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Reversal of statin-induced memory dysfunction by co-enzyme Q10: a case report

Statins are useful in the armamentarium of the clinician dealing with dyslipidemia, which increases cardiovascular morbi-mortality in hypertensive and diabetic patients among others. Dyslipidemia commonly exists as a comorbidity factor in the development of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. Use of statins is however associated with side effects which at times are so disabling as to interfere with activities of daily living. There are various ways of dealing with this, including use of more water-soluble varieties, intermittent dosing, or use of statin alternatives. Of late, use of co-enzyme Q10 has become acceptable for the muscle side effects. Only one report of any benefit on the rarely reported memory side effect was encountered by the author in the search of English medical literature. This is a report of a documented case of a Nigerian woman with history of statin intolerance in this case, memory dysfunction despite persisting dyslipidemia comorbidity. Her memory dysfunction side effect which interfered with activities of daily living and background muscle pain cleared when coenzyme Q10 was administered alongside low dose statin. Her lipid profile normalized and has remained normal. It is being recommended for use when statin side effects (muscle- and memory-related) impair quality of life and leave patient at dyslipidemia-induced cardiovascular morbi-mortality.

Immediate early response gene X-1, a potential prognostic biomarker in cancers

INTRODUCTION

The immediate early response gene X-1 (IEX-1) plays a pivotal role in the regulation of cell apoptosis, proliferation, differentiation and metabolism. Deregulation of IEX-1 expression has been confirmed in multiple cancers in humans, in association with either poor or better prognosis depending on the type and progression stages of the cancer.

AREAS COVERED

This review summarizes clinical studies of altered IEX-1 expression in ovarian, pancreatic, blood, breast and colorectal cancers, lymphoma and myeloma. The authors also outline the current understandings of the complex functions of IEX-1 gained from studies with animal models and tumor cell lines so as to help us comprehend the significance of the clinical findings.

EXPERT OPINION

IEX-1 holds great promise to be a valuable biomarker, either alone or in combination with other genes, for monitoring progression of some cancers. IEX-1 expression is highly sensitive to environmental cues and distinct between normal and cancer cells. However, use of IEX-1 as a biomarker remains a significant challenge because too little is understood about the mechanism underlying the diverse activities of IEX-1 and a standardized clinical assay for IEX-1 detection and validation of clinical results across different studies are still critically lacking.

Systems biology of antioxidants

Understanding the role of oxidative injury will allow for therapy with agents that scavenge ROS (reactive oxygen species) and antioxidants in the management of several diseases related to free radical damage. The majority of free radicals are generated by mitochondria as a consequence of the mitochondrial cycle, whereas free radical accumulation is limited by the action of a variety of antioxidant processes that reside in every cell. In the present review, we provide an overview of the mitochondrial generation of ROS and discuss the role of ROS in the regulation of endothelial and adipocyte function. Moreover, we also discuss recent findings on the role of ROS in sepsis, cerebral ataxia and stroke. These results provide avenues for the therapeutic potential of antioxidants in a variety of diseases.