•Exercise increases plasma BDNF levels in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders.•Effects were consistent for different exercise type, weekly volume, and intervention length.•These findings ...support the benefits of exercise against neurodegenerative disorders.
Neurodegenerative disorders are associated with reduced levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF). We aimed to assess the effect of exercise interventions on plasma BDNF levels in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders. Eighteen randomized controlled trials (RCT) assessing the effects of exercise interventions versus no exercise on plasma BDNF levels in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders (i.e., multiple sclerosis, Parkinson’s disease, mild cognitive impairment MCI and Alzheimer’s disease) were included. Overall, exercise interventions induced a significant increase in plasma BDNF levels (SMD=2.22, 95% CI=1.33–3.12, p<0.001; 18 studies), which was separately confirmed for multiple sclerosis (SMD= 2.40, 95% CI= 1.30–3.50, p<0.001; 10 studies) and Parkinson's disease (SMD= 10.00, 95% CI= 2.48–17.51, p=0.009; 3 studies), with a non-significant trend also observed for MCI (SMD= 1.07, 95% CI= -0.14–2.28, p=0.080; 4 studies). BDNF levels significantly increased regardless of exercise type (p<0.001, p=0.003 and p=0.020 for combined, aerobic and resistance exercise, respectively), weekly exercise volume (p<0.001 for both ≥150 and <150 min/week) and intervention length (p<0.001 for both interventions of ≥12 and <12 weeks). In conclusion, physical exercise interventions increase plasma BDNF levels in individuals with neurodegenerative disorders.
PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020199459.
The antibody response to respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has been a major focus of COVID-19 research due to its clinical relevance and importance in vaccine and therapeutic ...development. Neutralizing antibody (NAb) evaluations are useful for the determination of individual or herd immunity against SARS-CoV-2, vaccine efficacy, and humoral protective response longevity, as well as supporting donor selection criteria for convalescent plasma therapy. In the current manuscript, we review the essential concepts of NAbs, examining their concept, mechanisms of action, production, and the techniques used for their detection; as well as presenting an overview of the clinical use of antibodies in COVID-19.
Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is a multifactorial neurodegenerative central system disease with a high prevalence among the elderly and is the most common form of dementia. Oxidative stress is crucial on ...AD pathogenesis and leads to deposition of neurofibrillary tangles and Aβ plaques; therefore, the use of natural antioxidants or ROS scavengers could help avoid the formation of these aggregates. Similarly, Aβ-degrading/anti-aggregating molecules could help arrest AD progression. Otherwise, traditional anti-Alzheimer drugs such as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors help improve memory and attention deficits. Nevertheless, all these drugs are extensively metabolized, have low plasma concentration, and cannot cross the blood–brain barrier freely. This review discusses different strategies for nanocarrier conjugation of these drugs for brain targeting and delivery, and new approaches on AD treatment according to the most accepted hypotheses of AD pathogenesis. Although none of the existent compounds or drugs can completely arrest the disease’s progression, nanocarrier development of anti-Alzheimer drugs could help delaying the initial or late stages of neurodegeneration. The discovery of new and more complex nanosystems with multiple approaches in AD treatment is needed and will be the next step in AD treatment in the near future.
The main expected result of a vaccine against viruses is the ability to produce neutralizing antibodies. Currently, several vaccines against SARS-CoV-2 are being applied to prevent mortal ...complications, being Pfizer-BioNTech (BNT162b2) one of the first to be authorized in the USA and Mexico (11 December 2020). This study evaluated the efficacy of this vaccine on antibody production with neutralizing capacity and its side effects in healthcare workers with and without prior SARS-CoV-2 infection and in a group of unvaccinated individuals with prior COVID-19. The main findings are the production of 100% neutralizing antibodies in both groups after the second dose, well-tolerated adverse effects, the possible presence of immunosenescence, and finally, we support that a single dose of this vaccine in individuals with prior COVID-19 would be sufficient to achieve an immunization comparable to people without prior COVID-19 with a complete vaccination program (2 doses).
Este trabajo presenta algunas de las líneas principales del pensamiento de Manuel Sacristán Luzón (1925-1985), el filósofo marxista español más destacado del siglo XX, con el objetivo de visibilizar ...la utilidad de su aportación teórica y política para los enfoques críticos de las Relaciones Internacionales. El materialismo inspirado por Marx y Engels ha quedado relegado en cierta medida a un segundo plano del debate en nuestra disciplina, debido a la consolidación de las teorías reflectivistas como principal alternativa al racionalismo positivista. Sin embargo, Sacristán supo combinar el estudio riguroso de los clásicos con los nuevos conceptos elaborados por Gramsci, de quien fue el principal introductor en España. Asimismo, su formación en epistemología y Filosofía de la Ciencia le lleva a tratar de reconciliar las aspiraciones emancipadoras y éticas de la tradición marxista con el conocimiento obtenido de las ciencias positivas. Su práctica como intelectual y militante comunista durante la Guerra Fría mantuvo una actitud crítica y de denuncia, tanto del imperialismo estadounidense como del despotismo de los dirigentes soviéticos. En la etapa final de su vida, su pensamiento se aproxima a movimientos sociales como el pacifismo, el ecologismo y el feminismo, estableciendo un fructífero diálogo que supera las limitaciones del marxismo más tradicional. Así, el artículo se divide en cuatro apartados. El primero se centra en las reflexiones de este autor sobre epistemología y Filosofía de las ciencias sociales, buscando hacer compatible el valor ético y el potencial emancipador de la tradición marxista con el conocimiento científico empírico; una cuestión que enlaza plenamente con los debates entre positivismo y postpositivismo. El segundo apartado se detiene en la influencia de Gramsci en su pensamiento, que fue muy intensa, pese al encaje más o menos problemático del autor italiano con el materialismo y el positivismo de Sacristán. Los apartados tercero y cuarto pasan del plano teórico al de la praxis, analizando su crítica frente a la URSS y su evolución hacia posiciones pacifistas, aunque sin abandonar nunca el marxismo. Por último, en las conclusiones se ofrece una síntesis de sus contribuciones más relevantes hoy, en un contexto en el que algunos debates de la Guerra Fría han vuelto a cobrar plena actualidad.
Non‐stochastic behavior in sodium chlorate crystallization Cruz, José‐Manuel; Hernández‐Lechuga, Karem; Domínguez‐Valle, Israel ...
Chirality (New York, N.Y.),
January 2020, 2020-01-00, 20200101, Letnik:
32, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
NaClO3 is achiral in solution. If crystallization is performed under a static set‐up, it is recognized that the stochastic nucleation probability results in a racemic mixture of the conglomerate. In ...this paper, we report a reexamination of the crystallization of NaClO3 from static solution in petri dishes that was conducted over a number of years and is based on the count and analysis of several thousand d‐ vs. l‐NaClO3 crystals. Remarkably, instead of an expected nearly 50/50 coin‐tossing situation for the d/l crystal frequency, in most of our experiments a statistically significant bias in favor of d‐ over l‐NaClO3 crystals was found. The experiments also showed that the NaClO3 system was relatively insensitive regarding the intentional addition of a variety of optically active agents. Only in some cases, the persisting d‐bias observed in the unseeded experiments slightly increased upon the presence of such additives. Nevertheless, experiments in plastic petri dishes or in presence of fungal spores were able to reverse this bias. A literature survey shows that mainly d‐directed non‐stochastic behavior in the NaClO3 system has been previously observed in other laboratory settings and by the application of different crystallization techniques. So far, the kind of chiral influence that could be at the origin of the observed bias remains unknown. After the examination of several possible chiral influences of physical, chemical and biological origin, we carefully consider the presence of bio‐contaminants as most likely for the cause of this effect.
Kidney transplant recipients are at risk of developing important adverse effects after transplantation. The objective of this study was to investigate the effects of a 10‐week supervised resistance ...exercise‐based intervention in kidney transplant recipients. Sixteen participants were randomized to a training (n = 8, 49.7 ± 9.6 years) or control group (n = 8, 48.6 ± 10.6 years). The primary endpoint was health‐related quality of life evaluated through the Kidney Disease Quality of Life‐Short Form (KDQOL‐SF), which includes the 36‐Item Short Form Survey (SF‐36), and secondary endpoints included physical performance (6‐minute walk distance 6‐MWD, 60‐second sit to stand test 60‐STS, 8‐foot up and go test, and handgrip and lower limb muscle strength), muscle mass, and biochemical parameters. Endpoints were assessed at baseline and after 10 weeks. Resistance exercise significantly increased (P < .05) some SF‐36 domains and tended to induce improvements in one specific KDQOL‐SF domain (P = .050). Further, exercise benefits were observed for 6‐MWD (9% and 1% for the training and control groups, respectively; P < .001), handgrip strength (7% and −1%; P = .005), 60‐STS repetitions (18% and −7%; P < .001), and 8‐foot up and go test performance time (−5% and 6%; P = .010). No between‐group differences (P > .05) were found for the remaining endpoints. There were no adverse events, musculoskeletal injuries, hypoglycemic episodes, cardiovascular events, or hospitalizations related to the intervention. In conclusion, 10 weeks of supervised resistance training is enough to improve quality of life and physical performance without side effects such as musculoskeletal injuries, hypoglycemic episodes, cardiovascular events, or hospitalizations related to the intervention in kidney transplant recipients.
Context: There have been no reports of the extraction of essential oil (EO) from white cabbage Brassica oleracea L. var. capitata (L.) Alef. f. alba DC. (Brassicaceae) (Bocfal) or its chemical ...composition, antioxidant activity, or hepatoprotective effects.
Objective: To extract Bocfal EO, to identify and quantify its chemical components, to assess their antioxidant capacity, and to evaluate the hepatoprotective properties of Bocfal EO.
Materials and methods: Bocfal EO was obtained using hydrodistillation (200 mm Hg/58 °C). The chemical composition was analyzed using GC-MS and was quantified using GC-FID. The antioxidant activity of Bocfal EO and its main constituents was evaluated using TBARS in rat brain homogenates. A Bocfal EO hepatoprotective effect (192 mg/kg) on acute carbon tetrachloride (CT)-induced liver damage was determined in rats using biochemical markers and histological analysis. Diallyl disulphide (DADS) (1 mmol/kg) was used as a control for comparison.
Results: Bocfal EO contained organic polysulphides (OPSs), such as dimethyl trisulphide (DMTS) 65.43 ± 4.92% and dimethyl disulphide (DMDS) 19.29 ± 2.16% as major constituents. Bocfal EO and DMTS were found to be potent TBARS inhibitors with IC
50
values of 0.51 and 3 mg/L, respectively. Bocfal EO demonstrated better hepatoprotective properties than did DADS (p < 0.05), although both slightly affected the hepatic parenchyma per se, as observed using histopathology.
Discussion and conclusion: The antioxidant properties of Bocfal EO and DMTS may be the mechanism of hepatoprotective action; the parenchymal disturbances by Bocfal EO or DADS alone may be related to the high doses used.
Background
Metabolic syndrome (MetS) prevalence in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients is known to vary considerably across the world. This study aimed to determine the prevalence of MetS in RA ...patients from western Mexico and to analyze the interrelation of the MetS components with the clinical variables of RA.
Methods
This case‐control study included 216 RA patients and 260 control subjects (CS). MetS prevalence was determined according to the NCEP/ATP III and the Latin American Consensus of the Latin American Diabetes Association (ALAD) criteria.
Results
MetS was observed in 30.6% RA patients and 33.3% of controls (p > 0.05) according to NCEP/ATP III and 28.7% in RA patients and 31.1% for controls using ALAD criteria. Total cholesterol, LDL‐C, and Castelli's I‐II indexes were lower in RA (p < 0.001) than in CS. The RA patients with MetS had more swollen joints than those without MetS (p = 0.018). In RA patients with MetS, DAS‐28 score correlated with smoking index (rho = 0.4601, p = 0.0004) and VLDL‐C (rho = 0.3108, p = 0.0056); similarly, rheumatoid factor (RF) correlated with age (rho = 0.2031, p = 0.0027), smoking index (rho = 0.3404, p < 0.0001), triglycerides (rho = 0.1958, p = 0.0039), and VLDL‐C (rho = 0.1761, p = 0.0162).
Conclusions
The MetS prevalence in RA patients from western Mexico is not higher than controls; however, in RA patients with MetS, some inflammatory markers are associated with MetS components; thus, the control of MetS in RA could be beneficial to regulate disease activity.
Relationship between rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and metabolic syndrome (MetS). The figure shows how the inflammatory markers of RA (IL‐6, TNF‐alpha, rheumatoid factor, etc,) can favor a response in different organs and tissues associated with the pathogenesis of MetS, such as the liver, pancreas, and the cardiovascular system, thus favoring the development of insulin resistance, atherosclerosis, and chronic inflammation. Likewise, the components of the Mets can favor the perpetuation of inflammation in RA.
Bioprospecting identifies new sources of compounds with actual or potential economic value that come from biodiversity. An analysis was performed regarding bioprospecting purposes in ten genotypes of ...Sechium spp., through a meta-analysis of 20 information sources considering different variables: five morphological, 19 biochemical, anti-proliferative activity of extracts on five malignant cell lines, and 188 polymorphic bands of amplified fragment length polymorphisms, were used in order to identify the most relevant variables for the design of genetic interbreeding. Significant relationships between morphological and biochemical characters and anti-proliferative activity in cell lines were obtained, with five principal components for principal component analysis (SAS/ETS); variables were identified with a statistical significance (< 0.7 and Pearson values ≥ 0.7), with 80.81% of the accumulation of genetic variation and 110 genetic bands. Thirty-nine (39) variables were recovered using NTSYSpc software where 30 showed a Pearson correlation (> 0.5) and nine variables (< 0.05), Finally, using a cladistics analysis approach highlighted 65 genetic bands, in addition to color of the fruit, presence of thorns, bitter flavor, piriform and oblong shape, and also content of chlorophylls a and b, presence of cucurbitacins, and the IC
effect of chayote extracts on the four cell lines.
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