Grape polyphenols supplementation for exercise-induced oxidative stress

Exercise induces free radicals’ overproduction and therefore, an enhancement of oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive species and the intrinsic antioxidant defense. Redox activity of reactive species plays an important and a positive role on exercise adaptation, but these species at very high concentrations have detrimental effects. As a result, the use of antioxidant supplements for reducing oxidative stress can be an effective health strategy to maintain an optimal antioxidant status. In this sense, grapes are an important source of natural antioxidants due to their high content in polyphenols. They have shown antioxidant potential benefits for the reduction of intense exercise effect in athletes of different sport disciplines. Consequently, it is plausible to hypothesize that a strategic supplementation with grape based products may be a good approach to mitigate the exercise induced oxidative stress. The goal of this review is to present the state of the art of supplementation effects with grape beverages and grape extracts on the oxidative stress markers in athletes. The data of polyphenolic dosages, participant characteristics and exercise protocols are reported

Eficacia a corto plazo de un programa de intervención para el trastorno de estrés postraumático en mujeres mexicanas víctimas de violencia doméstica

The objective of this investigation is to evaluate empirically the effectiveness of a brief and specific intervention program for the treatment of Post-traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) in women victims of domestic violence. The participants were 34 Mexican women battered by their partner, all with a diag-nosis of PTSD (DSM-IV-RT). The treatment program was applied in groups and consists of eight ses-sions comprising psychoeducation, training for activation control, cognitive therapy and exposure ther-apy. A cuasi-experimental design of repeated measures was used (pre-treatment, post-treatment and 1 and 3 months’ follow-up). The results at post-treatment and both follow-ups show a significant im-provement in PTSD symptoms (elimination of PTSD in 85% of participants) as well as in related symp-toms: depression, self-esteem, social maladaptation and post-traumatic ideation. The implications of this study for clinical practice are commented.El objetivo de esta investigación es evaluar empíricamente la eficacia de un programa de intervención breve y específico para el tratamiento del trastorno de estrés postraumático (TEPT) en mujeres vícti-mas de violencia doméstica. Participaron 34 mujeres mexicanas víctimas de malos tratos por parte de su pareja, todas con diagnóstico de TEPT (DSM-IV-TR). El programa de tratamiento, aplicado en formato grupal, consta de ocho sesiones, incluyendo psicoeducación, entrenamiento en control de la activación, terapia cognitiva y terapia de exposición. Se utilizó un diseño cuasiexperimental de medi-das repetidas (en el pretratamiento, postratamiento y seguimientos a l y 3 meses). En el postrata-miento y en los seguimientos se consigue une mejora significativa tanto en la sintomatología pos-traumática (superación del TEPT en más del 85% de las participantes) como en los problemas aso-ciados: Depresión, autoestima, inadaptación social y cogniciones postraumáticas. Se comentan las implicaciones de este estudio para la práctica clínica

Zona Pellucida sperm-binding protein 3 receptor distribution during Gopc−/− globozoospermic spermatogenesis

[EN] Globozoospermia is a type of teratozoospermia characterized by round morphology of the sperm head. Gopc(-/-) infertile globozoospermic murine model has failures during spermiogenesis, such as the incorrect biogenesis of the acrosome, disorganized acroplaxome and manchette, round nuclei and spiral flagella. In this study, Western blot, RT-PCR, immunohistochemistry and immunogold were done for the localization of the acrosome protein Zona Pellucida sperm-binding protein 3 receptor (ZP3R), also called sp56, in wild type and Gopc(-/-) mice testis. The ZP3R protein was located in the acrosome and pseudo-acrosome vesicles of wild type and Gopc(-/-) mice, respectively. Also, it is distributed through the cytoplasm of the haploid spermatids only. The incorrect spermiogenesis of Gopc(-/-) mice causes a deregulation in the expression of ZP3R in the globozoospermic spermatids. Our results suggest that although the lack of GOPC causes a failure during the transport of the pre-acrosomal vesicles, the acrosome protein ZP3R is localized in the acrosome and is distributed through the cytoplasm only during spermiogenesis. Furthermore, the failure in spermiogenesis does not impair the synthesis of ZP3R and its localization in the pre-acrosomal vesicles.Mrs. C. Tobillas and Mrs. M.J. Fernández contributed to sample preparation. We thank Mrs. M.J. Aldasoro for her support in the office work. This work was supported by grants from the UPV/EHU (EHUA13/15 and UFI 11/44)

Plantas transgénicas con alto rendimiento en peso seco y almidón cuyos órganos de reserva presentan elevada textura, elevado contenido en almidón y elevado rendimiento en peso seco

Plantas transgénicas con alto rendimiento en peso seco y almidón cuyos órganos de reserva presentan elevada textura, elevado contenido en almidón y elevado rendimiento en peso seco. La presente invención proporciona plantas transgénicas con alto rendimiento en peso seco y almidón cuyos órganos de reserva presentan elevada textura, elevado contenido en almidón y elevado rendimiento en peso seco.Peer reviewedUniversidad Pública de Navarra OTRI, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (España)B1 Patente sin examen previ

Grape Polyphenols Supplementation for Exercise-Induced Oxidative Stress

Exercise induces free radicals' overproduction and therefore, an enhancement of oxidative stress, defined as an imbalance between the production of reactive species and the intrinsic antioxidant defense. Redox activity of reactive species plays an important and a positive role on exercise adaptation, but these species at very high concentrations have detrimental effects. As a result, the use of antioxidant supplements for reducing oxidative stress can be an effective health strategy to maintain an optimal antioxidant status. In this sense, grapes are an important source of natural antioxidants due to their high content in polyphenols. They have shown antioxidant potential benefits for the reduction of intense exercise effect in athletes of different sport disciplines. Consequently, it is plausible to hypothesize that a strategic supplementation with grape based products may be a good approach to mitigate the exercise induced oxidative stress. The goal of this review is to present the state of the art of supplementation effects with grape beverages and grape extracts on the oxidative stress markers in athletes. The data of polyphenolic dosages, participant characteristics and exercise protocols are reported

Study of Unpicked Grapes Valorization: A Natural Source of Polyphenolic Compounds and Evaluation of Their Antioxidant Capacity

Every year great amounts of high-quality wine grapes are left on the vine unpicked, and consequently lost, to control the overproduction in wine areas with limited appellation production yield. In the context of circular bioeconomy, the valorization of these grapes as a potential source of natural antioxidants is of great interest. The study carried out is focused on the polyphenolic profile characterization of different unpicked grape varieties using the ultrasound-assisted extraction technique to extract the polyphenolic fractions. Moreover, the evaluation of the antioxidant capacity by several assays was carried out: oxygen radical absorbance capacity (ORAC), stability of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical (DPPH), ferric reducing antioxidant capacity (FRAP), cupric reducing antioxidant capacity (CUPRAC) and stability of 2,2′-azino-bis (3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radical (ABTS) assays. The results showed a strong relationship between total phenolic content and hydroxycinnamic acids (R2 = 0.9088) followed by flavan-3-ols (R2 = 0.8792) and tannins (R2 = 0.7705). The antioxidant capacity of the grapes was dependent on the total phenolic content. These results supply new information for a better understanding of the importance of giving an added value to the unpicked grapes due to their high content of polyphenols. These findings help the wine sector to consider the valorization of the unpicked grapes, classified as wastes, as an interesting source of natural antioxidants to be used as food supplements and with potential applications in the pharmaceutical industry.This research received no external funding

Testicular Germ Cell Tumours and Proprotein Convertases

Testicular Germ Cell Tumours (TGCT) are widely considered a “curable cancer” due to their exceptionally high survival rate, even if it is reduced by many years after the diagnosis due to metastases and relapses. The most common therapeutic approach to TGCTs has not changed in the last 50 years despite its multiple long-term side effects, and because it is the most common malignancy in young Caucasian men, much research is needed to better the quality of life of the many survivors. Proprotein Convertases (PC) are nine serine proteases responsible for the maturation of inactive proproteins with many diverse functions. Alterations in their expression have been associated with various diseases, including cancer and inflammation. Many of their substrates are adhesion molecules, metalloproteases and proinflammatory molecules, all of which are involved in tumour development. Inhibition of certain convertases has also been shown to slow tumour formation, demonstrating their involvement in this process. Considering the very established link between PCs and inflammation-related malignancies and the recent studies carried out into the immune microenvironment of TGCTs, the study of the involvement of PCs in testicular cancer may open up avenues for being both a biomarker for diagnosis and a therapeutic target.This research was funded by the University of the Basque Country UPV/EHU grant number GIU 20/050

Advances in Single-Chain Nanoparticles for Catalysis Applications

Enzymes are the most efficient catalysts known for working in an aqueous environment near room temperature. The folding of individual polymer chains to functional single-chain nanoparticles (SCNPs) offers many opportunities for the development of artificial enzyme-mimic catalysts showing both high catalytic activity and specificity. In this review, we highlight recent results obtained in the use of SCNPs as bioinspired, highly-efficient nanoreactors (3–30 nm) for the synthesis of a variety of nanomaterials (inorganic nanoparticles, quantum dots, carbon nanodots), polymers, and chemical compounds, as well as nanocontainers for CO2 capture and release.Financial support by the Spanish Ministry "Ministerio de Economia y Competitividad", MAT2015-63704-P (MINECO/FEDER, UE), the Basque Government, IT-654-13, and the Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia, Programa Red Gipuzkoana de Ciencia, Tecnologia e Innovacion 2017, is acknowledged. Jon Rubio-Cervilla is grateful to the Materials Physics Center-MPC for his predoctoral grant. Edurne Gonzalez received funding from the "Fellows Gipuzkoa" fellowship of the Gipuzkoako Foru Aldundia

Characterization of the rat Na+/nucleoside cotransporter 2 and transport of nucleoside-derived drugs using electrophysiological methods.

The Na(+)-dependent nucleoside transporter 2 (CNT2) mediates active transport of purine nucleosides and uridine as well as therapeutic nucleoside analogs. We used the two-electrode voltage-clamp technique to investigate rat CNT2 (rCNT2) transport mechanism and study the interaction of nucleoside-derived drugs with the transporter expressed in Xenopus laevis oocytes. The kinetic parameters for sodium, natural nucleosides, and nucleoside derivatives were obtained as a function of membrane potential. For natural substrates, apparent affinity (K(0.5)) was in the low micromolar range (12-34) and was voltage independent for hyperpolarizing membrane potentials, whereas maximal current (I(max)) was voltage dependent. Uridine and 2'-deoxyuridine analogs modified at the 5-position were substrates of rCNT2. Lack of the 2'-hydroxyl group decreased affinity but increased I(max). Increase in the size and decrease in the electronegativity of the residue at the 5-position affected the interaction with the transporter by decreasing both affinity and I(max). Fludarabine and formycin B were also transported with higher I(max) than uridine and moderate affinity (102 +/- 10 and 66 +/- 6 microM, respectively). Analysis of the pre-steady-state currents revealed a half-maximal activation voltage of about -39 mV and a valence of about -0.8. K(0.5) for Na(+) was 2.3 mM at -50 mV and decreased at hyperpolarizing membrane potentials. The Hill coefficient was 1 at all voltages. Direct measurements of radiolabeled nucleoside fluxes with the charge associated showed a ratio of two positive inward charges per nucleoside, suggesting a stoichiometry of two Na(+) per nucleoside. This discrepancy in the number of Na(+) molecules that bind rCNT2 may indicate a low degree of cooperativity between the Na(+) binding sites