to detect important patterns, especially when phylogenetic effects are ignored., Competing Interests: None declared., (© 2020 The Authors. Ecology and Evolution published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

The widely accepted "endozoochory syndrome" is assigned to angiosperm diaspores with a fleshy, attractive tissue and implies the existence of adaptations for protection against digestion during gut passage. This syndrome has led diaspore fleshiness to be emphasized as the exclusive indicator of endozoochory in much of the ecology and biogeography research. Crucially, however, endozoochory in nature is not limited to frugivory, and diaspores without "external flesh" are commonly dispersed, often over long distances, via birds and mammals by granivory. A key question is: are such diaspores somehow less prepared from an architectural point of view to survive gut passage than fleshy diaspores? To answer this question, we selected 11 European angiosperm taxa that fall outside the classical endozoochory syndrome yet are known to be dispersed via endozoochory. We studied their seed coat/pericarp morphology and anatomy both before and after gut passage through granivorous waterfowl, and determined their seed survival and germinability. We found no fundamental differences in the mechanical architecture of the seed coat and pericarp between these plants dispersed by granivory and others dispersed by frugivory. Neither diaspore traits per se, nor dormancy type, were strong predictors of diaspore survival or degree of damage during gut passage through granivores, or of the influence of gut passage on germinability. Among our 11 taxa, survival of gut passage is enabled by the thick cuticle of the exotesta or epicarp; one or several lignified cell layers; and diverse combinations of other architectural elements. These protection structures are ubiquitous in angiosperms, and likely to have evolved in gymnosperms. Hence, many angiosperm diaspores, dry or fleshy, may be pre-adapted to endozoochory, but with differing degrees of specialization and adaptation to dispersal mechanisms such as frugivory and granivory. Our findings underline the broad ecological importance of "non-classical endozoochory" of diaspores that lack "external flesh"., Competing Interests: The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Background: Hand deformities have been recognized since the 19th century as part of the postural abnormalities observed in Parkinson's disease (PD). However, their pathogenesis and clinical correlations are poorly understood., Methods: We evaluated 104 hands of 52 consecutive patients with PD by high-resolution photographs taken from the radial aspect of each hand; the degree of flexion of the 2nd metacarpophalangeal (MCP) joint was measured by software. The presence of classical striatal hand deformity (CSHD) was also evaluated, defined as MCP flexion, proximal interphalangeal joint extension, and distal interphalangeal joint flexion., Results: Patients with PD had a mean age of 63.3 ± 12.7 years, and 29 (56%) were male. The degree of MCP joint flexion in both hands showed moderate correlation with the MDS-UPDRS-III motor score (r = 0.518, P < 0.001), mainly related to ipsilateral rigidity and ipsilateral bradykinesia scores, and fair correlation with the Hoehn-Yahr stage. A CSHD only correlated with a younger age at onset of PD (P = 0.049). These hand deformities were not markers of dyskinesia, levodopa equivalent dose, or cognitive dysfunction., Conclusions: Metacarpophalangeal joint flexion is the most common hand deformity in PD and correlates with rigidity and bradykinesia. A CSHD was only related to a younger age at onset., (© 2019 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Plant species performance in rangelands highly depends on the effect of grazing and also on the occurrence of unpalatable benefactor species that can act as biotic refuges protecting neighboring plants from herbivores. The balance between facilitation and competition may changes with the benefactor density. Despite the high number of studies on the role of biotic refuges, the density dependent effects of unpalatable herbaceous plants on the performance of other species, and on the habitat heterogeneity of rangelands are still unclear. Therefore, we performed a study to test the following hypotheses: (i) Performances of understory species follow a humped-back relationship along the density gradient of the unpalatable benefactor species. (ii) Small-scale heterogeneity of the vegetation decreases with increasing benefactor density. We studied meadow steppes with medium intensity cattle grazing in Hungary. We surveyed understory species' performance (number of flowering shoots and cover scores) along the density gradient of a common, native unpalatable species ( Althaea officinalis ). Our findings supported both hypotheses. We found unimodal relationship between the benefactor cover and both the flowering success and richness of understory species. Moreover, small-scale heterogeneity declined with increasing benefactor cover. In this study we detected a humped-back pattern of facilitation along the density gradient of an herbaceous benefactor in pastures. Indeed, this pattern was predictable based on such conceptual models like "consumer pressure-abiotic stress model," "humped-back model," "intermediate disturbance hypothesis," and "disturbance heterogeneity model"; but until now the validity of these relationships has not been demonstrated for herbaceous species. By the demonstration of this effect between herbaceous species we can better forecast the responses of grasslands to changes in management.

Introduction: Drug-taking habit is not infrequent in the young population. There is a need of proven effective drug prevention programs. Aim: The aim of our study was to analyze the efficiency of the Hungarian Police's DADA school-drug prevention program. Method: The research program was carried out by a standard questionnaire at Apáczai Csere János Primary School in Pécs and Kodolányi János Primary School in Pécsvárad. Results: After analyzing the participating students' answers, the results showed that the rate of those, who "know everything" about drugs, increased from 27% to 37.3%, and of those, who did "not know anything", decreased from 5.6% to 1.6% (p<0.001). Regarding self-efficiency, the DADA program did not show any significant change (p = 0.364). However, less than 60% of the students agreed the statements: "I have learned a lot from the trainings" and "I received answers to several questions that I had been interested in earlier." Conclusion: We can conclude that the DADA program was successful. Regarding the chosen reactions and opinions about the program, we have to consider the sociocultural background of the participants. Orv Hetil. 2019; 160(23): 914-920.

Several important habitats have become threatened in the last few centuries in the Mediterranean Basin due to major changes adopted in land-use practices. The consequent loss of natural and seminatural orchid habitats leads to the appreciation of small anthropogenic habitats, such as cemeteries and roadside verges. Colonization of cemeteries and roadside verges by orchids has long been known, but no study to date compared the suitability of these two anthropogenic habitats for orchids. Therefore, in this paper our aim was to survey cemeteries and roadside verges and to compare these two habitats regarding their role in conserving Mediterranean terrestrial orchids. We conducted field surveys in three Mediterranean islands, Cyprus, Crete, and Lesbos, where both cemeteries and roadside verges were sampled on a geographically representative scale. We found a total of almost 7,000 orchid individuals, belonging to 77 species in the two anthropogenic habitat types. Roadside verges hosted significantly more individuals than cemeteries in Crete and Lesbos, and significantly more species across all three islands. Our results suggest that although cemeteries have a great potential conservation value in other parts of the world, intensive maintenance practices that characterized cemeteries in these three islands renders them unable to sustain valuable plant communities. On the other hand, roadside verges play a prominent role in the conservation of Mediterranean orchids in Cyprus and Greece. The pioneer status of roadside verges facilitates their fast colonization, while roads serve as ecological corridors in fragmented landscapes., Competing Interests: None declared.