Antioxidant treatment prevented late memory impairment in an animal model of sepsis

OBJECTIVE: Assess the effect of antioxidant treatment on late memory impairment and early hippocampus oxidative stress after cecal ligation and perforation. SUBJECTS: Male Wistar rats. INTERVENTIONS: Rats underwent sham operation or cecal ligation and perforation. Animals that underwent cecal ligation and perforation were divided into groups: 1) treated with basic support (50 mL/kg saline, 30 mg/kg ceftriaxone, and 25 mg/kg clindamycin every 6 hrs), 2) treated with basic support plus N-acetylcysteine (20 mg/kg N-acetylcysteine at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 hrs after cecal ligation and perforation), 3) treated with basic support plus deferoxamine (20 mg/kg deferoxamine at 3 and 24 hrs after cecal ligation and perforation), 4) treated with basic support plus N-acetylcysteine and deferoxamine, or 5) treated with N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: On days 10 and 30 after surgery, the animals underwent behavioral tasks: inhibitory avoidance task, habituation to an open field, and continuous multiple-trials step-down inhibitory avoidance task. The sepsis group showed significantly decreased performance in latency retention compared with the sham group in the inhibitory avoidance task. In the open-field task, the sepsis group presented memory impairment after sepsis. In the continuous multiple-trials step-down inhibitory avoidance task, the sepsis group showed a significant increase in the number of training trials required to reach the acquisition criterion. All these memory impairments were prevented by N-acetylcysteine plus deferoxamine treatment, but not its isolate use. In addition, the combined use of antioxidants attenuated oxidative damage in hippocampus 6 hrs after sepsis induction. CONCLUSIONS: Antioxidant treatment prevented the development of late cognitive deficits in an animal model of sepsis.     

Non-invasive methods for iron overload evaluation in dysmetabolic patients

IntroductionAlthough hyperferritinemia may reflect the inflammatory status of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), approximately 33% of hyperferritinemia cases reflect real hepatic iron overload.AimTo evaluate a non-invasive method for assessing mild iron overload in patients with NAFLD using 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) relaxometry, serum hepcidin, and the expression of ferritin subunits.MethodsThis cross-sectional study assessed patients with biopsy-proven NAFLD. MRI relaxometry was performed using a 3T scanner in all patients, and the results were compared with iron content determined by liver biopsy. Ferritin, hepcidin, and ferritin subunits were assessed and classified according to ferritin levels and to siderosis identified by liver biopsy.ResultsA total of 67 patients with NAFLD were included in the study. MRI revealed mild iron overload in all patients (sensitivity, 73.5%; specificity, 70%). For mild (grade 1) siderosis, the transverse relaxation rate (R₂*) threshold was 58.9 s^?1 and the mean value was 72.5 s^?1 (SD, 33.9), while for grades 2/3 it was 88.2 s^?1 (SD, 31.9) (p < 0.001). The hepcidin threshold for siderosis was > 30.2 ng/mL (sensitivity, 87%; specificity, 82%). Ferritin H and ferritin L subunits were expressed similarly in patients with NAFLD, regardless of siderosis. There were no significant differences in laboratory test results between the groups, including glucose parameters and liver function tests.ConclusionsMRI relaxometry and serum hepcidin accurately assessed mild iron overload in patients with dysmetabolic iron overload syndrome.     

Correction: Stability of gum Arabic-gold nanoparticles in physiological simulated pHs and their selective effect on cell lines

Correction for ‘Stability of gum Arabic-gold nanoparticles in physiological simulated pHs and their selective effect on cell lines’ by Heloise Ribeiro de Barros et al., RSC Adv., 2016, 6, 9411–9420.

The authors regret that the name of one of the authors (Daniel de Lima Bellan) was shown incorrectly in the original article. The corrected author list is as shown above.The Royal Society of Chemistry apologises for these errors and any consequent inconvenience to authors and readers.     

Nucleotide sequence homology at the 3'' termini of RNA from vesicular stomatitis virus and its defective interfering particles.

Vesicular stomatitis virus (VSV) and defective interfering (DI) particle RNAs were labeled at their 3' ends by using RNA ligase and cytidine 3',5'-bis[32P]phosphate. The RNAs were subjected to partial digestion with alkali and analyzed by oligonucleotide fingerprinting in two dimensions. VSV and DI particle RNAs have complete sequence homology for the first eight bases from the 3' end. The following four positions contain three mismatched nucleotides in which guanosine residues in one strand are replaced by uridine residues in the other. There is again complete homology for the next five bases (positions 13-17). The locations of purine residues within the sequence were confirmed by partial digestion with RNase T1 and RNase U2 and separation by size on 20% acrylamide gels. The latter method also indicated that sequences of VSV and DI particle RNAs diverge beyond the 18th nucleotide from the 3' termini.     

Escore de Cálcio Coronário e Estratificação do Risco de Doença Arterial Coronariana em Pacientes com Acidente Vascular Encefálico Isquêmico Aterosclerótico e não-Aterosclerótico

BackgroundIschemic Stroke (IS) and Coronary Artery Disease (CAD) frequently coexist and share atherosclerotic disease risk factors. According to the American Heart Association, IS subtypes may be considered CAD risk equivalents, but the evidence for non-atherosclerotic IS is uncertain. Additionally, the Coronary Calcium Score (CCS) is an accurate marker to address CAD risk; however, CCS distribution between IS subtypes is not well characterized.ObjectivesTo compare the CCS between atherosclerotic and non-atherosclerotic IS groups; and to determine which covariates were associated with high CCS in IS.MethodsThis cross-sectional design included all patients with IS, 45 to 70 years of age at the time of the stroke, consecutively admitted to a rehabilitation hospital between August 2014 and December 2016, without prevalent CAD. All patients underwent CT scanning for CCS measurement. CCS≥100 was considered a high risk for CAD, with a significance level of p<0.05.ResultsFrom the 244 studied patients (mean age 58.4±6.8 years; 49% female), 164 (67%) had non-atherosclerotic etiology. The proportions of CCS≥100 were similar between the atherosclerotic and the non-atherosclerotic groups (33% [n=26] x 29% [n=47]; p= 0.54). Among all IS patients, only age ≥60 years was independently associated with CCS≥100 (OR 3.5; 95%CI 1.7-7.1), accounting for hypertension, dyslipidemia, diabetes, sedentarism, and family history of CAD.ConclusionAtherosclerotic IS did not present a greater risk of CAD when compared to non-atherosclerotic IS according to CCS. Only age ≥60 years, but not etiology, was independently associated with CCS≥100.