Phytotherapeutic alternatives for neurodegenerative dementias: Scientific review, discussion and therapeutic proposal.

The incidence and prevalence of age-related neurodegenerative dementias have been increasing. There is no curative therapy and conventional drug treatment can cause problems for patients. Medicinal plants traditionally used for problems associated with ageing are emerging as a therapeutic resource. The main aim is to give a proposal for use and future research based on scientific knowledge and tradition. A literature search was conducted in several searchable databases. The keywords used were related to neurodegenerative dementias, ageing and medicinal plants. Boolean operators and filters were used to focus the search. As a result, there is current clinical and preclinical scientific information on 49 species used in traditional medicine for ageing-related problems, including neurodegenerative dementias. There are preclinical and clinical scientific evidences on their properties against protein aggregates in the central nervous system and their effects on neuroinflammation, apoptosis dysregulation, mitochondrial dysfunction, gabaergic, glutamatergic and dopaminergic systems alterations, monoamine oxidase alterations, serotonin depletion and oestrogenic protection. In conclusion, the potential therapeutic effect of the different medicinal plants depends on the type of neurodegenerative dementia and its stage of development, but more clinical and preclinical research is needed to find better, safer and more effective treatments.

Neuroprotective Potential of Ginkgo biloba in Retinal Diseases.

Like other tissues of the central nervous system, the retina is susceptible to damage by oxidative processes that result in several neurodegenerative disease such as age-related macular degeneration, diabetic retinopathy, glaucoma, ischaemic retinal disease, retinal disease produced by light oxidation, and detached retina, among other diseases. The use of antioxidant substances is a solution to some health problems caused by oxidative stress, because they regulate redox homeostasis and reduce oxidative stress. This is important for neurodegeneration linked to oxidation processes. In line with this, Ginkgo biloba is a medicinal plant with excellent antioxidant properties whose effects have been demonstrated in several degenerative processes, including retinal diseases associated with neurodegeneration. This review describes the current literature on the role of ginkgo in retinal diseases associated with neurodegeneration. The information leads to the conclusion that G. biloba extracts might be a good option to improve certain neurodegenerative retinal diseases, but more research is needed to determine the safety and efficacy of G. biloba in these retinal degenerative processes.

Influence of daily life and health profile in subtle cognitive decline of women residing in Spanish religious communities: DeCo religious orders study.

Background: Prior to the onset of dementia, individuals commonly undergo a phase marked by subtle cognitive changes, known as subtle cognitive decline. Recognizing these early cognitive alterations is crucial, as they can serve as indicators of an impending decline in cognitive function, warranting timely intervention and support. Objectives: To determine the incidence of subtle cognitive decline in a population of Spanish women and establish the relationship with possible protective and/or risk factors such as cognitive reserve, cardiovascular risk factors, medication consumption and psychosocial factors. Design and participants: This is a cross-sectional observational study with women from the general population and a more homogeneous population composed of nuns from the Valencian region (Spain). Measurements: A validated questionnaire was used including lifestyle variables, chronic illnesses, level of education and pharmacological treatments. Three validated subtle cognitive decline screening tests with varying levels of sensitivity and specificity were used: Memory Impairment Screening, Pfeiffer's Short Portable Mental State Questionnaire, and Semantic Verbal Fluency. Results: Our results suggest that nuns may have a significantly reduced risk of cognitive decline compared to the general population (20.67% in nuns vs. 36.63% in the general population). This lower risk for subtle cognitive decline in nuns may be partly attributed to their higher cognitive reserve and long-time engagement in intellectually stimulating activities. Additionally, nuns tend to adopt healthy lifestyles, they are not isolated because they live in community and obtained lower scores for risk factors such as depression, anticholinergic burden, and benzodiazepine consumption. Conclusion: A healthy lifestyle combined with intellectually stimulating activities is related with preserved cognitive function.

Medicinal plants and natural products as neuroprotective agents in age-related macular degeneration.

The retina may suffer neurodegenerative damages, as other tissues of the central nervous system do, and serious eye diseases may develop. One of them is age-related macular degeneration, which causes progressive loss of vision due to retina degeneration. Treatment of age-related macular degeneration focuses on antioxidant agents and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor compounds, among others, that prevent/diminish oxidative stress and reduce neovascularisation respectively. The phytochemicals, medicinal plants and/or plant-diet supplements might be a useful adjunct in prevention or treatment of age-related macular degeneration owing to their antioxidant and anti-vascular endothelial growth factor properties. This review article presents the most investigated plants and natural products in relation to age-related macular degeneration, such as saffron, ginkgo, bilberry and blueberry, curcuma or turmeric, carotenoids, polyphenols, and vitamins C and E. This study provides up-to-date information on the effects, treatments, safety and efficiency of these phytotherapy products.

Correlation between mRNA levels and functional role of alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes in arteries: evidence of alpha1L as a functional isoform of the alpha1A-adrenoceptor.

The mRNA levels for the three alpha1-adrenoceptor subtypes, alpha1A, alpha1B, and alpha1D, were quantified by real-time RT-PCR in arteries from Wistar rats. The alpha1D-adrenoceptor was prominent in both aorta (79.0%) and mesenteric artery (68.7%), alpha1A predominated in tail (61.7%) and small mesenteric artery (73.3%), and both alpha1A- and alpha1D-subtypes were expressed at similar levels in iliac artery. The mRNA levels of the alpha1B-subtype were a minority in all vessels (1.7-11.1%). Concentration-response curves of contraction in response to phenylephrine or relaxation in response to alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonists on maximal sustained contraction induced by phenylephrine were constructed from control vessels and vessels pretreated with 100 micromol/l chloroethylclonidine (CEC) for 30 min. The significant decrease in the phenylephrine potency observed after CEC treatment together with the inhibitory potency displayed by 8-{2-[4-(2-methoxyphenyl)-1-piperazinyl]-8-azaspiro (4,5) decane-7-dionedihydrochloride} (BMY-7378, an alpha1D-adrenoceptor antagonist) confirm the relevant role of alpha1D-adrenoceptors in aorta and iliac and proximal mesenteric arteries. The potency of 5-methylurapidil (an alpha1A-adrenoceptor antagonist) and the changes in the potency of both BMY-7378 and 5-methylurapidil after CEC treatment provided evidence of a mixed population of alpha1A- and alpha1D-adrenoceptors in iliac and distal mesenteric arteries. The low potency of prazosin (pIC50 < 9) as well as the high 5-methylurapidil potency in tail and small mesenteric arteries suggest the main role of alpha1A/alpha1L-adrenoceptors with minor participation of the alpha1D-subtype. The mRNA levels and CEC treatment corroborated this pattern and confirmed that the alpha1L-adrenoceptor could be a functional isoform of the alpha1A-subtype.

Estudio descriptivo del consumo de psicofármacos en jóvenes: necesidad de la Atención Farmacéutica en esta población / No disponible

El objetivo de este estudio es conocer el perfil del consumo de fármacos para el tratamiento de la depresión, ansiedad y trastornos del sueño en jóvenes menores de 30 años. Para ello se realiza un estudio descriptivo transversal mediante encuestas autocumplimentadas (n=486) y posterior tratamiento estadístico de los datos. Entre los resultados más importantes, señalaremos que la tasa de consumo de antidepresivos, ansiolíticos e hipnóticos fue del 19,8%. En un 44,0% de los casos la duración del tratamiento para la depresión fue inferior a tres meses, mientras que los tratamientos para ansiedad y trastornos del sueño duraron más de tres meses en un 30,7% y un 16,7%, respectivamente. En los tratamientos de la depresión se detectó un mayor consumo por indicación del psiquiatra que por el médico de familia. La mayor tasa de automedicación hallada fue la correspondiente a los tratamientos para trastornos del sueño (46,3%). En suma, hemos detectado un consumo de psicofármacos en jóvenes elevado y superior al encontrado en estudios realizados anteriormente en España. La falta de adherencia a tratamiento antidepresivo, la elevada prevalencia en el consumo de ansiolíticos o de hipnóticos durante períodos superiores a lo recomendable y la automedicación detectada en los jóvenes hacen necesaria la aplicación de la Atención Farmacéutica en este grupo poblacional (AU)

The present study aims to evaluate the use of drugs for depression anxiety and sleep disorders in people under 30 years of age. We carried out a transversal descriptive study using a questionnaire (n=486) and statistical analysis of the data obtained. Amongst the more interesting results we would like to pint out to the fact that the prevalence in the use of anti-depressive drugs, anxiolytics and sedative-hypnotic drugs was of 19,8%. Among those who used drugs for treatment of depression, 44,0 % use them for less than three months, whereas in 30,7% of those taking anxiolytics and in 16,7% of the population taking sedatives-hypnotics the treatment lasted over three months. We also found out that the anti-depressive drugs were prescribed more often by psychiatrists than by the general practitioners and that the highest rate of self-medication (46,3%) was amongst users of sleeping pills. In this study we report high use of psychopharmacologic agents in youths and higher than that found in previous studies in Spain. Lack of adherence to the long-term treatment with anti-depressive drugs together with a high percentage of long-term use of anxiolytics and sedatives as well as the amount of self-medication detected make the implantation of pharmaceutical care in the youth using these drugs a sheer necessity (AU)