Effect of levetiracetam on DNA oxidation and glutathione content in a temporal lobe epilepsy model.

Levetiracetam (LEV) is a drug commonly used as an anticonvulsant. However, recent evidence points to a possible role as an antioxidant. We previously demonstrated the antioxidant properties of LEV by significantly increasing catalase and superoxide dismutase activities and decreasing the hydrogen peroxide (H2O2) levels in the hippocampus of rats with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) showing scavenging properties against the hydroxyl radical. The aim of the present work was to evaluate, the effect of LEV on DNA oxidation, by determining 8­hydroxy­2­deoxyguanosine (8­OHdG) levels, and glutathione content, through reduced (GSH) and oxidized (GSSG) glutathione levels, in the hippocampus of rats with TLE. Male Wistar rats were assigned to the control (CTRL), CTRL+LEV, epileptic (EPI) and EPI+LEV groups. TLE was induced using the lithium­pilocarpine model. Thirteen weeks after TLE induction, LEV was administered for one week through osmotic pumps implanted subcutaneously. The determination of 8­OHdG, GSH and GSSG levels were measured using spectrophotometric methods. We showed that LEV alone significantly increased 8­OHdG and GSSG levels in the hippocampus of control rats compared to those in epileptic condition. No significant differences in GSH levels were observed. LEV could induce changes in the hippocampus increasing DNA oxidation and GSSG levels under nonepileptic condition but not protecting against the mitochondrial dysfunction observed in TLE probably by mechanisms related to changes in chromatin structure, neuroinflammation and alterations in redox components.

Antiangiogenic Effect of Dopamine and Dopaminergic Agonists as an Adjuvant Therapeutic Option in the Treatment of Cancer, Endometriosis, and Osteoarthritis.

Dopamine (DA) and dopamine agonists (DA-Ag) have shown antiangiogenic potential through the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. They inhibit VEGF and VEGF receptor 2 (VEGFR 2) functions through the dopamine receptor D2 (D2R), preventing important angiogenesis-related processes such as proliferation, migration, and vascular permeability. However, few studies have demonstrated the antiangiogenic mechanism and efficacy of DA and DA-Ag in diseases such as cancer, endometriosis, and osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, the objective of this review was to describe the mechanisms of the antiangiogenic action of the DA-D2R/VEGF-VEGFR 2 system and to compile related findings from experimental studies and clinical trials on cancer, endometriosis, and OA. Advanced searches were performed in PubMed, Web of Science, SciFinder, ProQuest, EBSCO, Scopus, Science Direct, Google Scholar, PubChem, NCBI Bookshelf, DrugBank, livertox, and Clinical Trials. Articles explaining the antiangiogenic effect of DA and DA-Ag in research articles, meta-analyses, books, reviews, databases, and clinical trials were considered. DA and DA-Ag have an antiangiogenic effect that could reinforce the treatment of diseases that do not yet have a fully curative treatment, such as cancer, endometriosis, and OA. In addition, DA and DA-Ag could present advantages over other angiogenic inhibitors, such as monoclonal antibodies.

Evaluación del polimorfismo Pro12Ala del gen PPARƴ en mujeres con diabetes mellitus gestacional / Evaluation of the Pro12Ala polymorphism of the PPARƴ gene in women with gestational diabetes mellitus

Resumen OBJETIVO: Determinar la frecuencia del alelo Ala en una muestra de mujeres mexicanas con diabetes mellitus gestacional y asociar su repercusión en la glucemia. MATERIALES Y MÉTODOS: Estudio ambispectivo, observacional, transversal y correlacional efectuado en una cohorte de pacientes con diabetes gestacional atendidas entre los meses de enero a junio del 2014 en el Hospital Militar de Especialidades de la Mujer y Neonatología de la Secretaría de la Defensa Nacional en la Ciudad de México. Se evaluó el polimorfismo mediante amplificación de un fragmento de ADN mediante la reacción en cadena de la polimerasa (PCR) y su secuenciación. RESULTADOS: Se estudiaron 81 pacientes; 3 de ellas con el alelo Ala, con concentraciones de glucosa menores y antecedente de más abortos en comparación con las mujeres sin el alelo Ala. CONCLUSIONES: La coexistencia del alelo Ala en mujeres embarazadas con diagnóstico de diabetes mellitus gestacional pudiera tener un efecto protector en contra de la hiperglucemia en el embarazo y el riesgo de aborto.

Abstract OBJECTIVE: To determine the frequency of peroxisomal proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARg) polymorphism of proline substituted with an alanine in amino acid 12 (Pro12Ala), in women with gestational diabetes mellitus and associate its impact with glycemia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: An ambispective, observational, cross-sectional and correlational study was carried out in a cohort of women with gestational diabetes that included 81 pregnant women treated at the Military Hospital for Women's Specialties and Neonatology of the Ministry of National Defense in the city from Mexico. Polymorphism was evaluated by amplification of a DNA fragment by PCR Polymerase Chain Reaction and its sequencing. RESULTS: The results indicated that 13.5% of the women carriers of the Ala allele also had lower blood glucose values and a history with a higher number of abortions compared to women without the Ala allele. CONCLUSIONS: The presence of the Ala allele in pregnant women with gestational diabetes mellitus could have a protective effect against hyperglycemia in pregnancy and a risk of abortion.

Identificación de variantes del gen BRCA 1 Y BRCA 2 en pacientes con cáncer de próstata resistente a la castración del Hospital Central Militar / Identification of BRCA 1 AND BRCA 2 gene variants in patients with castration-resistant prostate cancer at the Hospital Central Militar

Resumen El cáncer de próstata metastásico resistente a la castración (CPRC) es una neoplasia heterogénea letal entre los hombres. 30% de los tumores acumulan errores deletéreos en genes implicados en la respuesta al daño del ADN (DNA damage response en inglés, DDR). Algunos de estos genes asociados a cáncer son BRCA 1 y BRCA 2. Mutaciones en estos genes favorecen la pérdida o la modificación de la función provocando un cambio permanente y transmisible, lo que conduce al desarrollo de cáncer de próstata agresivo. El objetivo del estudio fue identificar mediante secuenciación dirigida (Next-generation sequencing; NGS) variantes génicas de BRCA 1 y BRCA 2 en el genoma de pacientes con CPRC del Hospital Central Militar. Es importante destacar que los resultados demostraron una serie de alteraciones clínicas, así como una pérdida de la función de las proteínas relacionadas con mecanismos de reparación del ADN. Curiosamente, algunas de las variantes en el gen BRCA, de las que se informa aquí, son de significado incierto, lo que nos ha sido comunicado por primera vez.

Abstract Metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (CRPC) is a heterogeneous lethal neoplasm among men. 30% of tumors harbor deleterious errors in genes involved in the DNA damage response (DDR). Some of these cancer-associated genes are BRCA 1 and BRCA 2. Mutations to these genes favor loss or modification of function causing a permanent and transmissible change, leading to the development of aggressive prostate cancer. The aim of the study was to identify by Next-generation sequencing (NGS) BRCA 1 and BRCA 2 gene variants in peripheral blood of patients with CRPC at the Hospital Central Militar. Importantly, the results demonstrated a number of clinical alterations, as well as a loss of function of proteins related to DNA repair mechanisms. Interestingly, some of the variants in the BRCA gene, reported here, are of uncertain significance, which has been reported to us for the first time.