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The antioxidant beverage EM-X is derived from the ferment of unpolished rice, papaya, and sea-weeds with effective microorganisms. Oxidative stress enhances the expression of proinflammatory genes, causing the release of the chemokine interleukin-8 (IL-8), which mediates a multitude of inflammatory events. Human alveolar epithelial cells (A549) were treated with H2O2 (100 μM) or TNF-α (10 ng/ml) alone or with the addition of EM-X (100 μl/ml), incubated for 20 h, and the release of IL-8, measured using ELISA. EM-X inhibited the release of IL-8 at the transcriptional level in A549 cells. EM-X also decreased the iron/ascorbate dependent peroxidation of ox-brain phospholipids in a concentration dependent manner. A TEAC value of 0.10±0.05 mM was obtained for EM-X, indicating antioxidant potential. We suggest that the anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties of EM-X are dependent on the flavonoid contents of the beverage. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

The Multiple Sclerosis (MS) diagnosis is based on dissemination of focal lesions in time and space. The free light chains (FLCs) determination might be a sensitive alternative to oligoclonal bands assay. The study aim was to redefine sensitivity, specificity of the kFLC Index cut-off. We analyzed serum and cerebrospinal fluid of 176 patients, with different neurological disorders. We obtained a cut off of 12,3 for kFLC Index with a sensitivity and specificity of 93% and 100% respectively. Our data confirm that the kFLC Index is a valid tool in the diagnosis of MS. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]