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Kameyama H, Sugimoto K, Kodaka F, Okuno K, Masaki T, Nukariya K, Shigeta M. Association between the early repolarization pattern and nocturnal suicide attempts. Neuropsychopharmacol Rep 2024; 44:410-416. [PMID: 38494338 PMCID: PMC11144600 DOI: 10.1002/npr2.12433] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/25/2023] [Revised: 02/26/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
AIM Numerous recent reports have highlighted the association between mental disorders and electrocardiographic findings. The early repolarization pattern (ERP) on electrocardiogram has been linked with a history of suicide attempts and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, and associations with impulsivity have also been reported. It is known that suicidal intent is more common at night. Patients who have a mental disorder and ERP may have a higher likelihood of impulsivity, potentially increasing the risk of suicide at night. METHODS The subjects were 43 patients with a history of suicide attempts who had undergone electrocardiographic examination at Jikei University School of Medicine Kashiwa Hospital and received intervention from our department. Due to the diurnal variation in electrocardiographic findings, only patients who underwent the examination during the daytime were included. Patients' clinical backgrounds were compared according to the presence or absence of ERP, and the association between nocturnal suicide attempts and ERP was examined using multivariate analysis. RESULTS The frequency of nocturnal suicidal behavior was 76.2% in patients with ERP and 31.8% in those without ERP, but the difference was not significant after Bonferroni correction. In the multivariate analysis, there was a significant association of ERP with nocturnal suicide attempts (p = 0.018). CONCLUSION The finding of an association between ERP and nocturnal suicide attempts indicates that ERP is a biological indicator that can predict nocturnal suicide attempts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hiroshi Kameyama
- Department of PsychiatryThe Jikei University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
- Department of PsychiatryThe Jikei University Kashiwa HospitalChibaJapan
| | - Kenichi Sugimoto
- Department of Laboratory MedicineThe Jikei University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Fumitoshi Kodaka
- Department of PsychiatryThe Jikei University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Kenji Okuno
- Department of Emergency MedicineThe Jikei University Kashiwa HospitalChibaJapan
| | - Takahiro Masaki
- Department of Laboratory MedicineThe Jikei University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
| | - Kazutaka Nukariya
- Department of PsychiatryThe Jikei University Kashiwa HospitalChibaJapan
| | - Masahiro Shigeta
- Department of PsychiatryThe Jikei University School of MedicineTokyoJapan
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Muhammad T, Pai M, Ansari S. Gender differences in the association between cardiovascular diseases and major depressive disorder among older adults in India. DIALOGUES IN HEALTH 2023; 2:100107. [PMID: 38515472 PMCID: PMC10953934 DOI: 10.1016/j.dialog.2023.100107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2022] [Revised: 01/24/2023] [Accepted: 01/28/2023] [Indexed: 03/23/2024]
Abstract
Background Despite the global disease burden associated with the co-occurrence of cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) and depression, depression remains underdiagnosed and undertreated in the CVD population, especially among older adults in India. As such, this study examines (1) the association between single and multiple CVDs and major depressive disorder among older Indians; (2) whether this association is mediated by older adults' self-rated health and functional limitations; and (3) whether these associations vary for older men and women. Methods Data come from the 2017-18 wave 1 of the Longitudinal Ageing Study in India. Multivariable logistic regression is used to explore the association between CVDs and major depressive disorder among older men and women. The Karlson-Holm-Breen (KHB) method is used to examine the mediation effects of self-rated health and functional difficulties in the observed associations. Results Overall, 5.08% of the older adults had multiple CVDs. Older women (9.71%) had a higher prevalence of major depressive disorder compared to men (7.50%). Multiple CVDs were associated with greater odds of major depressive disorder after adjusting the potential covariates (adjusted odds ratio [AOR]: 1.49; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.10-2.00). Older men with multiple CVDs had a greater risk of major depressive disorder (AOR: 1.64; 95% CI: 1.05-2.57) relative to women with CVDs (AOR: 1.39; 95% CI: 0.93-2.08). The association between multiple CVDs and depression was mediated by self-rated health (34.03% for men vs. 34.55% for women), ADL difficulty (22.25% vs. 15.42%), and IADL difficulty (22.90% vs. 19.10%). Conclusions One in five older Indians with multiple CVDs reports major depressive disorder, which is three times more common than the prevalence of depressive disorder in older adults without CVDs. This association is attenuated by self-rated health and functional limitations. Moreover, these associations are more pronounced in older men relative to older women. These findings depart from prior inferences that men with CVDs are less psychologically distressed than their female counterparts. Moreover, the findings underscore the importance of gender-specific approaches to interventions and therapeutics for CVD-related mental health.
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Affiliation(s)
- T. Muhammad
- Department of Family & Generations, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
| | - Manacy Pai
- Department of Sociology, Kent State University, Kent, OH 44242, USA
| | - Salmaan Ansari
- Department of Biostatistics & Epidemiology, International Institute for Population Sciences, Mumbai, India
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Belitsi V, Tsiampalis T, Kouvari M, Kalantzi V, Androutsos O, Bonoti F, Panagiotakos DB, Kosti RI. Exploring Patient Beliefs and Medication Adherence in the Mediterranean Context: A Cross-Sectional Study in Patients with Cardiovascular Diseases and Cardiometabolic Disorders in Greece-The IACT-Study. Life (Basel) 2023; 13:1880. [PMID: 37763284 PMCID: PMC10532979 DOI: 10.3390/life13091880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2023] [Revised: 09/03/2023] [Accepted: 09/04/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Evidence has shown that poor adherence to vascular medications contributes to a considerable proportion of all cardiovascular disease (CVD) events and mortality. The aim of the present work was to examine patients' beliefs/views that affect their level of adherence to the assigned medical treatment in the context of a multi-center study in Greece. METHODS Between July 2022 and April 2023, 1988 patients (1180 females) with established cardiovascular disease or relevant cardiometabolic disorders were chosen from seven medical centers in Greece. The 4-item Morisky Medication Adherence Questionnaire gauged medication adherence and investigated patients' beliefs/views regarding treatment. RESULTS Among participants, 51.2% showed perfect medication adherence, contrasting with 48.8% displaying poor adherence. Patients with negative medication beliefs were around three times more likely to be non-adherent (OR = 2.73; 95% CI = 2.28-3.28). Non-adherers held concerns about drug efficacy (OR = 2.34; 95% CI = 1.10-4.97) and favored alternative therapies (OR = 2.25; 95% CI = 1.75-2.91). CONCLUSION The findings highlight the significance of addressing patient beliefs/views to improve medication adherence. The distinct Mediterranean context, influenced by cultural, socioeconomic, and clinical factors, emphasizes the need for tailored interventions. This underscores the call for contextually sensitive strategies to boost medication adherence and improve health outcomes in this unique region.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vasiliki Belitsi
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Thomas Tsiampalis
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17676 Athens, Greece; (M.K.); (D.B.P.)
| | - Matina Kouvari
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17676 Athens, Greece; (M.K.); (D.B.P.)
- Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia
| | - Vasiliki Kalantzi
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Odysseas Androutsos
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Fotini Bonoti
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
| | - Demosthenes B. Panagiotakos
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Health Science and Education, Harokopio University, 17676 Athens, Greece; (M.K.); (D.B.P.)
- Faculty of Health, University of Canberra, Canberra, ACT 2617, Australia
| | - Rena I. Kosti
- Department of Nutrition and Dietetics, School of Physical Education, Sports and Dietetics, University of Thessaly, 42132 Trikala, Greece; (V.B.); (T.T.); (V.K.); (O.A.); (F.B.)
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Leptidis S, Papakonstantinou E, Diakou KI, Pierouli K, Mitsis T, Dragoumani K, Bacopoulou F, Sanoudou D, Chrousos GP, Vlachakis D. Epitranscriptomics of cardiovascular diseases (Review). Int J Mol Med 2022; 49:9. [PMID: 34791505 PMCID: PMC8651226 DOI: 10.3892/ijmm.2021.5064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Accepted: 10/20/2021] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
RNA modifications have recently become the focus of attention due to their extensive regulatory effects in a vast array of cellular networks and signaling pathways. Just as epigenetics is responsible for the imprinting of environmental conditions on a genetic level, epitranscriptomics follows the same principle at the RNA level, but in a more dynamic and sensitive manner. Nevertheless, its impact in the field of cardiovascular disease (CVD) remains largely unexplored. CVD and its associated pathologies remain the leading cause of death in Western populations due to the limited regenerative capacity of the heart. As such, maintenance of cardiac homeostasis is paramount for its physiological function and its capacity to respond to environmental stimuli. In this context, epitranscriptomic modifications offer a novel and promising therapeutic avenue, based on the fine‑tuning of regulatory cascades, necessary for cardiac function. This review aimed to provide an overview of the most recent findings of key epitranscriptomic modifications in both coding and non‑coding RNAs. Additionally, the methods used for their detection and important associations with genetic variations in the context of CVD were summarized. Current knowledge on cardiac epitranscriptomics, albeit limited still, indicates that the impact of epitranscriptomic editing in the heart, in both physiological and pathological conditions, holds untapped potential for the development of novel targeted therapeutic approaches in a dynamic manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefanos Leptidis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papakonstantinou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Kalliopi Io Diakou
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Katerina Pierouli
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Thanasis Mitsis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Konstantina Dragoumani
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
| | - Flora Bacopoulou
- Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- First Department of Pediatrics, Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Despina Sanoudou
- Fourth Department of Internal Medicine, Clinical Genomics and Pharmacogenomics Unit, Medical School, 'Attikon' Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- Molecular Biology Division, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- Center for New Biotechnologies and Precision Medicine, Medical School, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - George P. Chrousos
- Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- First Department of Pediatrics, Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Vlachakis
- Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, School of Applied Biology and Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, 11855 Athens, Greece
- Laboratory of Molecular Endocrinology, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- First Department of Pediatrics, Center for Adolescent Medicine and UNESCO Chair on Adolescent Health Care, Medical School, Aghia Sophia Children's Hospital, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, 11527 Athens, Greece
- School of Informatics, Faculty of Natural and Mathematical Sciences, King's College London, London WC2R 2LS, UK
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Bajaj S, Killgore WDS. Association between emotional intelligence and effective brain connectome: A large-scale spectral DCM study. Neuroimage 2021; 229:117750. [PMID: 33454407 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuroimage.2021.117750] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2020] [Revised: 12/21/2020] [Accepted: 01/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Emotional Intelligence (EI) is a well-documented aspect of social and interpersonal functioning, but the underlying neural mechanisms for this capacity remain poorly understood. Here we used advanced brain connectivity techniques to explore the associations between EI and effective connectivity (EC) within four functional brain networks. METHODS The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) was used to collect EI data from 55 healthy individuals (mean age = 30.56±8.3 years, 26 males). The MSCEIT comprises two area cores - experiential EI (T1) and strategic EI (T2). The T1 core included two sub-scales - perception of emotions (S1) and using emotions to facilitate thinking (S2), and the T2 core included two sub-scales - understanding of emotions (S3) and management of emotions (S4). All participants underwent structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) scans. The spectral dynamic causal modeling approach was implemented to estimate EC within four networks of interest - the default-mode network (DMN), dorsal attention network (DAN), control-execution network (CEN) and salience network (SN). The strength of EC within each network was correlated with the measures of EI, with correlations at pFDR < 0.05 considered as significant. RESULTS There was no significant association between any of the measures of EI and EC strength within the DMN and DAN. For CEN, however, we found that there were significant negative associations between EC strength from the right anterior prefrontal cortex (RAPFC) to the left anterior prefrontal cortex (LAPFC) and both S2 and T1, and significant positive associations between EC strength from LAPFC to RAPFC and S2. EC strength from the right superior parietal cortex (SPC) to RAPFC also showed significant negative association with S4 and T2. For the SN, S3 showed significant negative association with EC strength from the right insula to RAPFC and significant positive association with EC strength from the left insula to dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (DACC). CONCLUSIONS We provide evidence that the negative ECs within the right hemisphere, and from the right to left hemisphere, and positive ECs within the left hemisphere and from the left to right hemisphere of CEN (involving bilateral frontal and right parietal region) and SN (involving right frontal, anterior cingulate and bilateral insula) play a significant role in regulating and processing emotions. These findings also suggest that measures of EC can be utilized as important biomarkers to better understand the underlying neural mechanisms of EI.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sahil Bajaj
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory (SCAN Lab), Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA; Multimodal Clinical Neuroimaging Laboratory (MCNL), Center for Neurobehavioral Research, Boys Town National Research Hospital, 14015 Flanagan Blvd. Suite #102, Boys Town, NE 68010, USA.
| | - William D S Killgore
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Laboratory (SCAN Lab), Department of Psychiatry, College of Medicine, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ, USA
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Srinivas S, Anand K, Chockalingam A. Longitudinal association between adolescent negative emotions and adulthood cardiovascular disease risk: an opportunity for healthcare quality improvement. BENCHMARKING-AN INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL 2020. [DOI: 10.1108/bij-01-2020-0028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022]
Abstract
PurposeWhile cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death globally, over 80% of the cases could be prevented through early lifestyle changes. From the perspective of quality management in healthcare, this may offer an effective prevention window if modifiable CVD risk factors are identified and treated in adolescence. The purpose of this research is to examine the negative emotions in adolescents and determine if it independently increases CVD risk later in life.Design/methodology/approachLongitudinal data from 12,350 participants of the Add Health study, which conducted a multi-wave survey for 14 years from adolescence (Wave 1) through adulthood (Wave 4), were used to test the research hypothesis. Four items (perception of life, self-reported depression, perceived loneliness and fearfulness) reflective of adolescent negative emotion were identified from the Wave 1 questionnaire, and factor analysis was conducted to confirm the hypothesized structure. The outcome variable, 30-year adulthood CVD risk category (high or low risk), was estimated using biomarkers, biological data and other factors collected during the 14-year follow-up in Wave 4. A logistic regression analysis was employed to assess the impact of adolescent negative emotions on adulthood CVD risk after adjusting for common risk factors such as sociodemographic characteristics, socioeconomic status and medical conditions in adolescence.FindingsThe results indicated adolescent negative emotion to be significantly associated with CVD risk category (p-value < 0.0001), even after controlling for common risk factors. A unit increase in the level of adolescent negative emotion increased the chance of being in the high CVD risk group in adulthood by 8% (odds ratio = 1.08 ± 0.03).Practical implicationsHealthcare providers and organizations could capitalize on the research findings by screening for negative emotions early in life through individual and societal interventions. The findings also provide an opportunity for implementing quality improvement initiatives to deliver robust preventive care, which, in turn, could improve the overall population health, reduce healthcare costs and improve care quality.Originality/valueAlthough previous studies showed a strong link between adolescent physiological factors (e.g. obesity) and adulthood cardiovascular disease (CVD), the association between adolescent outlook/attitude (negative emotion) and CVD risk has not been examined.
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Papageorgiou L, Papakonstantinou E, Salis C, Polychronidou E, Hagidimitriou M, Maroulis D, Eliopoulos E, Vlachakis D. Drugena: A Fully Automated Immunoinformatics Platform for the Design of Antibody-Drug Conjugates Against Neurodegenerative Diseases. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1194:203-215. [PMID: 32468536 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-32622-7_18] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Antibodies are proteins that are the first line of defense in the adaptive immune response of vertebrates. Thereby, they are involved in a multitude of biochemical mechanisms and clinical manifestations with significant medical interest, such as autoimmunity, the regulation of infection, and cancer. An emerging field in antibody science that is of huge medicinal interest is the development of novel antibody-interacting drugs. Such entities are the antibody-drug conjugates (ADCs), which are a new type of targeted therapy, which consist of an antibody linked to a payload drug. Overall, the underlying principle of ADCs is the discerning delivery of a drug to a target, hoping to increase the potency of the original drug. Drugena suite is a pioneering platform that employs state-of-the-art computational biology methods in the fight against neurodegenerative diseases using ADCs. Drugena encompasses an up-to-date structural database of specialized antibodies for neurological disorders and the NCI database with over 96 million entities for the in silico development of ADCs. The pipeline of the Drugena suite has been divided into several steps and modules that are closely related with a synergistic fashion under a user-friendly graphical user interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Papageorgiou
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece.,Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Eleni Papakonstantinou
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Constantinos Salis
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | | | - Marianna Hagidimitriou
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitris Maroulis
- Department of Informatics and Telecommunications, National and Kapodistrian University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Elias Eliopoulos
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece
| | - Dimitrios Vlachakis
- Genetics and Computational Biology Group, Laboratory of Genetics, Department of Biotechnology, Agricultural University of Athens, Athens, Greece. .,Division of Endocrinology and Metabolism, Center of Clinical, Experimental Surgery and Translational Research, Biomedical Research Foundation of the Academy of Athens, Athens, Greece.
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Olive Oil Polyphenols in Neurodegenerative Pathologies. ADVANCES IN EXPERIMENTAL MEDICINE AND BIOLOGY 2020; 1195:77-91. [PMID: 32468462 DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-32633-3_12] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
Neurodegenerative diseases lead to the death of nerve cells in the brain or the spinal cord. A wide range of diseases are included within the group of neurodegenerative disorders, with the most common ones being dementia, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases. Millions of older people are suffering from such pathologies. The global increase of life expectancy unavoidably leads to a consequent increase in the number of people who will be at some degree affected by neurodegenerative-related diseases. At this moment, there is no effective therapy or treatment that can reverse the loss of neurons. A growing number of studies highlight the value of the consumption of medical foods, and in particular olive oil, as one of the most important components of the Mediterranean diet. A diet based on extra virgin olive oil seems to contribute toward the lowering of risk of age-related pathologies due to high phenol concentration. The link of a polyphenol found in extra virgin olive oil, namely, tyrosol, with the protein tyrosinase, associated to Parkinson's disease is underlined as a paradigm of affiliation between polyphenols and neurodegenerative disorders.
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