Background: Alzheimer’s disease is a neurodegenerative disease of unknown etiology. Employing a combination of techniques such as imaging modalities, cognitive tests and medical history evaluations is considered to be a reliable approach in diagnosing the disease. A characteristic feature of Alzheimer’s disease is the gradual atrophy of the hippocampus, which is also seen with aging but at a faster rate in individuals suffering from the disease. The trigger responsible for the atrophy remains unknown. Methods: In this study, patients were assessed using MRI brain imaging, blood and cerebrospinal fluid analysis. Results: The findings indicate that the levels of erythrocytes in the cerebrospinal fluid have a statistically significant longitudinal predictive marker effect on hippocampal atrophy. Mean arterial pressure showed modest statistical significance in hippocampal volume only in the Alzheimer’s disease group. Conclusions: The results of the study point to the significance of cerebrospinal fluid homeostasis in terms of elements capable of causing hippocampal atrophy under chronic conditions. Monitoring of the presence of erythrocytes in cerebrospinal fluid and their related metabolites may be of clinical significance in the long-term management of Alzheimer’s disease.

Background: Neurodegenerative diseases (NDs) are mainly considered disorders marked by severe immunometabolic imbalance, characterized by ongoing neuroinflammation and glial activation. While mitochondrial dysfunction and oxidative stress are well-known features, the upstream metabolic factors linking these pathological processes remain poorly understood. Methods: In this review, we examined recent preclinical and clinical studies exploring the connections between lipid metabolism, glial immunometabolism, and regulated cell death pathways. Our focus was on how long-chain fatty acids (LCFAs) facilitate communication among mitochondria, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and ferroptosis in Alzheimer’s disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Results: New evidence shifts LCFAs from merely being passive indicators of cellular damage to active, upstream regulators of the neuroimmune response. Existing research shows that excess LCFA intake can overload astrocytic mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation, leading to abnormal lipid droplet buildup and reactive astrogliosis. This lipid-driven reactivity promotes microglial polarization toward a persistent pro-inflammatory state. Notably, high levels of specific LCFAs, especially arachidonic acid, increase ROS production and lipid peroxidation. This lipotoxic environment ultimately triggers ferroptosis, an iron-dependent form of cell death shared across multiple NDs. Conclusions: The harmful interaction among mitochondrial dysfunction, lipid peroxidation, and ferroptosis is driven by an imbalance in LCFA levels. Addressing current challenges, such as the complex effects of polyunsaturated fatty acid supplementation, requires advanced techniques like single-cell multi-omics and artificial intelligence. Understanding this intricate lipidomic-transcriptomic crosstalk is crucial for moving toward personalized neuroimmunometabolism and developing new treatments to prevent ferroptosis.

With funding and curriculum by The American Physiological Society, the Local Outreach Team in New Jersey spent academic year 2005–06 conducting two, free, day‐long workshops for science high school and middle school teachers. These workshops, entitled “Physiology of Fitness” contained content in line with the National Science Standards and covered topics related to the cardiac and physiology parameters involved with exercise. The focus of the workshops was to engage the 50 plus teachers, who played the role of their students for the day, in active, inquiry‐based learning that included the use of technology and information from various science disciplines along with hands‐on lab activities. The Local Outreach Team continues to be a ready reference for the teachers as they try out the materials learned in their own classrooms, as seen in the results of a feedback survey given to the workshop attendees. Furthermore, a half‐day enrichment activity for 100 middle school students took place that conveyed the same content on the physiology of exercise, and was part of the national celebration of PhUn Week (Physiology Understanding) each November by The American Physiological Society.