The dipeptidyl peptidase-4 (DPP-4) inhibitor sitagliptin is an attractive therapy for diabetes, as it increases insulin release and may preserve β-cell mass. However, sitagliptin also increases β-cell release of human islet amyloid polypeptide (hIAPP), the peptide component of islet amyloid, which is cosecreted with insulin. Thus, sitagliptin treatment may promote islet amyloid formation and it...

Alzheimer's Disease (AD) and atherosclerosis remain two of the largest public health burdens in the world today. Although traditionally considered distinct pathological entities, mounting epidemiologic, clinical and experimental evidence suggests that cerebrovascular atherosclerosis and AD interact reciprocally to disrupt brain structure and function. Whereas the hypoperfusion and hypoxia cause...

BACE1 initiates amyloid-β (Aβ) generation and the resultant cerebral amyloidosis, as a characteristic of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Thus, inhibition of BACE1 has been the focus of a large body of research. The most recent clinical trials highlight the difficulty involved in this type of anti-AD therapy as evidenced by side effects likely due to the ubiquitous nature of BACE1, which cleaves multi...

Amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide deposition, hyperphosphorylated tau proteins, reactive astrocytes, high levels of metal ions, and upregulated monoamine oxidases are considered to be the primary pathological markers Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Among them, Aβ deposition or plaques, is regarded as initial factor in pathogenesis AD a critical hallmark AD. This review highlights recently Aβ-specific fluorescen...

The cross-β amyloid form of peptides and proteins represents an archetypal and widely accessible structure consisting of ordered arrays of β-sheet filaments. These complex aggregates have remarkable chemical and physical properties, and the conversion of normally soluble functional forms of proteins into amyloid structures is linked to many debilitating human diseases, including several common ...

The apolipoprotein E ε4 gene is the most important genetic risk factor for sporadic Alzheimer's disease, but the link between this gene and neurodegeneration remains unclear. Using array tomography, we analysed >50000 synapses in brains of 11 patients with Alzheimer's disease and five non-demented control subjects and found that synapse loss around senile plaques in Alzheimer's disease correlat...