Mente Activa® Improves Impaired Spatial Memory in Aging Rats.

OBJECTIVES: Aging is accompanied by a decline in several aspects of the cognitive function, having negative personal and socioeconomic impacts. Dietary supplements could be beneficial for preventing age-related cognitive decline. In this context, we examined whether the nutritional supplement Mente Activa® has beneficial effects on aging-related cognitive deficits without inducing side effects. METHODS: Mente Activa® was administered to old rats (n= 30 treated rats and n= 30 control rats) during 5 months, and the Morris water maze was used to test the learning capacities of the animals. The first assessment was conducted before the nutritional intervention (age of 18-19 months), to determine the baseline of the performance of animals on this test, and the second assessment was performed at the end of the treatment (23-24 moths). In order to examine possible secondary effects of this nutritional supplement, plasma, heart anatomy and liver parameters were evaluated. RESULTS: Our data indicate that supplemented rats showed less escape latency, distance swum, higher use of spatial search strategies, and crossed the former platform location with higher frequency than control rats. These effects were specific of the treatment, indicating that this nutritional supplement has a beneficial effect on spatial memory. On the other hand, the regular intake of Mente Activa® did not induce any negative effects in plasma parameters and heart size. CONCLUSIONS: Aged rats under a sustained dietary intake of the nutritional supplement Mente Activa® displayed improved learning and memory abilities compared to the non-treated rats. These results suggest the therapeutic potential and safety of use of Mente Activa® for age-related cognitive deficits, particularly, in the onset of the first cognitive dysfunction symptoms.

Rehabilitación de piso pélvico en el tratamiento del síndrome de vejiga hiperactiva / Pelvic Floor Rehabilitation in the treatment of overactive bladder syndrome

El objetivo de este trabajo es dar a conocer los resultados, a mediano plazo, de una cohorte de mujeres con Síndrome de Vejiga Hiperactiva (SVH) tratadas mediante un protocolo de rehabilitación de piso pélvico en una consulta kinésica particular. Se intervino una cohorte de 20 mujeres derivadas a la Unidad de Piso Pélvico del Centro Médico IDG por diagnóstico de SVH entre marzo de 2010 y marzo de 2012. La evaluaciones se realizaron al momento del enrolamiento, al finalizar la intervención y luego de 5 a 12 meses de concluida la intervención. Las variables evaluadas fueron: frecuencia miccional diurna y nocturna, urgencia miccional, fuerza muscular de piso pélvico y calidad de vida. La intervención consistió en 10 sesiones de 45 minutos, 2 veces por semana. Se aplicó un protocolo que comprende: entrena- miento muscular de piso pélvico y biofeedback, neuromodulación tibial posterior y reeducación vesical mediante calendario miccional y láminas educativas. La mediana de edad de las pacientes fue 54.5 años y la media de seguimiento fue 11.77 meses. Completaron las 10 sesiones programadas el 80 por ciento de las pacientes. Existió una mejoría significativa entre el basal y el control inmediato a la intervención en las siguientes variables: incontinencia de esfuerzo, score de urgencia, frecuencia miccional diurna y nocturna, fuerza muscular y calidad de vida. Esta tendencia se mantiene al final del seguimiento para las variables frecuencia miccional diurna, frecuencia miccional nocturna y la calidad de vida. El único parámetro que mantuvo su significancia estadística en el seguimiento a mediano plazo fue la frecuencia miccional diurna. Esto no ocurrió con los parámetros frecuencia miccional nocturna y calidad de vida. La rehabilitación integral del piso pélvico es una herramienta eficiente en el tratamiento del SVH, mejorando significativamente parámetros como urgencia, frecuencia miccional diurna y nocturna, fuerza de los músculos elevadores del ano.

The aim of this paper is to present medium term results of a cohort of women with overactive bladder syndrome (SVH) treated with a protocol of pelvic floor rehabilitation in a private Kinesiology office. A cohort of 20 women referred to the Pelvic Floor unit of IDG Medical Center due to diagnosis of SVH between March 2010 and March 2012 was evaluated. The evaluations were performed at enrollment, at the end of intervention and 5-12 months after having completed the intervention. Evaluated variables were: daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, urinary urgency, pelvic floor muscle strength and quality of life. The intervention consisted of 10 sessions of 45 minutes, 2 times a week. Using muscular workout, pelvic floor biofeedback, posterior tibial neuromodulation and bladder voiding re-education through educational micturition calendar. The median age of patients was 54.5 years and the mean follow-up was 11.77 months. 80 percent of patients completed the 10 sessions as scheduled. There was a significant improvement between baseline and immediate intervention in the following control variables: stress incontinence, urgency score, daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, muscle strength and quality of life. This trend is maintained at follow-up variables for daytime frequency, nighttime frequency and quality of life. The only parameter that maintained its statistical significance in the midterm follow-up was daytime voiding frequency. This did not happen with the parameters nocturnal voiding frequency and quality of life. The comprehensive rehabilitation of the pelvic floor is an efficient tool in the treatment of SVH, significantly improving parameters such as urgency, daytime and nighttime urinary frequency, strength of the levator any muscles and quality of life.

IGF-I stimulates neurogenesis in the hypothalamus of adult rats.

In the brain of adult rats neurogenesis persists in the subventricular zone of the lateral ventricles and in the dentate gyrus of the hippocampus. By contrast, low proliferative activity was observed in the hypothalamus. We report here that, after intracerebroventricular treatment with insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), cell proliferation significantly increased in both the periventricular and the parenchymal zones of the whole hypothalamus. Neurons, astrocytes, tanycytes, microglia and endothelial cells of the local vessels were stained with the proliferative marker 5-bromo-2'-deoxyuridine (BrdU) in response to IGF-I. Conversely, we never observed BrdU-positive ciliated cubic ependymal cells. Proliferation was intense in the subventricular area of a distinct zone of the mid third ventricle wall limited dorsally by ciliated cubic ependyma and ventrally by tanycytic ependyma. In this area, we saw a characteristic cluster of proliferating cells. This zone of the ventricular wall displayed three cell layers: ciliated ependyma, subependyma and underlying tanycytes. After IGF-I treatment, proliferating cells were seen in the subependyma and in the layer of tanycytes. In the subependyma, proliferating glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive astrocytes contacted the ventricle by an apical process bearing a single cilium and there were many labyrinthine extensions of the periventricular basement membranes. Both features are typical of neurogenic niches in other brain zones, suggesting that the central overlapping zone of the rat hypothalamic wall could be considered a neurogenic niche in response to IGF-I.

Immunocytochemical study of the hypothalamic magnocellular neurosecretory nuclei of the snake Natrix maura and the turtle Mauremys caspica.

An immunocytochemical study of the magnocellular neurosecretory nuclei was performed in the snake Natrix maura and the turtle Mauremys caspica by use of antisera against: (1) a mixture of both bovine neurophysins, (2) bovine oxytocin-neurophysin, (3) arginine vasotocin, and (4) mesotocin. Arginine vasotocin- and mesotocin-immunoreactivities were localized in individual neurons of the supraoptic and paraventricular nuclei, with a distinct pattern of distribution in both species. The same cells appeared to be stained by the anti-oxytocin-neurophysin and antimesotocin sera. The supraoptic nucleus can be subdivided into rostral medial and caudal portions. In N. maura, but not in M. caspica, neurophysin-immunoreactive neurons were found in the retrochiasmatic nucleus. No immunoreactive elements were seen in the suprachiasmatic nucleus of both species after the use of any of the antisera. A dorsolateral aggregation of neurophysin-containing cells, localized over the lateral forebrain bundle, was present in both species. Magnocellular and parvocellular neurophysin-immunoreactive neurons were present in the paraventricular nucleus of both species. In the turtle, the paraventricular neurons were arranged into four distinct layers parallel to the ependyma; these neurons were bipolar with the major axis perpendicular to the ventricle, and many of them projected processes toward the cerebrospinal-fluid compartment. In N. maura a group of large neurons of the paraventricular nucleus was found in a very lateral position. The posterior lobe of the hypophysis and the external zone of the median eminence contained arginine vasotocin- and mesotocin-immunoreactive nerve fibers. The lamina termialis of both species was supplied with a dense bundle of fibers containing immunoreactive neurophysin. Neurophysin-immunoreactive fibers were also present in the septum, some telencephalic regions, including the cortex and the olfactory tubercule, in the paraventricular organ, and the periventricular and periaqueductal gray of the brainstem.