Antioxidant and immunomodulatory effects of Viusid in patients with chronic hepatitis C

AIM:To investigate the efficacy of Viusid,a nutritional supplement,as an antioxidant and an immunomodulator in patients with chronic hepatitis C.METHODS:Sixty patients with chronic hepatitis C who were non-responders to standard antiviral treatment were randomly assigned to receive Viusid(3 sachets daily,n=30) or placebo(n=30) for 24 wk.The primary outcome was the change in serum malondialdehyde and 4-hydroxyalkenals(lipid peroxidation products).Secondary outcomes were changes in serum tumor necrosis factor-α(TNF-α),interferon-γ(IFN-γ) and interleukin-10(IL-10).RESULTS:Statistically significant reductions in serum 4-hydroxyalkenals and malondialdehyde levels were observed in both groups in comparison with pretreatment values,but the patients who received Viusid showed a more marked reduction as compared with the control group(P=0.001).TNF-α levels significantly increased from 6.9 to 16.2 pg/mL(P< 0.01) in the patients who received placebo in comparison with almost unchanged levels,from 6.6 to 7.1 pg/mL(P=0.26),in the patients treated with Viusid(P=0.001).In addition,IL-10 levels were markedly increased in the patients treated with Viusid(from 2.6 to 8.3 pg/mL,P=0.04) in contrast to the patients assigned to placebo(from 2.8 to 4.1 pg/mL,P=0.09)(P=0.01).Likewise,the administration of Viusid markedly increased mean IFN-γ levels from 1.92 to 2.89 pg/mL(P< 0.001) in comparison with a reduction in mean levels from 1.80 to 1.68 pg/mL(P=0.70) in the placebo group(P< 0.0001).Viusid administration was well tolerated.CONCLUSION:Our results indicate that treatment with Viusid leads to a notable improvement of oxidative stress and immunological parameters in patients with chronic hepatitis C.

Association of Serum Antioxidant Enzymes and Nervous Tissue Markers in Hypertensive Patients

Background and Purpose: Hypertension has serious effects on cerebral blood vessels. Oxidative stress seems to be implicated in blood pressure elevation, through increased reactive oxygen species and/or decreased antioxidant capacity. Recently blood markers indicating damage to the central nervous system were reported to be increased in hypertensive patients. However, it is unknown whether antioxidant capacity is related to these changes. This study was designed to explore if the concentration of blood markers for nervous tissue damage was associated to antioxidant capacity in hypertensive patients. Methods: Twenty hypertensive patients and 23 healthy controls were studied. They were paired by age, sex, ethnicity, or risk factors. Serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) and S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B) were measured as nervous tissue damage markers, as well as the activity of antioxidant enzymes (catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and gamma-glutamyltransferase). Results: Serum neuronal specific enolase (NSE) and S100 calcium binding protein B (S100B) concentrations determined by immunoassay were significantly increased in patients vs. controls. The activities of antioxidant enzymes measured by spectrophotometry showed that plasmatic catalase and erythrocytic glutathione peroxidase were significantly increased in patients, but erythocytic catalase was decreased. Gamma-glutamyltransferase activity was significantly correlated with S100B in hypertensive patients, while erythrocytic catalase activity was decreased in subjects with higher NSE levels. Conclusion: This preliminary investigation suggested that antioxidant status might be modulated through changes in antioxidant enzymatic activity in hypertensive patients. The association of some of these changes with peripheral markers of damage to the central nervous system could indicate that the increased levels of these proteins in hypertension are partly related to oxidative stress.

Morphological Characterization in Wild Species of Heliconias(Heliconia spp)in Mexico

In Mexico, the utilization of native heliconias germplasm for preservation and genetic improvement purposes, has been limited partly because of the unawareness between their population similarities and differences, and because of the degree of genetic divergence that exists among the interspecific and intraspecific ecotypes originated from different regions of the humid tropics. The objective of the present study was to morphological characterization wild species of the genus Heliconias in Mexico through some qualitative and quantitative morphological descriptors. Fifty-five qualitative and quantitative morphological characters were studied in 25 accessions from 11 native species. Characters of plant, leaf, inflorescence, flower, fruit, and seed were taken into account. Data was analyzed by Principal Component Analysis (PCA) and Hierarchical Cluster Analysis. Two analyses were carried out: the first one was for the 25 accessions that included characters of flower (55 variables), whereas the second was for only 19 accessions (66 variables) concluded until seed. The first six components explained a 69.4% of the total variation based on PCA. The variables which contributed most significantly were: leaf length (p < 0.001), limb width (p < 0.001), limb's petiole length (p < 0.001), pseudostem thickness (p < 0.05)/width at 60 cm (p < 0.05), rachis width (p < 0.05)/thickness (p < 0.001), second bract width (p < 0.001), growth (p < 0.001) and type of inflorescence (p < 0.05), petiole (p < 0.05) and peduncle length (p < 0.05), rachis color (p < 0.05), and wax in limb (p < 0.05) and in pseudostem (p < 0.05). Thirty-eight descriptors were suggested to differentiate wild species of heliconias in Mexico.