This study characterizes biologically active compounds of berry fruits, including non-nutritive compounds such as phenolic compounds, including anthocyanins, phenolic acids, stilbens and tannins, as ...well as nutritive compounds such as carotenoids and vitamin C. It discusses the biological activity of those compounds, in particular their antioxidant properties and the resulting health benefits.
Breaking an impasse in finding mechanism-based therapies of neuropsychiatric disorders requires a strategic shift towards alleviating individual symptoms. Here we present a symptom and ...circuit-specific approach to rescue deficits of reward learning in Fmr1 knockout mice, a model of Fragile X syndrome (FXS), the most common monogenetic cause of inherited mental disability and autism. We use high-throughput, ecologically-relevant automated tests of cognition and social behavior to assess effectiveness of the circuit-targeted injections of designer nanoparticles, loaded with TIMP metalloproteinase inhibitor 1 protein (TIMP-1). Further, to investigate the impact of our therapeutic strategy on neuronal plasticity we perform long-term potentiation recordings and high-resolution electron microscopy. We show that central amygdala-targeted delivery of TIMP-1 designer nanoparticles reverses impaired cognition in Fmr1 knockouts, while having no impact on deficits of social behavior, hence corroborating symptom-specificity of the proposed approach. Moreover, we elucidate the neural correlates of the highly specific behavioral rescue by showing that the applied therapeutic intervention restores functional synaptic plasticity and ultrastructure of neurons in the central amygdala. Thus, we present a targeted, symptom-specific and mechanism-based strategy to remedy cognitive deficits in Fragile X syndrome.
Highlights • The maturation process of spinal V3 interneurons is studied during the first 3 weeks of birth. • The ventral and dorsal V3 subpopulations are physiologically distinguishable at postnatal ...day (P) 0. • The physiological properties of V3 subpopulations mature separately from P0 to P21. • Both V3 subpopulations progress through multiple phases during maturation.
The study involved an evaluation of five cranberry cultivars grown in Poland: Ben Lear, Pilgrim, Stevens, Early Richard and Bergman. The reference sample comprised wild-grown common cranberry ...(Vaccinium oxycoccus). The mass fractions of total phenolic compounds, anthocyanins and resveratrol (HPLC-DAD), as well as the antioxidant properties (DPPH.sup.*, sup.*OH and ABTS.sup.+ radical scavenging capacity) were determined. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were reported as regards the mass fractions of polyphenols and anthocyanins in the fruit of the analysed cultivars. The highest polyphenol mass fraction was determined in Ben Lear (374.2 mg per 100 g of fresh mass), while Early Richard was the richest source of anthocyanins (77.1 mg per 100 g of fresh mass). The fruit of common cranberry contained the highest quantities of resveratrol (712.3 ng/g of fresh mass), and its mass fraction in the investigated cultivars ranged from 533.4 (cv. Stevens) to 598.2 ng/g of fresh mass (Ben Lear). Common cranberry was also marked by the highest ABTS.sup.+ scavenging capacity. Stevens and Pilgrim were characterised by a strong capability to scavenge DPPH.sup.* and sup.*OH free radicals. Statistically significant differences (p<0.05) were observed in respect of the free radical scavenging capacity of most investigated cranberry cultivars. Key words: cranberry, polyphenols, anthocyanins, resveratrol, antioxidant properties, DPPH.sup.*, sup.*OH and ABTS.sup.+ scavenging activity
To evaluate individual variations in broccoli VOLTA F1 plants, the bioactive components of 15 florets that were cultivated in identical agricultural and climatic conditions were analyzed. ...Glucosinolates were analyzed by HPLC; total phenolic compounds, ascorbic and dehydroascorbic acids (vitamin C) and the DPPHround bullet, filled and OHround bullet, filled radical-scavenging activities of samples were also determined. Florets were characterized by particularly high glucoraphanin content, 17.95 μmol/g dry weight on average, which comprised about 50% of total glucosinolates. High individual variation was observed for several bioactive compounds, as well as for DPPHround bullet, filled and OHround bullet, filled radical-scavenging activity. Coefficients of variability (CVs) were high, and except for one case, exceeded 10%. Among glucosinolates, the highest CVs were noted for progoitrin (34.22%), 4-hydroxyglucobrassicin (27.32%) and neoglucobrassicin (24.44%). High CVs were also observed for vitamin C (29.11%), including dehydroascorbic acid (26.72%), and for OHround bullet, filled (25.76%) and DPPHround bullet, filled (21.77%) radical-scavenging activities. Smaller variations were found for glucoraphanin (CV = 14.84%) and polyphenols (CV = 14.95%).
GRB221009A is the brightest gamma-ray burst ever detected. To probe the very-high-energy (VHE, $>$100 GeV) emission, the High Energy Stereoscopic System (H.E.S.S.) began observations 53 hours after ...the triggering event, when the brightness of the moonlight no longer precluded observations. We derive differential and integral upper limits using H.E.S.S. data from the third, fourth, and ninth nights after the initial GRB detection, after applying atmospheric corrections. The combined observations yield an integral energy flux upper limit of $\Phi_\mathrm{UL}^{95\%} = 9.7 \times 10^{-12}~\mathrm{erg\,cm^{-2}\,s^{-1}}$ above $E_\mathrm{thr} = 650$ GeV. The constraints derived from the H.E.S.S. observations complement the available multiwavelength data. The radio to X-ray data are consistent with synchrotron emission from a single electron population, with the peak in the SED occurring above the X-ray band. Compared to the VHE-bright GRB190829A, the upper limits for GRB221009A imply a smaller gamma-ray to X-ray flux ratio in the afterglow. Even in the absence of a detection, the H.E.S.S. upper limits thus contribute to the multiwavelength picture of GRB221009A, effectively ruling out an IC dominated scenario.
A link between chemotherapy, the serum level of selected adipokines and clinical outcome in colorectal patients was investigated.
Leptin, adiponectin, resistin, visfatin and insulin were measured by ...ELISA in colorectal cancer patients before and 3 months after the administration of cancer therapy. From August 2012 to August 2013, 34 patients with pathologically documented advanced colorectal cancer (T3/T4 with metastases or nodal status up to N3) and measurable metastatic disease, who required palliative chemotherapy based on the combination of 5-fluorouracil, oxaliplatin and irinotecan, were prospectively recruited in this study. Patients previously underwent curative surgical tumour resection, but the disease was disseminated (metastases in the liver and/or lungs) at the time of admission to the hospital.
Of the 34 patients in this study, 5 accomplished a chemotherapy course with partial response (PR), 23 with SD (stabilisation) and 6 with progression (PD). For further study, only patients with good prognostic outcomes (i.e., PR and SD patients) were included. The mean level of leptin before chemotherapy was 26.39 ± 9.53 ng/ml. After six courses of cancer treatment, the leptin level increased by 118-57.44 ± 27.72 ng/ml (p<0.001). Additionally, the adiponectin level increased considerably (47%) from 9.89 ± 3.96 ng/ml to 14.51 ± 7.79 ng/ml (p<0.001). In contrast to leptin and adiponectin, the resistin and visfatin levels decreased significantly from 7.24 ± 1.17 and 1.98 ± 0.44 to 6.36 ± 1.36 and 1.48 ± 0.34 ng/ml (p<0.001), respectively. Insulin also declined remarkably from 16.20 ± 1.96 to 12.87 ± 1.80 (p<0.001). There were no significant differences the between male and female patients regarding age, BMI, and leptin, adiponectin, resistin, visfatin and insulin serum levels.
The results of the present study are relevant because we found that chemotherapy in colorectal cancer patients, in addition to its beneficial clinical impact on the course of disease, positively affects cytokine production and release (increases the anti-inflammatory adiponectin and decreases visfatin and resistin, which are proangiogenic and promote cancer cell proliferation). The restoration of adequate adipose tissue function is essential for patients to achieve a good survival prognosis.
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