Articles: human.
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Environ. Health Perspect. · Nov 2009
Black carbon exposure, oxidative stress genes, and blood pressure in a repeated-measures study.
Particulate matter (PM) air pollution has been associated with cardiovascular morbidity and mortality, and elevated blood pressure (BP) is a known risk factor for cardiovascular disease. A small number of studies have investigated the relationship between PM and BP and found mixed results. Evidence suggests that traffic-related air pollution contributes significantly to PM-related cardiovascular effects. ⋯ We observed positive associations between BP and BC, but not between BP and PM(2.5), and found no evidence of effect modification of the association between BC and BP by gene variants related to antioxidative defense.
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BMC Int Health Hum Rights · Oct 2009
The forsaken mental health of the Indigenous Peoples - a moral case of outrageous exclusion in Latin America.
Mental health is neglected in most parts of the world. For the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America, the plight is even more severe as there are no specific mental health services designed for them altogether. Given the high importance of mental health for general health, the status quo is unacceptable. Lack of research on the subject of Indigenous Peoples' mental health means that statistics are virtually unavailable. To illustrate their mental health status, one can nonetheless point to the high rates of poverty and extreme poverty in their communities, overcrowded housing, illiteracy, and lack of basic sanitary services such as water, electricity and sewage. At the dawn of the XXI century, they remain poor, powerless, and voiceless. They remain severely excluded from mainstream society despite being the first inhabitants of this continent and being an estimated of 48 million people. This paper comments, specifically, on the limited impact of the Pan American Health Organization's mental health initiative on the Indigenous Peoples of Latin America. ⋯ The persistent neglect of the Indigenous Peoples' mental health in Latin America raises serious concerns of moral and human rights violations. Since the Pan American Health Organization' Health of the Indigenous Peoples Initiative 16 years ago, no mental health service designed for them has yet been created.
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Introduction. There is renewed interest in the use of electrical stimulation to control seizures in patients with medically refractory epilepsy. The evidence indicates that multiple nuclei are involved in the onset, spread, or termination of seizures. Establishing electrical stimulation parameters tailored to these nuclei that best control seizures is ongoing. ⋯ The advent of seizure detection devices used in closed-loop studies has in part redefined the strategy to prevent seizure occurrence and limit spread. Discussion. A number of studies in animals and humans indicate that electrical stimulation may be an alternative treatment for some patients with medically intractable epilepsy who are not candidates for conventional surgical options. Conclusion. The reduction in the number and/or severity of seizures found in some studies supports further investigation into the effects of electrical stimulation on the brain and the continuation of testing in animals and humans.
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Expert Rev Clin Immunol · Sep 2009
Prostate autoimmunity: from experimental models to clinical counterparts.
Different murine models of autoimmune prostatitis have been developed and characterized, proving the autoimmune origin of this pathology. Autoimmune prostatitis models have also provided a wealth of information on the mechanisms involved in disease development, shedding light on inciting autoantigens, regulatory and pathogenic T cells, and mediators of prostatic autoimmunity. ⋯ In this review, we will discuss evidence for the autoimmune origin of chronic prostatitis/chronic pelvic pain syndrome (CP/CPPS) and the chronic inflammatory nature of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). The autoimmune pathogenesis of CP/CPPS and the chronic inflammation characteristic of BPH will be reviewed within the context of the recent demonstration that human prostate stromal cells from BPH tissue can act as antigen-presenting cells and are not only able to activate CD4(+) T lymphocytes, but can also produce IL-12 and IL-23, which are key cytokines for the induction of pathogenic Th1 and Th17 cells.
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The human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) accessory protein Vpr induces apoptosis after cell cycle arrest at the G2 phase in primate cells. We have reported previously that C81, a carboxy-terminally truncated form of Vpr, interferes with cell proliferation and results in apoptosis without G2 arrest. Here, we investigated whether this property of Vpr and C81 could be exploited for use as a potential anticancer agent. ⋯ Surprisingly, C81 induced G2 arrest when DDB1 was overexpressed in HepG2 cells, but not in HeLa or 293 T cells. Thus, the induction of Vpr- and C81-mediated cell cycle arrest appears to depend on the cell type, whereas apoptosis was observed in all tumor cells tested. Overall, Vpr and C81 have potential as novel therapeutic agents for treatment of cancer.