Effects of Stobadine and Vitamin E in Diabetes-Induced Retinal Abnormalities: Involvement of Oxidative Stress

Background. Because hyperglycemia-induced oxidative stress may be a cause of retinopathy, this study examined the hypothesis that administration of exogenous antioxidants, stobadine (ST) and vitamin E (vitE), can restore retinal abnormalities in experimental diabetes. Methods. Normal and streptozotocin (STZ)-induced male Wistar rats received daily intraoral doses of ST (24.7 mg/kg) and vitE (a-dl-tocopherol acetate, 400e500 IU/kg) individually or in combinations for 8 months. The biochemical parameters including aldose reductase enzyme (AR) activity and lipid peroxidation (MDA), and histopathological changes such as retinal capillary basement membrane thickness (RCBMT) and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) expression were evaluated. Results. A 37.99% increase in RCBMT was observed in rats after 8 months diabetes duration. The increase in RCBMT was 12.34% in diabetic rats treated with ST and 23.07% in diabetic rats treated with vitE. In diabetic rats treated with antioxidant combination, just a 4.38% increase was observed in RCBMT. The excess VEGF immunoreactivity and increased MDA and AR activity determined in diabetic retina were significantly attenuated by individual antioxidant treatments. Although both antioxidants decreased blood glucose, HbA1c, fructosamine and triglyceride levels in diabetic rats, poor glycemic control was maintained in all experimental groups during the treatment period. However, the antioxidant combination led to almost complete amelioration in retinal MDA and RCBMT in diabetic rats. Conclusions. The ability of antioxidant combination to arrest retinal abnormalities and lipid peroxidation even in the presence of poor glycemic control might advocate the key role of direct oxidative damage and the protective action of antioxidants in retinal alterations associated with diabetic retinopathy. Ó 2007 IMSS. Published by Elsevier Inc

A multi-country test of brief reappraisal interventions on emotions during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The COVID-19 pandemic has increased negative emotions and decreased positive emotions globally. Left unchecked, these emotional changes might have a wide array of adverse impacts. To reduce negative emotions and increase positive emotions, we tested the effectiveness of reappraisal, an emotion-regulation strategy that modifies how one thinks about a situation. Participants from 87 countries and regions (n = 21,644) were randomly assigned to one of two brief reappraisal interventions (reconstrual or repurposing) or one of two control conditions (active or passive). Results revealed that both reappraisal interventions (vesus both control conditions) consistently reduced negative emotions and increased positive emotions across different measures. Reconstrual and repurposing interventions had similar effects. Importantly, planned exploratory analyses indicated that reappraisal interventions did not reduce intentions to practice preventive health behaviours. The findings demonstrate the viability of creating scalable, low-cost interventions for use around the world

Pleiotropic Effects of Sodium - Glucose Co-Transporter 2 Inhibitors

Diabetes mellitus, insulin rezistansı, insulin sekresyonundaki bozukluk veya sekresyonunun olmayışından ya da bunların bir arada bulunmasından kaynaklanan hiperglisemi ile karakterize kronik metabolik bir hastalıktır. Diyabetik bireyler için iyi bir glisemik kontrol çok önemlidir. Ne yazık ki, diyabetik bireylerin pek çoğunda, kabul edilebilir bir glisemik kontrole ulaşılamamaktadır. Bu nedenle de diyabet ile ilgili komplikasyonlardan kaynaklanan morbidite ve mortalite yüksektir. Sodyum glukoz ko-transporter-2 (SGLT2) inhibitörleri, benzersiz etki mekanizmasına sahip, yeni bir antidiyabetik ilaç sınıfıdır. Bu çalışma, SGLT2 inhibitörlerinin pleiotropik etkilerine ilişkin genel bilgi sağlamaktadır. Bu amaçla, ilgili makaleler PubMed ve Uluslararası Farmasötik Özetler aracılığıyla taranmıştır. Taramada kullanılan anahtar kelimeler: "canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, pleiotropic effects, sodium-glucose co transporter 2 inhibitors" olarak seçilmiştir.Diabetes mellitus is a chronic metabolic disorder characterized by hyperglycemia because of insulin resistance, diminished or absent insulin secretion or both. Good glycemic control is one of the most important issues for diabetic individual. Unfortunately, most of the diabetics fail to achieve acceptable glycemic control. Therefore, diabetes-associated morbidity and mortality is high resulting from complications. The sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 (SGLT2) inhibitors are a new class of antidiabetic agents with a unique mechanism of action. This article provides an overview of pleiotropic effects of SGLT2 inhibitors. For this purpose, relevant articles were identified through searches of PubMed and International Pharmaceutical Abstracts by using the key words diabetes, canagliflozin, dapagliflozin, empagliflozin, pleiotropic effects, sodium-glucose co transporter 2 inhibitors

Resveratrol Inhibits Palmitic Acid Induced Endoplasmic Reticulum Stres: Anti-Apoptotic Effect

Giriş: Endoplazmik retikulum (ER) stresin obezite patofizyolojisinde yeri bilinmesine karşın, obezite ile indüklenen kardiyovasküler hastalıklarda (ER) stresin rolü tam olarak bilinmemektedir. Çalışmamız, doğal bir polifenolik bileşik olan resveratrolün H9c2 hücre dizisinde serbest yağ asidi olan palmitik asid (PA) ile indüklenen ER-stres üzerine olan etkilerini incelemek amacıyla gerçekleştirilmiştir. Gereç ve Yöntem: H9c2 hücre dizisi çeşitli konsantrasyon ve zaman aralıklarında PA ile inkübe edilerek, ER-stres oluşumu sağlanmıştır. Resveratrolün çeşitli konsantrasyonları kullanılarak, ER-stres yolağı ve bu yolağın indükledği apoptotik yolak incelenmiştir. Bulgular: PA doz ve süre bağımlı olarak ER-stres yolağını aktive etmiştir. Bu yolak, apoptotik bir yolağın da aktivasyonuna neden olmuştur. Resveratrol, PA ile indüklenen ER-stresi azaltmakla birlikte, apoptozu da inhibe etmiştir. Bununla birlikte, PA hücresel oksidatif stresin artmasına neden olurken, resveratrol antioksidan etkinik sergilemiştir. Sonuç: Sonuçlarımız, H9c2 hücrelerinde PA ile indüklenen ERstresin azaltılmasında ve apoptozun inhibe edilmesinde resveratrolün etkili olduğunu göstermiştir.Introduction: Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress is involved in the pathophysiology of obesity but little is known about the role of ER-stress on obesity-induced cardiovascular diseases. Material and Methods: This study was designed to examine the effect of resveratrol, a natural polyphenolic compound, on palmitic acid-induced ER-stress in H9c2 cell lines. ER-stress was induced by various concentration of PA in different time manner in H9c2 cell lines. Effects of resveratrol on ER-stress and apoptosis pathways were examined in this model. Results: PA activated ER-stress pathway in a dose- and timedependent manner. Indeed, apoptotic pathway was activated in the cells by PA. Resveratrol not only alleviated ER-stress but also inhibited apoptosis. On the other hand, PA increased oxidative stress in the cells which was alleviated by resveratrol. Conclusion: Our results suggest that, resveratrol play a role in alleviating ER-stress and inhibiting apoptosis in H9c2 cell lines

Global arts world and the worlding of Wynwood, Miami, Florida

Wynwood, Miami, is a world-renowned global art canvas of street art and cultural production site. The rise of Miami as a global arts city and its hosting of Arts Basel enhanced the place marketing of Wynwood. Wynwood's recent trajectory is driven by the confluence of art, real estate, and urban planning. Its redevelopment over time has been dramatic, transitioning from a low-income immigrant neighborhood and warehouse district into innovative artistic milieu. In the 2020s the neighborhood is being highly commodified, resulting in the loss of artistic capital replaced by trendy retail, condo, and hotel projects. Our analysis is primarily based on interviews with gallery owners in 2016 and 2022, as well as planning documents and business census data. Wynwood as an art venue has peaked, and artists and galleries are exiting. Nonetheless, Wynwood continues to be marketed as an arts neighborhood by property developers and retail and entertainment businesse