Neurotoxicology
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The potential neuroprotective benefits of curcumin against cisplatin neurotoxicity were investigated. Curcumin is a polyphenol derived from the rhizome of Curcuma longa whose pharmacological effects include antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-cancer properties. Cisplatin is a potent chemotherapeutic drug with activity against a wide variety of tumors, although it has notorious side effects. ⋯ Our results indicate that curcumin does not compromise cisplatin's anticancer activity. Curcumin neither suppressed p53 mRNA transcription nor protected tumor cells against cisplatin cytotoxicity. These results indicate that curcumin may reduce cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity, and clinical studies should potentially be considered.
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While the impact of active maternal smoking during pregnancy on child health has been well investigated, the association between maternal passive smoking, or environmental tobacco smoke (ETS), or second-hand smoke, and behavioral development of offspring is less clear. This study examines the association between maternal ETS exposure during pregnancy and child behavior problems. ⋯ This study suggests that maternal ETS exposure during pregnancy may impact child behavioral development, particularly externalizing behaviors.
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Cytisine (CYT), one of the principal bioactive components derived from the seeds of Cytisus laborinum L, has been widely used for central nervous system (CNS) diseases treatment. The present study investigated the protective effect of CYT on cultured cortical neural injury induced by N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA). ⋯ Furthermore, CYT significantly reversed the up-regulation of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors by exposure to NMDA, but it did not affect the level of GluN2A-containing NMDA receptors. These findings suggest that CYT protects cortical neurons, at least partially, by inhibiting the level of GluN2B-containing NMDA receptors and regulating Bcl-2 family.
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Dental amalgam is approximately 50% metallic mercury and releases mercury vapor into the oral cavity, where it is inhaled and absorbed. Maternal amalgams expose the developing fetus to mercury vapor. Mercury vapor can be toxic, but uncertainty remains whether prenatal amalgam exposure is associated with neurodevelopmental consequences in offspring. ⋯ We found no evidence of an association between our primary exposure metric, amalgam surfaces, and neurodevelopmental endpoints. Secondary analyses using occlusal points supported these findings, but suggested the possibility of an adverse association with the MDI for girls at 9 months. Given the continued widespread use of dental amalgam, we believe additional prospective studies to clarify this issue are a priority.
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Fibromyalgia, mood disorders, and intense creative energy: A1AT polymorphisms are not always silent.
Persons with single copies of common alpha-1-antitrypsin polymorphisms such as S and Z are often considered "silent carriers". Published evidence however supports a complex behavioral phenotype or trait - intense creative energy ("ICE")-associated with A1AT polymorphisms. We now confirm that phenotype and present an association of fibromyalgia syndrome (FMS) and A1AT in a consecutive series of neurological patients. ⋯ High and low risk FMS subsets can be defined using A1AT, MTHFR and APOE genotyping. Clinical diagnoses associated with A1AT polymorphisms included fibromyalgia, JRA/JIA, bipolar disorder, PTSD, primary progressive aphasia and FTDPD, but not most Alzheimer Disease subtypes. These results support an extended phenotype for A1AT mutation carriers beyond liver and lung vulnerability to selective advantages: ICE phenotype and disadvantages: fibromyalgia, affective disorders, and selected late onset neurological syndromes.