Melatonin is a neuroendocrine hormone secreted by the pineal gland to transduce the body's circadian rhythms. An internal 24 hour time keeping system (biological clock) regulated by melatonin, controls the sleep-wake cycle. Melatonin production is a highly conserved evolutionary phenomenon. The indole hormone is synthesized in the pinealocytes derived from photoreceptors.
Altered patterns and/or levels of melatonin secretion have been reported to coincide with sleep disorders,
Most observational studies show an association between melatonin and cancer in humans. We conducted a systematic review of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) of melatonin in solid tumor cancer patients and its effect on survival at 1 yr. With the aid of an information specialist, we searched 10 electronic databases from inception to October 2004.
We included trials using melatonin as either sole results or as adjunct results.
Low concentrations (nanomolar) of melatonin had been previously shown to inhibit cell proliferation in several cancer cell lines as well as in experimental animal models. Additionally, cell growth inhibition and differentiation of prostate cancer cell lines by high concentrations (micromolar to millimolar) of melatonin have been recently reported. In the present paper, we show the induction of apoptosis by high doses of melatonin in the human neuroblastoma cell line SK-N-MC.
This population-based case-control study of 130 Calgary residents with neurologist-confirmed idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) and 260 randomly selected age- and sex-matched community controls attempted to determine whether agricultural work or the occupational use of pesticide chemicals is associated with an increased risk for PD.
We obtained by personal interviews lifetime occupational histories, including chemical exposure data,
The pathogenesis of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains obscure, but there is increasing evidence that impairment of mitochondrial function, oxidative damage, and inflammation are contributing factors. The present paper reviews the experimental and clinical evidence implicating these processes in PD. There is substantial evidence that there is a deficiency of complex I activity of the mitochondrial electron transport chain in PD.
The main symptoms of Epstein–Barr virus encephalitis (EBV) encephalitis are fever, seizure, bizarre behaviour, headache, and metamorphosia.1 Bradykinesia, akathisia, involuntary hand movements, drooling, and torticollis are symptoms of Parkinson-like syndrome, which has never been described as a manifestation of EBV encephalitis.
We report the case of a previously healthy boy who presented with Parkinson-like syndrome as the major symptom of EBV encephalitis.
