Effect of resveratrol on alcohol-induced mortality and liver lesions in mice

Es reproducción del documenteo publicado en http://dx.doi.org/10.1186/1471-230X-6-35Background Resveratrol is a polyphenol with important antiinflammatory and antioxidant properties. We investigated the effect of resveratrol on alcohol-induced mortality and liver lesions in mice. Methods Mice were randomly distributed into four groups (control, resveratrol-treated control, alcohol and resveratrol-treated alcohol). Chronic alcohol intoxication was induced by progressively administering alcohol in drinking water up to 40% v/v. The mice administered resveratrol received 10 mg/ml in drinking water. The animals had free access to standard diet. Blood levels were determined for transaminases, IL-1 and TNF-α. A histological evaluation was made of liver damage, and survival among the animals was recorded. Results Transaminase concentration was significantly higher in the alcohol group than in the rest of the groups (p < 0.05). IL-1 levels were significantly reduced in the alcohol plus resveratrol group compared with the alcohol group (p < 0.05). TNF-α was not detected in any group. Histologically, the liver lesions were more severe in the alcohol group, though no significant differences between groups were observed. Mortality in the alcohol group was 78% in the seventh week, versus 22% in the alcohol plus resveratrol group (p < 0.001). All mice in the alcohol group died before the ninth week. Conclusion The results obtained suggest that resveratrol reduces mortality and liver damage in mice

Critical fluctuations in epidemic models explain COVID-19 post-lockdown dynamics

As the COVID-19 pandemic progressed, research on mathematical modeling became imperative and very influential to understand the epidemiological dynamics of disease spreading. The momentary reproduction ratio r(t) of an epidemic is used as a public health guiding tool to evaluate the course of the epidemic, with the evolution of r(t) being the reasoning behind tightening and relaxing control measures over time. Here we investigate critical fluctuations around the epidemiological threshold, resembling new waves, even when the community disease transmission rate β is not significantly changing. Without loss of generality, we use simple models that can be treated analytically and results are applied to more complex models describing COVID-19 epidemics. Our analysis shows that, rather than the supercritical regime (infectivity larger than a critical value, β> βc) leading to new exponential growth of infection, the subcritical regime (infectivity smaller than a critical value, β< βc) with small import is able to explain the dynamic behaviour of COVID-19 spreading after a lockdown lifting, with r(t) ≈ 1 hovering around its threshold value.Fil: Aguiar, Maíra. Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; España. Ikerbasque; España. Universita degli Studi di Trento; ItaliaFil: Van Dierdonck, Joseba Bidaurrazaga. Basque Health Department; EspañaFil: Mar, Javier. Debagoiena Integrated Healthcare Organisation; España. Biodonostia Health Research Institute; España. Kronikgune Institute for Health Services Research; EspañaFil: Cusimano, Nicole. Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; EspañaFil: Knopoff, Damián Alejandro. Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; España. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas; ArgentinaFil: Anam, Vizda. Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; EspañaFil: Stollenwerk, Nico. Basque Center for Applied Mathematics; España. Universita degli Studi di Trento; Itali