Astrocytic Ca activation by chemogenetics mitigates the effect of kainic acid-induced excitotoxicity on the hippocampus.

Astrocytes play a multifaceted role regulating brain glucose metabolism, ion homeostasis, neurotransmitters clearance, and water dynamics being essential in supporting synaptic function. Under different pathological conditions such as brain stroke, epilepsy, and neurodegenerative disorders, excitotoxicity plays a crucial role, however, the contribution of astrocytic activity in protecting neurons from excitotoxicity-induced damage is yet to be fully understood. In this work, we evaluated the effect of astrocytic activation by Designer Receptors Exclusively Activated by Designer Drugs (DREADDs) on brain glucose metabolism in wild-type (WT) mice, and we investigated the effects of sustained astrocyte activation following an insult induced by intrahippocampal (iHPC) kainic acid (KA) injection using 2-deoxy-2-[F]-fluoro-D-glucose (F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging, along with behavioral test, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopy and histochemistry.

Group 2 innate lymphoid cells are key in lipid transfer protein allergy pathogenesis.

Background: Immunopathology in food allergy is characterized by an uncontrolled type 2 immune response and specific-IgE production. Recent studies have determined that group 2 innate lymphoid cells (ILC2) participate in the food allergy pathogenic mechanism and their severity. Our objective was to investigate the role of ILC2 in peach-allergic patients due to non-specific lipid transfer protein (Pru p 3) sensitization.

Evaluation of the Antifungal Potential of Grape Cane and Flesh-Coloured Potato Extracts against sp. in Crops.

Potato () is one of the most important food crops worldwide, and infection is one of the most common diseases. The objective of this study was to evaluate the antifungal activity of byproducts (VIDES) and flesh-coloured potato (FCP) extracts against sp. in potato crops.

A Single High Dose of Flufenamic Acid in Rats does not Reduce the Damage Associated with the Rat Lithium-Pilocarpine Model of Status Epilepticus but Leads to Deleterious Outcomes.

Background: Epilepsy is one of the most common neurologic diseases, and around 30% of all epilepsies, particularly the temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE), are highly refractory to current pharmacological treatments. Abnormal synchronic neuronal activity, brain glucose metabolism alterations, neurodegeneration and neuroinflammation are features of epilepsy. Further, neuroinflammation has been shown to contribute to dysregulation of neuronal excitability and the progression of epileptogenesis.

EAACI Molecular Allergology User's Guide 2.0.

Since the discovery of immunoglobulin E (IgE) as a mediator of allergic diseases in 1967, our knowledge about the immunological mechanisms of IgE-mediated allergies has remarkably increased. In addition to understanding the immune response and clinical symptoms, allergy diagnosis and management depend strongly on the precise identification of the elicitors of the IgE-mediated allergic reaction. In the past four decades, innovations in bioscience and technology have facilitated the identification and production of well-defined, highly pure molecules for component-resolved diagnosis (CRD), allowing a personalized diagnosis and management of the allergic disease for individual patients.

The vasodilator naftidrofuryl attenuates short-term brain glucose hypometabolism in the lithium-pilocarpine rat model of status epilepticus without providing neuroprotection.

Status epilepticus (SE) triggered by lithium-pilocarpine is a model of epileptogenesis widely used in rats, reproducing many of the pathological features of human temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). After the SE, a silent period takes place that precedes the occurrence of recurrent spontaneous seizures. This latent stage is characterized by brain glucose hypometabolism and intense neuronal damage, especially at the hippocampus.

PET Imaging and Neurohistochemistry Reveal that Curcumin Attenuates Brain Hypometabolism and Hippocampal Damage Induced by Status Epilepticus in Rats.

Numerous preclinical studies provide evidence that curcumin, a polyphenolic phytochemical extracted from (turmeric) has neuroprotective, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties against various neurological disorders. Curcumin neuroprotective effects have been reported in different animal models of epilepsy, but its potential effect attenuating brain glucose hypometabolism, considered as an early marker of epileptogenesis that occurs during the silent period following status epilepticus (SE), still has not been addressed. To this end, we used the lithium-pilocarpine rat model to induce SE.

Basophil Activation Test Utility as a Diagnostic Tool in LTP Allergy.

Plant-food allergy is an increasing problem, with nonspecific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs) triggering mild/severe reactions. Pru p 3 is the major sensitizer in LTP food allergy (FA). However, in vivo and in vitro diagnosis is hampered by the need for differentiating between asymptomatic sensitization and allergy with clinical relevance.

Fucodendropeptides induce changes in cells of the immune system in food allergic patients via DC-SIGN receptor.

Food allergy induced by lipid transfer proteins (LTPs) of Rosacea fruit family, such as peach, is becoming an important health problem in the Mediterranean area. Current treatments, such as allergen specific immunotherapy (AIT) with allergenic extracts show promising, but in many cases, they need an improvement in homogeneity, availability and induction of tolerant responses. Peptide-based vaccines containing adjuvants, such as carbohydrates for C-type lectin receptors (CLRs) are presented as an alternative approach.

Transcriptional changes in dendritic cells underlying allergen specific induced tolerance in a mouse model.

To investigate food allergy-tolerance mechanisms induced through allergen-specific immunotherapy we used RNA-Sequencing to measure gene expression in lymph-node-derived dendritic cells from Pru p 3-anaphylactic mice after immunotherapy with glycodendropeptides at 2 nM and 5 nM, leading to permanent tolerance and short-term desensitization, respectively. Gene expression was also measured in mice receiving no immunotherapy (anaphylaxis); and in which anaphylaxis could never occur (antigen-only). Compared to anaphylaxis, the antigen-only group showed the greatest number of expression-changes (411), followed by tolerant (186) and desensitized (119).

Epigenetics in Food Allergy and Immunomodulation.

Food allergy (FA) is an increasing problem worldwide and, over recent years, its prevalence is rising in developed countries. Nowadays, the immunological and cellular processes that occur in the allergic reactions are not fully understood, which hampers the development of in vitro diagnostic tools and further treatment options. Moreover, allergic diseases could be reinforced by environmental exposure and genetic modifications.

Immunomodulatory Response of Toll-like Receptor Ligand-Peptide Conjugates in Food Allergy.

Covalent conjugation of allergens to toll-like receptor (TLR) agonists appears to be a powerful strategy for the development of safety compounds for allergen-specific immunomodulatory response toward tolerance in allergy. In this work, we have synthesized two family of ligands, an 8-oxoadenine derivative as a ligand for TLR7 and a pyrimido[5,4-]indole as a ligand for TLR4, both conjugated with a T-cell peptide of Pru p 3 allergen, the lipid transfer protein (LTP) responsible for LTP-dependent food allergy. These conjugates interact with dendritic cells, inducing their specific maturation, T-cell proliferation, and cytokine production in peach allergic patients.

The effect of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi on the phenolic compounds profile, antioxidant activity and grain yields in wheat cultivars growing under hydric stress.

Background: Hydric stress affects the production of wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) worldwide, making some tools necessary to cope with the decrease in rainfall. A sustainable alternative is the use of arbuscular mycorrhizal fungi (AMF) as biofertilisers.

New Insights in Therapy for Food Allergy.

Food allergy is an increasing problem worldwide, with strict avoidance being classically the only available reliable treatment. The main objective of this review is to cover the latest information about the tools available for the diagnosis and treatment of food allergies. In recent years, many efforts have been made to better understand the humoral and cellular mechanisms involved in food allergy and to improve the strategies for diagnosis and treatment.

IgE-Reactivity Pattern of Tomato Seed and Peel Nonspecific Lipid-Transfer Proteins after Gastrointestinal Digestion.

The influence of gastrointestinal digestion on the immunological properties of three different nonspecific lipid-transfer proteins (nsLTPs) described in tomato fruit has been assessed using an system mimicking the stomach and intestine digestion conditions. Tomato peel/pulp nsLTP, Sola l 3, was degraded after digestion, although the immunoglobulin E (IgE) recognition of intact protein and a 10 kDa band were still observed after 30 min of duodenal digestion in the presence of phosphatidylcholine. The tomato seed nsLTP, Sola l 7, showed a higher stability than the other seed allergen, Sola l 6, during digestion.

The diagnosis and management of allergic reactions in patients sensitized to non-specific lipid transfer proteins.

Sensitization to one or more non-specific lipid transfer proteins (nsLTPs), initially thought to exist mainly in southern Europe, is becoming accepted as a cause of allergic reactions to plant foods across Europe and beyond. The peach nsLTP allergen Pru p 3 is a dominant sensitizing allergen and peaches a common food trigger, although multiple foods can be involved. A frequent feature of reactions is the requirement for a cofactor (exercise, alcohol, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, Cannabis sativa) to be present for a food to elicit a reaction.

Phenotyping peach-allergic patients sensitized to lipid transfer protein and analysing severity biomarkers.

Background: Patients with peach allergy due to nsLTP sensitization constitute a heterogeneous group in terms of sensitization profile and severity. This could be due to the presence of additional allergies to pollens. The aim of this study was to analyse the clinical characteristics, sensitization profile and severity of reactions in peach-allergic patients sensitized to nsLTP from two Mediterranean areas with different pollen exposure.

Author Correction: Glycosylated nanostructures in sublingual immunotherapy induce long-lasting tolerance in LTP allergy mouse model.

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.

Pru p 3-Glycodendropeptides Based on Mannoses Promote Changes in the Immunological Properties of Dendritic and T-Cells from LTP-Allergic Patients.

Scope: Glycodendropeptides (GDPs) functionalized with mannose can enhance allergen interaction with dendritic cells (DCs) via C-type lectin receptors (CLRs), modulating the immune response. They can present multiple peptides and have potential applications for diagnosis and treatment of food allergy (FA). The immune response induced by GDPs with mannose and Pru p 3 peptides (mono/tetravalent) with ester (D ManPrup3/D ManPrup3) or ether linkers (D Man Prup3/D Man Prup3) in lipid-transfer-protein-allergic patients and tolerant controls is analyzed.

Glycosylated nanostructures in sublingual immunotherapy induce long-lasting tolerance in LTP allergy mouse model.

An effective specific immunotherapy should contain elements to generate specific recognition (T-cell peptides) and to modulate the immunological response towards a Th1/Treg pattern by enhancing dendritic cells (DCs). We propose a novel sublingual immunotherapy for peach allergy, using systems, that combine Prup3-T-cell peptides with mannose dendrons (DManPrup3 and DManPrup3). Peach anaphylactic mice were treated 1, 2 and 5 nM concentrations.

Changes in the content of anthocyanins, flavonols, and antioxidant activity in Fragaria ananassa var. Camarosa fruits under traditional and organic fertilization.

Background: Strawberries are consumed worldwide. In Chile, strawberry production has been established in Andisols, were phosphorus is scarce. Traditional fertilization (TF) and organic fertilization (OF) have both been established there.