Polyphenols protect against age-associated apoptosis in female rat cochleae.

Dietary antioxidants, polyphenols, have been found to be beneficial in protecting against the generation of oxidative stress in various diseases associated with aging. Age-related hearing loss (AHL) is the number one neurodegenerative disorder on our aged population. Sprague-Dawley rats divided into five groups according to their age (3, 6, 12, 18 and 24 months old) and treated with 100 mg/day/kg body weight of polyphenols were used. Then, cochleae were harvested to measure caspase activities (- 3, - 8 and - 9), caspase-3 gene expression, ATP levels, Bax, BcL-2 and p53 levels. 8-OHdG levels (marker of DNA oxidative damage) and annexin-V were also measured in cochleae. Increased levels of caspase-3 and 9 in cochlea were observed with age and this effect was attenuated by polyphenol treatment. In addition, ATP and Bcl-2 levels in older rats were recovered after administration of polyphenols, while Bax and p53 levels protein decreased. Oral supplementation with polyphenols also reduces DNA oxidative damage of cochlear cell. Treatment with polyphenols inhibits the activation of age-related apoptotic signaling by decreasing oxidative stress inside the rat cochlea.

Malondialdehyde in early phase of acute pancreatitis.

AIMS: to assess oxidative stress in acute pancreatitis, its evolution over time and its relationship with the severity of the disease. METHODS: during a two-year period, patients with acute pancreatitis with less than 24 hours of pain were evaluated. Serum was obtained the first, second and fourth day from admittance, if complications were detected, and after recovery. Malondialdehyde was determined by high performance liquid chromatography. Twenty healthy volunteers constituted the control group. Malondialdehyde between groups was compared with Mann-Whitney and Kruskal-Wallis tests; malondialdehyde evolution was studied with Wilcoxon test. RESULTS: one hundred and sixty-nine patients were included (91 women, median age 67 years, range 20-95); 33 suffered a severe episode. Malondialdehyde decreased from first to fourth day (0.600 vs. 0.451 vs. 0.343 M, respectively, p < 0.05). When complications were detected, malondialdehyde level was similar to that of first and second day (0.473 M, p > 0.05). In severe attacks malondialdehyde was higher than in control group at day 2 (severe: 0.514; mild: 0.440; control: 0.347 M, p < 0.05 severe vs. control). CONCLUSIONS: an early oxidative stress is observed in acute pancreatitis. In severe attacks, oxidative stress remains high longer than in mild episodes. The onset of complications is associated with high malondialdehyde concentration.

The utility of multiparametric flow cytometry in the detection of primary effusion lymphoma (PEL).

Primary effusion lymphoma (PEL) is a rare B cell lymphoproliferative disorder that arises predominantly in body cavities causing malignant effusions. The incidence of PEL is very low, accounting for approximately 4% of all HIV-associated non-Hodgkin lymphomas. PEL has also been described in elderly patients and after solid-organ transplantation. It is associated in all cases with human herpes virus 8 (HHV8). We describe a case of PEL in a 88-year-old HIV-negative woman who presented with progressive dyspnea and moderate right-sided pleural effusion without significant lymphadenopathies or other effusions. The cytological study of the pleural fluid revealed a dense proliferation of large plasmablastic cells. A six-color multiparametric flow cytometry immunophenotyping study was carried out, and revealed 45% of large in size and high cellular complexity cells positive for CD45 (dim), CD38, CD138, CD30 and HLA-DR; and negative for CD19, CD20, cytoplasmatic CD79a, surface and cytoplasmic light chains Kappa and Lambda, CD3, CD4, CD5, CD7, CD8, CD28, CD56, CD81, and CD117. In situ hybridization for EBV-encoded smalI RNA was negative and immunohistochemistry for Kaposi sarcoma herpesvirus (HHV8) confirmed the diagnosis of PEL. Our results confirm that flow cytometry bring useful data in the diagnosis of large-cell lymphomas involving body cavities. © 2018 International Clinical Cytometry Society.

Protective effect of polyphenols on presbycusis via oxidative/nitrosative stress suppression in rats.

UNLABELLED: Age-related hearing loss (AHL) -presbycusis- is the number one neurodegenerative disorder and top communication deficit of our aged population. Experimental evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction associated with reactive oxygen species (ROS) plays a central role in the aging process of cochlear cells. Dietary antioxidants, in particular polyphenols, have been found to be beneficial in protecting against the generation of ROS in various diseases associated with oxidative stress, such as cancer, neurodegenerative diseases and aging. OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to investigate the effects of polyphenols on AHL and to determine whether oxidative stress plays a role in the pathophysiology of AHL. METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats (n=100) were divided into five groups according to their age (3, 6, 12, 18 and 24months old) and treated with 100mg/kg/day body weight of polyphenols dissolved in tap water for half of the life of the animal. Auditory steady-state responses (ASSR) threshold shifts were measured before sacrificing the rats. Then, cochleae were harvested to measure total superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GPx) activities, reactive oxidative and nitrogen species levels, superoxide anions and nitrotyrosine levels. RESULTS: Increased levels of ROS and RNS in cochlea observed with age decreases with polyphenol treatment. In addition, the activity of SOD and GPx enzymes in older rats recovered after the administration of polyphenols. CONCLUSION: The reduction in oxidative and nitrosative stress in the presence of polyphenols correlates with significant improvements in ASSR threshold shifts.