Neurological Restorative Effects of (-)-Epicatechin in a Model of Gulf War Illness.

Gulf War Illness (GWI) afflicts US military personnel who served in the Persian Gulf War. Suspect causal agents include exposure to pyridostigmine (PB), permethrin (PM) and ,-diethyl-m-toluamide (DEET). Prominent symptoms include cognitive deficits, such as memory impairment.

In Vitro Analysis of SARS-CoV-2 Spike Protein and Ivermectin Interaction.

The spike (S) protein of SARS-CoV-2 is a molecular target of great interest for developing drug therapies against COVID-19 because S is responsible for the interaction of the virus with the host cell receptor. Currently, there is no outpatient safety treatment for COVID-19 disease. Furthermore, we consider it of worthy importance to evaluate experimentally the possible interaction of drugs (approved by the Food and Drug Administration) and the S, considering some previously in silico and clinical use.

Evaluation of the survival of homofermentative subsp. in fermented milk matrix enriched with non-digestible natural fibers.

The physicochemical changes induced by seven different dietary fibers (oat, bamboo, pea, inulin, apple, potato, and wheat) during storage and their effects on the survival of homofermentative subsp. () in fermented milk matrix were analyzed. For this, an experimental study of the effect of storage time on the microorganisms count and physicochemical properties (pH, titratable acidity, syneresis and viscosity) of milk fermented with was carried out every two weeks during a storage period of 42 days.

Effect of Long-Term Intake of Nutritive and Non-Nutritive Sweeteners on Metabolic Health and Cognition in Adult Male Rats.

This study evaluated the effects of long-term intake of nutritive sweeteners (NSs) and non-nutritive sweeteners (NNSs) on body weight, food and energy intake, blood pressure, metabolic parameters, and memory retention in rats. Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into six groups ( = 10 per group): control (water),10% sucrose (SUC), aspartame (ASP), sucralose (SCA), stevia (STV), and 5% xylitol (XYL). Pure NSs (SUC and XYL) and NNSs were added to the drinking water for 18 weeks.

Comparative analysis of anthropometric indicators for diagnosing obesity and predicting cardiometabolic risk in Mexican adolescents.

Introduction: obesity is a cardiometabolic risk (CMR) factor in adolescents. It represents a public health problem that requires simple diagnostic strategies based on the determination of anthropometric indicators (AIs) such as body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (WC), conicity index (CONI), waist-to-height ratio (WHtR), and body fat percentage (BFP). The purpose of the current contribution was to analyze the utility of the aforementioned AIs for evaluating obesity as a CMR factor in Mexican adolescents.

Restorative potential of (-)-epicatechin in a rat model of Gulf War illness muscle atrophy and fatigue.

We examined in a rat model of Gulf War illness (GWI), the potential of (-)-epicatechin (Epi) to reverse skeletal muscle (SkM) atrophy and dysfunction, decrease mediators of inflammation and normalize metabolic perturbations. Male Wistar rats (n = 15) were provided orally with pyridostigmine bromide (PB) 1.3 mg/kg/day, permethrin (PM) 0.

Association of anthropometric indicators to evaluate nutritional status and cardiometabolic risk in Mexican teenagers.

Introduction: anthropometric indicators (AIs) such as waist circumference (WC), body mass index (BMI), waist/hip index (WHpI), waist/height index (WHtI) and body fat percentage (BFP) are useful tools for the diagnosis of nutritional status (NS) in adolescents. Each of these parameters has advantages and disadvantages. The purpose of the present study was to analyze the association of these AIs (WC, BMI, WHpI, WHtI, and BFP) to evaluate nutritional status and estimate the cardiometabolic risk (CMR) in Mexican adolescents.

Choline acetyltransferase and TrkA expression, as well as the improvement in cognition produced by E2 and P4 in ovariectomized rats, are blocked by ICI 182 780 and RU486.

Treatment with 17-β estradiol and progesterone improves the performance of ovariectomized rats in an autoshaping learning task, representing cognitive improvement. To test whether this is attributable to genomic mechanisms, the antiestrogen ICI 182 780 or antiprogesterone RU486 was injected into ovariectomized animals primed previously with estrogen or progesterone, respectively. Compared with the vehicle control, each hormone administered alone produced an elevated expression of choline acetyltransferase and TrkA, along with an improvement in performance on the behavioral test.

Agonist E-6837 and antagonist SB-271046 of 5-HT6 receptors both reverse the depressive-like effect induced in mice by subchronic ketamine administration.

Major depression is one of the most common affective disorders caused by schizophrenia. The administration of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor antagonists, such as ketamine, can reproduce the negative and affective symptoms of this disorder in animals. Preclinical studies have shown that 5-HT6 receptor (5-HT6R) agonists and antagonists have a considerable antipsychotic response.

Tibolone modulates neuronal plasticity through regulating Tau, GSK3β/Akt/PI3K pathway and CDK5 p35/p25 complexes in the hippocampus of aged male mice.

Aging is a key risk factor for cognitive decline and age-related neurodegenerative disorders. Also, an age-related decrease in sex steroid hormones may have a negative impact on the formation of neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs); these hormones can regulate Tau phosphorylation and the principal kinase GSK3β involved in this process. Hormone replacement therapy decreases NFTs, but it increases the risk of some types of cancer.

Chronic administration of tibolone modulates anxiety-like behavior and enhances cognitive performance in ovariectomized rats.

Hormone replacement therapy (HRT) may be prescribed to prevent the symptoms of menopause. This therapy may include estrogenic and/or progestin components and may increase the incidence of endometrial and breast cancers. Tibolone (TIB), which is also made up of estrogen and progestin components, is often used to reduce the impact of HRT.

Short- and long-term treatment with estradiol or progesterone modifies the expression of GFAP, MAP2 and Tau in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

Aims: We analyzed the effects of the short- and long-term administration of estradiol (E2) or progesterone (P4) after ovariectomy on the expression of MAP2, Tau and GFAP in prefrontal cortex and hippocampus.

Main Methods: Sprague Dawley rats were ovariectomized and immediately treated with E2 or P4 for 2 or 18 weeks. At the end of treatments, hippocampus and prefrontal cortex were excised, proteins were extracted and MAP2, Tau and GFAP were analyzed by Western blot.

Effects of short-term hormonal replacement on learning and on basal forebrain ChAT and TrkA content in ovariectomized rats.

It has been proposed that sex steroid hormones improve performance in some cognitive tasks by regulating the basal forebrain cholinergic function. However, the molecular basis of such influence still remains unknown. Current study analyzed the performance of ovariectomized rats in an autoshaping learning task after a short-term treatment with 17β-estradiol (E2: 4 and 40μg/kg) and/or progesterone (P4: 4mg/kg).

Inhibition of acetylcholinesterase by two arylderivatives: 3a-Acetoxy-5H-pyrrolo (1,2-a) (3, 1)benzoxazin- 1,5-(3aH)-dione and cis-N-p-Acetoxy-phenylisomaleimide.

Two arylderivatives, 3a-Acetoxy-5H-pyrrolo(1,2-a) (3,1)benzoxazin-1,5-(3aH)-dione 3 and cis-N-p-Acetoxy-phenylisomaleimide 4, were synthesized from anthranilic acid and para-aminophenol, respectively. The inhibitory effects of these compounds on acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity were evaluated in vitro as well as by docking simulations. Both compounds showed inhibition of AChE activity (Ki = 4.

Ex vivo anticholinesterase activity of benzoic acid derivatives.

p-Aminobenzoic acid (p-ABA) derivatives were evaluated as acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs). Finding a correlation between AChE activity with the partition coefficient (log P) and the highest occupied molecular orbital (HOMO) energy of the compounds.