Design of a Protocol for Soil-Transmitted Helminths (in Light of the Nematode ) DNA Extraction from Feces by Combining Commercially Available Solutions.

One of the main challenges for the mass introduction of the molecular diagnostics of soil-transmitted helminths (STHs) into clinical practice is the lack of a generally recognized effective method for isolating parasitic DNA from fecal samples. In the present study, we assessed the effects of various pretreatment procedures on the efficiency of removing PCR inhibitors and extracting DNA from feces. We evaluated the effectiveness of four destructive methods (bead beating, the action of temperature-dependent enzymes, freeze-heat cycles, and incubation in a lysis buffer) on the integrity of eggs and the efficiency of DNA extraction.

Mechanisms of Neuroprotective Action of Hesperetin and Carnosine in Focal Ischemia of the Brain in Rats.

We compared the direct neuroprotective effect of minor food components, antioxidants hesperetin and carnosine, and analyzed their influence on the parameters of the oxidative status of the penumbra zones in the cerebral cortex during focal ischemia (1 h) of with reperfusion in Wistar rats. The animals received hesperetin and carnosine included in the diet in daily doses of 50 and 150 mg/kg, respectively, for 7 days before ischemia induction. The neuroprotective effect of hesperetin manifested in reduction of the ischemic lesion size by 30%, which was comparable with the effect of carnosine.

[Neuroprotective mechanisms of the ubiquinol action in experimental focal ischemia].

Ischemic stroke is one of the most socially important diseases characterized by impaired cerebral circulation with focal damage of the brain tissue and decreased functionality. Despite the successes of modern pharmacology, possibilities of pharmacotherapy for stroke remain limited, and the research for new drugs with neuroprotective effects that can prevent brain cell death is still relevant. In this study we have investigated the neuroprotective activity of ubiquinol as a part of an innovative form on a rat model of irreversible 24 h-cerebral ischemia with evaluation of the mechanisms of its neuroprotective effect.

Carnosine as an effective neuroprotector in brain pathology and potential neuromodulator in normal conditions.

Carnosine (b-alanyl-L-histidine) is an endogenous dipeptide widely distributed in excitable tissues, such as muscle and neural tissues-though in minor concentrations in the latter. Multiple benefits have been attributed to carnosine: direct and indirect antioxidant effect, antiglycating, metal-chelating, chaperone and pH-buffering activity. Thus, carnosine turns out to be a multipotent protector against oxidative damage.

Oxidative Status in Different Areas of the Cerebral Cortex of Wistar Rats during Focal Ischemia and Its Modulation with Carnosine.

Oxidative status was assessed in different areas of the cerebral cortex of male Wistar rats under normal condition and during permanent 24-h focal ischemia. In intact animals, the level of lipid hydroperoxides in the frontal lobes of both hemispheres was by 36% higher than in other cortical areas, while total antioxidant activity was by 25% higher than in other areas. During ischemia, changes in oxidative status were localized only in the ischemic focus and penumbra zone and did not involve other cortical areas.

[Study of the neuroprotective effects of carnosine in an experimental model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion].

Oxidative stress is one of the key factors in brain tissue damage in ischemia, which indicates the appropriateness of using antioxidants under these conditions. One of the promising antioxidants for the therapy of ischemic stroke is the natural dipeptide carnosine. The neuroprotective effect of dietary carnosine administration was investigated in an experimental model of focal cerebral ischemia/reperfusion in Wistar rats.

[A neuroprotective action of carnosine in conditions of experimental focal cerebral ischemia-reperfusion].

Aim: To assess neuroprotective properties of preventive injections of carnosine in experimental focal cerebral ischemia in rats.

Material And Methods: A focal ischemia in Wistar rats induced by the 60 min-occlusion of the middle cerebral artery with the following 24h-reperfusion was used. Animals received carnosine mixed with ration in daily dose of 150 mg/kg of body mass during 7 days before surgery.

Assessment of Oxidative Status of the Brain and Blood Plasma in Rats with Modeled Focal Cerebral Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury.

Parameters of the oxidative status of the brain and blood plasma were measured in rats 24 h after 1-h focal cerebral ischemia. In the brain of rats exposed to cerebral ischemia, activities of superoxide dismutase and catalase were elevated. Ischemia reduced the total antioxidant activity of the brain and the levels of malonic dialdehyde and protein carbonyl derivatives.

Antioxidant Defense System after Single and Chronic Administration of Obestatin and Its Fragment (1-4) to Normal and Overweight Male Rats.

We studied the effects of anorectic peptide obestatin and its fragment (1-4) on the antioxidant defense system in animals with normal and experimentally induced increased body weight. In rats with normal body weight, no changes in activity of the antioxidant defense system 1 week after single administration of the substances. After chronic administration of obestatin and fragment (1-4) for 1 week, total antioxidant capacity of the plasma decreased; obestatin also lowered the content of TBA-reactive products.