and cytotoxic effect of AntiGan against tumor cells.

Novel effective chemopreventive agents against cancer are required to improve current therapeutic rates. The aim of the present study was to investigate the anti-carcinogenesis effect of AntiGan, an extract obtained from the European conger eel, , (human tumor cell lines) and (murine model of colitis) models. The potential apoptogenic activity after 24 h of incubation with 10, 25 and 50 µl/ml AntiGan was reported using growth inhibition and apoptosis activity assays.

Role of bioactive lipofishins in prevention of inflammation and colon cancer.

Many clinical conditions exist in which it is desirable to stimulate or suppress the immune system, and many different drugs are able to do this. It is also well known that nutrition may affect human health and immune responses. Nutritional factors are crucial components of the diet and essential for normal growth and development of both vertebrate and invertebrate organisms.

In Vitro Screening for Cytotoxic Activity of Herbal Extracts.

Experimental studies have shown that a variety of chemopreventive plant components affect tumor initiation, promotion, and progression and the main difference, between botanical medicines and synthetic drugs, resides in the presence of complex metabolite mixtures shown by botanical medicine which in turn exert their action on different levels and via different mechanisms. In the present study, we performed an in vitro screening of ethanol extracts from commercial plants in order to investigate potential antitumor activity against human tumor cell lines. Experimental results obtained through a variety of methods and techniques indicated that extracts of , , , and present significant reduction in tumor cell proliferation, suggesting these extracts as possible chemotherapeutical adjuvants for different cancer treatments.

Large-scale bioprospecting of cyanobacteria, micro- and macroalgae from the Aegean Sea.

Marine organisms constitute approximately one-half of the total global biodiversity, being rich reservoirs of structurally diverse biofunctional components. The potential of cyanobacteria, micro- and macroalgae as sources of antimicrobial, antitumoral, anti-inflammatory, and anticoagulant compounds has been reported extensively. Nonetheless, biological activities of marine fauna and flora of the Aegean Sea have remained poorly studied when in comparison to other areas of the Mediterranean Sea.

A comparative evaluation of a novel vaccine in APP/PS1 mouse models of Alzheimer's disease.

Immunization against amyloid-beta-peptide (Aβ) has been widely investigated as a potential immunotherapeutic approach for Alzheimer's disease (AD). With the aim of developing an active immunogenic vaccine without need of coadjuvant modification for human trials and therefore avoiding such side effects, we designed the Aβ 1-42 vaccine (EB101), delivered in a liposomal matrix, that based on our previous studies significantly prevents and reverses the AD neuropathology, clearing Aβ plaques while markedly reducing neuronal degeneration, behavioral deficits, and minimizing neuroinflammation in APP/PS1 transgenic mice. Here, the efficacy of our immunogenic vaccine EB101 was compared with the original immunization vaccine cocktail Aβ 42 + CFA/IFA (Freund's adjuvant), in order to characterize the effect of sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P) in the immunotherapeutic response.

Bioactive cembrane derivatives from the Indian Ocean soft coral, Sinularia kavarattiensis.

Marine organisms and their metabolites represent a unique source of potential pharmaceutical substances. In this study, we examined marine-derived substances for their bioactive properties in a cell-based Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) replicon model and for in vitro anti-inflammatory activity. In the screening of a marine sample library, crude extracts from the Indian soft coral, Sinularia kavarattiensis, showed promising activity against the CHIKV replicon.

Immunocytochemical Characterization of Alzheimer's Disease Hallmarks in APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice Treated with a New Anti-Amyloid- Vaccine.

Introduction: APP/PS1 double-transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which overexpress mutated forms of the gene for the human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1), have provided robust neuropathological hallmarks of an AD-like pattern at early ages. This study aimed to characterize immunocytochemical patterns of the AD mouse brain, which is treated with the EB101 vaccine, as a model for human AD.

Material And Methods: In this novel vaccine, a new approach has been taken to circumvent past failures with A vaccines by judiciously selecting an adjuvant consisting of a physiological matrix embedded in liposomes, composed of naturally occurring phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, and cholesterol).

Immunocytochemical characterization of Alzheimer disease hallmarks in APP/PS1 transgenic mice treated with a new anti-amyloid-β vaccine.

APP/PS1 double-transgenic mouse models of Alzheimer's disease (AD), which overexpress mutated forms of the gene for human amyloid precursor protein (APP) and presenilin 1 (PS1), have provided robust neuropathological hallmarks of AD-like pattern at early ages. This study characterizes immunocytochemical patterns of AD mouse brain as a model for human AD treated with the EB101 vaccine. In this novel vaccine, a new approach has been taken to circumvent past failures by judiciously selecting an adjuvant consisting of a physiological matrix embedded in liposomes, composed of naturally occurring phospholipids (phosphatidylcholine, phosphatidylglycerol, and cholesterol).

Vaccine Development to Treat Alzheimer's Disease Neuropathology in APP/PS1 Transgenic Mice.

A novel vaccine addressing the major hallmarks of Alzheimer's disease (AD), senile plaque-like deposits of amyloid beta-protein (Aβ), neurofibrillary tangle-like structures, and glial proinflammatory cytokines, has been developed. The present vaccine takes a new approach to circumvent failures of previous ones tested in mice and humans, including the Elan-Wyeth vaccine (AN1792), which caused massive T-cell activation, resulting in a meningoencephalitis-like reaction. The EB101 vaccine consists of Aβ(1-42) delivered in a novel immunogen-adjuvant composed of liposomes-containing sphingosine-1-phosphate (S1P).

Prevention of chronic experimental colitis induced by dextran sulphate sodium (DSS) in mice treated with FR91.

One of the main treatments currently used in humans to fight cancer is chemotherapy. A huge number of compounds with antitumor activity are present in nature, and many of their derivatives are produced by microorganisms. However, the search for new drugs still represents a main objective for cancer therapy, due to drug toxicity and resistance to multiple chemotherapeutic drugs.

Genomics of Dementia: APOE- and CYP2D6-Related Pharmacogenetics.

Dementia is a major problem of health in developed societies. Alzheimer's disease (AD), vascular dementia, and mixed dementia account for over 90% of the most prevalent forms of dementia. Both genetic and environmental factors are determinant for the phenotypic expression of dementia.

Genomics and pharmacogenomics of brain disorders.

CNS disorders are the third major problem of health in developed countries, with approximately 10% of direct costs associated with a pharmacological treatment of doubtful cost-effectiveness. There is an alarming abuse of psychotropic drugs worldwide and only 20-30% of patients with CNS disorders appropriately respond to conventional drugs. The pathogenesis of most CNS disorders is the result of the interplay of genetic and epigenetic factors with environmental factors leading to post-transcriptional changes and proteomic and metabolomic dysfunctions.

Molecular genetics of Alzheimer's disease and aging.

Alzheimer's disease is a genetically complex disorder associated with multiple genetic defects, either mutational or of susceptibility. Although potentially associated with an accelerated stochastically driven aging process, Alzheimer's disease is an independent clinical entity in which the aging process exerts a deleterious effect on brain activity in conjunction with polymodal genetic factors and other pathological conditions (i.e.

Phenotypic profiles and functional genomics in Alzheimer's disease and in dementia with a vascular component.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) and dementia with vascular component (DVC) are the most prevalent forms of dementia. Both clinical entities share many similarities, but they differ in major phenotypic and genotypic profiles as revealed by structural and functional genomics studies. Comparative phenotypic studies have identified significant differences in 25% of more than 100 parametric variables, including anthropometry, cardiovascular function, aortic atherosclerosis, brain atrophy, blood pressure, blood biochemistry, hematology, thyroid function, folate and vitamin B12 levels, brain hemodynamics and lymphocyte markers.

Cerebrovascular risk factors in Alzheimer's disease: brain hemodynamics and pharmacogenomic implications.

Recent evidence indicates that different vascular risk factors are present in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and other prevalent dementia types probably contributing to deterioration of cerebrovascular function, thus enhancing neurodegeneration and premature neuronal death due to a reduction in brain perfusion. Brain blood flow shows a reduced velocity and increased pulsatility (PI) and resistance indices (RI) in different types of dementia and in diabetes and hypertension, as well. High levels of diastolic blood pressure correlate with diminished brain blood flow and elevated PI and RI, accompanied by cognitive deterioration.

Positive effects of cerebrolysin on electroencephalogram slowing, cognition and clinical outcome in patients with postacute traumatic brain injury: an exploratory study.

The potential effects of Cerebrolysin (EBEWE Pharma, Unterach, Austria), a peptide preparation with neurotrophic activity, on brain bioelectrical activity, cognitive performance and clinical outcome in postacute traumatic brain injury (TBI) patients, were investigated in an exploratory study. A decrease in slow electroencephalogram (EEG) activity and an increase in fast frequencies were observed after the administration of Cerebrolysin. This EEG-activating effect was not influenced by TBI time course or severity, nor by the chronic treatment with nootropic compounds.

In vitro regulation of rat derived microglia.

The cell culture approach to the study of the nervous system attempts to reduce cellular complexity to various extents and to characterize the influences of extrinsic molecules on the cell population under study. To date, the main source of culture model systems to explore CNS function and dysfunction is fetal brain material from experimental animals, typically rodents. We have developed primary microglial cell cultures and focused on the concentration-dependent effects of different amino acids and growth promoting additives on microglial morphology and function.

[Surgical treatment of solitary thyroid nodule].

In this report we examine the surgery of solitary thyroid nodules, outlining the operations performed and the diagnostic-instrumental procedures aimed at identifying the degree of malignancy of the lesion. If intraoperative cytological and histological examination of a nodule show that it is benign, we perform lobectomy. In a total of 400 cases, we performed 52 (13%) nodule resections, 276 (69%) hemithyroidectomies, and 72 (18%) extended resections comprising the isthmus and Laluette pyramid.