Effects of the NMDA-antagonist,MK-801, on stress-induced alterations of dopamine dependent behavior

The effects of pretreatment with the non-competitive NMDA antagonist (+)MK-801 on the behavioral alterations induced by repeated restraint stress were investigated. Repeatedly stressed (restraint stress 2 h a day × 10 days) mice showed enhanced sensitivity to the inhibitory effects of a low dose of direct dopamine agonist, apomorphine (0.25 mg/kg), on climbing behavior. On the other hand, no changes were observed for the stimulatory effect of the high dose of apomorphine (3 mg/kg) on this behavioral response. Mice pretreated with MK-801 (0.15 mg/kg) before the stressful experience did not show altered response to the low dose of apomorphine (0.25 mg/kg). Finally, ten daily injections with 0.15 mg/kg MK-801 did not affect the behavioral response to the low dose of apomorphine, but enhanced the stimulatory effect of the high dose of the dopaminergic agonist on climbing behavior. Therefore, it is possible that the protective action of MK-801 against stress-induced behavioral alteration is due to changes in sensitivity of postsynaptic receptors.     

Risk to human health associated with the environmental occurrence of cyanobacterial neurotoxic alkaloids anatoxins and saxitoxins

Cyanobacteria are ubiquitous photosynthetic micro-organisms forming blooms and scums in surface water; among them some species can produce cyanotoxins giving rise to some concern for human health and animal life. To date, more than 65 cyanobacterial neurotoxins have been described, of which the most studied are the groups of anatoxins and saxitoxins (STXs), comprising many different variants. In freshwaters, the hepatotoxic microcystins represent the most frequently detected cyanotoxin: on this basis, it could appear that neurotoxins are less relevant, but the low frequency of detection may partially reflect an a priori choice of target analytes, the low method sensitivity and the lack of certified standards. Cyanobacterial neurotoxins target cholinergic synapses or voltage-gated ion channels, blocking skeletal and respiratory muscles, thus leading to death by respiratory failure. This review reports and analyzes the available literature data on environmental occurrence of cyanobacterial neurotoxic alkaloids, namely anatoxins and STXs, their biosynthesis, toxicology and epidemiology, derivation of guidance values and action limits. These data are used as the basis to assess the risk posed to human health, identify critical exposure scenarios and highlight the major data gaps and research needs.     

Design and Evaluation of Orally Dispersible Tablets Containing Amlodipine Inclusion Complexes in Hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin and Methyl-β-cyclodextrin

The development of new orally dispersible tablets containing amlodipine (AML) inclusion complexes in hydroxypropyl-β-cyclodextrin (HP-β-CD) and in methyl-β-cyclodextrin (Me-β-CD) was studied. The methods of obtaining amlodipine and the physical and chemical properties of the inclusion complexes using the two cyclodextrins was investigated separately. Solid inclusion complexes were obtained by three methods: kneading, coprecipitation, and lyophilization, at a molar ratio of 1:1. For comparison, a physical mixture in the same molar ratio was prepared. The aim of the complexation process was to improve the drug solubility. As the lyophilization method leads to a complete inclusion of the drug in the guest molecule cavity, for both used cyclodextrins, these types of compounds were selected as active ingredients for the design of orally dispersible tablets. Subsequently, the formulation of the orodispersible tablets containing AML-HP-β-CD and AML-Me-β-CD inclusion complexes and quality parameters of the final formulation were evaluated. The results prove that F1 and F4 formulations, based on silicified microcrystalline cellulose, which contains insignificant proportions of very small or very large particles, had the lowest moisture degree (3.52% for F1 and 4.03% for F4). All of these demonstrate their porous structure, which led to good flowability and compressibility performances. F1 and F4 formulations were found to be better to manufacture orally dispersible tablets.     

Recent Advances in Adsorptive Nanocomposite Membranes for Heavy Metals Ion Removal from Contaminated Water: A Comprehensive Review

Water contamination is one of the most urgent concerns confronting the world today. Heavy metal poisoning of aquatic systems has piqued the interest of various researchers due to the high toxicity and carcinogenic consequences it has on living organisms. Due to their exceptional attributes such as strong reactivity, huge surface area, and outstanding mechanical properties, nanomaterials are being produced and employed in water treatment. In this review, recent advances in the use of nanomaterials in nanoadsorptive membrane systems for wastewater treatment and heavy metal removal are extensively discussed. These materials include carbon-based nanostructures, metal nanoparticles, metal oxide nanoparticles, nanocomposites, and layered double hydroxide-based compounds. Furthermore, the relevant properties of the nanostructures and the implications on their performance for water treatment and contamination removal are highlighted. The hydrophilicity, pore size, skin thickness, porosity, and surface roughness of these nanostructures can help the water permeability of the nanoadsorptive membrane. Other properties such as surface charge modification and mechanical strength can improve the metal adsorption effectiveness of nanoadsorptive membranes during wastewater treatment. Various nanocomposite membrane fabrication techniques are also reviewed. This study is important because it gives important information on the roles of nanomaterials and nanostructures in heavy metal removal and wastewater treatment.     

Indexing of Fatty Acids in Poultry Meat for Its Characterization in Healthy Human Nutrition: A Comprehensive Application of the Scientific Literature and New Proposals

Chicken meat is becoming the most consumed in the world for both economic and nutritional reasons; regarding the latter, the lipid profile may play positive or negative roles in the prevention and treatment of diseases. In this study, we define the state of the art of lipid-based nutritional indexes and used the lipid content and fatty acid profile (both qualitative and quantitative) of breast meat of two poultry genotypes with different growth rates and meat traits. Further, we summarize and review the definitions, implications, and applications of nutritional indexes used in recent years and others of our own design to provide a useful tool to researchers working in the field of meat quality (not only in poultry) to select the most appropriate index for their own scientific purposes. All indexes show advantages and disadvantages; hence, a rational choice should be applied to consider the nutritional effect of meat on human health and for a possible assessment of the most suitable rearing systems (genotype, feeding, farming system or postmortem handling).     

Grape seed extract suppresses MDA-MB231 breast cancer cell migration and invasion

Background and aim

Breast cancer remains a leading cause of mortality among women. In metastasis, cascade migration of cancer cells and invasion of extracellular matrix (ECM) represent critical steps. Urokinase-type plasminogen activator (uPA), as well as metalloproteinases MMP-2 and MMP-9, strongly contribute to ECM remodelling, thus becoming associated with tumour migration and invasion. In addition, the high expression of cytoskeletal (CSK) proteins, as fascin, has been correlated with clinically aggressive metastatic tumours, and CSK proteins are thought to affect the migration of cancer cells. Consumption of fruits and vegetables, characterized by high procyanidin content, has been associated to a reduced mortality for breast cancer. Therefore, we investigated the biological effect of grape seed extract (GSE) on the highly metastatic MDA-MB231 breast cancer cell line, focusing on studying GSE ability in inhibiting two main metastatic processes, i.e., cell migration and invasion.

Methods

After MDA-MB231 breast cancer cells stimulated with GSE migration and invasion were evaluated by means of trans-well assays and uPA as well as MMPs activity was detected by gelatin zymography. Fascin, β-catenin and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) expression were determined using western blot technique. β-Catenin localization was observed by confocal microscopy.

Results

We observed that high concentrations of GSE inhibited cell proliferation and apoptosis. Conversely, low GSE concentration decreased cell migration and invasion, likely by hampering β-catenin expression and localization, fascin and NF-κB expression, as well as by decreasing the activity of uPA, MMP-2 and MMP-9.

Conclusions

These results make GSE a powerful candidate for developing preventive agents against cancer metastasis.     

Very Low Alcohol Consumption Is Associated with Lower Prevalence of Cirrhosis and Hepatocellular Carcinoma in Patients with Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease

The role of moderate alcohol consumption in the evolution of NAFLD is still debated. The aim of this study is to evaluate the impact of current and lifelong alcohol consumption in patients with NAFLD. From 2015 to 2020, we enrolled 276 consecutive patients fulfilling criteria of NAFLD (alcohol consumption up to 140 g/week for women and 210 g/week for men). According to their current alcohol intake per week, patients were divided in: abstainers, very low consumers (C1: <70 g/week) and moderate consumers (C2). We created a new tool, called LACU (Lifetime Alcohol Consuming Unit) to estimate the alcohol exposure across lifetime: 1 LACU was defined as 7 alcohol units per week for 1 drinking year. Patients were divided into lifelong abstainers and consumers and the latter furtherly divided into quartiles: Q1-Q4. Stratification according to alcohol intake, both current and cumulative as estimated by LACU, showed that very low consumers (C1 and Q1-Q3) displayed lower frequency of cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma compared to abstainers and moderate consumers (C2 and Q4). We can speculate that up to one glass of wine daily in the context of a Mediterranean diet may be a long-term useful approach in selected NAFLD patients.     

Apathy and impulsiveness in Parkinson disease: Two faces of the same coin?

Apathy and impulsiveness are 2 common non-motor symptoms in Parkinson disease that could occur in different periods or simultaneously. Apathy and impulsiveness could be interpreted as opposite extremes of a spectrum of motivated behavior dependent on dopaminergic dysfunction, in which, impulsivity, is a result of a hyperdopaminergic state, whereas apathy is viewed as a hypodopaminergic. The study aimed to investigate the presence of impulsiveness and other neuropsychiatric symptoms in Parkinson disease patients with apathy symptoms.Eighty-one patients with Parkinson disease were enrolled in this retrospective study. All subjects were evaluated by the Italian version of the Dimensional Apathy Scale and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-version 11, to assess, respectively, apathy and impulsiveness; they were divided into 2 groups (apathy and no apathy). All patients were administered also with questionnaires assessing depressive and anxious symptoms.Statistical analyses showed relevant results. In no-apathy group, education was a significant predictor on impulsiveness (attentional and motor) and apathy (executive and emotional); depression was a significant predictor on planning impulsivity and apathy.This study aimed to consider the importance of apathy and impulsivity in Parkinson disease. Although these are considered as opposite extremes of a spectrum of motivated behavior dependent on dopaminergic dysfunction, these can also occur separately. Moreover, several variables could represent important predictors of apathy and impulsiveness, such as depression. Future investigations should deepen the role of other demographics and psychological variables.