Neuroprotective Effects of Cranberry Juice Treatment in a Rat Model of Parkinson’s Disease

Rich in polyphenols, cranberry juice (CJ) with high antioxidant activity is believed to contribute to various health benefits. However, our knowledge of the neuroprotective potential of cranberries is limited. Previously, we have demonstrated that CJ treatment controls oxidative stress in several organs, with the most evident effect in the brain. In this study, we examined the capability of CJ for protection against Parkinson’s disease (PD) in a rotenone (ROT) rat model. Wistar rats were administered with CJ in a dose of 500 mg/kg b.w./day (i.g.) and subcutaneously injected with ROT (1.3 mg/kg b.w./day). The experiment lasted 45 days, including 10 days pre-treatment with CJ and 35 days combined treatment with CJ and ROT. We quantified the expression of α-synuclein and apoptosis markers in the midbrain, performed microscopic examination, and assessed postural instability to evaluate the CJ neuroprotective effect. Our results indicate that the juice treatment provided neuroprotection, as evidenced by declined α-synuclein accumulation, Bax and cleaved/active caspase-9 expression, and normalized cytochrome c level that was accompanied by the enhancement of neuronal activity survival and improved postural instability. Importantly, we also found that long-term administration of CJ alone in a relatively high dose may exert a deleterious effect on cell survival in the midbrain.     

Modulation of prolactin expression in human T lymphocytes by cytokines

Besides its pivotal role in reproduction, the polypeptide hormone prolactin (PRL) has immunomodulatory properties. Whereas the bulk of circulating PRL is produced by the pituitary, PRL is also produced by the decidua, the myometrium, the mammary gland and leukocytes. Extrapituitary PRL expression is regulated differently from that in the pituitary, due to the use of an alternative promoter. Here we show for the first time that in T lymphocytes PRL expression is subject to regulation by cytokines. We established that both IL-2 and IL-4 reduced PRL mRNA levels in T lymphocytes to 25 and 28% of control values, respectively. PRL mRNA expression was inhibited to a lesser extent by IL-1beta, which decreased PRL mRNA levels to 58% of control values.     

Breast cancer: patient information needs reflected in English and German web sites

Individual belief and knowledge about cancer were shown to influence coping and compliance of patients. Supposing that the Internet information both has impact on patients and reflects patients' information needs, breast cancer web sites in English and German language were evaluated to assess the information quality and were compared with each other to identify intercultural differences. Search engines returned 10 616 hits related to breast cancer. Of these, 4590 relevant hits were analysed. In all, 1888 web pages belonged to 132 English-language web sites and 2702 to 65 German-language web sites. Results showed that palliative therapy (4.5 vs 16.7%; P=0.004), alternative medicine (18.2 vs 46.2%; P<0.001), and disease-related information (prognosis, cancer aftercare, self-help groups, and epidemiology) were significantly more often found on German-language web sites. Therapy-related information (including the side effects of therapy and new studies) was significantly more often given by English-language web sites: for example, details about surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, hormone therapy, immune therapy, and stem cell transplantation. In conclusion, our results have implications for patient education by physicians and may help to improve patient support by tailoring information, considering the weak points in information provision by web sites and intercultural differences in patient needs.     

Cobas Mira S endpoint enzymatic assay for plasma formate

In methanol intoxication, increased levels of the metabolite formate are associated with metabolic acidosis and an increased risk for ocular and neurological dysfunction. A simple method for plasma formate measurement by adaptation of a manual enzymatic assay to a Cobas Mira S analyzer is presented. Six microliters of sample is incubated for 5 min with buffer containing nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide. Fifteen microliters of a suspension of formate dehydrogenase is then added. Absorbance at 340 nm is measured every 25 s. The NADH produced when formate is oxidized is stoichiometric to the amount of formate. The method is sensitive, reproducible, and specific and has a broad measurement range. The frozen reagents are stable for at least six months, so the described method can be applied to irregular and semi-urgent requests. A recent case is reported.     

Age- and sex-related differences for the urinary excretion of norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in adults

Using a specific high-performance liquid-chromatographic method, we measured norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine in 24-h urine collections from 459 men and 497 women, ages 17 to 88 years. We found a significant negative correlation between age and the 24-h excretion of dopamine in men and women (P less than 0.001). Epinephrine excretion decreased with age in men (P less than 0.001). No age dependence was observed for norepinephrine (P greater than 0.2). The excretion of all three catecholamines, expressed in nmol/24 h, was significantly greater in men than in women. The differences, however, were small. With data expressed in nmol/g of creatinine, only epinephrine excretion was greater in men; norepinephrine and dopamine excretions were slightly greater in women. Also, expressed in these units, urinary excretion of norepinephrine in both sexes and of epinephrine in women was significantly positively related with age; urinary excretion of dopamine was significantly inversely related to age in women, but not in men. Reference values are provided for age-independent variables in both sexes.     

Preliminary performance evaluation of blood gas analyzers.

BACKGROUND: We evaluated the imprecision and bias of three instruments for the determination of blood gases, pH and ionized calcium (Ca(2+)) in human arterial blood samples, in comparison with the performance of an established methodology. METHODS: The ABL 735, Omni S and Rapidpoint 405 blood gas analyzers were evaluated and compared to the ABL 620 analyzer. Imprecision was determined according to the NCCLS EP10-A2 evaluation protocol. The NCCLS EP9-A2 evaluation protocol was used to determine bias relative to the ABL 620 system. Experimental data were compared against preset quality specifications. RESULTS: The three new instruments showed excellent imprecision for the measurement of pH, but only the ABL 620 met the preset imprecision goals for all analytes tested. All new instruments showed good correlation with the comparative instrument. The slope of the regression equation was significantly different from 1.0 in six out of the 12 comparisons, indicating systematic differences between the instruments. Nevertheless, the predicted bias values relative to the comparative instrument did not exceed the preset quality specifications for two out of the three new instruments. CONCLUSIONS: Preliminary evaluation using the NCCLS evaluation protocols EP10-A2 and EP9-A2, may provide valuable information on performance characteristics of blood gas analyzers.     

Analyse des Iststands an ärztlichem Personal in den Abteilungen und Praxen für Strahlentherapie in Deutschland

BACKGROUND: Physician workload directly influences the ability of an institution to provide high standards in radiotherapy services. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Data of 189 radiotherapy units of the DEGRO survey 2000 complemented and corrected (Table 1) are analyzed with simple and multiple linear regression (models in Table 2). RESULTS: In 21 private radiotherapy facilities actual numbers of physicians split up in 0.19 for every 1,000 megavoltage courses per year, 1.8 per megavoltage unit, 0.68 for every ten beds for inpatients minus 0.67 or plus 1.2 physicians per facility providing radiotherapy only or combined with other services, respectively. Radiotherapy units in hospitals were analyzed in two groups, i. e. radiotherapy only (n = 69) or in combination with other services (n = 59). In the latter, reported numbers of physicians split up in 3.2 for every 1,000 megavoltage courses per year, minus 0.13 per megavoltage unit, 0.87 for every ten beds for inpatients, plus 2.2 per facility. Units providing radiotherapy only had 0.86 physicians for every 1,000 megavoltage courses per year plus 1.0 per megavoltage unit plus 0.97 for every ten beds plus 1.0 per facility. In 36 radiotherapy university clinics actual numbers of physicians split up in 2.4 for every 1,000 megavoltage courses per year, 1.7 per megavoltage unit, 0.86 for every ten beds for inpatients, plus 1.5 per clinic. For confidence limits see Table 3, for results of univariate analysis Figure 1 and 2. CONCLUSION: In German radiotherapy facilities, physician workload varies considerably. It exceeds that reported for the USA by a substantial margin.