Anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effects of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR) activation in the rat hippocampus

Recently we found that acute treatment with Oxotremorine (Oxo), a non-selective mAChRs agonist, up-regulates heat shock proteins and activates their transcription factor heat shock factor 1 in the rat hippocampus. Here we aimed to investigate: a) if acute treatment with Oxo may regulate pro-inflammatory or anti-inflammatory cytokines and oxidative stress in the rat hippocampus; b) if chronic restraint stress (CRS) induces inflammatory or oxidative alterations in the hippocampus and whether such alterations may be affected by chronic treatment with Oxo. In the acute experiment, rats were injected with single dose of Oxo (0.4 mg/kg) and sacrificed at 24 h, 48 h and 72 h. In the CRS experiment, the rats were exposed for 21 days to the CRS and then were treated with Oxo (0.2 mg/kg) for further 10 days. The acute Oxo treatment showed an ability to significantly reduce reactive oxygen species (ROS), singlet oxygen (1O2), pro-inflammatory cytokines levels (IL-1β and IL-6) and phosphorylated NF-κB-p65. Acute Oxo treatment also increased superoxide dismutase (SOD)-2 protein levels and stimulated SOD activity. No differences were detected in the anti-inflammatory cytokine levels, including IL-10 and TGF-β1. In the group of rats exposed to the CRS were found increased hippocampal IL-1β and IL-6 levels, together with a reduction of SOD activity level. These changes produced by CRS were counteracted by chronic Oxo treatment. In contrast, the upregulation of ROS and 1O2 levels in the CRS group was not counteracted by chronic Oxo treatment. The results revealed a hippocampal anti-inflammatory and antioxidant effect of Oxo treatment in both basal conditions and anti-inflammatory in the CRS rat model

Myocardial infarction marker levels are influenced by prothrombin and tumor necrosis factor-\u3b1 gene polymorphisms in young patients.

Polymorphisms of genes encoding key factors for the control and activation of inflammatory response and coagulation cascade regulation may play a role in genetic susceptibility to acute myocardial infarction (AMI). This study sought to analyze the effect of TNF - 308G/A and pro-thrombin (FII) 20210G/A polymorphisms on the laboratory parameters of young patients affected by AMI. Results indicated that TNF - 308A positive genotype frequencies were increased in these patients and that a genetically determined higher production of TNF-alpha is associated in young subjects to a more severe cardiac damage as depicted by higher levels of troponin, Creatine kinase-MB Isoenzyme (mCK-MB) and a significant increased plasma fibrinogen levels. Similar and probably additive effects on might have a genetically determined increased production of pro-thrombin even if no significant differences in genotype frequencies of pro-thrombin (FII) 20210G/A polymorphisms were observed in this study. All together these results, indicating the relationship among genetically determined TNF alpha and FII production and increased levels of tissue damage markers of AMI, suggest that a complex genetic background, might be involved in susceptibility to AMI in young men influencing the extension and severity of the disease

Characterization of metabolically healthy obese people and metabolically unhealthy normal-weight people in a general population cohort of the ABCD Study

There is actually no consensus about the possibility that in some instances, obesity may be a benign metabolically healthy (MH) condition as opposed to a normal-weight but metabolically unhealthy (MUH) state. The aim of this study was to characterize MH condition and to investigate possible associations with metabolic and cardiovascular complications. One thousand nineteen people (range of age 18-90 years) of the cohort of the ABCD-2 study were investigated. Participants were classified as normal weight (BMI < 24.9 kg/m2) or overweight-obese (BMI \ue2\u89\ua525 kg/m2); they were also classified as MH in the presence of 0-1 among the following conditions: (a) prediabetes/type 2 diabetes, (b) hypertension, (c) hypertriglyceridemia or low HDL cholesterolemia, and (d) hypercholesterolemia. MUH condition was diagnosed if \ue2\u89\ua52 of the conditions listed were found. The prevalence of overweight/obese people was 71.1%, of whom 27.4% were found to be MH. In addition, 36.7% of the normal-weight participants were MUH. HOMA-IR, high sensitivity C-reactive protein, and the carotid intima-media thickness were significantly different in the 4 subgroups (P < 0.001), with higher values observed in the MUH normal-weight and obese groups. In conclusion, this study highlights the importance of identifying a MH condition in normal-weight and in obese people in order to offer better treatment

Cardiac risk stratification in elective non-cardiac surgery: role of NT-proBNP

AIM: The aim of the study was to investigate the utility of NT-proBNP measurement for the stratification of presurgical cardiac risk. METHODS: Cardiac risk before elective non-cardiac surgery was evaluated in 82 consecutive patients. From each patient a venous blood sample was drawn to determinate NT-proBNP levels. Patients were followed up over three months in order to detect the occurrence of cardiac adverse events. RESULTS: NT-proBNP was positively correlated (P<0.0001) with age, days of hospitalization (P=0.001) and ASA class (P=0.001). High surgical risk (P<0.0001), diabetes (P=0.004), dyslipidemia (P=0.006) and elevated levels of NT-proBNP (P<0.0001) were significantly correlated with events. Using a logistic regression analysis we found an independent association between pre-operative elevated NT-proBNP and postoperative cardiac events (OR 1.2, 95% CI 1.0-1.4, P=0.01). CONCLUSION: Measuring NT-proBNP before non cardiac surgery in clinical practice could be useful to better stratify patients' risk

The Pattern of Rare Earth Elements Like a Possible Helpful Tool in Traceability and Geographical Characterization of the Soil-Olive System (Olea europaea L.)

The identification of a product, with its geographical origin, is a guaranty of the value of the foodstuff and protection from potential fraud. Extra virgin olive oil is produced or marketed as a single variety or a blend of two or more cultivars, often of different geographic origins. Therefore, to study a possible link between the soil and olive oil, we accounted crucial to analyse the behaviour of olive of different cultivars. We studied Rare Earth Elements (REE) amounts and their relationship to trace their distribution from soil to the olive pulp (Olea europea L.). The results obtained pointed out that the different cultivars of Olea did not drive significant differences in reciprocal ratios of REE in the uptake from the soil up to olive (except for Eu). However soil-plant Rare Earth relationships depend exclusively on the soil REE composition. This method can be the starting point to enforcing the laws, in fact, it is important to develop analytical methods to measure the authenticity of the samples, and to verify the geographical origin even when olive oil is blended

Prevalence and distribution of odontogenic cysts in Sicily: 1986-2005

The objective of this study was to assess the prevalence of odontogenic cysts (OCs) in Sicily and evaluate their distribution during a 20-year period. A cross-sectional retrospective study was carried out in 1,310 cysts of the jaw diagnosed in 12,197 individuals, who consecutively attended the Odontostomatologic Clinic of Palermo from 1986 to 2005. 1,273 cysts were classified as odontogenic, whereas only 37 were non-odontogenic. In the former group, the most frequent lesions were radicular cysts (84.5%), followed by dentigerous OCs (11.4%). Inflammatory radicular cysts were observed more in male gender, younger age at diagnosis and anterior maxilla as site of presentation. Unlike dentigerous cysts, the frequency of radicular cysts decreased from 10.4% in 1986-1995 to about 8% in 1996-2005 (P < 0.0001). Inflammatory radicular cysts are the most represented group among OCs in our area with a higher prevalence than that reported in other countries. The decreasing epidemiologic trend with time could be attributed to the possible changes in individual oral health behavior