Association of status redox with demographic, clinical and imaging parameters in patients with Huntington's disease.

UNLABELLED: Huntington's disease (HD) is an autosomal dominant, progressive neurodegenerative disorder, caused by an expanded trinucleotide CAG sequence of the huntingtin (Htt) gene, which encodes a stretch of glutamines in the Htt protein. The mechanisms of neurodegeneration associated with the accumulation of Htt aggregates still remains unclear. OBJECTIVES: To determine oxidative stress biomarkers in HD patients and their relationship with clinical, demographic and neuroimaging parameters. DESIGN AND METHODS: Fourteen patients and 39 controls paired by age and sex participated in this study. Oxidative damage was assayed in blood by measuring malondialdehyde (MDA) and advanced oxidative protein products (AOPPs). Antioxidant status was determined by activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase (GR), reduced glutathione (GSH), protein thiols and total antioxidant capacity (FRAP). The Unified Huntington Disease Rating Scale (UHDRS) and neuroimaging studies were also employed. RESULTS: MDA, AOPP and GPx were significantly increased in HD patients with respect to the control group, while GR activity was decreased. FRAP correlated with age of disease onset, AOPP with motor severity (UHDRS score), age of patients and age of disease onset. Caudate atrophy was associated with lower plasma concentrations of GSH. CONCLUSIONS: These findings point to a redox imbalance in HD patients. GR activity could be a potential biomarker for symptom onset in asymptomatic gene carriers, while plasmatic GSH could be useful in monitoring the progression of neurodegeneration - as an expression of caudate atrophy - during the course of the disease.

Mecanismos moleculares implicados en las enfermedades cardiovasculares aterotrombóticas / Molecular mechanisms involved in atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease

El síndrome coronario agudo es un problema de salud y constituye la primera causa de muerte en el mundo desarrollado y en Cuba. Esta enfermedad, que incluye infarto de miocardio, angina de pecho y muerte súbita, causa más muertes cada año que el resto de las enfermedades combinadas. El factor causal de mayor relevancia del infarto del miocardio, radica en la formación y evolución crónica de un ateroma, o eventos que son favorecidos por el estrés oxidativo, las citocinas proinflamatorias, la trombina y el no control de los factores de riesgo. La presente revisión se realizó con el propósito de explicar los mecanismos moleculares y la influencia de los factores de riesgo implicados en la fisiopatología de estas enfermedades. Se concluyó que las especies reactivas del oxígeno y el estrés oxidativo, desempeñan un papel importante en la fisiopatología de estas afecciones cardiovasculares, de relevancia para el diagnóstico y la terapéutica(AU)

Acute coronary syndrome is a health problem and is the leading cause of death in Europe, North America, and Cuba. This disease, which includes heart attack, angina and sudden death, causes more deaths each year than all other diseases combined. The most important causal factor of myocardial infarction lies in the formation and chronic evolution of atheroma, or events that are favored by oxidative stress, proinflammatory cytokines, thrombin and no control of risk factors. This review was conducted in order to explain the molecular mechanisms and the influence of the risk factors involved in the pathophysiology of these diseases. It was concluded that reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathophysiology of such cardiovascular disorders, of relevance for its diagnosis and therapy(AU)

Mecanismos moleculares implicados en las enfermedades cardiovasculares aterotrombóticas / Molecular mechanisms involved in atherothrombotic cardiovascular disease

El síndrome coronario agudo es un problema de salud y constituye la primera causa de muerte en el mundo desarrollado y en Cuba. Esta enfermedad, que incluye infarto de miocardio, angina de pecho y muerte súbita, causa más muertes cada año que el resto de las enfermedades combinadas. El factor causal de mayor relevancia del infarto del miocardio, radica en la formación y evolución crónica de un ateroma, o eventos que son favorecidos por el estrés oxidativo, las citocinas proinflamatorias, la trombina y el no control de los factores de riesgo. La presente revisión se realizó con el propósito de explicar los mecanismos moleculares y la influencia de los factores de riesgo implicados en la fisiopatología de estas enfermedades. Se concluyó que las especies reactivas del oxígeno y el estrés oxidativo, desempeñan un papel importante en la fisiopatología de estas afecciones cardiovasculares, de relevancia para el diagnóstico y la terapéutica

Acute coronary syndrome is a health problem and is the leading cause of death in Europe, North America, and Cuba. This disease, which includes heart attack, angina and sudden death, causes more deaths each year than all other diseases combined. The most important causal factor of myocardial infarction lies in the formation and chronic evolution of atheroma, or events that are favored by oxidative stress, proinflammatory cytokines, thrombin and no control of risk factors. This review was conducted in order to explain the molecular mechanisms and the influence of the risk factors involved in the pathophysiology of these diseases. It was concluded that reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress play an important role in the pathophysiology of such cardiovascular disorders, of relevance for its diagnosis and therapy