Our everyday lives depend on the cooperation of about 100 billion brain cells called neurons. Neurons are vital for every action, from breathing to moving to thinking. Regardless of the complexity and importance of the brain, it is still susceptible to diseases called neurodegenerative disorders. These terrible illnesses involve the death of neurons in particular parts of the brain. There are many neurodegenerative diseases, however, Parkinson’s disease is among the most common and causes the most severe movement problems. Although a lot has been learned about Parkinson’s disease, there is still no cure. Recently, studies have shown that small molecules found in many fruits and vegetables might help protect the brain from neurodegenerative disorders.
While the importance of science communication and outreach is widely acknowledged, their impact is often overlooked or not measured. To address this question we carried a study aimed to quantitatively assess the influence of science communication and outreach activities on knowledge acquisition and retention by secondary school students during Brain Awareness Week (BAW) 2023 in Lisbon, Portugal from a population of 428 students raging from 6th to 12th grade (6-12 years of formal education). Analysis of pre- and post-event questionnaire data revealed a significant improvement in participant knowledge scores seven days post-activity compared to the baseline. These findings highlight the importance of such quantitative evaluations and underscore the pivotal role of science communication in enhancing scientific knowledge in schoolchildren.
Abstract Human breast milk is the first food source available to newborns and is responsible for healthy growth and development during the first months of life. Human breast milk contains vitamins, hormones, cytokines, microbiota, and immune cells that are responsible for such healthy conditions. Nonetheless, knowledge of the vast array of molecules present in human breast milk and their potential health effects is still lacking. The effects of mothers’ diets on the molecules present in human breast milk are also generally unknown. The health benefits of (poly)phenols have been largely increasing but their presence in breast milk has been put largely aside. The impact of the mother’s diet in the presence and quantification of these molecules in milk has also been overlooked. Above all, the potential benefits of (poly)phenols for newborns are just a vast emptiness of what is known about (poly)phenol research.
Neurodegenerative diseases (NDDs) are an increasing group of chronic and progressive neurological disorders that ultimately lead to neuronal cell failure and death. Despite all efforts throughout decades, their burden on individuals and society still casts one of the most massive socioeconomic problems worldwide. The neuronal failure observed in NDDs results from an intricacy of events, mirroring disease complexity, ranging from protein aggregation, oxidative stress, (neuro)inflammation, and even blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, ultimately leading to cognitive and motor symptoms in patients. As a result of such complex pathobiology, to date, there are still no effective treatments to treat/halt NDDs progression. Fortunately, interest in the bioavailable low molecular weight (LMW) phenolic metabolites derived from the metabolism of dietary (poly)phenols has been rising due to their multitargeted potential in attenuating multiple NDDs hallmarks. Even if not highly BBB permeant, their relatively high concentrations in the bloodstream arising from the intake of (poly)phenol-rich diets make them ideal candidates to act within the vasculature and particularly at the level of BBB. In this review, we highlight the most recent - though still scarce - studies demonstrating LMW phenolic metabolites' ability to modulate BBB homeostasis, including the improvement of tight and adherens junctional proteins, as well as their power to decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion and oxidative stress levels in vitro and in vivo. Specific BBB-permeant LMW phenolic metabolites, such as simple phenolic sulfates, have been emerging as strong BBB properties boosters, pleiotropic compounds capable of improving cell fitness under oxidative and pro-inflammatory conditions. Nevertheless, further studies should be pursued to obtain a holistic overview of the promising role of LMW phenolic metabolites in NDDs prevention and management to fully harness their true therapeutic potential.
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