Differing contributions of the gut microbiota to the blood pressure lowering effects induced by first-line antihypertensive drugs.

Background And Purpose: This study analyses whether first-line antihypertensive drugs ameliorate the dysbiosis state in hypertension, and to test if this modification contributes to their blood pressure (BP) lowering properties in a genetic model of neurogenic hypertension.

Experimental Approach: Twenty-week-old male Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were untreated or treated with captopril, amlodipine or hydrochlorothiazide. A faecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) experiment was also performed by gavage of faecal content from donor SHR-treated groups to SHR recipients for 3 weeks.

Metabolic Modulators in Cardiovascular Complications of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus.

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multifactorial disorder with contributions from hormones, genetics, and the environment, predominantly affecting young women. Cardiovascular disease is the primary cause of mortality in SLE, and hypertension is more prevalent among SLE patients. The dysregulation of both innate and adaptive immune cells in SLE, along with their infiltration into kidney and vascular tissues, is a pivotal factor contributing to the cardiovascular complications associated with SLE.

Pathophysiological Hypothesis of COVID-19 Psychosis.

In December 2019, a new coronavirus called SARS-CoV-2 was discovered in patients with pneumonia of unknown cause. Although respiratory symptoms mainly characterize infection by this virus, neuropsychiatric manifestations of the disease are becoming more and more frequent. Among them, the appearance of psychotic outbreaks in patients experiencing the infection or after a short time after it has resolved is remarkable.

Protective effect of microbiota-derived short chain fatty acids on vascular dysfunction in mice with systemic lupus erythematosus induced by toll like receptor 7 activation.

Our objective was to investigate whether short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs), specifically acetate and butyrate, could prevent vascular dysfunction and elevated blood pressure (BP) in mice with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) induced by TLR7 activation using imiquimod (IMQ). Treatment with both SCFAs and dietary fibers rich in resistant starch (RS) or inulin-type fructans (ITF) effectively prevented the development of hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. Additionally, these treatments improved aortic relaxation induced by acetylcholine and mitigated vascular oxidative stress.

Probiotics and Prebiotics in Cardiovascular Diseases.

This Special Issue, titled "Probiotics and Prebiotics in Cardiovascular Diseases", encompasses two comprehensive review articles examining the potential of gut-microbiota-targeted reprogramming interventions designed to prevent the onset and progression of cardiovascular diseases [...

Evidence of Mycobacterium avium subsp. paratuberculosis binding to albumin: technical and biological implications.

Albumin binding ability is a well-characterized feature of many bacteria. To the best of our knowledge, there are no previous reports about this ability among mycobacteria, even when bovine serum albumin (BSA) is a common component of supplements used for the enrichment of synthetic media for mycobacterial growth in vitro and also of buffers used in laboratory techniques. In this work we explored the albumin binding ability of Mycobacterium avium subsp.

Targeting the gut microbiota with dietary fibers: a novel approach to prevent the development cardiovascular complications linked to systemic lupus erythematosus in a preclinical study.

This study is to investigate whether dietary fiber intake prevents vascular and renal damage in a genetic mouse model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and the contribution of gut microbiota in the protective effects. Female NZBWF1 (SLE) mice were treated with resistant-starch (RS) or inulin-type fructans (ITF). In addition, inoculation of fecal microbiota from these experimental groups to recipient normotensive female C57Bl/6J germ-free (GF) mice was performed.

The prevalence of sleep paralysis in medical students in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of sleep paralysis (SP) in medical students from the University of Buenos Aires (UBA).

Materials And Methods: An questionnaire based on the diagnosis of SP and a demographic survey was electronically presented to students of Internal Medicine at the School of Medicine of the UBA. The respondents answered both questionnaires using Google Forms.

The Prebiotic Effects of an Extract with Antioxidant Properties from L. Contribute to Ameliorate High-Fat Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice.

Obesity is a global health issue, in which modifications in gut microbiota composition have a key role. Different therapeutic strategies are being developed in combination with diet and exercise, including the use of plant extracts, such as those obtained from L. leaves.

Two Sustained Release Membranes Used in Formulating Low Strength Testosterone Reservoir Transdermal Patches.

Introduction: Several Testosterone Replacement Therapies exist for hypogonadism, but an in-depth analysis of these products reveals a high dosing frequency and a high drug loading, up to 120 mg for a potent drug like Testosterone. This may lead to patient non-compliance and toxicity problems if used improperly. Androderm is the only 24-hour marketed transdermal patch.

Mineralocorticoid receptor blockade improved gut microbiota dysbiosis by reducing gut sympathetic tone in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Microbiota has a crucial role in the host blood pressure (BP) regulation. The present study analyzes whether the mineralocorticoid receptor antagonist spironolactone ameliorates the dysbiosic state in a genetic model of neurogenic hypertension. Twenty-week-old male Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were randomly allocated into three groups: untreated WKY, untreated SHR, and SHR treated with spironolactone for 5 weeks.

The melatonergic agonist agomelatine ameliorates high fat diet-induced obesity in mice through the modulation of the gut microbiome.

Background And Purpose: Melatonin has shown beneficial effects on obesity, both in humans and experimental models, via regulating the altered circadian rhythm and thus ameliorating the gut dysbiosis associated with this metabolic condition. However, its clinical use is limited, mostly due to its short half-life. Agomelatine is an agonist of the melatonin receptors that could be used to manage obesity and offer a better profile than melatonin.

Psychotic Symptoms After SARS-CoV-2 Infection.

This case series reports three middle-aged male patients with no prior history of psychiatric disorders who developed psychotic symptoms with manic characteristics after COVID-19 infection. They presented mystic and paranoid delusions associated with euphoria, logorrheic, insomnia, and bizarre behaviors. Two of them required psychiatric hospitalization and one received corticosteroids.

Vasoconstrictor and Pressor Effects of Des-Aspartate-Angiotensin I in Rat.

This study investigated the vasoactive effects of des-aspartate-angiotensin-I (DAA-I) in male Wistar rats on whole body vascular bed, isolated perfused kidneys, and aortic rings. Dose-response curves to DAA-I were compared with those to angiotensin II (Ang II). The Ang II-type-1 (AT1) receptor blocker, losartan, was used to evaluate the role of AT1 receptors in the responses to DAA-I.

The Antioxidant Activity of Extract Protects against the Inflammatory State and Modulates Gut Dysbiosis in Diet-Induced Obesity in Mice.

Nowadays, there is an increasing interest in alternative therapies in the treatment of metabolic syndrome that combine efficacy and safety profiles. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the effect of an extract of , containing rosmarinic acid, on high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity mice, highlighting the impact of its antioxidant activity on the inflammatory status and gut dysbiosis. The extract was administered daily (50, 100 and 150 mg/kg) in HFD-fed mice.

Bioactive imidamide-based compounds targeted against nitric oxide synthase.

The selective inhibition of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has become an interesting goal for the treatment of diseases where the immune and inflammatory response of the organism is involved. Septic shock is one prominent example of this type of affections. In this paper, the design and synthesis of twelve substituted pyridinyl- imidamide derivatives is described, together with their biological evaluation as NOS inhibitors.

Trimethylamine N-Oxide Promotes Autoimmunity and a Loss of Vascular Function in Toll-like Receptor 7-Driven Lupus Mice.

Plasma levels of trimethylamine N-oxide (TMAO) are elevated in lupus patients. We analyzed the implication of TMAO in autoimmunity and vascular dysfunction of the murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) induced by the activation of the Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 with imiquimod (IMQ). Female BALB/c mice were randomly divided into four groups: untreated control mice, control mice treated with the trimethylamine lyase inhibitor 3,3-dimethyl-1-butanol (DMB), IMQ mice, and IMQ mice treated with DMB.

Frequency of Type-1 Berrettini's Connection in a Neurophysiology Laboratory.

 This study aims to estimate the frequency of Berrettini's ulnar-median nerves communication in a neurophysiology laboratory.  A total of 358 hands belonging to patients, both sexes, median age of 58 years, was studied. Antidromic sensory nerve conduction studies of the ulnar nerves, registered in digits III and IV were performed in search of the ulnar-median communication.

Changes in Gut Microbiota Induced by Doxycycline Influence in Vascular Function and Development of Hypertension in DOCA-Salt Rats.

Previous experiments in animals and humans show that shifts in microbiota and its metabolites are linked to hypertension. The present study investigates whether doxycycline (DOX, a broad-spectrum tetracycline antibiotic) improves dysbiosis, prevent cardiovascular pathology and attenuate hypertension in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt rats, a renin-independent model of hypertension. Male Wistar rats were randomly assigned to three groups: control, DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, DOCA-salt treated with DOX for 4 weeks.

Gut Microbiota Has a Crucial Role in the Development of Hypertension and Vascular Dysfunction in Toll-like Receptor 7-Driven Lupus Autoimmunity.

Our group has investigated the involvement of gut microbiota in hypertension in a murine model of systemic lupus erythematosus induced by Toll-like receptor (TLR)-7 activation. Female BALB/c mice were randomly assigned to four experimental groups: an untreated control (CTR), a group treated with the TLR7 agonist imiquimod (IMQ), IMQ-treated with vancomycin, and IMQ-treated with a cocktail of broad-spectrum antibiotics. We carried out faecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from donor CTR or IMQ mice to recipient IMQ or CTR animals, respectively.

Prevalence of stress, burnout syndrome, anxiety and depression among physicians of a teaching hospital during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Introduction: Health care workers experience a tremendous strain while performing their activities, very frequently leading to stress, burnout syndrome, and psychopathological impact. The COVID-19 pandemic may cause physicians to suffer these effects even to a greater extent. Our objective was to describe the frequency of stress, burnout syndrome, anxiety, and depression during the pandemic, and analyze the associations with different independent outcome measures.

Probiotics Prevent Hypertension in a Murine Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Induced by Toll-Like Receptor 7 Activation.

Our group tested the effects of CECT5716 (LC40) and/or CECT7263 (BFM) in the prevention of gut dysbiosis, hypertension and endothelial dysfunction in a pharmacologically-induced model of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). We treated eight-week-old BALB/cByJRj mice without (Ctrl) or with the agonist of TLR-7 Imiquimod (IMQ) for 8 weeks. Concomitantly, LC40 (10 CFU/mL) and BFM (10 CFU/mL) were administered through oral gavage once a day.

-Derived Compound Propyl Propane Thiosulfonate (PTSO) Attenuates Metabolic Alterations in Mice Fed a High-Fat Diet through Its Anti-Inflammatory and Prebiotic Properties.

Background: Propyl propane thiosulfonate (PTSO) is an organosulfur compound from spp. that has shown interesting antimicrobial properties and immunomodulatory effects in different experimental models. In this sense, our aim was to evaluate its effect on an experimental model of obesity, focusing on inflammatory and metabolic markers and the gut microbiota.