Differential Pharmacokinetic Interplay of Atorvastatin on Lacosamide and Levetiracetam on Experimental Convulsions in Mice.

Background: The beneficial effects of statins, other than their hypocholesterolemia role, have been well documented, however, their use as an adjuvant drug with other antiseizure drugs, in the treatment of epilepsy is poorly understood.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the symbiotic effect of ATOR along with either lacosamide (LACO) or levetiracetam (LEVE) on experimentally induced epilepsy (Maximal electro-shock-MES or pentylenetetrazol- PTZ) in mice models.

Methods: Conventional elevated-maze (EPM) and rotarod methods were performed to observe the behavioral effects.

The Promise of Precision Nutrition for Modulation of the Gut Microbiota as a Novel Therapeutic Approach to Acute Graft-versus-host Disease.

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a severe side effect of allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT) that has complex phenotypes and often unpredictable outcomes. The current management is not always able to prevent aGVHD. A neglected actor in the management of aGVHD is the gut microbiota.

Bell Palsy: Facts and Current Research Perspectives.

Bell palsy is a non-progressive neurological condition characterized by the acute onset of ipsilateral seventh cranial nerve paralysis. People who suffer from this type of facial paralysis develop a droop on one side of their face, or sometimes both. This condition is distinguished by a sudden onset of facial paralysis accompanied by clinical features such as mild fever, postauricular pain, dysgeusia, hyperacusis, facial changes, and drooling or dry eyes.

Modulation of gut microbiota: The effects of a fruits and vegetables supplement.

The consumption of an optimal amount of fruits and vegetables is known to improve physical fitness and physiological body functions. Healthy eating habits, including intake of fruits and vegetables, can modify gut microbiota. This study aimed to demonstrate the effectiveness of a formulated fruit and vegetable supplement (FVS) in modulating the antioxidant capacity and the gut microbiota composition.

The potential impact of a probiotic: Akkermansia muciniphila in the regulation of blood pressure-the current facts and evidence.

Akkermansia muciniphila (A. muciniphila) is present in the human gut microbiota from infancy and gradually increases in adulthood. The potential impact of the abundance of A.

Female infertility and diet, is there a role for a personalized nutritional approach in assisted reproductive technologies? A Narrative Review.

Female infertility is a major public health concern and a global challenge. It is a disorder of the reproductive system, defined as the inability to achieve a clinical pregnancy. Nutrition and other environmental factors are found to impact reproductive health in women as well as the outcome of assisted reproductive technologies (ART).

Increased Relative Abundance of Is Associated With Reduced Cardiovascular Risk in an Obese Population.

Background: Obesity is a complex disease with underlying genetic, environmental, psychological, physiological, medical, and epigenetic factors. Obesity can cause various disorders, including cardiovascular diseases (CVDs), that are among the most prevalent chronic conditions in Qatar. Recent studies have highlighted the significant roles of the gut microbiome in improving the pathology of various diseases, including obesity.

Decreased Plasma Level of Cytokeratin 20 (KRT20) Is Indicative of the Emergence and Severity of Acute GvHD Irrespective to the Type of Organ Involvement.

Accurate risk prediction of acute graft versus host disease (aGvHD) is currently an unmet clinical need. This study sought to analyze whether three plasma proteins expressed in a largely skin- and gut-restricted manner would be affected by the development of acute cutaneous and gastrointestinal aGvHD. The diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and prognostic value of plasma cytokeratin-15 (KRT15) cytokeratin-20 (KRT20), and occludin (OCLN) were evaluated in a discovery and a validation cohort using ELISA in comparison with elafin (PI3) and regenerating family member 3 alpha (REG3A), two established markers of skin- and gut aGvHD.

Personalized Nutrition Approach in Pregnancy and Early Life to Tackle Childhood and Adult Non-Communicable Diseases.

The development of childhood and adult non-communicable diseases (NCD) is associated with environmental factors, starting from intrauterine life. A new theory finds the roots of epigenetic programming in parental gametogenesis, continuing during embryo development, fetal life, and finally in post-natal life. Maternal health status and poor nutrition are widely recognized as implications in the onset of childhood and adult diseases.

Bifidobacterium reduction is associated with high blood pressure in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Children with Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) have an elevated risk of abnormal blood pressure (BP) measurements and patterns. Both hypertension and T1DM are well-known risk factors for cardiovascular disease and kidney failure. The human microbiome has been linked to both diabetes and hypertension, but the relationship between the gut microbiome and BP in children with T1DM is not well-understood.

Nutri-epigenetics: the effect of maternal diet and early nutrition on the pathogenesis of autoimmune diseases.

Autoimmune diseases comprise a wide group of diseases involving a self-response of the immune system against the host. The etiopathogenesis is very complex involving disease-specific factors but also environmental factors, among which the diet. Maternal diet during pregnancy as well as early nutrition recently attracted the interest of the scientists as contributing to the immune programming.

, a Possible Microbial Marker for Poor Glycemic Control in Qataris Children Consuming Arabic Diet-A Pilot Study on Pediatric T1DM in Qatar.

In Qatar, Type 1 Diabetes mellitus (T1DM) is one of the most prevalent disorders. This study aimed to explore the gut microbiome's relation to the continuous subcutaneous insulin infusion (CSII) therapy, dietary habits, and the HbA1c level in the pediatric T1DM subjects in Qatar. We recruited 28 T1DM subjects with an average age of 10.

The influence of the prebiotic gum acacia on the intestinal microbiome composition in rats with experimental chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is a globally common and important disease and there are evidence for a bidirectional relationship between microbiota and CKD. The aim of the study was to examine the influence of prebiotic - gum acacia (GA) on the intestinal microbiota in rats with adenine-induced CKD. Animals were randomly distributed into four equal groups (n = 6): control, adenine, GA and adenine + GA groups.

Annexin A3 in sepsis: novel perspectives from an exploration of public transcriptome data.

According to publicly available transcriptome datasets, the abundance of Annexin A3 (ANXA3) is robustly increased during the course of sepsis; however, no studies have examined the biological significance or clinical relevance of ANXA3 in this pathology. Here we explored this interpretation gap and identified possible directions for future research. Based on reference transcriptome datasets, we found that ANXA3 expression is restricted to neutrophils, is upregulated in vitro after exposure to plasma obtained from septic patients, and is associated with adverse clinical outcomes.

Evaluation of Methods for the Extraction of Microbial DNA From Vaginal Swabs Used for Microbiome Studies.

The composition of the microbiome in human body sites plays an important role in health. The vaginal environment is colonized by several species of bacteria that have a major influence on reproductive health. The advancement of sequencing technologies has made the assessment of the composition of the microbiota possible through microbial DNA extraction and sequencing.

Molecular Interplay between microRNA-34a and Sirtuin1 in Hyperglycemia-Mediated Impaired Angiogenesis in Endothelial Cells: Effects of Metformin.

Impaired angiogenesis is a prominent risk factor that contributes to the development of diabetes-associated cardiovascular disease. MicroRNAs (miRNAs), small noncoding RNAs, are implicated as important regulators of vascular function, including endothelial cell differentiation, proliferation, and angiogenesis. In silico analysis and in vitro studies indicate that silent information regulator 1 (SIRT1) is a potential target for endothelial cell-specific miRNAs.

Metformin improves endothelial function in aortic tissue and microvascular endothelial cells subjected to diabetic hyperglycaemic conditions.

The cellular mechanisms whereby metformin, the first line drug for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), mediates its antidiabetic effects remain elusive, particularly as to whether metformin has a direct protective action on the vasculature. This study was designed to determine if a brief 3-h exposure to metformin protects endothelial function against the effects of hyperglycaemia. We investigated the protective effects of metformin on endothelial-dependent vasodilatation (EDV) in thoracic aortae from T2DM db/db mice and on high glucose (HG, 40 mM) induced changes in endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) signaling in mouse microvascular endothelial cells (MMECs) in culture.

Molecular understanding of curcumin in diabetic nephropathy.

Diabetic nephropathy is characterized by a plethora of signaling abnormalities. Recent trials have suggested that intensive glucose-lowering treatment leads to hypoglycemic events, which can be dangerous. Curcumin is the active ingredient of turmeric, which has been widely used in many countries for centuries to treat numerous diseases.

Curcumin alleviates oxidative stress, inflammation, and renal fibrosis in remnant kidney through the Nrf2-keap1 pathway.

Scope: We hypothesized that curcumin, by increasing the expression of nuclear factor-erythroid-2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), could reduce oxidative stress, inflammation, and renal fibrosis in remnant kidney.

Methods And Results: Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to 5/6 nephrectomy and randomly assigned to untreated (Nx), curcumin-treated (75 mg/kg/day, orally), and telmisartan-treated groups (10 mg/kg/day, orally; as positive control). Sham-operated rats also served as controls.

The hyperglycemia stimulated myocardial endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress contributes to diabetic cardiomyopathy in the transgenic non-obese type 2 diabetic rats: a differential role of unfolded protein response (UPR) signaling proteins.

It has been well demonstrated that excessive blood glucose level could be detrimental to the myocardial function through the variety of mechanisms, of which endoplasmic reticulum stress (ERS) could play an unprecedented role through the activation of unfolded protein response (UPR). Recently, reports are coming out with the evidences that UPR signaling proteins are regulated differentially depend on the experimental conditions and cell types. In addition, ERS has been proposed to be closely associated with the regulation of lipogenesis.

Curcumin decreases renal triglyceride accumulation through AMPK-SREBP signaling pathway in streptozotocin-induced type 1 diabetic rats.

Diabetic kidney disease has been associated with the presence of lipid deposits. We assumed that curcumin, a polyphenol, would attenuate the tissue dyslipidemic condition through activation of 5' adenosine monophosphate (AMP)-activated protein kinase (AMPK) phosphorylation and suppression of sterol regulatory element-binding protein (SREBP)-1c in the kidney and would prevent renal progression in experimental type 1 diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced with streptozotocin (STZ) (55 mg/kg) by intraperitoneal injection in male Sprague-Dawley rats.

Curcumin prevents diabetic cardiomyopathy in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats: possible involvement of PKC-MAPK signaling pathway.

The development of diabetic cardiomyopathy is accompanied with a high membrane-bound protein kinase C (PKC) levels. Curcumin is a naturally occurring compound which is known to inhibit PKC activity. However, the effects of curcumin on ameliorating diabetic cardiomyopathy are still undefined.

Olmesartan medoxomil treatment potently improves cardiac myosin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy via the modulation of ACE-2 and ANG 1-7 mas receptor.

Angiotensin converting enzyme-2 (ACE-2) is a monocarboxypeptidase that metabolises angiotensin (ANG)-II into angiotensin 1-7 (ANG 1-7), thereby functioning as a negative regulator of the renin-angiotensin system. We investigated whether treatment with ANG-II type 1 receptor blocker, olmesartan medoxomil is associated with the attenuation of cardiac myosin-induced dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM) through recently established new axis of ACE-2/ANG 1-7 mas receptor. DCM was elicited in Lewis rats by immunisation with cardiac myosin, and 28 days after immunisation, the surviving Lewis rats were divided into two groups and treated with either olmesartan medoxomil (10 mg/kg/day) or vehicle.

Telmisartan acts through the modulation of ACE-2/ANG 1-7/mas receptor in rats with dilated cardiomyopathy induced by experimental autoimmune myocarditis.

Aim: Recent findings have suggested that a therapeutic approach to amplify or stimulate the angiotensin-converting enzyme-2 [ACE-2]-angiotensin 1-7 [ANG 1-7] mas axis could provide protection against the development of cardiovascular diseases. We investigated the cardioprotective effects of telmisartan in rats with dilated cardiomyopathy [DCM] after experimental autoimmune myocarditis [EAM].

Main Methods: DCM was elicited in Lewis rats by immunization with cardiac myosin, and twenty-eight days after immunization, the surviving Lewis rats were divided into two groups and treated with either telmisartan (10mg/kg/day) or vehicle.