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Uric acid treatment after stroke modulates the Krüppel-like factor 2-VEGF-A axis to protect brain endothelial cell functions: Impact of hypertension
2019
Uric acid (UA) is a promising protective treatment in ischaemic stroke, but the precise molecular targets underlying its in vivo beneficial actions remain unclear. High concentrations of UA inhibit angiogenesis of cultured endothelial cells via Krüppel-like factor 2 (KLF)-induced downregulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), a pro-angiogenic mediator that is able to increase blood–brain barrier (BBB) permeability in acute stroke. Here, we investigated whether UA treatment after ischaemic stroke protects brain endothelial cell functions and modulates the KLF2-VEGF-A axis. Transient intraluminal middle cerebral artery (MCA) occlusion/reperfusion was induced in adult male sponta…
Blood zinc levels and cognitive and functional evaluation in non-demented older patients.
2018
A complete battery of geriatric and psychometric tests was used to determine whether plasma-borne zinc (Zn), a key ion in neuroplasticity, can be associated with the severity of functional, psychological and cognitive impairment in non-demented older individuals. There was a significant positive correlation between plasma Zn levels and the concentration subcategory measured with the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) test (p 0.001), but not the total MMSE score, and the levels were significantly reduced in polymedicated patients (defined as concurrent administration of5 drugs). No correlations were found between plasma Zn levels and depressive symptoms measured with the Yesavage scale fo…
Effects of exercise frequency and training volume on bone changes following a multi-component exercise intervention in middle aged and older men: Sec…
2021
Progressive resistance training (PRT) combined with weight-bearing impact exercise are recommended to optimize bone health, but the optimal frequency and dose of training remains uncertain. This study, which is a secondary analysis of an 18-month intervention in men aged 50–79 years, examined the association between exercise frequency and the volume of training with changes in DXA and QCT-derived femoral neck (FN) and lumbar spine (LS) bone outcomes, respectively. Men were allocated to either thrice-weekly PRT plus impact exercise training (n = 87) or a non-exercising (n = 85) group. Average weekly exercise frequency (ExFreq) and training volume per session [PRT volume (weight lifted, kg), …
Serological and Molecular Evidence of Bartonella henselae in Stray Cats from Southern Italy
2021
Bartonella henselae is a slow growing and facultative intracellular pathogen mainly transmitted by arthropod vectors adapted to domestic and wild mammalian reservoir hosts. Since cats are the major source of the B. henselae infection, this study aimed to evaluate the seroprevalence and the DNA presence in randomly sampled stray cats. Blood samples of 429 cats were collected from shelter of Palermo (Southern Italy) and sera and whole blood were analyzed for the presence of antibodies against B. henselae by indirect immunofluorescence assay (IFA) and by real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR), respectively. Two hundred and three sera (47.3%) were positive to IFA and 148 blood samples (34.5%…
Comparison of the artus Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) PCR kit and the Abbott RealTime EBV assay for measuring plasma EBV DNA loads in allogeneic stem cell…
2017
The ability of the artus Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) PCR kit and the Abbott RealTime EBV PCR assay to detect and quantify plasma EBV DNAemia was compared. The agreement between these assays was 95.8%. The EBV DNA loads measured by the two assays significantly correlated (P=< 0.0001).
Prosthetic Valve Endocarditis with Bartonella washoensis in a Human European Patient and Its Detection in Red Squirrels ( Sciurus vulgaris )
2019
Members of the genus Bartonella are fastidious Gram-negative facultative intracellular bacteria that are typically transmitted by arthropod vectors. Several Bartonella spp. have been found to cause culture-negative endocarditis in humans. Here, we report the case of a 75-year old German woman with prosthetic valve endocarditis due to Bartonella washoensis. The infecting agent was characterized by sequencing of six housekeeping genes (16S rRNA, ftsZ, gltA, groEL, ribC, rpoB) applying a multilocus sequence typing (MLST) approach. The 5097 bp of the concatenated housekeeping gene sequence from the patient were 99.0% identical to a B. washoensis strain from a red squirrel (Sciurus vulgaris orie…
Advances in Developing Therapies to Combat Zika Virus: Current Knowledge and Future Perspectives
2017
Zika virus (ZIKV) remained largely quiescent for nearly six decades after its first appearance in 1947. ZIKV reappeared after 2007, resulting in a declaration of an international “public health emergency” in 2016 by the World Health Organization (WHO). Until this time, ZIKV was considered to induce only mild illness, but it has now been established as the cause of severe clinical manifestations, including fetal anomalies, neurological problems, and autoimmune disorders. Infection during pregnancy can cause congenital brain abnormalities, including microcephaly and neurological degeneration, and in other cases, Guillain-Barré syndrome, making infections with ZIKV a substantial public health …
Discovery of phloeophagus beetles as a source of pseudomonas strains that produce potentially new bioactive substances and description of pseudomonas…
2018
15 páginas, 6 tablas, 2 figuras. -- First publication is due to Frontiers Media
Drosophila SMN2minigene reporter model identifies moxifloxacin as a candidate therapy for SMA
2018
Spinal muscular atrophy is a rare and fatal neuromuscular disorder caused by the loss of alpha motor neurons. The affected individuals have mutated the ubiquitously expressed SMN1 gene resulting in the loss or reduction in the survival motor neuron (SMN) protein levels. However, an almost identical paralog exists in humans: SMN2. Pharmacological activation of SMN2 exon 7 inclusion by small molecules or modified antisense oligonucleotides is a valid approach to treat SMA. Here we describe an in vivo SMN2 minigene reporter system in Drosophila motor neurons that serves as a cost-effective, feasible, and stringent primary screening model for identifying chemicals capable of crossing the conser…
Cytotoxicity of 18 Cameroonian medicinal plants against drug sensitive and multi-factorial drug resistant cancer cells
2018
Abstract Ethnopharmacological relevance Cameroonian medicinal plants are traditionally used to treat many ailments, including cancer and related diseases. Cancer is characterized as a condition with complex signs and symptoms. It has been recommended that ethnopharmacological usages such as immune and skin disorders, inflammatory, infectious, parasitic and viral diseases should be taken into account when selecting plants for anticancer screenings, since these reflect disease states bearing relevance to cancer or cancer-like symptoms. Aim of the study The present study aims at investigating 20 methanol extracts from 15 Cameroonian medicinal plants on a panel of human cancer cell lines, inclu…