Metabolic therapy: cardioprotective effects of orotic acid and its derivatives

Metabolic therapy involves the administration of a substance normally found in the human body to enhance cellular reactions involved in the pathogenesis of disease. Myocardial ischaemia/reperfusion injury represents a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, also in cardiovascular disease. Therapeutic strategies aimed at limiting cardiomyocyte death during the postischaemic reperfusion and in the perioperative settings are nowadays extensively studied. Conceived originally as a dietary constituent (known as vitamin B13) only, it is now apparent that most orotic acid is synthesized in the human body where it arises as an intermediate in the biosynthetic pathway of pyrimidine nucleotides. Previous investigations in the heart suggest that orotate and its derivatives could be of significant clinical benefit in the treatment of heart disease. The present brief review is concerned with the current knowledge of the major effects of these compounds in both experimental and clinical cardiology. The potential mechanisms and biochemical pathways responsible for cardioprotection are highlighted.Biomedical Reviews 2010; 21: 47-55

The iridium double perovskite Sr2YIrO6 revisited: A combined structural and specific heat study

Recently, the iridate double perovskite Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ has attracted considerable attention due to the report of unexpected magnetism in this Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) material, in which according to the J$_{eff}$ model, a non-magnetic ground state is expected. However, in recent works on polycrystalline samples of the series Ba$_{2-x}$Sr$_x$YIrO$_6$ no indication of magnetic transitions have been found. We present a structural, magnetic and thermodynamic characterization of Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ single crystals, with emphasis on the temperature and magnetic field dependence of the specific heat. Here, we demonstrate the clue role of single crystal X-ray diffraction on the structural characterization of the Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$ double perovskite crystals by reporting the detection of a $\sqrt{2}a \times \sqrt{2}a \times 1c$ supercell, where $a$, $b$ and $c$ are the unit cell dimensions of the reported monoclinic subcell. In agreement with the expected non-magnetic ground state of Ir$^{5+}$ (5d$^4$) in Sr$_2$YIrO$_6$, no magnetic transition is observed down to 430~mK. Moreover, our results suggest that the low temperature anomaly observed in the specific heat is not related to the onset of long-range magnetic order. Instead, it is identified as a Schottky anomaly caused by paramagnetic impurities present in the sample, of the order of $n \sim 0.5(2)$ \%. These impurities lead to non-negligible spin correlations, which nonetheless, are not associated with long-range magnetic ordering.Comment: 20 pages, 10 figure

Prenatal predictors of objectively measured appetite regulation in low-income toddlers and preschool-age children

Peer Reviewedhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152019/1/ijpo12554_am.pdfhttps://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/152019/2/ijpo12554.pd

Child cortisol moderates the association between family routines and emotion regulation in lowâ income children

Biological and social influences both shape emotion regulation. In 380 lowâ income children, we tested whether biological stress profile (cortisol) moderated the association among positive and negative home environment factors (routines; chaos) and emotion regulation (negative lability; positive regulation). Children (M ageâ =â 50.6, SDâ =â 6.4 months) provided saliva samples to assess diurnal cortisol parameters across 3 days. Parents reported on home environment and child emotion regulation. Structural equation modeling was used to test whether cortisol parameters moderated associations between home environment and child emotion regulation. Results showed that home chaos was negatively associated with emotion regulation outcomes; cortisol did not moderate the association. Child cortisol level moderated the routinesâ emotion regulation association such that lack of routine was most strongly associated with poor emotion regulation among children with lower cortisol output. Findings suggest that underlying child stress biology may shape response to environmental influences.Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135499/1/dev21471_am.pdfhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/135499/2/dev21471.pd

Lupus vulgaris reported in 2 cases

Department of Dermatovenerology, State University of Medicine and Pharmacy "Nicolae Testemitanu", Chișinău, Republic of Moldova, Congresul consacrat aniversării a 75-a de la fondarea Universității de Stat de Medicină și Farmacie „Nicolae Testemițanu” din Republica Moldova, Ziua internațională a științei pentru pace și dezvoltareIntroduction: Cutaneous tuberculosis is a group of polymorphous and varied manifestations of the skin and mucous membranes, produced by infection with some species of Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex. The specific primary lesion is the lupoma, sometimes evolving into mutilating forms. Purpose: Lupus vulgaris particularities reported in two clinical cases. Material and methods: A 68-year-old female, presented for multiple infiltrative, prominent erythematous plaques and placards with various diameter, well contoured by a violaceus halo, with irregular contour on the trunk. A 6-year-old boy presented for brownish-red, soft papules with smooth surface on the face and trunk. The lesions appeared 3 years ago; and 6 months ago after a minor trauma injury, the lesions have spread. Results: Chest X-ray didn’t reveal any abnormalities. During dermascopy the sign of “apple jelly” was found positive. Histopathological exam found caseous necrosis, tuberculoid granulomas composed of epithelioid cells and Langhans giant cells, surrounded by mononuclear and a dense lymphocyte infiltrate localized in the dermis. Mantoux probe was 17 mm in diameter. Clinical examination sustained by the histopathological exam and Mantoux probe inferred the diagnosis of lupus vulgaris (tuberculosis). Conclusions: The particularities of the presented cases with distinct clinical signs, the histopathological presence of granulomatous inflammation with specific cellular appearance, the hyperergic Mantoux test and the lack of characteristic pulmonary changes represent a casuistic interest of lupus vulgaris