Mangosteen Extract Shows a Potent Insulin Sensitizing Effect in Obese Female Patients: A Prospective Randomized Controlled Pilot Study.

There is a widely acknowledged association between insulin resistance and obesity/type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and insulin sensitizing treatments have proved effective in preventing diabetes and inducing weight loss. Obesity and T2DM are also associated with increased inflammation. Mangosteen is a tropical tree, whose fruits—known for their antioxidant properties—have been recently suggested having a possible further role in the treatment of obesity and T2DM. The objective of this pilot study has been to evaluate safety and efficacy of treatment with mangosteen extract on insulin resistance, weight management, and inflammatory status in obese female patients with insulin resistance. Twenty-two patients were randomized 1:1 to behavioral therapy alone or behavioral therapy and mangosteen and 20 completed the 26-week study. The mangosteen group reported a significant improvement in insulin sensitivity (homeostatic model assessment-insulin resistance, HOMA-IR −53.22% vs. −15.23%, p = 0.004), and no side effect attributable to treatment was reported. Given the positive preliminary results we report and the excellent safety profile, we suggest a possible supplementary role of mangosteen extracts in the treatment of obesity, insulin resistance, and inflammation

Movements execution in amnestic mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

We evaluated the relationship between motor and neuropsychological deficits in subjects affected by amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment (aMCI) and {early} Alzheimer's Disease (AD). Kinematics of goal-directed movement of aMCI and AD subjects were compared to those of age-matched control subjects. AD showed a slowing down of motor performance compared to aMCI and controls. No relationships were found between motor and cognitive performances in both AD and aMCI. Our results suggest that the different motor behaviour between AD and aMCI cannot be related to memory deficits, probably reflecting the initial degeneration of parietal-frontal circuits for movement planning. The onset of motor dysfunction in early AD could represent the transition from aMCI to AD

Overweight and obese patients with nickel allergy have a worse metabolic profile compared to weight matched non-allergic individuals

A lack of balance between energy intake and expenditure due to overeating or reduced physical activity does not seem to explain entirely the obesity epidemic we are facing, and further factors are therefore being evaluated. Nickel (Ni) is a ubiquitous heavy metal implied in several health conditions. Regarding this, the European Food Safety Authority has recently released an alert on the possible deleterious effects of dietary Ni on human health given the current levels of Ni dietary intake in some countries. Pre-clinical studies have also suggested its role as an endocrine disruptor and have linked its exposure to energy metabolism and glucose homeostasis dysregulation. Ni allergy is common in the general population, but preliminary data suggest it being even more widespread among overweight patients. OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study has been to evaluate the presence of Ni allergy and its association with the metabolic and endocrine profile in overweight and obese individuals. METHODS: We have evaluated 1128 consecutive overweight and obese outpatients. 784 were suspected of being allergic to Ni and 666 were assessed for it. Presence of Ni allergy and correlation with body mass index (BMI), body composition, metabolic parameters and hormonal levels were evaluated. RESULTS: We report that Ni allergy is more frequent in presence of weight excess and is associated with worse metabolic parameters and impaired Growth Hormone secretion. CONCLUSIONS: We confirm that Ni allergy is more common in obese patients, and we report for the first time its association with worse metabolic parameters and impaired function of the GH-IGF1 axis in human subjects

Increased functional connectivity in gambling disorder correlates with behavioural and emotional dysregulation: Evidence of a role for the cerebellum

Gambling disorder (GD) is a psychiatric disease that has been recently classified as a behavioural addiction. So far, a very few studies have investigated the alteration of functional connectivity in GD patients, thus the concrete interplay between relevant function-dependent circuitries in such disease has not been comprehensively assessed. The aim of this research was to investigate resting-state functional connectivity in GD patients, searching for a correlation with GD symptoms severity. GD patients were assessed for gambling behaviour, impulsivity, cognitive distortions, anxiety and depression, in comparison with healthy controls (HC). Afterwards, they were assessed for resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging; functional connectivity was assessed through a data-driven approach, by using independent component analysis. The correlation between gambling severity and the strength of specific resting-state networks was also investigated. Our results show that GD patients displayed higher emotional and behavioural impairment than HC, together with an increased resting state functional connectivity in the network including anterior cingulate cortex, the caudate nucleus and nucleus accumbens, and within the cerebellum, in comparison with the control group. Moreover, a significant correlation between behavioural parameters and the strength of the resting-state cerebellar network was found. Overall, the functional alterations in brain connectivity involving the cerebellum observed in this study underpin the emotional and behavioural impairment recorded in GD patients. This evidence suggests the employment of novel neuromodulatory therapeutic approaches involving specific and salient targets such as the cerebellum in addictive disorders

Ketogenic diet as a preventive and supportive care for covid-19 patients

Severe obesity is associated with an increased risk of admission to intensive care units and need for invasive mechanical ventilation in patients with COVID-19. The association of obesity and COVID-19 prognosis may be related to many different factors, such as chronic systemic inflammation, the predisposition to severe respiratory conditions and viral infections. The ketogenic diet is an approach that can be extremely effective in reducing body weight and visceral fat in the short term, preserving the lean mass and reducing systemic inflammation. Therefore, it is a precious preventive measure for severely obese people and may be considered as an adjuvant therapy for patients with respiratory compromise

Distribución profunda, aspectos biológicos y ecológicos de Aristeus Antennatus (Risso, 1816) en el Mediterráneo Occidental y Central

[EN] The object of the DESEAS Project, funded by the EC, was to gather preliminary data on the abundance and maximum depth distribution of the rose shrimp Aristeusantennatus in the Mediterranean Sea. An exploratory survey was therefore designed with that goal in mind and conducted on the R/V García del Cid, sampling the maximum depths in three specific areas in the central and western Mediterranean, one off Ibiza (Balearic Islands), one off Calabria (western Ionian Sea), and one off the southern Peloponnesian Peninsula (Gulf of Kalamata, eastern Ionian Sea). The depths sampled ranged from 600 to 4000 m, with specimens of A. antennatus being collected down to 3300 m. There were three distinct boundaries marking the abundance of this species: 1500 m, relatively low abundance (<100 ind km-2). The known population structure of this shrimp species, with increasing proportions of males and juveniles with depth, was also recorded in the deep-sea regions in other areas of the Mediterranean. No evidence of any differences in gonad development or in the presence of spermatophores carried by females was found in any of the three sampling areas. Lastly, a tendency for the relative proportion of juveniles to increase with depth was also observed[ES] El objetivo del proyecto DESEAS, financiado por la CE, fue obtener datos preliminares de abundancia y distribución de profundidad máxima de la gamba rosada Aristeus antennatus en el Mar Mediterráneo. El diseño de la campaña exploratoria fue realizado con este propósito y se desarrolló a bordo del B/O García del Cid. Se realizaron muestreos en las máximas profundidades de tres áreas específicas en el Mediterráneo occidental y central: una cerca de Menorca (Islas Baleares), otra frente a las costas de Calabria (Iónico occidental) y la última al sur de la península del Peloponeso (en el Golfo de Kalamata, Iónico oriental). Las profundidades muestreadas fueron las comprendidas entre 600 y 4000 m, obteniendo individuos de A. antennatus hasta 3300 m. Se detectaron tres niveles de abundancias diferenciados en esta especie: 1500 m, relativamente poco abundante (< 100 ind km-2). En las tres áreas estudiadas se confirmó la estructura de la población conocida hasta el momento, es decir, aumento de la proporción de machos y juveniles con la profundidad. No se encontraron evidencias de diferencias en el desarrollo gonadal o en la presencia de espermatóforos de las hembras entre áreas. Finalmente se observó la existencia de una tendencia en el aumento de la proporción de juveniles con la profundidadThis work was financially supported by the Directorate General Fisheries of the EC as part of the DESEAS survey programme (DGXIV, Study Contract, 2000/39)Peer reviewe

The A-ring reduction of 11-ketotestosterone is efficiently catalysed by AKR1D1 and SRD5A2 but not SRD5A1

Testosterone and its 5α-reduced form, 5α-dihydrotestosterone, were previously thought to represent the only active androgens in humans. However, recent studies have shown that the potent androgen, 11-ketotestosterone, derived from the adrenal androgen precursor, 11β-hydroxyandrostenedione, may in fact serve as the primary androgen in healthy women. Yet, despite recent renewed interest in these steroids, their downstream metabolism has remained undetermined. We therefore set out to investigate the metabolism of 11-ketotestosterone by characterising the 5α- or 5β-reduction commitment step. We show that inactivation of 11-ketotestosterone is predominantly driven by AKR1D1, which efficiently catalyses the 5β-reduction of 11-ketotestosterone, committing it to a metabolic pathway that terminates in 11-ketoetiocholanolone. We demonstrate that 5α-reduction of 11-ketotestosterone is catalysed by SRD5A2, but not SRD5A1, and terminates in 11-ketoandrosterone, but is only responsible for a minority of 11-ketotestosterone inactivation. However, as 11-ketoetiocholanolone is also generated by the metabolism of the glucocorticoid cortisone, 11-ketoandrosterone should be considered a more specific urinary marker of 11-ketotestosterone production

Autophagy is activated in vivo during trimethyltin-induced apoptotic neurodegeneration: A study in the rat hippocampus

Trimethyltin (TMT) is an organotin compound known to produce significant and selective neuronal degeneration and reactive astrogliosis in the rodent central nervous system. Autophagy is the main cellular mechanism for degrading and recycling protein aggregates and damaged organelles, which in different stress conditions, such as starvation, generally improves cell survival. Autophagy is documented in several pathologic conditions, including neurodegenerative diseases. This study aimed to investigate the autophagy and apoptosis signaling pathways in hippocampal neurons of TMT-treated (Wistar) rats to explore molecular mechanisms involved in toxicant-induced neuronal injury. The microtubule-associated protein light chain (LC3, autophagosome marker) and sequestosome1 (SQSTM1/p62) (substrate of autophagy-mediated degradation) expressions were examined by Western blotting at different time points after intoxication. The results demonstrate that the LC3 II/I ratio significantly increased at 3 and 5 days, and that p62 levels significantly decreased at 7 and 14 days. Immunofluorescence images of LC3/neuronal nuclear antigen (NeuN) showed numerous strongly positive LC3 neurons throughout the hippocampus at 3 and 5 days. The terminal deoxynucleotidyltransferase dUTP nick end labeling (TUNEL) assay indicated an increase in apoptotic cells starting from 5 days after treatment. In order to clarify apoptotic pathway, immunofluorescence images of apoptosis-inducing factor (AIF)/NeuN did not show nuclear translocation of AIF in neurons. Increased expression of cleaved Caspase-3 was revealed at 5–14 days in all hippocampal regions by Western blotting and immunohistochemistry analyses. These data clearly demonstrate that TMT intoxication induces a marked increase in both autophagy and caspase-dependent apoptosis, and that autophagy occurring just before apoptosis could have a potential role in neuronal loss in this experimental model of neurodegeneration

Проект кожухотрубного теплообменника сернокислотного производства

Модернизация теплообменного оборудования с целью повышения ресурсоэффективности технологического процесса. В результате исследования была найдена необходимая поверхность теплообмена для обеспечения охлаждения серной кислоты в заданных параметрах.Modernization of heat exchange equipment in order to increase the resource efficiency of the technological process. As a result of the study, the necessary heat exchange surface was found to ensure the cooling of sulfuric acid in the specified parameters

Adjunctive Brivaracetam in Focal Epilepsy: Real-World Evidence from the BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk STudy (BRIVAFIRST)

Background: In randomized controlled trials, add-on brivaracetam (BRV) reduced seizure frequency in patients with drug-resistant focal epilepsy. Studies performed in a naturalistic setting are a useful complement to characterize the drug profile. Objective: This multicentre study assessed the effectiveness and tolerability of adjunctive BRV in a large population of patients with focal epilepsy in the context of real-world clinical practice. Methods: The BRIVAFIRST (BRIVAracetam add-on First Italian netwoRk STudy) was a retrospective, multicentre study including adult patients prescribed adjunctive BRV. Patients with focal epilepsy and 12-month follow-up were considered. Main outcomes included the rates of seizure\u2010freedom, seizure response ( 65&nbsp;50% reduction in baseline seizure frequency), and treatment discontinuation. The incidence of adverse events (AEs) was also considered. Analyses by levetiracetam (LEV) status and concomitant use of strong enzyme-inducing antiseizure medications (EiASMs) and sodium channel blockers (SCBs) were performed. Results: A total of 1029 patients with a median age of 45&nbsp;years (33\u201356) was included. At 12 months, 169 (16.4%) patients were seizure-free and 383 (37.2%) were seizure responders. The rate of seizure freedom was 22.3% in LEV-naive patients, 7.1% in patients with prior LEV use and discontinuation due to insufficient efficacy, and 31.2% in patients with prior LEV use and discontinuation due to AEs (p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001); the corresponding values for 65&nbsp;50% seizure frequency reduction were 47.9%, 29.7%, and 42.8% (p&nbsp;&lt;&nbsp;0.001). There were no statistically significant differences in seizure freedom and seizure response rates by use of strong EiASMs. The rates of seizure freedom (20.0% vs. 16.6%; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.341) and seizure response (39.7% vs. 26.9%; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.006) were higher in patients receiving SCBs than those not receiving SCBs; 265 (25.8%) patients discontinued BRV. AEs were reported by 30.1% of patients, and were less common in patients treated with BRV and concomitant SCBs than those not treated with SCBs (28.9% vs. 39.8%; p&nbsp;=&nbsp;0.017). Conclusion: The BRIVAFIRST provided real-world evidence on the effectiveness of BRV in patients with focal epilepsy irrespective of LEV history and concomitant ASMs, and suggested favourable therapeutic combinations