Environmental agents such as pesticides, weedicides and herbicides (collectively referred to as pesticides) are associated with the onset and pathogenesis of neurodegenerative disorders such as ...Parkinson's (PD) and Alzheimer's (AD) diseases. The development of blood-brain barrier (BBB)-penetrating therapeutic candidates to both prevent and treat the aforementioned xenotoxicant-induced neurodegenerative disorders remains an unmet need. Here, we examine whether caffeic-acid based Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs) can intervene in pesticide-associated onset and progress of the PD phenotype. Pulse-chase fluorescence analyses revealed that CACQDs intervene in the soluble-to-toxic transformation of the amyloid-forming protein model Hen Egg White Lysozyme (HEWL). The sp2-rich CACQDs also scavenged free radicals, a milestone along the PD trajectory. In-vitro, CACQDs introduced into a human neuroblastoma-derived cell line (SH-SY5Y) demonstrated negligible cytotoxicity up to 5 mg/mL and protected the cell line against oxidative stress-induced neuronal injury induced by the pesticide and potent neurotoxin, paraquat. Our findings suggest that the potentially BBB-penetrating CACQDs derived from caffeic acid hold promise for mitigating neurodegenerative disorders associated with environmental pesticides and xenobiotic neurotoxicants. Importantly, CACQDs sourced from coffee, coupled with their facile synthesis, represent a sustainable, green chemistry platform for generating interventional candidates in neurodegeneration.
The application of caffeic acid derived Carbon Quantum Dots (CACQDs) to mitigate oxidative stress induced by paraquat. Display omitted
•Caffeic acid recarbonization offers a green chemistry approach to develop carbon nanomaterials.•BBB-penetrating caffeic acid quantum dots for prevention of neurodegeneration.•CACQDs as potent free radical scavengers for oxidative stress regulation.•CACQDs protect SH-SY5Y Cells against oxidative stress-induced neuronal injury by paraquat.
Micro- and nano-plastics (NPs) are found in human milk, blood, tissues, and organs and associate with aberrant health outcomes including inflammation, genotoxicity, developmental disorders, onset of ...chronic diseases, and autoimmune disorders. Yet, interfacial interactions between plastics and biomolecular systems remain underexplored. Here, we have examined experimentally, in vitro, in vivo, and by computation, the impact of polystyrene (PS) NPs on a host of biomolecular systems and assemblies. Our results reveal that PS NPs essentially abolished the helix-content of the milk protein β-lactoglobulin (BLG) in a dose-dependent manner. Helix loss is corelated with the near stoichiometric formation of β-sheet elements in the protein. Structural alterations in BLG are also likely responsible for the nanoparticle-dependent attrition in binding affinity and weaker on-rate constant of retinol, its physiological ligand (compromising its nutritional role). PS NP-driven helix-to-sheet conversion was also observed in the amyloid-forming trajectory of hen egg-white lysozyme (accelerated fibril formation and reduced helical content in fibrils). Caenorhabditis elegans exposed to PS NPs exhibited a decrease in the fluorescence of green fluorescent protein-tagged dopaminergic neurons and locomotory deficits (akin to the neurotoxin paraquat exposure). Finally, in silico analyses revealed that the most favorable PS/BLG docking score and binding energies corresponded to a pose near the hydrophobic ligand binding pocket (calyx) of the protein where the NP fragment was found to make nonpolar contacts with side-chain residues via the hydrophobic effect and van der Waals forces, compromising side chain/retinol contacts. Binding energetics indicate that PS/BLG interactions destabilize the binding of retinol to the protein and can potentially displace retinol from the calyx region of BLG, thereby impairing its biological function. Collectively, the experimental and high-resolution in silico data provide new insights into the mechanism(s) by which PS NPs corrupt the bimolecular structure and function, induce amyloidosis and onset neuronal injury, and drive aberrant physiological and behavioral outcomes.
Citizen science activities, involving local people in volunteer-supported and sustainable monitoring programs, are common. In this context, the objective of the present work was to develop a simple ...Metric of Aquatic Invertebrates for Volunteers (MAIV), including a user-friendly tool that can be easily accessed by volunteers, and to evaluate the efficiency of a volunteer monitoring program following an audit procedure. To obtain MAIV values, macroinvertebrate communities were reduced to 18 surrogate taxa, which represented an acceptable compromise between simplicity, efficiency, and reproducibility of the data, compared to the regular Water Framework Directive monitoring. When compared to results obtained with the National Classification System of Portugal, MAIV accurately detected moderate, poor, and bad ecological status. Thus, MAIV can be used by volunteers as a complement to the official monitoring program, as well as a prospective early warning tool for local problems related to ecological quality. Volunteers were students supervised by their teachers. Results obtained by volunteers were compared to results obtained by experts on macroinvertebrate identification to measure the efficiency of the procedure, by counting gains and losses on sorting, and identification. Characteristics of groups of volunteers (age and school level) did not influence significantly the efficiency of the procedure, and generally results of volunteers and experts matched.
A percentage of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) improve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the evolution. This entity, defined for the first time in an ...international consensus as heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF), could have a different clinical profile and prognosis than HFrEF. Our main aim was to analyze the differential clinical profile between the two entities, as well as the mid-term prognosis.
Prospective study of a cohort of patients with HFrEF who had echocardiographic data at baseline and follow-up. A comparative analysis of patients who improved LVEF with those who did not was made. Clinical, echocardiographic and therapeutic variables were analyzed, and the mid-term impact in terms of mortality and hospital readmissions for HF was assessed.
Ninety patients were analyzed. Mean age was 66.5(10.4) years, with a male predominance (72.2%). Forty five patients (50%) improved LVEF (Group-1,HFimpEF) and forty five patients (50%) sustained reduced LVEF (Group-2,HFsrEF). The mean time to LVEF improvement in Group-1 was 12.6(5.7) months. Group-1 had a more favorable clinical profile: lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, higher prevalence of de novo HF (75.6% vs. 42.2%; p<0.05), lower prevalence of ischemic etiology (22.2% vs. 42.2%; p<0.05), with less basal dilatation of the left ventricle. At the end of follow-up (mean 19(1) months) Group-1 had a lower hospital readmission rate (3.1% vs. 26.7%; p<0.01), as well as lower mortality (0% vs. 24.4%; p<0.01).
Patients with HFimpEF seem to have a better mid-term prognosis in terms of reduced mortality and hospital admissions. This improvement could be conditioned by the clinical profile of patients HFimpEF.
A percentage of patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF) improve left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) in the evolution. This entity, defined for the first time in an ...international consensus as heart failure with improved ejection fraction (HFimpEF), could have a different clinical profile and prognosis than HFrEF. Our main aim was to analyze the differential clinical profile between the two entities, as well as the mid-term prognosis.
Prospective study of a cohort of patients with HFrEF who had echocardiographic data at baseline and follow-up. A comparative analysis of patients who improved LVEF with those who did not was made. Clinical, echocardiographic and therapeutic variables were analyzed, and the mid-term impact in terms of mortality and hospital readmissions for HF was assessed.
Ninety patients were analyzed. Mean age was 66.5(10.4) years, with a male predominance (72.2%). Forty five patients (50%) improved LVEF (Group-1,HFimpEF) and forty five patients (50%) sustained reduced LVEF (Group-2,HFsrEF). The mean time to LVEF improvement in Group-1 was 12.6(5.7) months. Group-1 had a more favorable clinical profile: lower prevalence of cardiovascular risk factors, higher prevalence of de novo HF (75.6% vs. 42.2%; p<0.05), lower prevalence of ischemic etiology (22.2% vs. 42.2%; p<0.05), with less basal dilatation of the left ventricle. At the end of follow-up (mean 19(1) months) Group-1 had a lower hospital readmission rate (3.1% vs. 26.7%; p<0.01), as well as lower mortality (0% vs. 24.4%; p<0.01).
Patients with HFimpEF seem to have a better mid-term prognosis in terms of reduced mortality and hospital admissions. This improvement could be conditioned by the clinical profile of patients HFimpEF.
Un porcentaje de pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca y fracción de eyección reducida (IC-FEr) mejoran la fracción de eyección ventricular izquierda (FEVI) en la evolución. Esta entidad se ha definido por primera vez en un consenso internacional como insuficiencia cardiaca y fracción de eyección mejorada (IC-FEm), y podría tener un perfil y pronóstico diferente que IC-FEr. Nuestro objetivo fue analizar el perfil de ambas entidades y su pronóstico a medio plazo.
Estudio prospective de una cohorte de pacientes con IC-FEr que tenían datos ecocardiográficos basales y en el seguimiento. Se hizo un análisis comparativo de pacientes con IC-FEm y pacientes con insuficiencia cardiaca y IC-FEpr. Se analizaron variables clínicas, ecocardiográficas y de tratamiento; el impacto clínico a medio plazo se analizó en términos de mortalidad y reingresos hospitalarios por insuficiencia cardiaca.
Se analizaron 90 pacientes, edad media 66,5 (10,4) años (72,2% mujeres). La mitad de los pacientes mejoraron su FEVI, con un tiempo medio hasta la mejoría de 12,6 (5,7) meses. El grupo IC-FEm tenía un perfil clínico más favorable: menor proporción de factores de riesgo cardiovascular, prevalencia más elevada de IC-novo (75,6 vs. 42,2%; p < 0,05), y menor proporción de isquemia (22,2 vs. 42.2%; p < 0,05). Los pacientes con IC-FEm en el seguimiento a medio plazo tenían menor tasa de reingresos (3,1 vs. 26,7%; p < 0,01), y mortalidad (0 vs. 24,4%; p < 0,01).
Pacientes con IC-FEm parecen tener un mejor pronóstico en términos de mortalidad y reingresos hospitalarios por insuficiencia cardiaca (IC). Esta mejoría clínica podría estar condicionada por el perfil de los pacientes con IC-FEm.
Psychoeducative groups help control type 2 diabetes in a primary care setting Cervantes Cuesta, Miguel Ángel; García-Talavera Espín, Noelia Victoria; Brotons Román, Josefa ...
Nutrición hospitalaria : organo oficial de la Sociedad Española de Nutrición Parenteral y Enteral,
03/2013, Letnik:
28, Številka:
2
Journal Article
Odprti dostop
The purpose of this study is to measure the impact of a psychoeducational group intervention in diabetes using glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), the body mass index (BMI) and cardiovascular risk ...factors (CVRF) compared with conventional educational measures provided individually.
A quasi-experimental study (pre/post-intervention) with a non-equivalent control group was conducted, including 72 type 2 individuals with diabetes (mean data: age 63.08 years, HbA1C 6.98%, BMI 30.48 kg/m2).The beneficial effect of psychoeducational group therapy in the study group (PGT) was compared with conventional diabetes education in the control group (CG).
The PGT had a higher mean HbA1c reduction (-0.51 ± 1.7 vs. -0.06 ± 0.53%, p 0.003), met the objectives of optimal control of HbA1c to a higher degree (80% vs. 48%, p 0.005) and greater mean weight reduction (-1.93 ± 3.57 vs. 0.52 ± 1.73 kg, p 0002) than the CG.A significant improvement in total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, systolic and diastolic blood pressure was achieved in PGT (all p < 0.05).
PGT patients achieved a significant improvement in HbA1C, BMI and CVRF, and outperformed the conventional diabetes education group in achieving the optimal diabetes control objectives. Structural changes in the assistance programs should be considered to introduce these more efficient therapies for diabetes education in primary care.
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