The Influence of Vitamin A Supplementation on Iron Status

Vitamin A (VA) and iron deficiencies are important nutritional problems, affecting particularly preschool children, as well as pregnant and lactating women. A PubMed (National Library of Medicine, National Institutes of Health, Bethesda, MD, USA) literature review was carried out to search for clinical trials published from 1992 to 2013 that assessed the influence of vitamin A supplementation on iron status. Simultaneous use of iron and vitamin A supplements seemed to be more effective to prevent iron deficiency anemia than the use of these micronutrients alone. Some studies did not include a placebo group and only a few of them assessed vitamin A status of the individuals at baseline. Moreover, the studies did not consider any inflammatory marker and a reasonable number of iron parameters. Another important limitation was the lack of assessment of hemoglobin variants, especially in regions with a high prevalence of anemia. Assessment of hemoglobin variants, inflammatory markers and anemia of chronic inflammation would be important to the studies investigated. Studies involving different populations are necessary to elucidate the interaction between the two micronutrients, especially regarding iron absorption and modulation of erythropoiesis.     

LPS-induced impairment of Na+/K+-ATPase activity: ameliorative effect of tannic acid in mice

Metabolic Brain Disease - Acetylcholine is an excitatory neurotransmitter that modulates synaptic plasticity and communication, and it is essential for learning and memory processes. This...     

Subchronic administration of nandrolone decanoate in acetylcholinesterase activity in Wistar rats

Health sciences have recently discovered the medical uses of nandrolone decanoate (ND), an androgenic anabolic steroid (AAS), and reported its use in human and animal patients. Clinical evidences suggest that the AAS excess may affect the cholinergic system, which is responsible for several vital functions like learning, memory, and the organization of the movements. Thus, our aim is to research the subchronic effect of ND when administered in varying doses on the acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity in these brain structures: cerebellum (CE), hippocampus, striatum (ST), and cortex of adult rats. We used 36 male Wistar rats, which were divided into six groups (n?=?6). The groups were divided into: G1—control (physiologic solution), G2—diluents control (only an oleaginous vehicle of vegetal origin—olive oil), G3—0.42?mg?kg^?1 of ND, G4—1.8?mg?kg^?1 of ND, G5—4.6?mg?kg^?1 of ND, and G6—10.0?mg?kg^?1 of ND. We applied the doses once every week during a 3-week period. The values obtained demonstrated a significant increase in the AChE activity (referring to ST and CE for the 4.6 and 10.0?mg?kg^?1 doses of ND). The ND causes increase in AChE activity, which could impair neurotransmission and cholinergic modulation.     

Acute administration of methionine and/or methionine sulfoxide impairs redox status and induces apoptosis in rat cerebral cortex

Metabolic Brain Disease - High plasma levels of methionine (Met) and its metabolites such as methionine sulfoxide (MetO) may occur in several genetic abnormalities. Patients with hypermethioninemia...     

Ovariectomy Enhances Acetylcholinesterase Activity But Does Not Alter Ganglioside Content in Cerebral Cortex of Female Adult Rats

In the present work we investigated the effect of ovariectomy on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and ganglioside content in cerebral cortex of female rats. We also studied the activity of butyrylcholinesterase (BuChE) in serum of these animals. Adult Wistar rats were divided into three groups: (1) naive females (control), (2) sham-operated females and (3) castrated females (ovariectomy). Thirty days after ovariectomy, rats were sacrificed by decapitation without anaesthesia. Blood was collected and the serum used for BuChE determination. Cerebral cortex was homogenized to determine AChE activity and extracted with chlorophorm:methanol for ganglioside evaluation. Results showed that rats subjected to ovariectomy presented a significant increase of AChE activity, but did not change the content and the profile of gangliosides in cerebral cortex when compared to sham or naive rats. BuChE activity was decreased in serum of rats ovariectomized. Our findings suggest that the alteration in the activity of brain AChE, as well as serum BuChE activity caused by ovariectomy may contribute to the impaired cognition and/or other neurological dysfunction found in post-menopausal women.     

Psychiatric comorbidity and suicidal behavior in epilepsy: A community‐based case–control study

Purpose: To provide information about psychiatric comorbidity and suicidal behavior in people with epilepsy compared to those without epilepsy from a community sample in Brazil. Methods: An attempt was made to evaluate all 174 subjects with epilepsy (cases) identified in a previous survey. For every case identified, an individual without epilepsy (control) matched by sex and age was selected in the same neighborhood. A structured interview with validated psychiatric scales was performed. One hundred and fifty‐three cases and 154 controls were enrolled in the study. Results: People with epilepsy had anxiety more frequently [39.4% vs. 23.8%, odds ratio (OR) 2.1, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.2–3.5; p = 0.006], depression (24.4% vs. 14.7%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.01–3.5; p = 0.04), and anger (55.6% vs. 39.7%, OR 1.9, 95% CI 1.2–3.1; p = 0.008). They also reported more suicidal thoughts [36.7% vs. 23.8%, OR 1.8, 95% CI 1.1–3.1; p = 0.02), plans (18.2% vs. 3.3%, OR 2.0, 95% CI 1.0–4.0; p = 0.04), and attempts (12.1% vs. 5.3%, OR 2.4, 95% CI 1.1–3.2, p = 0.04) during life than controls. Conclusions: These findings call attention to psychiatric comorbidity and suicidal behavior associated with epilepsy. Suicide risk assessment, mental evaluation, and treatment may improve quality of life in epilepsy and ultimately prevent suicide.     

A preliminary study of stress symptoms and nutritional state in children

The aim of this work was to examine the occurrence of stressful events in the lives of children, using the ‘Scale of Infantile Social Readjustment’ (SISR), and the ‘Inventory of Symptoms of Infantile Stress’ (ISIS) to identify the presence of stress symptoms. The results of these evaluations were then used to examine the relationship between the levels of stress and the nutritional state of the children, by correlation. Forty 7–10‐year‐old children were included in the evaluation. From the analysed sample 49 per cent of them were eutrophic (weight/height normal to age), 50 per cent were above weight and 1 per cent was undernourished. Whereas 70 per cent of the girls were eutrophic and 30 per cent were above weight, only 35 per cent of the boys were eutrophic, 60 per cent were above weight and 5 per cent were undernourished. The results obtained in this first study indicated that 45 per cent of eutrophic girls demonstrated symptoms of stress, while 20 per cent of them were asymptomatic (with no symptoms of stress). Of the overweight boys, 30 per cent of them showed symptoms of stress and 35 per cent did not. This study indicated a possible relationship between weight and the symptoms of stress. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.     

Folic acid pretreatment prevents the reduction of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities in rats subjected to acute hyperhomocysteinemia.

The main objective of the present study was to evaluate the effect of folic acid pretreatment on parietal cortex Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and serum butyrylcholinesterase activities in rats subjected to acute hyperhomocysteinemia. Animals were pretreated daily with an intraperitoneal injection of folic acid (5 mg/kg) or saline from the 22th to the 28th day of age. Twelve hours after the last injection of folic acid or saline, the rats received a single subcutaneous injection of homocysteine (0.6 micromol/g of weight body) or saline and were killed 1h later. Serum was collected and the brain was quickly removed and parietal cortex dissected. Results showed that acute homocysteine administration significantly decreased the activities of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase on parietal cortex and serum, respectively. Furthermore, folic acid pretreatment totally prevented these inhibitory effects. We also evaluated the effect of acute homocysteine administration on some parameters of oxidative stress, namely thiobarbituric acid-reactive substances and total thiol content in parietal cortex of rats. No alteration of these parameters were observed in parietal cortex of homocysteinemic animals, indicating that these oxidative stress parameters were probably not responsible for the reduction of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities. The presented results confirm previous findings that acute hyperhomocysteinemia produces an inhibition of Na(+),K(+)-ATPase and butyrylcholinesterase activities and that pretreatment with folic acid prevents such effects. Assuming that homocysteine might also reduce the activities of these enzymes in human beings, our results support a new potential therapeutic strategy based on folic acid supplementation to prevent the neurological damage found in hyperhomocysteinemia.     

The distribution of oestrogen receptors in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic canine prostate, as demonstrated immunohistochemically

The role of oestrogens and their receptors (ERs) in prostatic growth and differentiation and in the progression of prostatic carcinoma has been well investigated in human medicine. In dogs, however, available reports on the expression of ERs in normal, hyperplastic or neoplastic prostates are few and controversial, or completely lacking. Three normal, three hyperplastic and nine neoplastic canine prostates were examined histologically, and immunohistochemically with a polyclonal antibody directed against human ERs. Evaluation of the percentage of immunolabelled cells was performed by digital image analysis. The study showed that ERs were expressed in the nuclei of epithelial and stromal cells in normal, hyperplastic and neoplastic prostates. All nuclei in normal and hyperplastic prostates were strongly and homogeneously immunolabelled by the antibody used. However, the percentages of immunolabelled nuclei in the nine prostatic carcinomas were greatly reduced, ranging from 36.34% to 66.73%. The severe loss of ER expression in canine prostatic carcinomas may account for the relative lack of differentiation of these tumours in the dog.     

Involvement of the catecholaminergic system on the antidepressant-like effects of Alpinia zerumbet in mice

Context: The traditional uses of Alpinia zerumbet (Pers.) B.L.Burtt & R.m.SM (Zingiberaceae), popularly known as colonia or pacová, suggest that the species has antihypertensive, diuretic, and sedative properties. We previously reported that an ethanol extract of Alpinia zerumbet (HEA) significantly reduced the immobility time in the tail suspension test (TST), similar to the tricyclic antidepressant imipramine. Moreover, HEA presented antioxidant and anxiolytic-like effects in mice.

Objective: The objective of this study is to investigate the involvement of monoaminergic and glutamatergic systems in the antidepressant-like effects of this species.

Materials and methods: A hydroethanolic extract prepared with the leaves of A. zerumbet was assayed in the TST in male Swiss mice (800?mg/kg, p.o.). Synthesis inhibitors (AMPT, inhibitor of tyrosine hydroxylase, 100?mg/kg, i.p.; and PCPA, irreversible tryptophan hydroxylase inhibitor, 100?mg/kg, i.p.) and a specific glutamate antagonist (AMPA receptor antagonist NBQX, 10?mg/kg, i.p.) were used prior testing.

Results: Pre-treatment with the noradrenergic/dopaminergic inhibitor AMPT fully abolished the anti-immobility effects of HEA, with the two-way ANOVA yielding a significant interaction between pre-treatment and treatment (F_1,32?=?10.0, p?<?0.01); no interaction was observed with the serotonergic inhibitor PCPA (F_1,32?=?0.33, p?>?0.05) or NBQX (F_1,32?=?0.21, p?>?0.05).

Conclusion: These results indicated that HEA most likely acts through the dopaminergic and/or noradrenergic system but not through the serotoninergic or glutamatergic systems. This study reinforces the idea that the available biodiversity in Brazil can serve as a basis for innovation in the development of new drugs.