The medial preoptic area and acute cocaine's stimulant effects in rats: Potential influences of estradiol and biological sex.

The medial preoptic area (mPOA) in the hypothalamus is an important integrator of neuroendocrine signaling and a key regulator of both natural and drug-induced reward. Although the mPOA modulates sex differences in other behaviors, whether it also modulates sex differences in cocaine response remains unclear. To help us better understand the mPOA's role in sex differences associated with cocaine response, we examined cocaine-induced changes in locomotion and neural activity in the mPOA of male and female rats. In addition, neural activity in the striatum, a brain area known to be involved in cocaine response, was examined for comparison purposes. Fos, the protein product of the immediate early gene c-fos, was used as the marker of neural activity. Locomotion chambers were used to measure behavior, radioimmunoassays and vaginal lavages were used to determine hormonal status, and immunohistochemical assays were used to quantify Fos. To account for the effects of gonadal hormones, rats were left gonadally intact and categorized as either 'low-estradiol' or 'high-estradiol' based on their hormonal status on test day. Results indicate that high-estradiol females experienced greater cocaine-induced mPOA Fos-immunoreactivity (Fos-ir) and displayed greater cocaine-induced locomotion than low estradiol females. Conversely, high-estradiol males experienced less cocaine-induced mPOA Fos-ir and displayed less cocaine-induced locomotion than low-estradiol males. Cocaine-induced Fos-ir in the mPOA also correlated with cocaine-induced Fos-ir in areas of the striatum already associated with cocaine response. These findings further support the mPOA's role in the endocrine-mediated response to cocaine. It also identifies the mPOA as a contributor to sex differences in cocaine response and potential differences in vulnerability to developing cocaine use disorders.

Chemical Characterization and Antiplatelet Potential of Bioactive Extract from Tomato Pomace (Byproduct of Tomato Paste).

We examined the ability of tomato pomace extract (by-product) to affect platelet aggregation in healthy humans (clinical pilot study). In phase 1 the tolerance of participants (n = 15; 5 per dose level) ingesting tomato pomace extract across three dose levels (1, 2.5, and 10 g) was evaluated. Phase 2 was a single-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel design human (male, n = 99; 33 per group) pilot intervention trial investigating the acute and repeated dose effects (5 days) of different doses of tomato pomace extract (1 g, 2.5 g or placebo) on platelet aggregation ex vivo. Various flavonoids (coumaric acid, floridzin, floretin, procyanidin B2, luteolin-7-O-glucoside, kaempferol, and quercitin) and nucleosides (adenosine, inosine, and guanosine) were identified in the tomato pomace extract. The clinical study showed that the daily consumption of 1 g of aqueous extract of tomato pomace for 5 days exerted an inhibitory activity on platelet aggregation.

Inhibición del crecimiento de Erwinia chrysanthemi a diferentes concentraciones de ácido fólico: posible uso del ácido fólico como agente bacteriostático y fortificante de la papa Solanum tuberosum / Inhibition of Erwinia chrysanthemi growth to different concentrations of folic acid: possible use of folic acid as bacteriostatic agent and fortifying of Solanum tuberosum potato

Resumen Introducción: Las enterobacterias del genero Erwinia spp producen enfermedades en la papa, un tubérculo de consumo masivo. La regulación de la metilación del DNA puede regular la proliferación de la Erwinia, de tal modo que las concentraciones del ácido fólico, pueden tener un efecto en la capacidad patógena del microorganismo. De otra parte, el ácido fólico previene la aparición de defectos del tubo neural en humanos. Objetivo: Evaluar al ácido fólico como un agente bacteriostático de la Erwinia y que a su vez sea parte de la fortificación de alimentos de consumo masivo como la papa. Materiales y métodos: Se llevó a cabo la caracterización bioquímica de la Erwinia chrysanthemi, se estudió su crecimiento frente a diferentes concentraciones de ácido fólico Resultados: Al aumentar las concentraciones de la vitamina, desde 0,3 µg/L hasta 6,8 µg/L se inhibe el crecimiento bacteriano de la Erwinia chrysanthemi. La vitamina inhibe el crecimiento en cultivo de Erwinia chrysanthemi y actúa como como agente bacteriostático, aspecto es de gran relevancia dado que teóricamente, si la papa estuviera fortificada con el micronutriente, este actuaría contra el agente infeccioso y al mismo tiempo contribuiría al consumo adecuado de la vitamina en la población general.

Abstract Introduction: The enterobacteria of the Erwinia spp genus produce disease in potatoes, which is a tuber of mass consumption. The regulation of DNA methylation can regulate the proliferation of Erwinia in such a way that the concentrations of folic acid may have an effect on the microorganism pathogenic ability. On the other hand, the folic acid prevents the appearance of neural tube defects in humans. Objective: To evaluate folic acid as a bacteriostatic agent of Erwinia and, at the same time, as part of the fortification of mass consumption food such as the potatoes. Materials and methods: The biochemical characterization of the Erwinia chrysanthemi was carried out and its growth compared to different concentrations of folic acid was studied. Results: When increasing the concentrations of the vitamin from 0.3 µg/L up to 6.8 µg/L, the bacterial growth of Erwinia chrysanthemi is inhibited. The vitamin inhibits the growth in cultivation of Erwinia chrysanthemi and acts as a bacteriostatic agent. This aspect is of great importance given that, theoretically, if potatoes were fortified with micro-nutrient, this would act against the infectious agent and, at the same time, contribute to the adequate intake of the vitamin in the general population.