Redox Modulations, Antioxidants, and Neuropsychiatric Disorders

Although antioxidants, redox modulations, and neuropsychiatric disorders have been widely studied for many years, the field would benefit from an integrative and corroborative review. Our primary objective is to delineate the biological significance of compounds that modulate our redox status (i.e., reactive species and antioxidants) as well as outline their current role in brain health and the impact of redox modulations on the severity of illnesses. Therefore, this review will not enter into the debate regarding the perceived medical legitimacy of antioxidants but rather seek to clarify their abilities and limitations. With this in mind, antioxidants may be interpreted as natural products with significant pharmacological actions in the body. A renewed understanding of these often overlooked compounds will allow us to critically appraise the current literature and provide an informed, novel perspective on an important healthcare issue. In this review, we will introduce the complex topics of redox modulations and their role in the development of select neuropsychiatric disorders

Oxidative stress predicts depressive symptom changes with omega-3 fatty acid treatment in coronary artery disease patients

AbstractBackgroundAntidepressant efficacy of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (n-3 PUFA) treatment in coronary artery disease (CAD) patients remains unpredictable. N-3 PUFA can mitigate oxidative stress, which is common in CAD and may contribute to depressive symptoms. This study investigated whether greater pre-treatment oxidative stress, measured by the ratios of late-stage lipid peroxidation markers (malondialdehyde [MDA], 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal [4-HNE], and 8-isoprostane [8-ISO]) to an early-stage marker (lipid hydroperoxides [LPH]), predicted n-3 PUFA antidepressant benefits in CAD.MethodsThis was a secondary analysis of CAROTID (CAD Randomized Omega-3 Trial in Depression, NCT00981383). Patient demographics and medical characteristics were collected. Depressive symptoms were measured using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D). Patients were then randomized to receive either 1.9g/day n-3 PUFA or placebo for 12weeks, after which HAM-D scores were reassessed. Baseline LPH, 4-HNE, 8-ISO, MDA and n-3 PUFA concentrations were analysed from fasting blood.ResultsSeventy-nine patients (age=61.1±8.5, 76% male, HAM-D=7.5±6.1) were included (n=45 placebo, n=34 n-3 PUFA). In the n-3 PUFA group, higher baseline ratios of MDA/LPH (primary analysis: F1,33=6.20, beta=−0.35, p=0.018), 4-HNE/LPH (exploratory analysis: F1,33=5.35, beta=−0.32, p=0.027), and 8-ISO/LPH (exploratory analysis: F1,33=6.10, beta=−0.33, p=0.019), indicating higher oxidative stress, were associated with greater depressive symptom improvement. In each model, higher baseline EPA+DHA concentrations independently predicted depressive symptom improvement with n-3 PUFA (MDA/LPH: F1,33=11.05, p=0.002; 4-HNE/LPH: F1,33=11.36, p=0.002; 8-ISO/LPH: F1,33=13.15, p=0.001). No associations were observed in the placebo group.Conclusionsn-3 PUFA may be more likely to improve depressive symptoms in CAD patients with pre-treatment evidence of oxidative stress

Prevalência de Toxoplasma gondii em aves e suínos: um problema para a saúde pública

A necessidade de consumir alimentos de boa qualidade é essencial para que a saúde pública não seja prejudicada. Algumas doenças, que são denominadas de zoonoses, causam sérios problemas à população, e uma das formas de infecção dos seres humanos é quando os alimentos são consumidos de forma inadequada. Quando o homem entra em contato com o agente da toxoplasmose, o Toxoplasma gondii, seja de forma direta, mediante a ingestão dos oocistos, seja de forma indireta, por meio do consumo de carne malcozida contendo cistos, pode ocorrer a infecção. Os danos que a doença causa nos seres humanos, em muitos casos, são irreversíveis, principalmente quando a gestante se infecta, provocando sérios danos ao feto. O objetivo da realização deste estudo foi contribuir com dados sobre a prevalência de anticorpos para Toxoplasma gondii em aves e suínos de propriedades e residências da região Oeste de Santa Catarina. Foram avaliadas aves criadas em fundo de quintal e suínos e aves criados em escala industrial. Coletou-se sangue de 128 aves e 505 suínos, de 5 e 12 municípios do Oeste de Santa Catarina, respectivamente. Por intermédio da técnica de hemaglutinação indireta, concluiu-se que 17,1% das aves e 17,22% dos suínos eram positivos. A adoção de normas de prevenção e biosseguridade em granja são pontos importantes para que se quebre o ciclo da toxoplasmose, diminuindo a incidência de casos de toxoplasmose humana e animal. Palavras-chave: Toxoplasmose. Saúde Pública. Suínos. Aves

Organic and conventional yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis A. St. Hil) improves metabolic redox status of liver and serum in Wistar rats

Organic and conventional yerba mate (Ilex paraguariensis) is widely used in South America to prepare nonalcoholic drinks rich in polyphenols. These compounds are able to prevent the generation of reactive species, thus minimizing the incidence of several diseases. In this perspective, we hypothesized that yerba mate may have protective effects against pentylenetetrazol (PTZ)-induced oxidative damage in liver and serum of rats. Animals (n = 42) received distilled water (control) or yerba mate (organic or conventional) for fifteen days. Then, half of the rats of each group received 60 mg/kg PTZ intraperitoneally or saline solution. After 30 min the animals were euthanized and the liver and blood were collected. The results showed that organic and conventional yerba mate avoided PTZ-induced oxidative damage and nitric oxide production in the liver and serum of the rats. Moreover, both kinds of yerba mate prevented the decrease in enzymatic (superoxide dismutase and catalase) and non-enzymatic (sulfhydryl protein content) defenses in the liver and serum. In addition, histopathologic analysis of the liver showed that yerba mate reduced PTZ-induced cell damage. These findings indicate that yerba mate provides hepatoprotection and improves antioxidant status in the serum, which may contribute to the development of new therapeutic strategies using nutraceuticals drinks

Ancestrality and Mosaicism of Giant Viruses Supporting the Definition of the Fourth TRUC of Microbes

Giant viruses of amoebae were discovered in 2003. Since then, their diversity has greatly expanded. They were suggested to form a fourth branch of life, collectively named ‘TRUC’ (for “Things Resisting Uncompleted Classifications”) alongside Bacteria, Archaea, and Eukarya. Their origin and ancestrality remain controversial. Here, we specify the evolution and definition of giant viruses. Phylogenetic and phenetic analyses of informational gene repertoires of giant viruses and selected bacteria, archaea and eukaryota were performed, including structural phylogenomics based on protein structural domains grouped into 289 universal fold superfamilies (FSFs). Hierarchical clustering analysis was performed based on a binary presence/absence matrix constructed using 727 informational COGs from cellular organisms. The presence/absence of ‘universal’ FSF domains was used to generate an unrooted maximum parsimony phylogenomic tree. Comparison of the gene content of a giant virus with those of a bacterium, an archaeon, and a eukaryote with small genomes was also performed. Overall, both cladistic analyses based on gene sequences of very central and ancient proteins and on highly conserved protein fold structures as well as phenetic analyses were congruent regarding the delineation of a fourth branch of microbes comprised by giant viruses. Giant viruses appeared as a basal group in the tree of all proteomes. A pangenome and core genome determined for Rickettsia bellii (bacteria), Methanomassiliicoccus luminyensis (archaeon), Encephalitozoon intestinalis (eukaryote), and Tupanvirus (giant virus) showed a substantial proportion of Tupanvirus genes that overlap with those of the cellular microbes. In addition, a substantial genome mosaicism was observed, with 51, 11, 8, and 0.2% of Tupanvirus genes best matching with viruses, eukaryota, bacteria, and archaea, respectively. Finally, we found that genes themselves may be subject to lateral sequence transfers. In summary, our data highlight the quantum leap between classical and giant viruses. Phylogenetic and phyletic analyses and the study of protein fold superfamilies confirm previous evidence of the existence of a fourth TRUC of life that includes giant viruses, and highlight its ancestrality and mosaicism. They also point out that best evolutionary representations for giant viruses and cellular microorganisms are rhizomes, and that sequence transfers rather than gene transfers have to be considered

Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, Colombia

We investigated 2 fatal cases of Rocky Mountain spotted fever that occurred in 2003 and 2004 near the same locality in Colombia where the disease was first reported in the 1930s. A retrospective serosurvey of febrile patients showed that >21% of the serum samples had antibodies against spotted fever group rickettsiae

Toxicology Studies - Cells, Drugs and Environment

The increased exposure to toxins, toxicants and novel drugs has promoted toxicology to become one of the most important areas of research with emerging innovative toxicity testing protocols, techniques, and regulation being placed. Since the bioactivation of many toxins and toxicants and its consequences on human health are not clearly known, this book offers a quick overview of cellular toxicology through the cell, drug and environmental toxicity. This book does not strive to be comprehensive but instead offers a quick overview of principle aspects of toxins and toxicants in order to familiarize the key principles of toxicology. The book is divided into three main sections,; the first one discusses the role of mitochondrial dysfunction, oxidative stress and mitochondrial drug development. The second and third sections bring light to forensic toxicology and drug poisoning followed by environmental toxicity

Processo de obtenção de extrato de uva com propriedade anticonvulsivante, extrato obtido, uso de extrato e composição compreendendo extrato com propriedade anticonvulsivante

Fundação Universidade de Caxias do SulUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulCiências Básicas da SaúdeDepositad