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Alpha-terpineol (α-TOH) is a promising monoterpenoid detaining several biological activities. However, as a volatile molecule, the incorporation of α-TOH within formulated products poses several challenges related to its stability. In this sense, nanoencapsulation works as a key technology to protect the bioactivity of low molecular weight oils, like α-TOH, against environmental stresses (heat, light, and moisture), mitigating their susceptibility to degradation (oxidation and volatilization). Physical properties of encapsulated flavor/essential oil have been extensively reported, whereas there is a lack in the literature regarding their chemical stability, which is usually the main purpose of encapsulation. Thus, in this study, the physicochemical stability of the formulated oil-in-water nanoemulsion loaded with α-TOH stabilized with Quillaja saponins (QSs) as a natural emulsifier (α-TOH-QSs-NE) were tracked in a long-term (up to 280th day). Along with time, mean droplet diameter (MDD) and turbidity were used as a reference for physical parameters; while the chemical stability was monitored using gas chromatography analysis to quantify the mark content of α-TOH into the NE. Results indicated that α-TOH-QSs-NE was successfully formulated with a high-load amount of α-TOH (90 mg mL -1 ). α-TOH-QSs-NE showed great physicochemical stability regardless the storage-temperature (5 °C or 25 °C) up to 280th day, with no significant alterations in the MDD or turbidity, where c.a. 79% of the initial amount of the nanoemulsified α-TOH remained detectable in α-TOH-QSs-NEs, with no finding of degradation products. Thus, the data here disclosure may be useful for innovative application of α-TOH in foodstuffs., (Copyright © 2021 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.)

Background: The cause of hyperglycemia, a frequent disorder of glucose homeostasis in very preterm infants, is still unknown., Objectives: Determine the glucagon and insulin plasma levels at birth in healthy, appropriate for gestational age (AGA) infants born by elective cesarean section (ECS), at different gestational age., Methods: Glucagon, insulin and the homeostasis model of assessment-insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) index were measured in cord blood in 52 AGA infants divided into three groups: ≤30 weeks, very preterm (VP, n=16); 35-37 weeks, late preterm (LP, n=18); ≥38 weeks, full term (FT, n=18)., Results: In all enrolled infants, Apgar score at 5 min after birth was 7 to 9. In VP infants, glucagon levels were higher than those in LP (533±116 vs. 211±28 pg/mL) (p<0.001) and FT infants (533±116 vs. 226±20 pg/mL) (p<0.001). Insulin levels were higher in VP than in LP (8.61±2.48 vs. 3.98±0.94 mU/L) (p<0.001) and FT infants (8.61±2.48 vs. 4.56±1.2 mU/L) (p<0.001). HOMA-IR index was higher in VP than in LP and FT infants (30.6±10.2 vs. 11.9±3.04 and 13.5±1.6, respectively) (p<0.001)., Conclusion: We concluded that very low gestational age is associated with high glucagon plasma levels and insulin-resistance, which could explain hyperglycemia in the very preterm infants.

The role of endocrine systems in chronic pain mechanisms is slowly getting increasing experimental and clinical consideration. Many painful conditions appear to be directly and/or indirectly induced, reduced or, in some cases, modulated by hormones. We have done much work in trying to understand the relationship between hormones and pain, with particular attention to the hypothalamus-pituitary-gonadal axis. To expand our knowledge of this field, we have directed our attention to another axis, the hypothalamus-pituitary-thyroid (HPT). The literature on thyroid functions is vast but very few studies have focused on the HPT axis and pain. The few available data are considered in the present review to stimulate interest in the possible interactions between the HPT axis and pain.

The results of several studies strongly indicate a bidirectional relationship among gonadal hormones and pain. While gonadal hormones play a key role in pain modulation, they have been found to be affected by pain therapies in different experimental and clinical conditions. However, the effects of pain and pain therapy on the gonads are still not clear. In this study, we determined the long-lasting (72 h) effects of inflammatory pain (formalin test) and/or morphine on estrogen receptor (ER), androgen receptor (AR) and TRPV1 gene expression in the rat testis and ovary. The animals were divided into groups: animals receiving no treatment, animals exposed only to the experimental procedure (control group), animals receiving no pain but morphine (sham/morphine), animals receiving pain and morphine (formalin/morphine), and animals receiving only formalin (formalin/saline). Testosterone (T) and estradiol (E) were determined in the plasma at the end of the testing. In the sham/morphine rats, there were increases of ERα, ERβ, AR and TRPV1 mRNA expression in the ovary; in the testis, ERα and ERβ mRNA expression were reduced while AR and TRPV1 expression were unaffected by treatment. T and E plasma levels were increased in morphine-treated female rats, while T levels were greatly reduced in morphine-treated and formalin-treated males. In conclusion, both testicular and ovarian ER (ERα and ERβ) and ovarian AR and TRPV1 gene expression appear to be affected by morphine treatment, suggesting long-lasting interactions among opioids and gonads., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.)

Chronic pain has to be considered in all respects a debilitating disease and 10-20% of the world's adult population is affected by this disease. In the most general terms, pain is symptomatic of some form of dysfunction and (often) the resulting inflammatory processes in the body. In the study of pain, great attention has been paid to the possible involvement of gonadal hormones, especially in recent years. In particular, testosterone, the main androgen, is thought to play a beneficial, protective role in the body. Other important elements to be related to pain, inflammation, and hormones are lipids, heterogenic molecules whose altered metabolism is often accompanied by the release of interleukins, and lipid-derived proinflammatory mediators. Here we report data on interactions often not considered in chronic pain mechanisms.

An excessive food supply has resulted in an increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity, conditions accompanied by serious health problems. Several studies have confirmed the significant inverse correlation between testosterone and obesity. Indeed after decades of intense controversy, a consensus has emerged that androgens are important regulators of fat mass and distribution in mammals and that androgen status affects cellularity in vivo. The high correlation of testosterone levels with body composition and its contribution to the balance of lipid metabolism are also suggested by the fact that testosterone lowering is associated with important clinical disorders such as dyslipidemia, atherosclerosis, cardiovascular diseases, metabolic syndrome and diabetes. In contrast, testosterone supplementation therapy in hypogonadic men has been shown to improve the lipid profile by lowering cholesterol, blood sugar and insulin resistance. Leptin, ghrelin and adiponectin are some of the substances related to feeding as well as androgen regulation. Thus, complex and delicate mechanisms appear to link androgens with various tissues (liver, adipose tissue, muscles, coronary arteries and heart) and the subtle alteration of some of these interactions might be the cause of correlated diseases. This review underlines some aspects regarding the high correlations between testosterone physiology and body fat composition., (Copyright © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.)