PMID: 

J Trace Elem Med Biol. 2015 Apr ;30:90-5. Epub 2014 Nov 20. PMID: 25498314

Abstract Title: 

The binding, transport and fate of aluminium in biological cells.

Abstract: 

Aluminium is the most abundant metal in the Earth's crust and yet, paradoxically, it has no known biological function. Aluminium is biochemically reactive, it is simply that it is not required for any essential process in extant biota. There is evidence neither of element-specific nor evolutionarily conserved aluminium biochemistry. This means that there are no ligands or chaperones which are specific to its transport, there are no transporters or channels to selectively facilitate its passage across membranes, there are no intracellular storage proteins to aid its cellular homeostasis and there are no pathways which evolved to enable the metabolism and excretion of aluminium. Of course, aluminium is found in every compartment of every cell of every organism, from virus through to Man. Herein we have investigated each of the 'silent' pathways and metabolic events which together constitute a form of aluminium homeostasis in biota, identifying and evaluating as far as is possible what is known and, equally importantly, what is unknown about its uptake, transport, storage and excretion.

read more

PMID: 

Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A. 1990 Nov ;87(22):9024-7. PMID: 2247478

Abstract Title: 

Aluminum access to the brain: a role for transferrin and its receptor.

Abstract: 

The toxicity of aluminum in plant and animal cell biology is well established, although poorly understood. Several recent studies have identified aluminum as a potential, although highly controversial, contributory factor in the pathology of Alzheimer disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, and dialysis dementia. For example, aluminum has been found in high concentrations in senile plaques and neurofibrillary tangles, which occur in the brains of subjects with Alzheimer disease. However, a mechanism for the entry of aluminum (Al3+) into the cells of the central nervous system (CNS) has yet to be found. Here we describe a possible route of entry for aluminum into the cells of the CNS via the same high-affinity receptor-ligand system that has been postulated for iron (Fe3+) delivery to neurons and glial cells. These results suggest that aluminum is able to gain access to the central nervous system under normal physiological conditions. Furthermore, these data suggest that the interaction between transferrin and its receptor may function as a general metal ion regulatory system in the CNS, extending beyond its postulated role in iron regulation.

read more

Millions of doses of “acid blocking” proton pump inhibitor drugs are doled out every year, yet most doctors and their patients are completely oblivious to their unintended, adverse effects, which include increased risk for premature death. 

read more

PMID: 

Behav Brain Res. 2019 Nov 18 ;374:112115. Epub 2019 Jul 29. PMID: 31369775

Abstract Title: 

Exercise improves depressive symptoms by increasing the number of excitatory synapses in the hippocampus of CUS-Induced depression model rats.

Abstract: 

Exercise has been considered for the treatment of depression, but the mechanism by which exercise improves depression is still unclear. To clarify the mechanism, rats were randomly divided into the control, chronic unpredictable stress (CUS)/standard and CUS/running groups. The rats in the CUS/running group ran for four weeks. In this study, a sucrose preference test (SPT) was used to evaluate the depression-like symptoms in the rats, and western blot, immunohistochemical and stereological analyses were performed to study the expression of synaptic-related proteins in the hippocampus and the changes in excitatory synapses in each sub-region. The results show that sucrose preference in the CUS/standard group was significantly lower than that in the control group, but in the CUS/running group, sucrose preference was higher than that in the CUS/standard group. Surprisingly, there was no difference in the synaptic-related proteins in the hippocampus among groups. The CUS/standard group exhibited fewer spinophilin(Sp) dendritic spines representing excitatory synapses in CA1, CA3 and dentate gyrus (DG) of the hippocampus than the control group, whereas the CUS/running group exhibited significantly more Spdendritic spines in these regions than the CUS/standard group, indicating that excitatory synapses were reduced in depressed rats and that running exercises could reverse this change. We hypothesize that the changes in the number of excitatory synapses better reflect the changes in depressive symptoms than the level of synaptic proteins and that the effect of exercise on excitatory synapses in the sub-regions of the hippocampus may be an important structural indicator of the improvement of depressive symptoms.

read more

PMID: 

Curr Sports Med Rep. 2019 Aug ;18(8):299-304. PMID: 31389872

Abstract Title: 

The Role of Exercise in Preventing and Treating Depression.

Abstract: 

Depression is a leading cause of global burden. The mainstay of treatment is pharmacological and psychological interventions. While effective, not all people will respond to those treatments and alternative approaches for preventing and treating depression are required. Recent literature has demonstrated that higher physical activity (PA) levels and exercise confer protective effects on incident depression. Also, exercise has demonstrated efficacy on reducing symptoms for people with depression. Despite its effectiveness, similar to other treatments, some people may benefit more from exercise and identifying these potential predictors of response is necessary to deal with patients' and professionals' expectations. Dropout from exercise interventions is comparable to dropout from other treatments for depression and similar to dropout from exercise in other clinical populations. However, some strategies to increase adherence are important. In the present article, we provide an updated overview of the use of PA and exercise for the prevention and treatment of depression.

read more

PMID: 

J Sports Sci Med. 2019 Sep ;18(3):399-404. Epub 2019 Aug 1. PMID: 31427860

Abstract Title: 

A Long-Term Exercise Intervention Reduces Depressive Symptoms in Older Korean Women.

Abstract: 

Despite its prevalence and significance, late life depression is underrecognized and undertreated. This study aimed to investigate the effect of a long-term exercise intervention on depressive symptoms in older Korean women. Thirty older women were assigned to exercise (n = 15, age of 80.8± 3.8 years) or control group (n = 15, age of 78.6 ± 3.2 years). The exercise group underwent a resistance exercise plus walking two times weekly on nonconsecutive days for 6 months. Post-intervention change in depressive symptoms was regarded as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes included changes in body composition and physical performance. Repeated measures analysis of variance showed significant group by time interactions for depressive symptoms (F(1,23) = 37.540, p

read more

PMID: 

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2019 Aug 21 ;16(17). Epub 2019 Aug 21. PMID: 31438638

Abstract Title: 

The Effect of Tai Chi Chuan on Negative Emotions in Non-Clinical Populations: A Meta-Analysis and Systematic Review.

Abstract: 

Tai Chi Chuan (TCC) as a typical mind-body practice has been investigated for its preventive role on negative emotions and has demonstrated its efficacy in healthy populations. However, the results are not consistent. We performed a meta-analysis and systematically evaluated the effect of TCC on selected negative emotions (i.e., anxiety and depression). Fourteen experimental studies from three English-and two Chinese-language databases were evaluated. The results showed that the positive effects of TCC on negative emotions were moderately to largely significant. In addition, although TCC significantly improved negative emotions in both the young adults and the older adults, old adults benefited more from TCC than young adults. These findings suggest that TCC is a worthy complementary non-pharmacological resource towards depression and anxiety and, thus, has great implications for the public health domain.

read more

PMID: 

Psychiatry Res. 2019 Jul 18 ;280:112489. Epub 2019 Jul 18. PMID: 31442671

Abstract Title: 

Objectively measured physical activity and depressive symptoms in adult outpatients diagnosed with major depression. Clinical perspectives.

Abstract: 

Physical activity (PA) is linked to reduced risk of depression, but research on the objectively measured PA in clinically diagnosed adult outpatients with major depressive disorder (MDD) is scarce. This study aimed to examine relationships of objectively measured PA with depression and mood. A total of 19 outpatients (6 males) with MDD, a mean age of 47.79± 11.67 years and mild-moderate depression participated in the study. To record PA, participants wore a triaxial accelerometer device on the right hip during waking hours for seven consecutive days. Depression and mood were assessed with self-reports immediately after day seven. Participants wore the accelerometers for a high number of days (M = 6.26 ± 1.24 days) and hours per day (13.40 ± 2.61 h), recording light (266.01 ± 100.74 min/day) or moderate (31.19 ± 24.90 min/day) PA, and sedentary time (515.33 ± 155.71 min/day). Stepwise regression analysis yield a significant prediction (p 

read more

PMID: 

Exp Neurol. 2019 Aug 22:113043. Epub 2019 Aug 22. PMID: 31446079

Abstract Title: 

Physical exercise ameliorates psychiatric disorders and cognitive dysfunctions by hippocampal mitochondrial function and neuroplasticity in post-traumatic stress disorder.

Abstract: 

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a stress-related condition that can be triggered by witnessing or experiencing a life-threatening event, such as a war, natural disaster, terrorist attack, major accident, or assault. PTSD is caused by dysfunction of the hippocampus and causes problems associated with brain functioning, such as anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment. Exercise is known to have a positive effect on brain function, especially in the hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the effect of aerobic exercise on mitochondrial function and neuroplasticity in the hippocampus as well as behavioral changes in animal models of PTSD. Exposure to severe stress resulted in mitochondrial dysfunction in the hippocampus, including impaired Cahomeostasis, an increase in reactive oxygen species such as HO, a decrease in the Orespiration rate, and overexpression of membrane permeability transition pore-related proteins, including voltage-dependent anion channel, adenine nucleotide translocase, and cyclophilin-D. Exposure to extreme stress also decreased neuroplasticity by increasing apoptosis and decreasing the brain-derived neurotrophic factor level and neurogenesis, resulting in increased anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment. The impairments in mitochondrial function and neuroplasticity in the hippocampus, as well as anxiety, depression, and cognitive impairment, were all improved by exercise. Exercise-induced improvement of the brain-derived neurotrophic factor level in particular might alter mitochondrial function, neuroplasticity, and the rate of apoptosis in the hippocampus. Therefore, exercise might be an important non-pharmacological intervention for the prevention and treatment of the pathobiology of PTSD.

read more

PMID: 

NeuroRehabilitation. 2019 Aug 19. Epub 2019 Aug 19. PMID: 31450521

Abstract Title: 

The effects of acute aerobic exercise on mood and inflammation in individuals with multiple sclerosis and incomplete spinal cord injury.

Abstract: 

BACKGROUND: Spinal cord injury (SCI) and multiple sclerosis (MS) are associated with increased risks of depression. Acute exercise may improve mood in these populations via its affect on inflammation.OBJECTIVE: To determine if acute exercise can positively affect mood in individuals with SCI and MS, and whether exercise-induced changes in inflammation contribute to such improvements.METHODS: Thirteen participants completed 30 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise. Mood data (POMS questionnaire) and blood samples were taken before and after exercise, and blood was analyzed for inflammatory mediators and kynurenine pathway metabolites.RESULTS: There was a significant reduction in total mood disturbance (TMD) pre to post-exercise, and pre to one-hour post-exercise. There was a significant decrease in TNF-α from pre to post-exercise, with further reductions one-hour post-exercise. There were no correlations between changes in TMD and changes in inflammation. However, changes in certain cytokines showed significant or trending correlations with changes in subsets of the POMS. Likewise, there was a trend for a correlation between exercise-induced changes in KYN/TRP and depression (p = 0.096).CONCLUSIONS: Acute exercise can positively affect mood after SCI and MS, and this change may be partially accounted for by exercise-induced changes in inflammation. This relationship may be, in part, kynurenine pathway-dependent.

read more