Bioactivity of Olive Oil Phenols in Neuroprotection

Neurological disorders such as stroke, Alzheimer's and Parkinson's diseases are associated with high morbidity and mortality, and few or no effective options are available for their treatment. These disorders share common pathological characteristics like the induction of oxidative stress, abnormal protein aggregation, perturbed Ca(2+) homeostasis, excitotoxicity, inflammation and apoptosis. A large body of evidence supports the beneficial effects of the Mediterranean diet in preventing neurodegeneration. As the Mediterranean diet is characterized by a high consumption of extra-virgin olive oil it has been hypothesized that olive oil, and in particular its phenols, could be responsible for the beneficial effect of the Mediterranean diet. This review provides an updated vision of the beneficial properties of olive oil and olive oil phenols in preventing/counteracting both acute and chronic neurodegenerative diseases

Socio-Economic and Clinical Factors as Predictors of Disease Evolution and Acute Events in COPD Patients

BACKGROUND: Socio-economic, cultural and environmental factors are becoming increasingly important determinants of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). We conducted a study to investigate socio-demographic, lifestyle and clinical factors, and to assess their role as predictors of acute events (mortality or hospitalization for respiratory causes) in a group of COPD patients. METHODS: Subjects were recruited among outpatients who were undertaking respiratory function tests at the Pneumology Unit of the Sant'Orsola-Malpighi Hospital, Bologna. Patients were classified according to the GOLD Guidelines. RESULTS: 229 patients with COPD were included in the study, 44 with Mild, 68 Moderate, 52 Severe and 65 Very Severe COPD (GOLD stage). Significant differences among COPD stage, in terms of smoking status and fragility index, were detected. COPD stage significantly affected the values of all clinical tests (spirometry and ABG analysis). Kaplan-Meier estimates showed a significant difference between survival curves by COPD stage with lower event-free probability in very severe COPD stage. Significant risk factors for acute events were: underweight (HR = 4.08; 95% CI 1.01-16.54), having two or more comorbidities (HR = 4.71; 95% CI 2.52-8.83), belonging to moderate (HR = 3.50; 95% CI 1.01-12.18) or very severe COPD stage (HR = 8.23; 95% CI 2.35-28.85). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings indicate that fragility is associated with COPD stage and that comorbidities and the low body mass index are predictors of mortality or hospitalization. Besides spirometric analyses, FeNO measure and comorbidities, body mass index could also be considered in the management and monitoring of COPD patients

Traumatic brain injury and NADPH oxidase: A deep relationship

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents one of the major causes of mortality and disability in the world. TBI is characterized by primary damage resulting from the mechanical forces applied to the head as a direct result of the trauma and by the subsequent secondary injury due to a complex cascade of biochemical events that eventually lead to neuronal cell death. Oxidative stress plays a pivotal role in the genesis of the delayed harmful effects contributing to permanent damage. NADPH oxidases (Nox), ubiquitary membrane multisubunit enzymes whose unique function is the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS), have been shown to be a major source of ROS in the brain and to be involved in several neurological diseases. Emerging evidence demonstrates that Nox is upregulated after TBI, suggesting Nox critical role in the onset and development of this pathology. In this review, we summarize the current evidence about the role of Nox enzymes in the pathophysiology of TBI

Food, Tourism and Health: a Possible Sinergy?

Food is a significant aspect of the tourist’s experience of a destination. While the term “wine and food tourism ” is too often addressed only to the taste of the product, the more aseptic definition of  “food tourism” wants to focus the attention also on the health properties of local products.  Healthy eating is not about strict nutrition philosophies, staying unrealistically thin, or depriving ourselves of the foods we love. Rather, it is about feeling great, having more energy, stabilizing our mood, and keeping ourselves as healthy as possible, all of which can be achieved by learning some nutrition basics and using them in a way that works for us. We can expand our range of healthy food choices and learn how to plan ahead to create and maintain a tasty, healthy diet. Not only the psychological, but also the physical benefits of tourism appear to have gained increasing importance and healthy nutrition represents one of the most important determinants. Food tourism can be considered a potential benefit for human health.Understanding tourists’ needs and wants in terms of healthy food consumption is of paramount importance to hospitality businesses. Food, tourism and health could really be a possible synergy.Il cibo rappresenta un aspetto significativo dell'esperienza del turista nei confronti di una specifica destinazione. Mentre il termine "turismo eno-gastronomico" è troppo spesso rivolto solo all’apprezzamento del gusto del prodotto, la definizione più asettica di "turismo del cibo" vuole focalizzare l'attenzione anche sulle proprietà salutistiche dei prodotti locali. Alimentarsi in modo corretto e sano non significa necessariamente seguire severe e restrittive filosofie nutrizionali, che ci consentono di restare irrealisticamente magri, e soprattutto non significa privarci dei cibi che più amiamo. Piuttosto, si tratta di sentirsi meglio, avere più energia, stabilizzare il nostro umore,  promuovendo contemporaneamente la nostra salute. Ognuno di questi obiettivi può essere raggiunto imparando alcuni semplici basilari concetti sulle linee giuda per una corretta nutrizione e applicandoli in modo personalizzato. Possiamo espandere la nostra gamma di scelte alimentari  salutistiche in qualsiasi luogo del modo ci si trovi , e imparare a scegliere con consapevolezza per creare e mantenere una dieta sana anche in viaggio. Non solo i benefici psicologici che derivano da un viaggio, ma anche i benefici fisici e fisiologici del turismo sembrano aver acquisito sempre maggiore importanza, e la sana alimentazione rappresenta uno dei fattori determinanti più importanti. Il turismo del cibo può realmente rappresentare una risorsa per la promozione della salute.Capire le esigenze dei turisti in termini di richiesta di cibi ad alto contenuto salutistico è di fondamentale importanza per le imprese coinvolte nei settori della ristorazione e dell’accoglienza. Cibo, turismo e salute potrebbe davvero costituire una possibile sinergia vincente

O CUIDADO EM SAÚDE E AS IMPLICAÇÕES PARA OS CUIDADORES DOMICILIARES

RESUMO: O artigo trata da temática do cuidado domiciliar em saúde, modalidade de atendimento que tem crescido em vários países, impulsionada pelas transições demográficas e epidemiológicas dos últimos anos. Com foco em duas experiências, o trabalho apresenta os resultados de uma pesquisa com o objetivo de analisar o perfil dos cuidadores de dois programas de atenção em saúde domiciliar sendo, um público e outro privado desenvolvido em cidades localizadas na Região da Grande Florianópolis. Trata-se de uma pesquisa qualitativa com aplicação de entrevistas com cuidadores de pessoas em internação domiciliar. Como principais resultados aponta-se que a família tem sido cada vez mais responsabilizada pelo cuidado em saúde, principalmente as mulheres alterando a dinâmica familiar que implica nas condições objetivas de vida

New mechanisms of action of natural antioxidants in health and disease II

Epidemiological studies have demonstrated an association between natural antioxidants and human health [...]

Quercetin Reduces Inflammatory Responses in LPS-Stimulated Cardiomyoblasts

Flavonoids possess several biological and pharmacological activities. Quercetin (Q), a naturally occurring flavonoid, has been shown to downregulate inflammatory responses and provide cardioprotection. However, the mechanisms behind the anti-inflammatory properties of Q in cardiac cells are poorly understood. In inflammation, nitric oxide (NO) acts as a proinflammatory mediator and is synthesized by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in response to pro-inflammatory agents such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS), a causative agent in myocardial depression during sepsis. In the present study, we evaluated the protective effect of Q on rat cardiac dysfunction during sepsis induced by LPS. Pretreatment of H9c2 cardiomyoblasts with Q inhibited LPS-induced iNOS expression and NO production and counteracted oxidative stress caused by the unregulated NO production that leads to the generation of peroxynitrite and other reactive nitrogen species. In addition, Q pretreatment significantly counteracted apoptosis cell death as measured by immunoblotting of the cleaved caspase 3 and caspase 3 activity. Q also inhibited the LPS-induced phosphorylation of the stress-activated protein kinases (JNK/SAPK) and p38 MAP kinase that are involved in the inhibition of cell growth as well as the induction of apoptosis. In conclusion, these results suggest that Q might serve as a valuable protective agent in cardiovascular inflammatory diseases

New mechanisms of action of natural antioxidants in health and disease

Natural antioxidants have been proposed to have beneficial effects on health and on different disease states, such as neurodegenerative and cardiovascular diseases, diabetes and cancer [...]

Combined treatment with three natural antioxidants enhances neuroprotection in a SH-SY5Y 3D culture model

Currently, the majority of cell-based studies on neurodegeneration are carried out on two-dimensional cultured cells that do not represent the cells residing in the complex microenvironment of the brain. Recent evidence has suggested that three-dimensional (3D) in vitro microenvironments may better model key features of brain tissues in order to study molecular mechanisms at the base of neurodegeneration. So far, no drugs have been discovered to prevent or halt the progression of neurodegenerative disorders. New therapeutic interventions can come from phytochemicals that have a broad spectrum of biological activities. On this basis, we evaluated the neuroprotective effect of three phytochemicals (sulforaphane, epigallocatechin gallate, and plumbagin) alone or in combination, focusing on their ability to counteract oxidative stress. The combined treatment was found to be more effective than the single treatments. In particular, the combined treatment increased cell viability and reduced glutathione (GSH) levels, upregulated antioxidant enzymes and insulin-degrading enzymes, and downregulated nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase 1 and 2 in respect to peroxide-treated cells. Our data suggest that a combination of different phytochemicals could be more effective than a single compound in counteracting neurodegeneration, probably thanks to a pleiotropic mechanism of action