RESUMEN

Objectives: Since diminished hippocampal insulin signaling leads to memory impairment, insulin resistance and hyperinsulinemia are probably associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD). The effect of intracerebroventricular injection of insulin (Ins) and oral cinnamon extract (Cinn) on glucose transporter (GLUT) 1, 3, and 4 gene expressions in the hippocampus and spatial memory in a streptozotocin (STZ)-induced AD rat model was investigated in the present study. Materials and Methods: Fifty-six adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (280±20 g) were allocated into eight distinct groups (n=7) of five controls (negative, Ins, Cinn, Ins+Cinn, and STZs) and three treatments (STZ+ Ins, STZ+ Cinn, and STZ+ Ins + Cinn). Single dose STZ 4 mg/kg (icv), Cinn at a dose of 200 mg/ kg (orally for 14 days), and Ins 5 mIU/5 µl (icv for 14 days) were administered in the defined groups. To evaluate the behavioral performance the animals were subjected to the Morris Water Maze (MWM) test. The level of mRNA expression of GLUTs was evaluated by the Real time-PCR method. Results: In the STZ+Cinn+Ins group, the performance of animals in the MWM test was improved and the over-expression of GLUTs genes in hippocampal tissue was observed. The results of Ins and Cinn synergist treatment groups revealed improvement in the behavioral tests and gene expression compared with Ins and Cinn treatment groups (P<0.001). Conclusion: Administration of Ins and Cinn has a positive effect on the function of the AD rat model. To clarify the effect of Ins and Cinn extract on the GLUTs investigated in this study, it is essential to evaluate their influence on the protein levels.

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate blood lipid profiles in patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), and to explore the association with disease severity. METHODS: This case-control study included patients with COVID-19, referred to two medical centers in Kermanshah, Iran (between July 2020 and December 2020), and healthy controls. Lipid profiles were evaluated in patients who were grouped according to severe (intensive care unit [ICU]), or less severe (outpatient), forms of COVID-19, and in healthy controls, and were compared among the three groups. RESULTS: A total of 132 participants were included, comprising ICU (n = 49), outpatient (n = 48) and control (n = 35) groups. Mean cholesterol levels were lower in the patient groups than in controls; high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels were higher in the ICU group versus outpatients, and low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels were lower in the ICU group versus outpatients. The frequency of diabetes and hypertension was higher in the ICU group than in the outpatient group. Furthermore, LDL-C level was associated with disease severity (odds ratio 0.966, 95% confidence interval 0.944, 0.989). CONCLUSION: Lipid profiles differ between severe and less severe forms of COVID-19. LDL-C level may be a useful indicator of COVID-19 severity.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

BACKGROUND: The most common endocrine and metabolic disorders in premenopausal women is polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS), characterized by hyperandrogenism, chronic anovulation, and/or ultrasound evidence of small ovarian cysts. Obesity and insulin resistance are also the main factors influencing the clinical manifestations of this syndrome. Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most typical progressive neurodegenerative disorder of the brain, and recent studies suggest a relationship between endocrinal dysregulation and neuronal loss during AD pathology. AIM: This study aimed to evaluate the common risk factors for Alzheimer's and PCOS based on previous studies. Knowing the common risk factors and eliminating them may prevent neurodegenerative Alzheimer's disease in the future. METHOD: In this narrative review, international databases, including Google Scholar, Scopus, PubMed, and the Web of Science, were searched to retrieve the relevant studies. The relevant studies' summaries were categorized to discuss the possible pathways that may explain the association between Alzheimer's and PCOS signs/symptoms and complications. RESULTS: According to our research, the factors involved in Alzheimer's and PCOS disorders may share some common risk factors. In patients with PCOS, increased LH to FSH ratio, decreased vitamin D, insulin resistance, and obesity are some of the most important factors that may increase the risk of Alzheimer's disease.

Polycystic ovary syndrome is a disorder of the female reproductive system that can be caused by hormonal disorders. The disease is detected by an ultrasound of the ovaries with small ovarian cysts. Obesity and insulin resistance are among the factors that can affect the clinical symptoms of this disease. Obesity due to high-fat consumption can affect cognitive functions with age. Alzheimer's is the most common disease associated with disorders in brain cells; a link between hormonal disorders and Alzheimer's has recently been reported. We conducted a review of reports and articles published in connection with polycystic ovary syndrome and neurodegenerative disorders in reputable scientific databases. Studies have shown that the factors involved in polycystic ovary syndrome and Alzheimer's disease may indicate that both diseases have common risk factors. It may be linked to the symptoms and/or complications of Alzheimer's disease and polycystic ovary syndrome. Future preclinical studies are needed to closely examine the mechanisms associated with polycystic ovary syndrome and the association with Alzheimer's. The novelty of our study is from the fact that the PCOS may be to some extent considered as a cause (exposure) among others of AD's (outcome) and the association might be confounded by some or all the risk factors assessed in this review. The nature of the method­the narrative review­is relatively subjective (in the determination of which studies to include, the way the studies are analyzed, and the conclusions drawn) and hence may not help mitigate bias.

Asunto(s)

RESUMEN

OBJECTIVES: Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a common disease of the central nervous system.This disease may be initiated by either vitamin deficiency or triggered by abnormality in CYP24A1 and vitamin D receptor. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this case-control study, the expression of genes encoding vitamin D receptor (VDR) and CYP24A1 in relapsing-remitting MS (RR-MS) patients was compared with normal individuals in the Iranian population. RNA from whole blood of 50 RR-MS patients (HLA-DRB1*15-negative and responders to interferonbeta with a normal vitamin D level) and 50 normal controls was extracted. The levels of CYP24A1 and VDR expression were measured using real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS: The RR-MS group had a significantly more than 2 times higher expression level of VDR than the normal group (P=0.04). On the other hand, there was a 0.89 times decrease in the expression level of CYP24A1 in RR-MS patients which was not statistically significant. There was no linear correlation between the risk of expanded disability status scale of Kurtzke (EDSS) and the expression level of either CYP24A1 or VDR. In addition, the expression level of CYP24A1 or VDR was not correlated with the duration of the disease. CONCLUSIONS: Up-regulation of VDR is likely to happen in RR-MS patients in the Iranian population. We did not observe a gene expression-phenotype correlation for CYP24A1 which may be due to limited statistical power as a result of the small sample size. Although the individuals taking part in this study had normal levels of vitamin D, the increase in VDR expression levels may perhaps be a response to a defect in vitamin D processing. Another possibility is that despite an increase in VDR expression level, factors such as micro-RNAs may result in their deactivation while an increase in VDR expression level can be seen as a compensatory response. Of course, further studies are required to identify the mechanism of action of vitamin D by analyzing genes involved in its signaling pathway, particularly VDR and CYP24A1.