Nitrogen dioxide pollution increases vulnerability to COVID-19 through altered immune function.

Previous ecological studies suggest the existence of possible interplays between the exposure to air pollutants and SARS-CoV-2 infection. Confirmations at individual level, however, are lacking. To explore the relationships between previous exposure to particulate matter < 10 μm (PM) and nitrogen dioxide (NO), the clinical outcome following hospital admittance, and lymphocyte subsets in COVID-19 patients with pneumonia.

Brief hypoxia before normoxic reperfusion (postconditioning) protects the heart against ischemia-reperfusion injury by preventing mitochondria peroxyde production and glutathione depletion.

Several recent works have shown that a brief ischemia applied during the onset of reperfusion (postconditioning) is cardioprotective in different animal models and that the early minutes of reperfusion are critical to its cardioprotection. This effect has been related to prevention of oxidative stress, but mechanisms have not been clearly demonstrated. The present study tested the hypothesis that mitochondria play a central role in peroxide production and oxidative stress during reperfusion and are responsible for the protective effect of postconditioning.

Modulation of endometrial redox balance during the menstrual cycle: relation with sex hormones.

This study aimed to evaluate the effects of changes in sex hormones occurring during the menstrual cycle on the redox balance and lipid peroxidation in normal human endometrial cells. Forty women, ages 21-41 yr, who were admitted to the Department of Gynecology and Obstetrics of the University of Bari for routine checkups or were treated for benign uterine disease, underwent endometrial biopsy and venipuncture. On the basis of histological examination, patients were allocated as follows: 10 in the early proliferative phase, 12 in the late proliferative phase, 8 in the early secretory phase, and 10 in the late secretory phase.

Mitochondrial oxidative damage and myocardial fibrosis in rats chronically intoxicated with moderate doses of ethanol.

Mitochondrial oxidative balance and myocardial fibrosis were investigated in pair-fed rats received ethanol (3%) or saccharose in drinking water for 8 weeks. The concentrations of glutathione, malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls and sulfhydrils were determined. The presence and distribution of fibronectin were detected by immunohistochemistry.