Effects of alpha lipoic acid supplementation on serum levels of IL-8 and TNF-α in patient with ESRD undergoing hemodialysis

Background

Chronic renal failure is a progressive and irreversible loss of kidney function, and the hemodialysis (HD) is one of the most common modalities in this regard. Oxidative stresses [like interleukin-8 (IL-8) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α)] and inflammation are the main risk factors associated with cardiovascular diseases and other complications in many organs in hemodialysis patients; meanwhile, antioxidants like alpha lipoic acid (ALA) may reduce the oxidative stress markers and the levels of inflammatory cytokines, so can improve of the patient’s quality of life.

Methods

In this randomized clinical trial study, 60 HD patients were randomly categorized in two case and control groups. Case group received a daily capsule of 600 mg of ALA supplementation for 8 weeks, and the control group received placebo capsules daily. The serum level of IL-8 and TNF-α was measured in both groups before and after the intervention.

Results

There were no significant differences in age, gender, duration of dialysis, and causative factor for dialysis between both groups (P > 0.05). The mean of IL-8 and TNF-α after the intervention in case group was 26.20 ± 15.34 and 21.25 ± 9.61, respectively; the difference between both groups was not statistically significant (P > 0.05).

Conclusion

Based on the better feeling and other beneficial effects of ALA were found in our study; we can conclude that it is a beneficial and recommended supplement, especially, for diabetic and dialysis patients.     

The efficacy of antioxidants in functional recovery of spinal cord injured rats: an experimental study

A total of 30 female Sprague-Dawley rats (180-220 g) subjected to spinal cord injury (SCI) were divided into three groups of ten rats each. Group 1 served as control (SCI + Saline), Group 2 received daily dose of ascorbic acid 2,000 mg/kg body weight and group 3 rats received alpha tocopherol daily with the dose of 2,000 mg/kg body weight for 14 days. The Spontaneous coordinate activity (SCA), Basso, Beattie, and Bresnahan (BBB) and Tarlov locomotor scores were used to assess functional recovery of SCI rats. Compared to group 1, group 2 showed statistically insignificant improvement in the SCA, BBB and Tarlov scores at the end of the study. Compared to group 1, group 3 showed statistically significant improvement in the SCA (P < 0.001), BBB (P < 0.001) and Tarlov (P < 0.01) scores at the end of the study. In conclusion, the administration of alpha-tocopherol enhances the reparative effects against SCI and it is more effective than ascorbic acid.     

Photo-modulation of zinc phthalocyanine-treated breast cancer cell line ZR-75-1 inhibited the normal tumor activity in vitro

Regarding post-complication of convenient therapies against breast cancer, the emergence of effective approaches is essential. Photodynamic therapy is touted as a novel invasive therapeutic approach by the application of a photosensitizer promoted by laser irradiation. This study aimed to investigate the combined regime of low-level laser irradiation with zinc phthalocyanine in human breast cancer ZR-75-1 cell line. Cells were treated with 0.01 and 5 μg/ml of ZnPc for 24 h and exposed to radiation (70 mW) for 60 s. Cell viability was evaluated by MTT and flow cytometry. Cell migration capacity was monitored by scratch test, Transwell migration insert, and gelatin zymography. The function of MDR in treated cells was examined by Rhodamine 123 exclusion test. The level of GALNT11 was measured by ELISA. The expression of Bax and Bcl-2 genes was evaluated by real-time PCR. Laser irradiation and zinc phthalocyanine induced cell cytotoxicity in a dose-dependent manner. Flow cytometry analysis showed the induction of apoptotic and necrotic changes in treated cells. We found a reduction in migration rate and MMP-9 activity in cells undergoing the experimental procedure (p?<?0.05). Immunofluorescence imaging revealed the intracellular accumulation of Rhodamine 123 coincided with a reduction in the level of GALNT11 in treated cells, showing the reduction of MDR activity and tumor cell resistance. Similar to flow cytometry assay, the reduction of Bcl-2 (approximately twofold) and upregulation of Bax genes were found in treated cells. Photodynamic therapy could be as an effective and alternative method for the treatment of breast cancer in a human.     

Effect of regular intravenous immunoglobulin therapy on prevention of pneumonia in patients with common variable immunodeficiency.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Common variable immunodeficiency (CVID) is a primary immunodeficiency disorder, which presents with hypogammaglobulinemia and recurrent bacterial infections. Patients with CVID have frequent and severe episodes of pneumonia. The standard intravenous immunoglobulins (IVIG) therapy has led to the reduction of pulmonary infections in these patients. The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of IVIG treatment in reducing the incidence of pneumonia in patients with CVID. METHODS: Twenty six Iranian patients with CVID whose diseases had been diagnosed at the Children Medical Center and had received regular IVIG for at least 9 months were selected. The numbers of episodes of pneumonia and hospital admissions were documented before and during treatment with IVIG. RESULTS: Of 26 patients with CVID, 80.5% had experienced pneumonia at least once before receiving immunoglobulin and 88.5% required hospital admission. After starting treatment with IVIG (mean treatment period, 41.5 +/- 35.4 months), the annual incidence of pneumonia significantly decreased from 80.5% to 34.6% (p=0.0017), and the rate of hospitalization from 88.5% to 46% (p=0.0025) .The incidence of pneumonia requiring treatment or hospitalization fell from 3.4 to 0.7 per year (p<0.0005). CONCLUSIONS: Regular IVIG therapy can significantly reduce the incidence of pneumonia and hospital admission due to infections in patients with CVID.     

Evaluation of sperm’s chromatin quality with acridine orange test, chromomycin A3 and aniline blue staining in couples with unexplained recurrent abortion

Objective

To evaluate the sperm’s chromatin quality in couples with spontaneous recurrent abortion.

Methods

Thirty couples with spontaneous recurrent abortion (case group) and 30 fertile couples (control group) referring to Zeinabieh Gynecology clinic of Shiraz were included. Semen samples were collected for each participant and were used for standard semen analysis and sperm nuclear maturity tests including Chromomycin A3 (CMA3), Aniline Blue (AB) staining and Acridine Orange (AO) test (by light microscopy).

Result

Patients in case group had significantly higher percentage of CMA3 (p?<?0.001) and AB (p?<?0.001) positive spermatozoa compared to controls. However AO results did not differ significantly between groups (p?=?0.656). Sperm morphology and progressive motility were negatively correlated with CMA3 (p?=?0.001 and p?=?0.043) and AB (p?=?0.015 and p?=?0.031) respectively.

Conclusion

Evaluation of the sperm’s quality via CMA3 and AB staining could be considered as one of the complementary tests of semen analysis for assessment of male factor in couples with spontaneous recurrent abortion.