ANTIOXIDANTS IN FRUITS AND HUMAN MEDICAL RESEARCH: AN OVERVIEW

Abstract Antioxidants are chemical compounds that bind the free radicals in human body preventing the development of many diseases and reducing the severity of degenerative diseases and cancer. Antioxidants are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, nuts, spices etc. Antioxidants are ranked for concentration in specifi c food using a method called the ORAC-Oxygen Radical Absorbance Capacity. The ORAC measures the antioxidant strength in foods assigning each food with a numerical value. Recent studies concluded that berries, such as blueberries, blackberries, strawberries, cranberries, and raspberries, contain some of the highest levels of antioxidants. The acai berry and pomegranates has high ORAC level also. Current clinical studies showed that antioxidants in these fruits are benefi cial in preventing the development of breast, prostate, lung, colon and skin cancers, atherosclerosis, dementia and many other diseases. The healthy properties of berries, pomegranates and other fruits are studied for everything from cancer prevention to skin care. We are presenting a summaries and conclusions of several recent studies concerning the protective antioxidant eff ect of some fruits with high ORAC levels, hoping that this would initiate a future closer collaboration between food producers and clinicians

EVALUATION OF EARLY ISCHEMIC CHANGES IN STROKE PATIENTS TREATED WITH THROMBOLYTIC THERAPY

Introduction:The aim of this study is to evaluate early brain ischemic changes on CT scan in stroke patients in correlation with the clinical outcome, as well as to evaluate if there is prognostic and predictive features that can be used. Patients and methods: We examined 20 patients with acute ischemic stroke, from which 12 were male and 8 were female, at the age from 47 to 76 years. Results: The hyperdense medial artery (HMA) sign was present in 10 (50%) patients. Concerning the ASPECTS score, 5 patients (25%) had normal score of 10 points, while 7 patients (35%) had score of 7 points. 12 patients (60%) had unfavorable outcome, while 8 patients (40%) had favorable outcome. Our statistical analysis shows that age of more than 65 years, presence of 2 or more risk-factors, ASPECTS score of 7 and presence of HMA sign were all statistically significant predictors of unfavorable outcome in examined patients (p<0.05 each). The presence of the hyperdense medial artery sign was the most significant single predictor for unfavorable clinical outcome (p=0.0042, p<0.05). Conclusion:The presence of HMA sign is the most significant single predictor for unfavorable clinical outcome

Therapeutic hypothermia and ischemic stroke

Currently, there are two main treatment strategies in treatment of ischemic stroke such as thrombolysis and neuroprotectiv therapy Only approved and effective therapy for ischemic stroke is thrombolysis with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (rt-PA) which has certain limitations: short time window , haemorrhagic complications and complications associated with reperfusion. Therefore , less then 10% of all, patients with ischemic stroke can be treated with rt-PA. Neuroprotection after acute ischemic stroke entertain , reduces and stops harmful biochemical and molecular processes. Neuroprotectiv strategies focus on reduction of damage in penumbra , thereby improving outcome after ischemic stroke.Based on experimental data and clinical studies , therapeutic hypothermia is regarded as one of the most active ways of neuropritection. Therapeutic hypothermia is medical treatment that reduces the patient s body temperature in order to help to reduce the risk of ischemic tissue injury that occurs after a certain period of reduced blood flow. Clinical and experimental studies in acute stroke shows that there is an association between body temperature , severity of stroke , infarct volume and clinical outcome. Elevated body temperature is associated with adverse effects on injured brain tissue and with worse clinical outcome