Maternal consumption of high-fat diet and grape juice modulates global histone H4 acetylation levels in offspring hippocampus: A preliminary study.

This study aimed to investigate the impact of maternal consumption of a hyperlipid diet and grape juice on global histone H4 acetylation levels in the offsprinǵs hippocampus at different stages of development. During pregnancy and lactation of offspring, dams were divided into 4 groups: control diet (CD), high-fat diet (HFD), control diet and purple grape juice (PGJCD) and purple grape juice and high-fat diet (PGJHFD). Male Wistar rats were euthanized at 21days of age (PN21, adolescents) and at 50days of age (PN50, adults).

The modulation of inflammatory parameters, Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and global histone H4 acetylation status in peripheral blood of patients with Gaucher disease type 1.

Objectives: Gaucher's disease type 1 (GD1) pathophysiology includes an imbalance on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels and in the inflammatory system. However, the pathways involved remain poorly understood. The hypothesis of this study is that epigenetic mechanisms might be involved, at least partially, in this phenomenon.

U18666A Treatment Results in Cholesterol Accumulation, Reduced Na(+), K(+)-ATPase Activity, and Increased Oxidative Stress in Rat Cortical Astrocytes.

The objective of this study was to determine the effect of U18666A, an inhibitor of cholesterol synthesis and its intracellular transport, on oxidative stress parameters in cortical astrocytes cultured from Wistar rats (0-3 days old). The cultures were incubated with U18666A (0.25 µg/mL) for 48 h, conditions that are considered ideal to mimic Niemann-Pick type C disease.

Serum insulin-like system alterations in patients with spinocerebellar ataxia type 3.

Spinocerebellar ataxias (SCAs) constitute a group of autosomal dominant neurodegenerative disorders with no current treatment. The insulin/insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) system (IIS) has been shown to play a role in the neurological dysfunction of SCAs and other polyglutamine disorders. We aimed to study the biomarker profile of serum IIS components in SCA3.

Application of a comprehensive protocol for the identification of Gaucher disease in Brazil.

Gaucher disease (GD) is a sphingolipidosis caused by a genetic defect that leads to glucocerebrosidase (beta-glucosidase) deficiency. Between January 1982 and October 2003, 1,081 blood samples from patients suspected of having GD were referred for biochemical analysis. The activities of the enzymes beta-glucosidase (beta-glu) and chitotriosidase (CT) were measured in these samples.

Biochemical study on beta-glucosidase in individuals with Gaucher's disease and normal subjects.

Background: Gaucher's disease (GD) is a disorder caused by the deficiency of lysosomal beta-glucosidase, an enzyme that participates in the degradation of glycosphingolipids. Deficiency of this enzyme results in the accumulation of glucocerebrosides in macrophage lysosomes. No studies comparing the biochemical and kinetic behavior of this enzyme in leukocytes and fibroblasts from normal individuals and patients with Gaucher's disease are available.