The potential therapeutic impacts of trehalose on cardiovascular diseases as the environmental-influenced disorders: An overview of contemporary findings.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) as environmental-influenced disorders, are a major concern and the leading cause of death worldwide. A range of therapeutic approaches has been proposed, including conventional and novel methods. Natural compounds offer a promising alternative for CVD treatment due to their ability to regulate molecular pathways with minimal adverse effects. Trehalose is natural compound and disaccharide with unique biological functions and cardio-protective properties. The cardio-protective effects of trehalose are generated through its ability to induce autophagy, which is mediated by the transcription factors TFEB and FOXO1. The stimulation of TFEB plays a significant role in regulating autophagy genes and autophagosome formation. Activation of FOXO1 through dephosphorylation of Foxo1 and blocking of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) also triggers autophagy dramatically. Trehalose has been shown to reduce CVD risk factors, including atherosclerosis, cardiac remodeling after a heart attack, cardiac dysfunction, high blood pressure, and stroke. It also reduces structural abnormalities of mitochondria, cytokine production, vascular inflammation, cardiomyocyte apoptosis, and pyroptosis. This review provides a molecular overview of trehalose's cardioprotective functions, including its mechanisms of autophagy and its potential to improve CVD symptoms based on clinical evidence.

Weight changes in Parkinson's disease patients after subthalamic nucleus deep brain stimulation surgery.

BACKGROUND: After Sub-Thalamic Nucleus Deep Brain Stimulation (STN-DBS), an effective treatment for Parkinson disease patients, weight gain has been observed. As this method of treatment is only in use since two years in Iran, no information regarding its side effects (including weight gain) existed thus far. OBJECTIVE: We conducted this study to evaluate the weight gain 1 and 3 months after the DBS surgery. METHODS: We enrolled all patients who underwent bilateral STN-DBS in Rasool Akram Hospital affiliated to Iran University of Medical Sciences in 2008- 2009. Unified Parkinson Disease Rating Scale (UPDRS), neuropsychological assessment, pulmonary and cardiac evaluation before the surgery were carried out for all patients. They were weighted before, 1 and 3 months after the STN-DBS. RESULTS: The average weight of patients was 70.7 +/- 14.4, 74.1 +/- 16.2 and 76.6 +/- 14.4 Kg before, 1 and 3 months after the STN-DBS, respectively (P < 0.037). CONCLUSION: Our results confirm that rapid weight gain (as soon as 1 month after surgery) occurred in STN-DBS treated parkinsonian patients.