Comportamientos excesivos e intermitentes: diferencias en el consumo de alcohol e ingesta en forma de atracón entre adultos jóvenes de áreas rurales y urbanas

Introduction: Drug abuse and binge eating have been characterized as part of the so-called intermittent excessive behaviors, which share common neurobiological pathways. University students come from very different areas to access higher education, for example, rural environments, where some habits, education, and recreational options differ from those of people who grew up in the city. Contextual cues are crucial in the development of drug addic-tion, but little is known about the role that the living area where individuals grew up has on the development of intermittent excessive behaviors, such as binge eating and binge drinking. Objective: The main aim of this study was to explore the prevalence and comorbidity of alcohol consumption and binge eating behaviors in young adults (18-30 years), considering the living area where they grew up. Method: For this purpose, the AUDIT and the Binge Eating Scale were employed in a sample of 2461 undergraduates. Results: The results showed a significant propor-tion presenting a risky alcohol consumption pattern and a reduced proportion of people presenting binge eating behaviors. Interestingly, in both cases, there was a significant difference between groups, where rural students were more vulnerable to risky alcohol consumption and to developing maladaptive eating patternsIntroducción: La adicción a drogas y los atracones de comida se han caracterizado recientemente como parte de los llamados comportamientos excesivos e intermitentes, ya que comparten vías neurobiológicas comunes. Una tercera parte de los estudiantes universitarios proviene de entornos rurales, donde algunos hábitos, educación y opciones recreativas difieren de las de las personas que han crecido en la ciudad. El contexto es un factor crucial en el desarrollo de la adicción a las drogas, sin embargo, la relación del abuso de alcohol junto con atracones de comida y la influencia del entorno de origen en estos comportamientos ha sido poco estudiada. Objetivo: El objetivo princi-pal de este estudio fue explorar la prevalencia y comorbilidad de las conductas de consumo de alcohol y atracones en adultos jóvenes (18-30 años), teniendo en cuenta el lugar de residencia donde crecieron. Método: Para ello se emplearon el AUDIT y la escala de trastorno por atracón (Binge Eating Scale) en una muestra de 2461 estudian-tes universitarios. Resultados: Los resultados mostraron que una proporción significativa presentaba un patrón de consumo de alcohol de riesgo y una proporción reducida presentaba conductas de atracón. Se hallaron diferencias significativas, donde los estudiantes rurales fueron más vulnerables al consumo de riesgo de alcohol y al desarrollo de patrones alimentarios desadaptativo

Targeting Alzheimer's disease with multimodal polypeptide-based nanoconjugates

Alzheimer’s disease (AD), the most prevalent form of dementia, remains incurable mainly due to our failings in the search for effective pharmacological strategies. Here, we describe the development of targeted multimodal polypeptide-based nanoconjugates as potential AD treatments. Treatment with polypeptide nanoconjugates bearing propargylamine moieties and bisdemethoxycurcumin or genistein afforded neuroprotection and displayed neurotrophic effects, as evidenced by an increase in dendritic density of pyramidal neurons in organotypic hippocampal culture. The additional conjugation of the Angiopep-2 targeting moiety enhanced nanoconjugate passage through the blood-brain barrier and modulated brain distribution with nanoconjugate accumulation in neurogenic areas, including the olfactory bulb. Nanoconjugate treatment effectively reduced neurotoxic β amyloid aggregate levels and rescued impairments to olfactory memory and object recognition in APP/PS1 transgenic AD model mice. Overall, this study provides a description of a targeted multimodal polyglutamate-based nanoconjugate with neuroprotective and neurotrophic potential for AD treatment