Comparison of diagnostic methods to detect Histoplasma capsulatum in serum and blood samples from AIDS patients

PubMed Central

da Silva, Marcos Vinicius; Criado, Paulo Ricardo; Luiz, Olinda do Carmo; Vicentini, Adriana Pardini

2018-01-01

Background Although early and rapid detection of histoplasmosis is essential to prevent morbidity and mortality, few diagnostic tools are available in resource-limited areas, especially where it is endemic and HIV/AIDS is also epidemic. Thus, we compared conventional and molecular methods to detect Histoplasma capsulatum in sera and blood from HIV/AIDS patients. Methodology We collected a total of 40 samples from control volunteers and patients suspected of histoplasmosis, some of whom were also infected with other pathogens. Samples were then analyzed by mycological, serological, and molecular methods, and stratified as histoplasmostic with (group I) or without AIDS (group II), uninfected (group III), and infected with HIV and other pathogens only (group IV). All patients were receiving treatment for histoplasmosis and other infections at the time of sample collection. Results Comparison of conventional methods with nested PCR using primers against H. capsulatum 18S rRNA (HC18S), 5.8S rRNA ITS (HC5.8S-ITS), and a 100 kDa protein (HC100) revealed that sensitivity against sera was highest for PCR with HC5.8S-ITS, followed by immunoblotting, double immunodiffusion, PCR with HC18S, and PCR with HC100. Specificity was equally high for double immunodiffusion, immunoblotting and PCR with HC100, followed for PCR with HC18S and HC5.8-ITS. Against blood, sensitivity was highest for PCR with HC5.8S-ITS, followed by PCR with HC18S, Giemsa staining, and PCR with HC100. Specificity was highest for Giemsa staining and PCR with HC100, followed by PCR with HC18S and HC5.8S-ITS. PCR was less efficient in patients with immunodeficiency due to HIV/AIDS and/or related diseases. Conclusion Molecular techniques may detect histoplasmosis even in cases with negative serology and mycology, potentially enabling early diagnosis. PMID:29342162

Mediators of Treatment Effects in a Randomized Clinical Trial of Multisystemic Therapy-Health Care in Adolescents With Poorly Controlled Asthma: Disease Knowledge and Device Use Skills.

PubMed

Ellis, Deborah A; King, Pamela; Naar-King, Sylvie

2016-06-01

Determine whether Multisystemic Therapy-Health Care (MST-HC) improved asthma knowledge and controller device use skills among African-American youth with poorly controlled asthma and whether any improvements mediated changes in illness management. A randomized controlled trial was conducted with 170 adolescents with moderate to severe asthma. Families were randomized to MST-HC or attention control. Data were collected at baseline and 6 and 12 months after intervention completion. In linear mixed models, adolescents in the MST-HC group had increases in asthma knowledge; asthma knowledge was unchanged for attention control. Controller device use skills increased for adolescents in the MST-HC group, while skills declined for attention control. Both knowledge and skills mediated the relationship between intervention condition and changes in illness management. Tailored, home-based interventions that include knowledge and skills building components are one means by which illness management in African-American youth with poorly controlled asthma can be improved. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society of Pediatric Psychology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Hypercholesterolemia enhances thromboembolism in arterioles but not venules: complete reversal by L-arginine.

PubMed

Broeders, Martijn A W; Tangelder, Geert Jan; Slaaf, Dick W; Reneman, Robert S; oude Egbrink, Mirjam G A

2002-04-01

We investigated in vivo the effect of cholesterol diet-induced hypercholesterolemia (HC) on thromboembolism in nonatherosclerotic rabbit mesenteric arterioles and venules (diameter 21 to 45 micrometer). After mechanical vessel wall injury, the ensuing thromboembolic reaction was studied by intravital videomicroscopy. A dramatic prolongation of embolization duration (median >600 seconds) was observed in the arterioles of the HC group compared with the arterioles of a normal chow-fed (NC) control group (142 seconds, P<0.0001); concomitantly, relative thrombus height increased (thrombus height/vessel diameter was 68% for the HC group and 58% for the NC group; P<0.05). By contrast, in venules, cholesterol did not affect embolization duration (42 seconds for HC group, 34 seconds for NC group) and thrombus height (66% for HC group, 64% for NC group). Furthermore, the role of endothelial NO synthesis was studied. In arterioles, stimulation of endogenous NO synthesis through mesenteric superfusion of L-arginine (1 mmol/L) completely reversed cholesterol-enhanced embolization (152 seconds) but did not influence thrombus height (63%). L-Arginine had no effect in venules of the HC group (51 seconds) and nor in the arterioles and venules of the NC group (177 seconds for arterioles, 43 seconds for venules). This study indicates that hypercholesterolemia selectively enhances thrombus formation and embolization in arterioles but not in venules and that stimulation of endogenous NO production antagonizes this enhancement of arteriolar thromboembolism.

Pattern Electroretinography and Visual Evoked Potentials Provide Clinical Evidence of CNS Modulation of High- and Low-Contrast VEP Latency in Glaucoma

PubMed Central

Sponsel, William E.; Johnson, Susan L.; Trevino, Rick; Gonzalez, Alberto; Groth, Sylvia L.; Majcher, Carolyn; Fulton, Diane C.; Reilly, Matthew A.

2017-01-01

Purpose Both pattern electroretinography (PERG) and visual evoked potentials (VEP) can be performed using low- (15%; Lc) and high- (85%; Hc) contrast gratings that may preferentially stimulate the magno- and parvocellular pathways. We observed that among glaucomatous patients showing only one VEP latency deficit per eye, there appeared to be a very strong tendency for an Hc delay in one eye and an Lc delay in the other. Methods Diopsys NOVA-LX system was used to measure VEP Hc and Lc latency among a clinical glaucoma population to find all individuals with either a single Hc or Lc latency abnormality in each eye (group 1), or with greater than 0 and less than 4 Hc or Lc VEP latency abnormalities in the two eyes (group 2) to determine whether a significant inverse correlation existed for these values in either group. Hc and Lc PERG data were also evaluated to assess associated retinal ganglion cell responses. Results A strong inverse correlation (P = 0.0000003) was observed between the Hc and Lc VEP latency values among the 64 eyes in group 1. Group 2 provided a comparable result (n = 143; 286 eyes; P = 0.0005). PERG (n = 81; 162 eyes) also showed strong bilateral symmetry for magnitude values (P < 0.0001 for both Lc and Hc in groups 1 and 2). Conclusions Bilateral retention of both low-resolution/high-speed and high-resolution/low-speed function may persist with both eyes open despite symmetrically pathologic retinal ganglion cell PERG waveform asynchrony for Hc and Lc stimuli in the paired eyes. Translational Relevance Clinical electrophysiology strongly suggests binocular compensation for dynamic dysfunction operates under central nervous system (CNS) control in glaucoma. PMID:29134137

Deficient Suppression of Default Mode Regions during Working Memory in Individuals with Early Psychosis and at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis

PubMed Central

Fryer, Susanna L.; Woods, Scott W.; Kiehl, Kent A.; Calhoun, Vince D.; Pearlson, Godfrey D.; Roach, Brian J.; Ford, Judith M.; Srihari, Vinod H.; McGlashan, Thomas H.; Mathalon, Daniel H.

2013-01-01

Background: The default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions typically activated at rest and suppressed during extrinsic cognition. Schizophrenia has been associated with deficient DMN suppression, though the extent to which DMN dysfunction predates psychosis onset is unclear. This study examined DMN suppression during working memory (WM) performance in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, early schizophrenia (ESZ) patients, and healthy controls (HC). We hypothesized that the DMN would show load-dependent suppression during WM retrieval in HC but not in ESZ, with CHR participants showing an intermediate pattern. Methods: fMRI data were collected from CHR (n = 32), ESZ (n = 22), and HC (n = 54) participants, ages 12–30. DMN regions were defined via seed-based connectivity analysis of resting-state fMRI data from an independent HC sample. Load-dependent deactivations of these DMN regions in response to WM probes were interrogated. Results: Healthy controls showed linear load-dependent increases in DMN deactivation. Significant Group-by-Load interactions were observed in DMN regions including medial prefrontal and lateral posterior parietal cortices. Group-by-Load effects in posterior DMN nodes resulted from less suppression at higher WM loads in ESZ relative to HC, with CHR differing from neither group. In medial prefrontal cortex, suppression of activity at higher WM loads was significantly diminished in both CHR and ESZ groups, relative to HC. In addition, investigation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activations revealed that ESZ activated right DLPFC significantly more than HC, with CHR differing from neither group. Conclusion: While HC showed WM load-dependent modulation of DMN suppression, CHR individuals had deficient higher-load DMN suppression that was similar to, but less pronounced than, the distributed suppression deficits evident in ESZ patients. These results suggest that DMN dysregulation associated with schizophrenia predates psychosis onset. PMID:24032017

Deficient Suppression of Default Mode Regions during Working Memory in Individuals with Early Psychosis and at Clinical High-Risk for Psychosis.

PubMed

Fryer, Susanna L; Woods, Scott W; Kiehl, Kent A; Calhoun, Vince D; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Roach, Brian J; Ford, Judith M; Srihari, Vinod H; McGlashan, Thomas H; Mathalon, Daniel H

2013-01-01

The default mode network (DMN) is a set of brain regions typically activated at rest and suppressed during extrinsic cognition. Schizophrenia has been associated with deficient DMN suppression, though the extent to which DMN dysfunction predates psychosis onset is unclear. This study examined DMN suppression during working memory (WM) performance in youth at clinical high-risk (CHR) for psychosis, early schizophrenia (ESZ) patients, and healthy controls (HC). We hypothesized that the DMN would show load-dependent suppression during WM retrieval in HC but not in ESZ, with CHR participants showing an intermediate pattern. fMRI data were collected from CHR (n = 32), ESZ (n = 22), and HC (n = 54) participants, ages 12-30. DMN regions were defined via seed-based connectivity analysis of resting-state fMRI data from an independent HC sample. Load-dependent deactivations of these DMN regions in response to WM probes were interrogated. Healthy controls showed linear load-dependent increases in DMN deactivation. Significant Group-by-Load interactions were observed in DMN regions including medial prefrontal and lateral posterior parietal cortices. Group-by-Load effects in posterior DMN nodes resulted from less suppression at higher WM loads in ESZ relative to HC, with CHR differing from neither group. In medial prefrontal cortex, suppression of activity at higher WM loads was significantly diminished in both CHR and ESZ groups, relative to HC. In addition, investigation of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activations revealed that ESZ activated right DLPFC significantly more than HC, with CHR differing from neither group. While HC showed WM load-dependent modulation of DMN suppression, CHR individuals had deficient higher-load DMN suppression that was similar to, but less pronounced than, the distributed suppression deficits evident in ESZ patients. These results suggest that DMN dysregulation associated with schizophrenia predates psychosis onset.

Controlled chemical modification of the internal surface of photonic crystal fibers for application as biosensitive elements

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Pidenko, Sergey A.; Burmistrova, Natalia A.; Pidenko, Pavel S.; Shuvalov, Andrey A.; Chibrova, Anastasiya A.; Skibina, Yulia S.; Goryacheva, Irina Y.

2016-10-01

Photonic crystal fibers (PCF) are one of the most promising materials for creation of constructive elements for bio-, drug and contaminant sensing based on unique optical properties of the PCF as effective nanosized optical signal collectors. In order to provide efficient and controllable binding of biomolecules, the internal surface of glass hollow core photonic crystal fibers (HC-PCF) has been chemically modified with silanol groups and functionalized with (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (APTES). The shift of local maxima in the HC-PCF transmission spectrum has been selected as a signal for estimating the amount of silanol groups on the HC-PCF inner surface. The relationship between amount of silanol groups on the HC-PCF inner surface and efficiency of following APTES functionalization has been evaluated. Covalent binding of horseradish peroxidase (chosen as a model protein) on functionalized PCF inner surface has been performed successively, thus verifying the possibility of creating a biosensitive element.

Elasticity in portion selection is predicted by severity of anorexia and food type in adolescents.

PubMed

Herzog, M; Douglas, C R; Kissileff, H R; Brunstrom, J M; Halmi, K A

2016-08-01

The size of portions that people select is an indicator of underlying mechanisms controlling food intake. Fears of eating excessive portions drive down the sizes of portions patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) can tolerate eating significantly below those of healthy controls (HC) (Kissileff et al., 2016). To determine whether patients with AN will also reduce the sizes of typical or ideal portions below those of controls, ANOVA was used to compare maximum tolerable, typical, and ideal portions of four foods (potatoes, rice, pizza, and M&M's) in the same group of 24 adolescent AN patients and 10 healthy adolescent controls (HC), on which only the maximal portion data were previously reported. Typical and ideal portion sizes did not differ on any food for AN, but for HC, typical portions sizes (kcals) became larger than ideal as the energy density of the food increased, and were significant for the most energy dense food. Ideal portions of low energy dense foods were the same for AN as for in HC. There was a significant 3-way (group × food × portion type) interaction, such that HC selected larger maximum than typical portions only for pizza. We therefore proposed that individuals of certain groups, depending on the food, can be flexible in the amounts of food chosen to be eaten. We call this difference between maximum-tolerable, and typical portion sizes selected "elasticity." Elasticity was significantly smaller for AN patients compared to HC for pizza and was significantly inversely correlated with severity of illness. This index could be useful for clinical assessment of AN patients, and those with eating problems such as in obesity and bulimia nervosa and tracking their response to treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Default mode network connectivity distinguishes chemotherapy-treated breast cancer survivors from controls

PubMed Central

Kesler, Shelli R.; Wefel, Jeffrey S.; Hosseini, S. M. Hadi; Cheung, Maria; Watson, Christa L.; Hoeft, Fumiko

2013-01-01

Breast cancer (BC) chemotherapy is associated with cognitive changes including persistent deficits in some individuals. We tested the accuracy of default mode network (DMN) resting state functional connectivity patterns in discriminating chemotherapy treated (C+) from non–chemotherapy (C−) treated BC survivors and healthy controls (HC). We also examined the relationship between DMN connectivity patterns and cognitive function. Multivariate pattern analysis was used to classify 30 C+, 27 C−, and 24 HC, which showed significant accuracy for discriminating C+ from C− (91.23%, P < 0.0001) and C+ from HC (90.74%, P < 0.0001). The C− group did not differ significantly from HC (47.06%, P = 0.60). Lower subjective memory function was correlated (P < 0.002) with greater hyperplane distance (distance from the linear decision function that optimally separates the groups). Disrupted DMN connectivity may help explain long-term cognitive difficulties following BC chemotherapy. PMID:23798392

Effects of combined physical activity and dietary intervention on obesity and metabolic parameters in adults with abdominal obesity.

PubMed

Soon, Heng Kiang; Saad, Hazizi Abu; Taib, Mohd Nasir Mohd; Rahman, Hejar Abd; Mun, Chan Yoke

2013-03-01

A twelve-week controlled intervention trial was carried out to evaluate the effects of combined physical activity and dietary intervention on obesity and metabolic risk factors among employees of Universiti Putra Malaysia. Participants consisted of adults aged 25-55 years with no reported chronic diseases but with abdominal obesity. They were assigned to either a combined physical activity and dietary intervention group or a control group. The final sample consisted of 56 participants, with an equal number of 28 for each study group. No significant group effect was observed for any variable except for hip circumference (HC) and fasting plasma glucose (FPG). There was a significant increase in HC (p=0.007) and reduction in FPG (p=0.02) in the intervention group compared to the control group. In the intervention group, HC (p=0.002), triglycerides (TG) (p=0.0001), total cholesterol (TC) (p=0.0001), LDL cholesterol (LDLC) (p=0.0001) and FPG (p=0.005) were significantly reduced, while waist circumference (WC) (p=0.025) and the waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (p=0.027) were significantly reduced in the control group. No significant change in steps/day or calorie intake'was observed in either group. Taken together, these data indicate that the combined physical activity and dietary intervention was not effective at improving diet or physical activity level. However, the intervention was effective in improving FPG among participants with abdominal obesity. The significant increase in HC in the interventions group warrants further study. These findings will be useful to further improve group-based intervention for the prevention and management of obesity.

Sodium Butyrate Ameliorates High-Concentrate Diet-Induced Inflammation in the Rumen Epithelium of Dairy Goats.

PubMed

Dai, Hongyu; Liu, Xinxin; Yan, Jinyu; Aabdin, Zain Ul; Bilal, Muhammad Shahid; Shen, Xiangzhen

2017-01-25

To investigate the effect of sodium butyrate on high-concentrate diet-induced local inflammation of the rumen epithelium, 18 midlactating dairy goats were randomly assigned to 3 groups: a low-concentrate diet group as the control (concentrate:forage = 4:6), a high-concentrate (HC) diet group (concentrate:forage = 6:4), and a sodium butyrate (SB) group (concentrate:forage = 6:4, with 1% SB by weight). The results showed that, with the addition of sodium butyrate, the concentration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) in rumen fluid (2.62 × 10 4 ± 2.90 × 10 3 EU/mL) was significantly lower than that in the HC group (4.03 × 10 4 ± 2.77 × 10 3 EU/mL). The protein abundance of pp65, gene expression of proinflammatory cytokines, and activity of myeloperoxidase (MPO) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2,9 in the rumen epithelium were significantly down-regulated by SB compared with those in the HC group. With sodium butyrate administration, the concentration of NH3-N (19.2 ± 0.890 mM) in the rumen fluid was significantly higher than that for the HC group (12.7 ± 1.38 mM). Severe disruption of the rumen epithelium induced by HC was also ameliorated by dietary SB. Therefore, local inflammation and disruption of the rumen epithelium induced by HC were alleviated with SB administration.

A healthcare utilization cost comparison between employees receiving a worksite mindfulness or a diet/exercise lifestyle intervention to matched controls 5 years post intervention.

PubMed

Klatt, Maryanna D; Sieck, Cynthia; Gascon, Gregg; Malarkey, William; Huerta, Timothy

2016-08-01

To compare healthcare costs and utilization among participants in a study of two active lifestyle interventions implemented in the workplace and designed to foster awareness of and attention to health with a propensity score matched control group. We retrospectively compared changes in healthcare (HC) utilization among participants in the mindfulness intervention (n=84) and the diet/exercise intervention (n=86) to a retrospectively matched control group (n=258) drawn for this study. The control group was matched from the non-participant population on age, gender, relative risk score, and HC expenditures in the 9 month preceding the study. Measures included number of primary care visits, number and cost of pharmacy prescriptions, number of hospital admissions, and overall healthcare costs tracked for 5 years after the intervention. Significantly fewer primary care visits (p<.001) for both intervention groups as compared to controls, with a non-significant trend towards lower overall HC utilization (4,300.00 actual dollar differences) and hospital admissions for the intervention groups after five years. Pharmacy costs and number of prescriptions were significantly higher for the two intervention groups compared to controls over the five years (p<0.05), yet still resulted in less HC utilization costs, potentially indicating greater self-management of care. This study provides valuable information as to the cost savings and value of providing workplace lifestyle interventions that focus on awareness of one's body and health. Health economic studies validate the scale of personal and organization health cost savings that such programs can generate. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hemocoagulase Combined with Microbubble-Enhanced Ultrasound Cavitation for Augmented Ablation of Microvasculature in Rabbit VX2 Liver Tumors.

PubMed

Yang, Qian; Tang, Peng; He, Guangbin; Ge, Shuping; Liu, Liwen; Zhou, Xiaodong

2017-08-01

We investigated a new method for combining microbubble-enhanced ultrasound cavitation (MEUC) with hemocoagulase (HC) atrox. Our goal was to induce embolic effects in the vasculature and combine these with an anti-angiogenic treatment strategy. Fourteen days after being implanted with a single slice of the liver VX2 tumor, rabbits were randomly divided into five groups: (i) a control group injected intra-venously with saline using a micropump; (ii) a group given only an injection of HC; (iii) a group treated only with ultrasound cavitation; (iv) a group treated with MEUC; (v) a group treated with MEUC + HC. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound was performed before treatment and 1 h and 7 d post-treatment to measure tumor size, enhancement and necrosis range. QontraXt software was used to determine the time-intensity curve of tumor blood perfusion and microvascular changes. At 1 h and 7 d after treatment with MEUC + HC, the parameters of the time-intensity curve, which included peak value, regional blood volume, regional blood flow and area under the curve value and which were measured using contrast-enhanced ultrasound, were significantly lower than those of the other treatment groups. The MEUC + HC treatment group exhibited significant growth inhibition relative to the ultrasound cavitation only, HC and MEUC treatment groups. No damage was observed in the surrounding normal tissues. These results support the feasibility of reducing the blood perfusion of rabbit VX2 liver tumors using a new method that combines MEUC and HC. Copyright © 2017 World Federation for Ultrasound in Medicine & Biology. All rights reserved.

Altered functioning of reward circuitry in youth offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Manelis, A; Ladouceur, C D; Graur, S; Monk, K; Bonar, L K; Hickey, M B; Dwojak, A C; Axelson, D; Goldstein, B I; Goldstein, T R; Bebko, G; Bertocci, M A; Gill, M K; Birmaher, B; Phillips, M L

2016-01-01

Offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) (BO) are at higher risk of BD than offspring of parents with non-BD psychopathology (NBO), although both groups are at higher risk than offspring of psychiatrically healthy parents (HC) for other affective and psychiatric disorders. Abnormal functioning in reward circuitry has been demonstrated previously in individuals with BD. We aimed to determine whether activation and functional connectivity in this circuitry during risky decision-making differentiated BO, NBO and HC. BO (n = 29; mean age = 13.8 years; 14 female), NBO (n = 28; mean age = 13.9 years; 12 female) and HC (n = 23; mean age = 13.7 years; 11 female) were scanned while performing a number-guessing reward task. Of the participants, 11 BO and 12 NBO had current non-BD psychopathology; five BO and four NBO were taking psychotropic medications. A 3 (group) × 2 (conditions: win-control/loss-control) analysis of variance revealed a main effect of group on right frontal pole activation: BO showed significantly greater activation than HC. There was a significant main effect of group on functional connectivity between the bilateral ventral striatum and the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (Z > 3.09, cluster-p < 0.05): BO showed significantly greater negative functional connectivity than other participants. These between-group differences remained after removing youth with psychiatric disorders and psychotropic medications from analyses. This is the first study to demonstrate that reward circuitry activation and functional connectivity distinguish BO from NBO and HC. The fact that the pattern of findings remained when comparing healthy BO v. healthy NBO v. HC suggests that these neuroimaging measures may represent trait-level neurobiological markers conferring either risk for, or protection against, BD in youth.

Decreased functional connectivity in an executive control network is related to impaired executive function in Internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Dong, Guangheng; Lin, Xiao; Potenza, Marc N

2015-03-03

Resting brain spontaneous neural activities across cortical regions have been correlated with specific functional properties in psychiatric groups. Individuals with Internet gaming disorder (IGD) demonstrate impaired executive control. Thus, it is important to examine executive control networks (ECNs) during resting states and their relationships to executive control during task performance. Thirty-five IGD and 36 healthy control participants underwent a resting-state fMRI scan and performed a Stroop task inside and outside of the MRI scanner. Correlations between Stroop effect and functional connectivity among ECN regions of interest (ROIs) were calculated within and between groups. IGD subjects show lower functional connectivity in ECNs than do HC participants during resting state; functional-connectivity measures in ECNs were negatively correlated with Stroop effect and positively correlated with brain activations in executive-control regions across groups. Within groups, negative trends were found between Stroop effect and functional connectivity in ECNs in IGD and HC groups, separately; positive trends were found between functional connectivity in ECNs and brain activations in Stroop task in IGD and HC groups, separately. Higher functional connectivity in ECNs may underlie better executive control and may provide resilience with respect to IGD. Lower functional connectivity in ECNs may represent an important feature in understanding and treating IGD. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cognitive and brain structural changes in a lung cancer population.

PubMed

Simó, Marta; Root, James C; Vaquero, Lucía; Ripollés, Pablo; Jové, Josep; Ahles, Tim; Navarro, Arturo; Cardenal, Felipe; Bruna, Jordi; Rodríguez-Fornells, Antoni

2015-01-01

No study has examined structural brain changes specifically associated with chemotherapy in a lung cancer population. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to assess differences in brain structure between small-cell lung cancer patients (C+) following chemotherapy, non-small-cell lung cancer patients (C-) before chemotherapy and healthy controls (HC). Twenty-eight small-cell lung cancer patients underwent a neuropsychological assessment and a structural magnetic resonance imaging, including T1-weighted and diffusion tensor imaging to examine gray matter density and white matter (WM) integrity, respectively, 1 month following completion of platinum-based chemotherapy. This group was compared with 20 age and education-matched non-small-cell lung cancer patients before receiving chemotherapy and 20 HC. Both C+ and C- groups exhibited cognitive impairment compared with the HC group. The C+ group performed significantly worse than HC in verbal fluency and visuospatial subtests; C- performed significantly worse than both C+ and HC in verbal memory. Voxel-based morphometry analysis revealed lower gray matter density in the insula and parahippocampal gyrus bilaterally, and left anterior cingulate cortex in C+ compared with HC. Diffusion tensor imaging indices showed focal decreased WM integrity in left cingulum and bilateral inferior longitudinal fasciculus in the C+ group and more widespread decreased integrity in the C- group compared with the HC group. This study demonstrates that lung cancer patients exhibit cognitive impairment before and after chemotherapy. Before the treatment, C- showed verbal memory deficits as well as a widespread WM damage. Following treatment, the C+ group performed exhibited lower visuospatial and verbal fluency abilities, together with structural gray matter and WM differences in bilateral regions integrating the paralimbic system.

Paradoxical aging in HIV: immune senescence of B Cells is most prominent in young age

PubMed Central

George, Varghese K.; de Armas, Lesley R.; Pahwa, Rajendra; Sanchez, Celeste M.; Pallin, Maria Fernanda; Pan, Li; Cotugno, Nicola; Dickinson, Gordon; Rodriguez, Allan; Fischl, Margaret; Alcaide, Maria; Gonzalez, Louis; Palma, Paolo; Pahwa, Savita

2017-01-01

Combination antiretroviral therapies (cART) can lead to normal life expectancy in HIV-infected persons, and people aged >50 yrs represent the fastest growing HIV group. Although HIV and aging are independently associated with impaired humoral immunity, immune status in people aging with HIV is relatively unexplored. In this study influenza vaccination was used to probe age associated perturbations in the B cell compartment of HIV-negative “healthy controls” (HC) and virologically controlled HIV-infected participants on cART (HIV) (n=124), grouped by age as young (<40 yrs), middle-aged (40-59yrs) or old (≥60 yrs). H1N1 antibody response at d21 post-vaccination correlated inversely with age in both HC and HIV. Immunophenotyping of cryopreserved PBMC demonstrated increased frequencies of double negative B cells and decreased plasmablasts in old compared to young HC. Remarkably, young HIV were different from young HC but similar to old HC in B cell phenotype, influenza specific spontaneous (d7) or memory (d21) antibody secreting cells. We conclude that B cell immune senescence is a prominent phenomenon in young HIV in comparison to young HC, but distinctions between old HIV and old HC are less evident though both groups manifest age-associated B cell dysfunction. PMID:28448963

Elevated Brain Cannabinoid CB1 Receptor Availability in Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: A Positron Emission Tomography Study

PubMed Central

Neumeister, Alexander; Normandin, Marc D.; Pietrzak, Robert H.; Piomelli, Daniele; Zheng, Ming-Qiang; Gujarro-Anton, Ana; Potenza, Marc N.; Bailey, Christopher R.; Lin, Shu-fei; Najafzadeh, Soheila; Ropchan, Jim; Henry, Shannan; Corsi-Travali, Stefani; Carson, Richard E.; Huang, Yiyun

2013-01-01

Endocannabinoids and their attending cannabinoid type 1 receptor (CB1) have been implicated in animal models of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, their specific role has not been studied in people with PTSD. Herein, we present an in vivo imaging study using positron emission tomography (PET) and the CB1-selective radioligand [11C]OMAR in individuals with PTSD, and healthy controls with lifetime histories of trauma (trauma controls [TC]) and those without such histories (healthy controls [HC]). Untreated individuals with PTSD (N=25) with non-combat trauma histories, and TC (N=12) and HC (N=23) participated in a magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scan and a resting PET scan with the CB1 receptor antagonist radiotracer [11C]OMAR, which measures volume of distribution (VT) linearly related to CB1 receptor availability. Peripheral levels of anandamide, 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), oleoylethanolamide (OEA), palmitoylethanolamide (PEA), and cortisol were also assessed. In the PTSD group, relative to the HC and TC groups, we found elevated brain-wide [11C]OMAR VT values (F(2,53)=7.96, p=.001; 19.5% and 14.5% higher, respectively) which were most pronounced in women (F(1,53)=5.52, p=.023). Anandamide concentrations were reduced in the PTSD relative to the TC (53.1% lower) and HC (58.2% lower) groups. Cortisol levels were lower in the PTSD and TC groups relative to the HC group. Three biomarkers examined collectively—OMAR VT, anandamide, and cortisol—correctly classified nearly 85% of PTSD cases. These results suggest that abnormal CB1 receptor-mediated anandamide signaling is implicated in the etiology of PTSD, and provide a promising neurobiological model to develop novel, evidence-based pharmacotherapies for this disorder. PMID:23670490

COMPARED TO WHAT? EARLY BRAIN OVERGROWTH IN AUTISM AND THE PERILS OF POPULATION NORMS

PubMed Central

Raznahan, Armin; Wallace, Gregory L; Antezana, Ligia; Greenstein, Dede; Lenroot, Rhoshel; Thurm, Audrey; Gozzi, Marta; Spence, Sarah; Martin, Alex; Swedo, Susan E; Giedd, Jay N

2013-01-01

Background Early brain overgrowth (EBO) in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is amongst the best-replicated biological associations in psychiatry. Most positive reports have compared head circumference (HC) in ASD (an excellent proxy for early brain size) with well-known reference norms. We sought to reappraise evidence for the EBO hypothesis given (i) the recent proliferation of longitudinal HC studies in ASD, and (ii) emerging reports that several of the reference norms used to define EBO in ASD may be biased towards detecting HC overgrowth in contemporary samples of healthy children. Methods (1)Systematic review of all published HC studies in children with ASD. (2)Comparison of 330 longitudinally gathered HC measures between birth and 18 months from male children with autism(n=35) and typically developing controls(n=22). Results In systematic review, comparisons with locally recruited controls were significantly less likely to identify EBO in ASD than norm-based studies(p<0.006). Through systematic review and analysis of new data we replicate seminal reports of EBO in ASD relative to classical HC norms, but show that this overgrowth relative to norms is mimicked by patterns of HC growth age in a large contemporary community-based sample of US children(n~75,000). Controlling for known HC norm biases leaves inconsistent support for a subtle, later-emerging and sub-group specific pattern of EBO in clinically-ascertained ASD vs. community controls. Conclusions The best-replicated aspects of EBO reflect generalizable HC norm biases rather than disease-specific biomarkers. The potential HC norm biases we detail are not specific to ASD research, but apply throughout clinical and academic medicine. PMID:23706681

Monocrotaline: Histological Damage and Oxidant Activity in Brain Areas of Mice

PubMed Central

Honório Junior, José Eduardo Ribeiro; Vasconcelos, Germana Silva; Rodrigues, Francisca Taciana Sousa; Sena Filho, José Guedes; Barbosa-Filho, José Maria; Aguiar, Carlos Clayton Torres; Leal, Luzia Kalyne Almeida Moreira; Soares, Pedro Marcos Gomes; Woods, David John; Fonteles, Marta Maria de França; Vasconcelos, Silvânia Maria Mendes

2012-01-01

This work was designed to study MCT effect in histopathological analysis of hippocampus (HC) and parahippocampal cortex (PHC) and in oxidative stress (OS) parameters in brain areas such as hippocampus (HC), prefrontal cortex (PFC), and striatum (ST). Swiss mice (25–30 g) were administered a single i.p. dose of MCT (5, 50, or 100 mg/kg) or 4% Tween 80 in saline (control group). After 30 minutes, the animals were sacrificed by decapitation and the brain areas (HC, PHC, PFC, or ST) were removed for histopathological analysis or dissected and homogenized for measurement of OS parameters (lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and catalase) by spectrophotometry. Histological evaluation of brain structures of rats treated with MCT (50 and 100 mg/kg) revealed lesions in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex compared to control. Lipid peroxidation was evident in all brain areas after administration of MCT. Nitrite/nitrate content decreased in all doses administered in HC, PFC, and ST. Catalase activity was increased in the MCT group only in HC. In conclusion, monocrotaline caused cell lesions in the hippocampus and parahippocampal cortex regions and produced oxidative stress in the HC, PFC, and ST in mice. These findings may contribute to the neurological effects associated with this compound. PMID:23251721

Secoisolariciresinol Diglucoside Induces Neovascularization Mediated Cardioprotection against Ischemic-Reperfusion Injury In Hypercholesterolemic Myocardium

PubMed Central

Penumathsa, Suresh Varma; Koneru, Srikanth; Zhan, Lijun; John, Saji; Menon, Venogopal P; Prasad, Kailash; Maulik, Nilanjana

2009-01-01

Background Hypercholesterolemia (HC) induced endothelial cell dysfunction and decreased endothelial nitric oxide formation result in impaired angiogenesis & subsequent cardiovascular disorders. Therapeutic angiogenesis is known to be a novel strategy for treatment of those patients with ischemic heart disease. We have shown that secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is angiogenic & cardioprotective against myocardial ischemia. In the present study we examined the efficacy of SDG in a hypercholesterolemic myocardial infarction (MI) model. Methods The rats were maintained on a normal and high cholesterol diet (2%) for 8 weeks followed by oral administration of SDG (20mg/kg) for 2 weeks. The rats were divided into 4 groups (n=12 in each): Control (C); SDG control (SDG); HC; & HC + SDG (HSDG). Isolated hearts subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion were used to measure the cardiac functions, infarct size & examine the protein expression profile. After treatment MI was induced by ligating the left anterior descending artery. Echocardiographic parameters were examined 30 days after MI. Results Significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and increase in HDL-cholesterol levels were observed in HSDG as compared to HC. Decreased infarct size was observed in the HSDG group (43%) compared to the HC (54%). Increased phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS) (3.1 fold), Vascular endothelial growth factor (1.9 fold) and Heme Oxygenase-1(2.3 fold) was observed in the HSDG group as compared to the HC group. Significant improvement in left ventricular functions was also observed in the HSDG group as evidenced by increased ejection fraction (55 vs 45%), fractional shortening (28 vs 22%) & decreased left ventricular inner diameter in systole (8 vs 6 mm) in HSDG compared to HC. Moreover, MI model has shown increased capillary density (2531 vs 1901) and arteriolar density (2.6 vs 1.8) in SDG treated rats as compared to the HC. The increased capillary & arteriolar density along with increased left ventricular functions on SDG treatment might be due to increased HO-1, VEGF and p-eNOS expression. In conclusion, our study demonstrates for the first time that SDG treatment reduces ventricular remodeling by neovascularization of the infarcted HC myocardium. PMID:18001768

Secoisolariciresinol diglucoside induces neovascularization-mediated cardioprotection against ischemia-reperfusion injury in hypercholesterolemic myocardium.

PubMed

Penumathsa, Suresh Varma; Koneru, Srikanth; Zhan, Lijun; John, Saji; Menon, Venogopal P; Prasad, Kailash; Maulik, Nilanjana

2008-01-01

Hypercholesterolemia (HC) induced endothelial cell dysfunction and decreased endothelial nitric oxide formation results in impaired angiogenesis and subsequent cardiovascular disorders. Therapeutic angiogenesis is known to be a novel strategy for treatment of patients with ischemic heart disease. We have shown that secoisolariciresinol diglucoside (SDG) is angiogenic as well as cardioprotective against myocardial ischemia. In the present study, we examined the efficacy of SDG in a hypercholesterolemic myocardial infarction (MI) model. The rats were maintained on a normal and high cholesterol diet (2%) for 8 weeks followed by oral administration of SDG (20 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. The rats were divided into four groups (n=24 in each): Control (C); SDG control (SDG); HC; and HC+SDG (HSDG). Isolated hearts subjected to 30 min of global ischemia followed by 120 min of reperfusion were used to measure the cardiac functions, infarct size and to examine the protein expression profile. After treatment, MI was induced by ligating the left anterior descending artery. Echocardiographic parameters were examined 30 days after MI. Significant reduction in total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol, triglycerides and an increase in HDL-cholesterol levels were observed in HSDG as compared to the HC. Decreased infarct size was observed in the HSDG group (43%) compared to the HC (54%). Increased phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (p-eNOS) (3.1-fold), vascular endothelial growth factor (1.9-fold) and heme oxygenase-1 (2.3-fold) was observed in the HSDG group as compared to the HC group. Significant improvement in left ventricular functions was also observed in the HSDG group as evidenced by increased ejection fraction (55% vs. 45%), fractional shortening (28% vs. 22%) and decreased left ventricular inner diameter in systole (8 vs. 6 mm) in HSDG compared to HC. Moreover, MI model has shown increased capillary density (2531 vs. 1901) and arteriolar density (2.6 vs. 1.8) in SDG-treated rats as compared to the HC. The increased capillary and arteriolar density along with increased left ventricular functions on SDG treatment might be due to increased HO-1, VEGF and p-eNOS expression. In conclusion, our study demonstrates for the first time that SDG treatment reduces ventricular remodeling by neovascularization of the infarcted HC myocardium.

[Comparison of gut microbiotal compositional analysis of patients with irritable bowel syndrome through different bioinformatics pipelines].

PubMed

Zhu, S W; Liu, Z J; Li, M; Zhu, H Q; Duan, L P

2018-04-18

To assess whether the same biological conclusion, diagnostic or curative effects regarding microbial composition of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) patients could be reached through different bioinformatics pipelines, we used two common bioinformatics pipelines (Uparse V2.0 and Mothur V1.39.5)to analyze the same fecal microbial 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing data. The two pipelines were used to analyze the diversity and richness of fecal microbial 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing data of 27 samples, including 9 healthy controls (HC group), 9 diarrhea IBS patients before (IBS group) and after Rifaximin treatment (IBS-treatment, IBSt group). Analyses such as microbial diversity, principal co-ordinates analysis (PCoA), nonmetric multidimensional scaling (NMDS) and linear discriminant analysis effect size (LEfSe) were used to find out the microbial differences among HC group vs. IBS group and IBS group vs. IBSt group. (1) Microbial composition comparison of the 27 samples in the two pipelines showed significant variations at both family and genera levels while no significant variations at phylum level; (2) There was no significant difference in the comparison of HC vs. IBS or IBS vs. IBSt (Uparse: HC vs. IBS, F=0.98, P=0.445; IBS vs. IBSt, F=0.47,P=0.926; Mothur: HC vs.IBS, F=0.82, P=0.646; IBS vs. IBSt, F=0.37, P=0.961). The Shannon index was significantly decreased in IBSt; (3) Both workshops distinguished the significantly enriched genera between HC and IBS groups. For example, Nitrosomonas and Paraprevotella increased while Pseudoalteromonadaceae and Anaerotruncus decreased in HC group through Uparse pipeline, nevertheless Roseburia 62 increased while Butyricicoccus and Moraxellaceae decreased in HC group through Mothur pipeline.Only Uparse pipeline could pick out significant genera between IBS and IBSt, such as Pseudobutyricibrio, Clostridiaceae 1 and Clostridiumsensustricto 1. There were taxonomic and phylogenetic diversity differences between the two pipelines, Mothur can get more taxonomic details because the count number of each taxonomic level is higher. Both pipelines could distinguish the significantly enriched genera between HC and IBS groups, but Uparse was more capable to identity the difference between IBS and IBSt groups. To increase the reproducibility and reliability and to retain the consistency among similar studies, it is very important to consider the impact on different pipelines.

Results of a prospective randomized control trial comparing hydrophilic to uncoated catheters in children with neurogenic bladder.

PubMed

DeFoor, William; Reddy, Pramod; Reed, Melissa; VanderBrink, Brian; Jackson, Elizabeth; Zhang, Bin; Denlinger, Julie; Noh, Paul; Minevich, Eugene; Sheldon, Curtis

2017-08-01

Children with neurogenic bladder (NGB) often require a lifetime of clean intermittent catheterization (CIC), typically using uncoated catheters (UCs). Hydrophilic catheters (HCs) have lower friction than UCs with reported less damage to the urethra. The purpose of this study is to compare outcomes between these catheters. An investigator-initiated, prospective, randomized clinical trial was conducted to compare HCs versus UCs. Children aged 2-17 years with NGB on CIC were enrolled for 1 year. Block randomization was used. Dexterity scores were obtained in those who perform self-catheterization. Outcomes were UTI, difficulty passing the catheter, urethral injury, and patient satisfaction. Demographic data is presented in the Table. Seventy-eight patients were enrolled. Age and gender were similar between the groups. Fifteen patients in each group performed CIC via an abdominal wall stoma. Eight and 15 patients withdrew from the UC and HC groups, respectively. The HC group overall had more problems with the catheter, mainly difficulty with handling. There were no differences for passing the catheter, pain, hematuria, or urethral injuries. There were two urinary tract infections (UTIs) in two HC patients and 17 UTIs in seven UC patients (p = 0.003). Patients with UTIs in the HC group went from 16% in the previous year to 5% during the study. Three children in the HC group had three or more UTIs in the year before enrollment and none during the study. The patients that completed the study with HC were overall satisfied and many requested to continue with the HC. HCs may decrease the risk of UTI in children with NGB. Urethral complications were low in both groups. Most HC patients were pleased but some found the slippery coating difficult to handle. Copyright © 2017 Journal of Pediatric Urology Company. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Brain Activity toward Gaming-Related Cues in Internet Gaming Disorder during an Addiction Stroop Task.

PubMed

Zhang, Yifen; Lin, Xiao; Zhou, Hongli; Xu, Jiaojing; Du, Xiaoxia; Dong, Guangheng

2016-01-01

Attentional bias for drug-related stimuli is a key characteristic for drug addiction. Characterizing the relationship between attentional bias and brain reactivity to Internet gaming-related stimuli may help in identifying the neural substrates that critical to Internet gaming disorder (IGD). 19 IGD and 21 healthy control (HC) subjects were scanned with functional magnetic resonance imaging while they were performing an addiction Stroop task. Compared with HC group, IGD subjects showed higher activations when facing Internet gaming-related stimuli in regions including the inferior parietal lobule, the middle occipital gyrus and the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. These brain areas were thought to be involved in selective attention, visual processing, working memory and cognitive control. The results demonstrated that compared with HC group, IGD subjects show impairment in both visual and cognitive control ability while dealing with gaming-related words. This finding might be helpful in understanding the underlying neural basis of IGD.

Larger Gray Matter Volume in the Basal Ganglia of Heavy Cannabis Users Detected by Voxel-Based Morphometry and Subcortical Volumetric Analysis.

PubMed

Moreno-Alcázar, Ana; Gonzalvo, Begoña; Canales-Rodríguez, Erick J; Blanco, Laura; Bachiller, Diana; Romaguera, Anna; Monté-Rubio, Gemma C; Roncero, Carlos; McKenna, Peter J; Pomarol-Clotet, Edith

2018-01-01

Background: Structural imaging studies of cannabis users have found evidence of both cortical and subcortical volume reductions, especially in cannabinoid receptor-rich regions such as the hippocampus and amygdala. However, the findings have not been consistent. In the present study, we examined a sample of adult heavy cannabis users without other substance abuse to determine whether long-term use is associated with brain structural changes, especially in the subcortical regions. Method: We compared the gray matter volume of 14 long-term, heavy cannabis users with non-using controls. To provide robust findings, we conducted two separate studies using two different MRI techniques. Each study used the same sample of cannabis users and a different control group, respectively. Both control groups were independent of each other. First, whole-brain voxel-based morphometry (VBM) was used to compare the cannabis users against 28 matched controls (HC1 group). Second, a volumetric analysis of subcortical regions was performed to assess differences between the cannabis users and a sample of 100 matched controls (HC2 group) obtained from a local database of healthy volunteers. Results: The VBM study revealed that, compared to the control group HC1, the cannabis users did not show cortical differences nor smaller volume in any subcortical structure but showed a cluster ( p < 0.001) of larger GM volume in the basal ganglia, involving the caudate, putamen, pallidum, and nucleus accumbens, bilaterally. The subcortical volumetric analysis revealed that, compared to the control group HC2, the cannabis users showed significantly larger volumes in the putamen ( p = 0.001) and pallidum ( p = 0.0015). Subtle trends, only significant at the uncorrected level, were also found in the caudate ( p = 0.05) and nucleus accumbens ( p = 0.047). Conclusions: This study does not support previous findings of hippocampal and/or amygdala structural changes in long-term, heavy cannabis users. It does, however, provide evidence of basal ganglia volume increases.

Comparison of Pulmonary Venous and Left Atrial Remodeling in Patients With Atrial Fibrillation With Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy Versus With Hypertensive Heart Disease.

PubMed

Yoshida, Kentaro; Hasebe, Hideyuki; Tsumagari, Yasuaki; Tsuneoka, Hidekazu; Ebine, Mari; Uehara, Yoshiko; Seo, Yoshihiro; Aonuma, Kazutaka; Takeyasu, Noriyuki

2017-04-15

Left ventricular diastolic dysfunction in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) increases susceptibility to atrial fibrillation. Although phenotypical characteristics of the hypertrophied left ventricle are clear, left atrial (LA) and pulmonary venous (PV) remodeling has rarely been investigated. This study aimed to identify differences in LA and PV remodeling between HC and hypertensive heart disease (HHD) using 3-dimensional computed tomography. Included were 33 consecutive patients with HC, 25 with HHD, and 29 without any co-morbidities who were referred for catheter ablation of atrial fibrillation. Pre-ablation plasma atrial and brain natriuretic peptide levels, post-ablation troponin T level, and LA pressure were measured, and LA and PV diameters were determined 3 dimensionally. LA transverse diameter in the control group was smaller than that in the HHD or HC group (55 ± 6 vs 63 ± 9 vs 65 ± 12 mm, p = 0.0003). PV diameter in all 4 PVs was greatest in the HC group and second greatest in the HHD group (21.0 ± 3.1 vs 23.8 ± 2.8 vs 26.8 ± 4.1 mm, p <0.0001 for left superior PV). Differences in PV size between the HHD and HC groups were enhanced by indexing to the body surface area (12.4 ± 1.9 vs 13.1 ± 1.4 vs 16.1 ± 3.3 mm/m 2 , p <0.0001). The PV/LA diameter ratio was greater in the HC than in the other groups (0.38 ± 0.06 vs 0.38 ± 0.05 vs 0.42 ± 0.07, p = 0.01). Atrial natriuretic peptide, brain natriuretic peptide, troponin T levels, and LA pressure were highest in the HC group (all p <0.05). In conclusion, the stiff LA caused from atrial hypertrophy may account for higher levels of biomarkers, higher LA pressure, and PV-dominant remodeling in HC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Introduction of sodium pentosan polysulfate and avoidance of urethral catheterisation: improved outcomes in children with haemorrhagic cystitis post stem cell transplant/chemotherapy.

PubMed

Duthie, Gillian; Whyte, Lisa; Chandran, Harish; Lawson, Sarah; Velangi, Mark; McCarthy, Liam

2012-02-01

Haemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is an uncommon but potentially devastating complication of chemotherapy and bone marrow transplantation in children. We aimed to test the hypothesis that early recognition, sodium pentosan polysulfate (SPP), and avoidance of urethral catheterisation improve outcomes in children with HC. A retrospective case note review was performed of all patients treated for HC in our hospital from 2002 to 2010. A protocol for the management of HC was introduced in 2007 advocating early detection, use of SPP, and avoidance of urethral catheterisation. Data collected on each patient included primary condition, medications at onset, blood transfusions, duration of symptoms, catheter usage, and outcome. Statistical analysis was performed using the Mann-Whitney U test, and Fisher's Exact test as appropriate, P < .05 being significant. Five patients were treated using protocol with 5 historical controls. There was no significant difference between the ages of the group, diagnosis, and treatment at onset of HC. In the historical group, 4 of 5 died with HC, but all recovered in the protocol group (P < .05). Blood transfusion requirements were also significantly reduced after protocol introduction (P < .05). Early identification, avoidance of urethral catheterisation, and use of SPP significantly reduces blood transfusion requirements and mortality from HC. Crown Copyright © 2012. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

BK virus (BKV) quantification in urine samples of bone marrow transplanted patients is helpful for diagnosis of hemorrhagic cystitis, although wide individual variations exist.

PubMed

Priftakis, Peter; Bogdanovic, Gordana; Kokhaei, Parviz; Mellstedt, Håkan; Dalianis, Tina

2003-01-01

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) in allogeneic bone marrow transplanted (BMT) patients is associated with BK virus (BKV) reactivation manifested as BK viruria. However, since 77-90% of all adult BMT patients excrete BKV, viral reactivation alone cannot be responsible for HC. Recently, a significant overrepresentation of C-->G mutations in the Sp1 binding site in the non-coding control region (NCCR) of BKV was shown to be present in HC patients and absent in non-HC patients. We aimed to investigate if this mutation resulted in excessive BKV excretion in HC patients. A Real-Time PCR was developed and used to quantify BKV in urine samples from 21 patients with HC, with and without the mutations, as well as from patients without HC. Quantification of BKV was successful in 18 of 21 urine patients (six with and six without C-->G mutations) and six patients without HC. A mean of 3.0 x 10(6) BKV copies/microl was detected in urine samples of HC patients with C-->G mutations, compared to a mean of 1.5 x 10(6) BKV copies/microl in HC patients without C-->G mutations and a mean of 1.0 x 10(6) BKV copies/microl in patients without HC. The obtained differences were however not statistically significant, due to one individual non-HC patient with an extremely high BKV copy number. Nevertheless, while 50% of the samples in the HC groups expressed 1 x 10(6) copies/microl or more, only one of the samples in the non-HC group contained a virus quantity higher than 5 x 10(5) copies. Although we could not confirm that the C-->G mutations in the Sp1 site of BKV were responsible for an increased viral load in patients with HC, our data suggest that levels of BKV above 10(4) copies/microl may indicate a risk for HC.

Stability of Cellular Immune Parameters over 12 Weeks in Patients with Major Depression or Somatoform Disorder and in Healthy Controls.

PubMed

Krause, Daniela; Stapf, Theresa M; Kirnich, Verena B; Hennings, Anika; Riemer, Sabine; Chrobok, Agnieszka; Fries, Daniel R; Pedrosa Gil, Francisco; Rief, Winfried; Schwarz, Markus J; Schmidmaier, Ralf

2018-06-12

Cellular immune status in major depression (MD) patients differs from that in somatoform disorder (SFD) patients and healthy controls (HC). It is still questionable whether the patterns of immune parameters remain stable over time. Therefore, we studied lymphocyte and monocyte cell counts and neopterin levels in peripheral blood of MD and SFD patients and HC over 12 weeks and tested for correlations between biochemical and psychometric parameters. Thirty-nine patients with MD, 27 with SFD, and 51 HC were recruited. Peripheral blood was drawn at four visits, at 4-week intervals. We assessed the total cell count of B lymphocytes, natural killer (NK) cells, T lymphocyte subpopu-lations, and monocytes by flow cytometry, and neopterin serum levels by ELISA. Psychometric parameters were measured with questionnaires. Counts of lymphocytes, monocytes, and neopterin were stable in the SFD and HC groups. In the MD group, total CD3+, CD3+CD8+, NK cells, and CD3+CD25+ T cells showed inhomogeneous variances in Friedman tests, particularly in females. Neopterin correlated with depressed mood in MD patients, and with body mass index in HC. Cellular immune parameters are stable in HC and SFD. Our results may indicate influences of MD and gender on some cellular immune parameters. This may need to be considered in future immunological studies. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Creative Thinking, Professional Artists, and Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Canesi, Margherita; Rusconi, Maria Luisa; Moroni, Federica; Ranghetti, Alessandra; Cereda, Emanuele; Pezzoli, Gianni

2016-01-01

An increase in artistic-like production in Parkinson's disease (PD) has been associated with compulsive and repetitive behaviours after the introduction of dopaminergic treatment (DT). Recent data suggest that it could be due to the emergence of artistic-like skills triggered by DT. In order to evaluate whether artistic production and creative thinking are influenced by DT or linked to artistic-like skills, we characterize creativity features in PD and healthy controls (HC) including professional artists. Three groups of PD out-patients were included consecutively: professional artists (PD-A), patients with (PD-C) and without artistic-like production (PD-NC). Twenty-four gender and age-matched HC were included: professional artists (HC-A) and non-artists (HC-NC). All patients were evaluated by means of a) a battery of neuropsychological tests and a semi-structured interview; b) the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) for creative thinking; c) the Minnesota Impulsive Disorders Interview (mMIDI) and a screening for impulse control disorders (ICDs) for compulsive behaviour. ATTA total score was significantly higher in HC-A and PD-A than in the other groups. Although PD-NC showed the lowest ATTA total score the difference vs HC-NC was not significant. ATTA scores were not significantly correlated with DT dosage and duration. mMIDI tests were positive only in PD. There were no differences in ICDs among PD groups. Our results do not support a relationship between DT and the emergence of artistic creativity. We believe that DT may increase the drive to create and that further studies in "on" and "off" medication are needed to clarify this issue.

The influence of oxazaphosphorines alkylating agents on autonomic nervous system activity in rat experimental cystitis model.

PubMed

Dobrek, Łukasz; Baranowska, Agnieszka; Thor, Piotr J

2013-01-01

The oxazaphosphorines alkylating agents (cyclophosphamide; CP and ifosfamide; IF) are often used in common clinical practice. However, treatment with CP/IF is burdened with the risk of many adverse drug reactions, especially including hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) that is associated with bladder overactivity symptoms (OAB). The HC pathophysiology is still not fully displayed; it seems that autonomic nervous system (ANS) functional abnormalities play important role in this disturbance. The aim of our study was to reveal the potential ANS differences in rat experimental HC model, evoked by CP and IF by an indirect ANS assessment--heart rate variability (HRV) study. We carried out our experimental research in three essential groups: control group (group 1), cyclophosphamide-induced HC (CP-HC; group 2) one and ifosfamide-induced HC (IF-HC; group 3) one. CP was i.p. administrated four times in dose of 75 mg/kg body weight while IF-treated rats received i.p. five drug doses; 50 mg/kg body weight. Control rats were administrated i.p. vehicle in appropriate volumes as CP/IF treated animals. HRV studies were performed the next day after the last oxazaphosphorines dose. Standard time- and spectral (frequency) domain parameters were estimated. We confirmed the HC development after both CP/IF in macroscopic assessment and bladder wet weight measurement; however, it was more aggravated in CP-HC group. Moreover, we demonstrated HRV disturbances, suggesting ANS impairment after both studied oxazaphosphorines, however, consistent with the findings mentioned above, the autonomic dysfunction was more emphasized after CP. CP treatment was also associated with changes of non-normalized HRV spectral components percentage distribution--a marked very low frequency--VLF [%] increase together with low frequency--LF [%] and high frequency--HF [%] decrease were observed. Taking into consideration the next findings, demonstrating the lack of both normalized power spectral components (nLF and nHF) values, the VLF percentage change seems to be of special meaning. IF produced smaller autonomic disturbances, and gentler bladders histological abnormalities comparing to CP. However, similar to CP, VLF [%] relative augmentation together with LF [%] and HF [%] drop accompanied the global ANS activity decrease. Additionally, in the case of IF treatment, a slight trend of nLF increase with nHF decrease was noted, suggesting the possible functional rearrangement between sympathetic (nLF) and parasympathetic (nHF) tension. It seems possible that the vagal withdrawal and--as a consequence--sympathetic overactivity, reflected by VLF [%] enlargement and HF and LF [%] diminishing (as well as LF and HF values decrease), may be an evidence of impaired anti-inflammatory cholinergic pathway, aggravating bladder inflammatory lesions. To sum up, our study showed ANS impairment in both CP- and IF-evoked experimental HC that was reflected in HRV recordings. HRV study, thus, may be considered to be a diagnostic tool for CP/IF treated patients, estimating autonomic abnormalities, associated with the HC development risk and its clinical course.

Amygdalar volumetric correlates of social anxiety in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Park, Min-Hyeon; Garrett, Amy; Boucher, Spencer; Howe, Meghan; Sanders, Erica; Kim, Eunjoo; Singh, Manpreet; Chang, Kiki

2015-11-30

The prevalence of social anxiety disorder is high in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BD) and anxiety may be a significant risk factor in these youth for developing BD. We compared social anxiety symptoms between BD offspring with mood symptoms (high-risk group for developing BD I or II: HR) and healthy controls (HC). We also explored the correlations between the amygdalar volumes and social anxiety symptoms in the HR group with high social anxiety scores (HRHSA) due to the potential involvement of the amygdala in the pathophysiology of both BD and social anxiety. Youth participating in the study included 29h and 17HC of comparable age and gender. To assess social anxiety symptoms, we used the Multidimensional Anxiety Scale for Children (MASC) social anxiety subscale. The HR group's MASC social anxiety score was significantly higher than that of the HC group. Among the 29h, 17 subjects (58.6%) showed high social anxiety and they were classified as the HRHSA group. No significant difference was observed in amygdalar volume between the HRHSA and HC groups. However, there were significant negative correlations between amydalar volumes and MASC social anxiety score in the HRHSA group. These findings have implications for the link between amygdalar structure and both anxiety and mood control. This link may serve to implicate high social anxiety as a risk marker for future BD development. Copyright © 2015. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

Differences in cognitive ability and hippocampal volume between Alzheimer's disease, amnestic mild cognitive impairment, and healthy control groups, and their correlation.

PubMed

Choi, Mi-Hyun; Kim, Hyung-Sik; Gim, Seon-Young; Kim, Woo-Ram; Mun, Kyung-Ryul; Tack, Gye-Rae; Lee, Bongsoo; Choi, Young Chil; Kim, Hyun-Jun; Hong, Seung Hwa; Lim, Dae-Woon; Chung, Soon-Cheol

2016-05-04

The study investigated differences in cognitive ability and hippocampal volume between groups of patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD) and amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), and healthy control (HC) subjects, and explored the relationship between cognitive ability and hippocampal volume. Among the sub-tests of Korean version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K), the Boston naming test score decreased in the order HC, aMCI, and AD. The hippocampal volumes of subjects with AD and aMCI were relatively smaller than those of HC individuals. There were strongly positive correlations between hippocampal volume and the scores for the Boston naming test. Discriminant analysis identified the Boston naming test as having the highest level of discrimination among the variables used to differentiate the three groups (89.9%). In conclusion, the Boston naming test accurately differentiated the three groups and was correlated with hippocampal volume. These results will be helpful for choosing an accurate and economically feasible test method that efficiently differentiates the three groups. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Hydrocortisone concentration influences time to clinically significant healing of acute inflammation of the ocular surface and adnexa - results from a double-blind randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Sergiyenko, Nikolay; Sukhina, Ludmila; Bezdetko, Pavel; Kovalenko, Yuriy; Nikitin, Nikolai; Merzbacher, Matthias; Gross, Dorothea; Kohnen, Ralf

2014-05-10

The efficacy of topical ophthalmic corticosteroids depends upon small modifications in preparations, such as drug concentration.The aim of this study was to confirm that hydrocortisone acetate (HC-ac) ophthalmic ointments of 2.5% and 1% are more effective than a 0.5% eye ointment. In this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group clinical study, the change of signs and symptoms of acute inflammation of the ocular surface and adnexa was evaluated in 411 subjects. Median time to clinically relevant response as estimated by 50% reduction in clinical signs and symptoms (CSS) total score over the entire trial was similar for subjects treated with HC-ac 2.5% (73.5 h) and for subjects treated with HC-ac 1.0% (67.7 h) and was considerably and significantly longer for subjects treated with HC-ac 0.5% (111.8 h) [p < 0.001 for both dosages]. All trial medications were safe and well tolerated. Hydrocortisone acetate 2.5% and Hydrocortisone acetate 1% eye ointments are efficacious and safe treatments for acute inflammations of the ocular surface or adnexa, and showed significantly better efficacy than a control group treated with Hydrocortisone acetate 0.5% therapy. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN15464650.

Excessive physical activity in young girls with restrictive-type anorexia nervosa: its role on cardiac structure and performance.

PubMed

Billeci, Lucia; Brunori, Elena; Scardigli, Silvia; Curzio, Olivia; Calderoni, Sara; Maestro, Sandra; Morales, Maria Aurora

2017-10-20

The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of hyperactivity on left ventricular mass (LVM) in Anorexia Nervosa restricting-type (AN-R) and the correlation between LVM and auxologic parameters/circulating hormones. Echocardiography was performed in 44 AN-R girls, subgrouped in 24 hyperactive (ANH+) and 20 non-hyperactive (ANH-), and in 20 controls (HC). LVM indexed to Body Surface Area (LVMi) and LVM indexed to height (LVMh) were calculated. LVMi and LVMh were significantly lower in the AN-R subjects compared to HC. Moreover, both LVMi and LVMh were higher in the ANH+ than in the ANH-. In the HC, LVMi was higher when compared to the ANH- subjects than to the ANH+. Stepwise analysis revealed that in the ANH+ group, fT4 was the only independent predictor of LVMh, while in the ANH- group, height was the only independent predictors of LVMi. Despite its negative influence on disease severity and outcome, hyperactivity from the standpoint of cardiac function makes the LVM of AN-R young girls more similar to HC. Level III, case-control study.

Inductive reasoning and doubt in obsessive compulsive disorder.

PubMed

O'Connor, Kieron; Wilson, Samantha; Taillon, Annie; Pélissier, Marie-Claude; Audet, Jean-Sebastien

2018-06-01

Previous studies show that individuals with obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) accord more importance than healthy controls (HC) to alternative conclusions, resulting in increased doubt regarding an initial conclusion. The goal of the present study was to replicate and extend this finding. Eighteen participants diagnosed with OCD and 16 HC completed the Reasoning with Inductive Arguments Task (RIAT), which operationalizes doubt as change in confidence towards a conclusion after alternative conclusions are presented. To examine conditions that facilitate doubt, the impact of alternative conclusions that both supported and contradicted the initial conclusion was compared, as well as the effect of neutral and OCD-relevant item content. Both the OCD and HC groups decreased confidence after contradicting conclusions, but only the HC group increased confidence when presented with supporting conclusions. Furthermore, decrease in confidence in the OCD group correlated with OCD symptom severity. The RIAT could be adapted to better take into account of OCD subtypes. Doubt generation may contribute to obsessional doubting. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Identification of mildly oxidized low-density lipoprotein (electronegative LDL) and its auto-antibodies IgG in children and adolescents hypercholesterolemic offsprings.

PubMed

Barros, Marcos Roberto Andrade Costa; Bertolami, Marcelo Chiara; Abdalla, Dulcinéia Saes Parra; Ferreira, Waldinai Pereira

2006-01-01

Oxidative modification of low-density lipoproteins (LDL) is an essential step in atherogenesis, generating minimally oxidized LDL, also called electronegative LDL [LDL(-)], which has chemotactic, cytotoxic and immunogenic properties. Serum LDL(-) and anti-LDL(-) auto-antibodies (IgG) were evaluated in 28 children and adolescents with familial hypercholesterolemia (FH) antecedents, with or without early coronary artery disease in first-degree relatives (eCAD), hypercholesterolemic (hc) or normocholesterolemic (nc) versus a control group of normocholesterolemic children without pathologic antecedents (C). ELISA method was used for detection of LDL(-) and anti-LDL(-) IgG. LDL(-) serum levels did not differ among the four groups (FH-eCAD-hc 41.4 +/- 24.9 microg/dl; FH-hc 38.3 +/- 11.2 microg/dl; FH-nc 47.3 +/- 17.0 microg/dl and C 44.2 +/- 28.8 microg/dl, p = 0.659). However, IgG anti-LDL(-) auto-antibodies were significantly higher in the control group in comparison to the FH groups with or without eCAD, independent of hypercholesterolemia or normocholesterolemia (FH-eCAD-hc 0.825 +/- 0.289 microg/dl; FH-hc 0.667 +/- 0.307 microg/dl; FH-nc 0.763 +/- 0.204 microg/dl and C 1.105 +/- 0.233 microg/dl, p = 0.006). When the auto-antibodies of groups with FH, with or without eCAD and with or without hypercholesterolemia were compared, no differences were found (p = 0.509). These results showed that FH and/or eCAD children and adolescents have lower titers of auto-antibodies anti-LDL(-) than children from normal families, independent of serum LDL-cholesterol or serum LDL(-).

Searching for a neurobiological basis for self-medication theory in ADHD comorbid with substance use disorders: an in vivo study of dopamine transporters using (99m)Tc-TRODAT-1 SPECT.

PubMed

Silva, Neivo; Szobot, Claudia M; Shih, Ming C; Hoexter, Marcelo Q; Anselmi, Carlos Eduardo; Pechansky, Flavio; Bressan, Rodrigo A; Rohde, Luis Augusto

2014-02-01

Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and substance use disorders (SUD) frequently co-occur. Although several studies have shown changes in striatal dopamine transporter (DAT) density in these disorders, little is known about the neurobiological basis of the comorbidity. The aim of this study was to evaluate striatal DAT density in treatment-naive ADHD adolescents with SUD (ADHD + SUD) and without SUD (ADHD), compared to SUD adolescents without ADHD (SUD) and healthy control subjects (HC). Sixty-two male age-matched subjects diagnosed with DSM-IV criteria were included: ADHD + SUD (n = 18), SUD (n = 14), HC (n = 19), and ADHD (n = 11). Urine tests confirmed participants' drug use. All subjects performed SPECT scans with Tc-TRODAT-1 to evaluate DAT density in the striatum. The mean right striatum specific binding were 1.68 (ADHD), 1.38 (ADHD + SUD), 1.19 (HC), 1.17 (SUD), and in left striatum 1.65 (ADHD), 1.39 (ADHD + SUD), 1.19 (HC), and 1.17 (SUD). The ADHD group presented significantly higher striatal DAT density compared with ADHD + SUD, SUD, and HC groups. Adolescents with ADHD + SUD had significantly lower DAT density than those with ADHD, but significantly higher DAT density than those with SUD only and no significant difference from the healthy control group. The ADHD + SUD group had lower striatal DAT density in comparison with ADHD without SUD. It is possible to speculate that the use of cannabis and cocaine is responsible for the lower striatal DAT density in this group which would help in understanding the neurobiological basis for the self-medication theory in ADHD adolescents.

Physiological and Perceived Effects of Forearm or Head Cooling During Simulated Firefighting Activity and Rehabilitation

PubMed Central

Yeargin, Susan; McKenzie, Amy L.; Eberman, Lindsey E.; Kingsley, J. Derek; Dziedzicki, David J.; Yoder, Patrick

2016-01-01

Context: Cooling devices aim to protect firefighters by attenuating a rise in body temperature. Devices for head cooling (HC) while firefighting and forearm cooling (FC) during rehabilitation (RHB) intervals are commonly marketed, but research regarding their efficacy is limited. Objective: To investigate the physiological and perceived effects of HC and FC during firefighting drills and RHB. Design: Randomized controlled clinical trial. Setting: Firefighter training center. Patients or Other Participants: Twenty-seven male career firefighters (age = 39 ± 7 years; height = 169 ± 7 cm; weight = 95.4 ± 16.8 kg). Intervention(s): Firefighters were randomly assigned to 1 condition: HC (n = 9), in which participants completed drills wearing a cold gel pack inside their helmet; FC (n = 8), in which participants sat on a collapsible chair with water-immersion arm troughs during RHB; or control (n = 10), in which participants used no cooling devices. Firefighters completed four 15-minute drills (D1−D4) wearing full bunker gear and breathing apparatus. Participants had a 15-min RHB after D2 (RHB1) and D4 (RHB2). Main Outcome Measure(s): Change (Δ) in gastrointestinal temperature (TGI), heart rate (HR), physiological strain index, and perceived thermal sensation. Results: The TGI increased similarly in the HC and control groups, respectively (D1: 0.57°C ± 0.41°C, 0.73°C ± 0.30°C; D2: 0.92°C ± 0.28°C, 0.85°C ± 0.27°C; D3: −0.37°C ± 0.34°C, −0.01°C ± 0.72°C; D4: 0.25°C ± 0.42°C, 0.57°C ± 0.26°C; P > .05). The ΔHR, Δ physiological strain index, and Δ thermal sensation were similar between the HC and control groups during drills (P > .05). The FC group demonstrated a decreased TGI compared with the control group after RHB1 (−1.61°C ± 0.35°C versus −0.23°C ± 0.34°C; P < .001) and RHB2 (−1.40°C ± 0.38°C versus −0.38°C ± 0.24°C; P < .001). The physiological strain index score decreased in the FC group compared with the control group after RHB1 (−7.9 ± 1.3 versus −2.6 ± 1.7; P < .001) and RHB2 (−7.9 ± 1.6 versus −3.6 ± 1.1; P < .001), but no differences between groups were demonstrated for ΔHR or Δ thermal sensation (P > .05). Conclusions: The HC did not attenuate rises in physiological or perceptual variables during firefighting drills. The FC effectively reduced TGI and the physiological strain index score but not HR or thermal sensation during RHB. Clinicians and firefighters should not recommend the use of HC during firefighting but can consider using FC during RHB intervals in the field. PMID:28068165

Head circumference of children with sickle cell disease in Lagos, Nigeria.

PubMed

Senbanjo, Idowu Odunayo; Oshikoya, Kazeem Adeola; Salisu, Mohammed; Diaku-Akinwumi, Ijeoma Nnenna

2016-01-01

Growth retardation and under-nutrition are common in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). The aim of this study was to compare the head circumference (HC) of SCD children and non-SCD children and to determine the effect of malnutrition on head circumference of children with SCD. This was a prospective case-control study conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, involving SCD children (subject, n = 118) and non-SCD children (control, n = 118) matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Weight, height and HC were measured using standard techniques. The mean ages of children with and without SCD were 7.46 ± 3.69 years and 7.01 ± 3.58 years, respectively. The HC increased significantly with age in both males and females (r = 0.75, p = < 0.001; r = 0.70, p < 0.001 respectively). There was no significant difference in HC between males and females (p > 0.05). At all ages, the mean head circumference of SCD children was not significantly (p > 0.05) different from non-SCD children. The In the age group 11-15 years, the prevalence of stunting was significantly higher among SCD children than non-SCD children. The mean HC of SCD children with stunting was significantly lower than those not stunted (51.7 vs. 53.5; P= 0.006) in age group 11.15 years. The head circumference of children with SCD is not significantly different from that of non-SCD children. Therefore, the HC chart for the general population is also applicable for monitoring head growth in children with SCD. The effect of malnutrition on head circumference of SCD children is most marked in age group 11-15 years.

Head circumference of children with sickle cell disease in Lagos, Nigeria

PubMed Central

Senbanjo, Idowu Odunayo; Oshikoya, Kazeem Adeola; Salisu, Mohammed; Diaku-Akinwumi, Ijeoma Nnenna

2016-01-01

Introduction Growth retardation and under-nutrition are common in children with sickle cell disease (SCD). The aim of this study was to compare the head circumference (HC) of SCD children and non-SCD children and to determine the effect of malnutrition on head circumference of children with SCD. Methods This was a prospective case-control study conducted at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Nigeria, involving SCD children (subject, n = 118) and non-SCD children (control, n = 118) matched for age, sex, and socioeconomic status. Weight, height and HC were measured using standard techniques. Results The mean ages of children with and without SCD were 7.46 ± 3.69 years and 7.01 ± 3.58 years, respectively. The HC increased significantly with age in both males and females (r = 0.75, p = < 0.001; r = 0.70, p < 0.001 respectively). There was no significant difference in HC between males and females (p > 0.05). At all ages, the mean head circumference of SCD children was not significantly (p > 0.05) different from non-SCD children. The In the age group 11-15 years, the prevalence of stunting was significantly higher among SCD children than non-SCD children. The mean HC of SCD children with stunting was significantly lower than those not stunted (51.7 vs. 53.5; P= 0.006) in age group 11.15 years. Conclusion The head circumference of children with SCD is not significantly different from that of non-SCD children. Therefore, the HC chart for the general population is also applicable for monitoring head growth in children with SCD. The effect of malnutrition on head circumference of SCD children is most marked in age group 11-15 years. PMID:28154697

Relations of mindfulness facets with psychological symptoms among individuals with a diagnosis of obsessive-compulsive disorder, major depressive disorder, or borderline personality disorder.

PubMed

Didonna, Fabrizio; Rossi, Roberta; Ferrari, Clarissa; Iani, Luca; Pedrini, Laura; Rossi, Nicoletta; Xodo, Erica; Lanfredi, Mariangela

2018-03-25

To explore differences in mindfulness facets among patients with a diagnosis of either obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), major depressive disorder (MDD), or borderline personality disorder (BPD), and healthy controls (HC), and their associations with clinical features. One hundred and fifty-three patients and 50 HC underwent a clinical assessment including measures of mindfulness (Five Facets Mindfulness Questionnaire - FFMQ), psychopathological symptoms (Symptom Check List-90-R), dissociation (Dissociative Experience Scale), alexithymia (Alexithymia Scale 20), and depression (Beck Depression Inventory-II). Analysis of variance (ANOVA) and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to assess differences in mindfulness scores and their associations with clinical features. The three diagnostic groups scored lower on all mindfulness facets (apart from FFMQobserving) compared to the HC group. OCD group had a significant higher FFMQ total score (FFMQ-TS) and FFMQacting with awareness compared to the BPD group, and scored higher on FFMQdescribing compared to BPD and MDD groups. The scores in non-judging facet were significantly lower in all the three diagnostic groups compared to the HC group. Interestingly, higher FFMQ-TS was inversely related to all psychological measures, regardless of diagnostic group. Deficits in mindfulness skills were present in all diagnostic groups. Furthermore, we found disease-specific relationships between some mindfulness facets and specific psychological variables. Clinical implications are discussed. The study showed deficits in mindfulness scores in all diagnostic groups compared to a healthy control group. Overall, mindfulness construct has a significantly negative association with indexes of global distress, dissociative symptoms, alexithymia, and depression. Mindfulness-based interventions in clinical settings should take into account different patterns of mindfulness skills and their impact on disease-specific maladaptive cognitive strategies or symptomatology. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Speed Pressure in Conflict Situations Impedes Inhibitory Action Control in Parkinson’s Disease

PubMed Central

Van Wouwe, N.C.; van den Wildenberg, W.P.M.; Claassen, D.O.; Kanoff, K.; Bashore, T.R.; Wylie, S.A.

2014-01-01

Parkinson’s disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative basal ganglia disease that disrupts cognitive control processes involved in response selection. The current study investigated the effects of PD on the ability to resolve conflicts during response selection when performance emphasized response speed versus response accuracy. Twenty-one (21) PD patients and 21 healthy controls (HC) completed a Simon conflict task, and a subset of 10 participants from each group provided simultaneous movement-related potential (MRP) data to track patterns of motor cortex activation and inhibition associated with the successful resolution of conflicting response tendencies. Both groups adjusted performance strategically to emphasize response speed or accuracy (i.e., speed-accuracy effect). For HC, interference from a conflicting response was reduced when response accuracy rather than speed was prioritized. For PD patients, however, there was a reduction in interference, but it was not statistically significant. The conceptual framework of the Dual-Process Activation-Suppression (DPAS) model revealed that the groups experienced similar susceptibility to making fast impulsive errors in conflict trials irrespective of speed-accuracy instructions, but PD patients were less proficient and delayed compared to HC at suppressing the interference from these incorrect response tendencies, especially under speed pressure. Analysis of MRPs on response conflict trials showed attenuated inhibition of the motor cortex controlling the conflicting impulsive response tendency in PD patients compared to HC. These results further confirm the detrimental effects of PD inhibitory control mechanisms and their exacerbation when patients perform under speed pressure. The results also suggest that a downstream effect of inhibitory dysfunction in PD is diminished inhibition of motor cortex controlling conflicting response tendencies. PMID:25017503

Changes in correlation characteristics of time consumption and mind-reading performance in pre-onset and post-onset psychosis.

PubMed

Zhang, TianHong; Xu, LiHua; Cui, HuiRu; Tang, YingYing; Wei, YanYan; Tang, XiaoChen; Liu, XiaoHua; Cao, XinMei; Li, ChunBo; Wang, JiJun

2018-04-01

There is a strong correlation between neurocognition and social cognition. However, none of these studies have examined the key role of time consumption during social cognition tasks. Participants included 84 individuals with clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR), 95 healthy controls (HC), and 66 case controls (schizophrenia patients, SZ), who were assessed through the Reading-Mind-in-Eyes Tasks (RMET) with computerized recording of the response time (RT). Neurocognitive tests were also performed for the HC and CHR groups. A comparison of RMET performance revealed significantly lower scores in the SZ group compared to the HC group, with CHR individuals scoring between these two. However, both CHR and SZ subjects spent almost twice as long of the time on RMET compared to the HC subjects. Significant positive correlation was found between RMET accuracy and RT, though only in SZ patients. Taking the RT into consideration, the RMET performances were impacted by different neurocognition domains. Our findings provide new evidence about how time consumption in mind-reading may impact the relationship between social cognition and neurocognition, and we discuss the potential importance of recording the response time during social cognition assessment in individuals with early psychosis. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Digastric Muscle Phenotypes of the Ts65Dn Mouse Model of Down Syndrome

PubMed Central

Connor, Nadine P.

2016-01-01

Down syndrome is frequently associated with complex difficulties in oromotor development, feeding, and swallowing. However, the muscle phenotypes underlying these deficits are unclear. We tested the hypotheses that the Ts65Dn mouse model of DS has significantly altered myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform profiles of the muscles involved in feeding and swallowing, as well as reductions in the speed of these movements during behavioral assays. SDS-PAGE, immunofluorescence, and qRT-PCR were used to assess MyHC isoform expression in pertinent muscles, and functional feeding and swallowing performance were quantified through videofluoroscopy and mastication assays. We found that both the anterior digastric (ADG) and posterior digastric (PDG) muscles in 11-day old and 5–6 week old Ts65Dn groups showed significantly lower MyHC 2b protein levels than in age-matched euploid control groups. In videofluoroscopic and videotape assays used to quantify swallowing and mastication performance, 5–6 week old Ts65Dn and euploid controls showed similar swallow rates, inter-swallow intervals, and mastication rates. In analysis of adults, 10–11 week old Ts65Dn mice revealed significantly less MyHC 2b mRNA expression in the posterior digastric, but not the anterior digastric muscle as compared with euploid controls. Analysis of MyHC 2b protein levels across an adult age range (10–53 weeks of age) revealed lower levels of MyHC 2b protein in the PDG of Ts65Dn than in euploids, but similar levels of MyHC 2b in the ADG. Cumulatively, these results indicate biochemical differences in some, but not all, muscles involved in swallowing and jaw movement in Ts65Dn mice that manifest early in post-natal development, and persist into adulthood. These findings suggest potential utility of this model for future investigations of the mechanisms of oromotor difficulties associated with Down syndrome. PMID:27336944

Application of advanced machine learning methods on resting-state fMRI network for identification of mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Khazaee, Ali; Ebrahimzadeh, Ata; Babajani-Feremi, Abbas

2016-09-01

The study of brain networks by resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) is a promising method for identifying patients with dementia from healthy controls (HC). Using graph theory, different aspects of the brain network can be efficiently characterized by calculating measures of integration and segregation. In this study, we combined a graph theoretical approach with advanced machine learning methods to study the brain network in 89 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), 34 patients with Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 45 age-matched HC. The rs-fMRI connectivity matrix was constructed using a brain parcellation based on a 264 putative functional areas. Using the optimal features extracted from the graph measures, we were able to accurately classify three groups (i.e., HC, MCI, and AD) with accuracy of 88.4 %. We also investigated performance of our proposed method for a binary classification of a group (e.g., MCI) from two other groups (e.g., HC and AD). The classification accuracies for identifying HC from AD and MCI, AD from HC and MCI, and MCI from HC and AD, were 87.3, 97.5, and 72.0 %, respectively. In addition, results based on the parcellation of 264 regions were compared to that of the automated anatomical labeling atlas (AAL), consisted of 90 regions. The accuracy of classification of three groups using AAL was degraded to 83.2 %. Our results show that combining the graph measures with the machine learning approach, on the basis of the rs-fMRI connectivity analysis, may assist in diagnosis of AD and MCI.

Orthorexia and anorexia nervosa: two distinct phenomena? A cross-cultural comparison of orthorexic behaviours in clinical and non-clinical samples.

PubMed

Gramaglia, C; Brytek-Matera, A; Rogoza, R; Zeppegno, P

2017-02-21

Orthorexia nervosa (ON) is defined as pathological healthful eating. The aim of this study was to investigate whether there is any difference in orthorexic behaviours between clinical and non-clinical groups, and in different cultural contexts. . Recruitment involved both female patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) and healthy controls (HC) from Italy and Poland (N = 23 and N = 35 AN patients; and N = 39 and N = 39 HCs, in Italy and Poland, respectively). Assessment of orthorexic behaviours was performed with the ORTO-15 test. Statistically significant differences were found between Italian women in the AN and HC group, whereas no difference between Polish women in the AN and HC group was found. Both Italian groups scored significantly higher than the Polish ones on the ORTO-15. Differences have been found between the Italian and Polish samples, both in the percentage of individuals with orthorexic behaviours as suggested by an ORTO 15 score below the cutoff, and in the mean ORTO 15 scores in the AN and HC groups, suggesting cross-cultural differences in orthorexic behaviours, whose meaning is currently difficult to understand.

Anti-mullerian hormone is higher in seizure-free women with epilepsy compared to those with ongoing seizures.

PubMed

Harden, Cynthia L; Pennell, Page B; French, Jacqueline A; Davis, Anne; Lau, Connie; Llewellyn, Nichelle; Kaufman, Benjamin; Bagiella, Emilia; Kirshenbaum, Ariel

2016-11-01

To determine if anti-mullerian hormone (AMH), a neuroactive peptide hormone and a measure of ovarian reserve, is different between women with epilepsy (WWE) and healthy controls (HC) seeking pregnancy and to evaluate epilepsy-related factors associated with AMH concentrations. Subjects were participants in Women with Epilepsy: Pregnancy Outcomes and Deliveries (WEPOD), a multi-center prospective, observational cohort study evaluating fecundity in WWE compared to HC, ages 18-40 years. WWE were divided into a Sz+ group or a Sz- group, dependent on whether they had seizures within the 9 months prior to enrollment. Serum was collected, and AMH concentrations were measured as an exploratory analysis. Linear and logistic regression models were used to assess associations and control for covariates. Serum AMH concentrations were measured in 72 out of 90 enrolled WWE and 97 out of 109 HC; the remaining subjects became pregnant before serum was obtained. Thirty WWE were in the Sz+ group and 40 in the Sz- group (retrospective seizure information was missing for two). All AMH concentrations were within the range, however, the normal inverse correlation between age and AMH was present in the HC and in the Sz- groups, but was lacking in the Sz+ group. Mean AMH concentration was higher in the Sz- group (3982pg/ml (SD+/-2452)) compared to the Sz+ group of WWE (2776pg/ml (SD+/-2308)) and HCs (3241 (SD±2647)). All values were within the expected range for age. In WWE, by linear regression, after controlling for age and BMI, seizure occurrence remained associated with AMH (p=0.025). In the prospective phase of the study, AMH concentrations were also associated with seizure occurrence during the menstrual cycle in which the serum sample was obtained (p=0.012). Antiepileptic drugs and other epilepsy factors were not associated with AMH concentrations. When analyzing the Sz- WWE group and the HC group by linear regression with AMH as the dependent variable, after controlling for age and BMI, the association with AMH was also present (p=0.017). AMH concentrations of the Sz+ group and HCs did not differ. In this exploratory analysis, seizure freedom was associated with higher AMH concentrations compared to women with ongoing seizures and to HCs. Future studies should further investigate the mechanism of the association of AMH with seizure occurrence, whether AMH could have a direct seizure-protective neuroactive hormone effect, as well as implications of AMH concentrations as a biomarker for ovarian reserve in women with epilepsy. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Early Generalized Overgrowth in Boys With Autism

PubMed Central

Chawarska, Katarzyna; Campbell, Daniel; Chen, Lisha; Shic, Frederick; Klin, Ami; Chang, Joseph

2016-01-01

Context Multiple studies have reported an overgrowth in head circumference (HC) in the first year of life in autism. However, it is unclear whether this phenomenon is independent of overall body growth and whether it is associated with specific social or cognitive features. Objectives To examine the trajectory of early HC growth in autism compared with control groups; to assess whether HC growth in autism is independent of height and weight growth during infancy; and to examine HC growth from birth to 24 months in relationship to social, verbal, cognitive, and adaptive functioning levels. Design Retrospective study. Setting A specialized university-based clinic. Participants Boys diagnosed as having autistic disorder (n=64), pervasive developmental disorder–not otherwise specified (n=34), global developmental delay (n=13), and other developmental problems (n=18) and typically developing boys (n=55). Main Outcome Measures Age-related changes in HC, height, and weight between birth and age 24 months; measures of social, verbal, and cognitive functioning at age 2 years. Results Compared with typically developing controls, boys with autism were significantly longer by age 4.8 months, had a larger HC by age 9.5 months, and weighed more by age 11.4 months (P=.05 for all). None of the other clinical groups showed a similar overgrowth pattern. Boys with autism who were in the top 10% of overall physical size in infancy exhibited greater severity of social deficits (P=.009) and lower adaptive functioning (P=.03). Conclusions Boys with autism experienced accelerated HC growth in the first year of life. However, this phenomenon reflected a generalized process affecting other morphologic features, including height and weight. The study highlights the importance of studying factors that influence not only neuronal development but also skeletal growth in autism. PMID:21969460

Telomere length is inversely correlated with urinary stress hormone levels in healthy controls but not in un-medicated depressed individuals-preliminary findings.

PubMed

Fair, Brittany; Mellon, Synthia H; Epel, Elissa S; Lin, Jue; Révész, Dóra; Verhoeven, Josine E; Penninx, Brenda W; Reus, Victor I; Rosser, Rebecca; Hough, Christina M; Mahan, Laura; Burke, Heather M; Blackburn, Elizabeth H; Wolkowitz, Owen M

2017-08-01

Leukocyte telomere length (LTL) is a biomarker of cellular aging affected by chronic stress. The relationship of LTL to the stress hormones, cortisol and catecholamines, is unclear, as are possible differences between healthy controls (HC) and individuals with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This small pilot study is the first to examine the relationship between cortisol, catecholamines and LTL specifically in un-medicated MDD in comparison with HC. Participants included 16 un-medicated MDD subjects and 15 HC for assay of LTL, 12-hour overnight urinary free cortisol and catecholamine levels. LTL, cortisol and catecholamine levels did not significantly differ between groups. In HC, a hierarchical regression analysis indicated that higher levels of cortisol were correlated with shorter LTL (p=0.003) above and beyond age and sex. Higher catecholamine levels were nearly-significant with shorter LTL (p=0.055). Neither hormone was correlated with shorter LTL in MDD (p's>0.28). To assess a possible cumulative effect of stress hormone activation, a summary score was calculated for each subject based on the number of stress hormone levels above the median for that group (HC or MDD). A significant inverse graded relationship was observed between LTL and the number of activated systems in HC (p=0.001), but not in MDD (p=0.96). This pilot study provides preliminary evidence that stress hormone levels, especially cortisol, are inversely related to LTL in HC, but not in un-medicated MDD. Clarification of these relationships in larger samples could aid in understanding differential mechanisms underlying stress-related cellular aging in healthy and depressed populations. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Protective effect of exercise and alpha tocopherol on atherosclerosis promotion in hypercholesterolemic domestic rabbits

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Shekh, Mudhir S.; Mahmud, Almas M. R.

2017-09-01

This study was designed to determine effects of exercise training (Moderate and severe) and alpha tocopherol on lipid profiles and organ weights in hypercholesterolemic domestic rabbits. Hypercholesterolemia (HC) and atherosclerotic lesions were induced by feeding the male rabbits the standard chow supplemented with 1% cholesterol (atherogenic diet) for 36 days. Experimental rabbits were divided into seven groups: normal (T1), HC control (T2), HC plus alpha tocopherol (0.5mg /animal/day) (T3), HC plus moderate exercise 40 minutes/day (0.5km/day) 5 days/week (T4), HC plus severe exercise 40 minutes/day (1km/day) 5 days/week (T5), HC plus alpha tocopherol plus moderate exercise (T6) and HC plus alpha tocopherol plus severe exercise (T7). After the treatment period of 36th day, blood samples were collected and total cholesterol (TC), Triglyceride (TG), Very low-density lipoprotein (VLDL)-cholesterol, High-density lipoproteins (HDL)-cholesterol, Low-density lipoprotein (LDL)-cholesterol, serum glucose, body and organ weights were assayed and compared with hypercholesterolemic control. Combination of moderate exercise with alpha tocopherol produced significant reduction (P<0.01) in TG and high significant decrement (P<0.001), in VLDL-cholesterol, TC and LDL-cholesterol compared with hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Serum TC, LDL and VLDL (P<0.001) and TG (P<0.01) significantly increased when compared with normal rabbits diet, while, HDL decreased (P<0.05) significantly. Severe exercise group showed no significant change in all lipid profiles. However, the decrement in the above parameters was comparable with hypercholesterolemic rabbits in combination of severe exercise with alpha tocopherol. The results suggest that the combination of moderate exercise with alpha tocopherol can be exploited for prevention of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits.

Affective and cognitive theory of mind in borderline personality disorder: The role of comorbid depression.

PubMed

Zabihzadeh, Abbas; Maleki, Gheysar; Richman, Mara J; Hatami, AmirJalal; Alimardani, Zahedeh; Heidari, Mostafa

2017-11-01

Disturbed interpersonal relationships and misreading of others' intentions are core symptoms of borderline personality disorder (BPD). Despite these impairments, some studies have found an enhanced theory of mind (ToM) in BPD patients. Taking this into consideration, the current study attempts to further understand these discrepancies by separating ToM into two domains: affective and cognitive. Moreover, the study considered the role of comorbid symptoms of depression in these patients. Subjects were 21 patients with BPD, 23 patients with BPD and comorbid major depressive disorder (MDD), and 25 healthy controls (HC). ToM was measured with the Reading the Mind in the Eyes Test (RMET) and the Faux Pas Task, which assessed the affective and cognitive aspects of ToM, respectively. In addition, all participants were evaluated with the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Results showed that in both BPD groups (i.e., BPD without MDD and BPD with MDD) affective ToM scores were higher than in the HC group; however, in the cognitive ToM, the HC group performed better than the both BPD groups. Also, overall the BPD group with MDD had decreased ToM skills. Finally, BPD groups received greater scores on the BDI as compared to the HC group. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subendocardial motion in hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: assessment from long- and short-axis views by pulsed tissue Doppler imaging

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tabata, T.; Oki, T.; Yamada, H.; Abe, M.; Onose, Y.; Thomas, J. D.

2000-01-01

BACKGROUND: Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a recently developed technique that allows the instantaneous measurement of intrinsic regional myocardial motion velocity. Pulsed TDI is capable of separately assessing left ventricular (LV) regional motion velocity caused by circumferential and longitudinal fiber contraction. This particular feature of function is still controversial in patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC). METHODS: To better characterize intrinsic circumferential and longitudinal LV systolic myocardial function in HC, we used pulsed TDI to measure short- and long-axis LV motion velocities, respectively. The subendocardial motion velocity patterns at the middle of the LV posterior wall (PW) and ventricular septum (IVS) in LV parasternal and apical long-axis views were recorded by pulsed TDI in 19 patients with nonobstructive HC and in 21 normal controls (NC). RESULTS: Peak short- and long-axis systolic subendocardial velocities in both the LV PW and IVS were significantly smaller in the HC group than in the NC group, and the time to peak velocity was significantly delayed. Furthermore, peak PW systolic velocity was significantly greater along the long axis than along the short axis in the NC group (8.8 +/- 1.5 cm/s vs 8.2 +/- 1.4 cm/s, P <.05), whereas the opposite was observed in the HC group (6.1 +/- 1.2 cm/s vs 7.5 +/- 1.0 cm/s, P <.0001). No significant differences were found in either group between the long- and short-axis IVS velocities (HC: 5.9 +/- 1.4 cm/s vs 5.5 +/- 1.3 cm/s; NC: 7.8 +/- 1.3 cm/s vs 7.9 +/- 1.6 cm/s). CONCLUSIONS: By using the capability of pulsed TDI for the evaluation of intrinsic myocardial velocity instantaneously in a specific region and direction, we found impairment of LV myocardial systolic function in patients with HC not only in the hypertrophied IVS but also in the nonhypertrophied LV PW. We also found a greater decrease in LV PW velocities along the long axis than the short axis, suggesting greater impairment of long-axis contraction in patients with HC. Because our HC patients did not appear to have excessive intracavitary pressure, these results suggest that the relatively normal-appearing PW is directly affected by the HC pathologic process.

Substance use to regulate intense posttraumatic shame in individuals with childhood abuse and neglect.

PubMed

Holl, Julia; Wolff, Sebastian; Schumacher, Maren; Höcker, Anja; Arens, Elisabeth A; Spindler, Gabriela; Stopsack, Malte; Südhof, Jonna; Hiller, Philipp; Klein, Michael; Schäfer, Ingo; Barnow, Sven

2017-08-01

Childhood abuse and neglect (CAN) is considered as a risk factor for substance use disorder (SUD). Based on the drinking to cope model, this study investigated the association of two trauma-relevant emotions (shame and sadness) and substance use. Using ecological momentary assessment we compared real-time emotion regulation in situations with high and low intensity of shame and sadness in currently abstinent patients with CAN and lifetime SUD (traumaSUD group), healthy controls with CAN (traumaHC group), and without CAN (nontraumaHC group). Multilevel analysis showed a positive linear relationship between high intensity of both emotions and substance use for all groups. The traumaSUD group showed heightened substance use in low, as well as in high, intensity of shame and sadness. In addition, we found an interaction between type of emotion, intensity, and group: the traumaHC group exhibited a fourfold increased risk for substance use in high intense shame situations relative to the traumaSUD group. Our findings provide evidence for the drinking to cope model. The traumaSUD group showed a reduced distress tolerance for variable intensity of negative emotions. The differential effect of intense shame for the traumaHC group emphazises its potential role in the development of SUD following CAN. In addition, shame can be considered a relevant focus for therapeutic preinterventions and interventions for SUD after CAN.

Reducing Anxiety in the Pediatric Emergency Department: A Comparative Trial

PubMed Central

Heilbrunn, Benjamin R.; Wittern, Rachael E.; Lee, Justin B.; Pham, Phung K.; Hamilton, Anita H.; Nager, Alan L.

2014-01-01

Background Anxiety among patients in a Pediatric Emergency Department (PED) can be significant but often goes unaddressed. Objective To determine whether exposure to Child Life (CL) or Hospital Clowning (HC) can reduce anxiety in children presenting to a PED. Methods Patients were randomized to CL, HC or control and assessed upon: entry to examination room (T1), prior to physician arrival (T2) and during physician examination (T3), using the modified Yale Preoperative Anxiety Scale (m-YPAS). CL and HC interventions occurred for 5–10 minutes prior to physician entry. Effects were analyzed using mixed ANOVA. Results m-YPAS scores ranged from 23 to 59, with a higher score indicating increased anxiety. Mixed ANOVA on the study sample (n=113) showed a significant interaction between groups (CL, HC, control) and time, p = .02. Further analyses indicated effect of group only at T2 (MCL = 23.8, 95% CI 23.2–24.5; MHC = 25.2, 95% CI 24.2–26.2; Mcontrol = 26.1, 95% CI 24.2–27.9), p = .02. Sub-analysis of patients with T1 m-YPAS score ≥ 28 (n=56) showed a significant interaction between group and time, p = .01. Further analysis showed effect of group only at T2 (MCL = 24.4, 95% CI 23.3–25.6; MHC = 27.0, 95% CI 25.2–28.7; Mcontrol = 29.2, 95% CI 25.6–32.7), p = .003. Conclusion CL services can reduce SA for patients presenting to a PED with heightened anxiety at baseline. This reduction occurred immediately following CL intervention, but was not observed in patients exposed to HC or during physician examination. PMID:25271180

Oral atorvastatin therapy increases nitric oxide-dependent cutaneous vasodilation in humans by decreasing ascorbate-sensitive oxidants

PubMed Central

Kenney, W. Larry

2011-01-01

Elevated low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are associated with cutaneous microvascular dysfunction partially mediated by increased arginase activity, which is decreased following a systemic atorvastatin therapy. We hypothesized that increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidant stress, partially mediated through uncoupled nitric oxide synthase (NOS) induced by upregulated arginase, contributes to cutaneous microvascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic (HC) humans. Four microdialysis fibers were placed in the skin of nine HC (LDL = 177 ± 6 mg/dl) men and women before and after 3 mo of a systemic atorvastatin intervention and at baseline in nine normocholesterolemic (NC) (LDL = 95 ± 4 mg/dl) subjects. Sites served as control, NOS inhibited, L-ascorbate, and arginase-inhibited+L-ascorbate. Skin blood flow was measured while local skin heating (42°C) induced NO-dependent vasodilation. After the established plateau in all sites, 20 mM ≪ngname≫ was infused to quantify NO-dependent vasodilation. Data were normalized to maximum cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) (sodium nitroprusside + 43°C). The plateau in vasodilation during local heating (HC: 78 ± 4 vs. NC: 96 ± 2% CVCmax, P < 0.01) and NO-dependent vasodilation (HC: 40 ± 4 vs. NC: 54 ± 4% CVCmax, P < 0.01) was reduced in the HC group. Acute L-ascorbate alone (91 ± 5% CVCmax, P < 0.001) or combined with arginase inhibition (96 ± 3% CVCmax, P < 0.001) augmented the plateau in vasodilation in the HC group but not the NC group (ascorbate: 96 ± 2; combo: 93 ± 4% CVCmax, both P > 0.05). After the atorvastatin intervention NO-dependent vasodilation was augmented in the HC group (HC postatorvastatin: 64 ± 4% CVCmax, P < 0.01), and there was no further effect of ascorbate alone (58 ± 4% CVCmax, P > 0.05) or combined with arginase inhibition (67 ± 4% CVCmax, P > 0.05). Increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidants contribute to hypercholesteromic associated cutaneous microvascular dysfunction which is partially reversed with atorvastatin therapy. PMID:21715698

Expression of Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 and Related Cytokines in Patients with Hepatic Cystic and Alveolar Echinococcosis

PubMed Central

Tuxun, Tuerhongjiang; Ma, Hai-Zhang; Apaer, Shadike; Zhang, Heng; Aierken, Amina; Li, Yu-Peng; Lin, Ren-Yong; Zhao, Jin-Ming; Zhang, Jin-Hui; Wen, Hao

2015-01-01

Several studies have demonstrated the important role of Toll-like receptors in various parasitic infections. This study aims to explore expression of Toll-like receptors (TLRs) and related cytokines in patients with human cystic echinococcosis (CE) and alveolar echinococcosis (AE). 78 subjects including AE group (N = 28), CE group (N = 22), and healthy controls (HC, N = 28) were enrolled in this study. The mRNA expression levels of TLR2 and TLR4 in blood and hepatic tissue and plasma levels related cytokines were detected by using ELISA. Median levels of TLR2 mRNA in AE and CE groups were significantly elevated as compared with that in healthy control group. Median levels of TLR4 expression were increased in AE and CE. Plasma concentration levels of IL-5, IL-6, and IL-10 were slightly increased in AE and CE groups compared with those in HC group with no statistical differences (p > 0.05). The IL-23 concentration levels were significantly higher in AE and CE groups than that in HC subjects with statistical significance. The increased expression of TLR2 and IL-23 might play a potential role in modulating tissue infiltrative growth of the parasite and its persistence in the human host. PMID:26635448

The Effects of Acute Dopamine Precursor Depletion on the Reinforcing Value of Exercise in Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

O'Hara, Caitlin B; Keyes, Alexandra; Renwick, Bethany; Leyton, Marco; Campbell, Iain C; Schmidt, Ulrike

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether dopaminergic systems are involved in the motivation to engage in behaviours associated with anorexia nervosa (AN), specifically, the drive to exercise. Women recovered from AN (AN REC, n = 17) and healthy controls (HC, n = 15) were recruited. The acute phenylalanine/tyrosine depletion (APTD) method was used to transiently decrease dopamine synthesis and transmission. The effect of dopamine precursor depletion on drive to exercise was measured using a progressive ratio (PR) exercise breakpoint task. Both groups worked for the opportunity to exercise, and, at baseline, PR breakpoint scores were higher in AN REC than HC. Compared to values on the experimental control session, APTD did not decrease PR breakpoint scores in AN REC, but significantly decreased scores in HC. These data show that women recovered from AN are more motivated to exercise than HC, although in both groups, activity is more reinforcing than inactivity. Importantly, decreasing dopamine does not reduce the motivation to exercise in people recovered from AN, but in contrast, does so in HC. It is proposed that in AN, drive to exercise develops into a behaviour that is largely independent of dopamine mediated reward processes and becomes dependent on cortico-striatal neurocircuitry that regulates automated, habit- or compulsive-like behaviours. These data strengthen the case for the involvement of reward, learning, habit, and dopaminergic systems in the aetiology of AN.

Presence, species distribution, and density of Malassezia yeast in patients with seborrhoeic dermatitis - a community-based case-control study and review of literature.

PubMed

Barac, Aleksandra; Pekmezovic, Marina; Milobratovic, Danica; Otasevic-Tasic, Suzana; Radunovic, Milena; Arsic Arsenijevic, Valentina

2015-02-01

Malassezia yeast belongs to the normal cutaneous flora and under certain conditions it causes seborrhoeic dermatitis (SD). There is no culture-based study about the presence and density of the Malassezia in SD patients in Serbia. Aim was to show the presence, species distribution and density of Malassezia in patients with SD on lesional skin (LS) and non-lesional skin (NLS) and healthy controls (HC) and to compare data between Serbia and other countries. The study included 70 HC and 60 patients with SD in the study group (SG). Isolation, identification and examination of density of Malassezia colony-forming units from LS and NLS were performed. Malassezia was found more frequently in the SG than in HC, 90% and 60%, respectively (P < 0.01). The most frequent isolates in SG on LS were M. slooffiae (26%), followed by M. globosa (17%) and M. sympodialis (17%). The yeast density was much higher on LS of SG than on NLS of SG or in the HC group (P < 0.05). Higher density of Malassezia was shown on LS of SG than on NLS of SG and HC. M. slooffiae is the most prevalent species in SD patients in Serbia. This study demonstrated a positive relationship between severity of SD and presence of Malassezia spp. © 2015 Blackwell Verlag GmbH.

The Effects of Acute Dopamine Precursor Depletion on the Reinforcing Value of Exercise in Anorexia Nervosa

PubMed Central

O’Hara, Caitlin B.; Keyes, Alexandra; Renwick, Bethany; Leyton, Marco; Campbell, Iain C.; Schmidt, Ulrike

2016-01-01

This study investigated whether dopaminergic systems are involved in the motivation to engage in behaviours associated with anorexia nervosa (AN), specifically, the drive to exercise. Women recovered from AN (AN REC, n = 17) and healthy controls (HC, n = 15) were recruited. The acute phenylalanine/tyrosine depletion (APTD) method was used to transiently decrease dopamine synthesis and transmission. The effect of dopamine precursor depletion on drive to exercise was measured using a progressive ratio (PR) exercise breakpoint task. Both groups worked for the opportunity to exercise, and, at baseline, PR breakpoint scores were higher in AN REC than HC. Compared to values on the experimental control session, APTD did not decrease PR breakpoint scores in AN REC, but significantly decreased scores in HC. These data show that women recovered from AN are more motivated to exercise than HC, although in both groups, activity is more reinforcing than inactivity. Importantly, decreasing dopamine does not reduce the motivation to exercise in people recovered from AN, but in contrast, does so in HC. It is proposed that in AN, drive to exercise develops into a behaviour that is largely independent of dopamine mediated reward processes and becomes dependent on cortico-striatal neurocircuitry that regulates automated, habit- or compulsive-like behaviours. These data strengthen the case for the involvement of reward, learning, habit, and dopaminergic systems in the aetiology of AN. PMID:26808920

Acting without being in control: Exploring volition in Parkinson's disease with impulsive compulsive behaviours.

PubMed

Ricciardi, Lucia; Haggard, Patrick; de Boer, Lieke; Sorbera, Chiara; Stenner, Max-Philipp; Morgante, Francesca; Edwards, Mark J

2017-07-01

Several aspects of volitional control of action may be relevant in the pathophysiology of impulsive-compulsive behaviours (ICB) in Parkinson's disease (PD). We aimed to explore multiple aspects of action control, assessing reward-related behaviour, inhibition (externally and internally triggered) and sense of agency in PD patients, with and without ICB compared to healthy subjects. Nineteen PD patients with ICB (PD-ICB), 19 PD without ICB (PD-no-ICB) and 19 healthy controls (HC) underwent a battery of tests including: Intentional Binding task which measures sense of agency; Stop Signal Reaction Time (SSRT) measuring capacity for reactive inhibition; the Marble task, assessing intentional inhibition; Balloon Analog Risk Task for reward sensitivity. One-way ANOVA showed significant main effect of group for action binding (p = 0.004, F = 6.27). Post hoc analysis revealed that PD-ICB had significantly stronger action binding than HC (p = 0.004), and PD-no-ICB (p = 0.04). There was no difference between PD-no-ICB and HC. SSRT did not differ between PD groups, whereas a significant difference between PD-no-ICB and HC was detected (p = 0.01). No other differences were found among groups in the other tasks. PD patients with ICB have abnormal performance on a psychophysical task assessing sense of agency, which might be related to a deficit in action representation at cognitive/experiential level. Yet, they have no deficit on tasks evaluating externally and internally triggered inhibitory control, or in reward-based decision-making. We conclude that impaired sense of agency may be a factor contributing to ICB in PD patients. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Theory of mind performance using a story comprehension task in bipolar mania compared to schizophrenia and healthy controls.

PubMed

Rossell, Susan L; Van Rheenen, Tamsyn E

2013-01-01

Theory of mind (ToM) refers to the ability to understand the mental state of self and others. There is limited research into this topic in bipolar disorder (BD), with no previous study examining ToM in a BD group within a psychotic manic phase. Twenty-eight psychotic manic BD patients were compared with 30 schizophrenia (SCZ) patients and 29 healthy controls (HC). Participants performed a ToM story comprehension task that compared ToM stories and non-ToM stories (which we relabelled non-ToM "semantic" stories). Performance was examined by answering comprehension questions. Both patient groups were equally impaired on their scores for ToM stories (scores BD = 10/24, SCZ = 9/24, HC = 14/24, p < .001). Interestingly, both patient groups showed reduced performance on non-ToM semantic stories (scores BD = 12/24, SCZ = 9/24, HC = 15/24, p < .001); SCZ showed a larger deficit. Reduced ToM performance was correlated with delusion severity in the BD group only. ToM performance was impaired in BD patients experiencing psychotic symptoms. Patient performance was also impaired on the control condition (i.e., non-ToM semantic stories) supporting an additional deficit in semantic processing.

Protective Effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Gentamicin-induced Oxidative Stress and Nephrotoxicity in Rats

PubMed Central

Kang, Changgeun; Lee, Hyungkyoung; Hah, Do-Yun; Heo, Jung Ho; Kim, Chung Hui; Kim, Euikyung

2013-01-01

Development of a therapy providing protection from, or reversing gentamicin-sulfate (GS)-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity would be of great clinical significance. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) against gentamicin sulfate-induced renal damage in rats. Twenty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 equal groups as follows: group 1, control; group 2, GS 100 mg/kg/d, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection; group 3, GS 100 mg/kg/d, i.p. + HC 500 mg/kg/d, oral; and group 4, GS 100 mg/kg/d i.p. + HC 1000 mg/kg/d, oral administration). Treatments were administered once daily for 12 d. After 12 d, biochemical and histopathological analyses were conducted to evaluate oxidative stress and renal nephrotoxicity. Serum levels of creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), together with renal levels of MDA, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were quantified to evaluate antioxidant activity. Animals treated with GS alone showed a significant increase in serum levels of creatinine, BUN, and MDA, with decreased renal levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT. Treatment of rats with HC showed significant improvement in renal function, presumably as a result of decreased biochemical indices and oxidative stress parameters associated with GS-induced nephrotoxicity. Histopathological examination of the rat kidneys confirmed these observations. Therefore, the novel natural antioxidant HC may protect against GSinduced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats. PMID:24278630

Protective Effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. on Gentamicin-induced Oxidative Stress and Nephrotoxicity in Rats.

PubMed

Kang, Changgeun; Lee, Hyungkyoung; Hah, Do-Yun; Heo, Jung Ho; Kim, Chung Hui; Kim, Euikyung; Kim, Jong Shu

2013-03-01

Development of a therapy providing protection from, or reversing gentamicin-sulfate (GS)-induced oxidative stress and nephrotoxicity would be of great clinical significance. The present study was designed to investigate the protective effects of Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) against gentamicin sulfate-induced renal damage in rats. Twenty-eight Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into 4 equal groups as follows: group 1, control; group 2, GS 100 mg/kg/d, intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection; group 3, GS 100 mg/kg/d, i.p. + HC 500 mg/kg/d, oral; and group 4, GS 100 mg/kg/d i.p. + HC 1000 mg/kg/d, oral administration). Treatments were administered once daily for 12 d. After 12 d, biochemical and histopathological analyses were conducted to evaluate oxidative stress and renal nephrotoxicity. Serum levels of creatinine, malondialdehyde (MDA), and blood urea nitrogen (BUN), together with renal levels of MDA, glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and catalase (CAT) were quantified to evaluate antioxidant activity. Animals treated with GS alone showed a significant increase in serum levels of creatinine, BUN, and MDA, with decreased renal levels of GSH, SOD, and CAT. Treatment of rats with HC showed significant improvement in renal function, presumably as a result of decreased biochemical indices and oxidative stress parameters associated with GS-induced nephrotoxicity. Histopathological examination of the rat kidneys confirmed these observations. Therefore, the novel natural antioxidant HC may protect against GSinduced nephrotoxicity and oxidative stress in rats.

Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of a specialized health coaching intervention to prevent excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention in women: the HIPP study.

PubMed

Skouteris, Helen; McCabe, Marita; Milgrom, Jeannette; Kent, Bridie; Bruce, Lauren J; Mihalopoulos, Cathrine; Herring, Sharon J; Barnett, Malcolm; Patterson, Denise; Teale, Glyn; Gale, Janette

2012-01-25

Pregnancy is a time of significant physiological and physical change for women. In particular, it is a time at which many women are at risk of gaining excessive weight. We describe the rationale and methods of the Health in Pregnancy and Post-birth (HIPP) Study, a study which aims primarily to determine the effectiveness of a specialized health coaching (HC) intervention during pregnancy, compared to education alone, in preventing excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention 12 months post birth. A secondary aim of this study is to evaluate the mechanisms by which our HC intervention impacts on weight management both during pregnancy and post birth. The randomized controlled trial will be conducted with 220 women who have a BMI > 18.5 (American IOM cut-off for normal weight), are 18 years of age or older, English speaking, no history of disordered eating or diabetes and are less than 18 weeks gestation at recruitment. Women will be randomly allocated to either a specialized HC intervention group or an Education Alone group. Our specialized HC intervention has two components: (1) one-on-one sessions with a Health Coach, and (2) two by two hour educational group sessions led by a Health Coach. Women in the Education Alone group will receive two by two hour educational group sessions with no HC components. Body Mass Index, waist circumference, and psychological factors including motivation, readiness to change, symptoms of depression and anxiety, and body dissatisfaction will be assessed at baseline (14-16 weeks gestation), and again at follow-up: 32 weeks gestation, 6 weeks, 6 months and 12 months postpartum. Our study responds to the urgent need to design effective interventions in pregnancy to prevent excessive gestational weight gain and postpartum weight retention. Our pregnancy HC intervention is novel and innovative and has been designed to be easily adopted by health professionals who work with pregnant women, such as obstetricians, midwives, allied health professionals and health psychologists. Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry ACTRN12611000331932.

Neutral face distractors differentiate performance between depressed and healthy adolescents during an emotional working memory task.

PubMed

Tavitian, Lucy R; Ladouceur, Cecile D; Nahas, Ziad; Khater, Beatrice; Brent, David A; Maalouf, Fadi T

2014-08-01

The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of neutral and emotional facial expressions on voluntary attentional control using a working memory (WM) task in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD). We administered the Emotional Face n-back (EFNBACK) task, a visual WM task with neutral, happy and angry faces as distractors to 22 adolescents with MDD (mean age 15.7 years) and 21 healthy controls (HC) (mean age 14.7 years). There was a significant group by distractor type interaction (p = 0.045) for mean percent accuracy rates. Group comparisons showed that MDD youth were less accurate on neutral trials than HC (p = 0.027). The two groups did not differ on angry, happy and blank trials (p > 0.05). Reaction time did not differ across groups. In addition, when comparing the differences between accuracies on neutral trials and each of the happy and angry trials, respectively [(HAP-NEUT) and (ANG-NEUT)], there was a group effect on (HAP-NEUT) where the difference was larger in MDD than HC (p = 0.009) but not on ANG-NEUT (p > 0.05). Findings were independent of memory load. Findings indicate that attentional control to neutral faces is impaired and negatively affected performance on a WM task in adolescents with MDD. Such an impact of neutral faces on attentional control in MDD may be at the core of the social-cognitive impairment observed in this population.

Impulsive Behaviors in Patients With Pathological Buying.

PubMed

Zander, Heike; Claes, Laurence; Voth, Eva M; de Zwaan, Martina; Müller, Astrid

2016-09-01

Aim To investigate impulsive behaviors in pathological buying (PB). Methods The study included three groups matched for age and gender: treatment seeking outpatients with PB (PB+), treatment seeking psychiatric inpatients without PB (PB-), and a healthy control group (HC). PB was assessed by means of the Compulsive Buying Scale and by the impulse control disorder (ICD) module of the research version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-ICD). All participants answered questionnaires concerning symptoms of borderline personality disorder, self-harming behaviors, binge eating and symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, comorbid ICDs were assessed using the SCID-ICD. Results The PB+ and PB- groups did not differ with regard to borderline personality disorder or ADHD symptoms, but both groups reported significantly more symptoms than the HC group. Frequencies of self-harming behaviors did not differ between the three groups. Patients with PB were more often diagnosed with any current ICD (excluding PB) compared to those without PB and the HC group (38.7% vs. 12.9% vs. 12.9%, respectively, p=.017). Discussion Our findings confirm prior research suggesting more impulsive behaviors in patients with and without PB compared to healthy controls. The results of the questionnaire-based assessment indicate that outpatients with PB perceive themselves equally impulsive and self-harm as frequently as inpatients without PB; but they seem to suffer more often from an ICD as assessed by means of an interview.

Impulsive Behaviors in Patients With Pathological Buying

PubMed Central

Zander, Heike; Claes, Laurence; Voth, Eva M.; de Zwaan, Martina; Müller, Astrid

2016-01-01

Aim To investigate impulsive behaviors in pathological buying (PB). Methods The study included three groups matched for age and gender: treatment seeking outpatients with PB (PB+), treatment seeking psychiatric inpatients without PB (PB−), and a healthy control group (HC). PB was assessed by means of the Compulsive Buying Scale and by the impulse control disorder (ICD) module of the research version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-ICD). All participants answered questionnaires concerning symptoms of borderline personality disorder, self-harming behaviors, binge eating and symptoms of attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In addition, comorbid ICDs were assessed using the SCID-ICD. Results The PB+ and PB− groups did not differ with regard to borderline personality disorder or ADHD symptoms, but both groups reported significantly more symptoms than the HC group. Frequencies of self-harming behaviors did not differ between the three groups. Patients with PB were more often diagnosed with any current ICD (excluding PB) compared to those without PB and the HC group (38.7% vs. 12.9% vs. 12.9%, respectively, p=.017). Discussion Our findings confirm prior research suggesting more impulsive behaviors in patients with and without PB compared to healthy controls. The results of the questionnaire-based assessment indicate that outpatients with PB perceive themselves equally impulsive and self-harm as frequently as inpatients without PB; but they seem to suffer more often from an ICD as assessed by means of an interview. PMID:27415604

Hyperactivity of the default-mode network in first-episode, drug-naive schizophrenia at rest revealed by family-based case-control and traditional case-control designs.

PubMed

Guo, Wenbin; Liu, Feng; Chen, Jindong; Wu, Renrong; Li, Lehua; Zhang, Zhikun; Chen, Huafu; Zhao, Jingping

2017-03-01

Abnormal regional activity and functional connectivity of the default-mode network (DMN) have been reported in schizophrenia. However, previous studies may have been biased by unmatched case-control design. To limit such bias, the present study used both the family-based case-control design and the traditional case-control design to investigate abnormal regional activity of the DMN in patients with schizophrenia at rest.Twenty-eight first-episode, drug-naive patients with schizophrenia, 28 age-, sex-matched unaffected siblings of the patients (family-based controls, FBC), and 40 healthy controls (HC) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scans. The group-independent component analysis and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) methods were used to analyze the data.Patients with schizophrenia show increased fALFF in an overlapped region of the right superior medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC) relative to the FBC and the HC. Compared with the HC, the patients and the FBC exhibit increased fALFF in an overlapped region of the left posterior cingulate cortex/precuneus (PCC/PCu). Furthermore, the z values of the 2 overlapped regions can separate the patients from the FBC/HC, and separate the patients/FBC from the HC with relatively high sensitivity and specificity.Both the family-based case-control and traditional case-control designs reveal hyperactivity of the DMN in first-episode, drug-naive patients with paranoid schizophrenia, which highlights the importance of the DMN in the neurobiology of schizophrenia. Family-based case-control design can limit the confounding effects of environmental factors in schizophrenia. Combination of the family-based case-control and traditional case-control designs may be a viable option for the neuroimaging studies.

Effect of oral arginine supplementation on exhaled nitric oxide concentration in sickle cell anemia and acute chest syndrome.

PubMed

Sullivan, Kevin Joseph; Kissoon, Niranjan; Sandler, Eric; Gauger, Cynthia; Froyen, Melanie; Duckworth, Laurie; Brown, Martha; Murphy, Suzanne

2010-10-01

Decreased exhaled nitric oxide levels (FE(NO)) have been described in patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) and a history of acute chest syndrome (ACS) when compared with non-ACS controls. Oral arginine supplementation has been shown to increase FE(NO) in healthy participants, but its effect in SCD patients is not known. To determine the effect of oral arginine intake on FENO in sickle cell patients with and without history of ACS, and in healthy controls. No differences in the FE(NO) increase were seen in SCD patients with a history of ACS (ACS+) compared with healthy controls (HC) and SCD patients without history of ACS (ACS-). ACS+ (n=6), ACS- (n=9), and HC (n=7) patients were studied. At baseline, and after the administration of escalating doses of oral L-arginine (0.1, 0.2, and 0.4 g/kg), serial measurements were made of the following: FE(NO), plasma concentrations of arginine, ornithine, citrulline, aspartate, glutamate, arginine/ornithine ratio, nitrite, nitrate, heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), blood pressure (BP), oxygen saturation (SpO2), forced expiratory volume in 1 second (FEV1), and forced vital capacity (FVC). At baseline, FE(NO) did not differ among the groups. ACS- and ACS+ groups were deficient in arginine, and had decreased FEV1, FVC, and SaO2 when compared with HC patients. After arginine supplementation, FE(NO), arginine, ornithine, citrulline, nitrite, and the arginine/ornithine ratio increased similarly in all groups. Changes from baseline for HR, BP, SpO2, RR, FEV1, and FVC were minimal and similar in all groups. In contrast to our earlier study, ACS+ patients had similar FE(NO) values when compared with ACS- and HC patients. All SCD patients were arginine deficient at baseline and showed impairment in respiratory physiology when compared with HC patients. After arginine supplementation, FE(NO) concentration increased in all groups to a similar degree, and lung function and physiologic parameters were minimally affected. The physiologic significance of alterations in FE(NO) in SCD patients and its relationship to ACS predilection requires further delineation.

Tracing Back to the Onset of Abnormal Head Circumference Growth in Italian Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Muratori, Filippo; Calderoni, Sara; Apicella, Fabio; Filippi, Tiziana; Santocchi, Elisa; Calugi, Simona; Cosenza, Angela; Tancredi, Raffaella; Narzisi, Antonio

2012-01-01

This retrospective study aims to describe head circumference (HC) developmental course during the first year of life in 50 Italian children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and in a control group of 100 typically developing children (TD). To this end, we use anthropometric measurements (HC, body height, body weight) obtained at birth (T0), 1-2…

Characterizing amino-acid biosignatures amongst individuals with schizophrenia: a case-control study.

PubMed

Cao, Bing; Wang, Dongfang; Brietzke, Elisa; McIntyre, Roger S; Pan, Zihang; Cha, Danielle; Rosenblat, Joshua D; Zuckerman, Hannah; Liu, Yaqiong; Xie, Qing; Wang, Jingyu

2018-05-23

Amino acids and derivatives participate in the biosynthesis and downstream effects of numerous neurotransmitters. Variations in specific amino acids have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Herein, we sought to compare levels of amino acids and derivatives between subjects with schizophrenia and healthy controls (HC). Two hundred and eight subjects with Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition criteria (DSM-IV)-defined schizophrenia and 175 age- and sex-matched HC were enrolled. The levels of twenty-five amino acids and seven related derivatives were measured in plasma samples using hydrophilic interaction liquid chromatography (HILIC) liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS). After controlling for age, sex and body mass index (BMI), four amino acids and derivatives (i.e., cysteine, GABA, glutamine and sarcosine) were observed to be higher in the schizophrenia group when compared with HC; seven amino acids and derivatives were lower in the schizophrenia group (i.e., arginine, L-ornithine, threonine, taurine, tryptophan, methylcysteine, and kynurenine). Statistically significant differences in plasma amino-acid profiles between subjects with first-episode vs. recurrent schizophrenia for aspartate and glutamine were also demonstrated using generalized linear models controlling for age, sex, and BMI. The differences in amino acids and derivatives among individuals with schizophrenia when compared to HC may represent underlying pathophysiology, including but not limited to dysfunctional proteinogenic processes, alterations in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission, changes in ammonia metabolism and the urea cycle. Taken together, amino-acid profiling may provide a novel stratification approach among individuals with schizophrenia.

The relationship between cannabis use and cortisol levels in youth at ultra high-risk for psychosis.

PubMed

Carol, Emily E; Spencer, Robert L; Mittal, Vijay A

2017-09-01

Recent studies have posited a relationship between cannabis use and the biological stress system, but this critical relationship has not been evaluated during the ultra high-risk (UHR) period immediately preceding the onset of psychotic disorders. Salivary cortisol samples were collected on 46 UHR and 29 control adolescents; these individuals were assessed for current cannabis use with a urine panel and self-report. UHR participants where separated into two groups: Current Cannabis Use (UHR-CU) and No Current Cannabis Use (UHR-NC). Healthy Control participants (HC) were free of cannabis use. Consistent with the literature, results indicate UHR individuals showed elevated cortisol levels when compared to HC participants. Further, we also observed that UHR-CU participants exhibited elevated levels when compared to both the non-using UHR and HC groups. Findings suggest that cannabis use may interact with underlying biological vulnerability associated with the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis system. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Working memory contributes to elevated motor activity in adults with ADHD: an examination of the role of central executive and storage/rehearsal processes.

PubMed

Hudec, Kristen L; Alderson, R Matt; Kasper, Lisa J; Patros, Connor H G

2014-05-01

The relationship between working memory (WM) and objectively measured motor activity was examined in adults with ADHD and healthy controls (HCs). Thirty-five adults (ADHD = 20, HC = 15) were grouped using self-report and collateral-report measures in addition to a semistructured clinical interview. All participants completed control conditions with minimal WM demands, and separate phonological (PH) and visuospatial (VS) WM tasks with recall demands ranging from four to seven stimuli. The ADHD group exhibited significantly more motor activity relative to the HC group, and both groups exhibited greater activity during PH and VS WM tasks, relative to control conditions. Finally, the central executive (CE) and PH storage/rehearsal subsystems were associated with large-magnitude between-group differences in activity. Findings suggest that increased demands on WM, particularly the CE and PH storage/rehearsal, contribute to ADHD-related hyperactivity, though a portion of excessive motor activity in adults with ADHD may occur independently of WM demands.

The effect of a low-fat, high-protein or high-carbohydrate ad libitum diet on weight loss maintenance and metabolic risk factors.

PubMed

Claessens, M; van Baak, M A; Monsheimer, S; Saris, W H M

2009-03-01

High-protein (HP) diets are often advocated for weight reduction and weight loss maintenance. The aim was to compare the effect of low-fat, high-carbohydrate (HC) and low-fat, HP ad libitum diets on weight maintenance after weight loss induced by a very low-calorie diet, and on metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in healthy obese subjects. Forty-eight subjects completed the study that consisted of an energy restriction period of 5-6 weeks followed by a weight maintenance period of 12 weeks. During weight maintenance subjects received maltodextrin (HC group) or protein (HP group) (casein (HPC subgroup) or whey (HPW subgroup)) supplements (2 x 25 g per day), respectively and consumed a low-fat diet. Subjects in the HP diet group showed significantly better weight maintenance after weight loss (2.3 kg difference, P=0.04) and fat mass reduction (2.2 kg difference, P=0.02) than subjects in the HC group. Triglyceride (0.6 mM difference, P=0.01) and glucagon (9.6 pg ml(-1) difference, P=0.02) concentrations increased more in the HC diet group, while glucose (0.3 mM difference, P=0.02) concentration increased more in the HP diet group. Changes in total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol, insulin, HOMAir index, HbA1c, leptin and adiponectin concentrations did not differ between the diets. No differences were found between the casein- or whey-supplemented HP groups. These results show that low-fat, high-casein or whey protein weight maintenance diets are more effective for weight control than low-fat, HC diets and do not adversely affect metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in weight-reduced moderately obese subjects without metabolic or cardiovascular complications.

Altered Neural Oscillations During Multisensory Integration in Adolescents with Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorder.

PubMed

Bolaños, Alfredo D; Coffman, Brian A; Candelaria-Cook, Felicha T; Kodituwakku, Piyadasa; Stephen, Julia M

2017-12-01

Children with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), who were exposed to alcohol in utero, display a broad range of sensory, cognitive, and behavioral deficits, which are broadly theorized to be rooted in altered brain function and structure. Based on the role of neural oscillations in multisensory integration from past studies, we hypothesized that adolescents with FASD would show a decrease in oscillatory power during event-related gamma oscillatory activity (30 to 100 Hz), when compared to typically developing healthy controls (HC), and that such decrease in oscillatory power would predict behavioral performance. We measured sensory neurophysiology using magnetoencephalography (MEG) during passive auditory, somatosensory, and multisensory (synchronous) stimulation in 19 adolescents (12 to 21 years) with FASD and 23 age- and gender-matched HC. We employed a cross-hemisphere multisensory paradigm to assess interhemispheric connectivity deficits in children with FASD. Time-frequency analysis of MEG data revealed a significant decrease in gamma oscillatory power for both unisensory and multisensory conditions in the FASD group relative to HC, based on permutation testing of significant group differences. Greater beta oscillatory power (15 to 30 Hz) was also noted in the FASD group compared to HC in both unisensory and multisensory conditions. Regression analysis revealed greater predictive power of multisensory oscillations from unisensory oscillations in the FASD group compared to the HC group. Furthermore, multisensory oscillatory power, for both groups, predicted performance on the Intra-Extradimensional Set Shift Task and the Cambridge Gambling Task. Altered oscillatory power in the FASD group may reflect a restricted ability to process somatosensory and multisensory stimuli during day-to-day interactions. These alterations in neural oscillations may be associated with the neurobehavioral deficits experienced by adolescents with FASD and may carry over to adulthood. Copyright © 2017 by the Research Society on Alcoholism.

Tenotomy of m.soleus antagonists prevents the changes in fiber type characteristics and sarcomeric cytoskeletal proteins in unloaded rats

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Moukhina, Alexandra; Ardabievskaya, Anna; Vikhlyantsev, Ivan; Podlubnaya, Zoya; Nemirovskaya, Tatiana; Shenkman, Boris

2005-08-01

It is known that activity of postural extensors (m. soleus) decreases and activity of flexors (m. tibialis anterior) increases under unloading conditions. We have tested the hypothesis supposing that increased flexor activities during unloading exert suppressive influence on postural extensor activities and thus lead to dramatic changes in fiber size, MHC expression, sarcomeric proteins content in m.soleus. We have inactivated hindlimb flexor muscles (m.soleus antagonists) by bilateral tenotomy. 20 male Wistar rats were divided on 3 groups: cage control (C), hindlimb suspension for 14 days (HS), tenotomy of hindlimb flexor muscles with 14 days hindlimb suspension afterwards (HST). Several soleus muscle fiber characteristics decreased significantly in HS group (p<0.05) as compared with C group: cross sectional area (CSA) of type I muscle fibers, titin/MyHC ratio and nebulin/MyHC ratio. MyHC isoform pattern shifted slow-to-fast significantly. NFATc1 content increased in nuclear protein extract of m. soleus in HS group. None of these parameters was significantly different in HST group from those of C group. It has been concluded that the tenotomy of flexors under hindlimb suspension prevents atrophy of type I muscle fibers, decrease the degradation of titin and nebulin and prevent slow-to-fast shift of fiber MyHC isoform pattern, possibly through prevention of increase NFATc1 content in muscle fiber nuclear protein extract. Therefore, suppressive influence of increased flexor activity could be one of mechanisms that lead to the changes in m. soleus under unloading conditions. The work was supported by RFBR grants: 02-04-50025, 03- 04-48487 and the special program of RAS "Integration mechanisms of functional control in the living system".

Neural response to errors in combat-exposed returning veterans with and without post-traumatic stress disorder: a preliminary event-related potential study.

PubMed

Rabinak, Christine A; Holman, Alexis; Angstadt, Mike; Kennedy, Amy E; Hajcak, Greg; Phan, Kinh Luan

2013-07-30

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is characterized by sustained anxiety, hypervigilance for potential threat, and hyperarousal. These symptoms may enhance self-perception of one's actions, particularly the detection of errors, which may threaten safety. The error-related negativity (ERN) is an electrocortical response to the commission of errors, and previous studies have shown that other anxiety disorders associated with exaggerated anxiety and enhanced action monitoring exhibit an enhanced ERN. However, little is known about how traumatic experience and PTSD would affect the ERN. To address this gap, we measured the ERN in returning Operation Enduring Freedom/Operation Iraqi Freedom (OEF/OIF) veterans with combat-related PTSD (PTSD group), combat-exposed OEF/OIF veterans without PTSD [combat-exposed control (CEC) group], and non-traumatized healthy participants [healthy control (HC) group]. Event-related potential and behavioral measures were recorded while 16 PTSD patients, 18 CEC, and 16 HC participants completed an arrow version of the flanker task. No difference in the magnitude of the ERN was observed between the PTSD and HC groups; however, in comparison with the PTSD and HC groups, the CEC group displayed a blunted ERN response. These findings suggest that (1) combat trauma itself does not affect the ERN response; (2) PTSD is not associated with an abnormal ERN response; and (3) an attenuated ERN in those previously exposed to combat trauma but who have not developed PTSD may reflect resilience to the disorder, less motivation to do the task, or a decrease in the significance or meaningfulness of 'errors,' which could be related to combat experience. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for the Detection of Subclinical Retinal Involvement in Systemic Lupus Erythematosus and Sjögren Syndrome: A Potential Association with Therapies.

PubMed

Conigliaro, Paola; Triggianese, Paola; Draghessi, Gianluca; Canofari, Claudia; Aloe, Gianluca; Chimenti, Maria Sole; Valeri, Claudia; Nucci, Carlo; Perricone, Roberto; Cesareo, Massimo

2018-06-14

Retinal involvement in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) and Sjögren syndrome (SS) may be subclinical and thus underdiagnosed. We aimed at evaluating morphological and functional visual abnormalities in a cohort of SLE and SS patients in the absence of an overt clinical visual impairment. We also investigated potential associations between retinal disorders and disease activity, organ involvement, and treatment with steroid and/or hydroxychloroquine. The study comprised 42 SLE and 36 primary SS patients and 76 healthy controls (HC). Ophthalmological examination, standard automated perimetry, spectral-domain optical coherence tomography, and fundus perimetry were performed. Retinal thickness of the posterior pole was not different between SLE and HC groups, but it was reduced in the SS group compared with both the HC and the SLE group. In SLE and SS patients, mean defect and pattern standard deviation by standard automated perimetry were higher than in HC. Visual field index values were lower in both SLE and SS patients than in HC. SLE patients with nephritis displayed increased mean defect and pattern standard deviation and reduced visual field index values compared to patients without nephritis. In SLE and SS patients, fundus perimetry differential sensitivity was reduced, and mean defect values were higher than in HC. Disturbances in fundus perimetry in the SLE group were more prevalent in steroid-naïve patients and in SS patients who received a cumulative hydroxychloroquine dose > 1,000 g. Functional eye impairment was demonstrated in SLE patients, possibly associated with kidney involvement. In SLE, corticosteroids might exert a protective role. Morphological alterations and functional impairment were detected in SS patients, which may be linked to hydroxychloroquine toxicity. © 2018 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Comparison of low- and high-carbohydrate diets for type 2 diabetes management: a randomized trial.

PubMed

Tay, Jeannie; Luscombe-Marsh, Natalie D; Thompson, Campbell H; Noakes, Manny; Buckley, Jonathan D; Wittert, Gary A; Yancy, William S; Brinkworth, Grant D

2015-10-01

Few well-controlled studies have comprehensively examined the effects of very-low-carbohydrate diets on type 2 diabetes (T2D). We compared the effects of a very-low-carbohydrate, high-unsaturated fat, low-saturated fat (LC) diet with a high-carbohydrate, low-fat (HC) diet on glycemic control and cardiovascular disease risk factors in T2D after 52 wk. In this randomized controlled trial that was conducted in an outpatient research clinic, 115 obese adults with T2D [mean ± SD age: 58 ± 7 y; body mass index (in kg/m(2)): 34.6 ± 4.3; glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c): 7.3 ± 1.1%; duration of diabetes: 8 ± 6 y] were randomly assigned to consume either a hypocaloric LC diet [14% of energy as carbohydrate (carbohydrate <50 g/d), 28% of energy as protein, and 58% of energy as fat (<10% saturated fat)] or an energy-matched HC diet [53% of energy as carbohydrate, 17% of energy as protein, and 30% of energy as fat (<10% saturated fat)] combined with supervised aerobic and resistance exercise (60 min; 3 d/wk). Outcomes were glycemic control assessed with use of measurements of HbA1c, fasting blood glucose, glycemic variability assessed with use of 48-h continuous glucose monitoring, diabetes medication, weight, blood pressure, and lipids assessed at baseline, 24, and 52 wk. Both groups achieved similar completion rates (LC diet: 71%; HC diet: 65%) and mean (95% CI) reductions in weight [LC diet: -9.8 kg (-11.7, -7.9 kg); HC diet: -10.1 kg (-12.0, -8.2 kg)], blood pressure [LC diet: -7.1 (-10.6, -3.7)/-6.2 (-8.2, -4.1) mm Hg; HC diet: -5.8 (-9.4, -2.2)/-6.4 (-8.4, -4.3) mm Hg], HbA1c [LC diet: -1.0% (-1.2%, -0.7%); HC diet: -1.0% (-1.3%, -0.8%)], fasting glucose [LC diet: -0.7 mmol/L (-1.3, -0.1 mmol/L); HC diet: -1.5 mmol/L (-2.1, -0.8 mmol/L)], and LDL cholesterol [LC diet: -0.1 mmol/L (-0.3, 0.1 mmol/L); HC diet: -0.2 mmol/L (-0.4, 0.03 mmol/L)] (P-diet effect ≥ 0.10). Compared with the HC-diet group, the LC-diet group achieved greater mean (95% CI) reductions in the diabetes medication score [LC diet: -0.5 arbitrary units (-0.7, -0.4 arbitrary units); HC diet: -0.2 arbitrary units (-0.4, -0.06 arbitrary units); P = 0.02], glycemic variability assessed by measuring the continuous overall net glycemic action-1 [LC diet: -0.5 mmol/L (-0.6, -0.3 mmol/L); HC diet: -0.05 mmol/L (-0.2, -0.1 mmol/L); P = 0.003], and triglycerides [LC diet: -0.4 mmol/L (-0.5, -0.2 mmol/L); HC diet: -0.01 mmol/L (-0.2, 0.2 mmol/L); P = 0.001] and greater mean (95% CI) increases in HDL cholesterol [LC diet: 0.1 mmol/L (0.1, 0.2 mmol/L); HC diet: 0.06 mmol/L (-0.01, 0.1 mmol/L); P = 0.002]. Both diets achieved substantial weight loss and reduced HbA1c and fasting glucose. The LC diet, which was high in unsaturated fat and low in saturated fat, achieved greater improvements in the lipid profile, blood glucose stability, and reductions in diabetes medication requirements, suggesting an effective strategy for the optimization of T2D management. This trial was registered at www.anzctr.org.au as ACTRN12612000369820. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

Episodic memory following deep brain stimulation of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule and electroconvulsive therapy.

PubMed

Bergfeld, Isidoor O; Mantione, Mariska; Hoogendoorn, Mechteld L C; Horst, Ferdinand; Notten, Peter; Schuurman, P Richard; Denys, Damiaan

Electroconvulsive Therapy (ECT) and Deep Brain Stimulation (DBS) are effective treatments for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD). However, a common side effect of ECT is autobiographical memory loss (e.g., personal experiences), whereas the impact of DBS on autobiographical memories has never been established. Comparing autobiographical memories following DBS and ECT. In two hospitals in The Netherlands, we interviewed 25 TRD patients treated with DBS of the ventral anterior limb of the internal capsule (vALIC), 14 TRD patients treated with ECT and 22 healthy controls (HC) with the Autobiographical Memory Inventory - Short Form (AMI-SF) in a prospective, longitudinal study between March 2010 and August 2016. Patients treated with DBS were interviewed before surgery, after surgery, and twice during treatment over 122.7 (SD: ±22.2) weeks. Patients treated with ECT were tested before ECT, after six right unilateral (RUL) ECT sessions and twice following ECT over 65.1 (±9.3) weeks. Controls were tested four times over 81.5 (±15.6) weeks. Compared to HC, the AMI-SF score decreased faster in both TRD groups (P < 0.001). More specifically, AMI-SF score decreased in a comparable rate as HC after DBS surgery, but decreased more during treatment. The AMI-SF decrease in the ECT group was larger than both the DBS and HC groups. Both ECT and vALIC DBS result in a faster autobiographical memory decline compared to HC. DBS might have a negative impact on autobiographical memories, although less so than ECT. Future work should dissect whether DBS or characteristics of TRD cause this decline. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

SA45. Amotivation in Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder: A Preliminary Comparison Study

PubMed Central

Zou, Ying-min; Ni, Ke; Wang, Yang-yu; Yu, En-qing; Lui, Simon S. Y.; Cheung, Eric F. C.; Chan, Raymond C. K.

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Deficits in reward processing, such as approaching motivation, reward learning and effort-based decision-making, have been observed in patients with schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). However, little is known about the nature of reward-processing deficits in these 3 diagnostic groups. The present study aimed to compare and contrast amotivation in these 3 diagnostic groups using an effort-based decision-making task. Methods: Sixty patients (19 SCZ patients, 18 BD patients and 23 MDD patients) and 27 healthy controls (HC) were recruited for the present study. The Effort Expenditure for Reward Task (EEfRT) was administered to evaluate their effort allocation pattern. This task required participants to choose easy or hard tasks in response to different levels of reward magnitude and reward probability. Results: Results showed that SCZ, BD, and MDD patients chose fewer hard tasks compared to HC. As reward magnitude increased, MDD patients made the least effort to gain reward compared to the other groups. When reward probability was intermediate, MDD patients chose fewer hard tasks than SCZ patients, whereas BD patients and HC chose more hard tasks than MDD and SCZ patients. When the reward probability was high, all 3 groups of patients tried fewer hard tasks than HC. Moreover, SCZ and MDD patients were less likely to choose hard tasks than BD patients and HC in the intermediate estimated value conditions. However, in the highest estimated value condition, there was no group difference in hard task choices between these 3 clinical groups, and they were all less motivated than HC. Conclusion: SCZ, BD, and MDD patients shared common deficits in gaining reward if the reward probability and estimated value were high. SCZ and MDD patients showed less motivation than BD patients in gaining reward when the reward probability and estimated value was intermediate.

Understanding the needs of hand control users, driver rehabilitation specialists, and dealers/installers.

PubMed

Lowe, Evan; Drouin, Nathalie; Venhovens, Paul J; Brooks, Johnell O

2014-10-01

Understanding unique perspectives from key stakeholder groups involved in the hand control (HC) industry, including driver rehabilitation specialists (DRSs) who train users how to use their HCs, dealers/installers, and users, may become increasingly important in the United States due to increases in elderly, diabetic, and wounded warrior amputee driving populations. In this exploratory study, phone interviews were conducted with 20 DRSs, 20 dealers/installers, and 20 users regarding their perspectives about HC training, maintenance and operation, and design improvements. Results revealed common views and differences in perspectives about whether HC users should receive training and for how long, when and how often users should receive maintenance on their HCs, and what DRSs, dealers/installers, and users would like to see in the future.

Neural connectivity in Internet gaming disorder and alcohol use disorder: A resting-state EEG coherence study.

PubMed

Park, Su Mi; Lee, Ji Yoon; Kim, Yeon Jin; Lee, Jun-Young; Jung, Hee Yeon; Sohn, Bo Kyung; Kim, Dai Jin; Choi, Jung-Seok

2017-05-02

The present study compared neural connectivity and the level of phasic synchronization between neural populations in patients with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), patients with alcohol use disorder (AUD), and healthy controls (HCs) using resting-state electroencephalography (EEG) coherence analyses. For this study, 92 adult males were categorized into three groups: IGD (n = 30), AUD (n = 30), and HC (n = 32). The IGD group exhibited increased intrahemispheric gamma (30-40 Hz) coherence compared to the AUD and HC groups regardless of psychological features (e.g., depression, anxiety, and impulsivity) and right fronto-central gamma coherence positively predicted the scores of the Internet addiction test in all groups. In contrast, the AUD group showed marginal tendency of increased intrahemispheric theta (4-8 Hz) coherence relative to the HC group and this was dependent on the psychological features. The present findings indicate that patients with IGD and AUD exhibit different neurophysiological patterns of brain connectivity and that an increase in the fast phasic synchrony of gamma coherence might be a core neurophysiological feature of IGD.

Assessing the Potential Impact of Hormonal-Based Contraceptives on HIV Transmission Dynamics Among Heterosexuals.

PubMed

Malunguza, Noble J; Hove-Musekwa, Senelani D; Mukandavire, Zindoga

2017-04-01

HIV susceptibility linked to hormonal contraception (HC) has been studied before, but with mixed results. Reports from some of the recent findings have prompted the World Health Organisation to encourage women who use HC to concurrently use condoms in order to prevent HIV infection in the light of possible increased HIV risk of infection associated with hormone-based contraceptives. A two-sex HIV model classifying women into three risk groups consisting of individuals who use condoms, natural methods, and hormone-based contraceptives is formulated and analysed to assess the possible effects of various birth control strategies on the transmission dynamics of the disease. Our model results showed that women who use HC could be key drivers of the epidemic and that their increased infectivity may be critical in driving the epidemic. Women who use hormone-based contraceptives potentially act as a core group from which men get infected and in turn transmit the disease to other population groups. We fitted the model to HIV prevalence data for Zimbabwe reported by UNAIDS and Zimbabwe Ministry of Health and Child Care and used the model fit to project HIV prevalence. Predictions using HIV data for Zimbabwe suggest that a hypothesised increase in susceptibility and infectivity of two-, three-, and fourfold would result in a 25, 50, and 100% increase in baseline HIV prevalence projection, respectively, thus suggesting possible increased disease burden even in countries reporting plausible HIV prevalence declines. Although a possible causal relationship between HIV susceptibility and HC use remains subject of continuing scientific probe, its inclusion as part of birth control strategy has been shown in this study, to possibly increase HIV transmission. If proven, HC use may potentially explain the inordinate spread of HIV within the sub-Saharan Africa region and therefore compel for urgent assessment with a view to reorienting birth control methods in use in settings with generalised epidemics.

Increased temporal variability of striatum region facilitating the early antidepressant response in patients with major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Hou, Zhenghua; Kong, Youyong; He, Xiaofu; Yin, Yingying; Zhang, Yuqun; Yuan, Yonggui

2018-07-13

The aim of this study is to identify the difference of temporal variability among major depressive disorder (MDD) patients (with different early antidepressant responses) and healthy controls (HC), and further explore the relationship between pre-treatment temporal variability and early antidepressant response. At baseline, 77 treatment-naïve inpatients with MDD and 42 matched HC received clinical assessments and 3.0 Tesla resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scans. After 2 weeks' antidepressant treatment, the patients were subgrouped into responsive depression (RD, n = 40) and non-responding depression (NRD, n = 37) based on the reduction of Hamilton depression rating scale (HAMD). The temporal variability of 90 brain nodes was calculated for further analysis. Compared with the HC group, both the RD and NRD subjects showed greater baseline temporal variability (i.e., greater dynamic) in the left inferior occipital gyrus. Significantly greater temporal variability in the left pallidum was found in the RD group than the NRD and the HC groups, and the higher variability of left pallidum correlated positively with the HAMD reduction. Moreover, the pooled MDD (i.e., RD and NRD) group showed greater baseline temporal variability in the right inferior frontal gyrus, the left inferior occipital gyrus, the bilateral fusiform gyri and the left Heschl gyrus than the HC group. The distinctive pattern of dynamically reorganized networks may provide a crucial scaffold to facilitate early antidepressant response, and the temporal variability may serve as a promising indicator for the personalized therapy of MDD. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Fetal head circumference growth in children with specific language impairment.

PubMed

Whitehouse, Andrew J O; Zubrick, Stephen R; Blair, Eve; Newnham, John P; Hickey, Martha

2012-01-01

To characterise fetal brain growth in children with specific language impairment (SLI). A nested case-control study. Perth, Western Australia. Thirty children meeting criteria for SLI at age 10 years were individually matched with a typically developing comparison child on sex, non-verbal ability, fetal gestational age, maternal age at conception, smoking and alcohol intake during pregnancy. Occipitofrontal head circumference (HC) was measured using ultrasonography at approximately 18 weeks gestation. Femur length provided a measure of fetal length. Occipitofrontal HC was measured at birth and at the 1-year postnatal follow-up using a precise paper tape measure, while crown-heel length acted as an index of body length at both time points. Raw data were transformed to z-scores using reference norms. The SLI group had a significantly smaller mean HC than the typically developing comparison children at birth, but there was no group difference at 18 weeks gestation or at the 1-year postnatal follow-up. Individual analyses found that 12 SLI children had an HC z-score less than -1 at birth, with three of these cases meeting criteria for microcephaly. There was no group difference in the indices of overall body size at any time point. Children with SLI are more likely to have a small HC at birth but not at 18 weeks gestation or infancy, suggesting growth asynchrony in brain development during the second half of pregnancy.

Sensitivity and specificity of ANA and anti-dsDNA in the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematosus: a comparison using control sera obtained from healthy individuals and patients with multiple medical problems.

PubMed

Wichainun, Ramjai; Kasitanon, Nuntana; Wangkaew, Suparaporn; Hongsongkiat, Sith; Sukitawut, Waraporn; Louthrenoo, Worawit

2013-12-01

Antinuclear antibodies (ANA) and anti-double stranded DNA (anti-dsDNA) are often tested as a screening tool in patients with suspected systemic lupus erythematosus or connective tissue diseases. ANA can be seen in healthy controls (HC) and patients with multiple medical problems (MMP). To determine the sensitivity and specificity of ANA and anti-dsDNA in SLE patients, using sera from HC and MMP patients. Serum samples from HC, MMP and SLE patients, 100 in each group, were analyzed for the presence of ANA and anti-dsDNA, by indirect immunofluorescent assay, using a HEp-2 cell and Crithidia luciliae as substrates, respectively. The prevalence of ANA at a titer of ≥1:80 and ≥ 1:160 was 8% and 4%, respectively, in HC; and it was 12% and 6% respectively, in MMP patients. The prevalence of anti-dsDNA was 0% in HC and 3% in MMP patients. When using HC sera for the diagnosis of SLE, the sensitivity of ANA at a titer of ≥ 1:80 and ≥ 1:160 was 98% and 90%, respectively, with specificity of 92% and 96%, respectively. The specificity decreased to 88% and 94%, respectively, when using sera from MMP patients. The specificity of anti-dsDNA was 100% and 97%, when using sera from HC and MMP patients, respectively. ANA and anti-dsDNA gave high sensitivity and high specificity in patients with SLE, even when using MMP patient's sera as controls. Physicians should take care in interpreting ANA and anti-dsDNA results in MMP patients who do not have signs or symptoms of SLE or connective tissue diseases.

High Cholesterol Awareness, Treatment, and Control Among Hispanic/Latinos: Results From the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos.

PubMed

Rodriguez, Carlos J; Cai, Jianwen; Swett, Katrina; González, Hector M; Talavera, Gregory A; Wruck, Lisa M; Wassertheil-Smoller, Sylvia; Lloyd-Jones, Donald; Kaplan, Robert; Daviglus, Martha L

2015-06-24

We assessed high cholesterol (HC) awareness, treatment, and control rates among US Hispanic/Latino adults and describe factors associated with HC awareness and management. Baseline data (collected 2008-2011) from a multisite probability sample of Hispanic/Latino adults in the Hispanic Community Health Study/Study of Latinos (18 to 74 years old; N=16 207) were analyzed. HC was defined as low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol ≥130 mg/dL and/or total cholesterol ≥240 mg/dL or use of cholesterol-lowering medication. Among Hispanic/Latino adults with HC, almost half (49.3%) were not aware of their condition and only 29.5% were receiving treatment. Men had a higher HC prevalence than women (44.0% versus 40.5%) but a lower rate of treatment (28.1% versus 30.6%). Younger adults were significantly less likely to be HC aware compared to those who were older. Those with hypertension, diabetes, and high socioeconomic position were more likely to be HC aware. US-born Hispanic/Latino were more likely to be HC unaware than foreign-born Hispanics/Latinos, but longer US residency was significantly associated with being HC aware, treated, and controlled. Cholesterol control was achieved among 64.3% of those who were HC treated. However, younger adults, women, those with lower income, those uninsured, and more recent immigrants were less likely to be HC controlled. Individuals of Puerto Rican or Dominican background were most likely to be HC aware and treated, whereas those of Mexican or Central American background were least likely to be HC treated. Individuals of Cuban and South American background had the lowest rates of HC control, whereas Puerto Ricans had the highest. Understanding gaps in HC awareness, treatment, and control among US Hispanic/Latino adults can help inform physicians and policymakers to improve disease management and patient education programs. © 2015 The Authors. Published on behalf of the American Heart Association, Inc., by Wiley Blackwell.

Effect of Adolescent Bariatric Surgery on the Brain and Cognition: A Pilot Study.

PubMed

Pearce, Alaina L; Mackey, Eleanor; Cherry, J Bradley C; Olson, Alexandra; You, Xiaozhen; Magge, Sheela N; Mietus-Snyder, Michele; Nadler, Evan P; Vaidya, Chandan J

2017-11-01

Neurocognitive deficits in pediatric obesity relate to poor developmental outcomes. We sought preliminary evidence for changes in brain and cognitive functioning relevant to obesogenic behavior following vertical sleeve gastrectomy (VSG) in adolescents relative to wait-listed (WL) and healthy controls (HC). Thirty-six adolescents underwent fMRI twice 4 months apart, during executive, reward, and episodic memory encoding, in addition to behavioral testing for reward-related decision making. VSG adolescents lost weight, while WL gained weight and HC did not change between time points. Gains in executive and reward-related performance were larger in VSG than control groups. Group × Time interaction (P < 0.05 corrected) in left prefrontal cortex during N-back showed greater presurgical activation and postsurgical reduction comparable to HC levels but increased in WL between time points. Similarly, left striatal parametric response to reward value reduced after surgery to HC levels; WL did not change. Memory-related medial temporal activation did not change in any group. Results provide pilot evidence for functional brain changes induced by VSG in adolescents with severe obesity. Weight loss and gain were paralleled by reduced and increased prefrontal activation, respectively, suggesting neural plasticity related to metabolic change. © 2017 The Obesity Society.

Oral atorvastatin therapy increases nitric oxide-dependent cutaneous vasodilation in humans by decreasing ascorbate-sensitive oxidants.

PubMed

Holowatz, Lacy A; Kenney, W Larry

2011-09-01

Elevated low-density lipoproteins (LDL) are associated with cutaneous microvascular dysfunction partially mediated by increased arginase activity, which is decreased following a systemic atorvastatin therapy. We hypothesized that increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidant stress, partially mediated through uncoupled nitric oxide synthase (NOS) induced by upregulated arginase, contributes to cutaneous microvascular dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic (HC) humans. Four microdialysis fibers were placed in the skin of nine HC (LDL = 177 ± 6 mg/dl) men and women before and after 3 mo of a systemic atorvastatin intervention and at baseline in nine normocholesterolemic (NC) (LDL = 95 ± 4 mg/dl) subjects. Sites served as control, NOS inhibited, L-ascorbate, and arginase-inhibited+L-ascorbate. Skin blood flow was measured while local skin heating (42°C) induced NO-dependent vasodilation. After the established plateau in all sites, 20 mM ≪ngname≫ was infused to quantify NO-dependent vasodilation. Data were normalized to maximum cutaneous vascular conductance (CVC) (sodium nitroprusside + 43°C). The plateau in vasodilation during local heating (HC: 78 ± 4 vs. NC: 96 ± 2% CVC(max), P < 0.01) and NO-dependent vasodilation (HC: 40 ± 4 vs. NC: 54 ± 4% CVC(max), P < 0.01) was reduced in the HC group. Acute L-ascorbate alone (91 ± 5% CVC(max), P < 0.001) or combined with arginase inhibition (96 ± 3% CVC(max), P < 0.001) augmented the plateau in vasodilation in the HC group but not the NC group (ascorbate: 96 ± 2; combo: 93 ± 4% CVC(max), both P > 0.05). After the atorvastatin intervention NO-dependent vasodilation was augmented in the HC group (HC postatorvastatin: 64 ± 4% CVC(max), P < 0.01), and there was no further effect of ascorbate alone (58 ± 4% CVC(max,) P > 0.05) or combined with arginase inhibition (67 ± 4% CVC(max,) P > 0.05). Increased ascorbate-sensitive oxidants contribute to hypercholesteromic associated cutaneous microvascular dysfunction which is partially reversed with atorvastatin therapy.

Formulaic Language in Parkinson's Disease and Alzheimer's Disease: Complementary Effects of Subcortical and Cortical Dysfunction

PubMed Central

Van Lancker Sidtis, Diana; Choi, JiHee; Alken, Amy

2015-01-01

Purpose The production of formulaic expressions (conversational speech formulas, pause fillers, idioms, and other fixed expressions) is excessive in the left hemisphere and deficient in the right hemisphere and in subcortical stroke. Speakers with Alzheimer's disease (AD), having functional basal ganglia, reveal abnormally high proportions of formulaic language. Persons with Parkinson's disease (PD), having dysfunctional basal ganglia, were predicted to show impoverished formulaic expressions in contrast to speakers with AD. This study compared participants with PD, participants with AD, and healthy control (HC) participants on protocols probing production and comprehension of formulaic expressions. Method Spontaneous speech samples were recorded from 16 individuals with PD, 12 individuals with AD, and 18 HC speakers. Structured tests were then administered as probes of comprehension. Results The PD group had lower proportions of formulaic expressions compared with the AD and HC groups. Comprehension testing yielded opposite contrasts: participants with PD showed significantly higher performance compared with participants with AD and did not differ from HC participants. Conclusions The finding that PD produced lower proportions of formulaic expressions compared with AD and HC supports the view that subcortical nuclei modulate the production of formulaic expressions. Contrasting results on formal testing of comprehension, whereby participants with AD performed significantly worse than participants with PD and HC participants, indicate differential effects on procedural and declarative knowledge associated with these neurological conditions. PMID:26183940

Study of amyloid-β peptide functional brain networks in AD, MCI and HC.

PubMed

Jiang, Jiehui; Duan, Huoqiang; Huang, Zheming; Yu, Zhihua

2015-01-01

One medical challenge in studying the amyloid-β (Aβ) peptide mechanism for Alzheimer's disease (AD) is exploring the law of beta toxic oligomers' diffusion in human brains in vivo. One beneficial means of solving this problem is brain network analysis based on graph theory. In this study, the characteristics of Aβ functional brain networks of Healthy Control (HC), Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI), and AD groups were compared by applying graph theoretical analyses to Carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh compound B positron emission tomography (11C PiB-PET) data. 120 groups of PiB-PET images from the ADNI database were analyzed. The results showed that the small-world property of MCI and AD were lost as compared to HC. Furthermore, the local clustering of networks was higher in both MCI and AD as compared to HC, whereas the path length was similar among the three groups. The results also showed that there could be four potential Aβ toxic oligomer seeds: Frontal_Sup_Medial_L, Parietal_Inf_L, Frontal_Med_Orb_R, and Parietal_Inf_R. These four seeds are corresponding to Regions of Interests referred by physicians to clinically diagnose AD.

Sex differences in cognitive functioning in at-risk mental state for psychosis, first episode psychosis and healthy control subjects.

PubMed

Ittig, S; Studerus, E; Papmeyer, M; Uttinger, M; Koranyi, S; Ramyead, A; Riecher-Rössler, A

2015-02-01

Several sex differences in schizophrenia have been reported including differences in cognitive functioning. Studies with schizophrenia patients and healthy controls (HC) indicate that the sex advantage for women in verbal domains is also present in schizophrenia patients. However, findings have been inconsistent. No study focused on sex-related cognitive performance differences in at-risk mental state for psychosis (ARMS) individuals yet. Thus, the aim of the present study was to investigate sex differences in cognitive functioning in ARMS, first episode psychosis (FEP) and HC subjects. We expected a better verbal learning and memory performance of women in all groups. The neuropsychological data analysed in this study were collected within the prospective Früherkennung von Psychosen (FePsy) study. In total, 118 ARMS, 88 FEP individuals and 86 HC completed a cognitive test battery covering the domains of executive functions, attention, working memory, verbal learning and memory, IQ and speed of processing. Women performed better in verbal learning and memory regardless of diagnostic group. By contrast, men as compared to women showed a shorter reaction time during the working memory task across all groups. The results provide evidence that women generally perform better in verbal learning and memory, independent of diagnostic group (ARMS, FEP, HC). The finding of a shorter reaction time for men in the working memory task could indicate that men have a superior working memory performance since they responded faster during the target trials, while maintaining a comparable overall working memory performance level. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

The effectiveness of an enhanced invitation letter on uptake of National Health Service Health Checks in primary care: a pragmatic quasi-randomised controlled trial.

PubMed

Sallis, Anna; Bunten, Amanda; Bonus, Annabelle; James, Andrew; Chadborn, Tim; Berry, Daniel

2016-03-24

The National Health Service Health Check (NHS HC) is a population level public health programme. It is a primary prevention initiative offering cardiovascular risk assessment and management for adults aged 40-74 years (every five years). It was designed to reduce the incidence of major vascular disease events by preventing or delaying the onset of diabetes, heart and kidney disease, stroke and vascular dementia . Effectiveness of the programme has been modelled on a national uptake of 75% however in 2012/13 uptake, nationally, was 49%. Ensuring a high percentage of those offered an NHS HC actually receive one is key to optimising the clinical and cost effectiveness of the programme. A pragmatic quasi-randomised controlled trial was conducted in four general practitioner practices in Medway, England with randomisation of 3511 patients. The aim was to compare attendance at the NHS HC using the standard national invitation template letter (control) compared to an enhanced invitation letter using insights from behavioural science (intervention). The intervention letter includes i) simplification - reducing letter content for less effortful processing ii) behavioural instruction - action focused language iii) personal salience - appointment due rather than invited and iv) addressing implementation intentions with a tear off slip to record the date, time and location of the appointment. Logistic Regression explored the association between control and intervention group and attendance at a health check. 29.3% of patients who received the control letter and 33.5% of those who received the intervention letter attended their NHS HC (adjusted odds ratio 1.26, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.47, p < 0.01). This was an absolute difference in uptake of 4.2 percentage points for those receiving the intervention letter. An invitation letter applying behavioural insights was more effective than the existing national template letter at encouraging attendance at an NHS HC. Making small, no cost behaviourally informed changes to letter invitations can improve uptake of the NHS HC. Further research is required to replicate the effect with more robust methodology and powered for sub-group analysis including socio-economic status. Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN66757664 , date of registration 28/3/2014.

Development of a multipurpose hand controller for JEMRMS

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Matsuhira, Nobuto; Iikura, Shoichi; Asakura, Makoto; Shinomiya, Yasuo

1990-01-01

A prototype multipurpose hand controller for the JEMRMS (Japanese Experiment Module Remote Manipulator System) was developed. The hand controller (H/C) is an orthogonal type, with 6 degrees of freedom (DOF) and small size. The orthogonal type H/C is very simple for coordinate transformations and can easily control any type of manipulators. In fact, the JEMRMS is planned to have two manipulators controlled by a common H/C at this stage. The H/C was able to be used as a rate control joystick and a force reflection master arm, using an experimental 6 DOF manipulator. Good maneuverability was confirmed in the verification test. The orthogonal type H/C is suitable for use as a common H/C for the two manipulators of the JEMRMS.

Small intestinal permeability is increased in diarrhoea predominant IBS, while alterations in gastroduodenal permeability in all IBS subtypes are largely attributable to confounders.

PubMed

Mujagic, Z; Ludidi, S; Keszthelyi, D; Hesselink, M A M; Kruimel, J W; Lenaerts, K; Hanssen, N M J; Conchillo, J M; Jonkers, D M A E; Masclee, A A M

2014-08-01

Intestinal permeability has been studied in small groups of IBS patients with contrasting findings. To assess intestinal permeability at different sites of the GI tract in different subtypes of well-characterised IBS patients and healthy controls (HC), and to assess potential confounding factors. IBS patients and HC underwent a multi-sugar test to assess site-specific intestinal permeability. Sucrose excretion and lactulose/rhamnose ratio in 0-5 h urine indicated gastroduodenal and small intestinal permeability, respectively. Sucralose/erythritol ratio in 0-24 h and 5-24 h urine indicated whole gut and colonic permeability, respectively. Linear regression analysis was used to assess the association between IBS groups and intestinal permeability and to adjust for age, sex, BMI, anxiety or depression, smoking, alcohol intake and use of medication. Ninety-one IBS patients, i.e. 37% IBS-D, 23% IBS-C, 33% IBS-M and 7% IBS-U and 94 HC were enrolled. Urinary sucrose excretion was significantly increased in the total IBS group [μmol, median (Q1;Q3): 5.26 (1.82;11.03) vs. 2.44 (0.91;5.85), P < 0.05], as well as in IBS-C and IBS-D vs. HC. However, differences attenuated when adjusting for confounders. The lactulose/rhamnose ratio was increased in IBS-D vs. HC [0.023 (0.013;0.038) vs. 0.014 (0.008;0.025), P < 0.05], which remained significant after adjustment for confounders. No difference was found in 0-24 and 5-24 h sucralose/erythritol ratio between groups. Small intestinal permeability is increased in patients with IBS-D compared to healthy controls, irrespective of confounding factors. Adjustment for confounders is necessary when studying intestinal permeability, especially in a heterogeneous disorder such as IBS. © 2014 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Explicit and implicit approach vs. avoidance tendencies towards high vs. low calorie food cues in patients with anorexia nervosa and healthy controls.

PubMed

Paslakis, Georgios; Kühn, Simone; Schaubschläger, Anke; Schieber, Katharina; Röder, Kathrin; Rauh, Elisabeth; Erim, Yesim

2016-12-01

Patients with anorexia nervosa (AN) have a strong ability to limit food intake. Thus, dysfunctional approach vs. avoidance behaviors towards food are evident in AN. We applied an approach-avoidance task (AAT), in which n = 41 AN patients and n = 42 controls either approached ("pull") or avoided ("push") high (HC) vs. low calorie (LC) food pictures based solely on the presented picture format (landscape vs. portrait). We tested the hypothesis that -in opposition to controls displaying an approach bias towards HC food cues- AN patients would show an avoidance bias (measured as different response times) towards HC food. Explicit ratings of food cues were also performed. We found a significant interaction "group" x "direction" (p = 0.03). rm-ANOVAs performed for each of the two groups separately showed a main effect for "direction" of motion in controls (p = 0.02), but not in AN patients (p = 0.40). The two groups did not differ in their reaction times (RTs) with regard to "push" (p = 0.27). However, RTs with regard to "pull" were significantly different between the groups (p = 0.04). Controls show a clear approach bias, expressed by significantly faster RTs for "pull" compared to "push", independent of "calorie" content of the food stimuli. This approach bias is absent in the group of AN patients. This is indicative of a global loss of incentive value of food in AN. Implicit trainings as add-on to psychotherapy in AN patients are asked for. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

The neurobiology of self-face recognition in depressed adolescents with low or high suicidality.

PubMed

Quevedo, Karina; Ng, Rowena; Scott, Hannah; Martin, Jodi; Smyda, Garry; Keener, Matt; Oppenheimer, Caroline W

2016-11-01

This study sought to test whether the neurobiology of self-processing differentiated depressed adolescents with high suicidality (HS) from those with low suicidality (LS) and healthy controls (HC; N = 119, MAGE = 14.79, SD = 1.64, Min = 11.3, Max = 17.8). Participants completed a visual self-recognition task in the scanner during which they identified their own or an unfamiliar adolescent face across 3 emotional expressions (happy, neutral or sad). A 3-group (HS, LS, HC) by 2 within-subject factors (2 Self conditions [self, other] and 3 Emotions [happy, neutral, sad]) GLM yielded (a) a main effect of Self condition with all participants showing higher activity in the right occipital, precuneus and fusiform during the self- versus other-face conditions; (b) a main effect of Group where all depressed youth showed higher dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity than HC across all conditions, and with HS showing higher cuneus and occipital activity versus both LS and HC; and (c) a Group by Self by Emotion interaction with HS showing lower activity in both mid parietal, limbic, and prefrontal areas in the Happy self versus other-face condition relative to the LS group, who in turn had less activity compared to HC youth. Covarying for depression severity replicated all results except the third finding; In this subsequent analysis, a Group by Self interaction showed that although HC had similar midline cortical structure (MCS) activity for all faces, LS showed higher MCS activity for the self versus other faces, whereas HS showed the opposite pattern. Results suggest that the neurophysiology of emotionally charged self-referential information can distinguish depressed, suicidal youth versus nonsuicidal depressed and healthy adolescents. Neurophysiological differences and implications for the prediction of suicidality in youth are discussed. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of QEEG Findings between Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without Comorbidity and ADHD Comorbid with Internet Gaming Disorder

PubMed Central

2017-01-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is often comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we compared the neurobiological differences between ADHD comorbid with IGD (ADHD+IGD group) and ADHD without comorbidity (ADHD-only group) by analyzing quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) findings. We recruited 16 male ADHD+IGD, 15 male ADHD-only adolescent patients, and 15 male healthy controls (HC group). Participants were assessed using Young's Internet Addiction Scale and ADHD Rating Scale. Relative power and inter- and intra-hemispheric coherences of brain waves were measured using a digital electroencephalography (EEG) system. Compared to the ADHD-only group, the ADHD+IGD group showed lower relative delta power and greater relative beta power in temporal regions. The relative theta power in frontal regions were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Inter-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between F3–F4 and C3–C4 electrodes were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Intra-hemispheric coherence values for the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands between P4–O2 electrodes and intra-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between Fz–Cz and T4–T6 electrodes were higher in ADHD+IGD group compared to ADHD-only group. Adolescents who show greater vulnerability to ADHD seem to continuously play Internet games to unconsciously enhance attentional ability. In turn, relative beta power in attention deficit in ADHD+IGD group may become similar to that in HC group. Repetitive activation of brain reward and working memory systems during continuous gaming may result in an increase in neuronal connectivity within the parieto-occipital and temporal regions for the ADHD+IGD group. PMID:28145657

Comparison of QEEG Findings between Adolescents with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) without Comorbidity and ADHD Comorbid with Internet Gaming Disorder.

PubMed

Park, Jeong Ha; Hong, Ji Sun; Han, Doug Hyun; Min, Kyoung Joon; Lee, Young Sik; Kee, Baik Seok; Kim, Sun Mi

2017-03-01

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) is often comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In this study, we compared the neurobiological differences between ADHD comorbid with IGD (ADHD+IGD group) and ADHD without comorbidity (ADHD-only group) by analyzing quantitative electroencephalogram (QEEG) findings. We recruited 16 male ADHD+IGD, 15 male ADHD-only adolescent patients, and 15 male healthy controls (HC group). Participants were assessed using Young's Internet Addiction Scale and ADHD Rating Scale. Relative power and inter- and intra-hemispheric coherences of brain waves were measured using a digital electroencephalography (EEG) system. Compared to the ADHD-only group, the ADHD+IGD group showed lower relative delta power and greater relative beta power in temporal regions. The relative theta power in frontal regions were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Inter-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between F3-F4 and C3-C4 electrodes were higher in ADHD-only group compared to HC group. Intra-hemispheric coherence values for the delta, theta, alpha, and beta bands between P4-O2 electrodes and intra-hemispheric coherence values for the theta band between Fz-Cz and T4-T6 electrodes were higher in ADHD+IGD group compared to ADHD-only group. Adolescents who show greater vulnerability to ADHD seem to continuously play Internet games to unconsciously enhance attentional ability. In turn, relative beta power in attention deficit in ADHD+IGD group may become similar to that in HC group. Repetitive activation of brain reward and working memory systems during continuous gaming may result in an increase in neuronal connectivity within the parieto-occipital and temporal regions for the ADHD+IGD group.

A psychosocial resilience curriculum provides the "missing piece" to boost adolescent physical health: A randomized controlled trial of Girls First in India.

PubMed

Leventhal, Katherine Sachs; DeMaria, Lisa M; Gillham, Jane E; Andrew, Gracy; Peabody, John; Leventhal, Steve M

2016-07-01

Despite a recent proliferation of interventions to improve health, education, and livelihoods for girls in low and middle income countries, psychosocial wellbeing has been neglected. This oversight is particularly problematic as attending to psychosocial development may be important not only for psychosocial but also physical wellbeing. This study examines the physical health effects of Girls First, a combined psychosocial (Girls First Resilience Curriculum [RC]) and adolescent physical health (Girls First Health Curriculum [HC]) intervention (RC + HC) versus its individual components (i.e., RC, HC) and a control group. We expected Girls First to improve physical health versus HC and controls. Over 3000 girls in 76 government middle schools in rural Bihar, India participated. Interventions were delivered through in-school peer-support groups, facilitated by pairs of local women. Girls were assessed before and after program participation on two primary outcomes (health knowledge and gender equality attitudes) and nine secondary outcomes (clean water behaviors, hand washing, menstrual hygiene, health communication, ability to get to a doctor when needed, substance use, nutrition, safety, vitality and functioning). Analyses included Difference-in-Difference Ordinary Least-Squares Regressions and F-tests for equality among conditions. Girls First significantly improved both primary and eight secondary outcomes (all except nutrition) versus controls. Additionally, Girls First demonstrated significantly greater effects, improving both primary and six secondary outcomes (clean water behaviors, hand washing, health communication, ability to get to a doctor, nutrition, safety) versus HC. This study is among the first to assess the impact of a combined psychosocial and adolescent health program on physical health. We found that combining these curricula amplified effects achieved by either curriculum alone. These findings suggest that psychosocial wellbeing should receive much broader attention, not only from those interested in improving psychosocial outcomes but also from those interested in improving physical health outcomes. Copyright © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd.. All rights reserved.

Bacterial Population in Intestines of Litopenaeus vannamei Fed Different Probiotics or Probiotic Supernatant.

PubMed

Sha, Yujie; Liu, Mei; Wang, Baojie; Jiang, Keyong; Qi, Cancan; Wang, Lei

2016-10-28

The interactions of microbiota in the gut play an important role in promoting or maintaining the health of hosts. In this study, in order to investigate and compare the effects of dietary supplementation with Lactobacillus pentosus HC-2 (HC-2), Enterococcus faecium NRW-2, or the bacteria-free supernatant of a HC-2 culture on the bacterial composition of Litopenaeus vannamei , Illumina sequencing of the V1-V2 region of the 16S rRNA gene was used. The results showed that unique species exclusively existed in specific dietary groups, and the abundance of Actinobacteria was significantly increased in the intestinal bacterial community of shrimp fed with the bacteria-free supernatant of an HC-2 culture compared with the control. In addition, the histology of intestines of the shrimp from the four dietary groups was also described, but no obvious improvements in the intestinal histology were observed. The findings in this work will help to promote the understanding of the roles of intestinal bacteria in shrimps when fed with probiotics or probiotic supernatant.

Hydroxyurea and Growth in Young Children With Sickle Cell Disease

PubMed Central

Houston, Patricia E.; Wang, Winfred C.; Iyer, Rathi V.; Goldsmith, Jonathan; Casella, James F.; Reed, Caroline K.; Rogers, Zora R.; Waclawiw, Myron A.; Thompson, Bruce

2014-01-01

BACKGROUND: Growth impairment is a known complication of sickle cell disease. Effects of hydroxyurea (HU) on growth in very young children are not known. METHODS: Height, weight, BMI, and head circumference (HC) were compared with World Health Organization (WHO) standards in BABY HUG, a multicenter, randomized, double-blinded, placebo-controlled 2-year clinical trial of HU in 193 children 9 to 18 months of age. Anthropometric data were closely monitored and converted to z scores by using WHO standardized algorithms for descriptive analyses. The treatment and placebo groups were compared longitudinally by using a mixed model analysis. RESULTS: At entry, the z scores of BABY HUG children were higher than WHO norms. After 2 years of HU or placebo treatment, there were no significant differences between the groups, except for the mean HC z scores at study exit (HU: +0.8 versus placebo: +1.0, P = .05). Baseline z scores were the best predictors of z scores at study exit. The absolute neutrophil count, absolute reticulocyte count, and total white blood cell count had significant negative correlations with growth measures. CONCLUSIONS: Both groups had normal or near normal anthropometric measures during the study. The HC z scores at study entry and exit were slightly greater than WHO norms. Higher baseline white blood cell count, absolute reticulocyte count, and absolute neutrophil count were associated with poorer growth. The significance of the slightly lower HC in the treatment group at study exit is not clear. Trends toward normalization of weight and height and effects on HC will be monitored in ongoing BABY HUG follow-up studies. PMID:25157002

An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play.

PubMed

Schechter, Daniel S; Moser, Dominik A; Wang, Zhishun; Marsh, Rachel; Hao, XueJun; Duan, Yunsuo; Yu, Shan; Gunter, Benjamin; Murphy, David; McCaw, Jaime; Kangarlu, Alayar; Willheim, Erica; Myers, Michael M; Hofer, Myron A; Peterson, Bradley S

2012-11-01

This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12-42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers' may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation.

Delay discounting and response disinhibition under acute experimental stress in women with borderline personality disorder and adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder.

PubMed

Krause-Utz, A; Cackowski, S; Daffner, S; Sobanski, Esther; Plichta, Michael M; Bohus, M; Ende, G; Schmahl, C

2016-11-01

Impulsivity is a core feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD) and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). In BPD, impulsive behavior primarily occurs under acute stress; impulse control deficits under non-stress conditions may be partly related to co-morbid ADHD. We aimed to investigate whether acute experimental stress has an impact on self-reported impulsivity, response inhibition (action withholding, action cancelation) and delay discounting in BPD compared to ADHD. Thirty female BPD patients, 28 female ADHD patients (excluding patients with co-morbid BPD and ADHD), and 30 female healthy controls (HC) completed self-reports and behavioral measures of impulsivity (IMT, assessing action withholding; GoStop, measuring action cancelation, Delay Discounting Task) under baseline conditions and after an experimental stress induction (Mannheim Multicomponent Stress Test). Both patient groups reported higher impulsivity than HC, ADHD reported higher trait impulsivity than BPD. On the IMT, ADHD showed significant action-withholding deficits under both conditions, while BPD performed significantly worse than HC under stress. In BPD but not ADHD and HC, action-withholding deficits (IMT) were significantly increased under stress compared to baseline, while no group/stress effects were found for action cancelation (GoStop). Delay discounting was significantly more pronounced in BPD than in HC (no stress effect was found). In BPD, behavioral deficits in action withholding (but not in action cancelation) appear to be influenced by acute experimental stress. Delay discounting seems to be a general feature of BPD, independent of co-morbid ADHD and acute stress, possibly underlying typical expressions of behavioral impulsivity in the disorder.

Cognitive dysfunction in adolescents with chronic fatigue: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Sulheim, Dag; Fagermoen, Even; Sivertsen, Øyvind Stople; Winger, Anette; Wyller, Vegard Bruun; Øie, Merete Glenne

2015-09-01

To compare cognitive function in adolescents with chronic fatigue with cognitive function in healthy controls (HC). Cross-sectional study. Paediatric department at Oslo University Hospital, Norway. 120 adolescents with chronic fatigue (average age 15.4 years; range 12-18) and 39 HC (average age 15.2 years; range 12-18). The adolescents completed a neurocognitive test battery measuring processing speed, working memory, cognitive inhibition, cognitive flexibility, verbal learning and verbal memory, and questionnaires addressing demographic data, depression symptoms, anxiety traits, fatigue and sleep problems. Parents completed the Behaviour Rating Inventory of Executive Function (BRIEF), which measures the everyday executive functions of children. Adolescents with chronic fatigue had impaired cognitive function compared to HC regarding processing speed (mean difference 3.3, 95% CI 1.1 to 5.5, p=0.003), working memory (-2.4, -3.7 to -1.1, p<0.001), cognitive inhibition response time (6.2, 0.8 to 11.7, p=0.025) and verbal learning (-1.7, -3.2 to -0.3, p=0.022). The BRIEF results indicated that everyday executive functions were significantly worse in the chronic fatigue group compared to the HC (11.2, 8.2 to 14.3, p<0.001). Group differences remained largely unaffected when adjusted for symptoms of depression, anxiety traits and sleep problems. Adolescents with chronic fatigue had impaired cognitive function of clinical relevance, measured by objective cognitive tests, in comparison to HC. Working memory and processing speed may represent core difficulties. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://group.bmj.com/group/rights-licensing/permissions.

Optical coherence tomography angiography of optic nerve head and parafovea in multiple sclerosis

PubMed Central

Wang, Xiaogang; Jia, Yali; Spain, Rebecca; Potsaid, Benjamin; Liu, Jonathan J; Baumann, Bernhard; Hornegger, Joachim; Fujimoto, James G; Wu, Qiang; Huang, David

2015-01-01

Aims To investigate swept-source optical coherence tomography (OCT) angiography in the optic nerve head (ONH) and parafoveal regions in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). Methods Fifty-two MS eyes and 21 healthy control (HC) eyes were included. There were two MS subgroups: 38 MS eyes without an optic neuritis (ON) history (MS −ON), and 14 MS eyes with an ON history (MS +ON). The OCT images were captured by high-speed 1050 nm swept-source OCT. The ONH flow index (FI) and parafoveal FI were quantified from OCT angiograms. Results The mean ONH FI was 0.160±0.010 for the HC group, 0.156±0.017 for the MS−ON group, and 0.140±0.020 for the MS+ON group. The ONH FI of the MS+ON group was reduced by 12.5% compared to HC eyes (p=0.004). A higher percentage of MS+ON eyes had abnormal ONH FI compared to HC patients (43% vs 5%, p=0.01). Mean parafoveal FIs were 0.126±0.007, 0.127±0.010, and 0.129±0.005 for the HC, MS−ON, and MS +ON groups, respectively, and did not differ significantly among them. The coefficient of variation (CV) of intravisit repeatability and intervisit reproducibility were 1.03% and 4.53% for ONH FI, and 1.65% and 3.55% for parafoveal FI. Conclusions Based on OCT angiography, the FI measurement is feasible, highly repeatable and reproducible, and it is suitable for clinical measurement of ONH and parafoveal perfusion. The ONH FI may be useful in detecting damage from ON and quantifying its severity. PMID:24831719

[Application of spatial working memory task fMRI in evaluation of primary insomnia patient's cognitive dysfunction].

PubMed

Dou, Shewei; Wang, Enfeng; Zhang, Hongju; Tong, Li; Zhang, Xiaoqi; Shi, Dapeng; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Yongli

2015-06-02

To explore abnormal brain activation of spatial working memory in primary insomnia and its potential neuromechanism. we recruited 30 cases primary insomnia (PI) patients and 30 cases age, gender matched healthy control (HC) subjects from July 2013 to December 2013, the diagnosis of primary insomnia matched the diagnosis criterion of DSM-IV and Classification and diagnostic criteria of mental disorders in China third edition (CCMD-3). All the subjects attended the tests of PSQI, HAMA, HAMD and index of spatial working memory. And then, we collected the data of routine MRI and spatial working memory task fMRI on 3.0 T MRI scanner. After that, we used SPM8 and REST1.8 to analyze the fMRI data, compared difference of PSQI, HAMA, HAMD, index of spatial working memory and brain activation of spatial working memory between PI group and HC group. There were significant difference between PI group and HC group in PSQI, HAMA, HAMD and index of spatial working memory (P < 0.05). In the spatial working memory related activate brain region, compared with HC group, left temporal lobe, occipital lobe and right frontal lobe activation increased and bilateral parahippocampalis, temporal cortex, frontal cortex and superior parietal lobule activation reduced in PI group. Spatial working memory task fMRI revealed the pathological mechanisms of cognitive dysfunction of clinical spatial working memory and emotional disorder in primary insomnia patients.

An investigation of reasoning by analogy in schizophrenia and autism spectrum disorder

PubMed Central

Krawczyk, Daniel C.; Kandalaft, Michelle R.; Didehbani, Nyaz; Allen, Tandra T.; McClelland, M. Michelle; Tamminga, Carol A.; Chapman, Sandra B.

2014-01-01

Relational reasoning ability relies upon by both cognitive and social factors. We compared analogical reasoning performance in healthy controls (HC) to performance in individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), and individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). The experimental task required participants to find correspondences between drawings of scenes. Participants were asked to infer which item within one scene best matched a relational item within the second scene. We varied relational complexity, presence of distraction, and type of objects in the analogies (living or non-living items). We hypothesized that the cognitive differences present in SZ would reduce relational inferences relative to ASD and HC. We also hypothesized that both SZ and ASD would show lower performance on living item problems relative to HC due to lower social function scores. Overall accuracy was higher for HC relative to SZ, consistent with prior research. Across groups, higher relational complexity reduced analogical responding, as did the presence of non-living items. Separate group analyses revealed that the ASD group was less accurate at making relational inferences in problems that involved mainly non-living items and when distractors were present. The SZ group showed differences in problem type similar to the ASD group. Additionally, we found significant correlations between social cognitive ability and analogical reasoning, particularly for the SZ group. These results indicate that differences in cognitive and social abilities impact the ability to infer analogical correspondences along with numbers of relational elements and types of objects present in the problems. PMID:25191240

Amygdala functional connectivity is associated with locus of control in the context of cognitive aging

PubMed Central

Ren, Ping; Anthony, Mia; Chapman, Benjamin P.; Heffner, Kathi; Lin, Feng

2017-01-01

Locus of control (LOC) measures the extent to which individuals perceive control over their lives. Those with a more “internal” LOC feel self-sufficient and able to determine important aspects of their own future, while those with a more “external” LOC feel that their lives are governed by events beyond their control. Reduced internal LOC and increased external LOC have been found in cognitive disorders, but the neural substrates of these control perceptions are yet unknown. In the present study, we explored the relationship between amygdala functional connectivity and LOC in 18 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and age-, sex-, and education-matched, 22 cognitively healthy controls (HC). Participants completed cognitive challenge tasks (Stroop Word Color task and Dual 1-back) for 20 minutes, and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging immediately before and after the tasks. We found significantly lower internal LOC and higher external LOC in the MCI group than the HC group. Compared to HC, MCI group showed significantly stronger positive associations between internal LOC and baseline right amygdala connections (including right middle frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex), and stronger negative associations between internal LOC and change of these right amygdala connections. Across all participants, external LOC explained the relationships between associations of another set of right amygdala connections (including middle cingulate cortex and right superior frontal gyrus), both at baseline and for change, and performance in the cognitive challenge tasks. Our findings indicate that the right amygdala networks might be critical in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying LOC’s role in cognitive aging. PMID:28315366

Automated structure and flow measurement - a promising tool in nailfold capillaroscopy.

PubMed

Berks, Michael; Dinsdale, Graham; Murray, Andrea; Moore, Tonia; Manning, Joanne; Taylor, Chris; Herrick, Ariane L

2018-07-01

Despite increasing interest in nailfold capillaroscopy, objective measures of capillary structure and blood flow have been little studied. We aimed to test the hypothesis that structural measurements, capillary flow, and a combined measure have the predictive power to separate patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc) from those with primary Raynaud's phenomenon (PRP) and healthy controls (HC). 50 patients with SSc, 12 with PRP, and 50 HC were imaged using a novel capillaroscopy system that generates high-quality nailfold images and provides fully-automated measurements of capillary structure and blood flow (capillary density, mean width, maximum width, shape score, derangement and mean flow velocity). Population statistics summarise the differences between the three groups. Areas under ROC curves (A Z ) were used to measure classification accuracy when assigning individuals to SSc and HC/PRP groups. Statistically significant differences in group means were found between patients with SSc and both HC and patients with PRP, for all measurements, e.g. mean width (μm) ± SE: 15.0 ± 0.71, 12.7 ± 0.74 and 11.8 ± 0.23 for SSc, PRP and HC respectively. Combining the five structural measurements gave better classification (A Z  = 0.919 ± 0.026) than the best single measurement (mean width, A Z  = 0.874 ± 0.043), whilst adding flow further improved classification (A Z  = 0.930 ± 0.024). Structural and blood flow measurements are both able to distinguish patients with SSc from those with PRP/HC. Importantly, these hold promise as clinical trial outcome measures for treatments aimed at improving finger blood flow or microvascular remodelling. Copyright © 2018 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cold exposure increases slow-type myosin heavy chain 1 (MyHC1) composition of soleus muscle in rats.

PubMed

Mizunoya, Wataru; Iwamoto, Yohei; Sato, Yusuke; Tatsumi, Ryuichi; Ikeuchi, Yoshihide

2014-03-01

The aim of this study was to examine the effects of cold exposure on rat skeletal muscle fiber type, according to myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoform and metabolism-related factors. Male Wistar rats (7 weeks old) were housed individually at 4 ± 2°C as a cold-exposed group or at room temperature (22 ± 2°C) as a control group for 4 weeks. We found that cold exposure significantly increased the slow-type MyHC1 content in the soleus muscle (a typical slow-type fiber), while the intermediate-type MyHC2A content was significantly decreased. In contrast to soleus, MyHC composition of extensor digitorum longus (EDL, a typical fast-type fiber) and gastrocnemius (a mix of slow-type and fast-type fibers) muscle did not change from cold exposure. Cold exposure increased mRNA expression of mitochondrial uncoupling protein 3 (UCP3) in both the soleus and EDL. Cold exposure also increased mRNA expression of myoglobin, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1α (PGC1α) and forkhead box O1 (FOXO1) in the soleus. Upregulation of UCP3 and PGC1α proteins were observed with Western blotting in the gastrocnemius. Thus, cold exposure increased metabolism-related factors in all muscle types that were tested, but MyHC isoforms changed only in the soleus. © 2013 Japanese Society of Animal Science.

Ratiometric analysis of optical coherence tomography-measured in vivo retinal layer thicknesses for the detection of early diabetic retinopathy.

PubMed

Bhaduri, Basanta; Shelton, Ryan L; Nolan, Ryan M; Hendren, Lucas; Almasov, Alexandra; Labriola, Leanne T; Boppart, Stephen A

2017-11-01

Influence of diabetes mellitus (DM) and diabetic retinopathy (DR) on parafoveal retinal thicknesses and their ratios was evaluated. Six retinal layer boundaries were segmented from spectral-domain optical coherence tomography images using open-source software. Five study groups: (1) healthy control (HC) subjects, and subjects with (2) controlled DM, (3) uncontrolled DM, (4) controlled DR and (5) uncontrolled DR, were identified. The one-way analyses of variance (ANOVA) between adjacent study groups (i. e. 1 with 2, 2 with 3, etc) indicated differences in retinal thicknesses and ratios. Overall retinal thickness, ganglion cell layer (GCL) thickness, inner plexiform layer (IPL) thickness, and their combination (GCL+ IPL), appeared to be significantly less in the uncontrolled DM group when compared to controlled DM and controlled DR groups. Although the combination of nerve fiber layer (NFL) and GCL, and IPL thicknesses were not different, their ratio, (NFL+GCL)/IPL, was found to be significantly higher in the controlled DM group compared to the HC group. Comparisons of the controlled DR group with the controlled DM group, and with the uncontrolled DR group, do not show any differences in the layer thicknesses, though several significant ratios were obtained. Ratiometric analysis may provide more sensitive parameters for detecting changes in DR. Picture: A representative segmented OCT image of the human retina is shown. © 2017 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim.

The Interaction of Lexical Characteristics and Speech Production in Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Chiu, Yi-Fang; Forrest, Karen

2017-01-01

This study sought to investigate the interaction of speech movement execution with higher order lexical parameters. The authors examined how lexical characteristics affect speech output in individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) and healthy control (HC) speakers. Twenty speakers with PD and 12 healthy speakers read sentences with target words that varied in word frequency and neighborhood density. The formant transitions (F2 slopes) of the diphthongs in the target words were compared across lexical categories between PD and HC groups. Both groups of speakers produced steeper F2 slopes for the diphthongs in less frequent words and words from sparse neighborhoods. The magnitude of the increase in F2 slopes was significantly less in the PD than HC group. The lexical effect on the F2 slope differed among the diphthongs and between the 2 groups. PD and healthy speakers varied their acoustic output on the basis of word frequency and neighborhood density. F2 slope variations can be traced to higher level lexical differences. This lexical effect on articulation, however, appears to be constrained by PD.

The modulation of corticosteroid metabolism by hydrocortisone therapy in patients with hypopituitarism increases tissue glucocorticoid exposure.

PubMed

Sherlock, Mark; Behan, Lucy Ann; Hannon, Mark J; Alonso, Aurora Aragon; Thompson, Christopher J; Murray, Robert D; Crabtree, Nicola; Hughes, Beverly A; Arlt, Wiebke; Agha, Amar; Toogood, Andrew A; Stewart, Paul M

2015-11-01

Patients with hypopituitarism have increased morbidity and mortality. There is ongoing debate about the optimum glucocorticoid (GC) replacement therapy. To assess the effect of GC replacement in hypopituitarism on corticosteroid metabolism and its impact on body composition. We assessed the urinary corticosteroid metabolite profile (using gas chromatography/mass spectrometry) and body composition (clinical parameters and full body DXA) of 53 patients (19 female, median age 46 years) with hypopituitarism (33 ACTH-deficient/20 ACTH-replete) (study A). The corticosteroid metabolite profile of ten patients with ACTH deficiency was then assessed prospectively in a cross over study using three hydrocortisone (HC) dosing regimens (20/10 mg, 10/10 mg and 10/5 mg) (study B) each for 6 weeks. 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase 1 (11β-HSD1) activity was assessed by urinary THF+5α-THF/THE. Endocrine Centres within University Teaching Hospitals in the UK and Ireland. Urinary corticosteroid metabolite profile and body composition assessment. In study A, when patients were divided into three groups - patients not receiving HC and patients receiving HC≤20 mg/day or HC>20 mg/day - patients in the group receiving the highest daily dose of HC had significantly higher waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) than the ACTH replete group. They also had significantly elevated THF+5α-THF/THE (P=0.0002) and total cortisol metabolites (P=0.015). In study B, patients on the highest HC dose had significantly elevated total cortisol metabolites and all patients on HC had elevated THF+5α-THF/THE ratios when compared to controls. In ACTH-deficient patients daily HC doses of >20 mg/day have increased WHR, THF+5α-THF/THE ratios and total cortisol metabolites. GC metabolism and induction of 11β-HSD1 may play a pivitol role in the development of the metabolically adverse hypopituitary phenotype. © 2015 European Society of Endocrinology.

Differences in omega-3 and omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acid consumption in people at ultra-high risk of psychosis, first-episode schizophrenia, and in healthy controls.

PubMed

Pawełczyk, Tomasz; Trafalska, Elżbieta; Pawełczyk, Agnieszka; Kotlicka-Antczak, Magdalena

2017-12-01

Supplementation with omega-3 PUFA showed efficacy in reducing the risk of transition into psychosis in UHR individuals. It is uncertain whether dietary patterns can be partly responsible for n-3 deficiencies observed in susceptible participants before the diagnosis of schizophrenia. The study was designed to assess differences in omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA consumption in healthy controls (HC), UHR participants and FES patients as well as to verify the hypothesis that dietary changes in PUFA consumption are present before active psychosis develops, that is, in UHR individuals. Dietary habits during the previous year were assessed in 34 patients at UHR of psychosis, 33 patients diagnosed with FES and 33 HC participants using a validated Food-Frequency Questionnaire and the Polish Food Composition Tables. Significant differences in omega-3 and omega-6 PUFA intake were observed between study groups. UHR and FES groups reported significantly higher consumption of omega-6 PUFA in comparison with HC. FES patients also reported a higher consumption of alpha-linolenic acid (omega-3) in comparison with HC. No significant differences were seen in consumption of long-chain marine PUFA. Differences in omega-6 and omega-3 PUFA consumption exist before development of psychotic symptoms, fulfilling the criteria of schizophrenia. © 2015 Wiley Publishing Asia Pty Ltd.

BKV infection and hemorrhagic cystitis after allogeneic bone marrow transplant.

PubMed

Fioriti, D; Degener, A M; Mischitelli, M; Videtta, M; Arancio, A; Sica, S; Sora, F; Pietropaolo, V

2005-01-01

Hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a well-known complication after allogeneic bone marrow transplant (BMT) and can be related to adenovirus or human polyomavirus BK (BKV) infections. In this study a group of 20 patients after allogeneic BMT has been examined. BMT urine samples were analysed for the presence of Adenovirus and BKV DNAby means of polymerase chain reaction (PCR). 5/20 BMT patients developed HC after BMT. The presence of BKV DNA in urine samples was evident in 3/15 patients without HC and in 5/5 patients with HC. In 2/5 HC-patients the BKV DNA was not found after therapy with Cidofovir and Ribavirin. The search for adenovirus DNA in all samples was negative. The analysis of BKV non-coding control region (NCCR) isolated from urine samples revealed a structure very similar to the archetype in all samples. The RFLP (Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism assay) showed the presence of BKV subtypes I and IV, with the prevalence of subtype I (4/5). This study supports the hypothesis that HC is mainly related to BKV rather than to adenovirus infection in BMT patients. Moreover, since BKV subtype I was predominant, it is reasonable to hypothesize that a specific BKV subtype could be associated with the development of HC.

Decreased dietary fiber intake and structural alteration of gut microbiota in patients with advanced colorectal adenoma.

PubMed

Chen, Hui-Min; Yu, Ya-Nan; Wang, Ji-Lin; Lin, Yan-Wei; Kong, Xuan; Yang, Chang-Qing; Yang, Li; Liu, Zhan-Ju; Yuan, Yao-Zong; Liu, Fei; Wu, Jian-Xin; Zhong, Liang; Fang, Dian-Chun; Zou, Weiping; Fang, Jing-Yuan

2013-05-01

Accumulating evidence indicates that diet is one of the most important environmental factors involved in the progression from advanced colorectal adenoma (A-CRA) to colorectal cancer. We evaluated the possible effects of dietary fiber on the fecal microbiota of patients with A-CRA. Patients with a diagnosis of A-CRA by pathological examination were enrolled in the A-CRA group. Patients with no obvious abnormalities or histopathological changes were enrolled in the healthy control (HC) group. Dietary fiber intake was assessed in all patients. Short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) in feces were detected by gas chromatography. The fecal microbiota community was analyzed by 454 pyrosequencing based on 16S ribosomal RNA. Lower dietary fiber patterns and consistently lower SCFA production were observed in the A-CRA group (n = 344). Principal component analysis showed distinct differences in the fecal microbiota communities of the 2 groups. Clostridium, Roseburia, and Eubacterium spp. were significantly less prevalent in the A-CRA group (n = 47) than in the HC group (n = 47), whereas Enterococcus and Streptococcus spp. were more prevalent in the A-CRA group (n = 47) (all P < 0.05). Butyrate and butyrate-producing bacteria were more prevalent in a subgroup of HC subjects with a high fiber intake than in those in both the low-fiber HC subgroup and the high-fiber A-CRA subgroup (all P < 0.05). A high-fiber dietary pattern and subsequent consistent production of SCFAs and healthy gut microbiota are associated with a reduced risk of A-CRA. This trial was registered at www.chictr.org as ChiCTR-TRC-00000123.

Medicaid care management: description of high-cost addictions treatment clients.

PubMed

Neighbors, Charles J; Sun, Yi; Yerneni, Rajeev; Tesiny, Ed; Burke, Constance; Bardsley, Leland; McDonald, Rebecca; Morgenstern, Jon

2013-09-01

High utilizers of alcohol and other drug treatment (AODTx) services are a priority for healthcare cost control. We examine characteristics of Medicaid-funded AODTx clients, comparing three groups: individuals <90th percentile of AODTx expenditures (n=41,054); high-cost clients in the top decile of AODTx expenditures (HC; n=5,718); and 1760 enrollees in a chronic care management (CM) program for HC clients implemented in 22 counties in New York State. Medicaid and state AODTx registry databases were combined to draw demographic, clinical, social needs and treatment history data. HC clients accounted for 49% of AODTx costs funded by Medicaid. As expected, HC clients had significant social welfare needs, comorbid medical and psychiatric conditions, and use of inpatient services. The CM program was successful in enrolling some high-needs, high-cost clients but faced barriers to reaching the most costly and disengaged individuals. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

[Effect of chronic intake of dietary fiber complex on the intestinal structure and function in hypercholesterolemic rats].

PubMed

Ma, Zhengwei; Zhang, Xizhong

2003-07-01

To investigate the long-term effect of dietary fiber complex (DFC) on intestinal structure and function in hypercholesterolemic rats, 60 healthy SD rats were feed with food rich in lipids and hypercholesterolemic animal models were established. The animals were randomly divided into 5 groups. Rats were fed DFC at levels of 4%, 16%, or 64% for three month in the experimental groups. Wheat fiber was used in the hypercholesterolemic control (HC) group and rats feeding on normal food were used as normal control (NC). Morphology of the small intestine, reticum and caecum were observed by light and electron microscope examination. Intestinal function was measured physically. The results showed that (1) compared with NC group, fecal weight was significantly raised in DFC group of higher level (group D and E, P < 0.05); (2) the weights of small intestine wall in D and E group were significantly higher than those of NC and HC group and weights of caecum wall in E group were significantly higher than those of NC and HC group (P < 0.05); (3) widen villi and thickened muscle layer of small intestine were observed in DFC group of higher level. No demonstrable changes in reticulum morphology in any group of animals were found under the observation of light microscope (4) microvilla becoming short and/or absent, mitochondria swelling, impairment of the integrity of the cristae were commonly observed in DFC groups. Conclusions Long-term intake of DFC composed mainly of Hippophae rhamnoides L, Bran, oat bran and guar gum at higher levels might induce some morphological changes of intestine and caecum. Therefore, DFC might be used at low level as an effective cholesterol-lowering agent.

Resting-state theta band connectivity and graph analysis in generalized social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Xing, Mengqi; Tadayonnejad, Reza; MacNamara, Annmarie; Ajilore, Olusola; DiGangi, Julia; Phan, K Luan; Leow, Alex; Klumpp, Heide

2017-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) resting-state studies show generalized social anxiety disorder (gSAD) is associated with disturbances in networks involved in emotion regulation, emotion processing, and perceptual functions, suggesting a network framework is integral to elucidating the pathophysiology of gSAD. However, fMRI does not measure the fast dynamic interconnections of functional networks. Therefore, we examined whole-brain functional connectomics with electroencephalogram (EEG) during resting-state. Resting-state EEG data was recorded for 32 patients with gSAD and 32 demographically-matched healthy controls (HC). Sensor-level connectivity analysis was applied on EEG data by using Weighted Phase Lag Index (WPLI) and graph analysis based on WPLI was used to determine clustering coefficient and characteristic path length to estimate local integration and global segregation of networks. WPLI results showed increased oscillatory midline coherence in the theta frequency band indicating higher connectivity in the gSAD relative to HC group during rest. Additionally, WPLI values positively correlated with state anxiety levels within the gSAD group but not the HC group. Our graph theory based connectomics analysis demonstrated increased clustering coefficient and decreased characteristic path length in theta-based whole brain functional organization in subjects with gSAD compared to HC. Theta-dependent interconnectivity was associated with state anxiety in gSAD and an increase in information processing efficiency in gSAD (compared to controls). Results may represent enhanced baseline self-focused attention, which is consistent with cognitive models of gSAD and fMRI studies implicating emotion dysregulation and disturbances in task negative networks (e.g., default mode network) in gSAD.

Executive Functions Profile in Extreme Eating/Weight Conditions: From Anorexia Nervosa to Obesity

PubMed Central

Fagundo, Ana B.; de la Torre, Rafael; Jiménez-Murcia, Susana; Agüera, Zaida; Granero, Roser; Tárrega, Salomé; Botella, Cristina; Baños, Rosa; Fernández-Real, Jose M.; Rodríguez, Roser; Forcano, Laura; Frühbeck, Gema; Gómez-Ambrosi, Javier; Tinahones, Francisco J.; Fernández-García, Jose C.; Casanueva, Felipe F.; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando

2012-01-01

Background Extreme weight conditions (EWC) groups along a continuum may share some biological risk factors and intermediate neurocognitive phenotypes. A core cognitive trait in EWC appears to be executive dysfunction, with a focus on decision making, response inhibition and cognitive flexibility. Differences between individuals in these areas are likely to contribute to the differences in vulnerability to EWC. The aim of the study was to investigate whether there is a common pattern of executive dysfunction in EWC while comparing anorexia nervosa patients (AN), obese subjects (OB) and healthy eating/weight controls (HC). Methods Thirty five AN patients, fifty two OB and one hundred thirty seven HC were compared using the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST); Stroop Color and Word Test (SCWT); and Iowa Gambling Task (IGT). All participants were female, aged between 18 and 60 years. Results There was a significant difference in IGT score (F(1.79); p<.001), with AN and OB groups showing the poorest performance compared to HC. On the WCST, AN and OB made significantly more errors than controls (F(25.73); p<.001), and had significantly fewer correct responses (F(2.71); p<.001). Post hoc analysis revealed that the two clinical groups were not significantly different from each other. Finally, OB showed a significant reduced performance in the inhibition response measured with the Stroop test (F(5.11); p<.001) compared with both AN and HC. Conclusions These findings suggest that EWC subjects (namely AN and OB) have similar dysfunctional executive profile that may play a role in the development and maintenance of such disorders. PMID:22927962

Changes in connectivity of the posterior default network node during visual processing in mild cognitive impairment: staged decline between normal aging and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Krajcovicova, Lenka; Barton, Marek; Elfmarkova-Nemcova, Nela; Mikl, Michal; Marecek, Radek; Rektorova, Irena

2017-12-01

Visual processing difficulties are often present in Alzheimer's disease (AD), even in its pre-dementia phase (i.e. in mild cognitive impairment, MCI). The default mode network (DMN) modulates the brain connectivity depending on the specific cognitive demand, including visual processes. The aim of the present study was to analyze specific changes in connectivity of the posterior DMN node (i.e. the posterior cingulate cortex and precuneus, PCC/P) associated with visual processing in 17 MCI patients and 15 AD patients as compared to 18 healthy controls (HC) using functional magnetic resonance imaging. We used psychophysiological interaction (PPI) analysis to detect specific alterations in PCC connectivity associated with visual processing while controlling for brain atrophy. In the HC group, we observed physiological changes in PCC connectivity in ventral visual stream areas and with PCC/P during the visual task, reflecting the successful involvement of these regions in visual processing. In the MCI group, the PCC connectivity changes were disturbed and remained significant only with the anterior precuneus. In between-group comparison, we observed significant PPI effects in the right superior temporal gyrus in both MCI and AD as compared to HC. This change in connectivity may reflect ineffective "compensatory" mechanism present in the early pre-dementia stages of AD or abnormal modulation of brain connectivity due to the disease pathology. With the disease progression, these changes become more evident but less efficient in terms of compensation. This approach can separate the MCI from HC with 77% sensitivity and 89% specificity.

Task Related Cerebral Blood Flow Changes of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Arterial Spin Labeling Study.

PubMed

Staud, Roland; Boissoneault, Jeff; Craggs, Jason G; Lai, Song; Robinson, Michael E

2018-01-01

One hallmark of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is task related worsening of fatigue. Global brain hypoperfusion, abnormal regional activation, and altered functional connectivity of brain areas associated with cognition and memory have been reported but remain controversial. We enrolled 17 female participants fulfilling the CDC Criteria for ME/CFS and 16 matched healthy controls (HC). Using a 3T-Phillips Achieva MRI-scanner, pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeling (pCASL), was used to study the dynamics of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and their relationship to mental fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC during a demanding cognitive task, i.e. modified Paced-Auditory-Serial-Addition-Testing (PASAT). ME/CFS subjects reported more fatigue than HC at baseline (p < .01). Global brain perfusion of ME/CFS and HC subjects was similar at rest. The PASAT resulted in significantly increased fatigue in ME/CFS participants and HC. Although not different between groups, overall CBF significantly increased over the first 3 min of the PASAT and then decreased thereafter. Regional CBF (rCBF) changes were significantly different between groups during the post-task recovery period. Whereas improvement of fatigue of ME/CFS subjects was associated with decreased rCBF in both superior temporal gyri (STG), precuneus, and fusiform gyrus, it was associated with increased rCBF in the same areas in HC. Our results suggest that ME/CFS is associated with normal global CBF at rest and during a strenuous task (PASAT); however rCBF of several brain regions associated with memory, goal-oriented attention, and visual function was differentially associated with recovery from fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC.

Task Related Cerebral Blood Flow Changes of Patients with Chronic Fatigue Syndrome: An Arterial Spin Labeling Study

PubMed Central

Staud, Roland; Boissoneault, Jeff; Craggs, Jason G.; Lai, Song; Robinson, Michael E.

2018-01-01

Purpose One hallmark of chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) is task related worsening of fatigue. Global brain hypoperfusion, abnormal regional activation, and altered functional connectivity of brain areas associated with cognition and memory have been reported but remain controversial. Methods We enrolled 17 female participants fulfilling the CDC Criteria for ME/CFS and 16 matched healthy controls (HC). Using a 3T-Phillips Achieva MRI-scanner, pseudo-continuous arterial spin-labeling (pCASL), was used to study the dynamics of regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and their relationship to mental fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC during a demanding cognitive task, i.e. modified Paced-Auditory-Serial-Addition-Testing (PASAT). Results ME/CFS subjects reported more fatigue than HC at baseline (p < .01). Global brain perfusion of ME/CFS and HC subjects was similar at rest. The PASAT resulted in significantly increased fatigue in ME/CFS participants and HC. Although not different between groups, overall CBF significantly increased over the first 3 min of the PASAT and then decreased thereafter. Regional CBF (rCBF) changes were significantly different between groups during the post-task recovery period. Whereas improvement of fatigue of ME/CFS subjects was associated with decreased rCBF in both superior temporal gyri (STG), precuneus, and fusiform gyrus, it was associated with increased rCBF in the same areas in HC. Conclusions Our results suggest that ME/CFS is associated with normal global CBF at rest and during a strenuous task (PASAT); however rCBF of several brain regions associated with memory, goal-oriented attention, and visual function was differentially associated with recovery from fatigue in ME/CFS patients and HC. PMID:29707427

Dietary fat without body weight gain increases in vivo MCF-7 human breast cancer cell growth and decreases natural killer cell cytotoxicity.

PubMed

Lamas, Bruno; Nachat-Kappes, Rachida; Goncalves-Mendes, Nicolas; Mishellany, Florence; Rossary, Adrien; Vasson, Marie-Paule; Farges, Marie-Chantal

2015-01-01

High-calorie (HC) diet contributes to the increased incidence of obesity, which is a risk factor for breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and in particular for estrogen receptor (ER) positive tumors. This study investigated whether an HC diet increases human ER-positive breast cancer progression and modulates natural killer (NK) cell functions. Four-week-old female BALB/c athymic nude mice were fed a HC diet (5320 kcal/kg) or standard calorie diet (SC, 2820 kcal/kg) for 6 mo. After 5 mo, the mice were randomly implanted with MCF-7 breast cancer cells (SCT and HCT) or received an isovolumic injection (SC and HC) in both inguinal fat pads. Tumor growth was greater in the HCT group than in the SC group without change in body weight. The HC diet decreased the tumor expression of genes involved in the citrate cycle and in adiponectin and lipid metabolism but increased that of genes controlling glycolysis and angiogenesis. The tumor expression level of Ki67 was increased while that of the cleaved caspase 3 and the ER-β and progesterone receptors was reduced. Tumor development in response to the HC diet was associated with smaller numbers and lower cytotoxicity of splenic NK cells. These results indicate that an HC diet without body weight gain increases ER-positive breast cancer cell proliferation and reduces tumor apoptosis. The underlying mechanisms might involve a downexpression of tumor hormonal receptor and reduced NK cell functions, and might also result in the regulation of genes involved in several cellular functions. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Nutritional status and body composition by bioelectrical impedance vector analysis: A cross sectional study in mild cognitive impairment and Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Cova, Ilaria; Pomati, Simone; Maggiore, Laura; Forcella, Marica; Cucumo, Valentina; Ghiretti, Roberta; Grande, Giulia; Muzio, Fulvio; Mariani, Claudio

2017-01-01

Analysis of nutritional status and body composition in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI). A cross-sectional study was performed in a University-Hospital setting, recruiting 59 patients with AD, 34 subjects with MCI and 58 elderly healthy controls (HC). Nutritional status was assessed by anthropometric parameters (body mass index; calf, upper arm and waist circumferences), Mini Nutritional Assessment (MNA) and body composition by bioelectrical impedance vector analysis (BIVA). Variables were analyzed by analysis of variance and subjects were grouped by cognitive status and gender. Sociodemographic variables did not differ among the three groups (AD, MCI and HC), except for females' age, which was therefore used as covariate in a general linear multivariate model. MNA score was significantly lower in AD patients than in HC; MCI subjects achieved intermediate scores. AD patients (both sexes) had significantly (p<0.05) higher height-normalized impedance values and lower phase angles (body cell mass) compared with HC; a higher ratio of impedance to height was found in men with MCI with respect to HC. With BIVA method, MCI subjects showed a significant displacement on the RXc graph on the right side indicating lower soft tissues (Hotelling's T2 test: men = 10.6; women = 7.9;p < 0,05) just like AD patients (Hotelling's T2 test: men = 18.2; women = 16.9; p<0,001). Bioelectrical parameters significantly differ from MCI and AD to HC; MCI showed an intermediate pattern between AD and HC. Longitudinal studies are required to investigate if BIVA could reflect early AD-changes in body composition in subjects with MCI.

Comparative Study on Reagents Involved in Grape Bud Break and Their Effects on Different Metabolites and Related Gene Expression during Winter

PubMed Central

Khalil-Ur-Rehman, Muhammad; Wang, Wu; Xu, Yan-Shuai; Haider, Muhammad S.; Li, Chun-Xia; Tao, Jian-Min

2017-01-01

To elucidate promoting and inhibiting effects of hydrogen cynamide (HC) and abscisic acid (ABA) on quiescence release of grape buds, physiological and molecular approaches were used to explore the mechanisms of quiescence based on metabolic and gene expression analysis. Physiological and molecular mechanisms involved in bud quiescence of grape were studied before and after application of HC, ABA, and ABA-HC. The data showed that ABA inhibited proclamation of quiescence in grape buds and attenuated the influence of HC. Bud quiescence was promoted and regulated by HC and ABA pre-treatment on buds of grape cultivar “Shine Muscat” with 5% HC, 100 μM ABA and combination of ABA-HC (5% HC+100 μM ABA) during quiescence under forcing condition. Exogenous application of ABA elevated superoxide dismutase (SOD), peroxidase (POD) and ascorbate peroxidase (APX) related specific activities, while catalase (CAT) activity was increased during initial period of forcing and then decreased. The concentration of plant growth hormones including gibberellins (GA) and indole acetic acid increased by HC application but decreased the ABA contents under forcing condition. ABA increased the fructose content during quiescence under forcing condition while sucrose and total soluble sugars peaked in HC treated buds as compared to control. Genes related to ABA pathway, protein phosphatase 2C (PP2C family) were down regulated in the buds treated with HC, ABA and ABA-HC as compared to control while two genes related to GA pathway (GID1 family), out of which one gene showed down regulation during initial period of forcing while other gene was up regulated in response to HC and ABA-HC treatments as compared to control. Exogenous ABA application up regulated genes related to antioxidant enzymes as compared to control. The gene probable fructose-bisphosphate aldolase 1, chloroplastic-like, was up regulated in response to ABA treatment as compared to control. Analysis of metabolites and related gene expression pattern would provide a comprehensive view of quiescence after HC, ABA, and ABA-HC treatments in grape buds which may helpful for ultimate improvement in table grape production. PMID:28824676

Appropriate dose of Lactobacillus buchneri supplement improves intestinal microbiota and prevents diarrhoea in weaning Rex rabbits.

PubMed

Zhou, Y; Ni, X; Wen, B; Duan, L; Sun, H; Yang, M; Zou, F; Lin, Y; Liu, Q; Zeng, Y; Fu, X; Pan, K; Jing, B; Wang, P; Zeng, D

2018-04-25

This study examined the effects on intestinal microbiota and diarrhoea of Lactobacillus buchneri supplementation to the diet of weaning Rex rabbits. To this end, rabbits were treated with L. buchneri at two different doses (LC: 10 4 cfu/g diet and HC: 10 5 cfu/g diet) for 4 weeks. PCR-DGGE was used to determine the diversity of the intestinal microbiota, while real-time PCR permitted the detection of individual bacterial species. ELISA and real-time PCR allowed the identification of numerous cytokines in the intestinal tissues. Zonula occludens-1, polymeric immunoglobulin receptor and immunoglobulin A genes were examined to evaluate intestinal barriers. Results showed that the biodiversity of the intestinal microbiota of weaning Rex rabbits improved in the whole tract of the treated groups. The abundance of most detected bacterial species was highly increased in the duodenum, jejunum and ileum after L. buchneri administration. The species abundance in the HC group was more increased than in the LC group when compared to the control. Although the abundance of Enterobacteriaceae exhibited a different pattern, Escherichia coli was inhibited in all treatment groups. Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 and TLR4 genes were down-regulated in all intestinal tissues as the microbiota changed. In the LC group, the secretion of the inflammatory cytokine tumour necrosis factor-α was reduced, the gene expression of the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin (IL)-4 was up-regulated and the expression of intestinal-barrier-related genes was enhanced. Conversely, IL-4 expression was increased and the expression of other tested genes did not change in the HC group. The beneficial effects of LC were greater than those of HC or the control in terms of improving the daily weight gain and survival rate of weaning Rex rabbits and reducing their diarrhoea rate. Therefore, 10 4 cfu/g L. buchneri treatment improved the microbiota of weaning Rex rabbits and prevented diarrhoea in these animals.

Metabolic programming effects initiated in the suckling period predisposing for adult-onset obesity cannot be reversed by calorie restriction.

PubMed

Srinivasan, Malathi; Mahmood, Saleh; Patel, Mulchand S

2013-03-01

Neonatal rats reared on high-carbohydrate (HC) milk formula developed chronic hyperinsulinemia and adult-onset obesity due to programming of islets and the hypothalamic energy circuitry. In this study, calorie restriction by pair-feeding was imposed on HC male rats (HC/PF) to normalize food intake similar to that of mother-fed (MF) rats from weaning until postnatal day 140. A group of HC/PF rats was switched over to ad libitum feeding (HC/PF/AL) from days 90 to 140. Pair-feeding reduced body weight gains and serum insulin and leptin levels in HC/PF rats compared with HC rats, but these parameters were restored to HC levels in the HC/PF/AL rats after ad libitum feeding. Interestingly, the heightened insulin secretory response of isolated islets from adult HC/PF and HC/PF/ AL rats to glucose, acetylcholine, and oxymetazoline were not significantly different from the responses of islets from HC rats. Similarly, the expression of neuropeptide Y and proopiomelanocortin in the hypothalamus was not significantly different among HC, HC/PF, and HC/PF/AL rats. Expression of the leptin receptor in the hypothalami from the HC, HC/PF, and HC/PF/AL rats mirrored that of serum leptin, whereas suppressor of cytokine signaling 3 (Socs3) expression remained high in these three groups. The results indicate that, although calorie restriction resulted in reduction in body weight gain and normalized the serum hormonal pattern, the programed predisposition for the hypersecretory capacity of islets and the hypothalamic hyperphagic response in the HC rats could not be permanently overcome by the pair-feeding imposed on HC rats.

Clinical investigation of set-shifting subtypes in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Abbate-Daga, Giovanni; Buzzichelli, Sara; Marzola, Enrica; Amianto, Federico; Fassino, Secondo

2014-11-30

While evidence continues to accumulate on the relevance of cognitive inflexibility in anorexia nervosa (AN), its clinical correlates remain unclear. We aimed at examining the relationship between set-shifting and clinical variables (i.e., eating psychopathology, depression, and personality) in AN. Ninety-four individuals affected by AN and 59 healthy controls (HC) were recruited. All participants were assessed using: Eating Disorders Inventory-2 (EDI-2), Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). The AN group scored worse than HCs on set-shifting. According to their neuropsychological performances, AN patients were split into two groups corresponding to poor (N=30) and intact (N=64) set-shifting subtypes. Interoceptive awareness, impulse regulation, and maturity fears on the EDI-2 and depression on the BDI differed across all groups (HC, intact, and poor set-shifting subtype). Self-directedness on the TCI differed significantly among all groups. Cooperativeness and reward dependence differed instead only between HC and AN poor set-shifting subtype. After controlling for depression, only interoceptive awareness remained significant with reward dependence showing a trend towards statistical significance. These findings suggest that multiple clinical variables may be correlated with set-shifting performances in AN. The factors contributing to impaired cognitive inflexibility could be more complex than heretofore generally considered. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

A 2-year integrated agriculture and nutrition and health behavior change communication program targeted to women in Burkina Faso reduces anemia, wasting, and diarrhea in children 3-12.9 months of age at baseline: a cluster-randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Olney, Deanna K; Pedehombga, Abdoulaye; Ruel, Marie T; Dillon, Andrew

2015-06-01

Among young children in Burkina Faso, anemia and chronic and acute undernutrition are widespread. This study assessed the impact of Helen Keller International's (HKI) 2-y integrated agriculture [homestead food production (HFP)] and nutrition and health behavior change communication (BCC) program, targeted to women, on children's (3-12.9 mo old at baseline) anthropometry (stunting, wasting, and underweight), mean hemoglobin (Hb), anemia (Hb < 11 g/dL), and diarrhea prevalence. We used a cluster-randomized controlled trial, with 55 villages randomly assigned to a control group (n = 25) or 1 of 2 treatment groups (n = 15 each), which differed by who delivered the BCC messages [older women leaders or health committee (HC) members]. We used difference-in-difference (DID) estimates to assess impacts on child outcomes. We found marginally significant (P < 0.10) impacts on Hb (DID: 0.51 g/dL; P = 0.07) and wasting [DID: -8.8 percentage point (pp); P = 0.08] and statistically significant (P < 0.05) impacts on diarrhea (-15.9 pp; P = 0.00) in HC compared with control villages among children aged 3-12.9 mo and larger impacts for anemia (DID: -14.6 pp; P = 0.03) and mean Hb (DID: 0.74 g/dL; P = 0.03) among younger children (aged 3-5.9 mo). However, we found no significant impacts on stunting or underweight prevalence. Plausibility was supported by greater improvements in women's agricultural production and maternal infant and young child feeding and care knowledge and practices in HC compared with control villages. HKI's 2-y integrated HFP+BCC program (HC group) significantly improved several child outcomes, including wasting (marginal), diarrhea, Hb, and anemia, especially among the youngest children. This is the first cluster-randomized controlled trial of an HFP program that documents statistically significant positive effects on these child nutrition outcomes. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov as NCT01825226. © 2015 American Society for Nutrition.

A pilot study on the benefit of cognitive rehabilitation in Parkinson’s disease

PubMed Central

Adamski, Natalia; Adler, Matthias; Opwis, Klaus; Penner, Iris-Katharina

2016-01-01

Purpose: Patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) show inefficiencies in cognitive performance including working memory functions. Since these problems impact on quality of life and overall well-being, the current study was aimed at improving patients’ situations by evaluating the computerized cognitive training tool, BrainStim. Method: A total of 19 healthy controls (HCs) and six patients with PD were included in the study. While all PD patients received cognitive training, the HC sample was subdivided into 12 subjects with training (HC-T) and 10 subjects without (HC-NT). Participants underwent a double baseline assessment, a post-training assessment, and a 3-month follow up on neuropsychological tests and self-report measures on fatigue and depression. Training was administered between the second baseline and postassessment. It comprised 16 supervised sessions according to a standardized training protocol over 4 weeks. Results: Significant improvements in verbal and visuospatial short-term and long-term memory were found in both training groups. In addition, the HC-T improved on mental speed, and verbal and visuospatial working memory. Both training groups showed stable results for all short-term visuospatial measures after 3 months. Further, the HC-T showed stable results for working memory, verbal, and visuospatial short-term and long-term memory. Conclusions: The efficacy of the applied computerized cognitive training tool BrainStim could be verified in patients with PD and healthy age-matched controls. The preliminary findings highlighted the suitability of a specific cognitive intervention to improve cognitive inefficiencies in patients with PD as well as in healthy older people. Further research on cognitive training in combination with PD drug therapy is needed to better understand the mutual interaction and to offer optimal therapeutic approaches to patients. PMID:27134671

[Concordance between a head circumference growth function and intellectual disability in relation with the cause of microcephaly].

PubMed

Coronado, R; Macaya Ruíz, A; Giraldo Arjonilla, J; Roig-Quilis, M

2015-08-01

Our aim was to investigate the correlations between patterns of head growth and intellectual disability among distinct aetiological presentations of microcephaly. 3,269 head circumference (HC) charts of patients from a tertiary neuropediatric unit were reviewed and 136 microcephalic participants selected. Using the Z-scores of registered HC measurements we defined the variables: HC Minimum, HC Drop and HC Catch-up. We classified patients according to the presence or absence of intellectual disability (IQ below 71) and according to the cause of microcephaly (idiopathic, familial, syndromic, symptomatic and mixed). Using Discriminant Analysis a C-function was defined as C=HC Minimum + HC Drop with a cut-off level of C=-4.32 Z-score. In our sample 95% of patients scoring below this level, severe microcephaly, were classified in the disabled group while the overall concordance was 66%. In the symptomatic-mixed group the concordance between HC function and outcome reached 82% in contrast to only 54% in the idiopathic-syndromic group (P-value=0.0002). We defined a HC growth function which discriminates intellectual disability of microcephalic patients better than isolated HC measurements, especially for those with secondary and mixed aetiologies. Copyright © 2014 Asociación Española de Pediatría. Published by Elsevier España, S.L.U. All rights reserved.

[Neuropsychological study of false memory in patients with amnesia mild cognitive impairment].

PubMed

Xie, Dan-dan; Cheng, Huai-dong; Yin, Chang-lin; Lü, Xin-yi; Wang, Kai

2011-01-18

To explore the profile of false memory in aMCI (amnesia mild cognitive impairment) and to elucidate the neuropsychological mechanism of false memory. False memory provoked by pictures and feeling-of-knowing (FOK) test in episodic memory (EM) were conducted in 25 aMCI patients at our hospital from October 2009 to May 2010. And 25 age and education level-matched healthy patients were recruited into the healthy control (HC) group. As compared with HC group, the rate of false memory was higher in the aMCI group. The rate of false memory in recall stage was 26% ± 7% and that of questionnaire stage 28% ± 12%. And the difference between two group was significant (t = 14.437, 7.597, P < 0.05). The FOK-EM of correct judgment and false recognition in the aMCI group (41% ± 10%) was higher than the HC group. And the difference was significant (t = 4.207, P < 0.05). The rates of false memory in recall and questionnaire stages were positively correlated with FOK-EM in aMCI group (r = 0.563, 0.705, P < 0.01). The aMCI patients tend to have more false memory provoked by pictures. The deficit of memory monitoring in aMCI may be the foundation of false memory.

A similar pro/anti-inflammatory cytokine balance is present in the airways of competitive athletes and non-exercising asthmatics.

PubMed

Kurowski, Marcin; Jurczyk, Janusz; Olszewska-Ziąber, Agnieszka; Jarzębska, Marzanna; Krysztofiak, Hubert; Kowalski, Marek L

2018-03-01

Intensive exercise modifies airway inflammation and infection susceptibility. We aimed to determine the effect of exercise on pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine (TNF-α, IL-1ra, IL-10) and innate immunity protein (HSPA1, sCD14) levels in exhaled breath condensate (EBC) and nasal secretions of competitive athletes, non-exercising asthmatics and healthy controls (HC). The study group consisted of 15 competitive athletes (five speed skaters and ten swimmers) aged 15-25. The control groups comprised 10 mild-to-moderate asthmatics (AC) and seven HC. Athletes were assessed in- and off-training while asthmatics and controls at one time point. Nasal lavages and EBC were collected before and after a treadmill exercise challenge. Protein levels were assessed using ELISA. TNF-α levels in EBC were significantly higher in athletes than HC, but similar to asthmatic patients. In contrast, IL-1ra EBC concentrations were significantly lower in athletes than in HC, but again similar to asthmatics. Significant positive correlations were seen between baseline concentrations of TNF-α in EBC and fall in FEV1 following exercise challenge in athletes during training period (R=0.74, p<0.01) and in asthmatics (R=0.64, p<0.05). In nasal secretions, baseline IL-1ra levels were significantly higher in athletes and asthmatics than in HC. Exercise caused a slight, yet significant, increase in EBC HSPA1 in athletes (p=0.02). The exercise challenge did not considerably influence TNF-α, IL-1ra, HSPA1 and sCD14 in EBC or nasal secretions. Dysregulation of the TNF-α/IL-1ra balance in EBC and nasal secretions from athletes may reflect the presence of airway inflammation induced by repeated strenuous exercise. Copyright © 2017 Medical University of Bialystok. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

A pharmacological functional magnetic resonance imaging study probing the interface of cognitive and emotional brain systems in pediatric bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Pavuluri, Mani N; Passarotti, Alessandra M; Parnes, Stephanie A; Fitzgerald, Jacklynn M; Sweeney, John A

2010-10-01

This functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study investigated the effects of pharmacotherapy on brain function underlying affect dysregulation and cognitive function in pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD). Healthy controls (HC) (n=14; mean age =14.1 ± 2.4 years) and unmedicated PBD patients with manic or hypomanic episodes (n=17; mean age =14.3 ± 1.1 years) were matched on intelligence quotient (IQ) and demographic factors. The fMRI studies were performed at baseline and after 14 weeks, during which PBD patients were treated initially with second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) followed by lamotrigine monotherapy. The pediatric affective color-matching task was used where subjects matched the color of a positive, negative, or neutral word with one of the two colored circles below in each of the trials. There were five blocks of each emotional word type, with 10 trials per block. Behavioral data showed that the PBD group was modestly slower and less accurate than the HC, regardless of condition or treatment status. The blood oxygen level-dependent (BOLD) signal activity was reduced with treatment in the PBD group relative to the HC group during the negative versus neutral condition in bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), right posterior cingulate gyrus, parahippocampal gyrus, and inferior parietal lobule, but increased in left ventromedial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC). Similarly, during the positive versus neutral condition, the PBD group, relative to HC, showed reduced activity in right DLPFC, precuneus, and inferior parietal lobule and increased activity in the right VMPFC. However, within the PBD group, there was treatment related decrease in VMPFC and DLPFC. Improvement on Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS) score significantly correlated with the decreased activity in VMPFC within the patient group. Pharmacotherapy in PBD patients led to differential effort with persistently increased activity in the affective regions and decreased activity in the cognitive regions relative to HC, demonstrating altered mechanisms of affective and cognitive systems of brain function, regardless of symptom response.

An fMRI study of the brain responses of traumatized mothers to viewing their toddlers during separation and play

PubMed Central

Moser, Dominik A.; Wang, Zhishun; Marsh, Rachel; Hao, XueJun; Duan, Yunsuo; Yu, Shan; Gunter, Benjamin; Murphy, David; McCaw, Jaime; Kangarlu, Alayar; Willheim, Erica; Myers, Michael M.; Hofer, Myron A.; Peterson, Bradley S.

2012-01-01

This study tested whether mothers with interpersonal violence-related posttraumatic stress disorder (IPV-PTSD) vs healthy controls (HC) would show greater limbic and less frontocortical activity when viewing young children during separation compared to quiet play. Mothers of 20 children (12–42 months) participated: 11 IPV-PTSD mothers and 9 HC with no PTSD. During fMRI, mothers watched epochs of play and separation from their own and unfamiliar children. The study focused on comparison of PTSD mothers vs HC viewing children in separation vs play, and viewing own vs unfamiliar children in separation. Both groups showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing children in separation vs play. PTSD mothers showed greater limbic and less frontocortical activity (BA10) than HC. PTSD mothers also reported feeling more stressed than HC when watching own and unfamiliar children during separation. Their self-reported stress was associated with greater limbic and less frontocortical activity. Both groups also showed distinct patterns of brain activation in response to viewing their own vs unfamiliar children during separation. PTSD mothers’ may not have access to frontocortical regulation of limbic response upon seeing own and unfamiliar children in separation. This converges with previously reported associations of maternal IPV-PTSD and atypical caregiving behavior following separation. PMID:22021653

Identifying current and remitted major depressive disorder with the Hurst exponent: a comparative study on two automated anatomical labeling atlases

PubMed Central

Yan, Huagang; Dong, Jianxin; Mo, Xiao; Li, Dan; Liu, Chunhong; Li, Haiyun

2017-01-01

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a leading world-wide psychiatric disorder with high recurrence rate, therefore, it is desirable to identify current MDD (cMDD) and remitted MDD (rMDD) for their appropriate therapeutic interventions. In the study, 19 cMDD, 19 rMDD and 19 well-matched healthy controls (HC) were enrolled and scanned with the resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). The Hurst exponent (HE) of rs-fMRI in AAL-90 and AAL-1024 atlases were calculated and compared between groups. Then, a radial basis function (RBF) based support vector machine was proposed to identify every pair of the cMDD, rMDD and HC groups using the abnormal HE features, and a leave-one-out cross-validation was used to evaluate the classification performance. Applying the proposed method with AAL-1024 and AAL-90 atlas respectively, 87% and 84% subjects were correctly identified between cMDD and HC, 84% and 71% between rMDD and HC, and 89% and 74% between cMDD and rMDD. Our results indicated that the HE was an effective feature to distinguish cMDD and rMDD from HC, and the recognition performances with AAL-1024 parcellation were better than that with the conventional AAL-90 parcellation. PMID:29163844

Amygdala functional connectivity is associated with locus of control in the context of cognitive aging.

PubMed

Ren, Ping; Anthony, Mia; Chapman, Benjamin P; Heffner, Kathi; Lin, Feng

2017-05-01

Locus of control (LOC) measures the extent to which individuals perceive control over their lives. Those with a more "internal" LOC feel self-sufficient and able to determine important aspects of their own future, while those with a more "external" LOC feel that their lives are governed by events beyond their control. Reduced internal LOC and increased external LOC have been found in cognitive disorders, but the neural substrates of these control perceptions are yet unknown. In the present study, we explored the relationship between amygdala functional connectivity and LOC in 18 amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and age-, sex-, and education-matched, 22 cognitively healthy controls (HC). Participants completed cognitive challenge tasks (Stroop Word Color task and Dual 1-back) for 20min, and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging immediately before and after the tasks. We found significantly lower internal LOC and higher external LOC in the MCI group than the HC group. Compared to HC, MCI group showed significantly stronger positive associations between internal LOC and baseline right amygdala connections (including right middle frontal gyrus and anterior cingulate cortex), and stronger negative associations between internal LOC and change of these right amygdala connections. Across all participants, external LOC explained the relationships between associations of another set of right amygdala connections (including middle cingulate cortex and right superior frontal gyrus), both at baseline and for change, and performance in the cognitive challenge tasks. Our findings indicate that the right amygdala networks might be critical in understanding the neural mechanisms underlying LOC's role in cognitive aging. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Dissociation between Conceptual and Perceptual Implicit Memory: Evidence from Patients with Frontal and Occipital Lobe Lesions

PubMed Central

Gong, Liang; Wang, JiHua; Yang, XuDong; Feng, Lei; Li, Xiu; Gu, Cui; Wang, MeiHong; Hu, JiaYun; Cheng, Huaidong

2016-01-01

The latest neuroimaging studies about implicit memory (IM) have revealed that different IM types may be processed by different parts of the brain. However, studies have rarely examined what subtypes of IM processes are affected in patients with various brain injuries. Twenty patients with frontal lobe injury, 25 patients with occipital lobe injury, and 29 healthy controls (HC) were recruited for the study. Two subtypes of IM were investigated by using structurally parallel perceptual (picture identification task) and conceptual (category exemplar generation task) IM tests in the three groups, as well as explicit memory (EM) tests. The results indicated that the priming of conceptual IM and EM tasks in patients with frontal lobe injury was poorer than that observed in HC, while perceptual IM was identical between the two groups. By contrast, the priming of perceptual IM in patients with occipital lobe injury was poorer than that in HC, whereas the priming of conceptual IM and EM was similar to that in HC. This double dissociation between perceptual and conceptual IM across the brain areas implies that occipital lobes may participate in perceptual IM, while frontal lobes may be involved in processing conceptual memory. PMID:26793093

Decision Making Impairment: A Shared Vulnerability in Obesity, Gambling Disorder and Substance Use Disorders?

PubMed Central

Mallorquí-Bagué, Nuria; Fagundo, Ana B.; Jimenez-Murcia, Susana; de la Torre, Rafael; Baños, Rosa M.; Botella, Cristina; Casanueva, Felipe F.; Crujeiras, Ana B.; Fernández-García, Jose C.; Fernández-Real, Jose M.; Frühbeck, Gema; Granero, Roser; Rodríguez, Amaia; Tolosa-Sola, Iris; Ortega, Francisco J.; Tinahones, Francisco J.; Alvarez-Moya, Eva; Ochoa, Cristian; Menchón, Jose M.

2016-01-01

Introduction Addictions are associated with decision making impairments. The present study explores decision making in Substance use disorder (SUD), Gambling disorder (GD) and Obesity (OB) when assessed by Iowa Gambling Task (IGT) and compares them with healthy controls (HC). Methods For the aims of this study, 591 participants (194 HC, 178 GD, 113 OB, 106 SUD) were assessed according to DSM criteria, completed a sociodemographic interview and conducted the IGT. Results SUD, GD and OB present impaired decision making when compared to the HC in the overall task and task learning, however no differences are found for the overall performance in the IGT among the clinical groups. Results also reveal some specific learning across the task patterns within the clinical groups: OB maintains negative scores until the third set where learning starts but with a less extend to HC, SUD presents an early learning followed by a progressive although slow improvement and GD presents more random choices with no learning. Conclusions Decision making impairments are present in the studied clinical samples and they display individual differences in the task learning. Results can help understanding the underlying mechanisms of OB and addiction behaviors as well as improve current clinical treatments. PMID:27690367

The effect of feedback-assisted reduction in heart rate reactivity on videogame performance.

PubMed

Larkin, K T; Manuck, S B; Kasprowicz, A L

1990-12-01

In 67 male volunteers, we examined the reduction of cardiovascular responsivity to a psychomotor challenge (videogame) achieved by use of heart rate (HR) feedback and effects of these procedures on concomitant behavioral performance. Each subject participated in a pretraining assessment of his cardiovascular responses to the videogame, a training condition, and a posttraining assessment identical to the initial evaluation. During training, subjects were assigned to one of four conditions: (a) a habituation control group receiving no instructions to alter HR (HC); (b) an instructions-only control group receiving instructions to maintain a low or unchanged HR during videogame presentations (IC); (c) a feedback group receiving instructions to reduce HR using ongoing HR feedback (FB-); or (d) a feedback group receiving instructions to lower HR and given HR feedback plus a score contingency in which total game score was jointly determined by subjects' game performance and success at HR control (FB+). Subjects receiving feedback (FB+, FB-) exhibited greater reductions in HR response to the videogame in the posttraining assessment than control (HC, IC) subjects; FB+ subjects showed greater HR reductions than subjects in any other group. FB+ and FB- subjects showed a lower SBP at posttraining relative to the two control groups, but no reduction in task-induced blood pressure reactivity. There were no group differences in videogame performance, either before or following training.

Hypercaloric enteral nutrition in Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis: a randomized double-blind placebo-controlled trial

PubMed Central

Wills, Anne-Marie; Hubbard, Jane; Macklin, Eric A.; Glass, Jonathan; Tandan, Rup; Simpson, Ericka P; Brooks, Benjamin; Gelinas, Deborah; Mitsumoto, Hiroshi; Mozaffar, Tahseen; Hanes, Gregory P.; Ladha, Shafeeq S.; Heiman-Patterson, Terry; Katz, Jonathan; Lou, Jau-Shin; Mahoney, Katy; Grasso, Daniela; Lawson, Robert; Yu, Hong; Cudkowicz, Merit

2014-01-01

Background Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) is a rapidly fatal neurodegenerative disease with few therapeutic options. Mild obesity is associated with greater survival in ALS patients and calorie-dense diets increase survival in an ALS mouse model. We therefore hypothesized that hypercaloric diets might lead to weight gain and slow ALS disease progression. Methods In this double-blind, placebo-controlled, multi-center clinical trial, we enrolled adults with ALS without a history of diabetes, significant liver or cardiovascular disease, who were already receiving percutaneous enteral nutrition. We randomly assigned participants to one of three dietary interventions: replacement calories using an isocaloric diet (controls) vs. a high-carbohydrate hypercaloric diet (HC/HC), vs. a high-fat hypercaloric diet (HF/HC). Participants received the intervention diets for four months and were followed for five months. The primary outcomes were safety and tolerability. Secondary outcomes included measures of disease progression, survival, and metabolism. This trial is registered with Clinicaltrials.gov, number NCT00983983. Findings A total of 24 participants were enrolled of whom 20 initiated study diet (six control, eight HC/HC, six HF/HC). Baseline demographics were similar among the three study arms. The HC/HC diet was better tolerated with fewer serious adverse events than the control diet (zero vs. nine, p<0·001) and fewer dose discontinuations due to adverse events (0% vs. 50%). There were no deaths in the HC/HC arm vs. three deaths (43%) in the control arm (logrank p = 0·03). The HF/HC arm was not statistically different from the controls in adverse events, tolerability, deaths or disease progression. Interpretation Our results suggest that hypercaloric enteral nutrition is safe and tolerable in ALS and support the study of nutritional interventions at earlier stages of the disease. Funding The Muscular Dystrophy Association with additional support from the National Center for Research Resources, the National Institutes of Health, and the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center. PMID:24582471

Cognitive Inflexibility and Frontal-Cortical Activation in Pediatric Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder

PubMed Central

Britton, Jennifer C.; Rauch, Scott L.; Rosso, Isabelle M.; Killgore, William D.S.; Price, Lauren M.; Ragan, Jennifer; Chosak, Anne; Hezel, Dianne M.; Pine, Daniel S.; Leibenluft, Ellen; Pauls, David L.; Jenike, Michael A.; Stewart, S. Evelyn

2014-01-01

Objective Deficits in cognitive flexibility and response inhibition have been linked to perturbations in cortico-striatal-thalamic circuitry in adult obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Although similar cognitive deficits have been identified in pediatric OCD, few neuroimaging studies have been conducted to examine its neural correlates in the developing brain. In this study, we tested hypotheses regarding group differences in the behavioral and neural correlates of cognitive flexibility in a pediatric OCD and a healthy comparison (HC) sample. Method In this functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study, a pediatric sample of 10- to 17-year-old subjects, 15 with OCD and 20 HC, completed a set-shifting task. The task, requiring an extradimensional shift to identify a target, examines cognitive flexibility. Within each block, the dimension (color or shape) that identified the target either alternated (i.e., mixed) or remained unchanged (i.e., repeated). Results Compared with the HC group, the OCD group tended to be slower to respond to trials within mixed blocks. Compared with the HC group, the OCD group exhibited less left inferior frontal gyrus/BA47 activation in the set-shifting contrast (i.e., HC > OCD, mixed versus repeated); only the HC group exhibited significant activation in this region. The correlation between set shifting-induced right caudate activation and shift cost (i.e., reaction time differential in response to mixed versus repeated trials) was significantly different between HC and OCD groups, in that we found a positive correlation in HC and a negative correlation in OCD. Conclusions In pediatric OCD, less fronto-striatal activation may explain previously identified deficits in shifting cognitive sets. PMID:20732630

Temporal discounting across three psychiatric disorders: Anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Steinglass, Joanna E; Lempert, Karolina M; Choo, Tse-Hwei; Kimeldorf, Marcia B; Wall, Melanie; Walsh, B Timothy; Fyer, Abby J; Schneier, Franklin R; Simpson, H Blair

2017-05-01

Temporal discounting refers to the tendency for rewards to lose value as the expected delay to receipt increases. Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been found to show reduced temporal discounting rates, indicating a greater preference for delayed rewards compared to healthy peers. Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) commonly co-occur with AN, and anxiety has been related to development and prognosis of AN. We examined whether reduced temporal discounting is present across these potentially related disorders, and explored the relationship between temporal discounting and anxiety transdiagnostically. One hundred ninety six individuals (75 healthy controls (HC); 50 OCD; 27 AN; 44 SAD) completed two temporal discounting tasks in which they chose between smaller-sooner and larger-later monetary rewards. Two measures of discounting-discount rate and discount factor-were compared between diagnostic groups, and associations with anxious traits were examined. Individuals with AN showed decreased temporal discounting compared to HC. OCD and SAD groups did not differ significantly from HC. Across the sample, anxiety was associated with decreased discounting; more anxious individuals showed a greater preference for delayed reward. We replicated the findings that individuals with AN show an increased preference for delayed reward relative to HC and that individuals with OCD do not differ from HC. We also showed that individuals with SAD do not differ from HC in discounting. Across this large sample, two measures of anxious temperament were associated with temporal discounting. These data raise new questions about the relationship between this dimensional trait and psychopathology. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Temporal discounting across three psychiatric disorders: Anorexia nervosa, obsessive compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

Steinglass, Joanna E.; Lempert, Karolina M.; Choo, Tse-Hwei; Kimeldorf, Marcia B.; Wall, Melanie; Walsh, B. Timothy; Fyer, Abby J.; Schneier, Franklin R.; Simpson, H. Blair

2018-01-01

Background Temporal discounting refers to the tendency for rewards to lose value as the expected delay to receipt increases. Individuals with anorexia nervosa (AN) have been found to show reduced temporal discounting rates, indicating a greater preference for delayed rewards compared to healthy peers. Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and social anxiety disorder (SAD) commonly co-occur with AN, and anxiety has been related to development and prognosis of AN. We examined whether reduced temporal discounting is present across these potentially related disorders, and explored the relationship between temporal discounting and anxiety trans-diagnostically. Methods One hundred ninety six individuals (75 healthy controls (HC); 50 OCD; 27 AN; 44 SAD) completed two temporal discounting tasks in which they chose between smaller-sooner and larger-later monetary rewards. Two measures of discounting—discount rate and discount factor—were compared between diagnostic groups, and associations with anxious traits were examined. Results Individuals with AN showed decreased temporal discounting compared to HC. OCD and SAD groups did not differ significantly from HC. Across the sample, anxiety was associated with decreased discounting; more anxious individuals showed a greater preference for delayed reward. Conclusions We replicated the findings that individuals with AN show an increased preference for delayed reward relative to HC and that individuals with OCD do not differ from HC. We also showed that individuals with SAD do not differ from HC in discounting. Across this large sample, two measures of anxious temperament were associated with temporal discounting. These data raise new questions about the relationship between this dimensional trait and psychopathology. PMID:28009473

Impact of type 1 diabetes mellitus and celiac disease on nutrition and quality of life.

PubMed

Nunes-Silva, J G; Nunes, V S; Schwartz, R P; Mlss Trecco, S; Evazian, D; Correa-Giannella, M L; Nery, M; Queiroz, M S

2017-01-09

Type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and celiac disease (CD) are autoimmune diseases and have similar genetic patterns. T1DM treatment is based on diet, physical activity and insulin therapy, whereas CD depends on dietary changes with restriction of wheat, rye and barley. The aim of the study was to evaluate the quality of life (QoL) of individuals with the association of T1DM and CD, to characterize their nutritional status and to compare it with those with only one disease and healthier controls. Sixty patients controlled by sex, age and body mass index (BMI) were stratified by previous diagnosis in: T1DM and CD (DMCD group); T1DM (DM group); CD (CD group); or healthy participants (HC). The SF-36 questionnaire was applied to assess psychological well being and results were compared with glycemic control and presence of complications related to diabetes, adhesion to gluten-free diet (GFD). Nutritional status and body mass composition were determined by BMI, waist circumference, bioimpedance, general laboratory tests and whole-body densitometry. The time of diagnosis of T1DM was similar between DMCD and DM groups; however, the duration of CD was significantly higher in the CD group compared with DMCD. The SF-36 analysis revealed statistically significant differences between DM and HC groups in two domains: general health (P=0.042) and energy/vitality (P=0.012). QoL was also correlated with compliance to a GFD, and scores were similar in both groups: DMCD and CD. Forty percent of individuals in the CD group had visceral fat area above 100 cm 2 , as opposed to 20% in the other groups. Individuals of DMCD group had similar scores to DM, CD and HC on QoL, as well as on their nutritional status and bone metabolism. Thereby, we should conclude that the association of T1DM and CD did not deteriorate their health status.

Low testosterone in non-responsive coeliac disease: A case series, case-control study with comparisons to the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey.

PubMed

Kurada, Satya; Veeraraghavan, Gopal; Kaswala, Dharmesh; Hansen, Josh; Cohen, David; Kelly, Ciaran; Leffler, Daniel

2016-10-01

Adults with coeliac disease (CD) often report persistent fatigue, even when CD appears well controlled for unknown reasons. To evaluate common indications for testosterone panel (TP) testing and prevalence of low testosterone (T) in CD. In our case series, we determined common indications for checking TP in CD. Next, we conducted a case-control study to compare TP in CD vs. healthy controls (HC). We compared mean total T (TT), free T (FT) based on serologic, histologic disease activity. Finally, we assessed TT in tissue transglutaminase (tTG)+ vs. tTG- subjects and CD vs. HC obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). 53 coeliac males had TP tested. Common indications included osteoporosis and fatigue. Low FT was observed in 7/13 men with osteoporosis and 5/6 with fatigue. In our case-control study (n=26 each), there was no difference in mean TT or FT between CD vs. HC, tTG+ vs tTG- or Marsh 0 vs. Marsh 3 groups. NHANES data showed no difference in mean TT between tTG+ vs tTG- (n=16 each) or CD vs. HC subjects (n=5 each). Low T occurs in CD patients at a similar rate as the general population. Common presentations of low T may mimic non-responsive CD symptoms. Copyright © 2016 Editrice Gastroenterologica Italiana S.r.l. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evidence for a medial prefrontal cortex-hippocampal axis associated with heart rate control in conscious humans.

PubMed

Norton, Katelyn N; Luchyshyn, Torri A; Kevin Shoemaker, J

2013-11-13

Cardiovascular arousal correlates to activity within the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC). Additional evidence provides anatomical and functional links between the MPFC and hippocampus (HC). This study tested the hypothesis that the MPFC and HC form a sub-network associated with rapid heart rate (HR) responses to volitional effort. Primary analyses were performed on 29 individuals (18 males) ranging from 21 to 80 years of age, who produced a HR response >3bpm to an isometric handgrip (IHG) task. HR and cortical activity were recorded using functional magnetic resonance imaging with blood oxygen level-dependent contrast. The average change in HR from baseline was 6bpm ±2. Activity in the MPFC and left HC was reduced relative to baseline in all subjects when correlated with the HR time course. Measures of connectivity demonstrated that the MPFC engaged in significantly stronger functional connectivity to the left HC during a 40% IHG task. Effective connectivity revealed a directionality of influence from the MPFC to the left HC. A second group (n=15) of individuals without a HR response (~1bpm) to IHG were studied post-hoc and these individuals showed no deactivation in either the MPFC or left HC. These results suggest the presence of a MPFC-HC axis that participates in the neurally-mediated HR response to exercise. © 2013 Published by Elsevier B.V.

The gut microbial profile in patients with primary sclerosing cholangitis is distinct from patients with ulcerative colitis without biliary disease and healthy controls.

PubMed

Kummen, Martin; Holm, Kristian; Anmarkrud, Jarl Andreas; Nygård, Ståle; Vesterhus, Mette; Høivik, Marte L; Trøseid, Marius; Marschall, Hanns-Ulrich; Schrumpf, Erik; Moum, Bjørn; Røsjø, Helge; Aukrust, Pål; Karlsen, Tom H; Hov, Johannes R

2017-04-01

Gut microbiota could influence gut, as well as hepatic and biliary immune responses. We therefore thoroughly characterised the gut microbiota in primary sclerosing cholangitis (PSC) compared with healthy controls (HC) and patients with ulcerative colitis without liver disease. We prospectively collected 543 stool samples. After a stringent exclusion process, bacterial DNA was submitted for 16S rRNA gene sequencing. PSC and HC were randomised to an exploration panel or a validation panel, and only significant results (p<0.05, Q FDR <0.20) in both panels were reported, followed by a combined comparison of all samples against UC. Patients with PSC (N=85) had markedly reduced bacterial diversity compared with HC (N=263, p<0.0001), and a different global microbial composition compared with both HC (p<0.001) and UC (N=36, p<0.01). The microbiota of patients with PSC with and without IBD was similar. Twelve genera separated PSC and HC, out of which 11 were reduced in PSC. However, the Veillonella genus showed a marked increase in PSC compared with both HC (p<0.0001) and UC (p<0.02). Using receiver operating characteristic analysis, Veillonella abundance yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.64 to discriminate PSC from HC, while a combination of PSC-associated genera yielded an AUC of 0.78. Patients with PSC exhibited a gut microbial signature distinct from both HC and UC without liver disease, but similar in PSC with and without IBD. The Veillonella genus, which is also associated with other chronic inflammatory and fibrotic conditions, was enriched in PSC. Published by the BMJ Publishing Group Limited. For permission to use (where not already granted under a licence) please go to http://www.bmj.com/company/products-services/rights-and-licensing/.

A retrospective case-control analysis of the outpatient expenditures for western medicine and dental treatment modalities in CKD patients in Taiwan.

PubMed

Huang, Ren-Yeong; Lin, Yuh-Feng; Kao, Sen-Yeong; Shieh, Yi-Shing; Chen, Jin-Shuen

2014-01-01

To determine if expenditures for dentistry (DENT) correlate with severity of chronic kidney disease (CKD). A total of 10,457 subjects were enrolled from January 2008 to December 2010, divided into three groups: healthy control (HC) group (n = 1,438), high risk (HR) group (n = 3,392), and CKD group (n = 5,627). Five stages were further categorized for the CKD group. OPD utilization and expenditures for western medicine (WM), DENT, and TCM (traditional Chinese medicine) were analyzed retrospectively (2000-2008) using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database. Three major areas were analyzed among groups CKD, HR and HC in this study: 1) demographic data and medical history; 2) utilization (visits/person/year) and expenditures (9-year cumulative expenditure, expenditure/person/year) for OPD services in WM, DENT, and TCM; and 3) utilization and expenditures for dental OPD services, particularly in dental filling, root canal and periodontal therapy. OPD utilization and expenditures of WM increased significantly for the CKD group compared with the HR and HC groups, and increased steadily along with the severity of CKD stages. However, overall DENT and TCM utilization and expenditures did not increase for the CKD group. In comparison among different CKD stages, the average expenditures and utilization for DENT including restorative filling and periodontal therapy, but not root canal therapy, showed significant decreases according to severity of CKD stage, indicating less DENT OPD utilization with progression of CKD. Patients with advanced CKD used DENT OPD service less frequently. However, the connection between CKD and DENT service utilization requires further study.

Influence of Fat/Carbohydrate Ratio on Progression of Fatty Liver Disease and on Development of Osteopenia in Male Rats Fed Alcohol via Total Enteral Nutrition (TEN)

PubMed Central

Ronis, Martin J. J.; Mercer, Kelly; Suva, Larry J.; Vantrease, Jamie; Ferguson, Matthew; Hogue, William R.; Sharma, Neha; Cleves, Mario A.; Blackburn, Michael L.; Badger, Thomas M.

2014-01-01

Alcohol abuse is associated with the development of fatty liver disease and also with significant osteopenia in both genders. In this study, we examined ethanol-induced pathology in response to diets with differing fat/carbohydrate ratios. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed intragastrically with isocaloric liquid diets. Dietary fat content was either 5% (high carbohydrate, HC) or 45% (high fat, HF), with or without ethanol (12–13 g/kg/day). After 14, 28, or 65 days, livers were harvested and analyzed. In addition, bone morphology was analyzed after 65 days. HC rats gained more weight and had larger fat pads than HF rats with or without ethanol. Steatosis developed in HC + ethanol (HC+EtOH) compared to HF + ethanol (HF+EtOH) rats, accompanied by increased fatty acid (FA) synthesis and increased nuclear carbohydrate response element binding protein (ChREBP) (p < 0.05), but in the absence of effects on hepatic silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog (SIRT-1) or nuclear sterol regulatory binding element protein (SREBP-1c). Ethanol reduced serum leptin (p < 0.05) but not adiponectin. Over time, HC rats developed fatty liver independent of ethanol. FA degradation was significantly elevated by ethanol in both HC and HF groups (p < 0.05). HF+EtOH rats had increased oxidative stress from 28 days, increased necrosis compared to HF controls and higher expression of cytochromes P450, CYP2E1, and CYP4A1 compared to HC+EtOH rats (p < 0.05). In contrast, HC+EtOH rats had no significant increase in oxidative stress until day 65 with no observed increase in necrosis. Unlike liver pathology, no dietary differences were observed on ethanol-induced osteopenia in HC compared to HF groups. These data demonstrate that interactions between diet composition and alcohol are complex, dependent on the length of exposure, and are an important influence in development of fatty liver injury. Importantly, it appears that diet composition does not affect alcohol-associated skeletal toxicity. PMID:24581955

Validation of the Brief International Cognitive Assessment for Multiple Sclerosis in Japan.

PubMed

Niino, Masaaki; Fukazawa, Toshiyuki; Kira, Jun-Ichi; Okuno, Tatsusada; Mori, Masahiro; Sanjo, Nobuo; Ohashi, Takashi; Fukaura, Hikoaki; Fujimori, Juichi; Shimizu, Yuko; Mifune, Nobuhiro; Miyazaki, Yusei; Takahashi, Eri; Kikuchi, Seiji; Langdon, Dawn; Hb Benedict, Ralph; Matsui, Makoto

2017-01-01

The Brief International Cognitive Assessment for MS (BICAMS) is a practical battery for measuring cognitive function in multiple sclerosis (MS). We aimed to validate a Japanese version of the BICAMS in patients with MS and healthy controls. The Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), the California Verbal Learning Test-Second Edition (CVLT2) and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test Revised (BVMTR) were administered to 156 patients with MS and 126 healthy controls (HCs). The BICAMS was re-administered in a subset of 27 MS patients and 30 HCs. The mean (±SD) raw scores in the MS and HC groups were as follows: SDMT: MS 47.9 ± 14.0, HC 61.0 ± 9.5; CVLT2: MS 48.6 ± 12.6, HC 55.7 ± 10.5; BVMTR: MS 23.5 ± 8.4, HC 28.3 ± 5.4, respectively, and significant differences were found between the two groups on all tests ( p  < 0.0001). Cohen's d values were 1.07, 0.60, and 0.67 in SDMT, CVLT2, and BVMTR, respectively. The test-retest reliability coefficients for each test were as follows: SDMT: r  = 0.93; CVLT2: r  = 0.82; and BVMTR: r  = 0.77 ( p  < 0.0001). This study provides results that support the reliability and validity of the BICAMS in Japan.

Fatigue in an adult attention deficit hyperactivity disorder population: A trans-diagnostic approach.

PubMed

Rogers, Denise C; Dittner, Antonia J; Rimes, Katharine A; Chalder, Trudie

2017-03-01

Trans-diagnostic approaches suggest that key cognitive and behavioural processes maintain symptoms across a wide range of mental health disorders. Fatigue is a common clinical feature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood; however, empirical data supporting its prevalence are lacking. This study aimed to collate outcomes from outpatient services to (1) investigate the prevalence of fatigue in adults with ADHD, (2) examine symptoms of ADHD in adults with chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS), and (3) consider secondary clinical characteristics common to both disorder groups. Measures of self-reported fatigue were compared across groups of adults with ADHD (N = 243), CFS (N = 86), and healthy controls (HC) (N = 211) using a between-subjects cross-sectional design. Groups were also compared on secondary clinical measures of functional impairment, mood, anxiety, sleep, self-efficacy, and their beliefs about the acceptability of expressing emotions. The ADHD group were significantly more fatigued than HC with 62% meeting criteria for fatigue caseness. ADHD symptoms were significantly greater in the CFS group than in HC. ADHD and CFS groups did not differ significantly on measures of functional impairment, mood, and self-efficacy. No significant differences were detected on measures of anxiety when items relating to physical restlessness were removed from the analysis. Adults with ADHD experience greater fatigue than HC. Adults with CFS and ADHD share many trans-diagnostic clinical characteristics, including difficulties with low mood, anxiety, and reduced self-efficacy, which impact upon their overall functioning. Further research is required to investigate extraneous factors mediating fatigue severity in these clinical groups. Fatigue is a common clinical feature of attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in adulthood. Evidence-based interventions for chronic fatigue syndrome could be adapted to address fatigue in ADHD in adults. © 2016 The British Psychological Society.

Effects of stress and alcohol cues in men with and without problem gambling and alcohol use disorder.

PubMed

Steinberg, Lindsay; Tremblay, Anne-Marie; Zack, Martin; Busto, Usoa E; Zawertailo, Laurie A

2011-12-01

Relapse is a serious challenge in problem gambling (PG), as it is in substance addiction. Stress and cues are implicated in relapse in both conditions. However, experimental research on motivational effects of stress in PG subjects is scant. This study examined subjective-motivational, cognitive and physiological effects of stress and alcohol cues in subjects with PG, alcohol use disorder (AD), co-occurring PG and AD (CO), and healthy controls (HC). Fifty-two (12/clinical group; 16 HC) physically healthy men received stress in the form of 10-min uncontrollable noise (U-Noise vs. controllable noise; C-Noise) and cues (355 ml non-alcoholic 'placebo' beer; P-Beer vs. soft drink) under Separate or Combined conditions on two test sessions. Visual analogue scales assessed subjective effects. Emotional Stroop and Go/No-Go 'Shift' tasks assessed inhibitory control. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) indexed physiological reactivity. U-Noise and C-Noise increased desire for alcohol in all groups. U-Noise selectively inhibited desire to gamble in PG subjects. Both U-Noise and C-Noise inhibited desire to gamble in CO subjects. Neither manipulation reliably altered cognitive performance. Compared to Neutral words, Alcohol words impaired Stroop color-naming in all groups except PG, which displayed relatively faster color-naming of Alcohol words (facilitation). U-Noise increased SBP relative to C-Noise in AD and HC groups. U-Noise plus P-Beer and U-Noise per se decreased SBP in PG and CO groups, respectively. Noise stress has opposite motivational and physiological effects in men with problem gambling vs. alcohol use disorder. A homeostatic process may explain the impact of stress in problem gamblers. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

The Evolution of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Early Parkinson Disease.

PubMed

Sixel-Döring, Friederike; Zimmermann, Johannes; Wegener, Andrea; Mollenhauer, Brit; Trenkwalder, Claudia

2016-09-01

To investigate the development of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and REM sleep behavioral events (RBE) not yet fulfilling diagnostic criteria for RBD as markers for neurodegeneration in a cohort of Parkinson disease (PD) patients between their de novo baseline assessment and two-year follow-up in comparison to healthy controls (HC). Clinically confirmed PD patients and HC with video-supported polysomnography (vPSG) data at baseline were re-investigated after two years. Diagnostic scoring for RBE and RBD was performed in both groups and related to baseline findings. One hundred thirteen PD patients and 102 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. Within two years, the overall occurrence of behaviors during REM sleep in PD patients increased from 50% to 63% (P = 0.02). RBD increased from 25% to 43% (P < 0.001). Eleven of 29 (38%) RBE positive PD patients and 10/56 (18%) patients with normal REM sleep at baseline converted to RBD. In HC, the occurrence of any REM behavior increased from 17% to 20% (n.s.). RBD increased from 2% to 4% (n.s.). One of 15 (7%) RBE positive HC and 1/85 (1%) HC with normal REM at baseline converted to RBD. RBD increased significantly in PD patients from the de novo state to two-year follow-up. We propose RBE being named "prodromal RBD" as it may follow a continuous evolution in PD possibly similar to the spreading of Lewy bodies in PD patients. RBD itself was shown as a robust and stable marker of early PD. © 2016 Associated Professional Sleep Societies, LLC.

Air compressor battery duration with mechanical ventilation in a field anesthesia machine.

PubMed

Szpisjak, Dale F; Giberman, Anthony A

2015-05-01

Compressed air to power field anesthesia machine ventilators may be supplied by air compressor with battery backup. This study determined the battery duration when the compPAC ventilator's air compressor was powered by NiCd battery to ventilate the Vent Aid Training Test Lung modeling high (HC = 0.100 L/cm H2O) and low (LC = 0.020 L/cm H2O) pulmonary compliance. Target tidal volumes (VT) were 500, 750, and 1,000 mL. Respiratory rate = 10 bpm, inspiratory-to-expiratory time ratio = 1:2, and fresh gas flow = 1 L/min air. N = 5 in each group. Control limits were determined from the first 150 minutes of battery power for each run and lower control limit = mean VT - 3SD. Battery depletion occurred when VT was below the lower control limit. Battery duration ranged from 185.8 (±3.2) minutes in the LC-1000 group to 233.3 (±3.6) minutes in the HC-750 group. Battery duration of the LC-1000 group was less than all others (p = 0.027). The differences among the non-LC-1000 groups were not clinically significant. Reprint & Copyright © 2015 Association of Military Surgeons of the U.S.

Obese type 2 diabetics have a blunted hypotensive response to acute hyperthermia therapy that does not affect the perception of thermal stress or physiological strain compared to healthy adults.

PubMed

Rivas, Eric; Newmire, Dan E; Ben-Ezra, Vic

2016-10-15

The objective of this study was to test the hypothesis that a hyperthermia-hypotensive challenge via whole body hot water immersion would alter the perception of hyperthermia and physiological strain in obese type 2 diabetics (T2DM) compared to healthy non-obese (HC) individuals. Additionally, we hypothesize that the mechanisms would be attributed to impaired blood pressure adjustments and afferent signals (via changes in internal and mean skin temperatures). In random order, eleven obese T2DM (50±12y, 45±7% fat mass, 7.5±1.8% HbA1c) and nine similar aged (41±14y, P>0.05) HC non-obese (33±8% fat mass, P<0.01) non-diabetic (5.3±0.4% HbA1c, P<0.01) underwent a 60min bout of whole body passive hyperthermia followed by 60min of recovery or a 2h resting control condition. The perception of thermal sensation (TS, scale range: 1-13), calculated physiological strain (PSI), internal (Tre, rectal) and mean skin (Tsk) temperatures, heart rate (HR) and blood pressures (BP) were the primary dependent variables. Hyperthermia similarly increased Tre by 1.4±0.4°C, Tsk by 6.5±0.8°C and HR by 34±8bpm in both groups (P>0.5). Hyperthermia reduced diastolic BP (27% in T2DM and 33% in HC, P<0.05) and mean arterial BP (reduced by 15% in T2DM and by 19% in HC) relative to control conditions (P<0.05). The reduction of mean arterial BP area under the curve was attenuated in T2DM (12%) compared to HC (30%) (group×condition, P<0.01). TS and PSI during hyperthermia were not different between groups. Pearson product correlation reported strong correlations (r=0.69-0.89) with Tre and Tsk with TS in both populations. The linear stepwise regression analysis revealed similar relative contributions for Tre (~60%) and Tsk (~40%) on TS for both groups. These data indicate that obese T2DM with moderate metabolic control have an attenuated hyperthermia-hypotensive response that does not affect TS and PSI. This also may suggest behavioral thermoregulation is intact in this study group. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Doubt and fear of self in bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Wilson, Samantha; Aardema, Frederick; O'Connor, Kieron

2017-12-01

Several overlapping cognitive processes have been identified in eating disorders (EDs) and obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD). Drawing from the OCD literature, the present study examined whether bulimia nervosa (BN) is associated with a maladaptive inductive reasoning style characterized by the over-investment in possibility-based (as opposed to reality-based) information. Women with BN (n = 25) and healthy controls (HC; n = 24) completed the Inference Processes Task (IPT), an ecological inductive reasoning task previously validated in OCD samples. Participants also completed the Fear of Self Questionnaire (FSQ) that evaluates investment in a feared possible identity. Significant differences on the IPT indicate that the BN group was more influenced by possibility-based information throughout the task than the HC group (F[5.44, 255.78] = 6.94, p > .001). It was also found that the BN group scored significantly higher on the FSQ than the HC group (t[29.98] = 8.4, p > .001), replicating previous findings. Finally, scores on the IPT were significantly correlated with measures of symptom severity. These findings suggest that BN may be associated with maladaptive inductive reasoning processes characterized by over-investment in possibility-based feared outcomes and identities. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness in Patients With Subclinical Hypothyroidism and the Relationship Thereof With Visceral Adipose Tissue Thickness.

PubMed

Arpaci, Dilek; Gurkan Tocoglu, Aysel; Yilmaz, Sabiye; Korkmaz, Sumeyye; Ergenc, Hasan; Gunduz, Huseyin; Keser, Nurgul; Tamer, Ali

2016-03-01

Subclinical hypothyroidism (SH) is associated with cardiovascular metabolic syndromes, especially dislipidemia and abdominal obesity. Visceral abdominal adipose tissue (VAAT) and epicardial adipose tissue (EAT) have the same ontogenic origin and produce many proinflammatory and proatherogenic cytokines. We evaluated EAT and VAAT thickness in patients with SH. Forty-one patients with SH and 35 controls were included in the study. Demographical and anthropometric features of both patients and controls were recorded. Thyroid and metabolic parameters were measured. EAT was measured using 2D-transthoracic echocardiography. The age and gender distributions were similar in the two groups (P = 0.998 and P = 0.121, respectively). Body mass index (BMI), fat mass, waist circumference (WC), hip circumference (HC), the WC/HC ratio, and the thicknesses of VAAT and abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue were higher in the case group than the control group (all P values < 0.01). However, both groups had similar EAT thickness (P = 0.532), which was positively correlated with BMI, fat mass, WC, HC, VAAT thickness, abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue thickness, and serum triglyceride (TG) level (all P values < 0.01). We found no correlation between EAT thickness and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level, free thyroxine (FT4) level, or low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) level, and anti-TPO level (all P values > 0.05). We found no difference between the two groups in fasting plasma glucose (FPG) level (P = 0.780), but the levels of LDL-C and TG differed significantly (P = 0.002 and P = 0.026, respectively). The serum TSH level was higher and the FT4 level was lower in the case than the control group (both P values <0.01). Increased abdominal adipose tissue thickness in patients with SH is associated with atherosclerosis. To detemine the risk of atherosclerosis in such patients, EAT measurements are valuable; such assessment is simple to perform.

Oxytocin improves facial emotion recognition in young adults with antisocial personality disorder.

PubMed

Timmermann, Marion; Jeung, Haang; Schmitt, Ruth; Boll, Sabrina; Freitag, Christine M; Bertsch, Katja; Herpertz, Sabine C

2017-11-01

Deficient facial emotion recognition has been suggested to underlie aggression in individuals with antisocial personality disorder (ASPD). As the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) has been shown to improve facial emotion recognition, it might also exert beneficial effects in individuals providing so much harm to the society. In a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled crossover trial, 22 individuals with ASPD and 29 healthy control (HC) subjects (matched for age, sex, intelligence, and education) were intranasally administered either OT (24 IU) or a placebo 45min before participating in an emotion classification paradigm with fearful, angry, and happy faces. We assessed the number of correct classifications and reaction times as indicators of emotion recognition ability. Significant group×substance×emotion interactions were found in correct classifications and reaction times. Compared to HC, individuals with ASPD showed deficits in recognizing fearful and happy faces; these group differences were no longer observable under OT. Additionally, reaction times for angry faces differed significantly between the ASPD and HC group in the placebo condition. This effect was mainly driven by longer reaction times in HC subjects after placebo administration compared to OT administration while individuals with ASPD revealed descriptively the contrary response pattern. Our data indicate an improvement of the recognition of fearful and happy facial expressions by OT in young adults with ASPD. Particularly the increased recognition of facial fear is of high importance since the correct perception of distress signals in others is thought to inhibit aggression. Beneficial effects of OT might be further mediated by improved recognition of facial happiness probably reflecting increased social reward responsiveness. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Parietal lobe volume deficits in adolescents with schizophrenia and adolescents with cannabis use disorders.

PubMed

Kumra, Sanjiv; Robinson, Paul; Tambyraja, Rabindra; Jensen, Daniel; Schimunek, Caroline; Houri, Alaa; Reis, Tiffany; Lim, Kelvin

2012-02-01

In early-onset schizophrenia (EOS), the earliest structural brain volumetric abnormalities appear in the parietal cortices. Early exposure to cannabis may represent an environmental risk factor for developing schizophrenia. This study characterized cerebral cortical gray matter structure in adolescents in regions of interest (ROIs) that have been implicated in EOS and cannabis use disorders (CUD). T1-weighted magnetic resonance images were acquired from adolescents with EOS (n = 35), CUD (n = 16), EOS + CUD (n = 13), and healthy controls (HC) (n = 51). Using FreeSurfer, brain volume was examined within frontal, temporal, parietal and subcortical ROIs by a 2 (EOS versus no EOS) × 2 (CUD versus no CUD) design using multivariate analysis of covariance. In ROIs in which volumetric differences were identified, additional analyses of cortical thickness and surface area were conducted. A significant EOS-by-CUD interaction was observed. In the left superior parietal region, both "pure" EOS and "pure" CUD had smaller gray matter volumes that were associated with lower surface area compared with HC. A similar alteration was observed in the comorbid group compared with HC, but there was no additive volumetric deficit found in the comorbid group compared with the separate groups. In the left thalamus, the comorbid group had smaller gray matter volumes compared with the CUD and HC groups. These preliminary data indicate that the presence of a CUD may moderate the relationship between EOS and cerebral cortical gray matter structure in the left superior parietal lobe. Future research will follow this cohort over adolescence to further examine the impact of cannabis use on neurodevelopment.

miR-192 suppresses T follicular helper cell differentiation by targeting CXCR5 in childhood asthma.

PubMed

Zhang, Defeng; Wu, Yuanbo; Sun, Gengyun

2018-05-01

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of miR-192 in differentiation of T follicular helper cells in childhood asthma. Blood samples were taken from eighteen children with acute asthma attacks and fifteen healthy children (HC). Quantitative real-time PCR and Western blotting were used to detect the expression levels of miR-192, C-X-C chemokine receptor type 5 (CXCR5), B-cell lymphoma 6 (BCL-6) and inducible T-cell costimulator (ICOS). The flow cytometry was performed to detect the proportion of CD4 + CXCR5+ Tfh cells on CD4 + T lymphocytes. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was carried out to determine the plasma concentrations of total IgE and IL-21. The effect of miR-192 on the T follicular helper cells differentiation by targeting CXCR5 was determined by dual-luciferase reporter assay. Children with asthma had lower levels of miR-192 than HC. The proportion of CD4 + CXCR + Tfh cells was significantly higher in the acute asthma group than HC. Similarly, the plasma concentration of total IgE and IL-21 in the acute group markedly increased compared with the HC, and IgE concentration was positively correlated with the proportion of CD4 + CXCR5 + Tfh cells. Furthermore, the expression levels of CXCR5, Bcl-6 and ICOS were significantly higher in the acute group than in the HC. While the proportion of CD4 + CXCR5 + Tfh cells, IL-21, CXCR5, Bcl-6 and ICOS were obviously lower in the CD4 + T cells transfected with miR-192 plasmid than that in miR-192 + CXCR5 group and control group. In conclusion, miR-192 blocks the activation pathway of Tfh cells by targeting CXCR5, which is a reasonable cellular target for therapeutic intervention.

The Neurobiology of Self-Face Recognition in Depressed Adolescents with Low or High Suicidality

PubMed Central

Quevedo, Karina; Ng, Rowena; Scott, Hannah; Martin, Jodi; Smyda, Garry; Keener, Matt; Oppenheimer, Caroline W.

2017-01-01

This study sought to test whether the neurobiology of self-processing differentiated depressed adolescents with high suicidality from those with low suicidality and healthy controls (N=119, MAGE= 14.79, SD=1.64, Min=11.3, Max = 17.8). Participants completed a visual self-recognition task in the scanner during which they identified their own or an unfamiliar adolescent face across three emotional expressions (happy, neutral or sad). A 3 Group (HS, LS, HC) by two within subject factors [2 Self conditions (self, other) and 3 Emotions (happy, neutral, sad)] GLM yielded: 1) a main effect of Self condition with all participants showing higher activity in the right occipital, precuneus and fusiform during the self-versus other-face conditions; 2) a main effect of Group where all depressed youth showed higher dorsolateral prefrontal cortex activity than HC across all conditions, and with HS showing higher cuneus and occipital activity versus both LS and HC; and 3) a Group by Self by Emotion interaction with HS showing lower activity in both mid parietal, limbic and prefrontal areas in the Happy self versus other-face condition relative to the LS group, who in turn had less activity compared to HC youth. Covarying for depression severity replicated all results except the third finding; in this subsequent analysis, a Group by Self interaction showed that although HC had similar midline cortical structure (MCS) activity for all faces, LS showed higher MCS activity for the self vs. other faces while HS showed the opposite pattern. Results suggest that the neurophysiology of emotionally charged self-referential information can distinguish depressed, suicidal youth versus non-suicidal depressed and healthy adolescents. Neurophysiological differences and implications for the prediction of suicidality in youth are discussed. General Scientific Summary: Depressed adolescents with high suicidality show less activity in brain areas that support emotional experiences and self-awareness when identifying their own face, suggesting that abnormal self-processing may be associated with greater suicide risk. PMID:27618278

Evidence for a general stiffening motor control pattern in neck pain: a cross sectional study.

PubMed

Meisingset, Ingebrigt; Woodhouse, Astrid; Stensdotter, Ann-Katrin; Stavdahl, Øyvind; Lorås, Håvard; Gismervik, Sigmund; Andresen, Hege; Austreim, Kristian; Vasseljen, Ottar

2015-03-17

Neck pain is associated with several alterations in neck motion and motor control. Previous studies have investigated single constructs of neck motor control, while few have applied a comprehensive set of tests to investigate cervical motor control. This comparative cross- sectional study aimed to investigate different motor control constructs in neck pain patients and healthy controls. A total of 166 subjects participated in the study, 91 healthy controls (HC) and 75 neck pain patients (NP) with long-lasting moderate to severe neck pain. Neck flexibility, proprioception, head steadiness, trajectory movement control, and postural sway were assessed using a 3D motion tracking system (Liberty). The different constructs of neck motion and motor control were based on tests used in previous studies. Neck flexibility was lower in NP compared to HC, indicated by reduced cervical ROM and conjunct motion. Movement velocity was slower in NP compared to HC. Tests of head steadiness showed a stiffer movement pattern in NP compared to HC, indicated by lower head angular velocity. NP patients departed less from a predictable trajectory movement pattern (figure of eight) compared to healthy controls, but there was no difference for unpredictable movement patterns (the Fly test). No differences were found for postural sway in standing with eyes open and eyes closed. However, NP patients had significantly larger postural sway when standing on a balance pad. Proprioception did not differ between the groups. Largest effect sizes (ES) were found for neck flexibility (ES range: 0.2-0.8) and head steadiness (ES range: 1.3-2.0). Neck flexibility was the only construct that showed a significant association with current neck pain, while peak velocity was the only variable that showed a significant association with kinesiophobia. NP patients showed an overall stiffer and more rigid neck motor control pattern compared to HC, indicated by lower neck flexibility, slower movement velocity, increased head steadiness and more rigid trajectory head motion patterns. Only neck flexibility showed a significant association with clinical features in NP patients.

Dorso- and ventro-lateral prefrontal volume and spatial working memory in schizotypal personality disorder.

PubMed

Goldstein, Kim E; Hazlett, Erin A; Savage, Kimberley R; Berlin, Heather A; Hamilton, Holly K; Zelmanova, Yuliya; Look, Amy E; Koenigsberg, Harold W; Mitsis, Effie M; Tang, Cheuk Y; McNamara, Margaret; Siever, Larry J; Cohen, Barry H; New, Antonia S

2011-04-15

Schizotypal personality disorder (SPD) individuals and borderline personality disorder (BPD) individuals have been reported to show neuropsychological impairments and abnormalities in brain structure. However, relationships between neuropsychological function and brain structure in these groups are not well understood. This study compared visual-spatial working memory (SWM) and its associations with dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) gray matter volume in 18 unmedicated SPD patients with no BPD traits, 18 unmedicated BPD patients with no SPD traits, and 16 healthy controls (HC). Results showed impaired SWM in SPD but not BPD, compared with HC. Moreover, among the HC group, but not SPD patients, better SWM performance was associated with larger VLPFC (BA44/45) gray matter volume (Fisher's Z p-values <0.05). Findings suggest spatial working memory impairments may be a core neuropsychological deficit specific to SPD patients and highlight the role of VLPFC subcomponents in normal and dysfunctional memory performance. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Effects of anticholinergic drugs on cognitive function in older Australians: results from the AIBL study.

PubMed

Sittironnarit, Gobhathai; Ames, David; Bush, Ashley I; Faux, Noel; Flicker, Leon; Foster, Jonathan; Hilmer, Sarah; Lautenschlager, Nicola T; Maruff, Paul; Masters, Colin L; Martins, Ralph N; Rowe, Christopher; Szoeke, Cassandra; Ellis, Kathryn A

2011-01-01

The nature and extent of adverse cognitive effects due to the prescription of anticholinergic drugs in older people with and without dementia is unclear. We calculated the anticholinergic load (ACL) of medications taken by participants of the Australian Imaging, Biomarkers and Lifestyle (AIBL) study of ageing, a cohort of 211 Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients, 133 mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients and 768 healthy controls (HC) all aged over 60 years. The association between ACL and cognitive function was examined for each diagnostic group (HC, MCI, AD). A high ACL within the HC group was associated with significantly slower response speeds for the Stroop color and incongruent trials. No other significant relationships between ACL and cognition were noted. In this large cohort, prescribed anticholinergic drugs appeared to have modest effects upon psychomotor speed and executive function, but not on other areas of cognition in healthy older adults. Copyright © 2011 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Low and high dietary protein:carbohydrate ratios during pregnancy affect materno-fetal glucose metabolism in pigs.

PubMed

Metges, Cornelia C; Görs, Solvig; Lang, Iris S; Hammon, Harald M; Brüssow, Klaus-Peter; Weitzel, Joachim M; Nürnberg, Gerd; Rehfeldt, Charlotte; Otten, Winfried

2014-02-01

Inadequate dietary protein during pregnancy causes intrauterine growth retardation. Whether this is related to altered maternal and fetal glucose metabolism was examined in pregnant sows comparing a high-protein:low-carbohydrate diet (HP-LC; 30% protein, 39% carbohydrates) with a moderately low-protein:high-carbohydrate diet (LP-HC; 6.5% protein, 68% carbohydrates) and the isoenergetic standard diet (ST; 12.1% protein, 60% carbohydrates). During late pregnancy, maternal and umbilical glucose metabolism and fetal hepatic mRNA expression of gluconeogenic enzymes were examined. During an i.v. glucose tolerance test (IVGTT), the LP-HC-fed sows had lower insulin concentrations and area under the curve (AUC), and higher glucose:insulin ratios than the ST- and the HP-LC-fed sows (P < 0.05). Insulin sensitivity and glucose clearance were higher in the LP-HC sows compared with ST sows (P < 0.05). Glucagon concentrations during postabsorptive conditions and IVGTT, and glucose AUC during IVGTT, were higher in the HP-LC group compared with the other groups (P < 0.001). (13)C glucose oxidation was lower in the HP-LC sows than in the ST and LP-HC sows (P < 0.05). The HP-LC fetuses were lighter and had a higher brain:liver ratio than the ST group (P < 0.05). The umbilical arterial inositol concentration was greater in the HP-LC group (P < 0.05) and overall small fetuses (230-572 g) had higher values than medium and heavy fetuses (≥573 g) (P < 0.05). Placental lactate release was lower in the LP-HC group than in the ST group (P < 0.05). Fetal glucose extraction tended to be lower in the LP-HC group than in the ST group (P = 0.07). In the HP-LC and LP-HC fetuses, hepatic mRNA expression of cytosolic phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase (PCK1) and glucose-6-phosphatase (G6PC) was higher than in the ST fetuses (P < 0.05). In conclusion, the HP-LC and LP-HC sows adapted by reducing glucose turnover and oxidation and having higher glucose utilization, respectively. The HP-LC and LP-HC fetuses adapted via prematurely expressed hepatic gluconeogenic enzymes.

Dopaminergic Challenge With Bromocriptine One Month After Mild Traumatic Brain Injury: Altered Working Memory and BOLD Response

PubMed Central

McAllister, Thomas W.; Flashman, Laura A.; McDonald, Brenna C.; Ferrell, Richard B.; Tosteson, Tor D.; Yanofsky, Norman N.; Grove, Margaret R.; Saykin, Andrew J.

2014-01-01

Catecholamines, particularly dopamine, modulate working memory (WM). Altered sensitivity to dopamine might play a role in WM changes observed after traumatic brain injury (TBI). Thirty-one healthy controls (HC) and 26 individuals with mild TBI (MTBI) 1 month after injury were challenged with bromocriptine versus placebo before administration of a verbal WM functional MRI task. Bromocriptine was associated with improved WM performance in the HC but not the MTBI group. On bromocriptine, the MTBI group showed increased activation outside of a task-specific region of interest. Findings are consistent with the hypothesis that individuals with MTBI have altered responsivity to dopamine. PMID:21948888

Depression management within GP-centered health care - A case-control study based on claims data.

PubMed

Freytag, Antje; Krause, Markus; Lehmann, Thomas; Schulz, Sven; Wolf, Florian; Biermann, Janine; Wasem, Jürgen; Gensichen, Jochen

For most patients with depression, GPs are the first and long-term medical providers. GP-centered health care (GPc-HC) programs target patients with chronic diseases. What are the effects of GPc-HC on primary care depression management? An observational retrospective case-control study was conducted using health insurance claims data of patients with depressive disorder from July 2011 to December 2012. From 40,298 patients insured with the largest health plan in Central Germany participating in the GPc-HC program (intervention group, IG), we observed 4645 patients with depression over 18months: 72.2% women; 66.6years (mean); multiple conditions (morbidity-weight 2.50 (mean), 86%>1.0). We compared them with 4013 patients who did not participate (control group). In participants we found lower number of incomplete/non-specified depression diagnoses (4.46vs.4.82;MD-0.36; p<0.01); lower rate of patients consulting more than one GP-practice (49.1%vs.58.0%;PP-8.9;p<0.01); more GP-contacts (18.19vs.15.59;MD+2.60;p<0.01); more GP-initiated referrals to specialists (82.9%vs.79.3%;PP+3.6;p<0.05), more antidepressant pharmacotherapy prescribed by a GP (37.9%vs.35.4%;PP+2.5;p<0.05), more frequent guideline-concordant therapy duration (19.2%vs.13.1%;PP+6.1;p<0.01) and more patients receiving "GP-psychosomatic basic care" (38.2%vs.30.2%;PP+8.0;p<0.01). Depressive patients participating in a GPc-HC program may be more often diagnosed by a GP, receive symptom-monitoring and appropriate depression treatment. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Category and design fluency in mild cognitive impairment: Performance, strategy use, and neural correlates.

PubMed

Peter, Jessica; Kaiser, Jannis; Landerer, Verena; Köstering, Lena; Kaller, Christoph P; Heimbach, Bernhard; Hüll, Michael; Bormann, Tobias; Klöppel, Stefan

2016-12-01

The exploration and retrieval of words during category fluency involves different strategies to improve or maintain performance. Deficits in that task, which are common in patients with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI), mirror either impaired semantic memory or dysfunctional executive control mechanisms. Relating category fluency to tasks that place greater demands on either semantic knowledge or executive functions might help to determine the underlying cognitive process. The aims of this study were to compare performance and strategy use of 20 patients with aMCI to 30 healthy elderly controls (HC) and to identify the dominant component (either executive or semantic) for better task performance in category fluency. Thus, the relationship between category fluency, design fluency and naming was examined. As fluency tasks have been associated with the superior frontal gyrus (SFG), the inferior frontal gyrus (IFG), and the temporal pole, we further explored the relationship between gray matter volume in these areas and both performance and strategy use. Patients with aMCI showed significantly lower performance and significantly less strategy use during fluency tasks compared to HC. However, both groups equally improved their performance when repeatedly confronted with the same task. In aMCI, performance during category fluency was significantly predicted by design fluency performance, while in HC, it was significantly predicted by naming performance. In HC, volume of the SFG significantly predicted both category and design fluency performance, and strategy use during design fluency. In aMCI, the SFG and the IFG predicted performance during both category and design fluency. The IFG significantly predicted strategy use during category fluency in both groups. The reduced category fluency performance in aMCI seems to be primarily due to dysfunctional executive control mechanisms rather than impaired semantic knowledge. This finding is directly relevant to patients in the different stages of Alzheimer's disease as it links the known semantic fluency deficit in this population to executive functions. Although patients with aMCI are impaired in both performance and strategy use compared to HC, they are able to increase performance over time. However, only HC were able to significantly improve the utilization of fluency strategies in both category and design fluency over time. HC seem to rely more heavily on the SFG during fluency tasks, while in patients with aMCI additional frontal brain areas are involved, possibly reflecting compensational processes. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

An intention to achieve better postnatal in-hospital-growth for preterm infants: adjustable protein fortification of human milk.

PubMed

Alan, Serdar; Atasay, Begum; Cakir, Ufuk; Yildiz, Duran; Kilic, Atila; Kahvecioglu, Dilek; Erdeve, Omer; Arsan, Saadet

2013-12-01

We assessed the effect of human milk (HM) fortification with extra protein supplement by an adjustable protein fortification method according to the weekly blood urea nitrogen (BUN) levels on growth in hospitalized preterm infants. A prospective observational intervention study in 58 preterms born ≤32 weeks of gestation and fed with breast milk was conducted. Preterms who were given a commercial HM fortifier which provides an additional protein of 0.8 g/3 scales according to the standard feeding strategy served as a historical control group. Infants who were given extra protein in addition to the HM fortifier with another commercial protein supplement which provides an additional protein of 2.2g/1 scale comprised the intervention group. Additional protein supplementation was adjusted according to BUN levels weekly in the intervention group. Weight gain velocities (g/kg/day), length, head circumferences (HC) gain velocities (mm/day) and daily growth indexes for weight, height and HC (percentage per day) were calculated. The median amount of daily enteral protein intake [4 (3.4-4.6) vs. 2.78 (2.1-3.1) g/kg/day, p < 0.0001] was significantly higher in the interventional group. Length (p = 0.008) and HC (p < 0.0001) gain velocities were significantly higher in the intervention group. Daily growth indexes for weight (2.2% vs. 1.8%, p = 0.026), for length (0.4% vs. 0.3%, p = 0.027) and for HC (0.48% vs. 0.36% per day, p = 0.003) were significantly higher in the intervention group. A higher protein intake by adjustable protein fortification method without energy or volume change leads to improved postnatal in-hospital-growth in very low birth weight infants. © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Neurological abnormalities in recent-onset schizophrenia and asperger-syndrome.

PubMed

Hirjak, Dusan; Wolf, Robert Christian; Koch, Sabine C; Mehl, Laura; Kelbel, Janna K; Kubera, Katharina Maria; Traeger, Tanja; Fuchs, Thomas; Thomann, Philipp Arthur

2014-01-01

Neurological abnormalities including a variety of subtle deficits such as discrete impairments in sensory integration, motor coordination (MOCO), and sequencing of complex motor acts are frequently found in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and commonly referred to as neurological soft signs (NSS). Asperger-syndrome (AS) is characterized by sensory-motor difficulties as well. However, the question whether the two disorders share a common or a disease-specific pattern of NSS remains unresolved. A total of 78 age- and education-matched participants [26 patients with recent-onset SZ, 26 individuals with AS, and 26 healthy controls (HC)] were recruited for the study. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs), with age, years of education, and medication included as covariates, were used to examine group differences on total NSS and the five subscale scores. Discriminant analyses were employed to identify the NSS subscales that maximally discriminate between the three groups. Significant differences among the three groups were found in NSS total score and on the five NSS subscales. The clinical groups differed significantly in the NSS subscale MOCO. The correct discriminant rate between patients with SZ and individuals with AS was 61.5%. The correct discriminant rate was 92.3% between individuals with AS and HC, and 80.8% between SZ patients and HC, respectively. Our findings provide new evidence for the presence of NSS in AS and lend further support to previously reported difficulties in movement control in this disorder. According to the present results, SZ and AS seem to be characterized by both quantitative and qualitative NSS expression.

Abnormalities in Structural Covariance of Cortical Gyrification in Parkinson's Disease.

PubMed

Xu, Jinping; Zhang, Jiuquan; Zhang, Jinlei; Wang, Yue; Zhang, Yanling; Wang, Jian; Li, Guanglin; Hu, Qingmao; Zhang, Yuanchao

2017-01-01

Although abnormal cortical morphology and connectivity between brain regions (structural covariance) have been reported in Parkinson's disease (PD), the topological organizations of large-scale structural brain networks are still poorly understood. In this study, we investigated large-scale structural brain networks in a sample of 37 PD patients and 34 healthy controls (HC) by assessing the structural covariance of cortical gyrification with local gyrification index (lGI). We demonstrated prominent small-world properties of the structural brain networks for both groups. Compared with the HC group, PD patients showed significantly increased integrated characteristic path length and integrated clustering coefficient, as well as decreased integrated global efficiency in structural brain networks. Distinct distributions of hub regions were identified between the two groups, showing more hub regions in the frontal cortex in PD patients. Moreover, the modular analyses revealed significantly decreased integrated regional efficiency in lateral Fronto-Insula-Temporal module, and increased integrated regional efficiency in Parieto-Temporal module in the PD group as compared to the HC group. In summary, our study demonstrated altered topological properties of structural networks at a global, regional and modular level in PD patients. These findings suggests that the structural networks of PD patients have a suboptimal topological organization, resulting in less effective integration of information between brain regions.

Serum osteopontin and vitronectin levels in systemic sclerosis.

PubMed

Gundogdu, Baris; Yolbas, Servet; Yilmaz, Musa; Aydin, Suleyman; Koca, Sulayman Serdar

2017-11-01

Osteopontin a matricellular protein has pro-fibrotic effects and binds integrin such as αvβ1 and αvβ3. Vitronectin is one of the integrin αvβ3 ligands and is a multifunctional glycoprotein. The aim of the present study was to evaluate serum osteopontin and vitronectin levels in a cohort of patients with systemic sclerosis (SSc). Eighty-six patients with SSc, 46 patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and 38 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled in the study. Serum osteopontin, vitronectin, IL-6, and TGF-β levels were analyzed. Serum osteopontin levels were higher in the SSc and SLE groups compared to the HC group (p < 0.01 and p < 0.001, respectively). However, it was not correlated with disease activity and severity scores in the SSc group. On the other hand, serum vitronectin levels were lower in the SSc group than in the SLE and HC groups (p < 0.001 for both). These results may suggest that osteopontin levels may be increased due to the inflammatory process and osteopontin has not a specific role on fibrosis in SSc. On the other hand, serum vitronectin levels decrease in SSc in contrast to SLE. It may be concluded that the one cause of decreased serum vitronectin levels in SSc may be its accumulation in fibrotic area.

Reward/punishment sensitivities among internet addicts: Implications for their addictive behaviors.

PubMed

Dong, Guangheng; Hu, Yanbo; Lin, Xiao

2013-10-01

Internet addiction disorder (IAD) has raised widespread public health concerns. In this study, we used a gambling task to simulate extreme win/lose situations to find the reward/punishment sensitivities after continuous wins and losses. FMRI data were collected from 16 IAD subjects (21.4±3.1years) and 15 healthy controls (HC, 22.1±3.6years). Group comparisons showed higher superior frontal gyrus activations after continuous wins for IAD subjects than for HC. The brain activities in IAD subjects were not disturbed by their losses. In addition, IAD participants showed decreased posterior cingulate activation compared to HC after continuous losses. These results indicated that IAD participants showed preference to win while neglecting their losses. Therefore they engaged less executive endeavor to control their frustration after continuous losses. Taken together, we concluded that IAD subjects showed enhanced sensitivity to win and decreased sensitivity to lose. This can help us understand why IAD subjects continue playing online even after noticing the severe negative consequences of their behaviors. © 2013.

Variants of opioid system genes are associated with non-dependent opioid use and heroin dependence.

PubMed

Randesi, Matthew; van den Brink, Wim; Levran, Orna; Blanken, Peter; Butelman, Eduardo R; Yuferov, Vadim; da Rosa, Joel Correa; Ott, Jurg; van Ree, Jan M; Kreek, Mary Jeanne

2016-11-01

Heroin addiction is a chronic, relapsing brain disease. Genetic factors are involved in the development of drug addiction. The aim of this study was to determine whether specific variants in genes of the opioid system are associated with non-dependent opioid use and heroin dependence. Genetic information from four subject groups was collected: non-dependent opioid users (NOD) [n=163]; opioid-dependent (OD) patients in methadone maintenance treatment (MMT) [n=143]; opioid-dependent MMT-resistant patients in heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) [n=138]; and healthy controls with no history of opioid use (HC) [n=153]. Eighty-two variants in eight opioid system genes were studied. To establish the role of these genes in (a) non-dependent opioid use, and (b) heroin dependence, the following groups were compared: HC vs. NOD; HC vs. OD (MMT+HAT); and NOD vs. OD (MMT+HAT). Five unique SNPs in four genes showed nominally significant associations with non-dependent opioid use and heroin dependence. The association of the delta opioid receptor (OPRD1) intronic SNP rs2236861 with non-dependent opioid use (HC vs. NOD) remained significant after correction for multiple testing (OR=0.032; p corrected =0.015). This SNP exhibited a significant gene-gene interaction with prepronociceptin (PNOC) SNP rs2722897 (OR=5.24; p corrected =0.041) (HC vs. NOD). This study identifies several new and some previously reported associations of variants with heroin dependence and with non-dependent opioid use, an important and difficult to obtain group not extensively studied previously. Further studies are warranted to confirm and elucidate the potential roles of these variants in the vulnerability to illicit drug use and drug addiction. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Nutritional status in patients with hepatitis C.

PubMed

Ismail, Faisal Wasim; Khan, Rustam A; Kamani, Lubna; Wadalawala, Ashfaq A; Shah, Hasnain Ali; Hamid, Saeed S; Jafri, Wasim

2012-03-01

To assess the nutritional status via the SGA (subjective global assessment) screening tool of patients at all stages of hepatitis C virus (HCV) liver disease. Descriptive study. Out-patient Clinics of the Aga Khan University Hospital, Karachi, conducted from October 2009 to January 2011. Patients with hepatitis C virus infection and their HCV-negative attendants were enrolled from the outpatient clinics, and categorized into 4 groups of 100 patients each: healthy controls (HC), those with chronic hepatitis C infection (CHC), compensated cirrhotics (CC) and decompensated cirrhotics (DC). The validated subjective global assessment (SGA) tool was used to assess nutritional status. A total of 400 patients were enrolled. Most of the patients in the HC group were class 'A' (best nutritional status). In contrast, the majority (64%) in the DC group were in the class 'C' (worst status). The compensated cirrhosis (CC) group showed that 90% of patients were malnourished, while 98% of all patients were malnourished in the DC group, predominantly class 'C'. Most importantly, 14% of patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) also scored a 'B' on the SGA; which when compared to HC was statistically significant (p=0.005). As the groups progressed in their disease from CHC to DC, the transition in nutritional status from 'A' to 'C' between groups was statistically significant. Malnutrition occurs early in the course of HCV, and progresses relentlessly throughout the spectrum of HCVdisease.

Anti-inflammatory cytokines in gingival crevicular fluid in patients with periodontitis and rheumatoid arthritis: a preliminary report.

PubMed

Bozkurt, Fatma Yeşim; Yetkin Ay, Zuhal; Berker, Ezel; Tepe, Eser; Akkuş, Selami

2006-08-01

Cytokines which are produced by host cells play an important role in pathogenesis both rheumatoid arthritis (RA) and chronic periodontitis (CP). In this study, we aim to investigate the levels of Interleukin (IL)-4 and IL-10 in gingival crevicular fluid (GCF). Seventeen patients with CP, 17 patients with RA and 17 healthy controls (HC) were included. The RA group was divided into two groups according to gingival sulcus depths (RA-a: PD < or =3mm, (n=12), RA-b: PD>3mm, (n=5)). For each patient, clinical parameters were recorded. The GCF samples were evaluated by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) for IL-4 and IL-10 levels. IL-4 levels in the RA-a, RA-b and CP subjects were significantly lower compared to the HC subjects (p<0.05). The mean level of IL-4 in RA-b group was significantly higher than that in CP group (p<0.05). IL-10 mean level in the HC group was higher than those in the other groups (p<0.05). In the RA-a group, higher IL-10 level was found compared to the CP patients (p<0.05). Within the limitations of this preliminary report, it can be concluded that the initiation and progression of periodontal inflammation may be due to a lack or inappropriate response of the anti-inflammatory cytokines in both CP and RA.

Parent-of-origin Effect in Schizophrenia and Non-affective Psychoses: Evidence from Dermatoglyphics

PubMed Central

Divakaran, Anjith; Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C.; Kalmadi, Sunil V.; Narayan, Vidya; Rao, Naren P.; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan

2013-01-01

Objective: This study aims at examining “parent-of-origin effect” (POE) in dermatoglyphic patterns among patients with schizophrenia and non-affective psychoses. Materials and Methods: Dermatoglyphic comparison was carried out for schizophrenia patients (n=200) and healthy controls (HC) (n=100). In addition, the effect of family history and POE was examined in the dermatoglyphic pattern. Results: Schizophrenia patients compared to HC had significantly lower left total finger ridge count (LTFRC) (t=3.63, P<0.001), right total finger ridge count (RTFRC) (t=4.86, P<0.001), and absolute finger ridge count (ATFRC) (t=4.80, P<0.001) compared to HC. It was also noted that patient group had significantly higher average number of arches (t=2.20, P=0.03). The comparison between the same sex POE group and the opposite sex POE group revealed that significant differences exist in LTFRC (t=2.91, P<0.01) and ATFRC (t=2.30, P=0.02). The same sex group also had lesser number of whorls compared to opposite sex group (t=2.04, P=0.04). Conclusions: The same sex parental inheritance group seem to be more developmentally compromised than the opposite sex parental inheritance group indicating a significant POE. Complex epigenetic mechanisms along with hormonal modulation could explain the sex specific disease phenotype expression, which is a plausible explanation as in the present study. PMID:24249928

Parent-of-origin Effect in Schizophrenia and Non-affective Psychoses: Evidence from Dermatoglyphics.

PubMed

Divakaran, Anjith; Narayanaswamy, Janardhanan C; Kalmadi, Sunil V; Narayan, Vidya; Rao, Naren P; Venkatasubramanian, Ganesan

2013-07-01

This study aims at examining "parent-of-origin effect" (POE) in dermatoglyphic patterns among patients with schizophrenia and non-affective psychoses. Dermatoglyphic comparison was carried out for schizophrenia patients (n=200) and healthy controls (HC) (n=100). In addition, the effect of family history and POE was examined in the dermatoglyphic pattern. Schizophrenia patients compared to HC had significantly lower left total finger ridge count (LTFRC) (t=3.63, P<0.001), right total finger ridge count (RTFRC) (t=4.86, P<0.001), and absolute finger ridge count (ATFRC) (t=4.80, P<0.001) compared to HC. It was also noted that patient group had significantly higher average number of arches (t=2.20, P=0.03). The comparison between the same sex POE group and the opposite sex POE group revealed that significant differences exist in LTFRC (t=2.91, P<0.01) and ATFRC (t=2.30, P=0.02). The same sex group also had lesser number of whorls compared to opposite sex group (t=2.04, P=0.04). The same sex parental inheritance group seem to be more developmentally compromised than the opposite sex parental inheritance group indicating a significant POE. Complex epigenetic mechanisms along with hormonal modulation could explain the sex specific disease phenotype expression, which is a plausible explanation as in the present study.

Modality-specific alterations in the perception of emotional stimuli in Bipolar Disorder compared to Healthy Controls and Major Depressive Disorder

PubMed Central

Vederman, Aaron C.; Weisenbach, Sara L.; Rapport, Lisa J.; Leon, Hadia M.; Haase, Brennan D.; Franti, Lindsay M.; Schallmo, Michael-Paul; Saunders, Erika F.H.; Kamali, Masoud M.; Zubieta, Jon-Kar; Langenecker, Scott A.; McInnis, Melvin G.

2013-01-01

Objectives Affect identification accuracy paradigms have increasingly been utilized to understand psychiatric illness including Bipolar Disorder (BD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). This investigation focused on perceptual accuracy in affect identification in both visual and auditory domains among patients with BD, relative to Healthy Controls (HC) and patients with MDD. Demographic and clinical variables, in addition to medications were also investigated. Methods The visual Facial Emotion Perception Test (FEPT) and auditory Emotional Perception Test (EPT) were administered to adults with BD (n = 119) and MDD (n = 78) as well as HC (n = 66). Results Performance on the FEPT was significantly stronger than on the EPT irrespective of group. Performance on the EPT did not significantly differentiate the groups. On the FEPT, BD samples had the greatest difficulty relative to HC in identification of sad and fearful faces. BD participants also had greater difficulty identifying sad faces relative to MDD participants though not after controlling for severity of illness factors. For the BD (but not MDD) sample several clinical variables were also correlated with FEPT performance. Conclusions The findings suggest that disruptions in identification of negative emotions such as sadness and fear may be a characteristic trait of BD. However, this effect may be moderated by greater illness severity found in our BD sample. PMID:21683948

Gray matter atrophy associated with mild cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Chen, Fu-Xiang; Kang, De-Zhi; Chen, Fu-Yong; Liu, Ying; Wu, Gang; Li, Xun; Yu, Liang-Hong; Lin, Yuan-Xiang; Lin, Zhang-Ya

2016-03-23

The underlying pathology of brain leading to cognitive impairment in Parkinson's disease (PD) remains poorly understood. The aim of our study was to test the hypothesis that mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in PD may be related to atrophy of special gray matter regions. High-resolution T1-weighted magnetic resonance images of the brains and comprehensive cognitive function tests were acquired in 37 PD patients and 21 healthy controls (HC) from September 2013 to October 2014. Patients were divided into two groups: PD with MCI (PD-MCI, n=18) and PD with normal cognition (PDNC, n=19). Gray matter density differences were analyzed using voxel-based morphometry (VBM). VBM and cognitive results, UPDRS scores and Hoehn-Yahr stages were compared between PD-MCI, PDCN and HC group, and correlation analyses were performed between those brain areas and cognition scores, UPDRS scores and disease duration, which showed significant group differences. The demographic data and motor severity among three groups were similar. However, comprehensive cognitive function results were more severe in PD-MCI than the other two groups. Compared to the HC group, the PDNC group showed reductions in gray matter density in frontal, temporal, parietal, bilateral insula lobes and many other regions of brain. Besides above changes, the PD-MCI group also revealed gray matter concentration decrease in left hippocampus and thalamus, and these changes still remained when compared with the PDNC group. The HC group did not show any more areas of atrophy in gray matter than others. Gray matter loss in PD represented significant correlations with global cognitive scores, motor severity or disease duration in some of these atrophic regions. The initial stages of cognitive function decline in patients with PD is closely associated with gray matter atrophy in left hippocampus and thalamus. These two regions may serve as potential imaging biomarkers for PD-MCI. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd.

The comparison of muscle strength and short-term endurance in the different periods of type 2 diabetes

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Background Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) are subjected to reduction in the quality and oxidative capacity of muscles. The effect of duration of diabetes on the muscle endurance response is not clear and strength as well. Objective The aim of this study was the assessment of strength and endurance of knee extensor and flexor in the patients with T2DM < 10 and T2DM > 10 years in comparison with age, sex, BMI, ABI and PAI-matched health control subjects. Methods Isometric maximal peak torque (MPT) of knee extensor and flexor before and after 40 isokinetic repetitions with velocity of 150 degree/s were recorded in 18 patients with T2DM < 10 Y , 12 patients with T2DM > 10 Y and 20 matched health control (HC) groups. Results Both diabetic patient groups had significant lower isometric and isotonic knee extensor and flexor strength than HC. The endurance indices indicated that whereas the isometric MPT of flexor movement was reduced after isokinetic protocol in the both patient groups in comparison with HC, the less decline was seen in the isotonic torque and work during isokinetic protocol in the T2DM > 10 Y group in comparison with two other groups. The HbA1c and FPG were significantly correlated with strength not with endurance indices. Conclusions It seems the progression of diabetes accompanied with vascular, neural and muscular deficits activate, some adaptive and compensatory processes which can maintain muscle performance. PMID:24476108

Cannabidiol reduces the anxiety induced by simulated public speaking in treatment-naïve social phobia patients.

PubMed

Bergamaschi, Mateus M; Queiroz, Regina Helena Costa; Chagas, Marcos Hortes Nisihara; de Oliveira, Danielle Chaves Gomes; De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa; Kapczinski, Flávio; Quevedo, João; Roesler, Rafael; Schröder, Nadja; Nardi, Antonio E; Martín-Santos, Rocio; Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio; Zuardi, Antonio Waldo; Crippa, José Alexandre S

2011-05-01

Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety conditions with impairment in social life. Cannabidiol (CBD), one major non-psychotomimetic compound of the cannabis sativa plant, has shown anxiolytic effects both in humans and in animals. This preliminary study aimed to compare the effects of a simulation public speaking test (SPST) on healthy control (HC) patients and treatment-naïve SAD patients who received a single dose of CBD or placebo. A total of 24 never-treated patients with SAD were allocated to receive either CBD (600 mg; n=12) or placebo (placebo; n=12) in a double-blind randomized design 1 h and a half before the test. The same number of HC (n=12) performed the SPST without receiving any medication. Each volunteer participated in only one experimental session in a double-blind procedure. Subjective ratings on the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) and Negative Self-Statement scale (SSPS-N) and physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance) were measured at six different time points during the SPST. The results were submitted to a repeated-measures analysis of variance. Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance, and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group presented higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert levels when compared with the control group as assessed with the VAMS. The SSPS-N scores evidenced significant increases during the testing of placebo group that was almost abolished in the CBD group. No significant differences were observed between CBD and HC in SSPS-N scores or in the cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert factors of VAMS. The increase in anxiety induced by the SPST on subjects with SAD was reduced with the use of CBD, resulting in a similar response as the HC.

Cannabidiol Reduces the Anxiety Induced by Simulated Public Speaking in Treatment-Naïve Social Phobia Patients

PubMed Central

Bergamaschi, Mateus M; Queiroz, Regina Helena Costa; Chagas, Marcos Hortes Nisihara; de Oliveira, Danielle Chaves Gomes; De Martinis, Bruno Spinosa; Kapczinski, Flávio; Quevedo, João; Roesler, Rafael; Schröder, Nadja; Nardi, Antonio E; Martín-Santos, Rocio; Hallak, Jaime Eduardo Cecílio; Zuardi, Antonio Waldo; Crippa, José Alexandre S

2011-01-01

Generalized Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) is one of the most common anxiety conditions with impairment in social life. Cannabidiol (CBD), one major non-psychotomimetic compound of the cannabis sativa plant, has shown anxiolytic effects both in humans and in animals. This preliminary study aimed to compare the effects of a simulation public speaking test (SPST) on healthy control (HC) patients and treatment-naïve SAD patients who received a single dose of CBD or placebo. A total of 24 never-treated patients with SAD were allocated to receive either CBD (600 mg; n=12) or placebo (placebo; n=12) in a double-blind randomized design 1 h and a half before the test. The same number of HC (n=12) performed the SPST without receiving any medication. Each volunteer participated in only one experimental session in a double-blind procedure. Subjective ratings on the Visual Analogue Mood Scale (VAMS) and Negative Self-Statement scale (SSPS-N) and physiological measures (blood pressure, heart rate, and skin conductance) were measured at six different time points during the SPST. The results were submitted to a repeated-measures analysis of variance. Pretreatment with CBD significantly reduced anxiety, cognitive impairment and discomfort in their speech performance, and significantly decreased alert in their anticipatory speech. The placebo group presented higher anxiety, cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert levels when compared with the control group as assessed with the VAMS. The SSPS-N scores evidenced significant increases during the testing of placebo group that was almost abolished in the CBD group. No significant differences were observed between CBD and HC in SSPS-N scores or in the cognitive impairment, discomfort, and alert factors of VAMS. The increase in anxiety induced by the SPST on subjects with SAD was reduced with the use of CBD, resulting in a similar response as the HC. PMID:21307846

Mode of genetic inheritance modifies the association of head circumference and autism-related symptoms: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Davis, Jonathan M; Keeney, Jonathon G; Sikela, James M; Hepburn, Susan

2013-01-01

Frequently individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been noted with a larger head circumference (HC) than their typical developing peers. Biologic hypotheses suggest that an overly rapid brain growth leads to the core symptoms of ASD by impairing connectivity. Literature is divided however where deleterious, protective and null associations of HC with ASD symptoms in individuals with ASD have been found. Individuals (n = 1,416) from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange with ASD were examined for associations of HC with ASD like symptoms. Mixed models controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, simplex/multiplex status and accounting for correlations between siblings were used. Interactions by simplex/multiplex were explored. Adjustments for height in a sub-population with available data were explored as well. A Significant interaction term (p = 0.03) suggested that the effect of HC was dependent on whether the individual was simplex or multiplex. In simplex individuals at mean age (8.9 years) 1 cm increase in head circumference was associated with a 24% increase in the odds of a high social diagnostic score from the Autism Diagnostic Interview-Revised (odds ratio  = 1.24, p = 0.01). There was no association in multiplex individuals. Additionally, individuals classified with a non-verbal IQ <70 were 90% simplex and had a significantly increased head circumference (0.7 cm p = 0.03) relative to a mid-range non-verbal IQ group. Interestingly, children classified with a >110 non-verbal IQ also had an increased HC (0.4 cm p = 0.04), relative to a mid-range non-verbal IQ group, and were 90% multiplex. HC effects do not appear to be confounded by height, however, larger samples with height information are needed. The potential link between brain growth and autism like symptoms is complex and could depend on specific etiologies. Further investigations accounting for a likely mode of inheritance will help identify an ASD subtype related to HC.

Decreased functional connectivity of insula-based network in young adults with internet gaming disorder.

PubMed

Zhang, Yanzhen; Mei, Wei; Zhang, John X; Wu, Qiulin; Zhang, Wei

2016-09-01

The insula is a region that integrates interoception and drug urges, but little is known about its role in behavioral addiction such as internet addiction. We investigated insula-based functional connectivity in participants with internet gaming disorder (IGD) and healthy controls (HC) using resting-state functional MRI. The right and left insula subregions (posterior, ventroanterior, and dorsoanterior) were used as seed regions in a connectivity analysis. Compared with the HC group, the IGD group showed decreased functional connectivity between left posterior insula and bilateral supplementary motor area and middle cingulated cortex, between right posterior insula and right superior frontal gyrus, and decreased functional integration between insular subregions. The finding of reduced functional connectivity between the interoception and the motor/executive control regions is interpreted to reflect reduced ability to inhibit motor responses to internet gaming or diminished executive control over craving for internet gaming in IGD. The results support the hypothesis that IGD is associated with altered insula-based network, similar to substance addiction such as smoking.

Antidepressants normalize the default mode network in patients with dysthymia.

PubMed

Posner, Jonathan; Hellerstein, David J; Gat, Inbal; Mechling, Anna; Klahr, Kristin; Wang, Zhishun; McGrath, Patrick J; Stewart, Jonathan W; Peterson, Bradley S

2013-04-01

The default mode network (DMN) is a collection of brain regions that reliably deactivate during goal-directed behaviors and is more active during a baseline, or so-called resting, condition. Coherence of neural activity, or functional connectivity, within the brain's DMN is increased in major depressive disorder relative to healthy control (HC) subjects; however, whether similar abnormalities are present in persons with dysthymic disorder (DD) is unknown. Moreover, the effect of antidepressant medications on DMN connectivity in patients with DD is also unknown. To use resting-state functional-connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study (1) the functional connectivity of the DMN in subjects with DD vs HC participants and (2) the effects of antidepressant therapy on DMN connectivity. After collecting baseline MRI scans from subjects with DD and HC participants, we enrolled the participants with DD into a 10-week prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of duloxetine and collected MRI scans again at the conclusion of the study. Enrollment occurred between 2007 and 2011. University research institute. Volunteer sample of 41 subjects with DD and 25 HC participants aged 18 to 53 years. Control subjects were group matched to patients with DD by age and sex. We used resting-state functional-connectivity MRI to measure the functional connectivity of the brain's DMN in persons with DD compared with HC subjects, and we examined the effects of treatment with duloxetine vs placebo on DMN connectivity. Of the 41 subjects with DD, 32 completed the clinical trial and MRI scans, along with the 25 HC participants. At baseline, we found that the coherence of neural activity within the brain's DMN was greater in persons with DD compared with HC subjects. Following a 10-week clinical trial, we found that treatment with duloxetine, but not placebo, normalized DMN connectivity. The baseline imaging findings are consistent with those found in patients with major depressive disorder and suggest that increased connectivity within the DMN may be important in the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic manifestations of depressive illness. The normalization of DMN connectivity following antidepressant treatment suggests an important causal pathway through which antidepressants may reduce depression.

Sex differences in the association of phospholipids with components of the metabolic syndrome in young adults.

PubMed

Rauschert, Sebastian; Uhl, Olaf; Koletzko, Berthold; Mori, Trevor A; Beilin, Lawrence J; Oddy, Wendy H; Hellmuth, Christian

2017-01-01

There are differences in the prevalence and severity of diseases between males, females not taking hormonal contraceptives (non-HC females) and females taking hormonal contraceptives (HC females). The aim of this study was to identify sex-specific differences in the metabolome and its relation to components of the metabolic syndrome in a young adult population. The subjects analysed are from the 20-year follow-up of the Western Australian Pregnancy Cohort (Raine) Study. Two hundred fifteen plasma metabolites were analysed in 1021 fasted plasma samples by a targeted liquid chromatography coupled to tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) metabolomics approach. Principal component analysis between males ( n  = 550), non-HC females ( n  = 199) and HC females ( n  = 269) was applied. Regression analysis with a sex × metabolite concentration interaction was performed on components of the MetS, namely waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and plasma HDL-C, triglycerides and glucose concentration, as outcome to select the significant metabolites of the interaction. Those selected metabolites were used as predictors in a sex group stratified analysis to compare the different β coefficients and therefore the sex group-dependent associations. Principal component analysis between males, non-HC females, and HC females showed a general discriminating trend between males and HC females. One hundred twenty-seven metabolites were significantly different between males and non-HC females, whereas 97 differed between non-HC females and HC females. Males and non-HC females mainly differed in sphingomyelin, lyso-phosphatidylcholine, acyl-carnitine and amino acid species, whilst non-HC females and HC females mainly differed in phosphatidylcholine, lyso-phosphatidylcholine and acyl-carnitine concentrations. Forty-one metabolites (phosphatidylcholines, sphingomyelines, lyso-phosphatidylcholine) were significantly differently associated with the MetS factors in the different groups. We have shown clear differences between plasma metabolite concentrations in males, and HC or non-HC females, especially in lyso-phosphatidylcholine, sphingomyelin and phosphatidylcholine, which have been shown to associate with obesity in other studies. The association of these metabolites differed between sexes with components of the metabolic syndrome, which means that development of diseases like obesity and diabetes may differ between the sexes. Our findings highlight the importance of considering sex differences when conducting a metabolomics study and the need to account for the effect of HC usage in females in future studies.

Sleep spindle density in narcolepsy.

PubMed

Christensen, Julie Anja Engelhard; Nikolic, Miki; Hvidtfelt, Mathias; Kornum, Birgitte Rahbek; Jennum, Poul

2017-06-01

Patients with narcolepsy type 1 (NT1) show alterations in sleep stage transitions, rapid-eye-movement (REM) and non-REM sleep due to the loss of hypocretinergic signaling. However, the sleep microstructure has not yet been evaluated in these patients. We aimed to evaluate whether the sleep spindle (SS) density is altered in patients with NT1 compared to controls and patients with narcolepsy type 2 (NT2). All-night polysomnographic recordings from 28 NT1 patients, 19 NT2 patients, 20 controls (C) with narcolepsy-like symptoms, but with normal cerebrospinal fluid hypocretin levels and multiple sleep latency tests, and 18 healthy controls (HC) were included. Unspecified, slow, and fast SS were automatically detected, and SS densities were defined as number per minute and were computed across sleep stages and sleep cycles. The between-cycle trends of SS densities in N2 and NREM sleep were evaluated within and between groups. Between-group comparisons in sleep stages revealed no significant differences in any type of SS. Within-group analyses of the SS trends revealed significant decreasing trends for NT1, HC, and C between first and last sleep cycle. Between-group analyses of SS trends between first and last sleep cycle revealed that NT2 differ from NT1 patients in the unspecified SS density in NREM sleep, and from HC in the slow SS density in N2 sleep. SS activity is preserved in NT1, suggesting that the ascending neurons to thalamic activation of SS are not significantly affected by the hypocretinergic system. NT2 patients show an abnormal pattern of SS distribution. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Subjective cognitive function in hoarding disorder.

PubMed

Tolin, David F; Hallion, Lauren S; Wootton, Bethany M; Levy, Hannah C; Billingsley, Amber L; Das, Akanksha; Katz, Benjamin W; Stevens, Michael C

2018-07-01

The aim of the present study was to examine subjective cognitive impairment among adult patients with hoarding disorder (HD). Eighty-three patients with HD and 46 age- and gender-matched healthy control (HC) participants received a diagnostic interview and completed measures of subjective cognitive functioning and motivations for saving behavior, as well as measures of hoarding severity, depression, anxiety, stress, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms. The HD group reported more impairment than did the HC group in domains of memory, distractibility, blunders, memory for names, and inattention. These differences generally remained significant when controlling for comorbid symptoms. In the HD group, the degree of cognitive impairment was significantly correlated with severity of saving and acquiring behaviors, although results were attenuated when controlling for comorbid symptoms (overall HD severity, but not saving behavior specifically, remained significantly correlated with cognitive impairment). Subjective cognitive impairment was further associated with a desire to save possessions in order to avoid forgetting, and these results remained significant when controlling for comorbid symptoms. These results comport with current behavioral models of HD that emphasize decision-making deficits, as well as clinician observations suggestive of impaired cognitive function, and complement a growing body of neuropsychological testing studies. Copyright © 2018. Published by Elsevier B.V.

The Evolution of REM Sleep Behavior Disorder in Early Parkinson Disease

PubMed Central

Sixel-Döring, Friederike; Zimmermann, Johannes; Wegener, Andrea; Mollenhauer, Brit; Trenkwalder, Claudia

2016-01-01

Study Objectives: To investigate the development of REM sleep behavior disorder (RBD) and REM sleep behavioral events (RBE) not yet fulfilling diagnostic criteria for RBD as markers for neurodegeneration in a cohort of Parkinson disease (PD) patients between their de novo baseline assessment and two-year follow-up in comparison to healthy controls (HC). Methods: Clinically confirmed PD patients and HC with video-supported polysomnography (vPSG) data at baseline were re-investigated after two years. Diagnostic scoring for RBE and RBD was performed in both groups and related to baseline findings. Results: One hundred thirteen PD patients and 102 healthy controls (HC) were included in the study. Within two years, the overall occurrence of behaviors during REM sleep in PD patients increased from 50% to 63% (P = 0.02). RBD increased from 25% to 43% (P < 0.001). Eleven of 29 (38%) RBE positive PD patients and 10/56 (18%) patients with normal REM sleep at baseline converted to RBD. In HC, the occurrence of any REM behavior increased from 17% to 20% (n.s.). RBD increased from 2% to 4% (n.s.). One of 15 (7%) RBE positive HC and 1/85 (1%) HC with normal REM at baseline converted to RBD. Conclusions: RBD increased significantly in PD patients from the de novo state to two-year follow-up. We propose RBE being named “prodromal RBD” as it may follow a continuous evolution in PD possibly similar to the spreading of Lewy bodies in PD patients. RBD itself was shown as a robust and stable marker of early PD. Citation: Sixel-Döring F, Zimmermann J, Wegener A, Mollenhauer B, Trenkwalder C. The evolution of REM sleep behavior disorder in early Parkinson disease. SLEEP 2016;39(9):1737–1742. PMID:27306265

Altered structure and function in the hippocampus and medial prefrontal cortex in patients with burning mouth syndrome.

PubMed

Khan, Shariq A; Keaser, Michael L; Meiller, Timothy F; Seminowicz, David A

2014-08-01

Burning mouth syndrome (BMS) is a debilitating, idiopathic chronic pain condition. For many BMS patients, burning oral pain begins in late morning and becomes more intense throughout the day, peaking by late afternoon or evening. We investigated brain gray matter volume (GMV) with voxel-based morphometry (VBM), white matter fractional anisotropy (FA) with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI), and functional connectivity in resting state functional MRI (rsfMRI) in a tightly screened, homogeneous sample of 9 female, postmenopausal/perimenopausal BMS patients and 9 matched healthy control subjects. Patients underwent 2 scanning sessions in the same day: in the morning, when ongoing pain/burning was low, and in the afternoon, when pain/burning was significantly higher. Patients had increased GMV and lower FA in the hippocampus (Hc), and decreased GMV in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). rsfMRI revealed altered connectivity patterns in different states of pain/burning, with increased connectivity between mPFC (a node in the default mode network) and anterior cingulate cortex, occipital cortex, ventromedial PFC, and bilateral Hc/amygdala in the afternoon compared with the morning session. Furthermore, mPFC-Hc connectivity was higher in BMS patients than control subjects for the afternoon but not the morning session. mPFC-Hc connectivity was related to Beck depression inventory scores both between groups and between burning states within patients, suggesting that depression and anxiety partially explain pain-related brain dysfunction in BMS. Overall, we provide multiple lines of evidence supporting aberrant structure and function in the mPFC and Hc, and implicate a circuit involving the mPFC and Hc in regulating mood and depressive symptoms in BMS. Copyright © 2014 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Improving motor activity assessment in depression: which sensor placement, analytic strategy and diurnal time frame are most powerful in distinguishing patients from controls and monitoring treatment effects.

PubMed

Reichert, Markus; Lutz, Alexander; Deuschle, Michael; Gilles, Maria; Hill, Holger; Limberger, Matthias F; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W

2015-01-01

Abnormalities in motor activity represent a central feature in major depressive disorder. However, measurement issues are poorly understood, limiting the use of objective measurement of motor activity for diagnostics and treatment monitoring. To improve measurement issues, especially sensor placement, analytic strategies and diurnal effects, we assessed motor activity in depressed patients at the beginning (MD; n=27) and after anti-depressive treatment (MD-post; n=18) as well as in healthy controls (HC; n=16) using wrist- and chest-worn accelerometers. We performed multiple analyses regarding sensor placements, extracted features, diurnal variation, motion patterns and posture to clarify which parameters are most powerful in distinguishing patients from controls and monitoring treatment effects. Whereas most feature-placement combinations revealed significant differences between groups, acceleration (wrist) distinguished MD from HC (d=1.39) best. Frequency (vertical axis chest) additionally differentiated groups in a logistic regression model (R2=0.54). Accordingly, both amplitude (d=1.16) and frequency (d=1.04) showed alterations, indicating reduced and decelerated motor activity. Differences between MD and HC in gestures (d=0.97) and walking (d=1.53) were found by data analysis from the wrist sensor. Comparison of motor activity at the beginning and after MD-treatment largely confirms our findings. Sample size was small, but sufficient for the given effect sizes. Comparison of depressed in-patients with non-hospitalized controls might have limited motor activity differences between groups. Measurement of wrist-acceleration can be recommended as a basic technique to capture motor activity in depressed patients as it records whole body movement and gestures. Detailed analyses showed differences in amplitude and frequency denoting that depressed patients walked less and slower.

Improving Motor Activity Assessment in Depression: Which Sensor Placement, Analytic Strategy and Diurnal Time Frame Are Most Powerful in Distinguishing Patients from Controls and Monitoring Treatment Effects

PubMed Central

Deuschle, Michael; Gilles, Maria; Hill, Holger; Limberger, Matthias F.; Ebner-Priemer, Ulrich W.

2015-01-01

Background Abnormalities in motor activity represent a central feature in major depressive disorder. However, measurement issues are poorly understood, limiting the use of objective measurement of motor activity for diagnostics and treatment monitoring. Methods To improve measurement issues, especially sensor placement, analytic strategies and diurnal effects, we assessed motor activity in depressed patients at the beginning (MD; n=27) and after anti-depressive treatment (MD-post; n=18) as well as in healthy controls (HC; n=16) using wrist- and chest-worn accelerometers. We performed multiple analyses regarding sensor placements, extracted features, diurnal variation, motion patterns and posture to clarify which parameters are most powerful in distinguishing patients from controls and monitoring treatment effects. Results Whereas most feature-placement combinations revealed significant differences between groups, acceleration (wrist) distinguished MD from HC (d=1.39) best. Frequency (vertical axis chest) additionally differentiated groups in a logistic regression model (R2=0.54). Accordingly, both amplitude (d=1.16) and frequency (d=1.04) showed alterations, indicating reduced and decelerated motor activity. Differences between MD and HC in gestures (d=0.97) and walking (d=1.53) were found by data analysis from the wrist sensor. Comparison of motor activity at the beginning and after MD-treatment largely confirms our findings. Limitations Sample size was small, but sufficient for the given effect sizes. Comparison of depressed in-patients with non-hospitalized controls might have limited motor activity differences between groups. Conclusions Measurement of wrist-acceleration can be recommended as a basic technique to capture motor activity in depressed patients as it records whole body movement and gestures. Detailed analyses showed differences in amplitude and frequency denoting that depressed patients walked less and slower. PMID:25885258

Reward Contingencies Improve Goal-Directed Behavior by Enhancing Posterior Brain Attentional Regions and Increasing Corticostriatal Connectivity in Cocaine Addicts.

PubMed

Rosell-Negre, Patricia; Bustamante, Juan-Carlos; Fuentes-Claramonte, Paola; Costumero, Víctor; Llopis-Llacer, Juan-José; Barrós-Loscertales, Alfonso

2016-01-01

The dopaminergic system provides the basis for the interaction between motivation and cognition. It is triggered by the possibility of obtaining rewards to initiate the neurobehavioral adaptations necessary to achieve them by directing the information from motivational circuits to cognitive and action circuits. In drug addiction, the altered dopamine (DA) modulation of the meso-cortico-limbic reward circuitry, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), underlies the disproportionate motivational value of drug use at the expense of other non-drug reinforcers and the user's loss of control over his/her drug intake. We examine how the magnitude of the reward affects goal-directed processes in healthy control (HC) subjects and abstinent cocaine dependent (ACD) patients by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a counting Stroop task with blocked levels of monetary incentives of different magnitudes (€0, €0.01, €0.5, €1 or €1.5). Our results showed that increasing reward magnitude enhances (1) performance facilitation in both groups; (2) left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity in HC and left superior occipital cortex activity in ACD; and (3) left DLPFC and left putamen connectivity in ACD compared to HC. Moreover, we observed that (4) dorsal striatal and pallidum activity was associated with craving and addiction severity during the parametric increases in the monetary reward. In conclusion, the brain response to gradients in monetary value was different in HC and ACD, but both groups showed improved task performance due to the possibility of obtaining greater monetary rewards.

Reward Contingencies Improve Goal-Directed Behavior by Enhancing Posterior Brain Attentional Regions and Increasing Corticostriatal Connectivity in Cocaine Addicts

PubMed Central

Rosell-Negre, Patricia; Bustamante, Juan-Carlos; Fuentes-Claramonte, Paola; Costumero, Víctor; Llopis-Llacer, Juan-José; Barrós-Loscertales, Alfonso

2016-01-01

The dopaminergic system provides the basis for the interaction between motivation and cognition. It is triggered by the possibility of obtaining rewards to initiate the neurobehavioral adaptations necessary to achieve them by directing the information from motivational circuits to cognitive and action circuits. In drug addiction, the altered dopamine (DA) modulation of the meso-cortico-limbic reward circuitry, such as the prefrontal cortex (PFC), underlies the disproportionate motivational value of drug use at the expense of other non-drug reinforcers and the user’s loss of control over his/her drug intake. We examine how the magnitude of the reward affects goal-directed processes in healthy control (HC) subjects and abstinent cocaine dependent (ACD) patients by using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during a counting Stroop task with blocked levels of monetary incentives of different magnitudes (€0, €0.01, €0.5, €1 or €1.5). Our results showed that increasing reward magnitude enhances (1) performance facilitation in both groups; (2) left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) activity in HC and left superior occipital cortex activity in ACD; and (3) left DLPFC and left putamen connectivity in ACD compared to HC. Moreover, we observed that (4) dorsal striatal and pallidum activity was associated with craving and addiction severity during the parametric increases in the monetary reward. In conclusion, the brain response to gradients in monetary value was different in HC and ACD, but both groups showed improved task performance due to the possibility of obtaining greater monetary rewards. PMID:27907134

Fenofibrate-associated changes in renal function and relationship to clinical outcomes among individuals with type 2 diabetes: the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes (ACCORD) experience.

PubMed

Bonds, D E; Craven, T E; Buse, J; Crouse, J R; Cuddihy, R; Elam, M; Ginsberg, H N; Kirchner, K; Marcovina, S; Mychaleckyj, J C; O'Connor, P J; Sperl-Hillen, J-A

2012-06-01

Fenofibrate has been noted to cause an elevation in serum creatinine in some individuals. Participants in the Action to Control Cardiovascular Risk in Diabetes Lipid Study were studied to better characterise who is at risk of an increase in creatinine level and to determine whether those with creatinine elevation have a differential risk of adverse renal or cardiovascular outcomes. A fenofibrate-associated creatinine increase (FACI) was defined as an increase in serum creatinine of at least 20% from baseline to month 4 in participants assigned to fenofibrate. Baseline patient characteristics, and baseline and 4-month drug, clinical, laboratory characteristics and study outcomes were examined by FACI status. Of the sample, 48% of those randomised to receive fenofibrate had at least a 20% increase in serum creatinine within 4 months. In multivariable analysis, participants who were older, male, used an ACE inhibitor at baseline, used a thiazolidinedione (TZD) at 4 months post-randomisation, had baseline CVD, and had lower baseline serum creatinine and LDL-cholesterol levels were all more likely to meet the criteria for FACI. Participants in the FACI group were also more likely to have a decrease in their serum triacylglycerol level from baseline to 4 months. No differences in study outcomes were seen by FACI criteria. Several characteristics predict a rapid rise in serum creatinine upon starting fenofibrate. Participants who met the criteria for FACI also had a greater change in triacylglycerol levels. In the setting of careful renal function surveillance and reduction of fenofibrate dose as indicated, no increase in renal disease or cardiovascular outcome was seen in those individuals demonstrating FACI. ClincalTrials.gov: NCT00000620. The ACCORD Trial was supported by grants (N01-HC-95178, N01-HC-95179, N01-HC-95180, N01-HC-95181, N01-HC-95182, N01-HC-95183, N01-HC-95184, IAA-Y1-HC-9035 and IAA-Y1-HC-1010) from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute; by the National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, the National Institute on Aging, and the National Eye Institute; by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention; by General Clinical Research Centers and by the Clinical and Translational Science Awards. Abbott Laboratories, Amylin Pharmaceutical, AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals LP, Bayer HealthCare LLC, Closer Healthcare, GlaxoSmithKline Pharmaceuticals, King Pharmaceuticals, Merck, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, Novo Nordisk, Omron Healthcare, sanofi-aventis US and Takeda Pharmaceuticals provided study medications, equipment or supplies.

3-Hz postural tremor in multiple system atrophy cerebellar type (MSA-C)-a static posturography study.

PubMed

Li, Xiaodi; Wang, Yuzhou; Wang, Zhanhang; Xu, Yan; Zheng, Wenhua

2018-01-01

The objective of the study is to evaluate postural dysfunction of multiple system atrophy-parkinsonian type (MSA-P) and cerebellar type (MSA-C) by static posturography exam. A total of 29 MSA-P patients, 40 MSA-C patients, and 23 healthy controls (HC) were recruited and engaged in a sensory organization test (SOT). The amplitude of the postural sway was measured and transformed into energy value by Fourier analyzer. SOT scores, frequency of falls and typical 3-Hz postural tremors during the four stance tasks, and energy value in three different frequency bands were recorded and compared. Compared with HC, SOT scores were significantly lower in MSA groups (P < 0.01). Compared with MSA-P, the vestibular scores were further reduced in MSA-C patients (P < 0.05). Falls were more frequent in MSA groups, especially in SOT4 task (foam surface with eyes closed) or in MSA-C group (P < 0.05). Typical 3-Hz postural tremor was observed in 97.5% MSA-C patients, in 24.1% MSA-P patients but in none of the HC (P < 0.05). Compared with HC, much more energy was consumed in every task, every direction, and nearly every frequency band in MSA groups. Energy value of MSA-C group was significantly higher than that of MSA-P, especially in higher frequency band (2 ~ 20 Hz) or in more difficult stance tasks (SOT 3 ~ 4, foam surface with eyes open or closed) (P < 0.05). Both MSA-P and MSA-C were characterized by severe static postural dysfunction. However, typical 3-Hz postural tremor was predominant in MSA-C and was very useful in the differential diagnosis between MSA-P and MSA-C.

Sexuality and psychopathological aspects in premenopausal women with metabolic syndrome.

PubMed

Alvisi, Stefania; Baldassarre, Maurizio; Lambertini, Martina; Martelli, Valentina; Berra, Marta; Moscatiello, Simona; Marchesini, Giulio; Venturoli, Stefano; Meriggiola, Maria Cristina

2014-08-01

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a cluster of cardiovascular risk factors that have been suggested to impact female sexual function. This study aims to assess the prevalence of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) in premenopausal women with MetS compared with healthy controls (HC). Psychopathological aspects and the relationship to FSD were also evaluated in both groups. Two hundred four premenopausal women, of whom 98 had diagnosis of MetS, were asked to complete the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), the Female Sexual Distress Scale (FSDS), and the Middlesex Hospital Questionnaire (MHQ). Routine laboratory tests and anthropometric measurements were routinely performed. FSFI and FSDS questionnaires, prevalence of FSD, and MHQ scores. In the MetS group compared with the HC group, we found: a lower global FSFI score (P=0.005), higher prevalence of pathological scores compared with HC group, and lower scores in the desire, arousal, lubrication, and orgasm domains. An inverse correlation between the FSFI score and the number of risk factors for MetS was detected. MetS women reported significantly higher total scores in the somatization and depression domains when compared with the HC group. The logistic regression showed that high triglycerides (odds ratio [OR] 3.097; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.272-7.542; P=0.026) and somatization (OR 7.068; CI 95% 2.291-21.812; P=0.001) are independently associated with FSD in premenopausal women. Our results indicate a higher prevalence of sexual dysfunction in MetS women. A number of risk factors for MetS are positively associated with FSD and higher triglycerides seem to be the strongest predictors of sexual dysfunction. Psychopathological dimensions such as somatization are strongly associated with sexual dysfunction. © 2014 International Society for Sexual Medicine.

Differences in and correlations between cognitive abilities and brain volumes in healthy control, mild cognitive impairment, and Alzheimer disease groups.

PubMed

Chung, Soon-Cheol; Choi, Mi-Hyun; Kim, Hyung-Sik; Lee, Jung-Chul; Park, Sung-Jun; Jeong, Ul-Ho; Baek, Ji-Hye; Gim, Seon-Young; Choi, Young Chil; Lee, Beob-Yi; Lim, Dae-Woon; Kim, Boseong

2016-05-01

The purpose of this study is to investigate differences in and correlations between cognitive abilities and brain volumes in healthy control (HC), mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and Alzheimer's disease (AD) groups. The Korean Version of the Consortium to Establish a Registry for Alzheimer's Disease (CERAD-K), which is used to diagnose AD, was used to measure the cognitive abilities of the study subjects, and the volumes of typical brain components related to AD diagnosis-cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), gray matter (GM), and white matter (WM)-were acquired. Of the CERAD-K subtests, the Boston Naming Test distinguished significantly among the HC, MCI, and AD groups. GM and WM volumes differed significantly among the three groups. There was a significant positive correlation between Boston Naming Test scores and GM and WM volumes. In conclusion, the Boston Naming Test and GM and WM brain volumes differentiated the three tested groups accurately, and there were strong correlations between Boston Naming Test scores and GM and WM volumes. These results will help to establish a test method that differentiates the three groups accurately and is economically feasible. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Influence of Knee-to-Feet Jump Training on Vertical Jump and Hang Clean Performance.

PubMed

Stark, Laura; Pickett, Karla; Bird, Michael; King, Adam C

2016-11-01

Stark, L, Pickett, K, Bird, M, and King, AC. Influence of knee-to-feet jump training on vertical jump and hang clean performance. J Strength Cond Res 30(11): 3084-3089, 2016-From a motor learning perspective, the practice/training environment can result in positive, negative, or neutral transfer to the testing conditions. The purpose of this study was to examine the training effect of a novel movement (knee-to-feet [K2F] jumps) and whether a 6-week training program induced a positive transfer effect to other power-related movements (vertical jump and hang clean [HC]). Twenty-six intercollegiate athletes from power-emphasized sports were paired and counter-balanced into a control (i.e., maintained their respective sport-specific lifting regimen) or an experimental group (i.e., completed a 6-week progressive training program of K2F jumps in addition to respective lifting regimen). A pre- and posttest design was used to investigate the effect of training on K2F jump height and transfer effect to vertical jump height (VJH) and 2-repetition maximum (RM) HC performance. A significant increase in K2F jump height was found for the experimental group. Vertical jump height significantly increased from pre- to posttest but no group or interaction (group × time) effect was found, and there were nonsignificant differences for HC. Posttest data showed significant correlations between all pairs of the selected exercises with the highest correlation between K2F jump height and VJ H (R = 0.40) followed by VJH and 2RM HC (R = 0.38) and 2RM HC and K2F jump height (R = 0.23). The results suggest that K2F jump training induced the desired learning effect but was specific to the movement in that no effect of transfer occurred to the other power-related movements. This finding is value for strength and condition professionals who design training programs to enhance athletic performance.

Active Matrixmetalloproteinase-8 and periodontal bacteria - interlink between periodontitis and inflammatory bowel disease?

PubMed

Schmidt, J; Weigert, M; Leuschner, C; Hartmann, H; Raddatz, D; Haak, R; Mausberg, R F; Kottmann, Tanja; Schmalz, G; Ziebolz, D

2018-03-25

The aim of this study was the investigation of concentration and prevalence of selected periodontal pathogenic bacteria and concentration of active matrix-metalloproteinase-8 (aMMP-8) within a group of patients with inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) and to compare the results with a group of healthy control subjects (HC). 59 IBD patients with Crohn`s disease (CD, n = 30) or ulcerative colitis (UC, n = 29) and 59 HC were included in this cross-sectional study. Based on periodontal probing depth (PPD) and clinical attachment level (CAL), periodontitis was classified into healthy/mild, moderate or severe. aMMP-8 was analyzed from gingival crevicular fluid using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay. Eleven selected periodontal pathogenic bacteria were analyzed in subgingival plaque samples using polymerase chain reaction. IBD patients showed higher CAL (p < 0.01), more severe periodontitis (p = 0.04), gingival bleeding (p < 0.01) and aMMP-8 concentration (p < 0.01) than HC. Only in CD, increasing severity of periodontitis was associated with an increase in aMMP-8 concentration (p = 0.02). The prevalences of Eubacterium nodatum and Eikanella corrodens were significantly lower in IBD compared to HC (p = 0.01). Additionally, the prevalence of Eikanella corrodens was significantly higher in CD compared to UC group (p = 0.04). Further statistically significant differences in selected bacteria between IBD and HC or CD and UC groups could not be found (p > 0.05). The results reveal changes in host immune response of IBD patients in terms of aMMP-8. Only in CD increasing aMMP-8 was associated with severity of periodontal disease. The role of periodontal pathogenic bacteria in the interrelation between IBD and periodontitis remains unclear. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

Quantitative sensory testing somatosensory profiles in patients with cervical radiculopathy are distinct from those in patients with nonspecific neck-arm pain.

PubMed

Tampin, Brigitte; Slater, Helen; Hall, Toby; Lee, Gabriel; Briffa, Noelle Kathryn

2012-12-01

The aim of this study was to establish the somatosensory profiles of patients with cervical radiculopathy and patients with nonspecific neck-arm pain associated with heightened nerve mechanosensitivity (NSNAP). Sensory profiles were compared to healthy control (HC) subjects and a positive control group comprising patients with fibromyalgia (FM). Quantitative sensory testing (QST) of thermal and mechanical detection and pain thresholds, pain sensitivity and responsiveness to repetitive noxious mechanical stimulation was performed in the maximal pain area, the corresponding dermatome and foot of 23 patients with painful C6 or C7 cervical radiculopathy, 8 patients with NSNAP in a C6/7 dermatomal pain distribution, 31 HC and 22 patients with FM. For both neck-arm pain groups, all QST parameters were within the 95% confidence interval of HC data. Patients with cervical radiculopathy were characterised by localised loss of function (thermal, mechanical, vibration detection P<.009) in the maximal pain area and dermatome (thermal detection, vibration detection, pressure pain sensitivity P<.04), consistent with peripheral neuronal damage. Both neck-arm pain groups demonstrated increased cold sensitivity in their maximal pain area (P<.03) and the foot (P<.009), and this was also the dominant sensory characteristic in patients with NSNAP. Both neck-arm pain groups differed from patients with FM, the latter characterised by a widespread gain of function in most nociceptive parameters (thermal, pressure, mechanical pain sensitivity P<.027). Despite commonalities in pain characteristics between the 2 neck-arm pain groups, distinct sensory profiles were demonstrated for each group. Copyright © 2012 International Association for the Study of Pain. Published by Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Working memory and attention deficits in adolescent offspring of schizophrenia or bipolar patients: comparing vulnerability markers.

PubMed

Diwadkar, Vaibhav A; Goradia, Dhruman; Hosanagar, Avinash; Mermon, Diana; Montrose, Debra M; Birmaher, Boris; Axelson, David; Rajarathinem, R; Haddad, Luay; Amirsadri, Ali; Zajac-Benitez, Caroline; Rajan, Usha; Keshavan, Matcheri S

2011-07-01

Working memory deficits abound in schizophrenia and attention deficits have been documented in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Adolescent offspring of patients may inherit vulnerabilities in brain circuits that subserve these cognitive domains. Here we assess impairments in offspring of schizophrenia (SCZ-Offspring) or bipolar (BP-Offspring) patients compared to controls (HC) with no family history of mood or psychotic disorders to the second degree. Three groups (n=100 subjects; range: 10-20 yrs) of HC, SCZ-Offspring and BP-Offspring gave informed consent. Working memory was assessed using a delayed spatial memory paradigm with two levels of delay (2s & 12s); sustained attention processing was assessed using the Continuous Performance Task-Identical Pairs version. SCZ-Offspring (but not BP-Offspring) showed impairments in working memory (relative to HC) at the longer memory delay indicating a unique deficit. Both groups showed reduced sensitivity during attention but only BP-Offspring significantly differed from controls. These results suggest unique (working memory/dorsal frontal cortex) and potentially overlapping (attention/fronto-striatal cortex) vulnerability pathways in adolescent offspring of patients with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Working memory and attention assessments in these offspring may assist in the clinical characterization of the adolescents vulnerable to SCZ or BP. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The relationship of cardiovascular risk factors to Alzheimer disease in Choctaw Indians.

PubMed

Weiner, Myron F; Hynan, Linda S; Rossetti, Heidi; Womack, Kyle B; Rosenberg, Roger N; Gong, Yun-Hua; Qu, Bao-Xi

2011-05-01

To test the hypothesis that cardiovascular risk factors (CRFs) influence predisposition to and the clinical course of Alzheimer disease (AD), the authors compared Choctaw Indians, a group with known high CRF with white persons with AD. In addition to CRF history, the authors investigated the frequency of apolipoprotein E4 (apoE4) genotype andplasma homocysteine (HC) levels. The authors compared 39 Choctaw Indians with AD and 39 Choctaw Indians without AD to 39 white persons with AD with all groups similar in age. CRF history included diabetes, hypertension, high cholesterol or hypolipidemic agent use, or myocardial infarction. The authors also compared plasma HC concentration and apoE4 allele frequency. Choctaw persons with AD differed significantly from white persons with AD in history of hypertension, diabetes, and in HC values but not from Indians without AD. There was a significantly lower apoE4 allele frequency in Choctaw Indian AD than white persons with AD, and both AD groups had an affected first degree relative significantly more often than Indian controls. There was no relationship between the number of CRF and age at onset among Indians or whites, whereas HC concentration was associated with significantly earlier age of onset for Choctaw Indians but not for whites. This small study suggests that in Choctaw Indians modifiable risk factors may play more of a role in disease pathogenesis than in whites and that nonmodifiable risk factors such as apoE4 may play less of a role.

Postural control and freezing of gait in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Schlenstedt, Christian; Muthuraman, Muthuraman; Witt, Karsten; Weisser, Burkhard; Fasano, Alfonso; Deuschl, Günther

2016-03-01

The relationship between freezing of gait (FOG) and postural instability in Parkinson's disease (PD) is unclear. We analyzed the impact of FOG on postural control. 31 PD patients with FOG (PD+FOG), 27 PD patients without FOG (PD-FOG) and 22 healthy control (HC) were assessed in the ON state. Postural control was measured with the Fullerton Advanced Balance (FAB) scale and with center of pressure (COP) analysis during quiet stance and maximal voluntary forward/backward leaning. The groups were balanced concerning age, disease duration and disease severity. PD+FOG performed significantly worse in the FAB scale (21.8 ± 5.8) compared to PD-FOG (25.6 ± 5.0) and HC (34.9 ± 2.4) (mean ± SD, p < 0.01). PD+FOG had impaired ability to voluntary lean forward, difficulties to stand on foam with eyes closed and reduced limits of stability compared to PD-FOG (p < 0.05). During quiet stance the average anterior-posterior COP position was significantly displaced towards posterior in PD+FOG in comparison to PD-FOG and HC (p < 0.05). The COP position correlated with severity of FOG (p < 0.01). PD+FOG and PD-FOG did not differ in average COP sway excursion, sway velocity, sway regularity and postural control asymmetry. PD+FOG have reduced postural control compared to PD-FOG and HC. Our results show a relationship between the anterior-posterior COP position during quiet stance and FOG. The COP shift towards posterior in PD+FOG leads to a restricted precondition to generate forward progression during gait initiation. This may contribute to the occurrence of FOG or might be a compensatory strategy to avoid forward falls. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Characterizing the nature of home care work and occupational hazards: a developmental intervention study.

PubMed

Markkanen, Pia; Quinn, Margaret; Galligan, Catherine; Sama, Susan; Brouillette, Natalie; Okyere, Daniel

2014-04-01

Home care (HC) aide is the fastest growing occupation, yet job hazards are under-studied. This study documents the context of HC aide work, characterizes occupational safety and health (OSH) hazards, and identifies preventive interventions using qualitative methods. We conducted 12 focus groups among aides and 26 in-depth interviews comprising 15 HC agency, union, and insurance company representatives as well as 11 HC recipients in Massachusetts. All focus groups and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and coded with NVIVO software. Major OSH concerns were musculoskeletal disorders from client care tasks and verbal abuse. Performing tasks beyond specified job duties may be an OSH risk factor. HC aides' safety and clients' safety are closely linked. Client handling devices, client evaluation, care plan development, and training are key interventions for both aides' and clients' safety. Promoting OSH in HC is essential for maintaining a viable workforce. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Cerebellar involvement in essential tremor with and without resting tremor: A Diffusion Tensor Imaging study.

PubMed

Novellino, Fabiana; Nicoletti, Giuseppe; Cherubini, Andrea; Caligiuri, Maria Eugenia; Nisticò, Rita; Salsone, Maria; Morelli, Maurizio; Arabia, Gennarina; Cavalli, Salvatore Maria; Vaccaro, Maria Grazia; Chiriaco, Carmelina; Quattrone, Aldo

2016-06-01

Essential Tremor with resting tremor (rET) is a debated and poorly understood clinical phenotype. Converging evidences show that neurodegeneration of the cerebellum underlies the pathophysiology of ET, but it is not known if cerebellar changes also occurs in patients with rET. The aim of our study was to evaluate cerebellar microstructure in patients with ET with- (rET) and without resting tremor (ETwr) in comparison to healthy controls by MR Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI). We studied 67 patients with ET (rET: 29 and ETwr: 38) and 39 age-matched healthy controls (HC). DTI was performed to measure fractional anisotropy (FA) and mean diffusivity (MD) of white and grey matter (WM, GM) in the entire cerebellum and in right and left cerebellar hemispheres. MD was significantly higher in the cerebellar GM of ET total group (10.39 ± 0.87) in comparison with HC (9.90 ± 0.71) (p = 0.0027). Interestingly, MD was significantly different when ETwr (10.48 ± 0.77) were compared with HC (p = 0.0017), whereas a trend toward significance were found between rET (10.29 ± 0.99) and HC (p = 0.067). No differences among groups were found in MD of cerebellar WM and in FA values neither in the WM nor in the GM. Our results demonstrate the presence of microstructural changes in the cerebellum of patients with ET. It is noteworthy that rET showed intermediate values compared to HC and ETwr, suggesting that rET shares part of the pathophysiological mechanisms of ETwr, but cerebellar involvement seems do not fully account for rET. In addition to the cerebellar loops, other networks may play a role in rET pathophysiology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Functional Dysphonia during Mental Imagery: Testing the Trait Theory of Voice Disorders

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

van Mersbergen, Miriam; Patrick, Christopher; Glaze, Leslie

2008-01-01

Purpose: Previous research has proposed that persons with functional dysphonia (FD) present with temperamental traits that predispose them to their voice disorder. We investigated this theory in a controlled experiment and compared them with social anxiety (SA) and healthy control (HC) groups. Method: Twelve participants with FD, 19 participants…

Effect of exercise training on Ca2+ release units of left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

PubMed

Carneiro-Júnior, M A; Quintão-Júnior, J F; Drummond, L R; Lavorato, V N; Drummond, F R; Amadeu, M A; Oliveira, E M; Felix, L B; Cruz, J S; Mill, J G; Natali, A J; Prímola-Gomes, T N

2014-08-29

In cardiomyocytes, calcium (Ca2+) release units comprise clusters of intracellular Ca2+ release channels located on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and hypertension is well established as a cause of defects in calcium release unit function. Our objective was to determine whether endurance exercise training could attenuate the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release unit components and Ca2+ sparks in left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Male Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (4 months of age) were divided into 4 groups: normotensive (NC) and hypertensive control (HC), and normotensive (NT) and hypertensive trained (HT) animals (7 rats per group). NC and HC rats were submitted to a low-intensity treadmill running protocol (5 days/week, 1 h/day, 0% grade, and 50-60% of maximal running speed) for 8 weeks. Gene expression of the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) and FK506 binding protein (FKBP12.6) increased (270%) and decreased (88%), respectively, in HC compared to NC rats. Endurance exercise training reversed these changes by reducing RyR2 (230%) and normalizing FKBP12.6 gene expression (112%). Hypertension also increased the frequency of Ca2+ sparks (HC=7.61±0.26 vs NC=4.79±0.19 per 100 µm/s) and decreased its amplitude (HC=0.260±0.08 vs NC=0.324±0.10 ΔF/F0), full width at half-maximum amplitude (HC=1.05±0.08 vs NC=1.26±0.01 µm), total duration (HC=11.51±0.12 vs NC=14.97±0.24 ms), time to peak (HC=4.84±0.06 vs NC=6.31±0.14 ms), and time constant of decay (HC=8.68±0.12 vs NC=10.21±0.22 ms). These changes were partially reversed in HT rats (frequency of Ca2+ sparks=6.26±0.19 µm/s, amplitude=0.282±0.10 ΔF/F0, full width at half-maximum amplitude=1.14±0.01 µm, total duration=13.34±0.17 ms, time to peak=5.43±0.08 ms, and time constant of decay=9.43±0.15 ms). Endurance exercise training attenuated the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release units of left ventricular myocytes.

Is there a correlation between hippocampus and amygdala volume and olfactory function in healthy subjects?

PubMed

Smitka, M; Puschmann, S; Buschhueter, D; Gerber, J C; Witt, M; Honeycutt, N; Abolmaali, N; Hummel, T

2012-01-16

Both amygdala (AG) and hippocampus (HC) are integral parts of the olfactory system. The present study, including a large number of healthy subjects, was performed to compare HC and AG volumes, measured by manual tracing, in relation to specific olfactory functions, including odor threshold, discrimination, identification, and odor memory tasks. It also aimed to provide age-related normative data about the volume of the HC and AG. A total of 117 healthy volunteers participated (age range 19-77 years, mean age 37 years; 62 women, 55 men). Using the "Sniffin' Sticks", subjects received lateralized tests for odor threshold, and odor discrimination. In addition, an odor memory and an odor identification task were performed bilaterally. A Mini-Mental-State test excluded dementia. MR scans were performed using a 1.5 T scanner for later manual volumetric measurements. Volumetric measurements exhibited a good reproducibility. The average volume for the right HC was 3.29 cm(3) (SD 0.47), for the left HC it was 3.15 cm(3) (SD 0.47). The average right AG had a volume of 1.60 cm(3) (SD 0.31), left 1.59 cm(3) (SD 0.3). Increasing age was accompanied by a decrease of HC and AG volumes, which were much more pronounced for the right compared to the left side. Only the volume of the right HC showed a small but significant correlation with odor threshold (r(117)=0.21; p=0.02). Importantly, this correlation was not mediated by age as indicated by the significant partial correlation when controlling for age (r(114)=0.18; p=0.049). In conclusion, the present data obtained in a relatively large group of subjects demonstrates a small correlation between the volume of the HC, as an integral part of the olfactory system, and smell function. In addition, these data can be used as the basis for normative values of HC and AG volumes, separately for men, women and different age groups. This is of potential interest in diseases with acute or chronic impairment of olfactory function, in metabolic or neurodegenerative diseases or in disorders with damage of areas involved in adult neurogenesis. Copyright © 2011 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Do Children and Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa Display an Inefficient Cognitive Processing Style?

PubMed

Lang, Katie; Lloyd, Samantha; Khondoker, Mizanur; Simic, Mima; Treasure, Janet; Tchanturia, Kate

2015-01-01

This study aimed to examine neuropsychological processing in children and adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The relationship of clinical and demographic variables to neuropsychological functioning within the AN group was also explored. The performance of 41 children and adolescents with a diagnosis of AN were compared to 43 healthy control (HC) participants on a number of neuropsychological measures. There were no differences in IQ between AN and HC groups. However, children and adolescents with AN displayed significantly more perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and lower Style and Central Coherence scores on the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test relative to HCs. Inefficient cognitive processing in the AN group was independent of clinical and demographic variables, suggesting it might represent an underlying trait for AN. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Effects of high altitude exposure on the pharmacokinetics of furosemide in healthy volunteers.

PubMed

Arancibia, A; Nella Gai, M; Paulos, C; Chávez, J; Pinilla, E; Angel, N; Ritschel, W A

2004-06-01

A cascade of pathophysiological events occurs with the ascension to high altitude (H). We have performed studies on the effects of exposure to H on the pharmacokinetics of drugs. The hypothesis behind these studies has been that the exposure to H, which produces marked physiological changes in the body, may alter pharmacokinetics, and consequently, pharmacodynamics. Our previous studies suggest that drugs highly bound to plasma proteins are most likely to exhibit altered disposition. In continuation of our research, we selected furosemide which is about 98% bound to plasma proteins, renally excreted and has low binding to red blood cells. Furosemide (40 mg) was administered orally to 3 groups of young healthy volunteers. One group who had been residing at sea level (group L), the same group after 15 hours of exposure to high altitude (3,600 m, group HA) and a group of volunteers living at H for at least 6 months (group HC). Our results are in accordance with the most recent pharmacokinetic studies on furosemide in which a terminal half-life of approximately 20-30 h was reported. Total proteins were 9.3% and 12.7% higher in groups HA and HC, respectively, than in group L. Albumin in group HC was 8.2% higher than group L. Bilirubin increased 17.7% and 41.2% in groups HA and HC, respectively, in comparison with group L. A rapid disposition rate constant in groups HA and HC was the only pharmacokinetic parameter that was significantly different from those in group L. Concentration of furosemide in plasma water increased significantly after H exposure, thus, the binding diminished from 97.2% in group L to 95.1% and 91.1% in groups HA and HC, respectively. Exposure to H produces an increase in the free fraction of furosemide in humans, which could be of therapeutic importance.

Phonatory aerodynamics in connected speech.

PubMed

Gartner-Schmidt, Jackie L; Hirai, Ryoji; Dastolfo, Christina; Rosen, Clark A; Yu, Lan; Gillespie, Amanda I

2015-12-01

1) Present phonatory aerodynamic data for healthy controls (HCs) in connected speech; 2) contrast these findings between HCs and patients with nontreated unilateral vocal fold paralysis (UVFP); 3) present pre- and post-vocal fold augmentation outcomes for patients with UVFP; 4) contrast data from patients with post-operative laryngeal augmentation to HCs. Retrospective, single-blinded. For phase I, 20 HC participants were recruited. For phase II, 20 patients with UVFP were age- and gender-matched to the 20 HC participants used in phase I. For phase III, 20 patients with UVFP represented a pre- and posttreatment cohort. For phase IV, 20 of the HC participants from phase I and 20 of the postoperative UVFP patients from phase III were used for direct comparison. Aerodynamic measures captured from a sample of the Rainbow Passage included: number of breaths, mean phonatory airflow rate, total duration of passage, inspiratory airflow duration, and expiratory airflow duration. The VHI-10 was also obtained pre- and postoperative laryngeal augmentation. All phonatory aerodynamic measures were significantly increased in patients with preoperative UVFP than the HC group. Patients with laryngeal augmentation took significantly less breaths, had less mean phonatory airflow rate during voicing, and had shorter inspiratory airflow duration than the preoperative UVFP group. None of the postoperative measures returned to HC values. Significant improvement in the Voice Handicap Index-10 scores postlaryngeal augmentation was also found. Methodology described in this study improves upon existing aerodynamic voice assessment by capturing characteristics germane to UVFP patient complaints and measuring change before and after laryngeal augmentation in connected speech. 4. © 2015 The American Laryngological, Rhinological and Otological Society, Inc.

Neurological Abnormalities in Recent-Onset Schizophrenia and Asperger-Syndrome

PubMed Central

Hirjak, Dusan; Wolf, Robert Christian; Koch, Sabine C.; Mehl, Laura; Kelbel, Janna K.; Kubera, Katharina Maria; Traeger, Tanja; Fuchs, Thomas; Thomann, Philipp Arthur

2014-01-01

Background: Neurological abnormalities including a variety of subtle deficits such as discrete impairments in sensory integration, motor coordination (MOCO), and sequencing of complex motor acts are frequently found in patients with schizophrenia (SZ) and commonly referred to as neurological soft signs (NSS). Asperger-syndrome (AS) is characterized by sensory-motor difficulties as well. However, the question whether the two disorders share a common or a disease-specific pattern of NSS remains unresolved. Method: A total of 78 age- and education-matched participants [26 patients with recent-onset SZ, 26 individuals with AS, and 26 healthy controls (HC)] were recruited for the study. Analyses of covariance (ANCOVAs), with age, years of education, and medication included as covariates, were used to examine group differences on total NSS and the five subscale scores. Discriminant analyses were employed to identify the NSS subscales that maximally discriminate between the three groups. Results: Significant differences among the three groups were found in NSS total score and on the five NSS subscales. The clinical groups differed significantly in the NSS subscale MOCO. The correct discriminant rate between patients with SZ and individuals with AS was 61.5%. The correct discriminant rate was 92.3% between individuals with AS and HC, and 80.8% between SZ patients and HC, respectively. Conclusion: Our findings provide new evidence for the presence of NSS in AS and lend further support to previously reported difficulties in movement control in this disorder. According to the present results, SZ and AS seem to be characterized by both quantitative and qualitative NSS expression. PMID:25147527

A comparative study of the effect of the dose and exposure duration of anabolic androgenic steroids on behavior, cholinergic regulation, and oxidative stress in rats

PubMed Central

Bueno, Andressa; Gutierres, Jessié M.; Lhamas, Cibele; Andrade, Cinthia M.

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess if the dose and exposure duration of the anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) boldenone (BOL) and stanazolol (ST) affected memory, anxiety, and social interaction, as well as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex (CC) and hippocampus (HC). Male Wistar rats (90 animals) were randomly assigned to three treatment protocols: (I) 5 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 4 weeks; (II) 2.5 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 8 weeks; and (III) 1.25 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 12 weeks. Each treatment protocol included a control group that received an olive oil injection (vehicle control) and AAS were administered intramuscularly (a total volume of 0.2 ml) once a week in all three treatment protocols. In the BOL and ST groups, a higher anxiety level was observed only for Protocol I. BOL and ST significantly affected social interaction in all protocols. Memory deficits and increased AChE activity in the CC and HC were found in the BOL groups treated according to Protocol III only. In addition, BOL and ST significantly increased oxidative stress in both the CC and HC in the groups treated according to Protocol I and III. In conclusion, our findings show that the impact of BOL and ST on memory, anxiety, and social interaction depends on the dose and exposure duration of these AAS. PMID:28594925

A comparative study of the effect of the dose and exposure duration of anabolic androgenic steroids on behavior, cholinergic regulation, and oxidative stress in rats.

PubMed

Bueno, Andressa; Carvalho, Fabiano B; Gutierres, Jessié M; Lhamas, Cibele; Andrade, Cinthia M

2017-01-01

The aim of this study was to assess if the dose and exposure duration of the anabolic androgenic steroids (AAS) boldenone (BOL) and stanazolol (ST) affected memory, anxiety, and social interaction, as well as acetylcholinesterase (AChE) activity and oxidative stress in the cerebral cortex (CC) and hippocampus (HC). Male Wistar rats (90 animals) were randomly assigned to three treatment protocols: (I) 5 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 4 weeks; (II) 2.5 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 8 weeks; and (III) 1.25 mg/kg BOL or ST, once a week for 12 weeks. Each treatment protocol included a control group that received an olive oil injection (vehicle control) and AAS were administered intramuscularly (a total volume of 0.2 ml) once a week in all three treatment protocols. In the BOL and ST groups, a higher anxiety level was observed only for Protocol I. BOL and ST significantly affected social interaction in all protocols. Memory deficits and increased AChE activity in the CC and HC were found in the BOL groups treated according to Protocol III only. In addition, BOL and ST significantly increased oxidative stress in both the CC and HC in the groups treated according to Protocol I and III. In conclusion, our findings show that the impact of BOL and ST on memory, anxiety, and social interaction depends on the dose and exposure duration of these AAS.

Provocation of Symmetry/Ordering Symptoms in Anorexia nervosa: A Functional Neuroimaging Study

PubMed Central

Giampietro, Vincent; Uher, Rudolf; Mataix-Cols, David; Brammer, Michael J.; Williams, Steven C. R.; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C.

2014-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN), obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), and obsessive–compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) are often co-morbid; however, the aetiology of such co-morbidity has not been well investigated. This study examined brain activation in women with AN and in healthy control (HC) women during the provocation of symmetry/ordering-related anxiety. During provocation, patients with AN showed more anxiety compared to HCs, which was correlated with the severity of symmetry/ordering symptoms. Activation in the right parietal lobe and right prefrontal cortex (rPFC) in response to provocation was reduced in the AN group compared with the HC group. The reduced right parietal activation observed in the AN group is consistent with parietal lobe involvement in visuospatial cognition and with studies of OCD reporting an association between structural abnormalities in this region and the severity of ‘ordering’ symptoms. Reduced rPFC activation in response to symmetry/ordering provocation has similarities with some, but not all, data collected from patients with AN who were exposed to images of food and bodies. Furthermore, the combination of data from the AN and HC groups showed that rPFC activation during symptom provocation was inversely correlated with the severity of symmetry/ordering symptoms. These data suggest that individuals with AN have a diminished ability to cognitively deal with illness-associated symptoms of provocation. Furthermore, our data also suggest that symptom provocation can progressively overload attempts by the rPFC to exert cognitive control. These findings are discussed in the context of the current neurobiological models of AN. PMID:24844926

Provocation of symmetry/ordering symptoms in Anorexia nervosa: a functional neuroimaging study.

PubMed

Suda, Masashi; Brooks, Samantha J; Giampietro, Vincent; Uher, Rudolf; Mataix-Cols, David; Brammer, Michael J; Williams, Steven C R; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C

2014-01-01

Anorexia nervosa (AN), obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), and obsessive-compulsive personality disorder (OCPD) are often co-morbid; however, the aetiology of such co-morbidity has not been well investigated. This study examined brain activation in women with AN and in healthy control (HC) women during the provocation of symmetry/ordering-related anxiety. During provocation, patients with AN showed more anxiety compared to HCs, which was correlated with the severity of symmetry/ordering symptoms. Activation in the right parietal lobe and right prefrontal cortex (rPFC) in response to provocation was reduced in the AN group compared with the HC group. The reduced right parietal activation observed in the AN group is consistent with parietal lobe involvement in visuospatial cognition and with studies of OCD reporting an association between structural abnormalities in this region and the severity of 'ordering' symptoms. Reduced rPFC activation in response to symmetry/ordering provocation has similarities with some, but not all, data collected from patients with AN who were exposed to images of food and bodies. Furthermore, the combination of data from the AN and HC groups showed that rPFC activation during symptom provocation was inversely correlated with the severity of symmetry/ordering symptoms. These data suggest that individuals with AN have a diminished ability to cognitively deal with illness-associated symptoms of provocation. Furthermore, our data also suggest that symptom provocation can progressively overload attempts by the rPFC to exert cognitive control. These findings are discussed in the context of the current neurobiological models of AN.

Serum Tryptophan Metabolite Levels During Sleep in Patients With and Without Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).

PubMed

Heitkemper, Margaret M; Han, Claire Jungyoun; Jarrett, Monica E; Gu, Haiwei; Djukovic, Danijel; Shulman, Robert J; Raftery, Daniel; Henderson, Wendy A; Cain, Kevin C

2016-03-01

Poor sleep and stress are more frequently reported by women with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) than by healthy control (HC) women. The pathophysiology linking poor sleep and stress to gastrointestinal symptoms remains poorly understood. We used a metabolomic approach to determine whether tryptophan (TRP) metabolites differ between women with and without IBS and whether the levels are associated with sleep indices and serum cortisol levels. This study sample included 38 women with IBS and 21 HCs. The women were studied in a sleep laboratory for three consecutive nights. On the third night of the study, a social stressor was introduced, then blood samples were drawn every 20 min and sleep indices were measured. Metabolites were determined by targeted liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry in a sample collected 1 hr after the onset of sleep. The ratios of each metabolite to TRP were used for analyses. Correlations were controlled for age and oral contraceptive use. Melatonin/TRP levels were lower (p = .005) in the IBS-diarrhea group versus the IBS-constipation and HC groups, and kynurenine/TRP ratios tended to be lower (p = .067) in the total IBS and IBS-diarrhea groups compared to HCs. Associations within the HC group included melatonin/TRP with polysomnography-sleep efficiency (r = .61, p = .006) and weaker positive correlations with the other ratios for either sleep efficiency or percentage time in rapid eye movement sleep (r > .40, p = .025-.091). This study suggests that reductions in early nighttime melatonin/TRP levels may be related to altered sleep quality in IBS, particularly those with diarrhea. © The Author(s) 2015.

The effect of terpene enhancer lipophilicity on the percutaneous permeation of hydrocortisone formulated in HPMC gel systems.

PubMed

El-Kattan, A F; Asbill, C S; Michniak, B B

2000-04-05

The percutaneous permeation of hydrocortisone (HC) was investigated in hairless mouse skin after application of an alcoholic hydrogel using a diffusion cell technique. The formulations contained one of 12 terpenes, the selection of which was based on an increase in their lipophilicity (log P 1.06-5.36). Flux, cumulative receptor concentrations, skin content, and lag time of HC were measured over 24 h and compared with control gels (containing no terpene). Furthermore, HC skin content and the solubility of HC in the alcoholic hydrogel solvent mixture in the presence of terpene were determined, and correlated to the enhancing activity of terpenes. The in vitro permeation experiments with hairless mouse skin revealed that the terpene enhancers varied in their ability to enhance the flux of HC. Nerolidol which possessed the highest lipophilicity (log P = 5.36+/-0.38) provided the greatest enhancement for HC flux (35.3-fold over control). Fenchone (log P = 2.13+/-0.30) exhibited the lowest enhancement of HC flux (10.1-fold over control). In addition, a linear relationship was established between the log P of terpenes and the cumulative amount of HC in the receptor after 24 h (Q(24)). Nerolidol, provided the highest Q(24) (1733+/-93 microg/cm(2)), whereas verbenone produced the lowest Q(24) (653+/-105 microg/cm(2)). Thymol provided the lowest HC skin content (1151+/-293 microg/g), while cineole produced the highest HC skin content (18999+/-5666 microg/g). No correlation was established between the log P of enhancers and HC skin content. A correlation however, existed between the log P of terpenes and the lag time. As log P increased, a linear decrease in lag time was observed. Cymene yielded the shortest HC lag time, while fenchone produced the longest lag time. Also, the increase in the log P of terpenes resulted in a proportional increase in HC solubility in the formulation solvent mixture.

Keto-adaptation enhances exercise performance and body composition responses to training in endurance athletes.

PubMed

McSwiney, Fionn T; Wardrop, Bruce; Hyde, Parker N; Lafountain, Richard A; Volek, Jeff S; Doyle, Lorna

2018-04-01

Low-carbohydrate diets have recently grown in popularity among endurance athletes, yet little is known about the long-term (>4wk) performance implications of consuming a low-carbohydrate high fat ketogenic diet (LCKD) in well-trained athletes. Twenty male endurance-trained athletes (age 33±11y, body mass 80±11kg; BMI 24.7±3.1kg/m 2 ) who habitually consumed a carbohydrate-based diet, self-selected into a high-carbohydrate (HC) group (n=11, %carbohydrate:protein:fat=65:14:20), or a LCKD group (n=9, 6:17:77). Both groups performed the same training intervention (endurance, strength and high intensity interval training (HIIT)). Prior to and following successful completion of 12-weeks of diet and training, participants had their body composition assessed, and completed a 100km time trial (TT), six second (SS) sprint, and a critical power test (CPT). During post-intervention testing the HC group consumed 30-60g/h carbohydrate, whereas the LCKD group consumed water, and electrolytes. The LCKD group experienced a significantly greater decrease in body mass (HC -0.8kg, LCKD -5.9kg; P=0.006, effect size (ES): 0.338) and percentage body fat percentage (HC -0.7%, LCKD -5.2%; P=0.008, ES: 0.346). Fasting serum beta-hydroxybutyrate (βHB) significantly increased from 0.1 at baseline to 0.5mmol/L in the LCKD group (P=0.011, ES: 0.403) in week 12. There was no significant change in performance of the 100km TT between groups (HC -1.13min·s, LCKD -4.07min·s, P=0.057, ES: 0.196). SS sprint peak power increased by 0.8 watts per kilogram bodyweight (w/kg) in the LCKD group, versus a -0.1w/kg reduction in the HC group (P=0.025, ES: 0.263). CPT peak power decreased by -0.7w/kg in the HC group, and increased by 1.4w/kg in the LCKD group (P=0.047, ES: 0.212). Fat oxidation in the LCKD group was significantly greater throughout the 100km TT. Compared to a HC comparison group, a 12-week period of keto-adaptation and exercise training, enhanced body composition, fat oxidation during exercise, and specific measures of performance relevant to competitive endurance athletes. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Combined Treatment with Interlukin-1 and Tumor Necrosis Factor-Alpha Antagonists Improve Type 2 Diabetes in Rats.

PubMed

DiK, Burak; Bahcivan, Emre; Eser Faki, Hatice; Uney, Kamil

2018-03-20

In the present study, combined treatment with etanercept and anakinra were tested in the streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats. Forty male Wistar albino rats were divided into 5 groups; healthy control (HC), diabetic control (DC), diabetic+anakinra (DAT), diabetic+etanercept (DET), and diabetic+etanercept+anakinra (DEAT). HC and DC groups received subcutaneous (sc.) injection with a saline solution, while DAT and DET groups received anakinra (10 mg/kg/day, sc.) or etanercept (10 mg/kg, twice a week, sc.), and DEAT rats received both anakinra and etanercept treatments for 21 days after diabetes has developed. Anakinra and etanercept treatments significantly increased insulin and homeostatic model assessment-β cell function levels and decreased glucose levels compared to the DC group as single (DAT and DET) and combined treatments (DEAT). The thiobarbituric acid reactive substances level was significantly decreased in DAT group. The combine use of etanercept and anakinra can improve insulin and blood glucose in type 2 diabetic rats. The combined treatment of anakinra and etanercept together was more effective than single treatment and might have a potential new treatment strategy and to reduce the mortality and morbidity resulting from diabetes.

Morpho-syntactic reading comprehension in children with early and late cochlear implants.

PubMed

López-Higes, Ramón; Gallego, Carlos; Martín-Aragoneses, María Teresa; Melle, Natalia

2015-04-01

This study explores morpho-syntactic reading comprehension in 19 Spanish children who received a cochlear implant (CI) before 24 months of age (early CI [e-CI]) and 19 Spanish children who received a CI after 24 months (late CI [l-CI]). They all were in primary school and were compared to a hearing control (HC) group of 19 children. Tests of perceptual reasoning, working memory, receptive vocabulary, and morpho-syntactic comprehension were used in the assessment. It was observed that while children with l-CI showed a delay, those with e-CI reached a level close to that which was obtained by their control peers in morpho-syntactic comprehension. Thus, results confirm a positive effect of early implantation on morpho-syntactic reading comprehension. Inflectional morphology and simple sentence comprehension were noted to be better in the e-CI group than in the l-CI group. The most important factor in distinguishing between the HC and l-CI groups or the e-CI and l-CI groups was verbal inflectional morphology. © The Author 2015. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please email: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Conditioned Pain Modulation in Women with Irritable Bowel Syndrome

PubMed Central

Jarrett, Monica E.; Shulman, Robert J.; Cain, Kevin C.; Deechakawan, Wimon; Smith, Lynne T.; Richebé, Philippe; Eugenio, Margaret; Heitkemper, Margaret M.

2013-01-01

Evidence suggests that patients with irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) are more vigilant to pain-associated stimuli. The aims of this study were to compare women with IBS (n = 20) to healthy control (HC, n = 20) women on pain sensitivity, conditioned pain modulation (CPM) efficiency and salivary cortisol levels before and after the CPM test; and examine the relationship of CPM efficiency with gastrointestinal, somatic pain, and psychological distress symptoms in each group. Women, ages 20–42, gave consent, completed questionnaires and kept a symptom diary for 2 weeks. CPM efficiency was tested with a heat test stimulus and cold water condition stimulus in a laboratory between 8 and 10 a.m. on a follicular phase day. Salivary cortisol samples were collected just before and after the experimental testing. Compared to the HC group, women with IBS reported more days with gastrointestinal and somatic pain/discomfort, psychological distress, fatigue, and feeling stressed. During the CPM baseline testing women with IBS reported greater pain sensitivity compared to the HC group. In the IBS group, CPM efficiency was associated with the pain impact (PROMIS) measure, daily abdominal pain/discomfort, psychological distress, in particular anxiety. There was no group difference in salivary cortisol levels. Overall, women with IBS exhibit an increased sensitivity to thermal stimuli. Impaired CPM was present in a subset of women with IBS. PMID:24463504

Fecal and Mucosa-Associated Intestinal Microbiota in Patients with Diarrhea-Predominant Irritable Bowel Syndrome.

PubMed

Maharshak, Nitsan; Ringel, Yehuda; Katibian, David; Lundqvist, Ashley; Sartor, R Balfour; Carroll, Ian M; Ringel-Kulka, Tamar

2018-05-17

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) has been associated with changes in the intestinal microbiota. Only a few studies have explored differences in the mucosa-associated microbiota between IBS patients and healthy controls (HC). To characterize and compare the microbiota in mucosal and fecal samples from carefully selected patients with IBS-D and HC. The cohort was composed of 23 diarrhea-predominant IBS (IBS-D) patients and 24 HC. Fresh stool samples were collected from participants prior to the collection of colonic mucosal samples from an unprepped bowel. After DNA extraction, 16S rRNA genes were sequenced by 454 pyrosequencing and analyzed using the QIIME pipeline. The fecal microbiota (luminal niche) of IBS-D patients was found to have reduced enteric richness compared to HC (P < 0.05), whereas no differences were observed between the two groups within the mucosal microbiota. Within the luminal niche, the relative proportions of Faecalibacterium genus were found to be lower in IBS-D than in HC and the Dorea genus was higher in IBS-D. None of the taxa proportions were significantly different in IBS-D patients versus HC using an FDR of ≤ 0.1 when analyzing samples that appeared in > 25% samples of either niche. Fecal and mucosal microbiota of IBS-D patients and HC are very similar and are not sufficient to explain the reported altered physiology and symptomatology of IBS-D. Future studies should investigate intestinal microbiome-dependent functional activity in addition to the fecal and mucosal-associated microbial composition.

A Mobile Health Intervention for Self-Management and Lifestyle Change for Persons With Type 2 Diabetes, Part 2: One-Year Results From the Norwegian Randomized Controlled Trial RENEWING HEALTH

PubMed Central

Torbjørnsen, Astrid; Wahl, Astrid Klopstad; Jenum, Anne Karen; Småstuen, Milada Cvancarova; Årsand, Eirik; Ribu, Lis

2014-01-01

Background Self-management is crucial in the daily management of type 2 diabetes. It has been suggested that mHealth may be an important method for enhancing self-management when delivered in combination with health counseling. Objective The objective of this study was to test whether the use of a mobile phone–based self-management system used for 1 year, with or without telephone health counseling by a diabetes specialist nurse for the first 4 months, could improve glycated hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) level, self-management, and health-related quality of life compared with usual care. Methods We conducted a 3-arm prospective randomized controlled trial involving 2 intervention groups and 1 control group. Eligible participants were persons with type 2 diabetes with an HbA1c level ≥7.1% (≥54.1 mmol/mol) and aged ≥18 years. Both intervention groups received the mobile phone–based self-management system Few Touch Application (FTA). The FTA consisted of a blood glucose–measuring system with automatic wireless data transfer, diet manual, physical activity registration, and management of personal goals, all recorded and operated using a diabetes diary app on the mobile phone. In addition, one intervention group received health counseling based on behavior change theory and delivered by a diabetes specialist nurse for the first 4 months after randomization. All groups received usual care by their general practitioner. The primary outcome was HbA1c level. Secondary outcomes were self-management (heiQ), health-related quality of life (SF-36), depressive symptoms (CES-D), and lifestyle changes (dietary habits and physical activity). Data were analyzed using univariate methods (t test, ANOVA) and multivariate linear and logistic regression. Results A total of 151 participants were randomized: 51 to the FTA group, 50 to the FTA-health counseling (FTA-HC) group, and 50 to the control group. Follow-up data after 1 year were available for 120 participants (79%). HbA1c level decreased in all groups, but did not differ between groups after 1 year. The mean change in the heiQ domain skills and technique acquisition was significantly greater in the FTA-HC group after adjusting for age, gender, and education (P=.04). Other secondary outcomes did not differ between groups after 1 year. In the FTA group, 39% were substantial users of the app; 34% of the FTA-HC group were substantial users. Those aged ≥63 years used the app more than their younger counterparts did (OR 2.7; 95% CI 1.02-7.12; P=.045). Conclusions The change in HbA1c level did not differ between groups after the 1-year intervention. Secondary outcomes did not differ between groups except for an increase in the self-management domain of skill and technique acquisition in the FTA-HC group. Older participants used the app more than the younger participants did. PMID:25499872

Characteristics of Resting-State Functional Connectivity in Intractable Unilateral Temporal Lobe Epilepsy Patients with Impaired Executive Control Function

PubMed Central

Zhang, Chao; Yang, Hongyu; Qin, Wen; Liu, Chang; Qi, Zhigang; Chen, Nan; Li, Kuncheng

2017-01-01

Executive control function (ECF) deficit is a common complication of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Characteristics of brain network connectivity in TLE with ECF dysfunction are still unknown. The aim of this study was to investigate resting-state functional connectivity (FC) changes in patients with unilateral intractable TLE with impaired ECF. Forty right-handed patients with left TLE confirmed by comprehensive preoperative evaluation and postoperative pathological findings were enrolled. The patients were divided into normal ECF (G1) and decreased ECF (G2) groups according to whether they showed ECF impairment on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). Twenty-three healthy volunteers were recruited as the healthy control (HC) group. All subjects underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI). Group-information-guided independent component analysis (GIG-ICA) was performed to estimate resting-state networks (RSNs) for all subjects. General linear model (GLM) was employed to analyze intra-network FC (p < 0.05, false discovery rate, FDR correction) and inter-network FC (p < 0.05, Bonferroni correction) of RSN among three groups. Pearson correlations between FC and neuropsychological tests were also determined through partial correlation analysis (p < 0.05). Eleven meaningful RSNs were identified from 40 left TLE and 23 HC subjects. Comparison of intra-network FC of all 11 meaningful RSNs did not reveal significant difference among the three groups (p > 0.05, FDR correction). For inter-network analysis, G2 exhibited decreased FC between the executive control network (ECN) and default-mode network (DMN) when compared with G1 (p = 0.000, Bonferroni correction) and HC (p = 0.000, Bonferroni correction). G1 showed no significant difference of FC between ECN and DMN when compared with HC. Furthermore, FC between ECN and DMN had significant negative correlation with perseverative responses (RP), response errors (RE) and perseverative errors (RPE) and had significant positive correlation categories completed (CC) in both G1 and G2 (p < 0.05). No significant difference of Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) was found between G1 and G2, while intelligence quotient (IQ) testing showed significant difference between G1and G2.There was no correlation between FC and either MoCA or IQ performance. Our findings suggest that ECF impairment in unilateral TLE is not confined to the diseased temporal lobe. Decreased FC between DMN and ECN may be an important characteristic of RSN in intractable unilateral TLE. PMID:29375338

Hippocampal subfield volumes in short- and long-term lithium-treated patients with bipolar I disorder.

PubMed

Simonetti, Alessio; Sani, Gabriele; Dacquino, Claudia; Piras, Fabrizio; De Rossi, Pietro; Caltagirone, Carlo; Coryell, William; Spalletta, Gianfranco

2016-06-01

Patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (BP) may experience hippocampal atrophy. Lithium exposure has been associated with increased hippocampal volumes. However, its effects on hippocampal subfields remain to be clarified. We investigated the effects of short- and long-term lithium exposure on the hippocampus and its subfields in patients affected by bipolar I disorder (BP-I). Hippocampal subfields and total hippocampal volumes were measured in 60 subjects divided into four groups: 15 patients with BP-I who were never exposed to lithium [no-exposure group (NE)], 15 patients with BP-I exposed to lithium for < 24 months [short-exposure group (SE)], 15 patients with BP-I exposed to lithium for > 24 months [long-exposure group (LE)], and 15 healthy control subjects (HC). The SE and NE groups showed smaller total hippocampal volumes and smaller bilateral cornu ammonis CA2-3, CA4-dentate gyrus (DG), presubiculum, and subiculum volumes compared with HC. The LE group showed larger total hippocampal volumes and bilateral CA2-3, left CA4-DG, left presubiculum, and right subiculum volumes compared with the NE group, and larger volumes of the right CA2-3, left CA4-DG, left presubiculum, and right subiculum compared with the SE group. No differences were found between the LE group and HC or between the SE and NE groups. Long-term, but not short-term, exposure to lithium treatment may exert neuroprotective effects on specific hippocampal subfields linked to disease progression. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Relationships of abdominal pain, reports to visceral and temperature pain sensitivity, conditioned pain modulation, and heart rate variability in irritable bowel syndrome.

PubMed

Jarrett, M E; Han, C J; Cain, K C; Burr, R L; Shulman, R J; Barney, P G; Naliboff, B D; Zia, J; Heitkemper, M M

2016-07-01

Irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is a heterogeneous condition with a number of pathophysiological mechanisms that appear to contribute to symptom chronicity. One of these is altered pain sensitivity. Women between ages 18-45 were recruited the community. Of those enrolled, 56 had IBS and 36 were healthy control (HC) women. Participants completed questionnaires, kept a 4-week symptom diary and had a 12-h Holter placed to assess nighttime heart rate variability including high frequency power (HF), low frequency power (LF), and total power (TP). At mid-follicular phase approximately 80% of women completed a thermal pain sensitivity test with conditioned pain modulation and visceral pain sensitivity using a water load symptom provocation (WLSP) test. As expected, daily abdominal pain was significantly higher in the IBS compared to HC group. There were no differences between the bowel pattern subgroups (IBS-diarrhea [IBS-D], IBS-constipation plus mixed [IBS-CM]). Thermal pain sensitivity did not differ between the IBS and the HC groups, but was significantly higher in the IBS-CM group than the IBS-D group. In the WLSP test, the IBS group experienced significantly more symptom distress than HCs and the IBS-CM group was higher than the IBS-D group. Heart rate variability indicators did not differ between the groups or IBS subgroups. Daily abdominal pain was positively correlated with LF and TP in the IBS group. Despite similar levels of abdominal pain in IBS, the IBS-CM group demonstrated greater sensitivity to both thermal and visceral testing procedures. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Power spectrum scale invariance as a neural marker of cocaine misuse and altered cognitive control.

PubMed

Ide, Jaime S; Hu, Sien; Zhang, Sheng; Mujica-Parodi, Lilianne R; Li, Chiang-Shan R

2016-01-01

Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has highlighted the effects of chronic cocaine exposure on cerebral structures and functions, and implicated the prefrontal cortices in deficits of cognitive control. Recent investigations suggest power spectrum scale invariance (PSSI) of cerebral blood oxygenation level dependent (BOLD) signals as a neural marker of cerebral activity. We examined here how PSSI is altered in association with cocaine misuse and impaired cognitive control. Eighty-eight healthy (HC) and seventy-five age and gender matched cocaine dependent (CD) adults participated in functional MRI of a stop signal task (SST). BOLD images were preprocessed using standard procedures in SPM, including detrending, band-pass filtering (0.01-0.25 Hz), and correction for head motions. Voxel-wise PSSI measures were estimated by a linear fit of the power spectrum with a log-log scale. In group analyses, we examined differences in PSSI between HC and CD, and its association with clinical and behavioral variables using a multiple regression. A critical component of cognitive control is post-signal behavioral adjustment, which is compromised in cocaine dependence. Therefore, we examined the PSSI changes in association with post-signal slowing (PSS) in the SST. Compared to HC, CD showed decreased PSS and PSSI in multiple frontoparietal regions. PSSI was positively correlated with PSS in HC in multiple regions, including the left inferior frontal gyrus (IFG) and right supramarginal gyrus (SMG), which showed reduced PSSI in CD. These findings suggest disrupted connectivity dynamics in the fronto-parietal areas in association with post-signal behavioral adjustment in cocaine addicts. These new findings support PSSI as a neural marker of impaired cognitive control in cocaine addiction.

The Relevance of Emotion Regulation in Explaining Why Social Exclusion Triggers Paranoia in Individuals at Clinical High Risk of Psychosis.

PubMed

Lincoln, Tania M; Sundag, Johanna; Schlier, Björn; Karow, Anne

2018-06-06

Vulnerability-stress models postulate that social stress triggers psychotic episodes in vulnerable individuals. However, experimental evidence for the proposed causal pathway is scarce and the translating mechanisms are insufficiently understood. The study assessed the impact of social exclusion on paranoid beliefs in a quasi-experimental design and investigated the role of emotion regulation (ER) as a vulnerability indicator and emotional responses as a putative translating mechanism. Participants fulfilling criteria for clinical high risk of psychosis (CHR, n = 25), controls with anxiety disorders (AC, n = 40), and healthy controls (HC, n = 40) were assessed for dysfunctional (eg, rumination, catastrophizing, blaming) and functional ER-strategies (eg, reappraising, accepting, refocusing). They were then exposed to social exclusion during a virtual ball game (Cyberball) and assessed for changes in self-reported emotions and paranoid beliefs. The CHR sample showed a significantly stronger increase in paranoid beliefs from before to after the social exclusion than both control groups. This was accounted for by lower levels of functional and higher levels of dysfunctional ER (compared to HC) and by a stronger increase in self-reported negative emotion in the CHR group (compared to AC and HC). The results confirm the role of negative emotion on the pathway from social stressors to psychotic symptoms and indicate that both the use of dysfunctional ER strategies and difficulties in employing functional strategies add to explaining why people at risk of psychosis respond to a social stressor with increased paranoia.

Neural Mechanisms of Cognitive Reappraisal of Negative Self-Beliefs in Social Anxiety Disorder

PubMed Central

Goldin, Philippe R.; Ball, Tali M.; Werner, Kelly; Heimberg, Richard; Gross, James J.

2009-01-01

Background Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is characterized by distorted negative self-beliefs (NSBs) which are thought to enhance emotional reactivity, interfere with emotion regulation, and undermine social functioning. Cognitive reappraisal is a type of emotion regulation used to alter NSBs, with the goal of modulating emotional reactivity. Despite its relevance, little is known about the neural bases and temporal features of cognitive reappraisal in patients with SAD. Methods Twenty-seven patients with SAD and 27 healthy controls (HC) were trained to react and to implement cognitive reappraisal in order to down-regulate negative emotional reactivity to NSBs while undergoing functional magnetic resonance imaging and providing ratings of negative emotion experience. Results Behaviorally, compared with HC, patients with SAD reported greater negative emotion both while reacting to and reappraising NSBs. However, when cued, participants in both groups were able to use cognitive reappraisal to decrease emotion. Neurally, reacting to NSBs resulted in early amygdala response in both groups. Reappraising NSBs resulted in greater early cognitive control, language, and visual processing in HC, but greater late cognitive control, visceral, and visual processing in patients with SAD. Functional connectivity analysis during reappraisal identified more regulatory regions inversely related to left amygdala in HCs than in patients with SAD. Reappraisal-related brain regions that differentiated patients and controls were associated with negative emotion ratings and cognitive reappraisal self-efficacy. Conclusions Findings regarding cognitive reappraisal suggest neural timing, connectivity, and brain-behavioral associations specific to patients with SAD, and elucidate neural mechanisms that might serve as biomarkers of interventions for SAD. PMID:19717138

Autogenic-feedback training improves pilot performance during emergency flying conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellar, Michael A.; Folen, Raymond A.; Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, William B.; Hisert, Glen L.

1994-01-01

Studies have shown that autonomous mode behavior is one cause of aircraft fatalities due to pilot error. In such cases, the pilot is in a high state of psychological and physiological arousal and tends to focus on one problem, while ignoring more critical information. This study examined the effect of training in physiological self-recognition and regulation, as a means of improving crew cockpit performance. Seventeen pilots were assigned to the treatment and control groups matched for accumulated flight hours. The treatment group comprised three pilots of HC-130 Hercules aircraft and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilots; the control group comprised three pilots of HC-130's and six Dolphin helicopter pilots. During an initial flight, physiological data were recorded for each crew member and individual crew performance was rated by an instructor pilot. Eight crewmembers were then taught to regulate their own physiological response levels using Autogenic-Feedback Training (AFT). The remaining subjects received no training. During a second flight, treatment subjects showed significant improvement in performance, while controls did not improve. The results indicate that AFT management of high states of physiological arousal may improve pilot performance during emergency flying conditions.

Autogenic-feedback training improves pilot performance during emergency flying conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Kellar, Michael A.; Folen, Raymond A.; Cowings, Patricia S.; Toscano, William B.; Hisert, Glen L.

1993-01-01

Studies have shown that autonomous mode behavior is one cause of aircraft fatalities due to pilot error. In such cases, the pilot is in a high state of psychological and physiological arousal and tends to focus on one problem, while ignoring more critical information. The effect of training in physiological self-recognition and regulation, as a means of improving crew cockpit performance was examined. Seventeen pilots were assigned to the treatment and control groups matched for accumulated flight hours. The treatment group comprised four pilots of HC-130 Hercules aircraft and four HH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilots; the control group comprised three pilots of HC-130's and six Dolphin helicopter pilots. During an initial flight physiological data were recorded for each crewmember and individual crew performance and rated by an instructor pilot. Eight crewmembers were then taught to regulate their own physiological response levels using Autogenic-Feedback Training (AFT). The remaining subjects received no training. During a second flight, treatment subjects showed significant improvement in performance, while controls did not improve. The results indicate that AFT management of high states of physiological arousal may improve pilot performance during emergency flying conditions.

Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise and pilot performance: enhanced functioning under search-and-rescue flying conditions.

PubMed

Cowings, P S; Kellar, M A; Folen, R A; Toscano, W B; Burge, J D

2001-01-01

Studies have shown that autonomous mode behavior is one cause of aircraft fatalities due to pilot error. In such cases, the pilot is in a high state of psychological and physiological arousal and tends to focus on one problem, while ignoring more critical information. This study examined the effect of training in physiological self-recognition and regulation, as a means of improving crew cockpit performance. Seventeen pilots were assigned to the treatment and control groups matched for accumulated flight hours. The treatment group contained 4 pilots from HC-130 Hercules aircraft and 4 HH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilots; the control group contained 3 pilots of HC-130s and 6 helicopter pilots. During an initial flight, physiological data were recorded on each crewmember and an instructor pilot rated individual crew performance. Eight crewmembers were then taught to regulate their own physiological response levels using Autogenic-Feedback Training Exercise (AFTE). The remaining participants received no training. During a second flight, treatment participants showed significant improvement in performance (rated by the same instructor pilot as in pretests) while controls did not improve. The results indicate that AFTE management of high states of physiological arousal may improve pilot performance during emergency flying conditions.

Autogenic Feedback Training Exercise and pilot performance: enhanced functioning under search-and-rescue flying conditions

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Cowings, P. S.; Kellar, M. A.; Folen, R. A.; Toscano, W. B.; Burge, J. D.

2001-01-01

Studies have shown that autonomous mode behavior is one cause of aircraft fatalities due to pilot error. In such cases, the pilot is in a high state of psychological and physiological arousal and tends to focus on one problem, while ignoring more critical information. This study examined the effect of training in physiological self-recognition and regulation, as a means of improving crew cockpit performance. Seventeen pilots were assigned to the treatment and control groups matched for accumulated flight hours. The treatment group contained 4 pilots from HC-130 Hercules aircraft and 4 HH-65 Dolphin helicopter pilots; the control group contained 3 pilots of HC-130s and 6 helicopter pilots. During an initial flight, physiological data were recorded on each crewmember and an instructor pilot rated individual crew performance. Eight crewmembers were then taught to regulate their own physiological response levels using Autogenic-Feedback Training Exercise (AFTE). The remaining participants received no training. During a second flight, treatment participants showed significant improvement in performance (rated by the same instructor pilot as in pretests) while controls did not improve. The results indicate that AFTE management of high states of physiological arousal may improve pilot performance during emergency flying conditions.

Platelet Function Analyzer 100 and Brain Natriuretic Peptide as Biomarkers in Obstructive Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy.

PubMed

Blackshear, Joseph L; Safford, Robert E; Thomas, Colleen S; Bos, J Martijn; Ackerman, Michael J; Geske, Jeffrey B; Ommen, Steve R; Shapiro, Brian P; Johns, Gretchen S

2018-03-15

To test dual blood biomarkers compared with electrocardiogram (ECG) for hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HC) screening, we performed 3 analyses and cut-point assessments. First, we measured platelet function analyzer (PFA)-100 (n = 99) and normalized B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP) or NT-proBNP (BNP/upper limit of normal [ULN], n = 92) in 64 patients with HC and 29 normal controls (NCs). Second, from the regression equation between PFA and gradient (r = 0.77), we derived estimated PFA in a population of 189 patients with functional class I HC in whom measured BNP/ULN and ECG were available, and calculated single and dual biomarker sensitivity and specificity compared with ECG. Finally, we compared BNP/ULN in class I patients based on mutation and familial history status. In 42 patients with obstructive HC versus NCs, there was a slight overlap of PFA and BNP/ULN, but for the product of PFA × BNP/ULN, there was near-complete separation of values. Among patients with class I obstructive HC, estimated PFA × BNP/ULN had a sensitivity of 93% and a specificity of 100%; in latent and nonobstructive HC, sensitivity dropped to 61% and 72%; for ECG in obstructive, latent, and nonobstructive HC, sensitivity was 71%, 34%, and 67%. Functional class I patients with positive (n = 28) and negative (n = 36) sarcomere mutations and a positive (n = 71) or a negative (n = 109) family history had significant elevations of BNP/ULN versus NC, with no between-group differences. In conclusion, PFA and BNP were highly associated with obstructive HC and could potentially be used for screening; BNP was not uniquely elevated in patients with familial versus nonfamilial or mutation-positive versus mutation-negative HC. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Medial temporal lobe function during emotional memory in early Alzheimer's disease, mild cognitive impairment and healthy ageing: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Parra, Mario A; Pattan, Vivek; Wong, Dichelle; Beaglehole, Anna; Lonie, Jane; Wan, Hong I; Honey, Garry; Hall, Jeremy; Whalley, Heather C; Lawrie, Stephen M

2013-03-06

Relative to intentional memory encoding, which quickly declines in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and Alzheimer's disease (AD), incidental memory for emotional stimuli appears to deteriorate more slowly. We hypothesised that tests of incidental emotional memory may inform on different aspects of cognitive decline in MCI and AD. Patients with MCI, AD and Healthy Controls (HC) were asked to attend to emotional pictures (i.e., positive and neutral) sequentially presented during an fMRI session. Attention was monitored behaviourally. A surprise post-scan recognition test was then administered. The groups remained attentive within the scanner. The post-scan recognition pattern was in the form of (HC = MCI) > AD, with only the former group showing a clear benefit from emotional pictures. fMRI analysis of incidental encoding demonstrated clusters of activation in para-hippocampal regions and in the hippocampus in HC and MCI patients but not in AD patients. The pattern of activation observed in MCI patients tended to be greater than that found in HC. The results suggest that incidental emotional memory might offer a suitable platform to investigate, using behavioural and fMRI measures, subtle changes in the process of developing AD. These changes seem to differ from those found using standard episodic memory tests. The underpinnings of such differences and the potential clinical use of this methodology are discussed in depth.

Using SNP markers to dissect linkage disequilibrium at a major quantitative trait locus for resistance to the potato cyst nematode Globodera pallida on potato chromosome V.

PubMed

Achenbach, Ute; Paulo, Joao; Ilarionova, Evgenyia; Lübeck, Jens; Strahwald, Josef; Tacke, Eckhard; Hofferbert, Hans-Reinhard; Gebhardt, Christiane

2009-02-01

The damage caused by the parasitic root cyst nematode Globodera pallida is a major yield-limiting factor in potato cultivation . Breeding for resistance is facilitated by the PCR-based marker 'HC', which is diagnostic for an allele conferring high resistance against G. pallida pathotype Pa2/3 that has been introgressed from the wild potato species Solanum vernei into the Solanum tuberosum tetraploid breeding pool. The major quantitative trait locus (QTL) controlling this nematode resistance maps on potato chromosome V in a hot spot for resistance to various pathogens including nematodes and the oomycete Phytophthora infestans. An unstructured sample of 79 tetraploid, highly heterozygous varieties and breeding clones was selected based on presence (41 genotypes) or absence (38 genotypes) of the HC marker. Testing the clones for resistance to G. pallida confirmed the diagnostic power of the HC marker. The 79 individuals were genotyped for 100 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) at 10 loci distributed over 38 cM on chromosome V. Forty-five SNPs at six loci spanning 2 cM in the interval between markers GP21-GP179 were associated with resistance to G. pallida. Based on linkage disequilibrium (LD) between SNP markers, six LD groups comprising between 2 and 18 SNPs were identified. The LD groups indicated the existence of multiple alleles at a single resistance locus or at several, physically linked resistance loci. LD group C comprising 18 SNPs corresponded to the 'HC' marker. LD group E included 16 SNPs and showed an association peak, which positioned one nematode resistance locus physically close to the R1 gene family.

Increased Expression of Complement Regulators CD55 and CD59 on Peripheral Blood Cells in Patients with EAHEC O104:H4 Infection

PubMed Central

Ullrich, Sebastian; Fraedrich, Katharina; Schulze zur Wiesch, Julian; Fründt, Thorben; Tiegs, Gisa; Lohse, Ansgar; Lüth, Stefan

2013-01-01

Background An outbreak of Shiga Toxin 2 (Stx-2) producing enterohemorrhagic and enteroaggregative E.coli (EAHEC) O104H4 infection in May 2011 caused enterocolitis and an unprecedented high 22% rate of hemolytic uremic syndrome (HUS). The monoclonal anti-C5 antibody Eculizumab (ECU) has been used experimentally in EAHEC patients with HUS but treatment efficacy is uncertain. ECU can effectively prevent hemolysis in paroxysmal nocturnal hemoglobinuria (PNH) caused by a lack of complement-regulating CD55 and CD59 on blood cells. We hypothesized a low expression of CD55 and CD59, as seen in PNH, might correlate with HUS development in EAHEC patients. Methods 76 EAHEC patients (34 only gastrointestinal symptoms [GI], 23: HUS, 19: HUS and neurological symptoms [HUS/N]) and 12 healthy controls (HC) were tested for the expression of CD55 and CD59 on erythrocytes and leukocytes retrospectively. Additionally, the effect of Stx-2 on CD55 and CD59 expression on erythrocytes and leukocytes was studied ex vivo. Results CD55 expression on erythrocytes was similar in all patient groups and HC while CD59 showed a significantly higher expression in HUS and HUS/N patients compared to HC and the GI group. CD55 and CD59 expression on leukocytes and their subsets was significantly higher in all patient groups compared to HC regardless of treatment type. However, CD59 expression on erythrocytes was significantly higher in HUS and HUS/N patients treated combined with plasma separation (PS) and ECU compared to HC. Adding Stx-2 ex vivo had no effect on CD55 and CD59 expression on leukocytes from HC or patients. Conclusion HUS evolved independently from CD55 and CD59 expression on peripheral blood cells in EAHEC O104:H4 infected patients. Our data do not support a role for CD55 and CD59 in HUS development during EAHEC O104:H4 infection and point to a different mechanism within the complement system for HUS development in EAHEC patients. PMID:24086391

Quantitative kinetic analysis of PET amyloid imaging agents [(11)C]BF227 and [(18)F]FACT in human brain.

PubMed

Shidahara, Miho; Watabe, Hiroshi; Tashiro, Manabu; Okamura, Nobuyuki; Furumoto, Shozo; Watanuki, Shoichi; Furukawa, Katsutoshi; Arakawa, Yuma; Funaki, Yoshihito; Iwata, Ren; Gonda, Kohsuke; Kudo, Yukitsuka; Arai, Hiroyuki; Ishiwata, Kiichi; Yanai, Kazuhiko

2015-09-01

The purpose of this study was to compare two amyloid imaging agents, [(11)C]BF227 and [(18)F]FACT (derivative from [(11)C]BF227) through quantitative pharmacokinetics analysis in human brain. Positron emission tomography studies were performed on six elderly healthy control (HC) subjects and seven probable Alzheimer's disease (AD) patients with [(11)C]BF227 and 10 HC subjects and 10 probable AD patients with [(18)F]FACT. Data from nine regions of interest were analyzed by several approaches, namely non-linear least-squared fitting methods with arterial input functions (one-tissue compartment model(1TCM), two-tissue compartment model (2TCM)), Logan plot, and linearized methods with reference region (Reference Logan plot (RefLogan), MRTM0, MRTM2). We also evaluated SUV and SUVR for both tracers. The parameters estimated by several approaches were compared between two tracers for detectability of differences between HC and AD patients. For [(11)C]BF227, there were no significant difference of VT (2TCM, 1TCM) and SUV in all regions (Student t-test; p<0.05) and significant differences in the DVRs (Logan, RefLogan, and MRTM2) and SUVRs in six neocortical regions (p<0.05) between the HC and AD groups. For [(18)F]FACT, significant differences in DVRs (RefLogan, MRTM0, and MRTM2) were observed in more than four neocortical regions between the HC and AD groups (p<0.05), and the significant differences were found in SUVRs for two neocortical regions (inferior frontal coretex and lateral temporal coretex). Our results showed that both tracers can clearly distinguish between HC and AD groups although the pharmacokinetics and distribution patterns in brain for two tracers were substantially different. This study revealed that although the PET amyloid imaging agents [(11)C]BF227 and [(18)F]FACT have similar chemical and biological properties, they have different pharmacokinetics, and caution must be paid for usage of the tracers. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

CMIP5 models' shortwave cloud radiative response and climate sensitivity linked to the climatological Hadley cell extent

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Lipat, Bernard R.; Tselioudis, George; Grise, Kevin M.; Polvani, Lorenzo M.

2017-06-01

This study analyzes Coupled Model Intercomparison Project phase 5 (CMIP5) model output to examine the covariability of interannual Southern Hemisphere Hadley cell (HC) edge latitude shifts and shortwave cloud radiative effect (SWCRE). In control climate runs, during years when the HC edge is anomalously poleward, most models substantially reduce the shortwave radiation reflected by clouds in the lower midlatitude region (LML; ˜28°S-˜48°S), although no such reduction is seen in observations. These biases in HC-SWCRE covariability are linked to biases in the climatological HC extent. Notably, models with excessively equatorward climatological HC extents have weaker climatological LML subsidence and exhibit larger increases in LML subsidence with poleward HC edge expansion. This behavior, based on control climate interannual variability, has important implications for the CO2-forced model response. In 4×CO2-forced runs, models with excessively equatorward climatological HC extents produce stronger SW cloud radiative warming in the LML region and tend to have larger climate sensitivity values than models with more realistic climatological HC extents.

Cognitive function did not improve after initiation of natalizumab treatment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis. A prospective one-year dual control group study.

PubMed

Sundgren, M; Piehl, Fredrik; Wahlin, Åke; Brismar, Tom

2016-11-01

Cognitive impairment in multiple sclerosis (MS) is common and has severe implications. Natalizumab (NZ) has documented effects on relapse rate and radiological disease activity in relapsing-remitting MS (RRMS) but studies regarding its specific effects on cognitive functioning are few. Previous studies have reported improvement, however, often lacking relevant control groups. The objective of the present study was to evaluate the cognitive effects of NZ treatment, compared to patients on stable first-line treatment and healthy control subjects. MS patients starting NZ (MS-NZ), MS controls with stable interferon beta therapy (MS-C) and healthy control subjects (HC) were evaluated twice with one year interval, using a cognitive test battery covering six cognitive domains. The effects of NZ on levels of self-reported depression, fatigue, daytime sleepiness and perceived health were also examined. MS patients (MS-NZ and MS-C) had significantly lower baseline cognitive performance compared to HC (global score, p=0.002), but there were no significant differences between MS-NZ and MS-C. At follow-up, both MS-NZ and MS-C had improved significantly in four and five cognitive domains, respectively, and in global score (p=0.013 and p<0.001, respectively). HC improved significantly in three cognitive domains but not in global score. A regression analysis including baseline cognitive z-score and z-score change showed that participants with lower baseline scores had a significantly greater improvement, compared to those with better initial performance (p=0.021). There were no significant changes in depression, fatigue, daytime sleepiness or perceived health in MS-NZ or MS-C. Initiation of NZ therapy did not result in true cognitive improvement over one year. Presumably, the increased test performance in both MS groups was artificial and due to retest effects that were stronger in patients with lower baseline performance. Adequate control groups are essential when evaluating cognitive functioning in intervention trials among RRMS patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Lexical effects on speech production and intelligibility in Parkinson's disease

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Chiu, Yi-Fang

Individuals with Parkinson's disease (PD) often have speech deficits that lead to reduced speech intelligibility. Previous research provides a rich database regarding the articulatory deficits associated with PD including restricted vowel space (Skodda, Visser, & Schlegel, 2011) and flatter formant transitions (Tjaden & Wilding, 2004; Walsh & Smith, 2012). However, few studies consider the effect of higher level structural variables of word usage frequency and the number of similar sounding words (i.e. neighborhood density) on lower level articulation or on listeners' perception of dysarthric speech. The purpose of the study is to examine the interaction of lexical properties and speech articulation as measured acoustically in speakers with PD and healthy controls (HC) and the effect of lexical properties on the perception of their speech. Individuals diagnosed with PD and age-matched healthy controls read sentences with words that varied in word frequency and neighborhood density. Acoustic analysis was performed to compare second formant transitions in diphthongs, an indicator of the dynamics of tongue movement during speech production, across different lexical characteristics. Young listeners transcribed the spoken sentences and the transcription accuracy was compared across lexical conditions. The acoustic results indicate that both PD and HC speakers adjusted their articulation based on lexical properties but the PD group had significant reductions in second formant transitions compared to HC. Both groups of speakers increased second formant transitions for words with low frequency and low density, but the lexical effect is diphthong dependent. The change in second formant slope was limited in the PD group when the required formant movement for the diphthong is small. The data from listeners' perception of the speech by PD and HC show that listeners identified high frequency words with greater accuracy suggesting the use of lexical knowledge during the recognition process. The relationship between acoustic results and perceptual accuracy is limited in this study suggesting that listeners incorporate acoustic and non-acoustic information to maximize speech intelligibility.

Anomalous prefrontal-limbic activation and connectivity in youth at high-risk for bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Chang, Kiki; Garrett, Amy; Kelley, Ryan; Howe, Meghan; Sanders, Erica Marie; Acquaye, Tenah; Bararpour, Layla; Li, Sherrie; Singh, Manpreet; Jo, Booil; Hallmayer, Joachim; Reiss, Allan

2017-11-01

Abnormal prefrontal-limbic brain activation in response to facial expressions has been reported in pediatric bipolar disorder (BD). However, it is less clear whether these abnormalities exist prior to onset of mania, thus representing a biomarker predicting development of BD. We examined brain activation in 50 youth at high risk for BD (HR-BD), compared with 29 age- and gender-matched healthy control (HC) subjects. HR-BD was defined as having a parent with BD, as well as current mood or attentiondeficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) symptoms, or a history of at least one depressive episode. FMRI data were collected during an implicit emotion perception task using facial expression stimuli. Activation to fearful faces versus calm faces was compared between HR-BD and HC groups, including analyses of functional connectivity, and comparison of allele subgroups of the serotonin transporter (5-HTTLPR) gene. While viewing fearful versus calm faces, HR-BD youth had significantly greater activation than HC youth in the right amygdala, ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC), superior frontal cortex, cerebellum, and lingual gyrus. HR-BD youth, relative to HC youth, had greater functional connectivity between the right amygdala and the VLPFC as well as visual cortical regions Within the HR-BD group, youth with the s-allele had a trend for greater activation in the right amygdala and subgenual cingulate cortex CONCLUSIONS: Similar to youth with BD, youth at high risk for BD have greater activation than healthy controls in the amygdala and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex in response to fearful faces, as well greater functional connectivity between these regions. HR-BD youth with the s-allele of the 5-HTTLPR gene may be at greatest risk for developing BD. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Cognitive reserve as a predictor of two year neuropsychological performance in early onset first-episode schizophrenia.

PubMed

de la Serna, Elena; Andrés-Perpiñá, Susana; Puig, Olga; Baeza, Inmaculada; Bombin, Igor; Bartrés-Faz, David; Arango, Celso; Gonzalez-Pinto, Ana; Parellada, Mara; Mayoral, María; Graell, Montserrat; Otero, Soraya; Guardia, Joan; Castro-Fornieles, Josefina

2013-01-01

The concept of cognitive reserve (CR) has been defined as individual differences in the efficient utilization of brain networks which allow some people to cope better than others with brain pathology. CR has been developed mainly in the field of aging and dementia after it was observed that there appears to be no direct relationship between the degree of brain pathology and the severity of clinical manifestations of this damage. The present study applies the concept of CR to a sample of children and adolescents with a first episode of schizophrenia, aiming to assess the possible influence of CR on neuropsychological performance after two year follow-up, controlling for the influence of clinical psychopathology. 35 patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SSD) and 98 healthy controls (HC) matched for age and gender were included. CR was assessed at baseline, taking into account premorbid IQ, educational-occupational level and leisure activities. Clinical and neuropsychological assessments were completed by all patients at two year follow-up. The CR proxy was able to predict working memory and attention at two year follow-up. Verbal memory and cognitive flexibility were not predicted by any of the variables included in the regression model. The SSD group obtained lower scores than HC on CR. CR measures correctly classified 79.8% of the sample as being SSD or HC. Lower scores on CR were observed in SSD than in HC and the CR measure correctly classified a high percentage of the sample into the two groups. CR may predict SSD performance on working memory and attention tasks. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cognitive inconsistency in bipolar patients is determined by increased intra-individual variability in initial phase of task performance.

PubMed

Krukow, Paweł; Szaniawska, Ola; Harciarek, Michał; Plechawska-Wójcik, Małgorzata; Jonak, Kamil

2017-03-01

Bipolar patients show high intra-individual variability during cognitive processing. However, it is not known whether there are a specific fluctuations of variability contributing to the overall high cognitive inconsistency. The objective was to compare dynamic profiles of patients and healthy controls to identify hypothetical differences and their associations with overall variability and processing speed. Changes of reaction times iSD during processing speed test performance over time was measured by dividing the iSD for whole task into four consecutive parts. Motor speed and cognitive effort were controlled. Patients with BD exhibited significantly lower results regarding processing speed and higher intra-individual variability comparing with HC. The profile of intra-individual variability changes over time of performance was significantly different in BD versus HC groups: F(3, 207)=8.60, p<0.0001, η p 2 =0.11. iSD of BD patients in the initial phase of performance was three times higher than in the last. There was no significant differences between four intervals in HC group. Inter-group difference in the initial part of the profiles was significant also after controlling for several cognitive and clinical variables. Applied computer version of Cognitive Speed Test was relatively new and, thus, replication studies are needed. Effect seen in the present study is driven mainly by the BD type I. Patients with BD exhibits problems with setting a stimulus-response association in starting phase of cognitive processing. This deficit may negatively interfere with the other cognitive functions, decreasing level of psychosocial functioning, therefore should be explored in future studies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Weight Rich-Club Analysis in the White Matter Network of Late-Life Depression with Memory Deficits

PubMed Central

Mai, Naikeng; Zhong, Xiaomei; Chen, Ben; Peng, Qi; Wu, Zhangying; Zhang, Weiru; Ouyang, Cong; Ning, Yuping

2017-01-01

Patients with late-life depression (LLD) have a higher incident of developing dementia, especially individuals with memory deficits. However, little is known about the white matter characteristics of LLD with memory deficits (LLD-MD) in the human connectome, especially for the rich-club coefficient, which is an indicator that describes the organization pattern of hub in the network. To address this question, diffusion tensor imaging of 69 participants [15 LLD-MD patients; 24 patients with LLD with intact memory (LLD-IM); and 30 healthy controls (HC)] was applied to construct a brain network for each individual. A full-scale battery of neuropsychological tests were used for grouping, and evaluating executive function, processing speed and memory. Rich-club analysis and global network properties were utilized to describe the topological features in each group. Network-based statistics (NBS) were calculated to identify the impaired subnetwork in the LLD-MD group relative to that in the LLD-IM group. We found that compared with HC participants, patients with LLD (LLD-MD and LLD-IM) had relatively impaired rich-club organizations and rich-club connectivity. In addition, LLD-MD group exhibited lower feeder and local connective average strength than LLD-IM group. Furthermore, global network properties, such as the shortest path length, connective strength, efficiency and fault tolerant efficiency, were significantly decreased in the LLD-MD group relative to those in the LLD-IM and HC groups. According to NBS analysis, a subnetwork, including right cognitive control network (CCN) and corticostriatal circuits, were disrupted in LLD-MD patients. In conclusion, the disease effects of LLD were prevalent in rich-club organization. Feeder and local connections, especially in the subnetwork including right CCN and corticostriatal circuits, were further impaired in those with memory deficits. Global network properties were disrupted in LLD-MD patients relative to those in LLD-IM patients. PMID:28878666

Weight Rich-Club Analysis in the White Matter Network of Late-Life Depression with Memory Deficits.

PubMed

Mai, Naikeng; Zhong, Xiaomei; Chen, Ben; Peng, Qi; Wu, Zhangying; Zhang, Weiru; Ouyang, Cong; Ning, Yuping

2017-01-01

Patients with late-life depression (LLD) have a higher incident of developing dementia, especially individuals with memory deficits. However, little is known about the white matter characteristics of LLD with memory deficits (LLD-MD) in the human connectome, especially for the rich-club coefficient, which is an indicator that describes the organization pattern of hub in the network. To address this question, diffusion tensor imaging of 69 participants [15 LLD-MD patients; 24 patients with LLD with intact memory (LLD-IM); and 30 healthy controls (HC)] was applied to construct a brain network for each individual. A full-scale battery of neuropsychological tests were used for grouping, and evaluating executive function, processing speed and memory. Rich-club analysis and global network properties were utilized to describe the topological features in each group. Network-based statistics (NBS) were calculated to identify the impaired subnetwork in the LLD-MD group relative to that in the LLD-IM group. We found that compared with HC participants, patients with LLD (LLD-MD and LLD-IM) had relatively impaired rich-club organizations and rich-club connectivity. In addition, LLD-MD group exhibited lower feeder and local connective average strength than LLD-IM group. Furthermore, global network properties, such as the shortest path length, connective strength, efficiency and fault tolerant efficiency, were significantly decreased in the LLD-MD group relative to those in the LLD-IM and HC groups. According to NBS analysis, a subnetwork, including right cognitive control network (CCN) and corticostriatal circuits, were disrupted in LLD-MD patients. In conclusion, the disease effects of LLD were prevalent in rich-club organization. Feeder and local connections, especially in the subnetwork including right CCN and corticostriatal circuits, were further impaired in those with memory deficits. Global network properties were disrupted in LLD-MD patients relative to those in LLD-IM patients.

Elevated Striatal Reactivity Across Monetary and Social Rewards in Bipolar I Disorder

PubMed Central

Dutra, Sunny J.; Cunningham, William A.; Kober, Hedy; Gruber, June

2016-01-01

Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with increased reactivity to rewards and heightened positive affectivity. It is less clear to what extent this heightened reward sensitivity is evident across contexts and what the associated neural mechanisms might be. The present investigation employed both a monetary and social incentive delay task among adults with remitted BD type I (N=24) and a healthy non-psychiatric control group (HC; N=25) using fMRI. Both whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses revealed elevated ventral and dorsal striatal reactivity across monetary and social reward receipt, but not anticipation, in the BD group. Post-hoc analyses further suggested that greater striatal reactivity to reward receipt across monetary and social reward tasks predicted decreased self-reported positive affect when anticipating subsequent rewards in the HC, but not BD, group. Results point toward elevated striatal reactivity to reward receipt as a potential neural mechanism of reward reactivity. PMID:26390194

Do Children and Adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa Display an Inefficient Cognitive Processing Style?

PubMed Central

Lang, Katie; Lloyd, Samantha; Khondoker, Mizanur; Simic, Mima; Treasure, Janet; Tchanturia, Kate

2015-01-01

Objective This study aimed to examine neuropsychological processing in children and adolescents with Anorexia Nervosa (AN). The relationship of clinical and demographic variables to neuropsychological functioning within the AN group was also explored. Method The performance of 41 children and adolescents with a diagnosis of AN were compared to 43 healthy control (HC) participants on a number of neuropsychological measures. Results There were no differences in IQ between AN and HC groups. However, children and adolescents with AN displayed significantly more perseverative errors on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test, and lower Style and Central Coherence scores on the Rey Osterrieth Complex Figure Test relative to HCs. Conclusion Inefficient cognitive processing in the AN group was independent of clinical and demographic variables, suggesting it might represent an underlying trait for AN. The implications of these findings are discussed. PMID:26133552

Inhibited Temperament and Hippocampal Volume in Offspring of Parents with Bipolar Disorder.

PubMed

Kim, Eunjoo; Garrett, Amy; Boucher, Spencer; Park, Min-Hyeon; Howe, Meghan; Sanders, Erica; Kelley, Ryan G; Reiss, Allan L; Chang, Kiki D; Singh, Manpreet K

2017-04-01

Prior studies have suggested that inhibited temperament may be associated with an increased risk for developing anxiety or mood disorder, including bipolar disorder. However, the neurobiological basis for this increased risk is unknown. The aim of this study was to examine temperament in symptomatic and asymptomatic child offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (OBD) and to investigate whether inhibited temperament is associated with aberrant hippocampal volumes compared with healthy control (HC) youth. The OBD group consisted of 45 youth, 24 of whom had current psychiatric symptoms (OBD + s) and 21 without any psychiatric symptoms (OBD - s), and were compared with 24 HC youth. Temperament characteristics were measured by using the Revised Dimensions of Temperament Survey. Magnetic resonance imaging was used to measure hippocampal volumes. The association between temperament and hippocampal volumes was tested by using multiple regression analysis. Compared with the OBD - s group, the OBD + s group had significantly more inhibited temperament traits, less flexibility, more negative mood, and less regular rhythm in their daily routines. In contrast, the OBD - s group was more likely to approach novel situations compared with OBD + s or HC groups. Within the OBD + s group, a more inhibited temperament was associated with smaller right hippocampal volumes. In this study, symptomatic OBD were characterized by an inhibited temperament that was inversely correlated with hippocampal volume. Additional longitudinal studies are needed to determine whether inverse correlations between hippocampal volume and inhibited temperament represent early markers of risk for later developing bipolar disorder.

The computer-based Symbol Digit Modalities Test: establishing age-expected performance in healthy controls and evaluation of pediatric MS patients.

PubMed

Bigi, Sandra; Marrie, R A; Till, C; Yeh, E A; Akbar, N; Feinstein, A; Banwell, B L

2017-04-01

Decreased information processing speed (IPS) is frequently reported in pediatric multiple sclerosis (MS) patients. The computerized version of the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (c-SDMT) measures IPS over eight consecutive trials per session and additionally captures changes in performance within the session. Here, we establish normative c-SDMT performance and test-retest reliability in healthy children (HC) and explore differences in the overall c-SDMT-performance between HC and MS patients. This cross-sectional study included 478 HC (237 female, 49.5%) divided into five age groups (2 years each), and 27 MS patients (22 female, 81.5%) aged 8-18 years. The average time to complete the c-SDMT increased with age (|r| 0.70, 95% CI -0.74, -0.64). Test-retest reliability was high (ICC = 0.91) in HC. The total time to complete the c-SDMT did not differ between children with MS and sex- and age- matched HC (p = 0.23). However, MS patients were less likely to show faster performance across all the successive eight trials compared to HC (p = 0.0001). Healthy children demonstrate faster IPS with increasing age, as well as during successive trials of the c-SDMT. The inability of pediatric MS patients to maintain the increase in processing speed over successive trials suggests a reduced capacity for procedural learning, possibly resulting from cognitive fatigue.

Amino Acid Transport Associated to Cluster of Differentiation 98 Heavy Chain (CD98hc) Is at the Cross-road of Oxidative Stress and Amino Acid Availability.

PubMed

de la Ballina, Laura R; Cano-Crespo, Sara; González-Muñoz, Elena; Bial, Susanna; Estrach, Soline; Cailleteau, Laurence; Tissot, Floriane; Daniel, Hannelore; Zorzano, Antonio; Ginsberg, Mark H; Palacín, Manuel; Féral, Chloé C

2016-04-29

CD98hc functions as an amino acid (AA) transporter (together with another subunit) and integrin signaling enhancer. It is overexpressed in highly proliferative cells in both physiological and pathological conditions. CD98hc deletion induces strong impairment of cell proliferation in vivo and in vitro Here, we investigate CD98hc-associated AA transport in cell survival and proliferation. By using chimeric versions of CD98hc, the two functions of the protein can be uncoupled. Although recovering the CD98hc AA transport capacity restores the in vivo and in vitro proliferation of CD98hc-null cells, reconstitution of the integrin signaling function of CD98hc is unable to restore in vitro proliferation of those cells. CD98hc-associated transporters (i.e. xCT, LAT1, and y(+)LAT2 in wild-type cells) are crucial to control reactive oxygen species and intracellular AA levels, thus sustaining cell survival and proliferation. Moreover, in CD98hc-null cells the deficiency of CD98hc/xCT cannot be compensated, leading to cell death by ferroptosis. Supplementation of culture media with β-mercaptoethanol rescues CD98hc-deficient cell survival. Under such conditions null cells show oxidative stress and intracellular AA imbalance and, consequently, limited proliferation. CD98hc-null cells also present reduced intracellular levels of branched-chain and aromatic amino acids (BCAAs and ARO AAs, respectively) and induced expression of peptide transporter 1 (PEPT1). Interestingly, external supply of dipeptides containing BCAAs and ARO AAs rescues cell proliferation and compensates for impaired uptake of CD98hc/LAT1 and CD98hc/y(+)LAT2. Our data establish CD98hc as a master protective gene at the cross-road of redox control and AA availability, making it a relevant therapeutic target in cancer. © 2016 by The American Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Inc.

Frontal lobe bioenergetic metabolism in depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder: a phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy study

PubMed Central

Shi, Xian-Feng; Kondo, Douglas G; Sung, Young-Hoon; Hellem, Tracy L; Fiedler, Kristen K; Jeong, Eun-Kee; Huber, Rebekah S; Renshaw, Perry F

2015-01-01

Objectives To compare the concentrations of high-energy phosphorus metabolites associated with mitochondrial function in the frontal lobe of depressed adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) and healthy controls (HC). Methods We used in vivo phosphorus-31 magnetic resonance spectroscopy (31P-MRS) at 3 Tesla to measure phosphocreatine (PCr), beta-nucleoside triphosphate (β-NTP), inorganic phosphate (Pi), and other neurometabolites in the frontal lobe of eight unmedicated and six medicated adolescents with bipolar depression and 24 adolescent HCs. Results Analysis of covariance, including age as a covariate, revealed differences in PCr (p = 0.037), Pi (p = 0.017), and PCr/Pi (p = 0.002) between participant groups. Percentage neurochemical differences were calculated with respect to mean metabolite concentrations in the HC group. Post-hoc Tukey–Kramer analysis showed that unmedicated BD participants had decreased Pi compared with both HC (17%; p = 0.038) and medicated BD (24%; p = 0.022). The unmedicated BD group had increased PCr compared with medicated BD (11%; p = 0.032). The PCr/Pi ratio was increased in unmedicated BD compared with HC (24%; p = 0.013) and with medicated BD (39%; p = 0.002). No differences in β-NTP or pH were observed. Conclusions Our results support the view that frontal lobe mitochondrial function is altered in adolescent BD and may have implications for the use of Pi as a biomarker. These findings join volumetric studies of the amygdala, and proton MRS studies of n-acetyl aspartate in pointing to potential differences in neurobiology between pediatric and adult BD. PMID:22816670

Is it Trauma- or Fantasy-based? Comparing dissociative identity disorder, post-traumatic stress disorder, simulators, and controls.

PubMed

Vissia, E M; Giesen, M E; Chalavi, S; Nijenhuis, E R S; Draijer, N; Brand, B L; Reinders, A A T S

2016-08-01

The Trauma Model of dissociative identity disorder (DID) posits that DID is etiologically related to chronic neglect and physical and/or sexual abuse in childhood. In contrast, the Fantasy Model posits that DID can be simulated and is mediated by high suggestibility, fantasy proneness, and sociocultural influences. To date, these two models have not been jointly tested in individuals with DID in an empirical manner. This study included matched groups [patients (n = 33) and controls (n = 32)] that were compared on psychological Trauma and Fantasy measures: diagnosed genuine DID (DID-G, n = 17), DID-simulating healthy controls (DID-S, n = 16), individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD, n = 16), and healthy controls (HC, n = 16). Additionally, personality-state-dependent measures were obtained for DID-G and DID-S; both neutral personality states (NPS) and trauma-related personality states (TPS) were tested. For Trauma measures, the DID-G group had the highest scores, with TPS higher than NPS, followed by the PTSD, DID-S, and HC groups. The DID-G group was not more fantasy-prone or suggestible and did not generate more false memories. Malingering measures were inconclusive. Evidence consistently supported the Trauma Model of DID and challenges the core hypothesis of the Fantasy Model. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Group differences in anterior hippocampal volume and in the retrieval of spatial and temporal context memory in healthy young versus older adults.

PubMed

Rajah, M Natasha; Kromas, Michelle; Han, Jung Eun; Pruessner, Jens C

2010-12-01

The ability to retrieve temporal and spatial context information from memory declines with healthy aging. The hippocampus (HC) has been shown to be associated with successful encoding and retrieval of spatio-temporal context, versus item recognition information (Davachi, Mitchell, & Wagner, 2003; Nadel, Samsonovich, Ryan, & Moscovitch, 2000; Ross & Slotnick, 2008). Aging has been linked to volume reduction in the HC (Bouchard, Malykhin, Martin, Hanstock, Emery, Fisher, & Camicioli, 2008; Malykhin, Bouchard, Camicioli, & Coupland, 2008; Raz et al., 2005). As such, age-associated reductions in anterior HC volume may contribute to the context memory deficits observed in older adults. In the current MRI study we investigated whether item recognition, spatial context and temporal context memory performance would be predicted by regional volumes in HC head (HH), body (HB) and tail (HT) volumes, using within group multiple regression analyses in a sample of 19 healthy young (mean age 24.3) and 20 older adults (mean age 67.7). We further examined between age-group differences in the volumes of the same HC sub-regions. Multiple regression analyses revealed that in younger adults both spatial and temporal context retrieval performance was predicted by anterior HC volume. Older age was associated with significant volume reductions in HH and HB, but not HT; and with reduced ability to retrieve spatial and temporal contextual details from episodic memory. However, HC volumes did not predict context retrieval performance in older adults. We conclude that individual differences in anterior, not posterior, HC volumes predict context memory performance in young adults. With age there may be a posterior-to-anterior shift from using HC-related processes, due to HC volume loss, to employing the prefrontal cortex to aid in the performance of cognitively demanding context memory tasks. However, due to concomitant changes in the prefrontal system with age, there are limits to compensation in the aging brain. Crown Copyright © 2010. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the efficacy of two combined therapies for peptic ulcer bleeding: adrenaline injection plus haemoclipping versus adrenaline injection followed by bipolar electrocoagulation

PubMed Central

Świdnicka-Siergiejko, Agnieszka; Wróblewski, Eugeniusz; Baniukiewicz, Andrzej; Dąbrowski, Andrzej

2014-01-01

Introduction Peptic ulcer remains the most frequent cause of upper gastrointestinal bleeding. Treatment of bleeding with simultaneous combination of two endoscopic techniques has proved to be more efficient than monotherapy. None of the published comparative studies of various contact coagulation modalities have confirmed the superiority of one of these techniques over the others. Aim To compare the therapeutic outcomes of the use of a device enabling both injection of adrenaline solution and bipolar electrocoagulation (A + BE) to those of combined adrenaline injection with mechanical therapy (haemostatic clips) (A + HC) in the treatment of peptic ulcer bleeding. Material and methods Fifty-two subjects with bleeding ulcers were assigned to the A + BE group, and 55 patients were treated with A + HC. Results Overall, treatment failed in 20 patients (20/107, 18.7%): in 10 individuals from the A + BE group (10/52; 18.2%) and in 10 individuals from the A + HC group (10/55; 19.2%) (p > 0.05). Primary haemostasis was not obtained in 7 patients (6.5%): in 4 patients in the A + BE group and in 3 patients in the A + HC group (p > 0.05). Ten individuals (9.3%) experienced recurrent bleeding during hospitalisation: 4 patients from the A + BE group and 6 patients from the A + HC group (p > 0.05). Finally, in 96.3% of the patients (n = 103) the endoscopic treatment proved efficient with regards to obtaining haemostasis during hospitalisation. Surgical intervention was required in 4 individuals (3.7%): 2 patients in the A + BE group and 2 patients treated with A + HC (p > 0.05). Three patients (2.8%) – all from the A + HC group – died during hospitalisation. No significant intergroup differences were documented with regards to the mean number of transfused blood units and the mean length of hospital stay. Conclusions The efficacy of combined endoscopic treatment of ulcer bleeding with a probe enabling simultaneous bipolar electrocoagulation and adrenaline injection seems comparable to the widely used dual technique of adrenaline injection and haemostatic clipping. PMID:25653731

In vivo 1H-magnetic resonance spectroscopy study of the attentional networks in autism

PubMed Central

Bernardi, Silvia; Anagnostou, Evdokia; Shen, Jun; Kolevzon, Alexander; Buxbaum, Joseph D.; Hollander, Eric; Hof, Patrick R.; Fan, Jin

2010-01-01

Attentional dysfunction is one of the most consistent findings in individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). However, the significance of such findings for the pathophysiology of autism is unclear. In this study, we investigated cellular neurochemistry with proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy imaging (1H-MRS) in brain regions associated with networks subserving alerting, orienting, and executive control of attention in patients with ASD. Concentrations of cerebral N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), creatinine + phosphocreatinine, choline-containing compounds, myo-inositol (Ins) and glutamate + glutamine (Glx) were determined by 3 T 1H-MRS examinations in 14 high-functioning medication-free adults with a diagnosis of ASD and 14 age- and IQ-matched healthy controls (HC) in the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC), thalamus, temporoparietal junction (TPJ), and areas near or along the intraparietal sulcus (IPS). Compared to HC group, the ASD group showed significantly lower Glx concentrations in right ACC and reduced Ins in left TPJ. This study provides evidence of abnormalities in neurotransmission related to networks subserving executive control and alerting of attention, functions which have been previously implicated in ASD pathogenesis. PMID:21185269

The Relationship between Alexithymia and Intolerance of Uncertainty in Anorexia Nervosa.

PubMed

Abbate-Daga, Giovanni; Quaranta, Michela; Marzola, Enrica; Amianto, Federico; Fassino, Secondo

2015-01-01

Alexithymia and intolerance of uncertainty (IU) are relevant factors in social and emotional processing abilities in anorexia nervosa (AN) eventually rendering emotional coping difficult. However, the link potentially existing in AN between IU and alexithymia has been so far understudied. Sixty-one patients affected by AN and 59 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled and assessed for study purposes. All participants completed the following self-report questionnaires: Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale, State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Toronto Alexithymia Scale. IU and alexithymia were greater in patients with AN when compared to HC. Moreover, in both AN and HC groups, IU and alexithymia significantly correlated with each other as well as with anxiety (STAI score) and depression (BDI score). No correlations were found between alexithymia and age. Patients' duration of illness was negatively correlated with two alexithymia subscales. After adjusting for anxiety, depression, body mass index and duration of illness (for AN), the correlation between IU and alexithymia remained significant. In addition to confirming previous findings on marked levels of IU and alexithymia in AN, this study showed for the first time a correlation between IU and alexithymia in both AN and HC. Moreover, this result remained significant after controlling for a number of clinical variables. Taken together, these findings may have useful clinical implications for the treatment of AN sufferers. © 2015 S. Karger AG, Basel.

Deep brain stimulation of the subthalamic nucleus modulates reward processing and action selection in Parkinson patients.

PubMed

Wagenbreth, Caroline; Zaehle, Tino; Galazky, Imke; Voges, Jürgen; Guitart-Masip, Marc; Heinze, Hans-Jochen; Düzel, Emrah

2015-06-01

Deep brain stimulation (DBS) of the subthalamic nucleus (STN) is an effective treatment for motor impairments in Parkinson's disease (PD) but its effect on the motivational regulation of action control is still not fully understood. We investigated whether DBS of the STN influences the ability of PD patients to act for anticipated reward or loss, or whether DBS improves action execution independent of motivational valence. 16 PD patients (12 male, mean age = 58.5 ± 10.17 years) treated with bilateral STN-DBS and an age- and gender-matched group of healthy controls (HC) performed a go/no-go task whose contingencies explicitly decouple valence and action. Patients were tested with (ON) and without (OFF) active STN stimulation. For HC, there was a benefit in performing rewarded actions when compared to actions that avoided punishment. PD patients showed such a benefit reliably only when STN stimulation was ON. In fact, the relative behavioral benefit for go for reward over go to avoid losing was stronger in the PD patients under DBS ON than in HC. In PD patients, rather than generally improving motor functions independent of motivational valence, modulation of the STN by DBS improves action execution specifically when rewards are anticipated. Thus, STN-DBS establishes a reliable congruency between action and reward ("Pavlovian congruency") and remarkably enhances it over the level observed in HC.

Antidepressants Normalize the Default Mode Network in Patients With Dysthymia

PubMed Central

Posner, Jonathan; Hellerstein, David J.; Gat, Inbal; Mechling, Anna; Klahr, Kristin; Wang, Zhishun; McGrath, Patrick J.; Stewart, Jonathan W.; Peterson, Bradley S.

2014-01-01

Importance The default mode network (DMN) is a collection of brain regions that reliably deactivate during goal-directed behaviors and is more active during a baseline, or so-called resting, condition. Coherence of neural activity, or functional connectivity, within the brain’s DMN is increased in major depressive disorder relative to healthy control (HC) subjects; however, whether similar abnormalities are present in persons with dysthymic disorder (DD) is unknown. Moreover, the effect of antidepressant medications on DMN connectivity in patients with DD is also unknown. Objective To use resting-state functional-connectivity magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to study (1) the functional connectivity of the DMN in subjects with DD vs HC participants and (2) the effects of antidepressant therapy on DMN connectivity. Design After collecting baseline MRI scans from subjects with DD and HC participants, we enrolled the participants with DD into a 10-week prospective, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of duloxetine and collected MRI scans again at the conclusion of the study. Enrollment occurred between 2007 and 2011. Setting University research institute. Participants Volunteer sample of 41 subjects with DD and 25 HC participants aged 18 to 53 years. Control subjects were group matched to patients with DD by age and sex. Main Outcome Measures We used resting-state functional-connectivity MRI to measure the functional connectivity of the brain’s DMN in persons with DD compared with HC subjects, and we examined the effects of treatment with duloxetine vs placebo on DMN connectivity. Results Of the 41 subjects with DD, 32 completed the clinical trial and MRI scans, along with the 25 HC participants. At baseline, we found that the coherence of neural activity within the brain’s DMN was greater in persons with DD compared with HC subjects. Following a 10-week clinical trial, we found that treatment with duloxetine, but not placebo, normalized DMN connectivity. Conclusions and Relevance The baseline imaging findings are consistent with those found in patients with major depressive disorder and suggest that increased connectivity within the DMN may be important in the pathophysiology of both acute and chronic manifestations of depressive illness. The normalization of DMN connectivity following antidepressant treatment suggests an important causal pathway through which antidepressants may reduce depression. PMID:23389382

The Relationship between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury and the UPPS-P Impulsivity Facets in Eating Disorders and Healthy Controls.

PubMed

Claes, Laurence; Islam, Mohammed A; Fagundo, Ana B; Jimenez-Murcia, Susana; Granero, Roser; Agüera, Zaida; Rossi, Elisa; Menchón, José M; Fernández-Aranda, Fernando

2015-01-01

In the present study, we investigated the association between Non-Suicidal Self-Injury (NSSI) and the UPPS-P impulsivity facets in eating disorder patients and healthy controls. The prevalence of NSSI in eating disorder (ED) patients ranged from 17% in restrictive anorexia nervosa (AN-R) patients to 43% in patients with bulimia nervosa (BN). In healthy controls (HC), the prevalence of NSSI was 19%. Eating disorder patients from the binge eating/purging type showed significantly more NSSI compared to restrictive ED and HC participants. Binge-eating/purging ED patients also scored significantly higher on Negative/Positive Urgency, Lack of Premeditation and Lack of Perseverance compared to HC and restrictive ED patients. Comparable findings were found between ED patients and HC with and without NSSI; ED patients and HC with NSSI scored significantly higher in four of the five UPPS-P dimensions compared to participants without NSSI; Sensation Seeking was the exception. Finally, the presence of NSSI in HC/ED patients was particularly predicted by low levels of Perseverance. Therefore, the treatment of ED patients with NSSI certainly needs to focus on the training of effortful control.

Intermediate Cognitive Phenotypes in Bipolar Disorder

PubMed Central

Langenecker, Scott A.; Saunders, Erika F.H.; Kade, Allison M.; Ransom, Michael T.; McInnis, Melvin G.

2013-01-01

Background Intermediate cognitive phenotypes (ICPs) are measurable and quantifiable states that may be objectively assessed in a standardized method, and can be integrated into association studies, including genetic, biochemical, clinical, and imaging based correlates. The present study used neuropsychological measures as ICPs, with factor scores in executive functioning, attention, memory, fine motor function, and emotion processing, similar to prior work in schizophrenia. Methods Healthy control subjects (HC, n=34) and euthymic (E, n=66), depressed (D, n=43), or hypomanic/mixed (HM, n=13) patients with bipolar disorder (BD) were assessed with neuropsychological tests. These were from eight domains consistent with previous literature; auditory memory, visual memory, processing speed with interference resolution, verbal fluency and processing speed, conceptual reasoning and set-shifting, inhibitory control, emotion processing, and fine motor dexterity. Results Of the eight factor scores, the HC group outperformed the E group in three (Processing Speed with Interference Resolution, Visual Memory, Fine Motor Dexterity), the D group in seven (all except Inhibitory Control), and the HM group in four (Inhibitory Control, Processing Speed with Interference Resolution, Fine Motor Dexterity, and Auditory Memory). Limitations The HM group was relatively small, thus effects of this phase of illness may have been underestimated. Effects of medication could not be fully controlled without a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study. Conclusions Use of the factor scores can assist in determining ICPs for BD and related disorders, and may provide more specific targets for development of new treatments. We highlight strong ICPs (Processing Speed with Interference Resolution, Visual Memory, Fine Motor Dexterity) for further study, consistent with the existing literature. PMID:19800130

Mode of Genetic Inheritance Modifies the Association of Head Circumference and Autism-Related Symptoms: A Cross-Sectional Study

PubMed Central

Davis, Jonathan M.; Keeney, Jonathon G.; Sikela, James M.; Hepburn, Susan

2013-01-01

Background Frequently individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have been noted with a larger head circumference (HC) than their typical developing peers. Biologic hypotheses suggest that an overly rapid brain growth leads to the core symptoms of ASD by impairing connectivity. Literature is divided however where deleterious, protective and null associations of HC with ASD symptoms in individuals with ASD have been found. Method Individuals (n = 1,416) from the Autism Genetic Resource Exchange with ASD were examined for associations of HC with ASD like symptoms. Mixed models controlling for sex, age, race/ethnicity, simplex/multiplex status and accounting for correlations between siblings were used. Interactions by simplex/multiplex were explored. Adjustments for height in a sub-population with available data were explored as well. Results A Significant interaction term (p = 0.03) suggested that the effect of HC was dependent on whether the individual was simplex or multiplex. In simplex individuals at mean age (8.9 years) 1 cm increase in head circumference was associated with a 24% increase in the odds of a high social diagnostic score from the Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (odds ratio  = 1.24, p = 0.01). There was no association in multiplex individuals. Additionally, individuals classified with a non-verbal IQ <70 were 90% simplex and had a significantly increased head circumference (0.7 cm p = 0.03) relative to a mid-range non-verbal IQ group. Interestingly, children classified with a >110 non-verbal IQ also had an increased HC (0.4 cm p = 0.04), relative to a mid-range non-verbal IQ group, and were 90% multiplex. HC effects do not appear to be confounded by height, however, larger samples with height information are needed. Conclusion The potential link between brain growth and autism like symptoms is complex and could depend on specific etiologies. Further investigations accounting for a likely mode of inheritance will help identify an ASD subtype related to HC. PMID:24058641

SA54. The Structure of Embodied Emotions in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Hong, Seok Jin; Snodgress, Matthew A.; Nichols, Heathman S.; Nummenmaa, Lauri; Glerean, Enrico; Park, Sohee

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Past research suggests a disconnection between experienced emotions and bodily sensations in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ), but mechanisms underlying abnormal embodiment of emotions in SZ are unknown. There might be an overall reduction in emotion-related bodily sensations, but it is also possible that the spatial distribution of bodily sensations associated with emotions may be altered in SZ. We hypothesized the presence of a more coherent underlying structure giving rise to embodied emotions in healthy controls (HC) compared to SZ. Methods: Fifteen SZ and 15 demographically matched HC (bootstrapped from a possible 300 HC) were asked to complete the emBODY task (Nummenmaa et al., 2014). In the emBODY task, participants were asked to shade in where they felt sensations (activation and deactivation) on the outline of a human body when presented with an emotion word. Fourteen emotion words were presented sequentially. From activation and deactivation data, body maps of emotions were generated and 2 separate principal components analyses (PCA) were conducted, one for each group to determine the multivariate structure of embodied emotions. Results: The pattern of principal components for HC differed significantly from that of the SZ group. SZ showed more diffuse components with lesser magnitude than the HC. Moreover, the variance that accounts for these dimensions was significantly reduced for SZ. This suggests anomalous embodied emotion in SZ. In this PCA framework, a particular set of innate constructs is thought to yield the activation and deactivation maps of emotions on the body. Our results imply that the complexity of this set in SZ is highly deviant from that of the HC. Conclusion: Quantitative modeling of the underlying structure of self-reported embodied emotion provided novel insight into altered emotional experience in SZ. Our findings illustrate radically different bodily maps of emotions in SZ compared to HC. Bodily sensations are not only different in intensity but also in where they are felt in SZ. While an important first step, our analysis was exploratory and limited by the small sample size. Future direction includes probing the specific contents of the underlying dimensions that give rise to embodied emotions.

Is there a creative functional paradoxical facilitation in juvenile myoclonic epilepsy?

PubMed

Senf, Philine; Scheuren, Lena; Holtkamp, Martin

2016-09-01

In patients with juvenile myoclonic epilepsy (JME), a specific personality profile suggestive of frontal lobe dysfunctions has been described. From a neurobiological point of view, the frontal lobe seems to be crucial for creative processes, although the exact role remains unclear. The theory of creative paradoxical functional facilitation (PFF) assumes that disinhibited frontal lobe function can enhance creative abilities. The aim of the current study was to explore our hypothesis that JME is associated with higher artistic creativity based on the theory of PFF. We assessed 25 patients with JME aged 18 to 40years in regard to neuropsychological creativity testing. Results were compared with those of 25 age-, sex-, and level of education-matched healthy control subjects (HC) and patients with temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). Creative abilities were assessed using two validated and standardized tests: 1) nonverbal: the incomplete figure task of Torrance Test of Creative Thinking and 2) verbal: verbal creativity test. Additionally, a basic assessment of fluid intelligence (test for problem solving) and frontal lobe function (trail-making test) was administered to all participants. Verbal creativity was impaired in both groups with epilepsy compared with that in HC (specific score: JME vs. HC, p=0.008; TLE vs. HC, p=0.003). In regard to nonverbal creative abilities, both groups with epilepsy exhibited fair performance. Level of fluid intelligence was even in all groups (p=0.433). Only patients with JME showed deficits in the frontal lobe test of psychomotor speed (time in seconds: 67.7 JME vs. 54.6 TLE vs. 52.8 HC; p=0.045). Overall, our study did not reveal increased creativity in JME. The current findings provide insights into creative abilities in two different epilepsy syndromes. Knowledge on specific neuropsychological strengths or deficits in patients with epilepsy may be useful for treatment or counseling. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Glutamate Concentration in the Superior Temporal Sulcus Relates to Neuroticism in Schizophrenia.

PubMed

Balz, Johanna; Roa Romero, Yadira; Keil, Julian; Schubert, Florian; Ittermann, Bernd; Mekle, Ralf; Montag, Christiane; Gallinat, Jürgen; Senkowski, Daniel

2018-01-01

Clinical studies suggest aberrant neurotransmitter concentrations in the brains of patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). Numerous studies have indicated deviant glutamate concentrations in SCZ, although the findings are inconsistent. Moreover, alterations in glutamate concentrations could be linked to personality traits in SCZ. Here, we examined the relationships between personality dimensions and glutamate concentrations in a voxel encompassing the occipital cortex (OCC) and another voxel encompassing the left superior temporal sulcus (STS). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine glutamate concentrations in the OCC and the STS in 19 SCZ and 21 non-psychiatric healthy control (HC) participants. Personality dimensions neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness were assessed using the NEO-FFI questionnaire. SCZ compared to HC showed higher glutamate concentrations in the STS, reduced extraversion scores, and enhanced neuroticism scores. No group differences were observed for the other personality traits and for glutamate concentrations in the OCC. For the SCZ group, glutamate concentrations in STS were negatively correlated with the neuroticism scores [ r = -0.537, p = 0.018] but this was not found in HC [ r (19) = 0.011, p = 0.962]. No other significant correlations were found. Our study showed an inverse relationship between glutamate concentrations in the STS and neuroticism scores in SCZ. Elevated glutamate in the STS might serve as a compensatory mechanism that enables patients with enhanced concentrations to control and prevent the expression of neuroticism.

Glutamate Concentration in the Superior Temporal Sulcus Relates to Neuroticism in Schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Balz, Johanna; Roa Romero, Yadira; Keil, Julian; Schubert, Florian; Ittermann, Bernd; Mekle, Ralf; Montag, Christiane; Gallinat, Jürgen; Senkowski, Daniel

2018-01-01

Clinical studies suggest aberrant neurotransmitter concentrations in the brains of patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). Numerous studies have indicated deviant glutamate concentrations in SCZ, although the findings are inconsistent. Moreover, alterations in glutamate concentrations could be linked to personality traits in SCZ. Here, we examined the relationships between personality dimensions and glutamate concentrations in a voxel encompassing the occipital cortex (OCC) and another voxel encompassing the left superior temporal sulcus (STS). We used proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy to examine glutamate concentrations in the OCC and the STS in 19 SCZ and 21 non-psychiatric healthy control (HC) participants. Personality dimensions neuroticism, extraversion, openness, agreeableness and conscientiousness were assessed using the NEO-FFI questionnaire. SCZ compared to HC showed higher glutamate concentrations in the STS, reduced extraversion scores, and enhanced neuroticism scores. No group differences were observed for the other personality traits and for glutamate concentrations in the OCC. For the SCZ group, glutamate concentrations in STS were negatively correlated with the neuroticism scores [r = -0.537, p = 0.018] but this was not found in HC [r(19) = 0.011, p = 0.962]. No other significant correlations were found. Our study showed an inverse relationship between glutamate concentrations in the STS and neuroticism scores in SCZ. Elevated glutamate in the STS might serve as a compensatory mechanism that enables patients with enhanced concentrations to control and prevent the expression of neuroticism. PMID:29867621

Effects of a traditional Chinese medicine formula and its extraction on muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs, porcine cell proliferation and isoforms of myosin heavy chain gene expression in myocytes

PubMed Central

Yu, Qin Ping; Feng, Ding Yuan; He, Xiao Jun; Wu, Fan; Xia, Min Hao; Dong, Tao; Liu, Yi Hua; Tan, Hui Ze; Zou, Shi Geng; Zheng, Tao; Ou, Xian Hua; Zuo, Jian Jun

2017-01-01

Objective This study evaluated the effects of a traditional Chinese medicine formula (TCMF) on muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs and the effects of the formula’s extract (distilled water, ethyl acetate and petroleum ether extraction) on porcine cell proliferation and isoforms of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) gene expression in myocytes. Methods In a completely randomized design, ninety pigs were assigned to three diets with five replications per treatment and six pigs per pen. The diets included the basal diet (control group), TCMF1 (basal diet+2.5 g/kg TCMF) and TCMF2 (basal diet+5 g/kg TCMF). The psoas major muscle was obtained from pigs at the end of the experiment. Muscle fiber characteristics in the psoas major muscle were analyzed using myosin ATPase staining. Cell proliferation was measured using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) dye and cytometry. Isoforms of MyHC gene expression were detected by real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Results The final body weight and carcass weight of finishing pigs were increased by TCMF1 (p<0.05), while the psoas major muscle cross-sectional area was increased by TCMF (p<0.05). The cross-sectional area and diameter of psoas major muscle fiber I, IIA, and IIB were increased by TCMF2 (p<0.05). The cross-sectional area and fiber diameter of psoas major muscle fiber IIA and IIB were increased by diet supplementation with TCMF1 (p<0.05). Psoas major muscle fiber IIA and IIB fiber density from the pigs fed the TCMF1 diet and the type IIB fiber density from the pigs fed the TCMF2 diet were lower compared to pigs fed the control diet (p<0.05). Pigs fed TCMF2 had a higher composition of type I fiber and a lower percentage of type IIB fiber in the psoas major muscle (p<0.05). The expression levels of MyHC I, MyHC IIa, and MyHC IIx mRNA increased and the amount of MyHC IIb mRNA decreased in the psoas major muscle from TCMF2, whereas MyHC I and MyHC IIx mRNA increased in the psoas major muscle from TCMF1 (p<0.05). Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ coactivator-1α and CaN mRNA expression in the psoas major muscle were up-regulated by TCMF (p<0.05). Porcine skeletal muscle satellite cell proliferation was promoted by 4 μg/mL and 20 μg/mL TCMF water extraction (p<0.05). Both 1 μg/mL and 5 μg/mL of TCMF water extraction increased MyHC IIa, MyHC IIb, and MyHC IIx mRNA expression in porcine myocytes (p<0.05), while MyHC I mRNA expression in porcine myocytes was decreased by 5 μg/mL TCMF water extraction (p<0.05). Porcine myocyte MyHC I and MyHC IIx mRNA expression were increased, and MyHC IIa and MyHC IIb mRNA expression were down-regulated by 5 μg/mL TCMF ethyl acetate extraction (p<0.05). MyHC I and MyHC IIa mRNA expression in porcine myocytes were increased, and the MyHC IIb mRNA expression was decreased by 1 μg/mL TCMF ethyl acetate extraction (p<0.05). Four isoforms of MyHC mRNA expression in porcine myocytes were reduced by 5 μg/mL TCMF petroleum ether extraction (p<0.05). MyHC IIa mRNA expression in porcine myocytes increased and MyHC IIb mRNA expression decreased by 1 μg/mL in a TCMF petroleum ether extraction (p<0.05). Conclusion These results indicated that TCMF amplified the psoas major muscle cross-sectional area through changing muscle fiber characteristics in finishing pigs. This effect was confirmed as TCMF extraction promoted porcine cell proliferation and affected isoforms of MyHC gene expression in myocytes. PMID:28728382

Disturbance of time orientation, attention, and verbal memory in amnesic patients with confabulation.

PubMed

Shingaki, Honoka; Park, Paeksoon; Ueda, Keita; Murai, Toshiya; Tsukiura, Takashi

2016-01-01

Confabulation is often observed in amnesic patients after brain damage. However, evidence regarding the relationship between confabulation and other neuropsychological functions is scarce. In addition, previous studies have proposed two possibilities of the relationship between confabulation and false memory, in which patients with confabulation are likely to retrieve false memories, or confabulations are relatively independent of false memories. The present study investigated how confabulation is related to various cognitive functions, including orientation, attention, frontal lobe function, memory, and mental status, and to false memories, as assessed by the Deese-Roediger-Mcdermott (DRM) paradigm. Patients with organic amnesia participated, and confabulations were evaluated using the Confabulation Battery. Amnestic patients were classified into two groups: confabulating (CP) and nonconfabulating patients (NCP). The CP group was significantly impaired in time orientation, attention, and verbal memory, compared to the NCP group and age-matched healthy controls (HC). Results of the DRM paradigm revealed no significant difference in false memory retrieval induced by critical lures across CP, NCP, and HC groups. Confabulating responses in organic amnesia could be in part induced by disturbance of time consciousness and attention control in severe impairment of verbal memories, and confabulation and false memory could be modulated by different cognitive systems.

Biological control of wheat root diseases by the CLP-producing strain Pseudomonas fluorescens HC1-07.

PubMed

Yang, Ming-Ming; Wen, Shan-Shan; Mavrodi, Dmitri V; Mavrodi, Olga V; von Wettstein, Diter; Thomashow, Linda S; Guo, Jian-Hua; Weller, David M

2014-03-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens HC1-07, previously isolated from the phyllosphere of wheat grown in Hebei province, China, suppresses the soilborne disease of wheat take-all, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. We report here that strain HC1-07 also suppresses Rhizoctonia root rot of wheat caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8. Strain HC1-07 produced a cyclic lipopeptide (CLP) with a molecular weight of 1,126.42 based on analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Extracted CLP inhibited the growth of G. graminis var. tritici and R. solani in vitro. To determine the role of this CLP in biological control, plasposon mutagenesis was used to generate two nonproducing mutants, HC1-07viscB and HC1-07prtR2. Analysis of regions flanking plasposon insertions in HC1-07prtR2 and HC1-07viscB revealed that the inactivated genes were similar to prtR and viscB, respectively, of the well-described biocontrol strain P. fluorescens SBW25 that produces the CLP viscosin. Both genes in HC1-07 were required for the production of the viscosin-like CLP. The two mutants were less inhibitory to G. graminis var. tritici and R. solani in vitro and reduced in ability to suppress take-all. HC1-07viscB but not HC-07prtR2 was reduced in ability to suppress Rhizoctonia root rot. In addition to CLP production, prtR also played a role in protease production.

Associations of blood levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-I, IGF-II and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 in schizophrenic Arab subjects.

PubMed

Akanji, Abayomi O; Ohaeri, Jude U; Al-Shammri, Suhail A; Fatania, Hasmukh R

2007-01-01

Insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) are believed to be important in brain development and repair following neuronal damage. It is also speculated that IGFs are involved in the association of foetal and pre-adult growth with schizophrenia (SZ). The aim of this study was to assess levels of IGF-I, IGF-II and IGF binding protein (IGFBP)-3 and their associations in male Arab patients with SZ (n=53) and healthy control subjects (HC; n=52). Anthropometric and demographic data were collected for each subject for whom blood specimens were analysed for serum lipoproteins, apolipoprotein B (apoB), IGF-I, IGF-II and IGFBP-3. The SZ group had lower serum total cholesterol, apoB and uric acid levels than the HC group (p<0.05). IGF-II levels were significantly higher in the SZ group (p=0.02) and correlated positively with levels of atherogenic lipoproteins--total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein, apoB--and IGFBP-3. The pattern of correlations between the IGFs and the various parameters differed somewhat between the HC and SZ groups. These results demonstrate that IGF-II levels are increased in patients with SZ and show significant associations with atherogenic lipoproteins. We suggest a possible link between IGF-II metabolism and atherogenesis in SZ.

Progressive decline of cognition during the conversion from prodrome to psychosis with a characteristic pattern of the theory of mind compensated by neurocognition.

PubMed

Zhang, TianHong; Cui, HuiRu; Wei, YanYan; Tang, YingYing; Xu, LiHua; Tang, XiaoChen; Zhu, YiKang; Jiang, LiJuan; Zhang, Bin; Qian, ZhenYing; Chow, Annabelle; Liu, XiaoHua; Li, ChunBo; Xiao, ZePing; Wang, JiJun

2018-05-01

The association between neurocognition and the theory of mind (ToM) abilities during the progression of psychosis is unclear. This study included 83 individuals with attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS), from which 26 converted to psychosis (converters) after a follow up period of 18months. Comprehensive cognitive tests (including MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery, Faux-Pas Task, and Reading-Mind-in-Eyes Tasks) were administered at baseline. A structural equation modeling (SEM) analysis was conducted to estimate the effects of neurocognition on the ToM functioning in both APS and healthy controls (HC) datasets. At baseline, the converters and non-converters groups differed significantly on several domains of cognitive performance. The SEM analysis demonstrated that the path from neurocognition to ToM was statistically significant in the APS dataset (p<0.001). However, in the HC dataset, the result of the same analysis was not significant (p=0.117). Positive correlations between neurocognition and ToM were observed, and the most obvious correlations were found in the converters group compared with the non-converters group (p=0.064) and compared with the HC group (p=0.002). The correlation between ToM abilities and neurocognition may be increased during the progression of the condition, especially for individuals who convert to psychosis after a short period. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Impact of Pharmacist Intervention to Increase Compliance With Guideline-Directed Statin Therapy During an Acute Coronary Syndrome Hospitalization.

PubMed

Tunney, Robert K; Johnson, Daniel C; Wang, Li; Cox, Zachary L

2017-05-01

Despite evidence on poor adherence to guideline-directed statin therapy (GDST) following an acute coronary syndrome (ACS), little information has been published on pharmacist-led statin pilot programs for secondary prevention. We sought to evaluate the impact of a pharmacist intervention (PI) on GDST during an ACS hospitalization. A historical control (HC) group consisting of 125 ACS hospitalizations was retrospectively identified, with prospective data of 113 patients captured over 6 months in the PI group. The primary outcome of GDST was defined according to 2013 clinical guidelines and evaluated in all 238 qualifying patients. Secondary outcomes included number of interventions and use of logistic regression to investigate the relationship of ACS subtype with statin dose. On admission, GDST was ordered in 62.5% of the HC and 75.9% of the PI group. At discharge, the PI group had a higher rate of GDST relative to HC among all patients (86.7 % vs 77.4%, P = 0.06), and after exclusion of contraindications (84.8% vs 74.5%; P = 0.1), 10 patients required PI, accounting for an increase in GDST of 5.3%. Statin dose selection did not differ by ACS subtype (odds ratio = 0.79; 95% CI = 0.0.29-2.17; P = 0.18). PI did not significantly increase GDST. Increased compliance rates measured were primarily driven by higher baseline adherence and guideline incorporation over time.

Head circumference: the forgotten tool for hydrocephalus management. A reference interval study in the Spanish population.

PubMed

Poca, Maria A; Martínez-Ricarte, Francisco R; Portabella, Mireia; Torné, Ramon; Fuertes, Maria L; González-Tartiere, Pilar; Sahuquillo, Juan

2013-11-01

In children, deviations from the normal range of head circumference (HC) have traditionally been related with CSF dynamics abnormalities. In adults, this neglected parameter is helpful in the diagnosis and understanding of the pathophysiology of some CSF abnormalities. It has been demonstrated that HC is related to height. Because humans have increased in stature dramatically during the last 50 years, pediatric charts for head growth physiology and normal HC values in adults should be reevaluated. The main aim of the present study was to assess HC in a series of 270 normal healthy Spanish adults and to determine any differences between sexes and age groups. A secondary aim was to discuss the relevance of this parameter in the management of hydrocephalus in adult people. HC measurements were taken using a measuring tape placed over the greatest frontal and occipital protuberances. The reference interval and the upper and lower thresholds for HC were calculated by 3 different methods: normal distribution, the non-parametrical percentile method, and the "robust method". The results were consistent and showed that Spanish adult men with a HC greater than 60 cm, and Spanish adult women with a HC greater than 58 cm should be considered macrocephalic. Microcephaly should be considered when HC is 53.6 cm in men and 51.3 cm in women. Adult age groups of either sex do not present any statistically significant differences in HC. HC obtained in Spanish adult people are greater than those reported in the classical Nellhaus graphs in both men and women aged 18. These findings should be considered in the management of hydrocephalus in adults today. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Specific patterns of whole-brain structural covariance of the anterior and posterior hippocampus in young APOE ε4 carriers.

PubMed

Stening, Eva; Persson, Jonas; Eriksson, Elias; Wahlund, Lars-Olof; Zetterberg, Henrik; Söderlund, Hedvig

2017-05-30

Apolipoprotein E (APOE) ε4 has been associated with smaller hippocampal volumes in healthy aging, while findings in young adults are inconclusive. Previous studies have mostly used univariate methods, and without considering potential anterior/posterior differences. Here, we used a multivariate method, partial least squares, and assessed whole-brain structural covariance of the anterior (aHC) and posterior (pHC) hippocampus in young adults (n=97) as a function of APOE ε4 status and sex. Two significant patterns emerged: (1) specific structural covariance of the aHC with frontal regions, temporal and occipital areas in APOE ε4 women, whereas the volume of both the aHC and pHC in all other groups co-varied with frontal, parietal and cerebellar areas; and (2) opposite structural covariance of the pHC in ε4 carriers compared to the aHC in non-carriers, with the pHC of ε4 carriers covarying with parietal and frontal areas, and the aHC of ε4 non-carriers covarying with motor areas and the middle frontal gyrus. APOE ε4 has in young adults been associated with better episodic and spatial memory, functions involving the aHC and pHC, respectively. We found no associations between structural covariance and performance, suggesting that other factors underlie the performance differences seen between carriers and non-carriers. Our findings indicate that APOE ε4 carriers and non-carriers differ in hippocampal organization and that there are differences as a function of sex and hippocampal segment. They stress the need to consider the hippocampus as a heterogeneous structure, and highlight the benefits of multivariate methods in assessing group differences in the brain. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Purification and identification of 25-hydroxycholesterol in a reptile: Seasonal variation and hormonal regulation.

PubMed

Singh, Varsha; Priyam, Manisha; Tripathy, Mamta; Rai, Umesh

2017-06-01

The present in vitro study, for the first time, demonstrates the production of 25-hydroxycholestrol (25-HC) by testicular macrophages of a non-mammalian vertebrate. The ether extracts of testicular macrophage-conditioned medium (TMCM) were fractionated on a C18 reversed phase high-performance liquid chromatography (HPLC) column using methanol as the mobile phase. The mass spectrometry (MS) fragmentation pattern of HPLC-purified 25-HC was found to be identical to that of authentic 25-HC. Further, a significant seasonal variation in 25-HC concentration was observed with maximal level in regressed and minimal during breeding phase. To understand the hormonal control of 25-HC production, testicular macrophages from regressed phase testes were incubated with 0.5μg/ml of ovine follicle stimulating hormone (FSH) and 0.1, 1 and 10μg/ml of testosterone (T). FSH considerably enhanced 25-HC production by testicular macrophages. In contrast, T markedly inhibited 25-HC production in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, T significantly inhibited FSH-induced 25-HC production, though pre-treatment with T was more effective as compared to post-treatment with T to FSH. Our findings on production, seasonal variation and hormonal control of 25-HC suggest the functional significance of 25-HC in the testis of reptiles. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Brain activation to facial expressions in youth with PTSD symptoms.

PubMed

Garrett, Amy S; Carrion, Victor; Kletter, Hilit; Karchemskiy, Asya; Weems, Carl F; Reiss, Allan

2012-05-01

This study examined activation to facial expressions in youth with a history of interpersonal trauma and current posttraumatic stress symptoms (PTSS) compared to healthy controls (HC). Twenty-three medication-naive youth with PTSS and 23 age- and gender-matched HC underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) while viewing fearful, angry, sad, happy, and neutral faces. Data were analyzed for group differences in location of activation, as well as timing of activation during the early versus late phase of the block. Using SPM5, significant activation (P < .05 FWE [Family-Wise Error] corrected, extent = 10 voxels) associated with the main effect of group was identified. Activation from selected clusters was extracted to SPSS software for further analysis of specific facial expressions and temporal patterns of activation. The PTSS group showed significantly greater activation than controls in several regions, including the amygdala/hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex, insula, and ventrolateral prefrontal cortex, and less activation than controls in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). These group differences in activation were greatest during angry, happy, and neutral faces, and predominantly during the early phase of the block. Post hoc analyses showed significant Group × Phase interactions in the right amygdala and left hippocampus. Traumatic stress may impact development of brain regions important for emotion processing. Timing of activation may be altered in youth with PTSS. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

CD98 regulates vascular smooth muscle cell proliferation in atherosclerosis.

PubMed

Baumer, Yvonne; McCurdy, Sara; Alcala, Martin; Mehta, Nehal; Lee, Bog-Hieu; Ginsberg, Mark H; Boisvert, William A

2017-01-01

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) migrate and proliferate to form a stabilizing fibrous cap that encapsulates atherosclerotic plaques. CD98 is a transmembrane protein made of two subunits, CD98 heavy chain (CD98hc) and one of six light chains, and is known to be involved in cell proliferation and survival. Because the influence of CD98hc on atherosclerosis development is unknown, our aim was to determine if CD98hc expressed on VSMC plays a role in shaping the morphology of atherosclerotic plaques by regulating VSMC function. In addition to determining the role of CD98hc in VSMC proliferation and apoptosis, we utilized mice with SMC-specific deletion of CD98hc (CD98hc fl/fl SM22αCre + ) to determine the effects of CD98hc deficiency on VSMC function in atherosclerotic plaque. After culturing for 5 days in vitro, CD98hc -/- VSMC displayed dramatically reduced cell counts, reduced proliferation, as well as reduced migration compared to control VSMC. Analysis of aortic VSCM after 8 weeks of HFD showed a reduction in CD98hc -/- VSMC proliferation as well as increased apoptosis compared to controls. A long-term atherosclerosis study using SMC-CD98hc -/- /ldlr -/- mice was performed. Although total plaque area was unchanged, CD98hc -/- mice showed reduced presence of VSMC within the plaque (2.1 ± 0.4% vs. 4.3 ± 0.4% SM22α-positive area per plaque area, p < 0.05), decreased collagen content, as well as increased necrotic core area (25.8 ± 1.9% vs. 10.9 ± 1.6%, p < 0.05) compared to control ldlr -/- mice. We conclude that CD98hc is required for VSMC proliferation, and that its deficiency leads to significantly reduced presence of VSMC in the neointima. Thus, CD98hc expression in VSMC contributes to the formation of plaques that are morphologically more stable, and thereby protects against atherothrombosis. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Putative Role of Serum Amyloid-A and Proinflammatory Cytokines as Biomarkers for Behcet's Disease

PubMed Central

Lopalco, Giuseppe; Lucherini, Orso Maria; Vitale, Antonio; Talarico, Rosaria; Lopalco, Antonio; Galeazzi, Mauro; Lapadula, Giovanni; Cantarini, Luca; Iannone, Florenzo

2015-01-01

Abstract Behcet's disease (BD) is a multisystemic disorder of unknown etiology characterized by relapsing oral–genital ulcers, uveitis, and involvement of vascular, gastrointestinal, neurological, and musculoskeletal system. Although disease pathogenesis is still unclear, both innate and adaptive immunity have shown to play a pivotal role, and multiple proinflammatory cytokines seem to be involved in different pathogenic pathways that eventually lead to tissue damage. The aims of our study were to evaluate serum cytokines levels of IL-8, IL-18, IFN-α2a, IL-6, IFN-γ, CXCL10, CXCL11, CXCL9, and SAA levels in patients with BD, in comparison to healthy controls (HC), and to correlate their levels to disease activity. We included 78 serum samples obtained from 58 BD patients and analyzed a set of proinflammatory cytokines including IL-8, IL-18, IFN-α2a, IL-6, IFN-γ, CXCL10, CXCL11, and CXCL9 by multiplex bead analysis as well as SAA by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Compared to HC, BD patients showed elevated cytokine levels of IL-8, IL-18, IFN-α2a, and IL-6, and low levels of CXCL11. BD patients with SAA serum levels >20 mg/L showed higher levels of proinflammatory markers than HC or group with SAA ≤20 mg/L. IL-18, IFN-α2a, and IL-6 were higher in BD group with SAA >20 mg/L than HC, while IL-8 and CXCL9 levels were higher than in patients with SAA ≤20 mg/L and HC. Active BD patients with SAA >20 mg/L exhibited elevated levels of inflammatory mediators, suggesting that may exist a relationship between SAA and proinflammatory cytokines in the intricate scenario of BD pathogenesis. PMID:26496336

Very low-carbohydrate versus isocaloric high-carbohydrate diet in dietary obese rats.

PubMed

Axen, Kathleen V; Axen, Kenneth

2006-08-01

The effects of a very low-carbohydrate (VLC), high-fat (HF) dietary regimen on metabolic syndrome were compared with those of an isocaloric high-carbohydrate (HC), low-fat (LF) regimen in dietary obese rats. Male Sprague-Dawley rats, made obese by 8 weeks ad libitum consumption of an HF diet, developed features of the metabolic syndrome vs. lean control (C) rats, including greater visceral, subcutaneous, and hepatic fat masses, elevated plasma cholesterol levels, impaired glucose tolerance, and fasting and post-load insulin resistance. Half of the obese rats (VLC) were then fed a popular VLC-HF diet (Weeks 9 and 10 at 5% and Weeks 11 to 14 at 15% carbohydrate), and one-half (HC) were pair-fed an HC-LF diet (Weeks 9 to 14 at 60% carbohydrate). Energy intakes of pair-fed VLC and HC rats were less than C rats throughout Weeks 9 to 14. Compared with HC rats, VLC rats exhibited impaired insulin and glycemic responses to an intraperitoneal glucose load at Week 10 and lower plasma triacylglycerol levels but retarded loss of hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat at Week 14. VLC, HC, and C rats no longer differed in body weight, plasma cholesterol, glucose tolerance, or fasting insulin resistance at Week 14. Progressive decreases in fasting insulin resistance in obese groups paralleled concomitant reductions in hepatic, retroperitoneal, and total body fat. When energy intake was matched, the VLC-HF diet provided no advantage in weight loss or in improving those components of the metabolic syndrome induced by dietary obesity and may delay loss of hepatic and visceral fat as compared with an HC-LF diet.

Screening toll-like receptor markers to predict latent tuberculosis infection and subsequent tuberculosis disease in a Chinese population.

PubMed

Wu, Linlin; Hu, Yi; Li, Dange; Jiang, Weili; Xu, Biao

2015-04-01

We investigated whether polymorphisms in the toll-like receptor genes or gene-gene interactions are associated with susceptibility to latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) or subsequent pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB) in a Chinese population. Two matched case-control studies were undertaken. Previously reported polymorphisms in the toll-like receptors (TLRs) were compared between 422 healthy controls (HC) and 205 LTBI patients and between 205 LTBI patients and 109 PTB patients, to assess whether these polymorphisms and their interactions are associated with LTBI or PTB. A PCR-based restriction fragment length polymorphism analysis was used to detect genetic polymorphisms in the TLR genes. Nonparametric multifactor dimensionality reduction (MDR) was used to analyze the effects of interactions between complex disease genes and other genes or environmental factors. Sixteen markers in TLR1, TLR2, TLR4, TLR6, TLR8, TLR9, and TIRAP were detected. In TLR2, the frequencies of the CC genotype (OR = 2.262; 95% CI: 1.433-3.570) and C allele (OR = 1.566; 95% CI: 1.223-1.900) in single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs3804100 were significantly higher in the LTBI group than in the HC group, whereas the GA genotype of SNP rs5743708 was associated with PTB (OR = 6.087; 95% CI: 1.687-21.968). The frequencies of the GG genotype of SNP rs7873784 in TLR4 (OR = 2.136; 95% CI: 1.312-3.478) and the CC genotype of rs3764879 in TLR8 (OR = 1.982; 95% CI: 1.292-3.042) were also significantly higher in the PTB group than in the HC group. The TC genotype frequency of SNP rs5743836 in TLR9 was significantly higher in the LTBI group than in the HC group (OR = 1.664; 95% CI: 1.201-2.306). An MDR analysis of gene-gene and gene-environment interactions identified three SNPs (rs10759932, rs7873784, and rs10759931) that predicted LTBI with 84% accuracy (p = 0.0004) and three SNPs (rs3804100, rs1898830, and rs10759931) that predicted PTB with 80% accuracy (p = 0.0001). Our results suggest that genetic variation in TLR2, 4, 8 and 9, implicating TLR-related pathways affecting the innate immunity response, modulate LTBI and PTB susceptibility in Chinese.

Effect of exercise training on Ca2+ release units of left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats

PubMed Central

Carneiro-Júnior, M.A.; Quintão-Júnior, J.F.; Drummond, L.R.; Lavorato, V.N.; Drummond, F.R.; Amadeu, M.A.; Oliveira, E.M.; Felix, L.B.; Cruz, J.S.; Mill, J.G.; Natali, A.J.; Prímola-Gomes, T.N.

2014-01-01

In cardiomyocytes, calcium (Ca2+) release units comprise clusters of intracellular Ca2+ release channels located on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and hypertension is well established as a cause of defects in calcium release unit function. Our objective was to determine whether endurance exercise training could attenuate the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release unit components and Ca2+ sparks in left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Male Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (4 months of age) were divided into 4 groups: normotensive (NC) and hypertensive control (HC), and normotensive (NT) and hypertensive trained (HT) animals (7 rats per group). NC and HC rats were submitted to a low-intensity treadmill running protocol (5 days/week, 1 h/day, 0% grade, and 50-60% of maximal running speed) for 8 weeks. Gene expression of the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) and FK506 binding protein (FKBP12.6) increased (270%) and decreased (88%), respectively, in HC compared to NC rats. Endurance exercise training reversed these changes by reducing RyR2 (230%) and normalizing FKBP12.6 gene expression (112%). Hypertension also increased the frequency of Ca2+ sparks (HC=7.61±0.26 vs NC=4.79±0.19 per 100 µm/s) and decreased its amplitude (HC=0.260±0.08 vs NC=0.324±0.10 ΔF/F0), full width at half-maximum amplitude (HC=1.05±0.08 vs NC=1.26±0.01 µm), total duration (HC=11.51±0.12 vs NC=14.97±0.24 ms), time to peak (HC=4.84±0.06 vs NC=6.31±0.14 ms), and time constant of decay (HC=8.68±0.12 vs NC=10.21±0.22 ms). These changes were partially reversed in HT rats (frequency of Ca2+ sparks=6.26±0.19 µm/s, amplitude=0.282±0.10 ΔF/F0, full width at half-maximum amplitude=1.14±0.01 µm, total duration=13.34±0.17 ms, time to peak=5.43±0.08 ms, and time constant of decay=9.43±0.15 ms). Endurance exercise training attenuated the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release units of left ventricular myocytes. PMID:25296357

Effect of exercise training on Ca²⁺ release units of left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

PubMed

Carneiro-Júnior, M A; Quintão-Júnior, J F; Drummond, L R; Lavorato, V N; Drummond, F R; Amadeu, M A; Oliveira, E M; Felix, L B; Cruz, J S; Mill, J G; Natali, A J; Prímola-Gomes, T N

2014-11-01

In cardiomyocytes, calcium (Ca²⁺) release units comprise clusters of intracellular Ca²⁺ release channels located on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, and hypertension is well established as a cause of defects in calcium release unit function. Our objective was to determine whether endurance exercise training could attenuate the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release unit components and Ca²⁺ sparks in left ventricular myocytes of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Male Wistar and spontaneously hypertensive rats (4 months of age) were divided into 4 groups: normotensive (NC) and hypertensive control (HC), and normotensive (NT) and hypertensive trained (HT) animals (7 rats per group). NC and HC rats were submitted to a low-intensity treadmill running protocol (5 days/week, 1 h/day, 0% grade, and 50-60% of maximal running speed) for 8 weeks. Gene expression of the ryanodine receptor type 2 (RyR2) and FK506 binding protein (FKBP12.6) increased (270%) and decreased (88%), respectively, in HC compared to NC rats. Endurance exercise training reversed these changes by reducing RyR2 (230%) and normalizing FKBP12.6 gene expression (112%). Hypertension also increased the frequency of Ca²⁺ sparks (HC=7.61 ± 0.26 vs NC=4.79 ± 0.19 per 100 µm/s) and decreased its amplitude (HC=0.260 ± 0.08 vs NC=0.324 ± 0.10 ΔF/F0), full width at half-maximum amplitude (HC=1.05 ± 0.08 vs NC=1.26 ± 0.01 µm), total duration (HC=11.51 ± 0.12 vs NC=14.97 ± 0.24 ms), time to peak (HC=4.84 ± 0.06 vs NC=6.31 ± 0.14 ms), and time constant of decay (HC=8.68 ± 0.12 vs NC=10.21 ± 0.22 ms). These changes were partially reversed in HT rats (frequency of Ca²⁺ sparks=6.26 ± 0.19 µm/s, amplitude=0.282 ± 0.10 ΔF/F0, full width at half-maximum amplitude=1.14 ± 0.01 µm, total duration=13.34 ± 0.17 ms, time to peak=5.43 ± 0.08 ms, and time constant of decay=9.43 ± 0.15 ms). Endurance exercise training attenuated the deleterious effects of hypertension on calcium release units of left ventricular myocytes.

The Symbol Digit Modalities Test is an effective cognitive screen in pediatric onset multiple sclerosis (MS).

PubMed

Charvet, Leigh E; Beekman, Rachel; Amadiume, Nneka; Belman, Anita L; Krupp, Lauren B

2014-06-15

To evaluate the Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT) as a tool for identifying pediatric-onset MS patients at risk for cognitive impairment. The SDMT is a brief measure of cognitive processing speed that is often used in adult MS patients. Approximately one-third of pediatric-onset MS patients have cognitive impairment and there is a need for an effective screening instrument. Seventy (70) consecutive outpatients with pediatric-onset MS underwent clinical evaluations including the SDMT and were compared to those with other pediatric neurological diagnoses (OND, n=40) and healthy controls (HC, n=32). A subset of the MS group and all healthy controls completed neuropsychological evaluation within one year of SDMT administration. The MS group performed worse on the SDMT compared to the HC group (p=0.02). Thirty-seven percent (37%) of the MS, 20% of the OND, and 9% of HC groups scored in the impaired range. For MS participants who underwent neuropsychological testing (n=31), the SDMT showed 77% sensitivity and 81% specificity for detecting neuropsychological impairment when administered within one year and reached 100% sensitivity when the interval was under two months (n=17). Overall, older age and increased disability predicted poorer SDMT performance (age r=-0.26, p=0.03) and the Expanded Disability Status Scale score or EDSS (r=-0.47, p<0.001), while a history of optic neuritis predicted better performance (p=0.04). Optical coherence tomography measures were not related to SDMT performance. In this preliminary study, the SDMT was an effective brief screen for detecting cognitive impairment in pediatric-onset MS. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Differences in Aβ brain networks in Alzheimer's disease and healthy controls.

PubMed

Duan, Huoqiang; Jiang, Jiehui; Xu, Jun; Zhou, Hucheng; Huang, Zhemin; Yu, Zhihua; Yan, Zhuangzhi

2017-01-15

The prevailing β-amyloid (Aβ)-cascade hypothesis is the most classical Alzheimer's disease (AD) pathogenesis. In this hypothesis, excessive Aβ plaque deposition in human brain is considered to be the cause of AD. Carbon 11-labeled Pittsburgh compound B Positron emission tomography (11C-PiB PET) is the latest technology to detect Aβ plaques in vivo. Thus, it is possible to investigate the difference of Aβ brain networks between AD patients and Health Controls (HC) by analyzing 11C-PiB PET images. In this study, a graph-theoretical method was employed to investigate the topological properties of Aβ networks in 18 Chinese AD patients and 16 HC subjects from Huashan Hospital, Shanghai. The results showed that both groups demonstrated small-world property, and this property was more obvious in AD group. Additionally, the clustering coefficients and path lengths were significantly lower in AD group. The global efficiency was larger in AD than in HC. A direct comparison between with and without regression found that sex, age and weight had no significant effect on the Aβ network. Moreover, three altered regions in AD group were identified, including left cuneus (CUN.L), right caudate nucleus (CAU.R) and left superior frontal gyrus (SFGdor. L). A voxel-wise correlation analysis showed that in AD patients, the regions of strengthened connection with CUN.L were mainly located in frontal cortex and parietal cortex, the regions of strengthen connection with CAU.R were mainly located in temporal cortex. Finally, a machine learning based analysis demonstrated that the three regions could be better biomarkers than the whole brain for AD classification. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Higher criticism approach to detect rare variants using whole genome sequencing data

PubMed Central

2014-01-01

Because of low statistical power of single-variant tests for whole genome sequencing (WGS) data, the association test for variant groups is a key approach for genetic mapping. To address the features of sparse and weak genetic effects to be detected, the higher criticism (HC) approach has been proposed and theoretically has proven optimal for detecting sparse and weak genetic effects. Here we develop a strategy to apply the HC approach to WGS data that contains rare variants as the majority. By using Genetic Analysis Workshop 18 "dose" genetic data with simulated phenotypes, we assess the performance of HC under a variety of strategies for grouping variants and collapsing rare variants. The HC approach is compared with the minimal p-value method and the sequence kernel association test. The results show that the HC approach is preferred for detecting weak genetic effects. PMID:25519367

State-Dependent Cross-Brain Information Flow in Borderline Personality Disorder.

PubMed

Bilek, Edda; Stößel, Gabriela; Schäfer, Axel; Clement, Laura; Ruf, Matthias; Robnik, Lydia; Neukel, Corinne; Tost, Heike; Kirsch, Peter; Meyer-Lindenberg, Andreas

2017-09-01

Although borderline personality disorder (BPD)-one of the most common, burdensome, and costly psychiatric conditions-is characterized by repeated interpersonal conflict and instable relationships, the neurobiological mechanism of social interactive deficits remains poorly understood. To apply recent advancements in the investigation of 2-person human social interaction to investigate interaction difficulties among people with BPD. Cross-brain information flow in BPD was examined from May 25, 2012, to December 4, 2015, in pairs of participants studied in 2 linked functional magnetic resonance imaging scanners in a university setting. Participants performed a joint attention task. Each pair included a healthy control individual (HC) and either a patient currently fulfilling DSM-IV criteria for BPD (cBPD) (n = 23), a patient in remission for 2 years or more (rBPD) (n = 17), or a second HC (n = 20). Groups were matched for age and educational level. A measure of cross-brain neural coupling was computed following previously published work to indicate synchronized flow between right temporoparietal junction networks (previously shown to host neural coupling abilities in health). This measure is derived from an independent component analysis contrasting the time courses of components between pairs of truly interacting participants compared with bootstrapped control pairs. In the sample including 23 women with cBPD (mean [SD] age, 26.8 [5.7] years), 17 women with rBPD (mean [SD] age, 28.5 [4.3] years), and 80 HCs (mean [SD] age, 24.0 [3.4] years]) investigated as dyads, neural coupling was found to be associated with disorder state (η2 = 0.17; P = .007): while HC-HC pairs showed synchronized neural responses, cBPD-HC pairs exhibited significantly lower neural coupling just above permutation-based data levels (η2 = 0.16; P = .009). No difference was found between neural coupling in rBPD-HC and HC-HC pairs. The neural coupling in patients was significantly associated with childhood adversity (T = 2.3; P = .03). This study provides a neural correlate for a core diagnostic and clinical feature of BPD. Results indicate that hyperscanning may deliver state-associated biomarkers for clinical social neuroscience. In addition, at least some neural deficits of BPD may be more reversible than is currently assumed for personality disorders.

A large head circumference is more strongly associated with unplanned cesarean or instrumental delivery and neonatal complications than high birthweight.

PubMed

Lipschuetz, Michal; Cohen, Sarah M; Ein-Mor, Eliana; Sapir, Hanna; Hochner-Celnikier, Drorith; Porat, Shay; Amsalem, Hagai; Valsky, Dan V; Ezra, Yossef; Elami-Suzin, Matan; Paltiel, Ora; Yagel, Simcha

2015-12-01

Fetal size impacts on perinatal outcomes. We queried whether the fetal head, as the fetal part interfacing with the birth canal, might impact on obstetric outcomes more than birthweight (BW). We examined associations between neonatal head circumference (HC) and delivery mode and risk of perinatal complications as compared to high BW. This was an electronic medical records-based study of term singleton births (37-42 weeks' gestation) from January 2010 through December 2012 (N = 24,780, 6343 primiparae). We assessed risks of unplanned cesarean or instrumental delivery and maternal and fetal complications in cases with HC or BW ≥95th centile (large HC, high BW) vs those with parameters <95th centile (normal). Newborns were stratified into 4 subgroups: normal HC/normal BW (reference, n = 22,548, primiparae 5862); normal HC/high BW (n = 817, P = 213); large HC/normal BW (n = 878, P = 265); and large HC/high BW (n = 537, P = 103). Multinomial multivariable regression provided adjusted odds ratio (aOR) while controlling for potential confounders. Infants with HC ≥95th centile (n = 1415) were delivered vaginally in 62% of cases, unplanned cesarean delivery 16%, and instrumental delivery 11.2%; 78.4% of infants with HC <95th centile were delivered vaginally, 7.8% unplanned cesarean, and 6.7% instrumental delivery. Odds ratio (OR) for unplanned cesarean was 2.58 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.22-3.01) and for instrumental delivery OR was 2.13 (95% CI, 1.78-2.54). In contrast, in those with BW ≥95th centile (n = 1354) 80.3% delivered vaginally, 10.2% by unplanned cesarean (OR, 1.2; 95% CI, 1.01-1.44), and 3.4% instrumental delivery (OR, 0.46; 95% CI, 0.34-0.62) compared to infants with BW <95th centile: spontaneous vaginal delivery, 77.3%, unplanned cesarean 8.2%, instrumental 7.1%. Multinomial regression with normal HC/normal BW as reference group showed large HC/normal BW infants were more likely to be delivered by unplanned cesarean (aOR, 3.08; 95% CI, 2.52-3.75) and instrumental delivery (aOR, 3.03; 95% CI, 2.46-3.75). Associations were strengthened in primiparae. Normal HC/high BW was not associated with unplanned cesarean (aOR, 1.18; 95% CI, 0.91-1.54), while large HC/high BW was (aOR, 1.93; 95% CI, 1.47-2.52). Analysis of unplanned cesarean indications showed large HC infants had more failure to progress (27.7% vs 14.1%, P < .001), while smaller HC infants had more fetal distress (23.4% vs 16.9%, P < .05). A large HC is more strongly associated with unplanned cesarean and instrumental delivery than high BW. Prospective studies are needed to test fetal HC as a predictive parameter for prelabor counseling of women with "big babies." Copyright © 2015 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal analysis of head and somatic growth in fetuses with congenital heart defects.

PubMed

Turan, Sifa; Rosenbloom, Joshua I; Hussein, Mostafa; Berg, Christoph; Gembruch, Ulrich; Baschat, Ahmet A; Turan, Ozhan M

2017-02-01

Fetal head and somatic growth dynamics differs in fetuses with congenital heart defects (CHD). We longitudinally characterized fetal head and somatic growth in relation to the type of CHD. Four hundred eleven exams from isolated CHD were compared with 1,219 controls. Head and somatic growth was assessed using head circumference (HC), brain volume (BrV = 1/6 × π × (HC/π)3)/2), fetal cephalization index (FCI = BrV/[estimated fetal weight]), and growth percentile. Umbilical and middle cerebral artery Doppler indices were obtained. CHD were grouped as: (1) d-transposition of great arteries (n = 11); (2) left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with retrograde isthmic flow (n = 18); (3) left ventricular outflow tract obstruction with antegrade isthmic flow (n = 16); (4) pulmonary outflow tract obstructions (n = 22). The smallest head size was seen in group 1. Growth asymmetry was diagnosed in group 2. Brain sparing was seen in groups 2 and 4 (p < 0.0001). HC and BrV percentiles decreased with advancing gestational age (p < 0.001) in group 2, and a significant drop was observed around 28 weeks. d-Transposition of great arteries and left-sided CHD leading to isthmic blood flow reversal are associated with delayed head growth. Prenatal evaluation of central hemodynamics in CHD may be contributive for predicting neurodevelopmental risks in CHD and help directing prenatal interventions. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Clin Ultrasound 45:96-104, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Emotion regulation deficits in eating disorders: a marker of eating pathology or general psychopathology?

PubMed

Svaldi, Jennifer; Griepenstroh, Julia; Tuschen-Caffier, Brunna; Ehring, Thomas

2012-05-15

Preliminary evidence indicates that individuals with eating disorders (ED) show emotion regulation (ER) difficulties. However, it is yet unclear whether different types of ED differ in their ER profile and whether certain ER difficulties are specific for ED or rather a transdiagnostic factor. Twenty women with anorexia nervosa (AN), 18 with bulimia nervosa (BN), 25 with binge eating disorder (BED), 15 with borderline personality disorder (BPD), 16 with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 42 female healthy controls (HC) were administered the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire, the Inventory of Cognitive Affect Regulation Strategies, the Difficulties in Emotion Regulation Scale and the Affect Intensity Measure. The ED groups reported significantly higher levels of emotion intensity, lower acceptance of emotions, less emotional awareness and clarity, more self-reported ER problems as well as decreased use of functional and increased use of dysfunctional emotion regulation strategies when compared to HC. No significant differences between the ED groups emerged for most ER variables. However, there were indications that the BED group may show a slightly more adaptive pattern of ER than the two other ED groups. As a whole, all clinical groups performed very similar on most ER variables and reported more difficulties regulating their emotions than HC. The findings suggest that ER difficulties are not linked to a particular diagnostic category. Instead, ER difficulties appear to be a transdiagnostic risk and/or maintenance factor rather than being disorder-specific. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Disturbances of Agency and Ownership in Schizophrenia: An Auditory Verbal Event Related Potentials Study.

PubMed

Bühler, Tim; Kindler, Jochen; Schneider, Rahel C; Strik, Werner; Dierks, Thomas; Hubl, Daniela; Koenig, Thomas

2016-09-01

A 'sense of self' is essentially the ability to distinguish between self-generated and external stimuli. It consists of at least two very basic senses: a sense of agency and a sense of ownership. Disturbances seem to provide a basic deficit in many psychiatric diseases. The aim of our study was to manipulate those qualities separately in 28 patients with schizophrenia (14 auditory hallucinators and 14 non-hallucinators) and 28 healthy controls (HC) and to investigate the effects on the topographies and the power of the event-related potential (ERP). We performed a 76-channel EEG while the participants performed the task as in our previous paper. We computed ERPs and difference maps for the conditions and compared the amount of agency and ownership between the HC and the patients. Furthermore, we compared the global field power and the topographies of these effects. Our data showed effects of agency and ownership in the healthy controls and the hallucinator group and to a lesser degree in the non-hallucinator group. We found a reduction of the N100 during the presence of agency, and a bilateral temporal negativity related to the presence of ownership. For the agency effects, we found significant differences between HC and the patients. Contrary to the expectations, our findings were more pronounced in non-hallucinators, suggesting a more profoundly disturbed sense of agency compared to hallucinators. A contemporary increase of global field power in both patient groups indicates a compensatory recruitment of other mechanisms not normally associated with the processing of agency and ownership.

Biological responses in rats exposed to mainstream smoke from a heated cigarette compared to a conventional reference cigarette.

PubMed

Fujimoto, Hitoshi; Tsuji, Hiroyuki; Okubo, Chigusa; Fukuda, Ichiro; Nishino, Tomoki; Lee, K Monica; Renne, Roger; Yoshimura, Hiroyuki

2015-03-01

The heated cigarette (HC) generates mainstream smoke by vaporizing the components of the tobacco rod using a carbon heat source at the cigarette tip. Mainstream smoke of HC contains markedly less chemical constituents compared to combusted cigarettes. Mainstream smoke from HC was generated under Health Canada Intense regimen and its biological effects were compared to those of Reference (3R4F) cigarettes, using nose-only 5-week and 13-week inhalation studies. In the 13-week study, SD rats were necropsied following exposure to mainstream smoke from each cigarette at 200, 600 or 1000 µg wet total particulate matter/L for 1 h/day, 7 days/week or following a 13-week recovery period. Histopathological changes in the respiratory tract were significantly lesser in HC groups; e.g. respiratory epithelial hyperplasia in the nasal cavity and accumulation of pigmented macrophages in alveoli. After a 13-week recovery, the lesions were completely or partially regressed, except for accumulation of pigmented macrophages in alveoli, in both HC and 3R4F groups. In the 5-week study, SD rats were necropsied following exposure to mainstream smoke of either cigarette at 600 or 1000 µg/L for 1 h, two times/day (with 30 min interval), 7 days/week or following a 4-week recovery period. Bronchoalveolar lavage fluid (BALF) analysis of neutrophil percentages and enzyme levels like γ-GT, ALP and LDH indicated that pulmonary inflammation was significantly less in HC groups compared to 3R4F groups. In conclusion, HC demonstrated significantly lower biological effects compared to 3R4F, based on the BALF parameters and histopathology.

Schizotypal personality traits and social cognition are associated with childhood trauma exposure.

PubMed

Quidé, Yann; Cohen-Woods, Sarah; O'Reilly, Nicole; Carr, Vaughan J; Elzinga, Bernet M; Green, Melissa J

2018-06-20

Childhood trauma is a common risk factor for adult psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SZ) and bipolar-I disorder (BD). However, its association with schizotypal personality traits, as well as cognitive and social cognitive abilities, is less well studied in these populations. In a cohort of 79 SZ cases, 84 BD cases, and 75 healthy controls (HCs), clinically significant levels of childhood trauma exposure (according to scores on the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire; CTQ) were evident in 54 SZ, 55 BD, and 26 HC individuals. Trauma-exposed and non-exposed groups were compared on schizotypal personality features (schizotypy) measured with the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ). Cognitive assessments included executive function, working memory, attention, and immediate and delayed memory. Social cognitive measures assessed facial emotion processing and theory-of-mind abilities. Trauma-exposed participants showed higher levels of schizotypy, especially suspiciousness, relative to non-exposed individuals, regardless of clinical or HC status. Furthermore, trauma-exposed individuals showed deficits specifically in social cognitive, but not general cognitive abilities, regardless of clinical or HC status. These trauma-related results were found in the context of higher schizotypy levels in both SZ and BD relative to HC, and lower cognitive and social cognitive performance in SZ, relative to BD and HC groups. These findings suggest that childhood trauma exposure impacts long-term schizotypy outcomes, especially paranoid ideation (suspiciousness), as well as complex social cognitive abilities in both healthy and psychotic populations. However, cognitive deficits associated with psychotic illness may not be distinguishable from those related to trauma exposure in previous studies. Findings Childhood trauma exposure is associated with increased schizotypal features (in particular paranoid ideation) and complex social cognitive abilities, independently of the diagnosis of psychotic disorder. Cognitive and social cognitive deficits were larger in schizophrenia compared to bipolar-I cases and healthy controls, but increased schizotypal features were observed in both schizophrenia and bipolar-I disorder relative to healthy controls. Limitations We were unable to distinguish the specific effects of particular childhood trauma exposures due to the high rate of exposure to more than one type of maltreatment. Retrospective assessment of childhood trauma in adulthood cannot be externally validated, and associations with behavioural traits in later life may be confounded by other factors not studied here. © 2018 The British Psychological Society.

Evidence of IL-17 producing innate lymphoid cells in peripheral blood from patients with enteropathic spondyloarthritis.

PubMed

Triggianese, Paola; Conigliaro, Paola; Chimenti, Maria Sole; Biancone, Livia; Monteleone, Giovanni; Perricone, Roberto; Monteleone, Ivan

2016-01-01

Both the innate and the adaptive immune responses contribute to the onset of chronic inflammation in spondyloarthritis (SpA). The association between SpA and inflammatory bowel disease (IBD, enteropathic SpA-ESpA) has been largely established and suggests a shared pathophysiology. There is evidence that innate lymphoid cells (ILC) are involved in the pathogenesis of both SpA and IBD while no evidence has been reported to date on ESpA. We aimed to analyse for the first time the frequency and cytokine expression of ILC in peripheral blood from ESpA patients compared with both IBD and healthy subjects. Correlations between immunophenotyping and disease activity were also explored. ESpA patients (n=20) were prospectively enrolled. Healthy controls (HC, n=10) and IBD patients (n=10) served as control groups. Peripheral blood Interferon (IFN)-γ and interleukin (IL)-17 expressing T and non-T cells as well as ILC subsets (ILC-1: IFN- γ +; ILC-3: IL-17+; natural killer-NK) were characterised by flowcytometry. Correlations between IL-17+ cells and SpA disease activity were analysed. ESpA patients showed higher levels of ROR-γ expressing non T-cells with the respect to the controls. IL-17 producing non-T cells were higher than the HC and positively correlated with IFN-γ expressing cells levels as well as with SpA disease activity. ESpA showed higher levels of ILC-1 and ILC-3 than both IBD and HC. IFN-γ expressing NK cells were higher in ESpA than HC. Our preliminary findings indicate that peripheral blood of ESpA patients is enriched for IL-17 expressing ILC which distinguishes the blood compartment from both IBD and HC. The increased IL-17 production by ILC indicates a novel role for ILC in ESpA.

General and social cognition in remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients: a comparative study.

PubMed

Caldiroli, Alice; Buoli, Massimiliano; Serati, Marta; Cahn, Wiepke; Altamura, A Carlo

2016-10-01

The aim of this paper was to investigate whether both neurocognitive and social cognitive performances were different between remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, non-remitters and healthy controls (HC). We assessed social cognition (Degraded Facial Affect Recognition Task-DFAR and Emotional Mentalizing Task-EMT) and neurocognition (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale and Word Learning Test-WLT) in 174 remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, 110 non-remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients and 320 HC. Multivariate analyses of variance with age, gender and IQ as covariates (MANCOVA) were performed to compare mean cognitive test scores between the three groups. Remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients performed significantly worse than HC only in one verbal memory task (WLT immediate recall; p = 0.004); in the same test, they were significantly better than non-remitters (p = 0.027). Non-remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients, differently from remitters, performed significantly worse than HC in terms of social cognition (EMT-p < 0.05 and DFAR-p < 0.05). Remitted first-episode schizophrenia patients presented worse cognitive performance than HC in verbal memory tasks, but not in facial affect recognition and in ToM, while non-remitters did; these results suggest that neurocognitive deficits are the core hallmark of schizophrenia and that social cognition is relatively unaffected in remitted patients after their first episode.

Brief report: a preliminary study of fetal head circumference growth in autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Whitehouse, Andrew J O; Hickey, Martha; Stanley, Fiona J; Newnham, John P; Pennell, Craig E

2011-01-01

Fetal head circumference (HC) growth was examined prospectively in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). ASD participants (N = 14) were each matched with four control participants (N = 56) on a range of parameters known to influence fetal growth. HC was measured using ultrasonography at approximately 18 weeks gestation and again at birth using a paper tape-measure. Overall body size was indexed by fetal femur-length and birth length. There was no between-groups difference in head circumference at either time-point. While a small number of children with ASD had disproportionately large head circumference relative to body size at both time-points, the between-groups difference did not reach statistical significance in this small sample. These preliminary findings suggest that further investigation of fetal growth in ASD is warranted.

Early Head Growth in Infants at Risk of Autism: A Baby Siblings Research Consortium Study

PubMed Central

Zwaigenbaum, Lonnie; Young, Gregory S.; Stone, Wendy L.; Dobkins, Karen; Ozonoff, Sally; Brian, Jessica; Bryson, Susan E.; Carver, Leslie J.; Hutman, Ted; Iverson, Jana M.; Landa, Rebecca J.; Messinger, Daniel

2014-01-01

Objective: While early brain overgrowth is frequently reported in autism spectrum disorder (ASD), the relationship between ASD and head circumference (HC) is less clear, with inconsistent findings from longitudinal studies that include community controls. Our aim was to examine whether head growth in the first 3 years differed between children with ASD from a high-risk (HR) sample of infant siblings of children with ASD (by definition, multiplex), HR siblings not diagnosed with ASD, and low-risk (LR) controls. Method: Participants included 442 HR and 253 LR infants from 12 sites of the international Baby Siblings Research Consortium. Longitudinal HC data were obtained prospectively, supplemented by growth records. Random effects non-linear growth models were used to compare HC in HR infants and LR infants. Additional comparisons were conducted with the HR group stratified by diagnostic status at age 3: ASD (n=77), developmental delay (DD; n=32), and typical development (TD; n=333). Nonlinear growth models were also developed for height to assess general overgrowth associated with ASD. Results: There was no overall difference in head circumference growth over the first 3 years between HR and LR infants, although secondary analyses suggested possible increased total growth in HR infants, reflected by the model asymptote. Analyses stratifying the HR group by 3-year outcomes did not detect differences in head growth or height between HR infants who developed ASD and those who did not, nor between infants with ASD and LR controls. Conclusion: Head growth was uninformative as an ASD risk marker within this HR cohort. PMID:25245349

Biological Control of Wheat Root Diseases by the CLP-Producing Strain Pseudomonas fluorescens HC1-07

PubMed Central

Yang, Ming-Ming; Wen, Shan-Shan; Mavrodi, Dmitri V.; Mavrodi, Olga V.; von Wettstein, Diter; Thomashow, Linda S.; Guo, Jian-Hua; Weller, David M.

2017-01-01

Pseudomonas fluorescens HC1-07, previously isolated from the phyllosphere of wheat grown in Hebei province, China, suppresses the soilborne disease of wheat take-all, caused by Gaeumannomyces graminis var. tritici. We report here that strain HC1-07 also suppresses Rhizoctonia root rot of wheat caused by Rhizoctonia solani AG-8. Strain HC1-07 produced a cyclic lipopeptide (CLP) with a molecular weight of 1,126.42 based on analysis by electrospray ionization mass spectrometry. Extracted CLP inhibited the growth of G. graminis var. tritici and R. solani in vitro. To determine the role of this CLP in biological control, plasposon mutagenesis was used to generate two nonproducing mutants, HC1-07viscB and HC1-07prtR2. Analysis of regions flanking plasposon insertions in HC1-07prtR2 and HC1-07viscB revealed that the inactivated genes were similar to prtR and viscB, respectively, of the well-described biocontrol strain P. fluorescens SBW25 that produces the CLP viscosin. Both genes in HC1-07 were required for the production of the viscosin-like CLP. The two mutants were less inhibitory to G. graminis var. tritici and R. solani in vitro and reduced in ability to suppress take-all. HC1-07viscB but not HC-07prtR2 was reduced in ability to suppress Rhizoctonia root rot. In addition to CLP production, prtR also played a role in protease production. PMID:24512115

Playing Super Mario induces structural brain plasticity: gray matter changes resulting from training with a commercial video game.

PubMed

Kühn, S; Gleich, T; Lorenz, R C; Lindenberger, U; Gallinat, J

2014-02-01

Video gaming is a highly pervasive activity, providing a multitude of complex cognitive and motor demands. Gaming can be seen as an intense training of several skills. Associated cerebral structural plasticity induced has not been investigated so far. Comparing a control with a video gaming training group that was trained for 2 months for at least 30 min per day with a platformer game, we found significant gray matter (GM) increase in right hippocampal formation (HC), right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and bilateral cerebellum in the training group. The HC increase correlated with changes from egocentric to allocentric navigation strategy. GM increases in HC and DLPFC correlated with participants' desire for video gaming, evidence suggesting a predictive role of desire in volume change. Video game training augments GM in brain areas crucial for spatial navigation, strategic planning, working memory and motor performance going along with evidence for behavioral changes of navigation strategy. The presented video game training could therefore be used to counteract known risk factors for mental disease such as smaller hippocampus and prefrontal cortex volume in, for example, post-traumatic stress disorder, schizophrenia and neurodegenerative disease.

48. Associations Between Electrophysiological Measures of Selective Attention and Neurocognitive Measures of Working Memory and Attention in Antipsychotic-Naive, First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients

PubMed Central

Kruiper, Caitlyn; Fagerlund, Birgitte; Nielsen, Mette Ø.; Düring, Signe; Jensen, Maria H.; Ebdrup, Bjørn H.; Glenthøj, Birte Y.; Oranje, Bob

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: Deficits in attention and working memory are already present in early stages of schizophrenia. The P3a and b event related brain potentials (ERPs) are believed to underlie processes of attention and working memory, but, only limited research has been performed on the associations between these psychophysiological and cognitive deficits, particularly in the early stages of schizophrenia. We aimed to investigate associations between P3a and P3b amplitudes and measures of attention and working memory in a large cohort of antipsychotic-naive, first-episode schizophrenia patients (AN-FES) and age and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Methods: Eighty-three AN-FES patients and 108 HC, matched for age and gender, were assessed for their P3a and b amplitude and latency with the selective attention paradigm from the Copenhagen Psychophysiological Test Battery (CPTB). In addition, the Spatial Working Memory (SWM) and Rapid Visual Information Processing test (RVP) from the Cambridge Neuropsychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) were used to assess working memory and attention. Outcome measure for the SWM was Strategy, wherein a low score represents a more effective strategy. For the RVP, we used the A’ measure as outcome. This measure represents how well the participant is able to detect target sequences. Results: P3a and P3b amplitudes were significantly reduced in our AN-FES patients compared to HC. In addition, the P3a peak latency was earlier in the AN-FES patients than in HC, while P3b latency did not differ between the groups. Furthermore, AN-FES patients scored significantly lower on the SWM task and the RVP compared to HC. A positive association was found between RVP and P3b in our total group. However, this effect disappeared when split into the two subgroups. In contrast, SWM was positively associated with P3b in HC, while this effect was neither present in AN-FES nor in the total group. Conclusion: Our results provide evidence for P3a and P3b amplitude reductions as well as neurocognitive deficits in AN-FES patients compared to age and gender matched HC. This supports previous data that electrophysiological and neurocognitive deficits already exist in early stages of schizophrenia, and are not due to use of antipsychotics. Our data support significant yet rather weak associations between P3b amplitude and both working memory and attention, although the association between working memory and P3b was only found in HC and not in AN-FES.

SA36. Atypical Memory Structure Related to Recollective Ability

PubMed Central

Greenland-White, Sarah; Niendam, Tara

2017-01-01

Abstract Background: People with schizophrenia have impaired recognition memory and disproportionate recollection rather than familiarity deficits. This pattern also occurs in individuals with early psychosis (EP) and those at clinical high risk (CHR; Ragland et al., 2016). Additionally, these groups show atypical relationships between different memory processes, with patients demonstrating a stronger reliance on familiarity to support recognition accuracy. However, it is unclear whether these group differences represent a compensatory “trade-off” in memory strategies, whereby patients adopt an overreliance on familiarity to compensate for impaired recollection. We examined data from the Relational and Item-Specific memory task (RiSE) in healthy control (HC), EP and CHR participants, and contrasted subgroups with and without prominent recollection impairments. Interrelations between these memory processes (accuracy, recollection, and familiarity) were examined with Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). Methods: A total of 181 individuals (57 HC, 101 EP, and 21 CHR) completed the RiSE. Measures of recognition accuracy, familiarity, and recollection were computed. We divided the patient group into those with poor recollection (overall d’ recognition accuracy < 1.5, n = 52) and those with good recollection (overall d’ recollection accuracy ≥ 1.5, n = 70). SEM was used to investigate the pattern of memory relationships between HC and patient groups as well as between patients with good versus bad recollection. Results: Recollection and familiarity were negatively correlated in the HC group (r = −.467, P < .01) and in the patient group, though more weakly (r = −.288,P < .05). Improved recollection was correlated with overall improvement in recognition accuracy for both the groups (HC r = .771, P < .01; r = .753, P < .01). Improved familiarity was associated with higher recognition accuracy in the patient group only (.361, P < .01). Moreover, patients with poor recollection showed a stronger association (Fisher’s Z = 2.58, P < .01) between familiarity performance and recognition accuracy (.718, P < .01) than patients with good recollection performance (.396, P < .01). Conclusion: Results suggest that patients may be overrelying on more intact familiarity processes to support recognition accuracy. This potential compensatory strategy is particularly marked in those patients with the worst recollection abilities. The finding that recognition accuracy remains impaired in both patient subgroups, however, reveals that this compensatory familiarity-based strategy is not fully successful. Further work is needed to understand how patients can be remediated for their consistently impaired recollection processes.

Expression pattern of four storage xyloglucan mobilization-related genes during seedling development of the rain forest tree Hymenaea courbaril L.

PubMed

Brandão, A D; Del Bem, L E V; Vincentz, M; Buckeridge, M S

2009-01-01

During seedling establishment, cotyledons of the rain forest tree Hymenaea courbaril mobilize storage cell wall xyloglucan to sustain growth. The polysaccharide is degraded and its products are transported to growing sink tissues. Auxin from the shoot controls the level of xyloglucan hydrolytic enzymes. It is not yet known how important the expression of these genes is for the control of storage xyloglucan degradation. In this work, partial cDNAs of the genes xyloglucan transglycosylase hydrolase (HcXTH1) and beta-galactosidase (HcBGAL1), both related to xyloglucan degradation, and two other genes related to sucrose metabolism [alkaline invertase (HcAlkIN1) and sucrose synthase (HcSUS1)], were isolated. The partial sequences were characterized by comparison with sequences available in the literature, and phylogenetic trees were assembled. Gene expression was evaluated at intervals of 6 h during 24 h in cotyledons, hypocotyl, roots, and leaves, using 45-d-old plantlets. HcXTH1 and HcBGAL1 were correlated to xyloglucan degradation and responded to auxin and light, being down-regulated when transport of auxin was prevented by N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) and stimulated by constant light. Genes related to sucrose metabolism, HcAlkIN1 and HcSUS1, responded to inhibition of auxin transport in consonance with storage mobilization in the cotyledons. A model is proposed suggesting that auxin and light are involved in the control of the expression of genes related to storage xyloglucan mobilization in seedlings of H. courbaril. It is concluded that gene expression plays a role in the control of the intercommunication system of the source-sink relationship during seeding growth, favouring its establishment in the shaded environment of the rain forest understorey.

Expression pattern of four storage xyloglucan mobilization-related genes during seedling development of the rain forest tree Hymenaea courbaril L.

PubMed Central

Brandão, A. D.; Del Bem, L. E. V.; Vincentz, M.; Buckeridge, M. S.

2009-01-01

During seedling establishment, cotyledons of the rain forest tree Hymenaea courbaril mobilize storage cell wall xyloglucan to sustain growth. The polysaccharide is degraded and its products are transported to growing sink tissues. Auxin from the shoot controls the level of xyloglucan hydrolytic enzymes. It is not yet known how important the expression of these genes is for the control of storage xyloglucan degradation. In this work, partial cDNAs of the genes xyloglucan transglycosylase hydrolase (HcXTH1) and β-galactosidase (HcBGAL1), both related to xyloglucan degradation, and two other genes related to sucrose metabolism [alkaline invertase (HcAlkIN1) and sucrose synthase (HcSUS1)], were isolated. The partial sequences were characterized by comparison with sequences available in the literature, and phylogenetic trees were assembled. Gene expression was evaluated at intervals of 6 h during 24 h in cotyledons, hypocotyl, roots, and leaves, using 45-d-old plantlets. HcXTH1 and HcBGAL1 were correlated to xyloglucan degradation and responded to auxin and light, being down-regulated when transport of auxin was prevented by N-1-naphthylphthalamic acid (NPA) and stimulated by constant light. Genes related to sucrose metabolism, HcAlkIN1 and HcSUS1, responded to inhibition of auxin transport in consonance with storage mobilization in the cotyledons. A model is proposed suggesting that auxin and light are involved in the control of the expression of genes related to storage xyloglucan mobilization in seedlings of H. courbaril. It is concluded that gene expression plays a role in the control of the intercommunication system of the source–sink relationship during seeding growth, favouring its establishment in the shaded environment of the rain forest understorey. PMID:19221141

The relationship between stressful life events and Axis I diagnoses among adolescent offspring of probands with bipolar and non-bipolar psychiatric disorders and healthy controls

PubMed Central

Pan, Lisa A.; Goldstein, Tina R.; Rooks, Brian T.; Hickey, Mary; Fan, Jie Yu; Merranko, John; Monk, Kelly; Diler, Rasim S.; Sakolsky, Dara J.; Hafeman, Daniella; Iyengar, Satish; Goldstein, Benjamin; Kupfer, David J.; Axelson, David; Brent, David A.; Birmaher, Boris

2018-01-01

Background Previous studies have explored the role of stressful life events in the development of mood disorders. We examined the frequency and nature of stressful life events as measured by the Stressful Life Events Scale(SLES) among three groups of adolescent offspring of probands: with bipolar(BD), with non-BD psychiatric disorders, and healthy control(HC). Furthermore, we examined the relationship between stressful life events and presence of DSM-IV Axis I disorders in these offspring. Stressful life events were characterized as dependent, independent, or uncertain (neither dependent or independent), and positive, negative, and neutral (neither positive or negative). Method Offspring of probands with BD aged 13–18 years(N=269), demographically-matched offspring of probands with non-BD Axis I disorders(N=88), and HC probands(N=81) from the Pittsburgh Bipolar Offspring Study were assessed from 2002–2007 with standardized instruments at intake. Probands completed the SLES for their offspring for life events within the prior year. Life events were evaluated with regard to current offspring Axis I diagnoses after adjusting for confounds. Results After adjusting for demographic and clinical between-group differences(in probands and offspring), offspring of BD probands had greater independent and neutral life events compared with HC offspring and greater number of more severe stressful life events than HC offspring, but not non-BD offspring. Offspring of BD probands with comorbid substance use disorder reported more independent stressful life events. Greater frequency and severity of stressful life events were associated with current Axis I disorder in offspring of both BD and non-BD affected probands regardless of dependency or valence. Greater frequency and severity of stressful life events were associated with greater current Axis I disorder in all offspring. Conclusions Offspring of BD probands have greater exposure to independent and neutral life events than HC offspring. Greater frequency and severity of stressful life events was associated with Axis I disorder in offspring of both BD and non-BD affected probands. PMID:28199068

Driving Errors in Parkinson’s Disease: Moving Closer to Predicting On-Road Outcomes

PubMed Central

Brumback, Babette; Monahan, Miriam; Malaty, Irene I.; Rodriguez, Ramon L.; Okun, Michael S.; McFarland, Nikolaus R.

2014-01-01

Age-related medical conditions such as Parkinson’s disease (PD) compromise driver fitness. Results from studies are unclear on the specific driving errors that underlie passing or failing an on-road assessment. In this study, we determined the between-group differences and quantified the on-road driving errors that predicted pass or fail on-road outcomes in 101 drivers with PD (mean age = 69.38 ± 7.43) and 138 healthy control (HC) drivers (mean age = 71.76 ± 5.08). Participants with PD had minor differences in demographics and driving habits and history but made more and different driving errors than HC participants. Drivers with PD failed the on-road test to a greater extent than HC drivers (41% vs. 9%), χ2(1) = 35.54, HC N = 138, PD N = 99, p < .001. The driving errors predicting on-road pass or fail outcomes (95% confidence interval, Nagelkerke R2 =.771) were made in visual scanning, signaling, vehicle positioning, speeding (mainly underspeeding, t(61) = 7.004, p < .001, and total errors. Although it is difficult to predict on-road outcomes, this study provides a foundation for doing so. PMID:24367958

Evaluation of Cholinergic Deficiency in Preclinical Alzheimer's Disease Using Pupillometry

PubMed Central

Robinson, Liam; Rowe, Christopher C.; Ames, David; Masters, Colin L.; Taddei, Kevin; Rainey-Smith, Stephanie R.; Martins, Ralph N.; Kanagasingam, Yogesan

2017-01-01

Cortical cholinergic deficiency is prominent in Alzheimer's disease (AD), and published findings of diminished pupil flash response in AD suggest that this deficiency may extend to the visual cortical areas and anterior eye. Pupillometry is a low-cost, noninvasive technique that may be useful for monitoring cholinergic deficits which generally lead to memory and cognitive disorders. The aim of the study was to evaluate pupillometry for early detection of AD by comparing the pupil flash response (PFR) in AD (N = 14) and cognitively normal healthy control (HC, N = 115) participants, with the HC group stratified according to high (N = 38) and low (N = 77) neocortical amyloid burden (NAB). Constriction phase PFR parameters were significantly reduced in AD compared to HC (maximum acceleration p < 0.05, maximum velocity p < 0.0005, average velocity p < 0.005, and constriction amplitude p < 0.00005). The high-NAB HC subgroup had reduced PFR response cross-sectionally, and also a greater decline longitudinally, compared to the low-NAB subgroup, suggesting changes to pupil response in preclinical AD. The results suggest that PFR changes may occur in the preclinical phase of AD. Hence, pupillometry has a potential as an adjunct for noninvasive, cost-effective screening for preclinical AD. PMID:28894607

The Study of Health Coaching: The Ithaca Coaching Project, Research Design, and Future Directions

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Health coaching (HC) is a process holding tremendous potential as a complementary medical intervention to shape healthy behavior change and affect rates of chronic lifestyle diseases. Empirical knowledge of effectiveness for the HC process, however, is lacking. The purposes of this paper are to present the study protocol for the Ithaca Coaching Project while also addressing research design, methodological issues, and directions for HC research. This is one of the first large-scale, randomized control trials of HC for primary prevention examining impact on physical and emotional health status in an employee population. An additional intent for the project is to investigate self-determination theory as a theoretical framework for the coaching process. Participants (n=300) are recruited as part of a campus-wide wellness initiative and randomly assigned to one of three levels of client-centered HC or a control with standard wellness program care. Repeated measures analyses of covariance will be used to examine coaching effectiveness while path analyses will be used to examine relationships between coaching processes, self-determination variables, and health outcomes. There is a great need for well-designed HC studies that define coaching best practices, examine intervention effectiveness, provide cost:benefit analysis, and address scope of practice. This information will allow a clearer definition of HC to emerge and determination of if, and how, HC fits in modern-day healthcare. This is an exciting but critical time for HC research and for the practice of HC. PMID:24416673

The study of health coaching: the ithaca coaching project, research design, and future directions.

PubMed

Sforzo, Gary A

2013-05-01

Health coaching (HC) is a process holding tremendous potential as a complementary medical intervention to shape healthy behavior change and affect rates of chronic lifestyle diseases. Empirical knowledge of effectiveness for the HC process, however, is lacking. The purposes of this paper are to present the study protocol for the Ithaca Coaching Project while also addressing research design, methodological issues, and directions for HC research. This is one of the first large-scale, randomized control trials of HC for primary prevention examining impact on physical and emotional health status in an employee population. An additional intent for the project is to investigate self-determination theory as a theoretical framework for the coaching process. Participants (n=300) are recruited as part of a campus-wide wellness initiative and randomly assigned to one of three levels of client-centered HC or a control with standard wellness program care. Repeated measures analyses of covariance will be used to examine coaching effectiveness while path analyses will be used to examine relationships between coaching processes, self-determination variables, and health outcomes. There is a great need for well-designed HC studies that define coaching best practices, examine intervention effectiveness, provide cost:benefit analysis, and address scope of practice. This information will allow a clearer definition of HC to emerge and determination of if, and how, HC fits in modern-day healthcare. This is an exciting but critical time for HC research and for the practice of HC.

Orbitofrontal and caudate volumes in cannabis users: a multi-site mega-analysis comparing dependent versus non-dependent users.

PubMed

Chye, Yann; Solowij, Nadia; Suo, Chao; Batalla, Albert; Cousijn, Janna; Goudriaan, Anna E; Martin-Santos, Rocio; Whittle, Sarah; Lorenzetti, Valentina; Yücel, Murat

2017-07-01

Cannabis (CB) use and dependence are associated with regionally specific alterations to brain circuitry and substantial psychosocial impairment. The objective of this study was to investigate the association between CB use and dependence, and the volumes of brain regions critically involved in goal-directed learning and behaviour-the orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and caudate. In the largest multi-site structural imaging study of CB users vs healthy controls (HC), 140 CB users and 121 HC were recruited from four research sites. Group differences in OFC and caudate volumes were investigated between HC and CB users and between 70 dependent (CB-dep) and 50 non-dependent (CB-nondep) users. The relationship between quantity of CB use and age of onset of use and caudate and OFC volumes was explored. CB users (consisting of CB-dep and CB-nondep) did not significantly differ from HC in OFC or caudate volume. CB-dep compared to CB-nondep users exhibited significantly smaller volume in the medial and the lateral OFC. Lateral OFC volume was particularly smaller in CB-dep females, and reduced volume in the CB-dep group was associated with higher monthly cannabis dosage. Smaller medial OFC volume may be driven by CB dependence-related mechanisms, while smaller lateral OFC volume may be due to ongoing exposure to cannabinoid compounds. The results highlight a distinction between cannabis use and dependence and warrant examination of gender-specific effects in studies of CB dependence.

Is there less to social anxiety than meets the eye? Behavioral and neural responses to three socio-emotional tasks

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is widely thought to be characterized by heightened behavioral and limbic reactivity to socio-emotional stimuli. However, although behavioral findings are clear, neural findings are surprisingly mixed. Methods Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we examined behavioral and brain responses in a priori emotion generative regions of interest (amygdala and insula) in 67 patients with generalized SAD and in 28 healthy controls (HC) during three distinct socio-emotional tasks. We administered these socio-emotional tasks during one fMRI scanning session: 1) looming harsh faces (Faces); 2) videotaped actors delivering social criticism (Criticism); and 3) written negative self-beliefs (Beliefs). Results In each task, SAD patients reported heightened negative emotion, compared to HC. There were, however, no SAD versus HC differential brain responses in the amygdala and insula. Between-group whole-brain analyses confirmed no group differences in the responses of the amygdala and insula, and indicated different brain networks activated during each of the tasks. In SAD participants, social anxiety symptom severity was associated with increased BOLD signal in the left insula during the Faces task. Conclusions The similar responses in amygdala and insula in SAD and HC participants suggest that heightened negative emotion responses reported by patients with SAD may be related to dysfunction in higher cognitive processes (e.g., distorted appraisal, attention biases, or ineffective cognitive reappraisal). In addition, the findings of this study emphasize the differential effects of socio-emotional experimental tasks. PMID:23448192

Different fecal microbiotas and volatile organic compounds in treated and untreated children with celiac disease.

PubMed

Di Cagno, Raffaella; Rizzello, Carlo G; Gagliardi, Francesca; Ricciuti, Patrizia; Ndagijimana, Maurice; Francavilla, Ruggiero; Guerzoni, M Elisabetta; Crecchio, Carmine; Gobbetti, Marco; De Angelis, Maria

2009-06-01

This study aimed at investigating the fecal microbiotas of children with celiac disease (CD) before (U-CD) and after (T-CD) they were fed a gluten-free diet and of healthy children (HC). Brothers or sisters of T-CD were enrolled as HC. Each group consisted of seven children. PCR-denaturing gradient gel electrophoresis (DGGE) analysis with V3 universal primers revealed a unique profile for each fecal sample. PCR-DGGE analysis with group- or genus-specific 16S rRNA gene primers showed that the Lactobacillus community of U-CD changed significantly, while the diversity of the Lactobacillus community of T-CD was quite comparable to that of HC. Compared to HC, the ratio of cultivable lactic acid bacteria and Bifidobacterium to Bacteroides and enterobacteria was lower in T-CD and even lower in U-CD. The percentages of strains identified as lactobacilli differed as follows: HC (ca. 38%) > T-CD (ca. 17%) > U-CD (ca. 10%). Lactobacillus brevis, Lactobacillus rossiae, and Lactobacillus pentosus were identified only in fecal samples from T-CD and HC. Lactobacillus fermentum, Lactobacillus delbrueckii subsp. bulgaricus, and Lactobacillus gasseri were identified only in several fecal samples from HC. Compared to HC, the composition of Bifidobacterium species of T-CD varied, and it varied even more for U-CD. Forty-seven volatile organic compounds (VOCs) belonging to different chemical classes were identified using gas-chromatography mass spectrometry-solid-phase microextraction analysis. The median concentrations varied markedly for HC, T-CD, and U-CD. Overall, the r(2) values for VOC data for brothers and sisters were equal to or lower than those for unrelated HC and T-CD. This study shows the effect of CD pathology on the fecal microbiotas of children.

High IQ May "Mask" the Diagnosis of ADHD by Compensating for Deficits in Executive Functions in Treatment-Naïve Adults With ADHD.

PubMed

Milioni, Ana Luiza Vidal; Chaim, Tiffany Moukbel; Cavallet, Mikael; de Oliveira, Nathalya Moleda; Annes, Marco; Dos Santos, Bernardo; Louzã, Mario; da Silva, Maria Aparecida; Miguel, Carmen Silvia; Serpa, Mauricio Henriques; Zanetti, Marcus V; Busatto, Geraldo; Cunha, Paulo Jannuzzi

2017-04-01

To evaluate and compare the performance of adults with ADHD with high and standard IQ in executive functions (EF) tasks. We investigated the neuropsychological performance of 51 adults with ADHD, compared with 33 healthy controls (HC) while performing a wide battery of neuropsychological tests that measure executive functioning. Adults with clinical diagnosis of ADHD were divided into two groups according to their IQ level (IQ ≥ 110-ADHD group with more elevated IQ, and IQ < 110-ADHD group with standard IQ). The ADHD group with standard IQ presented a worse executive functioning compared with the HC group in the following measures: Stroop 2 ( p = .000) and 3 ( p = .000), Trail Making Test (TMT) B ( p = .005), Wisconsin Card-Sorting Test (WCST)-perseverative errors ( p = .022) and failures to maintain set ( p = .020), Continuous Performance Test (CPT)-omission errors ( p = .005) and commission errors ( p = .000), and Frontal Assessment Battery (FAB)-conceptualization ( p = .016). The ADHD group with more elevated IQ presented only impairments in the CPT-commission errors ( p = .019) when compared with the control group. Adults with ADHD and more elevated IQ show less evidence of executive functioning deficits compared with those with ADHD and standard IQ, suggesting that a higher degree of intellectual efficiency may compensate deficits in executive functions, leading to problems in establishing a precise clinical diagnosis.

HEMORRHAGIC CYSTITIS AFTER ALLOGENEIC HEMATOPOIETIC CELL TRANSPLANTATION: RISK FACTORS, GRAFT SOURCE, AND SURVIVAL

PubMed Central

Lunde, Laura E.; Dasaraju, Sandhyarani; Cao, Qing; Cohn, Claudia S.; Reding, Mark; Bejanyan, Nelli; Trottier, Bryan; Rogosheske, John; Brunstein, Claudio; Warlick, Erica; Young, Jo Anne H.; Weisdorf, Daniel J.; Ustun, Celalettin

2017-01-01

Although hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a common complication of allogeneic hematopoietic cell transplantation (alloHCT), its risk factors and effects on survival are not well-known. We evaluated HC in a large cohort (n=1321, 2003 – 2012) receiving alloHCT from all graft sources, including umbilical cord blood (UCB). We compared HC patients with non-HC (control) patients and examined clinical variables at HC onset and resolution. Of these 1321 patients, 219 (16.6%) developed HC at a median of 22 days after alloHCT. BK viruria was detected in 90% of 109 tested HC patients. Median duration of HC was 27 days. At the time of HC diagnosis, acute graft-versus-host disease (GVHD), fever, severe thrombocytopenia, and steroid use were more frequent than at the time of HC resolution. In univariate analysis, male sex, age <20 years, myeloablative conditioning with cyclophosphamide and acute GVHD were associated with HC. In multivariate analysis, HC was significantly more common in males and HLA-mismatched UCB graft recipients. Severe grade HC (grade III–IV) was associated with increased treatment-related mortality (TRM) but not with overall survival at 1 year. HC remains hazardous and therefore better prophylaxis and early interventions to limit its severity are still needed. PMID:26168069

Emotional intelligence in anorexia nervosa: is anxiety a missing piece of the puzzle?

PubMed

Hambrook, David; Brown, Gary; Tchanturia, Kate

2012-11-30

Problematic emotional processing has been implicated in the genesis and maintenance of anorexia nervosa (AN). This study built on existing research and explored performance-based emotional intelligence (EI) in people with AN. The Mayer-Salovey-Caruso Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT) was administered to 32 women diagnosed with AN and 32 female healthy controls (HC). Compared to HC women, the AN group demonstrated significantly lower total EI scores and poorer ability to understand how emotions can progress and change over time. Despite scores within the broadly average range compared to published EI norms, there was a general pattern of poorer performance in the AN sample. Self-reported anxiety symptoms were the strongest predictor of EI, over and above a diagnosis of AN. This study adds to the literature documenting the socioemotional phenotype of AN, suggesting this group of individuals may find it relatively difficult to carry out accurate reasoning about emotions, and to use emotions and emotional knowledge to enhance thought. Anxiety was highlighted as a putative variable partially explaining why people with AN demonstrated lower EI compared to controls. Implications for further research are discussed, including the need to explore the specificity of EI difficulties in AN using larger samples and additional control groups. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of the BackJoy SitSmart Relief and Spine Buddy LT1 H/C Ergonomic Chair Supports on Short-Term Neck and Back Pain.

PubMed

Ward, John; Coats, Jesse

2017-01-01

The purpose of this study was to perform a needs assessment to determine whether short-term use of BackJoy SitSmart Relief and Spine Buddy LT1 H/C chair supports influences neck, upper back, and lower back pain. Forty-eight college students (age, 27.5 ± 6.3 years; height, 1.72 ± 0.08 m; body mass, 78.7 ± 19.8 kg; time seated that day, 4.3 ± 2.8 hours; means ± SD) were recruited for this study. The Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire was used to measure pain for the neck, upper back, and lower back regions. Subjects were randomized to sit in a stationary office chair for a single 12-minute period under 1 of 4 conditions: office chair only (control group), BackJoy SitSmart Relief and chair, freezer-cooled Spine Buddy LT1 H/C and chair, or microwave-heated Spine Buddy LT1 H/C and chair. Participants then completed a posttest Nordic Musculoskeletal Questionnaire. A between-within repeated-measures analysis of variance using the between-subject factor intervention (group) and within-subject factor time (baseline and posttest) was used to analyze study data. The main effect of time across the whole sample was statistically significant for neck (P = .000), upper back (P = .032), and lower back (P = .000) pain; however, there was no statistically significant interaction effect between intervention and time. Thus, as long as participants sat down and rested, symptoms improved similarly across the different groups. In this preliminary study, short-term and single use of a support product for an office chair had no additive effect on reducing neck and back pain. Copyright © 2016. Published by Elsevier Inc.

Negative effects of long-term feeding of high-grain diets to lactating goats on milk fat production and composition by regulating gene expression and DNA methylation in the mammary gland.

PubMed

Tian, Ping; Luo, Yanwen; Li, Xian; Tian, Jing; Tao, Shiyu; Hua, Canfeng; Geng, Yali; Ni, Yingdong; Zhao, Ruqian

2017-01-01

It is well known that feeding a high concentrate (HC) diet to lactating ruminants likely induces subacute ruminal acidosis (SARA) and leads to a decrease in milk fat production. However, the effects of feeding a HC diet for long periods on milk fatty acids composition and the mechanism behind the decline of milk fat still remains poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the impact of feeding a HC diet to lactating dairy goats on milk fat yield and fatty acids composition with an emphasis on the mechanisms underlying the milk fat depression. Seventeen mid-lactating dairy goats were randomly allocated to three groups. The control treatment was fed a low-concentrate diet (35% concentrate, n  = 5, LC) and there were two high-concentrate treatments (65% concentrate, HC), one fed a high concentrate diet for a long period (19 wks, n  = 7, HL); one fed a high concentrate diet for a short period of time (4 wk, n  = 5, HS). Milk fat production and fatty acids profiles were measured. In order to investigate the mechanisms underlying the changes in milk fat production and composition, the gene expression involved in lipid metabolism and DNA methylation in the mammary gland were also analyzed. Milk production was increased by feeding the HC diet in the HS and HL groups compared with the LC diet ( P  < 0.01), while the percentage of milk fat was lower in the HL ( P  < 0.05) but not in the HS group. The total amount of saturated fatty acids (SFA) in the milk was not changed by feeding the HC diet, whereas the levels of unsaturated fatty acids (UFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) were markedly decreased in the HL group compared with the LC group ( P  < 0.05). Among these fatty acids, the concentrations of C15:0 ( P  < 0.01), C17:0 ( P  < 0.01), C17:1 ( P  < 0.01), C18:1n-9c ( P  < 0.05), C18:3n-3r ( P  < 0.01) and C20:0 ( P  < 0.01) were markedly lower in the HL group, and the concentrations of C20:0 ( P  < 0.05) and C18:3n-3r ( P  < 0.01) were lower in the HS group compared with the LC group. However, the concentrations of C18:2n-6c ( P  < 0.05) and C20:4n-6 ( P  < 0.05) in the milk fat were higher in the HS group. Real-time PCR results showed that the mRNA expression of the genes involved in milk fat production in the mammary gland was generally decreased in the HL and HS groups compared with the LC group. Among these genes, ACSL1 , ACSS1 & 2 , ACACA , FAS , SCD , FADS2, and SREBP1 were down-regulated in the mammary gland of the HL group ( P  < 0.05), and the expressions of ACSS2 , ACACA, and FADS2 mRNA were markedly decreased in the HS goats compared with the LC group ( P  < 0.05). In contrast to the gene expression, the level of DNA methylation in the promoter regions of the ACACA and SCD genes was increased in the HL group compared with the LC group ( P  < 0.05). The levels of ACSL1 protein expression and FAS enzyme activity were also decreased in the mammary gland of the HL compared with the LC group ( P  < 0.05). Long-term feeding of a HC diet to lactating goats induced milk fat depression and FAs profile shift with lower MUFAs but higher SFAs. A general down-regulation of the gene expression involved in the milk fat production and a higher DNA methylation in the mammary gland may contribute to the decrease in milk fat production in goats fed a HC diet for long time periods.

Similarities and differences among Internet gaming disorder, gambling disorder and alcohol use disorder: A focus on impulsivity and compulsivity

PubMed Central

CHOI, SAM-WOOK; KIM, HYUN SOO; KIM, GA-YOUNG; JEON, YEONGJU; PARK, SU MI; LEE, JUN-YOUNG; JUNG, HEE YEON; SOHN, BO KYOUNG; CHOI, JUNG-SEOK; KIM, DAI-JIN

2014-01-01

Background and aims: The aim of the present study was to test the impulsivities and compulsivities of behavioral addictions, including Internet gaming disorder (IGD) and gambling disorder (GD), by directly comparing them with alcohol use disorder (AUD) and a healthy control (HC) group. Methods: We enrolled male patients who were diagnosed with IGD, GD or AUD, with 15 patients per group, as well as 15 HCs. Trait impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale version 11 (BIS-11). The stop-signal test (SST) from the Cambridge Neuro-psychological Test Automated Battery (CANTAB) was used to assess the patients’ abilities to inhibit prepotent responses. Compulsivity was measured using the intra–extra dimensional set shift (IED) test from the CANTAB. The Trail Making Test (TMT) was also used in this study. Results: The IGD and AUD groups scored significantly higher on the BIS-11 as a whole than did the HC group (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). The IGD and AUD groups also scored significantly higher on the BIS-11 as a whole than did the GD group (p = 0.006 and p = 0.001, respectively). In addition, the GD group made significantly more errors (p = 0.017 and p = 0.022, respectively) and more individuals failed to achieve criterion on the IED test compared with the IGD and HC groups (p = 0.018 and p = 0.017, respectively). Discussion: These findings may aid in the understanding of not only the differences in categorical aspects between individuals with IGD and GD but also in impulsivity–compulsivity dimensional domains. Conclusion: Additional studies are needed to elucidate the neurocognitive characteristics of behavioral addictive disorders in terms of impulsivity and compulsivity. PMID:25592310

Subliminal and supraliminal processing of reward-related stimuli in anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Boehm, I; King, J A; Bernardoni, F; Geisler, D; Seidel, M; Ritschel, F; Goschke, T; Haynes, J-D; Roessner, V; Ehrlich, S

2018-04-01

Previous studies have highlighted the role of the brain reward and cognitive control systems in the etiology of anorexia nervosa (AN). In an attempt to disentangle the relative contribution of these systems to the disorder, we used functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) to investigate hemodynamic responses to reward-related stimuli presented both subliminally and supraliminally in acutely underweight AN patients and age-matched healthy controls (HC). fMRI data were collected from a total of 35 AN patients and 35 HC, while they passively viewed subliminally and supraliminally presented streams of food, positive social, and neutral stimuli. Activation patterns of the group × stimulation condition × stimulus type interaction were interrogated to investigate potential group differences in processing different stimulus types under the two stimulation conditions. Moreover, changes in functional connectivity were investigated using generalized psychophysiological interaction analysis. AN patients showed a generally increased response to supraliminally presented stimuli in the inferior frontal junction (IFJ), but no alterations within the reward system. Increased activation during supraliminal stimulation with food stimuli was observed in the AN group in visual regions including superior occipital gyrus and the fusiform gyrus/parahippocampal gyrus. No group difference was found with respect to the subliminal stimulation condition and functional connectivity. Increased IFJ activation in AN during supraliminal stimulation may indicate hyperactive cognitive control, which resonates with clinical presentation of excessive self-control in AN patients. Increased activation to food stimuli in visual regions may be interpreted in light of an attentional food bias in AN.

275 C Downhole Microcomputer System

DOE Office of Scientific and Technical Information (OSTI.GOV)

Chris Hutchens; Hooi Miin Soo

2008-08-31

An HC11 controller IC and along with serial SRAM and ROM support ICs chip set were developed to support a data acquisition and control for extreme temperature/harsh environment conditions greater than 275 C. The 68HC11 microprocessor is widely used in well logging tools for control, data acquisition, and signal processing applications and was the logical choice for a downhole controller. This extreme temperature version of the 68HC11 enables new high temperature designs and additionally allows 68HC11-based well logging tools and MWD tools to be upgraded for high temperature operation in deep gas reservoirs, The microcomputer chip consists of the microprocessormore » ALU, a small boot ROM, 4 kbyte data RAM, counter/timer unit, serial peripheral interface (SPI), asynchronous serial interface (SCI), and the A, B, C, and D parallel ports. The chip is code compatible with the single chip mode commercial 68HC11 except for the absence of the analog to digital converter system. To avoid mask programmed internal ROM, a boot program is used to load the microcomputer program from an external mask SPI ROM. A SPI RAM IC completes the chip set and allows data RAM to be added in 4 kbyte increments. The HC11 controller IC chip set is implemented in the Peregrine Semiconductor 0.5 micron Silicon-on-Sapphire (SOS) process using a custom high temperature cell library developed at Oklahoma State University. Yield data is presented for all, the HC11, SPI-RAM and ROM. The lessons learned in this project were extended to the successful development of two high temperature versions of the LEON3 and a companion 8 Kbyte SRAM, a 200 C version for the Navy and a 275 C version for the gas industry.« less

Linear solvation energy relationship (LSER) characterization of the normal phase retention mechanism on hypercrosslinked polystyrenes.

PubMed

Wu, Di; Jiang, Ping; Lucy, Charles A

2018-03-30

Linear solvation energy relationships (LSERs) were applied to retention on hypercrosslinked polystyrene on silica (HC-Tol) to elucidate the type and relative importance of molecular interactions between model solutes and the HC-Tol stationary phase. Classical amino phase and another hypercrosslinked phase (5-HGN) were used as reference columns. On both the HC-Tol and amino, polar interactions predominate and contribute to retention. Solute volume V has no impact on retention on the amino column, while V has a slightly negative influence on retention for the HC-Tol column. The differences in coefficient v between the amino and the HC-Tol columns might explain why the HC-Tol is capable of group-type separations. 5-HGN phase has smaller a and b values compared to HC-Tol, which means that 5-HGN is not as basic or acidic in terms of hydrogen bonds as is HC-Tol. This suggests that the hydrogen bonding character of the HC-Tol phase arises from its silica substrate. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Evidence for Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal Axis and Immune Alterations at Prodrome of Psychosis in Males

PubMed Central

Ntouros, Evangelos; Oikonomou, Dimitrios; Floros, Georgios; Griveas, Ioannis; Garyfallos, Georgios

2017-01-01

We aimed to investigate the inflammatory substrate in psychosis by evaluating both the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis function and immune state at prodrome. This involved the recruitment of Ultra High Risk (UHR) of Psychosis subjects, Healthy Controls (HC) and patients with established Schizophrenia (CHRON). Serum cortisol at 3 different times throughout the day was measured. The Dexamethasone Suppression Test was performed plus 12 circulating cytokines were measured. The UHR subjects presented increased IL-4 levels compared with both the HC and CHRON patients. In contrast the UHR differed only from the CHRON group regarding the endocrine parameters. In conclusion, IL-4 appears to play a key role at prodrome. PMID:29042899

Association of a Community Campaign for Better Beverage Choices With Beverage Purchases From Supermarkets.

PubMed

Schwartz, Marlene B; Schneider, Glenn E; Choi, Yoon-Young; Li, Xun; Harris, Jennifer; Andreyeva, Tatiana; Hyary, Maia; Highsmith Vernick, Nicolette; Appel, Lawrence J

2017-05-01

Data are needed to evaluate community interventions to reduce consumption of sugary drinks. Supermarket sales data can be used for this purpose. To compare beverage sales in Howard County, Maryland (HC), with sales in comparison stores in a contiguous state before and during a 3-year campaign to reduce consumption of sugary beverages. This observational experiment with a control group included 15 HC supermarkets and 17 comparison supermarkets. Weekly beverage sales data at baseline (January 1 to December 31, 2012) and from campaign years 1 to 3 (January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015) were analyzed. A difference-in-differences (DID) regression compared the volume sales per product per week in the HC and comparison stores, controlling for mean product price, competitor's product price, product size, weekly local temperature, and manufacturer. The campaign message was to reduce consumption of all sugary drinks. Television advertising, digital marketing, direct mail, outdoor advertising, social media, and earned media during the 3-year period created 17 million impressions. Community partners successfully advocated for public policies to encourage healthy beverage consumption in schools, child care, health care, and government settings. Sales were tracked of sugary drinks highlighted in the campaign, including regular soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks. Sales of diet soda and 100% juice were also tracked. Sales data are expressed as mean fluid ounces sold per product, per store, per week. Regular soda sales in the 15 HC supermarkets decreased (-19.7%) from 2012 through 2015, whereas sales remained stable (0.8%) in the 17 comparison supermarkets (DID adjusted mean, -369 fl oz; 95% CI, -469 to -269 fl oz; P < .01). Fruit drink sales decreased (-15.3%) in HC stores and remained stable (-0.6%) in comparison stores (DID adjusted mean, -342 fl oz; 95% CI, -466 to -220 fl oz; P < .001). Sales of 100% juice decreased more in HC (-15.0%) than comparison (-2.1%) stores (DID mean, -576 fl oz; 95% CI, -776 to -375 fl oz; P < .001). Sales of sports drinks (-86.3 fl oz; 95% CI, -343.6 to 170.9 fl oz) and diet soda (-17.8 in HC stores vs -11.3 in comparison stores; DID adjusted mean, -78.9 fl oz; 95% CI, -182.1 to 24.4 fl oz) decreased in both communities, but the decreases were not significantly different between groups. A locally designed, multicomponent campaign to reduce consumption of sugary drinks was associated with an accelerated decrease in sales of regular soda, fruit drinks, and 100% juice. This policy-focused campaign provides a road map for other communities to reduce consumption of sugary drinks.

Niacin Skin Sensitivity Is Increased in Adolescents at Ultra-High Risk for Psychosis

PubMed Central

Schäfer, Miriam R.; Milleit, Berko; Langbein, Kerstin; Hipler, Uta-Christina; Milleit, Christine; Klier, Claudia M.; Schlögelhofer, Monika; Holub, Magdalena; Holzer, Ingrid; Berk, Michael; McGorry, Patrick D.; Sauer, Heinrich; Amminger, G. Paul

2016-01-01

Background Most studies provide evidence that the skin flush response to nicotinic acid (niacin) stimulation is impaired in schizophrenia. However, only little is known about niacin sensitivity in the ultra-high risk (UHR) phase of psychotic disorders. Methods We compared visual ratings of niacin sensitivity between adolescents at UHR for psychosis according to the one year transition outcome (UHR-T n = 11; UHR-NT n = 55) with healthy controls (HC n = 25) and first episode schizophrenia patients (FEP n = 25) treated with atypical antipsychotics. Results Contrary to our hypothesis niacin sensitivity of the entire UHR group was not attenuated, but significantly increased compared to the HC group, whereas no difference could be found between the UHR-T and UHR-NT groups. As expected, niacin sensitivity of FEP was attenuated compared to HC group. In UHR individuals niacin sensitivity was inversely correlated with omega-6 and -9 fatty acids (FA), but positively correlated with phospholipase A2 (inPLA2) activity, a marker of membrane lipid repair/remodelling. Conclusions Increased niacin sensitivity in UHR states likely indicates an impaired balance of eicosanoids and omega-6/-9 FA at a membrane level. Our findings suggest that the emergence of psychosis is associated with an increased mobilisation of eicosanoids prior to the transition to psychosis possibly reflecting a “pro-inflammatory state”, whereas thereafter eicosanoid mobilisation seems to be attenuated. Potential treatment implications for the UHR state should be further investigated. PMID:26894921

Ventromedial prefrontal cortex activity and pathological worry in generalised anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Via, E; Fullana, M A; Goldberg, X; Tinoco-González, D; Martínez-Zalacaín, I; Soriano-Mas, C; Davey, C G; Menchón, J M; Straube, B; Kircher, T; Pujol, J; Cardoner, N; Harrison, B J

2018-05-09

Pathological worry is a hallmark feature of generalised anxiety disorder (GAD), associated with dysfunctional emotional processing. The ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) is involved in the regulation of such processes, but the link between vmPFC emotional responses and pathological v. adaptive worry has not yet been examined.AimsTo study the association between worry and vmPFC activity evoked by the processing of learned safety and threat signals. In total, 27 unmedicated patients with GAD and 56 healthy controls (HC) underwent a differential fear conditioning paradigm during functional magnetic resonance imaging. Compared to HC, the GAD group demonstrated reduced vmPFC activation to safety signals and no safety-threat processing differentiation. This response was positively correlated with worry severity in GAD, whereas the same variables showed a negative and weak correlation in HC. Poor vmPFC safety-threat differentiation might characterise GAD, and its distinctive association with GAD worries suggests a neural-based qualitative difference between healthy and pathological worries.Declaration of interestNone.

Mental State Inferences Abilities Contribution to Verbal Irony Comprehension in Older Adults with Mild Cognitive Impairment

PubMed Central

Gaudreau, G.; Monetta, L.; Macoir, J.; Poulin, S.; Laforce, R. Jr.; Hudon, C.

2015-01-01

Objective. The present study examined mentalizing capacities as well as the relative implication of mentalizing in the comprehension of ironic and sincere assertions among 30 older adults with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and 30 healthy control (HC) subjects. Method. Subjects were administered a task evaluating mentalizing by means of short stories. A verbal irony comprehension task, in which participants had to identify ironic or sincere statements within short stories, was also administered; the design of the task allowed uniform implication of mentalizing across the conditions. Results. Findings indicated that participants with MCI have second-order mentalizing difficulties compared to HC subjects. Moreover, MCI participants were impaired compared to the HC group in identifying ironic or sincere stories, both requiring mental inference capacities. Conclusion. This study suggests that, in individuals with MCI, difficulties in the comprehension of ironic and sincere assertions are closely related to second-order mentalizing deficits. These findings support previous data suggesting a strong relationship between irony comprehension and mentalizing. PMID:26199459

Driving characteristics of teens with attention deficit hyperactivity and autism spectrum disorder.

PubMed

Classen, Sherrilene; Monahan, Miriam; Wang, Yanning

2013-01-01

Vehicle crashes are a leading cause of death among teens. Teens with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism spectrum disorder (ASD), or both (ADHD-ASD) may have a greater crash risk. We examined the between-groups demographic, clinical, and predriving performance differences of 22 teens with ADHD-ASD (mean age = 15.05, standard deviation [SD] = 0.95) and 22 healthy control (HC) teens (mean age = 14.32, SD = 0.72). Compared with HC teens, the teens with ADHD-ASD performed more poorly on right-eye visual acuity, selective attention, visual-motor integration, cognition, and motor performance and made more errors on the driving simulator pertaining to visual scanning, speed regulation, lane maintenance, adjustment to stimuli, and total number of driving errors. Teens with ADHD-ASD, compared with HC teens, may have more predriving deficits and as such require the skills of a certified driving rehabilitation specialist to assess readiness to drive. Copyright © 2013 by the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

Hormonal contraception use alters stress responses and emotional memory.

PubMed

Nielsen, Shawn E; Segal, Sabrina K; Worden, Ian V; Yim, Ilona S; Cahill, Larry

2013-02-01

Emotionally arousing material is typically better remembered than neutral material. Since norepinephrine and cortisol interact to modulate emotional memory, sex-related influences on stress responses may be related to sex differences in emotional memory. Two groups of healthy women - one naturally cycling (NC women, n=42) and one using hormonal contraceptives (HC women, n=36) - viewed emotionally arousing and neutral images. Immediately after, they were assigned to Cold Pressor Stress (CPS) or a control procedure. One week later, participants received a surprise free recall test. Saliva samples were collected and later assayed for salivary alpha-amylase (biomarker for norepinephrine) and cortisol. Compared to NC women, HC women exhibited significantly blunted stress hormone responses to the images and CPS. Recall of emotional images differed between HC and NC women depending on noradrenergic and cortisol responses. These findings may have important implications for understanding the neurobiology of emotional memory disorders, especially those that disproportionately affect women. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Reduced γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Glutamate+Glutamine Levels in Drug-Naïve Patients with First-Episode Schizophrenia but Not in Those at Ultrahigh Risk

PubMed Central

Tang, Yingying; Zhang, Tianhong; Cui, Huiru; Xu, Lihua; Zeng, Botao; Li, Yu; Li, Gaiying; Li, Chunbo; Liu, Hui; Zhang, Jianye

2016-01-01

Altered γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu) levels, and an imbalance between GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmissions have been involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear how these abnormalities impact the onset and course of psychosis. In the present study, 21 drug-naïve subjects at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR), 16 drug-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), and 23 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. In vivo GABA and glutamate+glutamine (Glx) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Medial prefrontal GABA and Glx levels in FES patients were significantly lower than those in HC and UHR, respectively. GABA and Glx levels in UHR were comparable with those in HC. In each group, there was a positive correlation between GABA and Glx levels. Reduced medial prefrontal GABA and Glx levels thus may play an important role in the early stages of schizophrenia. PMID:28003912

Reduced γ-Aminobutyric Acid and Glutamate+Glutamine Levels in Drug-Naïve Patients with First-Episode Schizophrenia but Not in Those at Ultrahigh Risk.

PubMed

Wang, Junjie; Tang, Yingying; Zhang, Tianhong; Cui, Huiru; Xu, Lihua; Zeng, Botao; Li, Yu; Li, Gaiying; Li, Chunbo; Liu, Hui; Lu, Zheng; Zhang, Jianye; Wang, Jijun

2016-01-01

Altered γ -aminobutyric acid (GABA), glutamate (Glu) levels, and an imbalance between GABAergic and glutamatergic neurotransmissions have been involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear how these abnormalities impact the onset and course of psychosis. In the present study, 21 drug-naïve subjects at ultrahigh risk for psychosis (UHR), 16 drug-naïve patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FES), and 23 healthy controls (HC) were enrolled. In vivo GABA and glutamate+glutamine (Glx) levels in the medial prefrontal cortex were measured using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy. Medial prefrontal GABA and Glx levels in FES patients were significantly lower than those in HC and UHR, respectively. GABA and Glx levels in UHR were comparable with those in HC. In each group, there was a positive correlation between GABA and Glx levels. Reduced medial prefrontal GABA and Glx levels thus may play an important role in the early stages of schizophrenia.

A Video Game Promoting Cancer Risk Perception and Information Seeking Behavior Among Young-Adult College Students: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

PubMed

Khalil, Georges Elias; Beale, Ivan L; Chen, Minxing; Prokhorov, Alexander V

2016-07-28

Risky behaviors tend to increase drastically during the transition into young adulthood. This increase may ultimately facilitate the initiation of carcinogenic processes at a young age, highlighting a serious public health problem. By promoting information seeking behavior (ISB), young adults may become aware of cancer risks and potentially take preventive measures. Based on the protection motivation theory, the current study seeks to evaluate the impact of challenge in a fully automated video game called Re-Mission on young adult college students' tendency to perceive the severity of cancer, feel susceptible to cancer, and engage in ISB. A total of 216 young adults were recruited from a university campus, consented, screened, and randomized in a single-blinded format to 1 of 3 conditions: an intervention group playing Re-Mission at high challenge (HC; n=85), an intervention group playing Re-Mission at low challenge (LC; n=81), and a control group with no challenge (NC; presented with illustrated pictures of Re-Mission; n=50). Measurement was conducted at baseline, immediate posttest, 10-day follow-up, and 20-day follow-up. Repeated-measures mixed-effect models were conducted for data analysis of the main outcomes. A total of 101 young adults continued until 20-day follow-up. Mixed-effect models showed that participants in the HC and LC groups were more likely to increase in perceived susceptibility to cancer (P=.03), perceived severity of cancer (P=.02), and ISB (P=.01) than participants in the NC group. The LC group took until 10-day follow-up to show increase in perceived susceptibility (B=0.47, standard error (SE) 0.16, P=.005). The HC group showed an immediate increase in perceived susceptibility at posttest (B=0.43, SE 0.14, P=.002). The LC group exhibited no changes in perceived severity (B=0.40, SE 0.33, P=.24). On the other hand, the HC group showed a significant increase from baseline to posttest (B=0.39, SE 0.14, P=.005), maintaining this increase until 20-day follow-up (B=-0.007, SE 0.26, P=.98). Further analyses indicated that perceived threat from virtual cancer cells in the game is related to the increase in perceived severity (B=0.1, SE 0.03, P=.001), and perceived susceptibility is related to changes in ISB at 10-day follow-up (B=0.21, SE 0.08, P=.008). The feature of challenge with cancer cells in a virtual environment has the potential to increase cancer risk perception and ISB. The results are promising considering that the Re-Mission intervention was neither designed for cancer risk communication, nor applied among healthy individuals. Further research is needed to understand the theoretical framework underlying the effects of Re-Mission on ISB. The findings call for the development of a Web-based, game-based intervention for cancer risk communication and information seeking among young adults. International Standard Randomized Controlled Trial Number (ISRCTN): 15789289; http://www.controlled-trials.com/ISRCTN15789289 (Archived by WebCite at http://www.webcitation.org/6jGYZC3lZ).

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with hyperactive cardiac mTORC1 and mTORC2 signaling.

PubMed

Glazer, Hilary P; Osipov, Robert M; Clements, Richard T; Sellke, Frank W; Bianchi, Cesario

2009-06-01

Nutritional excess and hyperlipidemia increase the heart's susceptibility to ischemic injury. Mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) controls the cellular response to nutritional status and may play a role in ischemic injury. To explore the effect of hypercholesterolemia on cardiac mTOR signaling, we assessed mTOR signaling in hypercholesterolemic swine (HC) that are also susceptible to increased cardiac ischemia-reperfusion injury. Yucatan pigs were fed a high-fat/high-cholesterol diet for 4 weeks to induce hypercholesterolemia, and mTOR signaling was measured by immunoblotting and immunofluorescence in the non-ischemic left ventricular area. Total myocardial mTOR and raptor levels were markedly increased in the HC group compared to the normocholesterolemic group, and directly correlated with serum cholesterol levels. mTOR exhibited intense perinuclear staining in myocytes only in the HC group. Hypercholesterolemia was associated with hyperactive signaling upstream and downstream of both mTOR complexes, including myocardial Akt, S6K1, 4EBP1, S6 and PKC-alpha, increased levels of cardiac hypertrophy markers, and a trend toward lower levels of myocardial autophagy. Hypercholesterolemia can now be added to the growing list of conditions associated with aberrant mTOR signaling. Hypercholesterolemia produces a unique profile of alterations in cardiac mTOR signaling, which is a potential target in cardiac diseases associated with hypercholesterolemia and nutritional excess.

Patients with non-substance-related disorders report a similar profile of childhood trauma experiences compared to heroin-dependent patients.

PubMed

Schwaninger, Philipp V; Mueller, Sandra E; Dittmann, Rebecca; Poespodihardjo, Renanto; Vogel, Marc; Wiesbeck, Gerhard A; Walter, Marc; Petitjean, Sylvie A

2017-04-01

Exposure to traumatic events is common among patients with substance use disorders (SUD). In patients with non-substance-related disorders, especially with gambling disorders (GD) and internet addiction (IA), traumatic childhood experiences have not been investigated extensively. The objective of this study was to compare trauma histories in patients with GD and IA to patients with heroin dependence. Cross-sectional surveys including the childhood trauma questionnaire (CTQ) and clinical data among 107 participants; 59 patients with non-substance-related disorders (GD [n = 39]; IA [n = 20]) were compared to 28 patients prescribed injectable heroin for opioid dependence in heroin-assisted treatment (HAT) and to a healthy control group (HC) (n = 20). The findings revealed a high prevalence of trauma exposure in all three clinical groups, with 74.4% of patients with GD, 80.0% of patients with IA, and 93.0% of patients in HAT compared to 40% in HC. All three groups (GD, IA, HAT) reported significantly higher levels of "emotional neglect" compared to HC. The results provide clinically relevant information suggesting that the burden of childhood traumatic experiences may be as common in patients with GD and IA as in patients with heroin dependence. These findings could pose an important starting-point for treatment. (Am J Addict 2017;26:215-220). © 2017 American Academy of Addiction Psychiatry.

Improvement in verbal memory performance in depressed in-patients after treatment with electroconvulsive therapy.

PubMed

Biedermann, S V; Bumb, J M; Demirakca, T; Ende, G; Sartorius, A

2016-12-01

Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is a highly effective and well-tolerated therapy for severe and treatment-resistant depression. Cognitive side-effects are still feared by some patients and clinicians. Importantly, cognitive impairments are among the most disabling symptoms of depression itself. Patients suffering from a severe episode of depression were treated with either ECT or treatment as usual (TAU) in an in-patient setting. Matched healthy participants served as controls (HC). Verbal memory was tested with the California Verbal Learning Test (CVLT) before the specific treatment started (ECT = 15, TAU = 16, HC = 31) and 2 months after the last ECT session or 2 months after discharge respectively. Before the specific treatment started, depressed patients performed substantially worse compared with HC in total, short- and long-delay recall in the CVLT, while the ECT group showed the worst performance. More severely depressed patients showed worse performances in these measures. Intriguingly, verbal memory showed a significant improvement in ECT-treated patients, but not in the other groups. No differences between the groups were found at follow-up. Contrary to the widely feared assumption that ECT has long-term impact on memory functions, we found evidence that ECT is superior to TAU in improving verbal memory in depressed patients. © 2016 John Wiley & Sons A/S. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Sleep modifications in acute transient global amnesia.

PubMed

Della Marca, Giacomo; Mazza, Marianna; Losurdo, Anna; Testani, Elisa; Broccolini, Aldobrando; Frisullo, Giovanni; Marano, Giuseppe; Morosetti, Roberta; Pilato, Fabio; Profice, Paolo; Vollono, Catello; Di Lazzaro, Vincenzo

2013-09-15

Transient global amnesia (TGA) is a temporary memory loss characterized by an abrupt onset of antero-grade and retrograde amnesia, totally reversible. Since sleep plays a major role in memory consolidation, and in the storage of memory-related traces into the brain cortex, the aims of the present study were: (1) to evaluate changes in sleep macro-structure in TGA; (2) to assess modifications in sleep micro-structure in TGA, with particular reference to the arousal EEG and to cyclic alternating pattern (CAP); (3) to compare sleep parameters in TGA patients with a control group of patients with acute ischemic events ("minor stroke" or transient ischemic attack [TIA]) clinically and neuroradiologically "similar" to the TGA. TGA GROUP: 17 patients, (8 men and 9 women, 60.2 ± 12.5 years). Stroke or TIA (SoT) group: 17 patients hospitalized in the Stroke Unit for recent onset of minor stroke or TIA with hemispheric localization; healthy controls (HC) group: 17 healthy volunteers, matched for age and sex. Patients and controls underwent full-night polysomnography. In the multivariate analysis (conditions TGA, SoT, and HC) a significant effect of the condition was observed for sleep efficiency index, number of awakenings longer 1 min, REM latency, CAP time, and CAP rate. TGA and SoT differed only for CAP time and CAP rate, which were lower in the TGA group. Microstructural modification associated with tga could be consequent to: (1) hippocampal dysfunction and memory impairment; (2) impairment of arousal-related structures (in particular, cholinergic pathways); (3) emotional distress.

Muscle fatigue in fibromyalgia is in the brain, not in the muscles: a case-control study of perceived versus objective muscle fatigue.

PubMed

Bandak, Elisabeth; Amris, Kirstine; Bliddal, Henning; Danneskiold-Samsøe, Bente; Henriksen, Marius

2013-06-01

To investigate relationships between perceived and objectively measured muscle fatigue during exhausting muscle contractions in women with fibromyalgia (FM) compared with healthy controls (HC). Women with FM and HC completed an isometric muscle exhaustion task at 90° shoulder abduction. Surface electromyographic (EMG) activity in the deltoid muscle was recorded together with self-reported level of muscle fatigue. 25 participants with FM and 23 HC were included. Average time to exhaustion was 254 s shorter in participants with FM than in HC. Participants with FM did not exhibit the same level of objective signs of muscle fatigue, seen as fewer changes in the EMG activity, as the HC during the exhaustion task. The task did not provoke pain in the HC, while participants with FM reported a doubling of pain. Women with FM had shorter exhaustion times and showed fewer objective signs of muscle fatigue during an exhausting isometric shoulder abduction compared with younger HC. This indicates that perceived muscle fatigue may be of central origin and supports the notion of central nervous dysfunction as basic pathological changes in FM.

The association between social skills deficits and family history of mood disorder in bipolar I disorder.

PubMed

Fernandes, Francy B F; Rocca, Cristiana C; Gigante, Alexandre D; Dottori-Silva, Paola R; Gerchmann, Luciana; Rossini, Danielle; Sato, Rodrigo; Lafer, Beny; Nery, Fabiano G

2018-03-26

To compare social skills and related executive functions among bipolar disorder (BD) patients with a family history of mood disorders (FHMD), BD patients with no FHMD and healthy control (HCs). We evaluated 20 euthymic patients with FHMD, 17 euthymic patients without FHMD, and 31 HCs using the Social Skills Inventory (SSI) and a neuropsychological battery evaluating executive function, inhibitory control, verbal fluency and estimated intelligence. Both BD groups had lower SSI scores than controls. Scores for one subfactor of the social skills questionnaire, conversational skills and social performance, were significantly lower among patients with FHMD than among patients without FHMD (p = 0.019). Both groups of BD patients exhibited significant deficits in initiation/inhibition, but only BD patients with FHMD had deficits in verbal fluency, both compared to HC. There were no associations between social skills questionnaire scores and measures of cognitive function. Euthymic BD patients have lower social skills and executive function performance than HC. The presence of FHMD among BD patients is specifically associated with deficits in conversational and social performance skills, in addition to deficits in verbal fluency. Both characteristics might be associated with a common genetically determined pathophysiological substrate.

Elevated striatal reactivity across monetary and social rewards in bipolar I disorder.

PubMed

Dutra, Sunny J; Cunningham, William A; Kober, Hedy; Gruber, June

2015-11-01

Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with increased reactivity to rewards and heightened positive affectivity. It is less clear to what extent this heightened reward sensitivity is evident across contexts and what the associated neural mechanisms might be. The present investigation used both a monetary and social incentive delay task among adults with remitted BD Type I (n = 24) and a healthy nonpsychiatric control group (HC; n = 25) using fMRI. Both whole-brain and region-of-interest analyses revealed elevated reactivity to reward receipt in the striatum, a region implicated in incentive sensitivity, in the BD group. Post hoc analyses revealed that greater striatal reactivity to reward receipt, across monetary and social reward tasks, predicted decreased self-reported positive affect when anticipating subsequent rewards in the HC but not in the BD group. Results point toward elevated striatal reactivity to reward receipt as a potential neural mechanism of persistent reward pursuit in BD. (c) 2015 APA, all rights reserved).

Electrocortical processing of food and emotional pictures in anorexia nervosa and bulimia nervosa.

PubMed

Blechert, Jens; Feige, Bernd; Joos, Andreas; Zeeck, Almut; Tuschen-Caffier, Brunna

2011-06-01

Objective To compare the electrocortical processing of food pictures in participants with anorexia nervosa (n = 21), bulimia nervosa (n = 22), and healthy controls (HCs) (n = 32) by measuring the early posterior negativity, an event-related potential that reflects stimulus salience and selective attention. Methods We exposed these three groups to a rapid stream of high- and low-calorie food pictures, as well as standard emotional and neutral pictures. Results Event-related potentials in the time range of 220 milliseconds to 310 milliseconds on posterior electrodes differed between groups: patients with eating disorders showed facilitated processing of both high- and low-calorie food pictures relative to neutral pictures, whereas HC participants did so only for the high-calorie pictures. Subjective palatability of the pictures was rated highest by patients with anorexia nervosa, followed by the HC and bulimia nervosa groups. Conclusions Patients with eating disorders show a generalized attentional bias for food images, regardless of caloric value. This might explain the persistent preoccupation with food in these individuals.

The circular RNA of peripheral blood mononuclear cells: Hsa_circ_0005836 as a new diagnostic biomarker and therapeutic target of active pulmonary tuberculosis.

PubMed

Zhuang, Ze-Gang; Zhang, Jun-Ai; Luo, Hou-Long; Liu, Gan-Bin; Lu, Yuan-Bin; Ge, Nan-Hai; Zheng, Bi-Ying; Li, Rui Xi; Chen, Chen; Wang, Xin; Liu, Yu-Qing; Liu, Feng-Hui; Zhou, Yong; Cai, Xiao-Zhen; Chen, Zheng W; Xu, Jun-Fa

2017-10-01

It has been reported that circular RNA (circRNA) is associated with human cancer. However, few studies have been reported in active pulmonary tuberculosis (APTB). The global circRNA expression was detected in the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of APTB patients (n=5) and health controls (HC) (n=5) by using high-throughput sequencing. According to the systematical bioinformatics analysis, the basic content of circRNAs and their fold changes in the two groups were calculated. We selected 6 significant differentially expressed circRNAs, hsa_circ_0005836, hsa_circ_0009128, hsa_circ_0003519, hsa_circ_0023956, hsa_circ_0078768, and hsa_circ_0088452 and validated the expression in PBMCs from APTB (n=10) and HC (n=10) by real-time quantitative reverse transcription-polymerase chain reactions (qRT-PCRs). Further, the verification of these specific circRNAs (hsa_circ_0005836 and hsa_circ_0009128) between APTB (n=34) and HC (n=30) in PBMCs was also conducted by qRT-PCRs. The RNA-seq data showed the significant differential expression of the 523 circRNAs between the APTB and HC groups (199 circRNAs were significantly up-regulated and 324 circRNAs were down-regulated). Hsa_circ_0005836 and hsa_circ_0009128 expression was significantly down-regulated in the PBMCs of APTB (P<0.05) in the samples of APTB compared to HC in our study. The gene ontology based enrichment analysis of the circRNA-miRNA-mRNAs network showed that cellular catabolic process (P=7.10E-08), regulation of metabolic process (P=2.10E-06), catalytic activity (P=3.67E-08), protein binding (P=1.71E-07), cell part (P=3.46E-06), intracellular part (P=1.71E-07), and intracellular (P=3.67E-08) were recognized in the comparisons between APTB and HC. Based on KEGG analysis, HTLV-I infection, regulation of actin cytoskeleton, neurotrophin signaling pathway and mTOR signaling pathway were relevant during tuberculosis bacillus infection. We found for the first time that hsa_circ_0005836 and hsa_circ_0009128 were significantly down-regulated in the PBMCs of APTB compared with HC. Our findings indicate hsa_circ_0005836 might serve as a novel potential biomarker for TB infection. Copyright © 2017. Published by Elsevier Ltd.

Neurobiological mechanisms associated with facial affect recognition deficits after traumatic brain injury.

PubMed

Neumann, Dawn; McDonald, Brenna C; West, John; Keiski, Michelle A; Wang, Yang

2016-06-01

The neurobiological mechanisms that underlie facial affect recognition deficits after traumatic brain injury (TBI) have not yet been identified. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), study aims were to 1) determine if there are differences in brain activation during facial affect processing in people with TBI who have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-I) relative to people with TBI and healthy controls who do not have facial affect recognition impairments (TBI-N and HC, respectively); and 2) identify relationships between neural activity and facial affect recognition performance. A facial affect recognition screening task performed outside the scanner was used to determine group classification; TBI patients who performed greater than one standard deviation below normal performance scores were classified as TBI-I, while TBI patients with normal scores were classified as TBI-N. An fMRI facial recognition paradigm was then performed within the 3T environment. Results from 35 participants are reported (TBI-I = 11, TBI-N = 12, and HC = 12). For the fMRI task, TBI-I and TBI-N groups scored significantly lower than the HC group. Blood oxygenation level-dependent (BOLD) signals for facial affect recognition compared to a baseline condition of viewing a scrambled face, revealed lower neural activation in the right fusiform gyrus (FG) in the TBI-I group than the HC group. Right fusiform gyrus activity correlated with accuracy on the facial affect recognition tasks (both within and outside the scanner). Decreased FG activity suggests facial affect recognition deficits after TBI may be the result of impaired holistic face processing. Future directions and clinical implications are discussed.

Identifying dynamic functional connectivity biomarkers using GIG-ICA: application to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder and psychotic bipolar disorder

PubMed Central

Du, Yuhui; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Lin, Dongdong; Sui, Jing; Chen, Jiayu; Salman, Mustafa; Tamminga, Carol A.; Ivleva, Elena I.; Sweeney, John A.; Keshavan, Matcheri S.; Clementz, Brett A.; Bustillo, Juan; Calhoun, Vince D.

2017-01-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown altered brain dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) in mental disorders. Here we aim to explore DFC across a spectrum of symptomatically-related disorders including bipolar disorder with psychosis (BPP), schizoaffective disorder (SAD) and schizophrenia (SZ). We introduce a group information guided independent component analysis (GIG-ICA) procedure to estimate both group-level and subject-specific connectivity states from DFC. Using resting-state fMRI data of 238 healthy controls (HCs), 140 BPP, 132 SAD and 113 SZ patients, we identified measures differentiating groups from the whole-brain DFC and traditional static functional connectivity (SFC), separately. Results show that DFC provided more informative measures than SFC. Diagnosis-related connectivity states were evident using DFC analysis. For the dominant state consistent across groups, we found 22 instances of hypoconnectivity (with decreasing trends from HC to BPP to SAD to SZ) mainly involving post-central, frontal and cerebellar cortices as well as 34 examples of hyperconnectivity (with increasing trends HC through SZ) primarily involving thalamus and temporal cortices. Hypoconnectivities/hyperconnectivities also showed negative/positive correlations, respectively, with clinical symptom scores. Specifically, hypoconnectivities linking postcentral and frontal gyri were significantly negatively correlated with the PANSS positive/negative scores. For frontal connectivities, BPP resembled HC while SAD and SZ were more similar. Three connectivities involving the left cerebellar crus differentiated SZ from other groups and one connection linking frontal and fusiform cortices showed a SAD-unique change. In summary, our method is promising for assessing DFC and may yield imaging biomarkers for quantifying the dimension of psychosis. PMID:28294459

Abnormal resting-state brain activities in patients with first-episode obsessive-compulsive disorder

PubMed Central

Niu, Qihui; Yang, Lei; Song, Xueqin; Chu, Congying; Liu, Hao; Zhang, Lifang; Li, Yan; Zhang, Xiang; Cheng, Jingliang; Li, Youhui

2017-01-01

Objective This paper attempts to explore the brain activity of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and its correlation with the disease at resting duration in patients with first-episode OCD, providing a forceful imaging basis for clinic diagnosis and pathogenesis of OCD. Methods Twenty-six patients with first-episode OCD and 25 healthy controls (HC group; matched for age, sex, and education level) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) scanning at resting state. Statistical parametric mapping 8, data processing assistant for resting-state fMRI analysis toolkit, and resting state fMRI data analysis toolkit packages were used to process the fMRI data on Matlab 2012a platform, and the difference of regional homogeneity (ReHo) values between the OCD group and HC group was detected with independent two-sample t-test. With age as a concomitant variable, the Pearson correlation analysis was adopted to study the correlation between the disease duration and ReHo value of whole brain. Results Compared with HC group, the ReHo values in OCD group were decreased in brain regions, including left thalamus, right thalamus, right paracentral lobule, right postcentral gyrus, and the ReHo value was increased in the left angular gyrus region. There was a negative correlation between disease duration and ReHo value in the bilateral orbitofrontal cortex (OFC). Conclusion OCD is a multifactorial disease generally caused by abnormal activities of many brain regions at resting state. Worse brain activity of the OFC is related to the OCD duration, which provides a new insight to the pathogenesis of OCD. PMID:28243104

Dim light melatonin onset in alcohol-dependent men and women compared with healthy controls.

PubMed

Conroy, Deirdre A; Hairston, Ilana S; Arnedt, J Todd; Hoffmann, Robert F; Armitage, Roseanne; Brower, Kirk J

2012-02-01

Sleep disturbances in alcohol-dependent (AD) individuals may persist despite abstinence from alcohol and can influence the course of the disorder. Although the mechanisms of sleep disturbances of AD are not well understood and some evidence suggests dysregulation of circadian rhythms, dim light melatonin onset (DLMO) has not previously been assessed in AD versus healthy control (HC) individuals in a sample that varied by sex and race. The authors assessed 52 AD participants (mean ± SD age: 36.0 ± 11.0 yrs of age, 10 women) who were 3-12 wks since their last drink (abstinence: 57.9 ± 19.3 d) and 19 age- and sex-matched HCs (34.4 ± 10.6 yrs, 5 women). Following a 23:00-06:00 h at-home sleep schedule for at least 5 d and screening/baseline nights in the sleep laboratory, participants underwent a 3-h extension of wakefulness (02:00 h bedtime) during which salivary melatonin samples were collected every 30 min beginning at 19:30 h. The time of DLMO was the primary measure of circadian physiology and was assessed with two commonly used methodologies. There was a slower rate of rise and lower maximal amplitude of the melatonin rhythm in the AD group. DLMO varied by the method used to derive it. Using 3 pg/mL as threshold, no significant differences were found between the AD and HC groups. Using 2 standard deviations above the mean of the first three samples, the DLMO in AD occurred significantly later, 21:02 ± 00:41 h, than in HC, 20:44 ± 00:21 h (t = -2.4, p = .02). Although melatonin in the AD group appears to have a slower rate of rise, using well-established criteria to assess the salivary DLMO did not reveal differences between AD and HC participants. Only when capturing melatonin when it is already rising was DLMO found to be significantly delayed by a mean 18 min in AD participants. Future circadian analyses on alcoholics should account for these methodological caveats.

Neural Correlates of the Use of Psychological Distancing to Regulate Responses to Negative Social Cues: A Study of Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder

PubMed Central

Koenigsberg, Harold W.; Fan, Jin; Ochsner, Kevin; Liu, Xun; Guise, Kevin G.; Pizzarello, Scott; Dorantes, Christine; Guerreri, Stephanie; Tecuta, Lucia; Goodman, Marianne; New, Antonia; Siever, Larry J

2009-01-01

Background Emotional instability is a defining feature of borderline personality disorder (BPD), yet little is understood about its underlying neural correlates. One possible contributing factor to emotional instability is a failure to adequately employ adaptive cognitive regulatory strategies such as psychological distancing. Method To determine whether there are differences in neural dynamics underlying this control strategy, between BPD patients and healthy volunteers (HC’s), BOLD fMRI signals were acquired as 18 BPD and 16 HC subjects distanced from or simply looked at negative and neutral pictures depicting social interactions. Contrasts in signal between distance and look condition were compared between groups to identify commonalities and differences in regional activation. Results BPD patients show a different pattern of activation compared to HC subjects when looking at negative vs. neutral pictures. When distancing vs. looking at negative pictures, both groups showed decreased negative affect in rating and increased activation of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, areas near/along the intraparietal sulcus (IPS), ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and posterior cingulate/precuneus regions. However, the BPD group showed less BOLD signal change in dorsal anterior cingulate cortex and IPS, less deactivation in the amygdala and greater activation in the superior temporal sulcus and superior frontal gyrus. Conclusion BPD and HC subjects display different neural dynamics while passively viewing social emotional stimuli. In addition, BPD patients do not engage the cognitive control regions to the extent that HC’s do when employing a distancing strategy to regulate emotional reactions, which may be a factor contributing to the affective instability of BPD. PMID:19651401

Correlation of social cognition and neurocognition on psychotic outcome: a naturalistic follow-up study of subjects with attenuated psychosis syndrome

PubMed Central

Zhang, TianHong; Cui, HuiRu; Tang, YingYing; Xu, LiHua; Li, HuiJun; Wei, YanYan; Liu, XiaoHua; Chow, Annabelle; Li, ChunBo; Jiang, KaiDa; Xiao, ZePing; Wang, JiJun

2016-01-01

Neurocognitive decline has been observed in patients with psychosis as well as attenuated psychosis syndrome (APS). We tested the hypothesis that APS increases dependence on neurocognition during the interpretation of others’ mental states and that a combination index of Theory of Mind (ToM) and neurocognition improves the predictive accuracy of psychosis conversion. A sample of 83 APS individuals and 90 healthy controls (HC) were assessed by comprehensive cognitive tests. The cohort also completed a one-year follow-up. In the APS group, ToM was associated with an apparent increase in neurocognition, but this trend was not evident in the HC group. Using the new index of combined neurocognition and ToM scores, the sensitivity for predicting psychosis-proneness was 75% and the specificity was 69%. Our data suggest that the correlations between ToM function and neurocognition in APS subjects were stronger than those in healthy controls. A composite index of neurocognition and ToM could improve the predictive validity of a future conversion to psychosis. PMID:27721394

Growth failure associated with early neglect: pilot comparison of neglected US children and international adoptees.

PubMed

Miller, Bradley S; Spratt, Eve G; Himes, John H; Condon, Doreen; Summer, Andrea; Papa, Carrie E; Brady, Kathleen T

2015-01-01

The long-lasting impact of different neglectful environments on growth in children is not well studied. Three groups of children, 3-10 years old, were recruited (n=60): previously institutionalized international adoptees living in stable home environments for at least 2 years (IA; n=15), children with a history of neglect born in the USA (USN; n=17), and controls (n=28). Children underwent physical examination, anthropometry, and collection of serum for growth parameters. Mean height standard deviation scores (SDS) were different (p<0.05). Age-adjusted head circumference (HC) was significantly smaller (p<0.05) in IAs. Insulin growth factor (IGF-1), a marker of growth hormone action, was higher in US neglected children. IGF-1 adjusted for age and weight SDS were different (p<0.05) between control and US neglect groups. The degree of growth failure in height and HC in IAs was more severe than neglected US children. These findings may reflect differences between the impact of chronic and intermittent deprivation on the growth hormone system.

Control over the Scheduling of Simulated Office Work Reduces the Impact of Workload on Mental Fatigue and Task Performance

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Hockey, G. Robert J.; Earle, Fiona

2006-01-01

Two experiments tested the hypothesis that task-induced mental fatigue is moderated by control over work scheduling. Participants worked for 2 hr on simulated office work, with control manipulated by a yoking procedure. Matched participants were assigned to conditions of either high control (HC) or low control (LC). HC participants decided their…

Common and distinct structural features of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder: The European Network on Psychosis, Affective disorders and Cognitive Trajectory (ENPACT) study

PubMed Central

Crespo-Facorro, Benedicto; Nenadic, Igor; Benedetti, Francesco; Gaser, Christian; Sauer, Heinrich; Roiz-Santiañez, Roberto; Poletti, Sara; Marinelli, Veronica; Bellani, Marcella; Perlini, Cinzia; Ruggeri, Mirella; Altamura, A. Carlo; Diwadkar, Vaibhav A.; Brambilla, Paolo

2017-01-01

Introduction Although schizophrenia (SCZ) and bipolar disorder (BD) share elements of pathology, their neural underpinnings are still under investigation. Here, structural Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) data collected from a large sample of BD and SCZ patients and healthy controls (HC) were analyzed in terms of gray matter volume (GMV) using both voxel based morphometry (VBM) and a region of interest (ROI) approach. Methods The analysis was conducted on two datasets, Dataset1 (802 subjects: 243 SCZ, 176 BD, 383 HC) and Dataset2, a homogeneous subset of Dataset1 (301 subjects: 107 HC, 85 BD and 109 SCZ). General Linear Model analyses were performed 1) at the voxel-level in the whole brain (VBM study), 2) at the regional level in the anatomical regions emerged from the VBM study (ROI study). The GMV comparison across groups was integrated with the analysis of GMV correlates of different clinical dimensions. Results The VBM results of Dataset1 showed 1) in BD compared to HC, GMV deficits in right cingulate, superior temporal and calcarine cortices, 2) in SCZ compared to HC, GMV deficits in widespread cortical and subcortical areas, 3) in SCZ compared to BD, GMV deficits in insula and thalamus (p<0.05, cluster family wise error corrected). The regions showing GMV deficits in the BD group were mostly included in the SCZ ones. The ROI analyses confirmed the VBM results at the regional level in most of the clusters from the SCZ vs. HC comparison (p<0.05, Bonferroni corrected). The VBM and ROI analyses of Dataset2 provided further evidence for the enhanced GMV deficits characterizing SCZ. Based on the clinical-neuroanatomical analyses, we cannot exclude possible confounding effects due to 1) age of onset and medication in BD patients, 2) symptoms severity in SCZ patients. Conclusion Our study reported both shared and specific neuroanatomical characteristics between the two disorders, suggesting more severe and generalized GMV deficits in SCZ, with a specific role for insula and thalamus. PMID:29136642

Modification of the fatty acid composition of an obesogenic diet improves the maternal and placental metabolic environment in obese pregnant mice.

PubMed

Gimpfl, Martina; Rozman, Jan; Dahlhoff, Maik; Kübeck, Raphaela; Blutke, Andreas; Rathkolb, Birgit; Klingenspor, Martin; Hrabě de Angelis, Martin; Öner-Sieben, Soner; Seibt, Annette; Roscher, Adelbert A; Wolf, Eckhard; Ensenauer, Regina

2017-06-01

Peri-conceptional exposure to maternal obesogenic nutrition is associated with in utero programming of later-life overweight and metabolic disease in the offspring. We aimed to investigate whether dietary intervention with a modified fatty acid quality in an obesogenic high-calorie (HC) diet during the preconception and gestational phases can improve unfavourable effects of an adipogenic maternal environment. In NMRI mice, peri-conceptional and gestational obesity was induced by feeding a HC diet (controls), and they were compared with dams on a fat-modified (Fat-mod) HC diet of the same energy content but enriched with medium-chain fatty acids (MCFAs) and adjusted to a decreased ratio of n-6 to n-3 long-chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFAs). Effects on maternal and placental outcomes at delivery (day 17.5 post coitum) were investigated. Despite comparable energy assimilation between the two groups of dams, the altered fatty acid composition of the Fat-mod HC diet induced lower maternal body weight, weights of fat depots, adipocyte size, and hepatic fat accumulation compared to the unmodified HC diet group. Further, there was a trend towards lower fasting glucose, insulin and leptin concentrations in dams fed the Fat-mod HC diet. Phenotypic changes were accompanied by inhibition of transcript and protein expression of genes involved in hepatic de novo lipogenesis comprising PPARG2 and its target genes Fasn, Acaca, and Fabp4, whereas regulation of other lipogenic factors (Srebf1, Nr1h3, Abca1) appeared to be more complex. The modified diet led to a sex-specific placental response by upregulating PPARG-dependent fatty acid transport gene expression in female versus male placentae. Qualitative modification of the fatty acid spectrum of a high-energy maternal diet, using a combination of both MCFAs and n-3 LC-PUFAs, seems to be a promising interventional approach to ameliorate the adipogenic milieu of mice before and during gestation. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Silica-Based, Hyper-Crosslinked Acid Stable Stationary Phases for High Performance Liquid Chromatography

PubMed Central

Zhang, Yu; Luo, Hao; Carr, Peter W.

2011-01-01

A new family of Hyper-Crosslinked (HC) phases has been recently introduced for use under very aggressive acid conditions including those encountered in ultra-fast, high temperature Two-Dimensional Liquid Chromatography (2DLC). This type of stationary phase showed significantly enhanced acid and thermal stability compared to the most acid stable, commercial RPLC phases. In addition, the use of “orthogonal” chemistry to make surface-confined polymer networks ensures good reproducibility and high efficiency. One of the most interesting features of the HC phases is the ability to derivatize the surface aromatic groups with various functional groups. This led to the development of a family of hyper-crosslinked phases possessing a wide variety of chromatographic selectivities by attaching hydrophobic (e.g. –C8), ionizable (e.g. -COOH, -SO3H), aromatic (e.g. –toluene) or polar (e.g. -OH) species to the aromatic polymer network. HC reversed phases with various degrees of hydrophobicity and mixed-mode HC phases with added strong and weak cation exchange sites have been synthesized, characterized and applied. These silica-based acid-stable HC phases, with their attractive chromatographic properties, should be very useful in the separations of bases or biological analytes in acidic media, especially at elevated temperatures. This work reviews the prior research on HC phases and introduces a novel HC phase made by alternative chemistry. PMID:21906745

Evaluation of the genotoxicity of extracts of Houttuynia cordata Thunb.

PubMed

Kang, Chang Keun; Hah, Dae Sik; Kim, Chung Hui; Kim, Euikyung; Kim, Jong Shu

2012-01-01

The present study was conducted to evaluate the activity of methanol extracts from Houttuynia cordata Thunb. (HC) in a reverse mutation assay in Salmonella typhimurium, and a chromosome aberration assay in the Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cell line and to evaluate its effect on the occurrence of polychromatic erythrocytes in mice. In the reverse mutation assay using Salmonella typhimurium TA98, TA100, TA1535, and TA1537 and Escherichia coli WP2urvA(-), methanol extracts of HC (5, 2.5, 1.25, 0.62, or 0.312 mg/plate) did not induce reverse mutations in the presence or absence of an S9 metabolic activation mixture. In the chromosome aberration test using CHO cells, methanol extracts (1.25, 2.5 or 5 μg/ml) caused a few incidences of structural and numerical aberrations, in both of absence or presence of an S9 metabolic activation mixture, but in comparison with the positive control group, these incidences were not significantly increased. In the mouse micronucleus test, no significant increases in the occurrence of micronucleated polychromatic erythrocytes were observed in male ICR mice that were orally administered methanol extracts of HC at doses of 2.0, 1.0, or 0.5 g/kg. From these results, we concluded that the methanol extracts of HC did not induce harmful effects on genes in bacteria, a mammalian cell system or in mouse bone marrow cells. Thus, HC's use for health promotion and/or a sick remedy for humans may be safe.

Increased resting state functional connectivity in the fronto-parietal and default mode network in anorexia nervosa

PubMed Central

Boehm, Ilka; Geisler, Daniel; King, Joseph A.; Ritschel, Franziska; Seidel, Maria; Deza Araujo, Yacila; Petermann, Juliane; Lohmeier, Heidi; Weiss, Jessika; Walter, Martin; Roessner, Veit; Ehrlich, Stefan

2014-01-01

The etiology of anorexia nervosa (AN) is poorly understood. Results from functional brain imaging studies investigating the neural profile of AN using cognitive and emotional task paradigms are difficult to reconcile. Task-related imaging studies often require a high level of compliance and can only partially explore the distributed nature and complexity of brain function. In this study, resting state functional connectivity imaging was used to investigate well-characterized brain networks potentially relevant to understand the neural mechanisms underlying the symptomatology and etiology of AN. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging data was obtained from 35 unmedicated female acute AN patients and 35 closely matched healthy controls female participants (HC) and decomposed using spatial group independent component analyses (ICA). Using validated templates, we identified components covering the fronto-parietal “control” network, the default mode network (DMN), the salience network, the visual and the sensory-motor network. Group comparison revealed an increased functional connectivity between the angular gyrus and the other parts of the fronto-parietal network in patients with AN in comparison to HC. Connectivity of the angular gyrus was positively associated with self-reported persistence in HC. In the DMN, AN patients also showed an increased functional connectivity strength in the anterior insula in comparison to HC. Anterior insula connectivity was associated with self-reported problems with interoceptive awareness. This study, with one of the largest sample to date, shows that acute AN is associated with abnormal brain connectivity in two major resting state networks (RSN). The finding of an increased functional connectivity in the fronto-parietal network adds novel support for the notion of AN as a disorder of excessive cognitive control, whereas the elevated functional connectivity of the anterior insula with the DMN may reflect the high levels of self- and body-focused ruminations when AN patients are at rest. PMID:25324749

Systematic Review of Cognitive Function in Euthymic Bipolar Disorder and Pre-Surgical Temporal Lobe Epilepsy.

PubMed

Bostock, Emmanuelle C S; Kirkby, Kenneth C; Garry, Michael I; Taylor, Bruce V M

2017-01-01

Bipolar disorder (BD) and temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE) overlap in domains including epidemiology, treatment response, shared neurotransmitter involvement and temporal lobe pathology. Comparison of cognitive function in both disorders may indicate temporal lobe mediated processes relevant to BD. This systematic review examines neuropsychological test profiles in euthymic bipolar disorder type I (BD-I) and pre-surgical TLE and compares experimental designs used. A search of PubMed, PsychINFO, and Scopus using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines was conducted. Inclusion criteria were comparison group or pre- to post-surgical patients; reported neuropsychological tests; participants aged 18-60 years. Fifty six studies met criteria: 27 BD-I; 29 TLE. Deficits in BD-I compared to healthy controls (HC) were in executive function, attention span and verbal memory. Deficits in TLE compared to HC were in executive function and memory. In the pre- to post-surgical comparisons, verbal memory in left temporal lobe (LTL) and, less consistently, visuospatial memory in right temporal lobe (RTL) epilepsy declined following surgery. BD-I studies used comprehensive test batteries in well-defined euthymic patients compared to matched HC groups. TLE studies used convenience samples pre- to post-surgery, comparing LTL and RTL subgroups, few included comparisons to HC (5 studies). TLE studies typically examined a narrow range of known temporal lobe-mediated neuropsychological functions, particularly verbal and visuospatial memory. Both disorders exhibit deficits in executive function and verbal memory suggestive of both frontal and temporal lobe involvement. However, deficits in TLE are measured pre- to post-surgery and not controlled at baseline pre-surgery. Further research involving a head-to-head comparison of the two disorders on a broad range of neuropsychological tests is needed to clarify the nature and extent of cognitive deficits and potential overlaps.

Pharmacokinetics of oral hydrocortisone - Results and implications from a randomized controlled trial.

PubMed

Werumeus Buning, Jorien; Touw, Daan J; Brummelman, Pauline; Dullaart, Robin P F; van den Berg, Gerrit; van der Klauw, Melanie M; Kamp, Jasper; Wolffenbuttel, Bruce H R; van Beek, André P

2017-06-01

This study aimed at comparing pharmacokinetics of two different doses of hydrocortisone (HC) in patients with secondary adrenal insufficiency (SAI). Forty-six patients with SAI participated in this randomized double-blind crossover study. Patients received two different doses of HC (0.2-0.3mg HC/kg body weight/day and 0.4-0.6mg HC/kg body weight/day). One- and two-compartment population models for plasma free cortisol, plasma total cortisol and salivary cortisol were parameterized. The individual pharmacokinetic parameters clearance (CL), volume of distribution (V d ), elimination half-life (t 1/2 ), maximum concentration (C max ), and area under the curve (AUC) were calculated. The one-compartment models gave a better description of the data compared to the two-compartment models. Weight-adjusted dosing reduced variability in cortisol exposure with comparable AUCs between weight groups. However, there was large inter-individual variation in CL and V d of plasma free cortisol, plasma total cortisol and salivary cortisol. As a consequence, AUC 24h varied more than 10 fold. Cortisol exposure was increased with the higher dose, but this was dose proportional only for free cortisol concentrations and not for total cortisol. Cortisol concentrations after a doubling of the dose were only dose proportional for free cortisol. HC pharmacokinetics can differ up to 10-fold inter-individually and individual adjustment of treatment doses may be necessary. Doubling of the HC dose in fast metabolizers (patients that showed relative low AUC and thus high clearance compared to other patients), does not result in significantly enhanced exposure during large parts of the day and these patients may need other management strategies. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Cidofovir for BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis: a retrospective study.

PubMed

Cesaro, Simone; Hirsch, Hans H; Faraci, Maura; Owoc-Lempach, Joanna; Beltrame, Angela; Tendas, Andrea; Baltadakis, Ioannis; Dalle, Jean-Hughes; Koc, Yener; Toporski, Jacek; Styczynski, Jan; Yesilipek, M Akif; Heinz, Werner; Caniglia, Maurizio; Rascon, Jelena; Fauser, Axel A; Michallet, Mauricette; Lopez-Corral, Lucia; Neuburger, Stefan; Tridello, Gloria; Einsele, Herman

2009-07-15

BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is a severe complication after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT), but antiviral treatment for this condition has not been evaluated. We conducted a retrospective survey on the safety and outcome of cidofovir treatment for patients with BKV-HC in centers affiliated with the European Group for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. From 1 April 2004 to 31 December 2007, 62 patients received a diagnosis of BKV-HC after a median interval of 35 days after HSCT (range, 3-577 days). Fifty-seven patients (92%) received intravenous cidofovir, whereas 5 patients received cidofovir intravesically. Complete response (CR) was recorded in 38 (67%) of 57 patients with HC treated with intravenous cidofovir, whereas partial response (PR) was documented in 7 patients (12%). CR was documented in 3 patients and PR in 1 patient with HC treated with intravesical cidofovir. A reduction of 1-3 logs in BKV load was documented in 8 of the 10 patients achieving CR. Mild-to-moderate toxic effects were recorded in 18 of 57 patients who received intravenous cidofovir administration. In a multivariate analysis, the factors significantly associated with response to cidofovir were the stem cell source (P = .01) and the use of total body irradiation (P = .03). After a median follow-up of 287 days, overall survival and total treatment-related mortality rates were 63% and 40% for patients achieving CR, compared with 14% and 72% for patients with PR or no response to cidofovir, respectively (P = .001 and P = .001, respectively). Cidofovir may be a potentially effective therapy for BKV-HC, but evidence supporting its use requires randomized controlled trials.

Emotion regulation in social anxiety disorder: behavioral and neural responses to three socio-emotional tasks

PubMed Central

2013-01-01

Background Social anxiety disorder (SAD) is thought to involve deficits in emotion regulation, and more specifically, deficits in cognitive reappraisal. However, evidence for such deficits is mixed. Methods Using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) of blood oxygen-level dependent (BOLD) signal, we examined reappraisal-related behavioral and neural responses in 27 participants with generalized SAD and 27 healthy controls (HC) during three socio-emotional tasks: (1) looming harsh faces (Faces); (2) videotaped actors delivering social criticism (Criticism); and (3) written autobiographical negative self-beliefs (Beliefs). Results Behaviorally, compared to HC, participants with SAD had lesser reappraisal-related reduction in negative emotion in the Beliefs task. Neurally, compared to HC, participants with SAD had lesser BOLD responses in reappraisal-related brain regions when reappraising faces, in visual and attention related regions when reappraising criticism, and in the left superior temporal gyrus when reappraising beliefs. Examination of the temporal dynamics of BOLD responses revealed late reappraisal-related increased responses in HC, compared to SAD. In addition, the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (DMPFC), which showed reappraisal-related increased activity in both groups, had similar temporal dynamics in SAD and HC during the Faces and Criticism tasks, but greater late response increases in HC, compared to SAD, during the Beliefs task. Reappraisal-related greater late DMPFC responses were associated with greater percent reduction in negative emotion ratings in SAD patients. Conclusions These results suggest a dysfunction of cognitive reappraisal in SAD patients, with overall reduced late brain responses in prefrontal regions, particularly when reappraising faces. Decreased late activity in the DMPFC might be associated with deficient reappraisal and greater negative reactivity. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT00380731 PMID:24517388

EEG correlates of a mental arithmetic task in patients with first episode schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder.

PubMed

Garakh, Zhanna; Zaytseva, Yuliya; Kapranova, Alexandra; Fiala, Ondrej; Horacek, Jiri; Shmukler, Alexander; Gurovich, Isaac Ya; Strelets, Valeria B

2015-11-01

To evaluate the spectral power of the cortical bands in patients with first episode schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder at rest and during the performance of a mental arithmetic task. We analyzed EEG spectral power (SP) in the resting state and subsequently while counting down from 200 in steps of 7, in 32 first episode schizophrenia patients (SZ), 32 patients with first episode schizoaffective disorder (SA) and healthy controls (HC, n=40). Behavioral parameters such as accuracy and counting speed were also evaluated. Both SZ and SA patients were slower in counting than HC, no difference was obtained in the accuracy and counting speed in the patient groups. In the resting state patients showed elevated midline theta power, off-midline anterior beta 2 power and decreased central/posterior alpha power. The SA group occupied an intermediate position between the schizophrenia patients and controls. In task performance patients lacked a typical increase of midline theta, left anterior beta 2, and anterior gamma power; however, schizoaffective patients demonstrated a growing trend of power in the gamma band in left anterior off-midline sites similar to HC. Moreover, alpha power was less inhibited in schizoaffective patients and more pronounced in schizophrenia patients indicating distinct inhibitory mechanisms in these psychotic disorders. Patients with SA demonstrate less alteration in the spectral power of bands at rest than SZ, and present spectral power changes during cognitive task performance close to the controls. Our study contributes to the present evidence on the neurophysiological distinction between schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder. Copyright © 2015 International Federation of Clinical Neurophysiology. Published by Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Renin angiotensin system blockage associates with insertion/deletion polymorphism of angiotensin-converting enzyme in patients with hypertensive emergency.

PubMed

Vilela-Martin, José F; Vaz-de-Melo, Renan O; Cosenso-Martin, Luciana N; Kuniyoshi, Cristina H; Yugar-Toledo, Juan C; Pinhel, Marcela A S; de Souza, Gisele F; Souza, Dorotéia R S; Pimenta, Eduardo; Moreno, Heitor; Cipullo, José P

2013-09-01

Hypertensive crisis (HC) stands out as a form of acute elevation of blood pressure (BP). It can manifest itself as hypertensive emergency (HE) or hypertensive urgency (HU), which is usually accompanied with levels of diastolic BP ≥120 mmHg. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) gene insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism may influence manifestations of HC. Thus, this study evaluated the influence of ACE I/D polymorphism in individuals with HC. A total of 187 patients admitted with HC (HU [n=69] and HE [n=118]) and 75 normotensive individuals were included in the study. Peripheral blood was drawn for a biochemical and genetic analysis of the ACE I/D polymorphism by Polymerase Chain Reaction. HC group showed higher systolic BP, body mass index (BMI), glycemia, creatinine, and lower high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol compared with normotensive individuals. The use of renin-angiotensin system (RAS) blockers was more frequent in the HU group than in the HE group (p=0.020). The II genotype was more predominant in normotensive and HU individuals than among HE individuals (18.7%, 11.6%, and 2.5%, respectively; p=0.004). Higher BMI and glycemia were associated with HC in the logistic regression model. ACE II genotype (odds ratio [OR] 0.14; 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.04-0.51) and HDL cholesterol were protective for the development of HE. ACE II genotype was present in the HU group, compared with the HE group (OR 0.18; 95% CI 0.04-0.88). This study shows an association between the low prevalence of ACE I/D polymorphism II genotype and a greater occurrence of HE in Brazilian individuals. The lower blockage of RAS, which was detected in the HE group, may interact with the low frequency of II genotype, conferring an increased risk for HE.

Comparison of Th17 cells mediated immunological response among asthmatic children with or without allergic rhinitis.

PubMed

Qing, Miao; Yongge, Liu; Wei, Xu; Yan, Wang; Zhen, Li; Yixin, Ren; Hui, Guan; Li, Xiang

2018-03-31

To investigate whether there were differences in Th17 cells mediated immunological responses among asthmatics with or without allergic rhinitis. A case-control comparison was conducted in a cohort of 67 children with asthma (AS), 50 children with allergic rhinitis (AR), 52 children with both AS and AR (ASR), 25 infectious rhinitis (IR), and 55 healthy controls (HC). The percentages of circulating Th17 cells were determined by flow cytometry. The Th2- and Th17-related cytokines in plasma and culture supernatants were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The effect of proinflammation cytokine IL-17E on Th2 cytokines production from human T helper (Th) lymphocytes was analyzed. (1) A inter-group comparison revealed that Th17 cells levels were highest in ASR group [(0.89% ± 0.27) %], following by AS group [(0.82 ± 0.29) %] and AR group[(0.78 ± 0.17) %] (P< 0.05). (2) After in-vitro stimulation with house dust mite (HDM) antigen, the levels of IL-4 and IL-17E in culture supernatants of PBMCs from allergic children (AS group, AR group and ASR group) were significantly enhanced. (3) The release of Th2 cytokines from IL-17E treated Th cells of allergic children (AS group, AR group and ASR group) were significantly induced, no similar result was observed in IR group and HC group. Our findings preliminarily revealed that Th17 cell and its related cytokines might be involved in pathogenesis of airway inflammation diseases, and also presenting varying immunological characteristics among asthmatic children with or without allergic rhinitis.

Serum and CSF adiponectin, leptin, and interleukin 6 levels as adipocytokines in Egyptian children with febrile seizures: a cross-sectional study.

PubMed

Azab, Seham F; Abdalhady, Mohamed A; Almalky, Mohamed A A; Amin, Ezzat K; Sarhan, Dina T; Elhindawy, Eman M; Allah, Mayy A N; Elhewala, Ahmed A; Salam, Mohamed M A; Hashem, Mustafa I A; Soliman, Attia A; Akeel, Nagwa E; Abdellatif, Sawsan H; Elsamad, Nahla A; Rass, Anwar A; Arafat, Manal S

2016-04-12

A febrile seizure (FS) is the most common convulsive disorder in children. Activation of cytokine network is involved in FS pathogenesis. Adiponectin, leptin and IL-6 are the major adipocytokines secreted by fat cells. To date, only a few studies concerned the association of adipocytokines with febrile seizures. In this study, we tried to investigate serum and CSF levels of adiponectin, leptin, and interleukin-6 (IL-6); as adipocytokines, for the first time in Egyptian children with febrile seizures. This was a prospective cross-sectional study included one hundred patients with febrile seizure, and matched with age, gender, 100 children with febrile illness without seizures (febrile control, FC) and 100 healthy control group (HC). Serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) levels of adiponectin, leptin, and (IL-6) were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) method. Serum adiponectin was significantly higher in children with FS (16.8 ± 3.7 ug/ml) and the FC group (18.3 ± 4.3 ug/ml) compared to the HC group (9.5 ± 2.2 ug/ml); P < 0.05, respectively. Serum leptin was significantly lower in children with FS (0.9 ± 0.3 ng/ml) compared to both the FC group (4.7 ± 1.2 ng/ml) and the HC group (1.8 ± 0.4 ng/ml); P < 0.01, respectively. Children with FS had significantly higher serum IL-6 levels (43.7 ± 11.7 ng/ml) than the FC group (21.9 ± 4.5 ng/ml) and the HC group (6.5 ± 1.8 ng/ml); P < 0.01, respectively. Patients with simple febrile seizures (SFS) had serum and CSF adiponectin levels similar to those with complex febrile seizures (CFS); (P > 0.05). Serum and CSF leptin levels were significantly lower in patients with CFS compared to the SFS group (P < 0.05). Serum and CSF IL-6 levels were significantly higher in patients with CFS compared to the SFS group (P < 0.01). On multivariate logistic regression analysis, the high serum IL-6 levels was the most significant risk factor associated with febrile seizures among studied children (OR: 6.2; 95 % CI: 3.58 -10.57; P = 0.0001). Our data brought a novel observation that some adipocytokines like leptin and IL-6 could be, at least in part, an aetiopathogenetic factor in the manifestation of febrile seizures in susceptible Egyptian children. Moreover, we observed a significant association between high CSF IL-6 levels and susceptibility to complex febrile seizures as did the low CSF leptin levels.

Low carbohydrate, high fat diet increases C-reactive protein during weight loss.

PubMed

Rankin, Janet W; Turpyn, Abigail D

2007-04-01

Chronic inflammation is associated with elevated risk of heart disease and may be linked to oxidative stress in obesity. Our objective was to evaluate the effect of weight loss diet composition (low carbohydrate, high fat, LC or high carbohydrate, low fat, HC) on inflammation and to determine whether this was related to oxidative stress. Twenty nine overweight women, BMI 32.1 +/- 5.4 kg/m(2), were randomly assigned to a self-selected LC or HC diet for 4 wks. Weekly group sessions and diet record collections helped enhance compliance. Body weight, markers of inflammation (serum interleukin-6, IL-6; C-reactive protein, CRP) oxidative stress (urinary 8-epi-prostaglandin F2alpha, 8-epi) and fasting blood glucose and free fatty acids were measured weekly. The diets were similar in caloric intake (1357 kcal/d LC vs. 1361 HC, p=0.94), but differed in macronutrients (58, 12, 30 and 24, 59, 18 for percent of energy as fat, carbohydrate, and protein for LC and HC, respectively). Although LC lost more weight (3.8 +/- 1.2 kg LC vs. 2.6 +/- 1.7 HC, p=0.04), CRP increased 25%; this factor was reduced 43% in HC (p=0.02). For both groups, glucose decreased with weight loss (85.4 vs. 82.1 mg/dl for baseline and wk 4, p<0.01), while IL-6 increased (1.39 to 1.62 pg/mL, p=0.04). Urinary 8-epi varied differently over time between groups (p<0.05) with no consistent pattern. Diet composition of the weight loss diet influenced a key marker of inflammation in that LC increased while HC reduced serum CRP but evidence did not support that this was related to oxidative stress.

Attention bias in adults with anorexia nervosa, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and social anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

Schneier, Franklin R.; Kimeldorf, Marcia B.; Choo, Tse; Steinglass, Joanna E.; Wall, Melanie; Fyer, Abby J.; Simpson, H. Blair

2016-01-01

Background Attention bias to threat (selective attention toward threatening stimuli) has been frequently found in anxiety disorder samples, but its distribution both within and beyond this category is unclear. Attention bias has been studied extensively in social anxiety disorder (SAD) but relatively little in obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD), historically considered an anxiety disorder, or anorexia nervosa (AN), which is often characterized by interpersonal as well as body image/eating fears. Methods Medication-free adults with SAD (n=43), OCD (n=50), or AN (n=30), and healthy control volunteers (HC, n=74) were evaluated for attention bias with an established dot probe task presenting images of angry and neutral faces. Additional outcomes included attention bias variability (ABV), which summarizes fluctuation in attention between vigilance and avoidance, and has been reported to have superior reliability. We hypothesized that attention bias would be elevated in SAD and associated with SAD severity. Results Attention bias in each disorder did not differ from HC, but within the SAD group attention bias correlated significantly with severity of social avoidance. ABV was significantly lower in OCD versus HC, and it correlated positively with severity of OCD symptoms within the OCD group. Conclusions Findings do not support differences from HC in attention bias to threat faces for SAD, OCD, or AN. Within the SAD sample, the association of attention bias with severity of social avoidance is consistent with evidence that attention bias moderates development of social withdrawal. The association of ABV with OCD diagnosis and severity is novel and deserves further study. PMID:27174402

Interaction among subsystems within default mode network diminished in schizophrenia patients: a dynamic connectivity approach

PubMed Central

Du, Yuhui; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Yu, Qingbao; He, Hao; Lin, Dongdong; Sui, Jing; Wu, Lei; Calhoun, Vince D.

2015-01-01

Default mode network (DMN) has been reported altered in schizophrenia (SZ) using static connectivity analysis. However, the studies on dynamic characteristics of DMN in SZ are still limited. In this work, we compare dynamic connectivity within DMN between 82 healthy controls (HC) and 82 SZ patients using resting-state fMRI. Firstly, dynamic DMN was computed using a sliding time window method for each subject. Then, the overall connectivity strengths were compared between two groups. Furthermore, we estimated functional connectivity states using K-means clustering, and then investigated group differences with respect to the connectivity strengths in states, the dwell time in each state, and the transition times between states. Finally, graph metrics of time-varying connectivity patterns and connectivity states were assessed. Results suggest that measured by the overall connectivity, HC showed stronger inter-subsystem interaction than patients. Compared to HC, patients spent less time in the states with nodes tightly connected. For each state, SZ patients presented relatively weaker connectivity strengths mainly in inter-subsystem. Patients also exhibited lower values in averaged node strength, clustering coefficient, global efficiency, and local efficiency than HC. In summary, our findings indicate that SZ showed impaired interaction among DMN subsystems, with a reduced central role for posterior cingulate cortex (PCC) and anterior medial prefrontal cortex (aMPFC) hubs as well as weaker interaction between dorsal medial prefrontal cortex (dMPFC) subsystem and medial temporal lobe (MTL) subsystem. For SZ, decreased integration of DMN may be associated with impaired ability in making self-other distinctions and coordinating present mental states with episodic decisions about future. PMID:26654933

Immunological characteristics of subjects with asymptomatic skin sensitization to birch and grass pollen.

PubMed

Assing, K; Nielsen, C H; Poulsen, L K

2006-03-01

Asymptomatic skin sensitization (AS) has been shown to be a risk factor for respiratory allergic disease. We investigated allergen and recall antigen-driven T cell proliferation, cytokine production and T cell expression of the chemokine receptor CCR4, in cultures derived from symptomatic atopics (SA), subjects with AS and healthy controls (HC). Numbers of allergen-specific precursor T cells in all three groups were also estimated. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells from the three groups were isolated and stimulated with allergen and tetanus toxoid. Proliferation, cytokine production and CCR4 expression were measured by flow cytometry. A significantly increased proportion of CD4(+) memory T cells proliferated in response to allergen in SA as compared with subjects with AS (P<0.001) and HC (P<0.001). Only in SA was expansion of CD4(+)CCR4(+) T cells, after allergen stimulation observed. SA had higher frequencies of allergen-specific T cells than subjects with AS and HC (P=0.02, for both). With regard to allergen-induced production of T-helper type 1 (Th1) and Th2 cytokines, subjects with AS and HC resembled each other, while differing significantly from SA. We conclude, that subjects with AS, although clearly IgE sensitized, have significant diminished numbers of allergen-specific T cells as well as decreased allergen-induced CD4(+) memory T cell proliferation as compared with SA. To a large extent, our findings are capable of explaining the immunological characteristics associated with AS. Our findings may serve as better prognostic markers for subsequent allergic progression, than previously described clinical and paraclinical characteristics.

Differential neural responses to food images in women with bulimia versus anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Brooks, Samantha J; O'Daly, Owen G; Uher, Rudolf; Friederich, Hans-Christoph; Giampietro, Vincent; Brammer, Michael; Williams, Steven C R; Schiöth, Helgi B; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C

2011-01-01

Previous fMRI studies show that women with eating disorders (ED) have differential neural activation to viewing food images. However, despite clinical differences in their responses to food, differential neural activation to thinking about eating food, between women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) is not known. We compare 50 women (8 with BN, 18 with AN and 24 age-matched healthy controls [HC]) while they view food images during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). In response to food (vs non-food) images, women with BN showed greater neural activation in the visual cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right insular cortex and precentral gyrus, women with AN showed greater activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cerebellum and right precuneus. HC women activated the cerebellum, right insular cortex, right medial temporal lobe and left caudate. Direct comparisons revealed that compared to HC, the BN group showed relative deactivation in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus/insula, and visual cortex, and compared to AN had relative deactivation in the parietal lobe and dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, but greater activation in the caudate, superior temporal gyrus, right insula and supplementary motor area. Women with AN and BN activate top-down cognitive control in response to food images, yet women with BN have increased activation in reward and somatosensory regions, which might impinge on cognitive control over food consumption and binge eating.

Deficits of cognitive theory of mind and its relationship with functioning in individuals with an at-risk mental state and first-episode psychosis.

PubMed

Ohmuro, Noriyuki; Katsura, Masahiro; Obara, Chika; Kikuchi, Tatsuo; Sakuma, Atsushi; Iizuka, Kunio; Hamaie, Yumiko; Ito, Fumiaki; Matsuoka, Hiroo; Matsumoto, Kazunori

2016-09-30

Disturbance of theory of mind (ToM) and its relationship with functioning in schizophrenia is well documented; however, this is unclear in spectrum disorders like at-risk mental state (ARMS) and first-episode psychosis (FEP). To assess mental state reasoning ability, the total score of the Theory of Mind Picture Stories Task questionnaire was compared among 36 Japanese individuals with ARMS, 40 with FEP, and 25 healthy controls (HC). Pearson's correlations between ToM performance and global and social functioning indices were examined. ToM performance for FEP and ARMS subjects was significantly lower than that for HC, though the significance of the difference between the ARMS and HC disappeared when controlling for premorbid IQ. ToM deficits in ARMS subjects were confirmed only in the comprehension of higher-order false belief. Only among FEP subjects were ToM performance and global functioning significantly correlated, though the significance disappeared when controlling for neurocognitive performance or dose of antipsychotics. No significant correlation between ToM performance and social functioning was observed in the FEP and ARMS groups. The current findings suggest that ToM deficits emerge in ARMS subjects confined within a higher-order domain, and that the relationship between ToM impairment and functional deterioration might be established after psychosis onset. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Comparison of hydrocarbon yields in cotton from field grown vs. greenhouse grown plants

USDA-ARS?s Scientific Manuscript database

Four accession of cotton (SA-1181, 1403, 1419, and 2269) were grown both in field conditions and a greenhouse to compare the environmental effects on leaf biomass, % yield of hydrocarbons (HC), and total HC (g HC /g leaves) under natural and controlled (protected) conditions. Leaf biomass was simi...

Assessment without action; a randomised evaluation of the interRAI home care compared to a national assessment tool on identification of needs and service provision for older people in New Zealand.

PubMed

Parsons, Matthew; Senior, Hugh; Mei-Hu Chen, Xenia; Jacobs, Stephen; Parsons, John; Sheridan, Nicolette; Kenealy, Timothy

2013-09-01

Comprehensive geriatric assessment (CGA) is considered the cornerstone of good practice, as it identifies need across multiple domains such as social, physical and psychological. The interRAI home care (interRAI-HC), probably the most well-researched and supported community-based CGA has been implemented globally, often at considerable expense. Policy-makers, managers and clinicians anticipate significant gains in health outcomes following such investment; however, the implementation of CGA is often undertaken in the absence of community service development. This study sought to compare the interRAI-HC with an existing CGA [the Support Needs Assessment (SNA)] in community-dwelling older people. A randomised controlled trial was undertaken from January 2006 to January 2007 comparing the interRAI-HC and the SNA in 316 people (65+) referred for assessment of needs with follow-up at 1 and 4 months. Outcomes included health-related quality of life, physical function, social support, cognitive status, mood and health service usage as well as identified need. The study found that significantly more support needs were identified using the interRAI-HC compared to the SNA. More social and carer support were recommended by SNA and more rehabilitation and preventive health screens were recommended by interRAI-HC. Despite these differences, the mean healthcare use was similar at 4 months, although interRAI-HC participants had more Emergency Department presentations and hospital admissions. No statistically significant differences between groups were reported in terms of outcomes. In conclusion, the interRAI-HC was found to identify more unmet support needs than the SNA though resulted in no favourable outcomes for the older person or their carer. The study highlights the need to invest attention around the service context to maximise outcomes based on identified needs. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

No evidence of early head circumference enlargements in children later diagnosed with autism in Israel.

PubMed

Dinstein, Ilan; Haar, Shlomi; Atsmon, Shir; Schtaerman, Hen

2017-01-01

Large controversy exists regarding the potential existence and clinical significance of larger brain volumes in toddlers who later develop autism. Assessing this relationship is important for determining the clinical utility of early head circumference (HC) measures and for assessing the validity of the early overgrowth hypothesis of autism, which suggests that early accelerated brain development may be a hallmark of the disorder. We performed a retrospective comparison of HC, height, and weight measurements between 66 toddlers who were later diagnosed with autism and 66 matched controls. These toddlers represent an unbiased regional sample from a single health service provider in the southern district of Israel. On average, participating toddlers had >8 measurements between birth and the age of two, which enabled us to characterize individual HC, height, and weight development with high precision and fit a negative exponential growth model to the data of each toddler with exceptional accuracy. The analyses revealed that HC sizes and growth rates were not significantly larger in toddlers with autism even when stratifying the autism group based on verbal capabilities at the time of diagnosis. In addition, there were no significant correlations between ADOS scores at the time of diagnosis and HC at any time-point during the first 2 years of life. These negative results add to accumulating evidence, which suggest that brain volume is not necessarily larger in toddlers who develop autism. We believe that conflicting results reported in other studies are due to small sample sizes, use of misleading population norms, changes in the clinical definition of autism over time, and/or inclusion of individuals with syndromic autism. While abnormally large brains may be evident in some individuals with autism and more clearly visible in MRI scans, converging evidence from this and other studies suggests that enlarged HC is not a common etiology of the entire autism population. Early HC measures, therefore, offer very limited clinical utility for assessment of autism risk in the general population.

Different risk factors related to adenovirus- or BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis following allogeneic stem cell transplantation.

PubMed

Mori, Yasuo; Miyamoto, Toshihiro; Kato, Koji; Kamezaki, Kenjiro; Kuriyama, Takuro; Oku, Seido; Takenaka, Katsuto; Iwasaki, Hiromi; Harada, Naoki; Shiratsuchi, Motoaki; Abe, Yasunobu; Nagafuji, Koji; Teshima, Takanori; Akashi, Koichi

2012-03-01

Virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (HC) is a major cause of morbidity and mortality following allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Although numerous studies have attempted to identify factors that predispose patients to viral HC, its causes remain controversial. We analyzed retrospectively the results of 266 allogeneic HSCTs to identify factors associated with HC. Of this group, 42 patients (15.8%) were diagnosed with viral HC, because of either adenovirus (ADV; n = 26; 9.8%) or BK virus (BKV; n = 16; 6.0%). ADV-HC was frequently associated with T cell purging, and was less common in patients with acute graft-versus-host-disease (GVHD). Conversely, BKV-HC was more frequently observed in patients with excessive immune reactions such as GVHD, preengraftment immune reaction, and hemophagocytic syndrome. These observations indicate that ADV- and BKV-HC may differ significantly in their risk factors and pathogenesis. Profound immune deficiency is more likely to be associated with ADV-HC, whereas immune hyperactivity might play a key role in BKV-HC. Copyright © 2012 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of Resource Utilization Groups version III for Home Care (RUG-III/HC): evidence from a Canadian home care jurisdiction.

PubMed

Poss, Jeffrey W; Hirdes, John P; Fries, Brant E; McKillop, Ian; Chase, Mary

2008-04-01

The case-mix system Resource Utilization Groups version III for Home Care (RUG-III/HC) was derived using a modest data sample from Michigan, but to date no comprehensive large scale validation has been done. This work examines the performance of the RUG-III/HC classification using a large sample from Ontario, Canada. Cost episodes over a 13-week period were aggregated from individual level client billing records and matched to assessment information collected using the Resident Assessment Instrument for Home Care, from which classification rules for RUG-III/HC are drawn. The dependent variable, service cost, was constructed using formal services plus informal care valued at approximately one-half that of a replacement worker. An analytic dataset of 29,921 episodes showed a skewed distribution with over 56% of cases falling into the lowest hierarchical level, reduced physical functions. Case-mix index values for formal and informal cost showed very close similarities to those found in the Michigan derivation. Explained variance for a function of combined formal and informal cost was 37.3% (20.5% for formal cost alone), with personal support services as well as informal care showing the strongest fit to the RUG-III/HC classification. RUG-III/HC validates well compared with the Michigan derivation work. Potential enhancements to the present classification should consider the large numbers of undifferentiated cases in the reduced physical function group, and the low explained variance for professional disciplines.

Temperamental commonalities and differences in euthymic mood disorder patients, creative controls, and healthy controls.

PubMed

Nowakowska, Cecylia; Strong, Connie M; Santosa, Claudia M; Wang, Po W; Ketter, Terence A

2005-03-01

Understanding of mood disorders can be enhanced through assessment of temperamental traits. We explored temperamental commonalities and differences among euthymic bipolar (BP) and unipolar (MDD) mood disorder patients, creative discipline graduate student controls (CC), and healthy controls (HC). Forty-nine BP, 25 MDD, 32 CC, and 47 HC completed self-report temperament/personality measures including: The Affective Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego (TEMPS-A); the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R); and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). Euthymic BP, MDD, and CC, compared to HC, had significantly increased cyclothymia, dysthymia and irritability scores on TEMPS-A; increased neuroticism and decreased conscientiousness on NEO-PI-R; and increased harm avoidance and novelty seeking as well as decreased self-directedness on TCI. TEMPS-A cyclothymia scores were significantly higher in BP than in MDD. NEO-PI-R openness was increased in BP and CC, compared to HC, and in CC compared to MDD. TCI self-transcendence scores in BP were significantly higher than in MDD, CC, and HC. Most of the subjects were not professional artists, and represented many fields; temperament might be different in different art fields. Euthymic BP, MDD, and CC compared to HC, had prominent temperamental commonalities. However, BP and CC had the additional commonality of increased openness compared to HC. BP had particularly high Cyclothymia scores that were significantly higher then those of MDD. The prominent BP-CC overlap suggests underlying neurobiological commonalities between people with mood disorders and individuals involved in creative disciplines, consistent with the notion of a temperamental contribution to enhanced creativity in individuals with bipolar disorders.

Ghrelin and obestatin levels in rheumatoid arthritis.

PubMed

Koca, Suleyman Serdar; Ozgen, Metin; Aydin, Suleyman; Dag, Sait; Evren, Bahri; Isik, Ahmet

2008-10-01

Ghrelin is a powerful, endogenous orexigenic peptide. In addition, ghrelin has anti-inflammatory effects, and it has been reported that ghrelin down-regulates pro-inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)-1beta and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Obestatin appears to decrease food intake and appetite, and its potential role in inflammation is not yet clear. The aims of this study were to assess total and acylated (active) ghrelin and obestatin serum levels and their relations with inflammatory status in rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients. Fasting blood samples were obtained from 37 patients with RA, 29 patients with Behçet's disease (BD) and 28 healthy controls (HC). Total ghrelin and obestatin levels were measured by radioimmunoassay and acylated ghrelin was quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients with RA had lower total ghrelin, but higher obestatin levels than patients with BD (p<0.05 for both), but when compared with HC group differences were not significant. There was no difference across groups in terms of acylated ghrelin. Total ghrelin level was not correlated with any study parameters in the all groups. Obestatin level correlated with erythrocyte sedimentation rate and DAS-28 in the RA group, the level of IL-6 in the BD group, and with the level of TNF-alpha in the HC group (r=0.400, p<0.05; r=0.412, p<0.05, r=0.543, p<0.01 and r=0.528, p<0.05, respectively). Our results did not show a significant correlation between circulating ghrelin and clinical or laboratory markers of disease activity in RA. Surprisingly, obestatin correlated with some inflammatory markers. So, obestatin seems to be more valuable than ghrelin in the pathogenesis of RA.

Structural integrity of the contralesional hemisphere predicts cognitive impairment in ischemic stroke at three months.

PubMed

Dacosta-Aguayo, Rosalia; Graña, Manuel; Fernández-Andújar, Marina; López-Cancio, Elena; Cáceres, Cynthia; Bargalló, Núria; Barrios, Maite; Clemente, Immaculada; Monserrat, Pere Toran; Sas, Maite Alzamora; Dávalos, Antoni; Auer, Tibor; Mataró, Maria

2014-01-01

After stroke, white matter integrity can be affected both locally and distally to the primary lesion location. It has been shown that tract disruption in mirror's regions of the contralateral hemisphere is associated with degree of functional impairment. Fourteen patients suffering right hemispheric focal stroke (S) and eighteen healthy controls (HC) underwent Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) and neuropsychological assessment. The stroke patient group was divided into poor (SP; n = 8) and good (SG; n = 6) cognitive recovery groups according to their cognitive improvement from the acute phase (72 hours after stroke) to the subacute phase (3 months post-stroke). Whole-brain DWI data analysis was performed by computing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) followed by Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). Assessment of effects was obtained computing the correlation of the projections on TBSS skeleton of Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Radial Diffusivity (RD) with cognitive test results. Significant decrease of FA was found only in right brain anatomical areas for the S group when compared to the HC group. Analyzed separately, stroke patients with poor cognitive recovery showed additional significant FA decrease in several left hemisphere regions; whereas SG patients showed significant decrease only in the left genu of corpus callosum when compared to the HC. For the SG group, whole brain analysis revealed significant correlation between the performance in the Semantic Fluency test and the FA in the right hemisphere as well as between the performance in the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) and the Trail Making Test-part A and the FA in the left hemisphere. For the SP group, correlation analysis revealed significant correlation between the performance in the GPT and the FA in the right hemisphere.

Structural Integrity of the Contralesional Hemisphere Predicts Cognitive Impairment in Ischemic Stroke at Three Months

PubMed Central

Dacosta-Aguayo, Rosalia; Graña, Manuel; Fernández-Andújar, Marina; López-Cancio, Elena; Cáceres, Cynthia; Bargalló, Núria; Barrios, Maite; Clemente, Immaculada; Monserrat, Pere Toran; Sas, Maite Alzamora; Dávalos, Antoni

2014-01-01

After stroke, white matter integrity can be affected both locally and distally to the primary lesion location. It has been shown that tract disruption in mirror’s regions of the contralateral hemisphere is associated with degree of functional impairment. Fourteen patients suffering right hemispheric focal stroke (S) and eighteen healthy controls (HC) underwent Diffusion Weighted Imaging (DWI) and neuropsychological assessment. The stroke patient group was divided into poor (SP; n = 8) and good (SG; n = 6) cognitive recovery groups according to their cognitive improvement from the acute phase (72 hours after stroke) to the subacute phase (3 months post-stroke). Whole-brain DWI data analysis was performed by computing Diffusion Tensor Imaging (DTI) followed by Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS). Assessment of effects was obtained computing the correlation of the projections on TBSS skeleton of Fractional Anisotropy (FA) and Radial Diffusivity (RD) with cognitive test results. Significant decrease of FA was found only in right brain anatomical areas for the S group when compared to the HC group. Analyzed separately, stroke patients with poor cognitive recovery showed additional significant FA decrease in several left hemisphere regions; whereas SG patients showed significant decrease only in the left genu of corpus callosum when compared to the HC. For the SG group, whole brain analysis revealed significant correlation between the performance in the Semantic Fluency test and the FA in the right hemisphere as well as between the performance in the Grooved Pegboard Test (GPT) and theTrail Making Test-part A and the FA in the left hemisphere. For the SP group, correlation analysis revealed significant correlation between the performance in the GPT and the FA in the right hemisphere. PMID:24475078

Effect of phase-encoding direction on group analysis of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging.

PubMed

Mori, Yasuo; Miyata, Jun; Isobe, Masanori; Son, Shuraku; Yoshihara, Yujiro; Aso, Toshihiko; Kouchiyama, Takanori; Murai, Toshiya; Takahashi, Hidehiko

2018-05-17

Echo-planar imaging is a common technique used in functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), however it suffers from image distortion and signal loss because of large susceptibility effects that are related to the phase-encoding direction of the scan. Despite this relationship, the majority of neuroimaging studies have not considered the influence of phase-encoding direction. Here, we aimed to clarify how phase-encoding direction can affect the outcome of an fMRI connectivity study of schizophrenia. Resting-state fMRI using anterior to posterior (A-P) and posterior to anterior (P-A) directions was used to examine 25 patients with schizophrenia (SC) and 37 matched healthy controls (HC). We conducted a functional connectivity analysis using independent component analysis and performed three group comparisons: A-P vs. P-A (all participants), SC vs. HC for the A-P and P-A datasets, and the interaction between phase-encoding direction and participant group. The estimated functional connectivity differed between the two phase-encoding directions in areas that were more extensive than those where signal loss has been reported. Although functional connectivity in the SC group was lower than that in the HC group for both directions, the A-P and P-A conditions did not exhibit the same specific pattern of differences. Further, we observed an interaction between participant group and the phase-encoding direction in the left temporo-parietal junction and left fusiform gyrus. Phase-encoding direction can influence the results of functional connectivity studies. Thus, appropriate selection and documentation of phase-encoding direction will be important in future resting-state fMRI studies. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.

We-Measure: Toward a low-cost portable posturography for patients with multiple sclerosis using the commercial Wii balance board.

PubMed

Castelli, Letizia; Stocchi, Luca; Patrignani, Maurizio; Sellitto, Giovanni; Giuliani, Manuela; Prosperini, Luca

2015-12-15

This study was aimed at investigating whether postural sway measures derived from a standard force platform were similar to those generated by a custom-written software ("We-Measure") acquiring and processing data from a commercial Nintendo balance board (BB). For this purpose, 90 patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) and 50 healthy controls (HC) were tested in a single-day session with a reference standard force platform and a BB-based system. Despite its acceptable between-device agreement (tested by visual evaluation of Bland-Altman plot), the low-cost BB-based system tended to overestimate postural sway when compared to the reference standard force platform in both MS and HC groups (on average +30% and +54%, respectively). Between-device reliability was just adequate (MS: 66%, HC: 47%), while test-retest reliability was excellent (MS: 84%, HC: 88%). Concurrent validity evaluation showed similar performance between the reference standard force platform and the BB-based system in discriminating fallers and non-fallers among patients with MS. All these findings may encourage the use of this balance board-based new device in longitudinal study, rather than in cross-sectional design, thus providing a potential useful tool for multicenter settings. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Neuroimaging investigations of dorsal stream processing and effects of stimulus synchrony in schizophrenia.

PubMed

Sanfratello, Lori; Aine, Cheryl; Stephen, Julia

2018-05-25

Impairments in auditory and visual processing are common in schizophrenia (SP). In the unisensory realm visual deficits are primarily noted for the dorsal visual stream. In addition, insensitivity to timing offsets between stimuli are widely reported for SP. The aim of the present study was to test at the physiological level differences in dorsal/ventral stream visual processing and timing sensitivity between SP and healthy controls (HC) using MEG and a simple auditory/visual task utilizing a variety of multisensory conditions. The paradigm included all combinations of synchronous/asynchronous and central/peripheral stimuli, yielding 4 task conditions. Both HC and SP groups showed activation in parietal areas (dorsal visual stream) during all multisensory conditions, with parietal areas showing decreased activation for SP relative to HC, and a significantly delayed peak of activation for SP in intraparietal sulcus (IPS). We also observed a differential effect of stimulus synchrony on HC and SP parietal response. Furthermore, a (negative) correlation was found between SP positive symptoms and activity in IPS. Taken together, our results provide evidence of impairment of the dorsal visual stream in SP during a multisensory task, along with an altered response to timing offsets between presented multisensory stimuli. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Electrophysiological resting-state biomarker for diagnosing mesial temporal lobe epilepsy with hippocampal sclerosis.

PubMed

Jin, Seung-Hyun; Chung, Chun Kee

2017-01-01

The main aim of the present study was to evaluate whether resting-state functional connectivity of magnetoencephalography (MEG) signals can differentiate patients with mesial temporal lobe epilepsy (MTLE) from healthy controls (HC) and can differentiate between right and left MTLE as a diagnostic biomarker. To this end, a support vector machine (SVM) method among various machine learning algorithms was employed. We compared resting-state functional networks between 46 MTLE (right MTLE=23; left MTLE=23) patients with histologically proven HS who were free of seizure after surgery, and 46 HC. The optimal SVM group classifier distinguished MTLE patients with a mean accuracy of 95.1% (sensitivity=95.8%; specificity=94.3%). Increased connectivity including the right posterior cingulate gyrus and decreased connectivity including at least one sensory-related resting-state network were key features reflecting the differences between MTLE patients and HC. The optimal SVM model distinguished between right and left MTLE patients with a mean accuracy of 76.2% (sensitivity=76.0%; specificity=76.5%). We showed the potential of electrophysiological resting-state functional connectivity, which reflects brain network reorganization in MTLE patients, as a possible diagnostic biomarker to differentiate MTLE patients from HC and differentiate between right and left MTLE patients. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Cannabis abuse is associated with better emotional memory in schizophrenia: a functional magnetic resonance imaging study.

PubMed

Bourque, Josiane; Mendrek, Adrianna; Durand, Myriam; Lakis, Nadia; Lipp, Olivier; Stip, Emmanuel; Lalonde, Pierre; Grignon, Sylvain; Potvin, Stéphane

2013-10-30

In schizophrenia cannabis abuse/dependence is associated with poor compliance and psychotic relapse. Despite this, the reasons for cannabis abuse remain elusive, but emotions may play a critical role in this comorbidity. Accordingly, we performed a functional magnetic resonance imaging study of emotional memory in schizophrenia patients with cannabis abuse (dual-diagnosis, DD). Participants comprised 14 DD patients, 14 non-abusing schizophrenia patients (SCZ), and 21 healthy controls (HC) who had to recognize positive and negative pictures while being scanned. Recognition of positive and negative emotions was prominently impaired in SCZ patients, relative to HC, while differences between DD and HC were smaller. For positive and negative stimuli, we observed significant activations in frontal, limbic, temporal and occipital regions in HC; in frontal, limbic and temporal regions in DD; and in temporal, parietal, limbic and occipital regions in the SCZ group. Our results suggest that emotional memory and prefrontal lobe functioning are preserved in DD relative to SCZ patients. These results are consistent with previous findings showing that cannabis abuse is associated with fewer negative symptoms and better cognitive functioning in schizophrenia. Longitudinal studies will need to determine whether the relative preservation of emotional memory is primary or secondary to cannabis abuse in schizophrenia. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Percutaneous biliary approach as a successful rescue procedure after failed endoscopic therapy for drainage in advanced hilar tumors.

PubMed

Jang, Sung Ill; Hwang, Jin-Hyeok; Lee, Kwang-Hun; Yu, Jeong-Sik; Kim, Hee Wook; Yoon, Chang Jin; Lee, Yoon Suk; Paik, Kyu Hyun; Lee, Sang Hyub; Lee, Dong Ki

2017-04-01

Palliative endoscopic or percutaneous biliary drainage is used for unresectable advanced hilar cancer (HC). The best option for drainage in Bismuth type III or IV HC has not been established. The aims of this study are to identify factors predictive of endoscopic stenting failure and evaluate the effectiveness of rescue percutaneous stenting in patients with advanced HC. Data from 110 patients with inoperable advanced HC were retrospectively reviewed. All received bilateral self-expandable metallic stents. Patients were divided into three groups: I, successful initial endoscopic stenting; II, unsuccessful initial endoscopic stenting, followed by percutaneous stenting; and III, initial percutaneous stenting. We analyzed clinical results and radiologic tumor characteristics. Baseline characteristics and clinical outcomes of all groups were similar, except the hospital stay was longer in group III than group I. Technical success rate was higher in groups II and III (100%) than in group I (72.4%). The functional success rate, stent patency time, patient survival time, and complication rate were similar between groups. Endoscopic stenting failed because of guide-wire passage failure (n = 12) or stent passage failure (n = 7). The only factor significantly associated with endoscopic failure was a smaller left intrahepatic duct-common bile duct angle. As clinical outcomes were generally similar between approaches, percutaneous stenting is recommended for patients with Bismuth type III or IV advanced HC. Acute left intrahepatic duct-common bile duct angulation predicts endoscopic stenting failure. If endoscopic stenting fails, immediate conversion to the percutaneous approach is a necessary and effective rescue method. © 2016 Journal of Gastroenterology and Hepatology Foundation and John Wiley & Sons Australia, Ltd.

Evolving Identification of Blood Cells Associated with Clinically Isolated Syndrome: Importance of Time since Clinical Presentation and Diagnostic MRI

PubMed Central

Trend, Stephanie; Jones, Anderson P.; Geldenhuys, Sian; Byrne, Scott N.; Fabis-Pedrini, Marzena J.; Nolan, David; Booth, David R.; Carroll, William M.; Lucas, Robyn M.; Kermode, Allan G.; Hart, Prue H.

2017-01-01

It is not clear how the profile of immune cells in peripheral blood differs between patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and healthy controls (HC). This study aimed to identify a CIS peripheral blood signature that may provide clues for potential immunomodulatory approaches early in disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 18 people with CIS, 19 HC and 13 individuals with other demyelinating conditions (ODC) including multiple sclerosis (MS). Individuals with CIS separated into two groups, namely those with early (≤14 days post-diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); n = 6) and late (≥27 days; n = 12) blood sampling. Transitional B cells were increased in the blood of CIS patients independently of when blood was taken. However, there were two time-dependent effects found in the late CIS group relative to HC, including decreased CD56bright NK cells, which correlated significantly with time since MRI, and increased CD141+ myeloid dendritic cell (mDC2) frequencies. Higher CD1c+ B cells and lower non-classical monocyte frequencies were characteristic of more recent demyelinating disease activity (ODC and early CIS). Analysing cell populations by time since symptoms (subjective) and diagnostic MRI (objective) may contribute to understanding CIS. PMID:28617321

The Neurobiology of Self-knowledge in Depressed and Self-injurious Youth

PubMed Central

Quevedo, Karina; Martin, Jodi; Scott, Hannah; Smyda, Garry; Pfeifer, Jennifer H.

2016-01-01

There is limited information regarding the neurobiology underlying non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) in clinically-referred youth. However, the salience of disturbed interpersonal relationships and disrupted self-processing associated with NSSI suggests the neural basis of social processes as a key area for additional study. Adolescent participants (N=123; M=14.75 years, SD=1.64) were divided into three groups: NSSI plus depression diagnosis (NSSI), depression only (DEP), healthy controls (HC). In the scanner, participants completed an Interpersonal Self-Processing task by taking direct (own) and indirect (mothers’, best friends’, or classmates’) perspectives regarding self-characteristics. Across all perspectives, NSSI showed higher BOLD activation in limbic areas, and anterior and posterior cortical midline structures versus DEP and HC, while HC showed greater activity in rostrolateral, frontal pole and occipital cortex than NSSI and DEP youth. Moreover, NSSI youth showed heightened responses in amygdala, hippocampus, parahippocampus, and fusiform when taking their mothers’ perspective, which were negatively correlated with self-reports of the mother’s support of adolescents’ emotional distress in the NSSI group. NSSI youth also yielded greater precuneus and posterior cingulate cortex activity during indirect self-processing from their classmates’ perspective. Findings suggest a role for disruptions in self- and emotion-processing, and conflicted social relationships in the neurobiology of NSSI among depressed adolescents. PMID:27442923

Behavioral and autonomic reactivity to moral dilemmas in frontotemporal dementia versus Alzheimer's disease.

PubMed

Fong, Sylvia S; Navarrete, Carlos David; Perfecto, Sean E; Carr, Andrew R; Jimenez, Elvira E; Mendez, Mario F

2017-08-01

The personal/impersonal distinction of moral decision-making postulates intuitive emotional responses from medial frontal activity and rational evaluation from lateral frontal activity. This model can be analyzed in behavioral variant frontotemporal dementia (bvFTD), a disorder characterized by impaired emotional intuitions, ventromedial prefrontal cortex (vmPFC) involvement, and relative sparing of lateral frontal regions. Moral dilemmas were presented to 10 bvFTD, 11 Alzheimer's disease (AD), and 9 healthy control (HC) participants while recording skin conductance responses, a measure of emotional arousal. We evaluated their personal versus impersonal conflict, subjective discomfort, and adherence to social norms. Replicating prior work, bvFTD participants were more willing to harm in the personal, but not the impersonal, dilemma compared to AD and HC groups. BvFTD participants had lower arousal and less of an increase in conflict on the personal versus the impersonal dilemma, in contrast to increased arousal and conflict for the AD and HC groups. Furthermore, bvFTD participants verbalized less discomfort, a correlate of low adherence to social norms. These findings support impaired emotional reactions to moral dilemmas in bvFTD and vmPFC lesions and the personal/impersonal model. It suggests a reversion to utilitarian-like considerations when emotional intuition is impaired in the brain.

Basal ganglia and thalamic morphology in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Womer, Fay Y; Wang, Lei; Alpert, Kathryn I; Smith, Matthew J; Csernansky, John G; Barch, Deanna M; Mamah, Daniel

2014-08-30

In this study, we examined the morphology of the basal ganglia and thalamus in bipolar disorder (BP), schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SCZ-S), and healthy controls (HC) with particular interest in differences related to the absence or presence of psychosis. Volumetric and shape analyses of the basal ganglia and thalamus were performed in 33 BP individuals [12 without history of psychotic features (NPBP) and 21 with history of psychotic features (PBP)], 32 SCZ-S individuals [28 with SCZ and 4 with schizoaffective disorder], and 27 HC using FreeSurfer-initiated large deformation diffeomorphic metric mapping. Significant volume differences were found in the caudate and globus pallidus, with volumes smallest in the NPBP group. Shape abnormalities showing inward deformation of superior regions of the caudate were observed in BP (and especially in NPBP) compared with HC. Shape differences were also found in the globus pallidus and putamen when comparing BP and SCZ-S groups. No significant differences were seen in the nucleus accumbens and thalamus. In summary, structural abnormalities in the caudate and globus pallidus are present in BP and SCZ-S. Differences were more apparent in the NPBP subgroup. The findings herein highlight the potential importance of separately examining BP subgroups in neuroimaging studies. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Sensitive period for white-matter connectivity of superior temporal cortex in deaf people.

PubMed

Li, Yanyan; Ding, Guosheng; Booth, James R; Huang, Ruiwang; Lv, Yating; Zang, Yufeng; He, Yong; Peng, Danling

2012-02-01

Previous studies have shown that white matter in the deaf brain changes due to hearing loss. However, how white-matter development is influenced by early hearing experience of deaf people is still unknown. Using diffusion tensor imaging and tract-based spatial statistics, we compared white-matter structures among three groups of subjects including 60 congenitally deaf individuals, 36 acquired deaf (AD) individuals, and 38 sex- and age-matched hearing controls (HC). The result showed that the deaf individuals had significantly reduced fractional anisotropy (FA) values in bilateral superior temporal cortex and the splenium of corpus callosum compared to HC. The reduction of FA values in acquired deafness correlated with onset age of deafness, but not the duration of deafness. To explore the underlying mechanism of FA changes in the deaf groups, we further analyzed radial and axial diffusivities and found that (1) the reduced FA values in deaf individuals compared to HC is primarily driven by higher radial diffusivity values and (2) in the AD, higher radial diffusivity was correlated with earlier onset age of deafness, but not the duration of deafness. These findings imply that early sensory experience is critical for the growth of fiber myelination, and anatomical reorganization following auditory deprivation is sensitive to early plasticity in the brain. Copyright © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Evolving Identification of Blood Cells Associated with Clinically Isolated Syndrome: Importance of Time since Clinical Presentation and Diagnostic MRI.

PubMed

Trend, Stephanie; Jones, Anderson P; Geldenhuys, Sian; Byrne, Scott N; Fabis-Pedrini, Marzena J; Nolan, David; Booth, David R; Carroll, William M; Lucas, Robyn M; Kermode, Allan G; Hart, Prue H

2017-06-15

It is not clear how the profile of immune cells in peripheral blood differs between patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS) and healthy controls (HC). This study aimed to identify a CIS peripheral blood signature that may provide clues for potential immunomodulatory approaches early in disease. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from 18 people with CIS, 19 HC and 13 individuals with other demyelinating conditions (ODC) including multiple sclerosis (MS). Individuals with CIS separated into two groups, namely those with early (≤14 days post-diagnostic magnetic resonance imaging (MRI); n = 6) and late (≥27 days; n = 12) blood sampling. Transitional B cells were increased in the blood of CIS patients independently of when blood was taken. However, there were two time-dependent effects found in the late CIS group relative to HC, including decreased CD56bright NK cells, which correlated significantly with time since MRI, and increased CD141+ myeloid dendritic cell (mDC2) frequencies. Higher CD1c+ B cells and lower non-classical monocyte frequencies were characteristic of more recent demyelinating disease activity (ODC and early CIS). Analysing cell populations by time since symptoms (subjective) and diagnostic MRI (objective) may contribute to understanding CIS.

Abnormalities in metabolite concentrations in tourette's disorder and obsessive-compulsive disorder-A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy study.

PubMed

Fan, Siyan; Cath, Danielle C; van den Heuvel, Odile A; van der Werf, Ysbrand D; Schöls, Caroline; Veltman, Dick J; Pouwels, Petra J W

2017-03-01

Abnormal glutamatergic transmission in cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) circuits is thought to be involved in the pathophysiology of Tourette's disorder (TD) and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Using proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy, the current study aimed to investigate regional concentrations of glutamatergic compounds in TD and OCD patients in comparison to healthy control subjects (HC). Twenty-three TD patients, 20 OCD patients and 22 HC were included. Short echo-time single-voxel 3T MRS was obtained from dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC) and midline bilateral thalamus. The 3-group comparison showed a significant difference in choline concentration in the thalamus. Thalamic choline was highest in OCD patients, showing a significant difference with TD, and a trend compared to HC (post-hoc analyses). Glutamine in dACC correlated negatively with tic severity scores in TD patients, while glutamate in thalamus correlated positively with anxiety severity scores in OCD patients. These findings suggest subtle differences in metabolites in CSTC areas between TD and OCD. Alterations of choline concentrations seem to be both regional (only in thalamus, not in dACC) and disease specific in OCD pathology. The findings need replication in larger groups, but encourage further research into glutamatergic metabolites in TD and OCD. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Visualizing Hyperactivation in Neurodegeneration Based on Prefrontal Oxygenation: A Comparative Study of Mild Alzheimer's Disease, Mild Cognitive Impairment, and Healthy Controls

PubMed Central

Yap, Kah Hui; Ung, Wei Chun; Ebenezer, Esther G. M.; Nordin, Nadira; Chin, Pui See; Sugathan, Sandheep; Chan, Sook Ching; Yip, Hung Loong; Kiguchi, Masashi; Tang, Tong Boon

2017-01-01

Background: Cognitive performance is relatively well preserved during early cognitive impairment owing to compensatory mechanisms. Methods: We explored functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) alongside a semantic verbal fluency task (SVFT) to investigate any compensation exhibited by the prefrontal cortex (PFC) in Mild Cognitive Impairment (MCI) and mild Alzheimer's disease (AD). In addition, a group of healthy controls (HC) was studied. A total of 61 volunteers (31 HC, 12 patients with MCI and 18 patients with mild AD) took part in the present study. Results: Although not statistically significant, MCI exhibited a greater mean activation of both the right and left PFC, followed by HC and mild AD. Analysis showed that in the left PFC, the time taken for HC to achieve the activation level was shorter than MCI and mild AD (p = 0.0047 and 0.0498, respectively); in the right PFC, mild AD took a longer time to achieve the activation level than HC and MCI (p = 0.0469 and 0.0335, respectively); in the right PFC, HC, and MCI demonstrated a steeper slope compared to mild AD (p = 0.0432 and 0. 0107, respectively). The results were, however, not significant when corrected by the Bonferroni-Holm method. There was also found to be a moderately positive correlation (R = 0.5886) between the oxygenation levels in the left PFC and a clinical measure [Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score] in MCI subjects uniquely. Discussion: The hyperactivation in MCI coupled with a better SVFT performance may suggest neural compensation, although it is not known to what degree hyperactivation manifests as a potential indicator of compensatory mechanisms. However, hypoactivation plus a poorer SVFT performance in mild AD might indicate an inability to compensate due to the degree of structural impairment. Conclusion: Consistent with the scaffolding theory of aging and cognition, the task-elicited hyperactivation in MCI might reflect the presence of compensatory mechanisms and hypoactivation in mild AD could reflect an inability to compensate. Future studies will investigate the fNIRS parameters with a larger sample size, and their validity as prognostic biomarkers of neurodegeneration. PMID:28919856

Successful group psychotherapy of depression in adolescents alters fronto-limbic resting-state connectivity.

PubMed

Straub, J; Metzger, C D; Plener, P L; Koelch, M G; Groen, G; Abler, B

2017-02-01

Current resting state imaging findings support suggestions that the neural signature of depression and therefore also its therapy should be conceptualized as a network disorder rather than a dysfunction of specific brain regions. In this study, we compared neural connectivity of adolescent patients with depression (PAT) and matched healthy controls (HC) and analysed pre-to-post changes of seed-based network connectivities in PAT after participation in a cognitive behavioral group psychotherapy (CBT). 38 adolescents (30 female; 19 patients; 13-18 years) underwent an eyes-closed resting-state scan. PAT were scanned before (pre) and after (post) five sessions of CBT. Resting-state functional connectivity was analysed in a seed-based approach for right-sided amygdala and subgenual anterior cingulate cortex (sgACC). Symptom severity was assessed using the Beck Depression Inventory Revision (BDI-II). Prior to group CBT, between groups amygdala and sgACC connectivity with regions of the default mode network was stronger in the patients group relative to controls. Within the PAT group, a similar pattern significantly decreased after successful CBT. Conversely, seed-based connectivity with affective regions and regions processing cognition and salient stimuli was stronger in HC relative to PAT before CBT. Within the PAT group, a similar pattern changed with CBT. Changes in connectivity correlated with the significant pre-to-post symptom improvement, and pre-treatment amygdala connectivity predicted treatment response in depressed adolescents. Sample size and missing long-term follow-up limit the interpretability. Successful group psychotherapy of depression in adolescents involved connectivity changes in resting state networks to that of healthy controls. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in Parkinson's Disease: Potential as Trait-, Progression- and Prediction Marker and Confounding Factors.

PubMed

Bernhard, Felix P; Heinzel, Sebastian; Binder, Gerhard; Weber, Karin; Apel, Anja; Roeben, Benjamin; Deuschle, Christian; Maechtel, Mirjam; Heger, Tanja; Nussbaum, Susanne; Gasser, Thomas; Maetzler, Walter; Berg, Daniela

2016-01-01

Biomarkers indicating trait, progression and prediction of pathology and symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) often lack specificity or reliability. Investigating biomarker variance between individuals and over time and the effect of confounding factors is essential for the evaluation of biomarkers in PD, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). IGF-1 serum levels were investigated in up to 8 biannual visits in 37 PD patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) in the longitudinal MODEP study. IGF-1 baseline levels and annual changes in IGF-1 were compared between PD patients and HC while accounting for baseline disease duration (19 early stage: ≤3.5 years; 18 moderate stage: >4 years), age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and common medical factors putatively modulating IGF-1. In addition, associations of baseline IGF-1 with annual changes of motor, cognitive and depressive symptoms and medication dose were investigated. PD patients in moderate (130±26 ng/mL; p = .004), but not early stages (115±19, p>.1), showed significantly increased baseline IGF-1 levels compared with HC (106±24 ng/mL; p = .017). Age had a significant negative correlation with IGF-1 levels in HC (r = -.47, p = .028) and no correlation in PD patients (r = -.06, p>.1). BMI was negatively correlated in the overall group (r = -.28, p = .034). The annual changes in IGF-1 did not differ significantly between groups and were not correlated with disease duration. Baseline IGF-1 levels were not associated with annual changes of clinical parameters. Elevated IGF-1 in serum might differentiate between patients in moderate PD stages and HC. However, the value of serum IGF-1 as a trait-, progression- and prediction marker in PD is limited as IGF-1 showed large inter- and intraindividual variability and may be modulated by several confounders.

504 Participation of Invariant NKT Cells (Vα24Jα18) during Asthma Exacerbation in Children

PubMed Central

Carpio-Pedroza, Juan Carlos; del Rio-Navarro, Blanca Estela; del Río-Chivardí, Jaime Mariano; Morales-Flores, Amelia; Jiménez-Zamudio, Luis Antonio; Moreno-Lafont, Martha; Pedraza-Sánchez, Sigifredo; Vaughan-Figueroa, Juan Gilberto; Escobar-Gutiérrez, Alejandro

2012-01-01

Background Invariant NKT cells (or type 1 NKT cells) co-express CD3 marker and NK receptors (CD56, CD161) and use a single type of TCRα chain (Vα24Jα18 for humans), comprising CD4-CD8-, CD4+ and CD8+ subsets. Participation of these cells and their cytokines in asthmatic children, in stable conditions and under exacerbation, was studied. Methods Three groups on children (6–12 years old) were selected: 1) asthmatics under exacerbation attack (AE) within the first 24 hours after the attack and before starting any treatment; 2) asthmatics with stable asthma (SA), without symptoms for at least a month before bleeding; and 3) healthy controls (HC) without history of asthma, atopy and with normal lung function were selected in the Allergy and Clinical Immunology Service, Hospital Infantil de Mexico. Invariant NKT cells and subset levels as well as intracellular cytokines were evaluated in whole blood by 4-color flow cytometry (antibodies against CD3, CD4, CD8, CD161, Va24, IL-4 and IFN-g). Results Proportion of iNKT cells among total CD3+ cells in HC group was 0.9%, while in SA patients they were increased up to 2.6%; interestingly, during exacerbation such cells were dimished (1.8%). Concerning iNKT CD4+ cells were 0.6% in HC, 1.8% in SA, and 0.7% in AE, while iNKT CD8+ cells were 0.1% in HC, 0.7% in SA, and 0.4% in AE. Both iNKT cell subsets expressed intracellular IFN-g and IL-4 cytokines in AE, SA and HC but predominantly IFN-g in iNKT CD8+ cells from AE patients. Conclusions iNKT cells participation in asthma pathogenesis was confirmed. Increase of IFN-g production in patients with exacerbations, may provide a regulatory environment to stabilize the condition.

Insulin-Like Growth Factor 1 (IGF-1) in Parkinson's Disease: Potential as Trait-, Progression- and Prediction Marker and Confounding Factors

PubMed Central

Binder, Gerhard; Weber, Karin; Apel, Anja; Roeben, Benjamin; Deuschle, Christian; Maechtel, Mirjam; Heger, Tanja; Nussbaum, Susanne; Gasser, Thomas; Maetzler, Walter; Berg, Daniela

2016-01-01

Introduction Biomarkers indicating trait, progression and prediction of pathology and symptoms in Parkinson's disease (PD) often lack specificity or reliability. Investigating biomarker variance between individuals and over time and the effect of confounding factors is essential for the evaluation of biomarkers in PD, such as insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1). Materials and Methods IGF-1 serum levels were investigated in up to 8 biannual visits in 37 PD patients and 22 healthy controls (HC) in the longitudinal MODEP study. IGF-1 baseline levels and annual changes in IGF-1 were compared between PD patients and HC while accounting for baseline disease duration (19 early stage: ≤3.5 years; 18 moderate stage: >4 years), age, sex, body mass index (BMI) and common medical factors putatively modulating IGF-1. In addition, associations of baseline IGF-1 with annual changes of motor, cognitive and depressive symptoms and medication dose were investigated. Results PD patients in moderate (130±26 ng/mL; p = .004), but not early stages (115±19, p>.1), showed significantly increased baseline IGF-1 levels compared with HC (106±24 ng/mL; p = .017). Age had a significant negative correlation with IGF-1 levels in HC (r = -.47, p = .028) and no correlation in PD patients (r = -.06, p>.1). BMI was negatively correlated in the overall group (r = -.28, p = .034). The annual changes in IGF-1 did not differ significantly between groups and were not correlated with disease duration. Baseline IGF-1 levels were not associated with annual changes of clinical parameters. Discussion Elevated IGF-1 in serum might differentiate between patients in moderate PD stages and HC. However, the value of serum IGF-1 as a trait-, progression- and prediction marker in PD is limited as IGF-1 showed large inter- and intraindividual variability and may be modulated by several confounders. PMID:26967642

Altered interactions of tryptophan metabolites in first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia

PubMed Central

Yao, JK; Dougherty, GG; Reddy, RD; Keshavan, MS; Montrose, DM; Matson, WR; Rozen, S; Krishnan, RR; McEvoy, J; Kaddurah-Daouk, R

2010-01-01

Schizophrenia is characterized by complex and dynamically interacting perturbations in multiple neurochemical systems. In the past, evidence for these alterations has been collected piecemeal, limiting our understanding of the interactions among relevant biological systems. Earlier, both hyper- and hyposerotonemia were variously associated with the longitudinal course of schizophrenia, suggesting a disturbance in the central serotonin (5-hydroxytrypt-amine (5-HT)) function. Using a targeted electrochemistry-based metabolomics platform, we compared metabolic signatures consisting of 13 plasma tryptophan (Trp) metabolites simultaneously between first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with schizophrenia (FENNS, n = 25) and healthy controls (HC, n = 30). We also compared these metabolites between FENNS at baseline (BL) and 4 weeks (4w) after antipsychotic treatment. N-acetylserotonin was increased in FENNS-BL compared with HC (P = 0.0077, which remained nearly significant after Bonferroni correction). N-acetylserotonin/Trp and melatonin (Mel)/serotonin ratios were higher, and Mel/N-acetylserotonin ratio was lower in FENNS-BL (all P-values < 0.0029), but not after treatment, compared with HC volunteers. All three groups had highly significant correlations between Trp and its metabolites, Mel, kynurenine, 3-hydroxykynurenine and tryptamine. However, in the HC, but in neither of the FENNS groups, serotonin was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or tryptamine, and 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5HIAA) was highly correlated with Trp, Mel, kynurenine or 3-hydroxykynurenine. A significant difference between HC and FENNS-BL was further shown only for the Trp–5HIAA correlation. Thus, some metabolite interactions within the Trp pathway seem to be altered in the FENNS-BL patients. Conversion of serotonin to N-acetylserotonin by serotonin N-acetyltransferase may be upregulated in FENNS patients, possibly related to the observed alteration in Trp–5HIAA correlation. Considering N-acetylserotonin as a potent antioxidant, such increases in N-acetylserotonin might be a compensatory response to increased oxidative stress, implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. PMID:19401681

Ontogenetic development of the inner ear saccule and utricle in the Lusitanian toadfish: Potential implications for auditory sensitivity.

PubMed

Chaves, Patrícia P; Valdoria, Ciara M C; Amorim, M Clara P; Vasconcelos, Raquel O

2017-09-01

Studies addressing structure-function relationships of the fish auditory system during development are sparse compared to other taxa. The Batrachoididae has become an important group to investigate mechanisms of auditory plasticity and evolution of auditory-vocal systems. A recent study reported ontogenetic improvements in the inner ear saccule sensitivity of the Lusitanian toadfish, Halobatrachus didactylus, but whether this results from changes in the sensory morphology remains unknown. We investigated how the macula and organization of auditory receptors in the saccule and utricle change during growth in this species. Inner ear sensory epithelia were removed from the end organs of previously PFA-fixed specimens, from non-vocal posthatch fry (<1.4 cm, standard length) to adults (>23 cm). Epithelia were phalloidin-stained and analysed for area, shape, number and orientation patterns of hair cells (HC), and number and size of saccular supporting cells (SC). Saccular macula area expanded 41x in total, and significantly more (relative to body length) among vocal juveniles (2.3-2.9 cm). Saccular HC number increased 25x but HC density decreased, suggesting that HC addition is slower relative to epithelial growth. While SC density decreased, SC apical area increased, contributing to the epithelial expansion. The utricule revealed increased HC density (striolar region) and less epithelial expansion (5x) with growth, contrasting with the saccule that may have a different developmental pattern due to its larger size and main auditory functions. Both macula shape and HC orientation patterns were already established in the posthatch fry and retained throughout growth in both end organs. We suggest that previously reported ontogenetic improvements in saccular sensitivity might be associated with changes in HC number (not density), size and/or molecular mechanisms controlling HC sensitivity. This is one of the first studies investigating the ontogenetic development of the saccule and utricle in a vocal fish and how it potentially relates to auditory enhancement for acoustic communication. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Apocynin alleviated hepatic oxidative burden and reduced liver injury in hypercholesterolaemia.

PubMed

Lu, Long-Sheng; Wu, Chau-Chung; Hung, Li-Man; Chiang, Meng-Tsan; Lin, Ching-Ting; Lin, Chii-Wann; Su, Ming-Jai

2007-05-01

This study addressed the effects of apocynin, a nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase inhibitor, on hepatic oxidative burden and liver injury during diet-induced hypercholesterolaemia. Male Wistar rats were fed a 4% cholesterol-enriched diet for 3 weeks. Apocynin was administered in drinking water concurrently. The high-cholesterol diet (HC) significantly increased the serum level of cholesterol and hepatic cholesterol ester deposition, and these parameters were similar between the HC and high-cholesterol diet plus apocynin (HCA) groups. The HC group showed abnormal liver function tests [alanine aminotransferase (ALT), aspartate aminotransferase (AST), and alkaline phosphatase (Alk-P)] as well as increased Evans blue extravasation and macrophages infiltration. Apocynin treatment could suppress these inflammation-related parameters. In vivo measurement of NADPH-derived cellular autofluorescence suggested that HC increased oxidative stress in hepatocytes. Biochemical analysis of redox status including thiobarbituric acid reactive substances, reduced glutathione, and oxidized glutathione also confirmed the phenomenon. Apocynin treatment was able to alleviate these indices of oxidative burden owing to HC. Furthermore, apocynin-abrogated HC induced gp91(phox) expression, suggesting the involvement of NADPH oxidase in the pathogenesis. We concluded that apocynin suppressed NADPH oxidase activation and subsequent liver injuries owing to high-cholesterol intake in rats. The impacts of cholesterol metabolism disorders on pathogenesis and progression of steatohepatitis warrant further clinical investigation.

Altered brain functional networks in people with Internet gaming disorder: Evidence from resting-state fMRI.

PubMed

Wang, Lingxiao; Wu, Lingdan; Lin, Xiao; Zhang, Yifen; Zhou, Hongli; Du, Xiaoxia; Dong, Guangheng

2016-08-30

Although numerous neuroimaging studies have detected structural and functional abnormality in specific brain regions and connections in subjects with Internet gaming disorder (IGD), the topological organization of the whole-brain network in IGD remain unclear. In this study, we applied graph theoretical analysis to explore the intrinsic topological properties of brain networks in Internet gaming disorder (IGD). 37 IGD subjects and 35 matched healthy control (HC) subjects underwent a resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging scan. The functional networks were constructed by thresholding partial correlation matrices of 90 brain regions. Then we applied graph-based approaches to analysis their topological attributes, including small-worldness, nodal metrics, and efficiency. Both IGD and HC subjects show efficient and economic brain network, and small-world topology. Although there was no significant group difference in global topology metrics, the IGD subjects showed reduced regional centralities in the prefrontal cortex, left posterior cingulate cortex, right amygdala, and bilateral lingual gyrus, and increased functional connectivity in sensory-motor-related brain networks compared to the HC subjects. These results imply that people with IGD may be associated with functional network dysfunction, including impaired executive control and emotional management, but enhanced coordination among visual, sensorimotor, auditory and visuospatial systems. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Optical mapping of brain activation in gambling disorders

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Yuan, Zhen; Lin, Xiaohong

2018-02-01

In this study, fNIRS was utilized to identify the brain activation difference between pathological gamblers (PGs) and heathy controls (HCs). We inspected the hemodynamic changes in the prefrontal cortex using fNIRS recordings during the completion of executive function and decision making tasks. Our finding revealed that the PG and HC groups exhibited significant differences in brain activation.

Neural Correlates of Emotion Regulation in Patients with Schizophrenia and Non-Affected Siblings

PubMed Central

van der Velde, Jorien; Pijnenborg, Gerdina; Wiersma, Durk; Bruggeman, Richard; Aleman, André

2014-01-01

Background Patients with schizophrenia often experience problems regulating their emotions. Non-affected relatives show similar difficulties, although to a lesser extent, and the neural basis of such difficulties remains to be elucidated. In the current paper we investigated whether schizophrenia patients, non-affected siblings and healthy controls (HC) exhibit differences in brain activation during emotion regulation. Methods All subjects (n = 20 per group) performed an emotion regulation task while they were in an fMRI scanner. The task contained two experimental conditions for the down-regulation of emotions (reappraise and suppress), in which IAPS pictures were used to generate a negative affect. We also assessed whether the groups differed in emotion regulation strategies used in daily life by means of the emotion regulation questionnaire (ERQ). Results Though the overall negative affect was higher for patients as well as for siblings compared to HC for all conditions, all groups reported decreased negative affect after both regulation conditions. Nonetheless, neuroimaging results showed hypoactivation relative to HC in VLPFC, insula, middle temporal gyrus, caudate and thalamus for patients when reappraising negative pictures. In siblings, the same pattern was evident as in patients, but only in cortical areas. Conclusions Given that all groups performed similarly on the emotion regulation task, but differed in overall negative affect ratings and brain activation, our findings suggest reduced levels of emotion regulation processing in neural circuits in patients with schizophrenia. Notably, this also holds for siblings, albeit to a lesser extent, indicating that it may be part and parcel of a vulnerability for psychosis. PMID:24941136

[Analysis of the numbers and subsets of MTB-HAg specific TNF-α+ γδ T cells in peripheral blood of patients with active pulmonary tuberculosis].

PubMed

Tang, Jie; Chen, Ce; Zha, Cheng; Wang, Zhaohua; Zhang, Chen; Zeng, Linli; Li, Baiqing

2016-11-01

Objective To investigate the differences of proportions of tumor necrosis factor α (TNF-α)-producing cells in peripheral blood γδ T cells stimulated with Mycobacterium tuberculosis heat resistant antigen (MTB-HAg) among patients with pulmonary tuberculosis (PTB), latent tuberculosis infection (LTBI) and healthy subjects (HC). Methods The peripheral blood specimens were collected from 15 normal adults, which were divided into HC group (n=9) and LTBI group (n=6), by enzyme-linked immunospot (ELISPOT) kit for diagnosis of Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection, and 12 patients with active PTB. The peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were separated by density gradient centrifugation and simulated with MTB-HAg for 20 hours. Then the cells were collected, and the proportions of TNF-α-producing cells in TCRαβ + T cells, TCRγδ + T cells, CD4 + αβ T cells, CD8 + αβ T cells, and TCR-Vδ2 + T cells were measured with flow cytometry. Results The proportion of TNF-α-producing cells in γδ T cells in patients with PTB was obviously lower than that in LTBI group and HC group; the proportion of TNF-α-producing cells in Vδ2 T cells in PTB patients was apparently lower than that in LTBI and HC; the proportion of Vδ2 T cells in TNF-α + γδ T cells in the peripheral blood of PTB patients was remarkably lower than that in LTBI and HC groups. The proportions of TNF-α-producing cells in peripheral αβ T cells, CD4 + and CD8 + αβ T cells were dramatically lower than those in γδ T cells of the three according groups. Moreover, there were no statistical differences in regard with the proportions of TNF-α-producing cells in αβ T cells, and CD4 + and CD8 + αβ T cells among the three groups. Conclusion The TNF-α production capacity of MTB-HAg specific γδ T cells and Vδ2 T cell subsets in patients with tuberculosis is obviously lower than that of LTBI and HC.

Behavioral effects of deanol, of hemicholinium and of their interaction.

PubMed

Russell, R W; Jenden, D J

1981-08-01

The present experiments were designed to study behavioral effects of two chemicals, which have opposite influences on the cholinergic neurotransmitter system, and of their interaction. It has been proposed that deanol is a direct precursor of acetylcholine (ACh) in brain and may enhance cholinergic transmission, while hemicholinium-3 (HC-3) acts to decrease ACh synthesis. Rats served as subjects. Doses of the drugs were based on results of earlier experiments; all were injected cerebroventricularly. The six treatment groups were: saline only; HC-3 (10 micrograms); HC-3 (10 micrograms) + deanol (1 microgram); HC-3 (10 micrograms) + deanol (10 micrograms); deanol (1 microgram); and deanol (10 micrograms). Behaviors measured were: reactivity to visual and tactile stimuli; resistance to capture and handling, vocalization, muscular tension; reactivity to non-contingent aversive stimulation; and, shock-induced defence reaction. With the exception of the defence reaction, all behaviors showed significant effects between the various drug treatments: deanol had no significant effect on the behaviors; animals receiving HC-3 only clearly showed responses which were enhanced above the levels of any of the other treatment groups; deanol had a dose-dependent effect of suppressing HC-3 enhanced behavior. The present results are consistent with the generalization that decreased cholinergic activity is associated with hyper-reactivity, and increased cholinergic activity with hyporeactivity. They indicate that the behavioral effects of deanol are dependent upon the state of the cholinergic system, interacting in combination with HC-3 but not alone.

The M68HC11 gripper controller software. Thesis

NASA Technical Reports Server (NTRS)

Tsai, Jodi Wei-Duk

1991-01-01

This thesis discusses the development of firmware for the 68HC11 gripper controller. A general description of the software and hardware interfaces is given. The C library interface for the gripper is then described and followed by a detailed discussion of the software architecture of the firmware. A procedure to assemble and download 68HC11 programs is presented in the form of a tutorial. The tools used to implement this environment are then described. Finally, the implementation of the configuration management scheme used to manage all CIRSSE software is presented.

Yoghurt in the Spanish diet: nutritional implications and socio-cultural aspects of its consumption.

PubMed

Capdevila, Francesca; Martí-Henneberg, Carles; Closa, Ricardo; Subías, Joaquín Escribano; Fernández-Ballart, Joan

2003-06-01

This study aims to analyse the differences, with regard to socio-cultural characteristics and dietary habits, between low and high consumers of yoghurt and other fermented dairy product desserts, and the nutritional significance of these differences. We analysed the diet of a healthy population (4-65 years), using the 24-hour recall method, on three non-consecutive days. The participants were grouped by age and sex and were also divided into tertiles on the basis of yoghurt consumption. We compared energy and nutrient intakes, educational level and socio-economic status in the low consumption (LC) group and the high consumption (HC) group. In general there were no significant differences in energy intake or nutritional profile between LC and HC groups. The only significant difference was in the percentage of energy provided by lipids, which was significantly lower in HC women, possibly due to the high number of women in this group who consumed low-fat yoghurt. There were significant differences in the distribution of HC and LC subjects according to the three educational levels but not according to socio-economic status. The fact of being a high consumer of fermented dairy products took place in the framework of other dietary changes that compensated for this high consumption, resulting in the absence of significant differences in energy intake and nutritional profile between HC and LC subjects. The only exception was found in women who consumed low-fat dairy products. There was a relationship between high consumption of fermented dairy products and educational level.

Test-Retest Reliability of Brain Activation Using the Face-Name Paired-Associates fMRI Task in Patients with Schizophrenia and Healthy Controls

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Louis, Chelsey N.

Schizophrenia is a neurological disorder associated with cognitive impairments, and clinical symptoms of hallucinations and delusions. Recent imaging and behavioral studies have repeatedly shown aberrant brain activity in the hippocampal regions in relation to episodic memory impairments associated with schizophrenia. These findings have warranted further research to elucidate the neural processes associated with episodic memory. Therefore, the current study examined activity in a priori brain regions associated with episodic memory using the face-name paired-associates fMRI task to determine whether there was reliable activation patterns observed in healthy subjects and patients with self-reported schizophrenia. This was evaluated by using ROI analysis and whole brain analysis to examine activity between subjects during a session, and by using Pearson's R correlation coefficients to examine test-retest reliability over time. 30 schizophrenic (SZ) patients and 31 healthy control (HC) volunteers underwent a series of assessments including the fMRI behavioral task, face-name paired-associates task. The tests were conducted twice with a 14-day interval for the subjects. The results indicated no reliable brain activation in the hippocampus between scanning sessions for either the SZ or HC groups. However, distinct activation patterns were observed within sessions for both groups. These patterns were observed in the hippocampus, and regions of the frontal lobe and occipital lobe. Future studies should further explore these brain activity patterns across sessions in SZ patients compared to HC subjects to determine whether these patterns are due to pathological mechanisms associated with schizophrenia.

Antenatal and Postnatal Psychopathology Among Women with Current and Past Eating Disorders: Longitudinal Patterns

PubMed Central

Easter, Abigail; Solmi, Francessca; Bye, Amanda; Taborelli, Emma; Corfield, Freya; Schmidt, Ulrike; Treasure, Janet; Micali, Nadia

2015-01-01

This study aims to investigate longitudinal patterns of psychopathology during the antenatal and postnatal periods among women with current (C-ED) and past (P-ED) eating disorders. Women were recruited to a prospective longitudinal study: C-ED (n = 31), P-ED (n = 29) and healthy control (HC; n = 57). Anxiety, depression and ED symptoms were measured at four time points: first/second trimester, third trimester, 8 weeks and 6 months postpartum. Linear mixed effects models were used to test for group differences. Women with C-ED and P-ED, in all diagnostic categories, had significantly higher levels of psychopathology at all time points. ED symptoms decreased in the C-ED group, compared with an overall increase in the other two groups but subsequently increased after pregnancy. Overall, depression and state and trait anxiety scores decreased in the C-ED group compared with the HC group throughout the antenatal and postnatal periods. High levels of psychopathology are common throughout the antenatal and postnatal periods among women with current and past ED, and despite some overall reductions, symptoms remain clinically significant. © 2014 The Authors. European Eating Disorders Review published by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. PMID:25345371

Effect of quadriceps and hamstrings muscle cooling on standing balance in healthy young men.

PubMed

Alghadir, A H; Anwer, S; Zafar, H; Al-Eisa, E S

2017-09-01

The present study compared the effect of quadriceps and hamstring muscle cooling on standing balance in healthy young men. Thirty healthy young men (18-30 years) participated in the study. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups (n=10 each): quadriceps cooling (QC), hamstring cooling (HC), or control group (no cooling). Participants in the QC and HC groups received 20 minutes of cooling using a cold pack (gel pack), placed on the anterior thigh (from the apex of the patella to the mid-thigh) and the posterior thigh (from the base of the popliteal fossa to the mid-thigh), respectively. Balance score including unilateral stance was measured at baseline and immediately after the application of the cold pack. No significant difference in the balance score was noted in any group after the application of the cold pack (p⟩0.05). Similarly, no significant differences in post-test balance score were noted among the three groups (p⟩0.05). Cooling of the quadriceps and hamstring muscles has no immediate effect on standing balance in healthy young men. However, longitudinal studies are warranted to investigate the long-term effects of cooling these muscles on standing balance.

Identifying dynamic functional connectivity biomarkers using GIG-ICA: Application to schizophrenia, schizoaffective disorder, and psychotic bipolar disorder.

PubMed

Du, Yuhui; Pearlson, Godfrey D; Lin, Dongdong; Sui, Jing; Chen, Jiayu; Salman, Mustafa; Tamminga, Carol A; Ivleva, Elena I; Sweeney, John A; Keshavan, Matcheri S; Clementz, Brett A; Bustillo, Juan; Calhoun, Vince D

2017-05-01

Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have shown altered brain dynamic functional connectivity (DFC) in mental disorders. Here, we aim to explore DFC across a spectrum of symptomatically-related disorders including bipolar disorder with psychosis (BPP), schizoaffective disorder (SAD), and schizophrenia (SZ). We introduce a group information guided independent component analysis procedure to estimate both group-level and subject-specific connectivity states from DFC. Using resting-state fMRI data of 238 healthy controls (HCs), 140 BPP, 132 SAD, and 113 SZ patients, we identified measures differentiating groups from the whole-brain DFC and traditional static functional connectivity (SFC), separately. Results show that DFC provided more informative measures than SFC. Diagnosis-related connectivity states were evident using DFC analysis. For the dominant state consistent across groups, we found 22 instances of hypoconnectivity (with decreasing trends from HC to BPP to SAD to SZ) mainly involving post-central, frontal, and cerebellar cortices as well as 34 examples of hyperconnectivity (with increasing trends HC through SZ) primarily involving thalamus and temporal cortices. Hypoconnectivities/hyperconnectivities also showed negative/positive correlations, respectively, with clinical symptom scores. Specifically, hypoconnectivities linking postcentral and frontal gyri were significantly negatively correlated with the PANSS positive/negative scores. For frontal connectivities, BPP resembled HC while SAD and SZ were more similar. Three connectivities involving the left cerebellar crus differentiated SZ from other groups and one connection linking frontal and fusiform cortices showed a SAD-unique change. In summary, our method is promising for assessing DFC and may yield imaging biomarkers for quantifying the dimension of psychosis. Hum Brain Mapp 38:2683-2708, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

The effect of hypercholesterolemia on carbachol-induced contractions of the detrusor smooth muscle in rats: increased role of L-type Ca2+ channels.

PubMed

Balkanci, Zeynep Dicle; Pehlivanoğlu, Bilge; Bayrak, Sibel; Karabulut, Ismail; Karaismailoğlu, Serkan; Erdem, Ayşen

2012-11-01

To investigate a possible relation between hypercholesterolemia and detrusor smooth muscle function, we studied the contractile response to potassium challenge, carbachol (CCh), and the components of CCh-induced contractile mechanism in high-cholesterol diet-fed rats. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed with standard (control group, N = 17) or 4 % cholesterol diet (hypercholesterolemia group (HC), N = 16) for 4 weeks. Spontaneous contractions of detrusor muscle strips and their responses to potassium chloride (KCl) or cumulative dose-contraction curves to CCh were recorded. The effects of muscarinic receptor antagonists (methoctramin and/or 4-diphenylacetoxy-N-methylpiperidine), L-type Ca(+2) channel blocker (nifedipine), and/or rho-kinase inhibitor Y-27632 were investigated. Blood cholesterol level was increased in the HC group with no sign of atherosclerosis. The KCl-induced detrusor smooth muscle contractions were higher in HC, whereas spontaneous and CCh-induced responses were similar in both groups. Preincubation with receptor antagonist for M(3) but not for M(2) attenuated contraction significantly, shifting the dose-response curve to the right. This response was similar in both groups. Among two effector mechanisms of M(3)-mediated detrusor smooth muscle contraction, rho-kinase pathway was not affected by hypercholesterolemia, whereas blockade of L-type Ca(+2) channels potently reduced contractions. The results of this study point out a relation between hypercholesterolemia and contractile mechanism of detrusor smooth muscle likely to change urinary bladder function, via altering L-type Ca(+2) channels. Taken together with escalating incidence of hypercholesterolemia and lower urinary tract symptoms, it is a field which deserves to be investigated further.

Trauma exposure relates to heightened stress, altered amygdala morphology and deficient extinction learning: Implications for psychopathology.

PubMed

Cacciaglia, Raffaele; Nees, Frauke; Grimm, Oliver; Ridder, Stephanie; Pohlack, Sebastian T; Diener, Slawomira J; Liebscher, Claudia; Flor, Herta

2017-02-01

Stress exposure causes a structural reorganization in neurons of the amygdala. In particular, animal models have repeatedly shown that both acute and chronic stress induce neuronal hypertrophy and volumetric increase in the lateral and basolateral nuclei of amygdala. These effects are visible on the behavioral level, where stress enhances anxiety behaviors and provokes greater fear learning. We assessed stress and anxiety levels in a group of 18 healthy human trauma-exposed individuals (TR group) compared to 18 non-exposed matched controls (HC group), and related these measurements to amygdala volume. Traumas included unexpected adverse experiences such as vehicle accidents or sudden loss of a loved one. As a measure of aversive learning, we implemented a cued fear conditioning paradigm. Additionally, to provide a biological marker of chronic stress, we measured the sensitivity of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis using a dexamethasone suppression test. Compared to the HC, the TR group showed significantly higher levels of chronic stress, current stress and trait anxiety, as well as increased volume of the left amygdala. Specifically, we observed a focal enlargement in its lateral portion, in line with previous animal data. Compared to HC, the TR group also showed enhanced late acquisition of conditioned fear and deficient extinction learning, as well as salivary cortisol hypo-suppression to dexamethasone. Left amygdala volumes positively correlated with suppressed morning salivary cortisol. Our results indicate differences in trauma-exposed individuals which resemble those previously reported in animals exposed to stress and in patients with post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. These data provide new insights into the mechanisms through which traumatic stress might prompt vulnerability for psychopathology. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Evaluating the relationship between cannabis use and IQ in youth and young adults at clinical high risk of psychosis

PubMed Central

Buchy, Lisa; Seidman, Larry J.; Cadenhead, Kristin S.; Cannon, Tyrone D.; Cornblatt, Barbara A.; McGlashan, Thomas H.; Perkins, Diana O.; Stone, William; Tsuang, Ming T.; Walker, Elaine F.; Woods, Scott W.; Bearden, Carrie E.; Mathalon, Daniel H.; Addington, Jean

2015-01-01

Among people with psychosis, those with a history of cannabis use show better cognitive performance than those who are cannabis naïve. It is unknown whether this pattern is present in youth at clinical high risk (CHR) of psychosis. We evaluated relationships between IQ and cannabis use while controlling for use of other substances known to impact cognition in 678 CHR and 263 healthy control (HC) participants. IQ was estimated using the Vocabulary and Block Design subtests of the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence. Drug and alcohol use severity and frequency were assessed with the Alcohol and Drug Use Scale, and we inquired participants’ age at first use. CHR were further separated into early and late age at onset of cannabis use sub-groups, and low-, moderate- and high-frequency sub-groups. No significant differences in IQ emerged between CHR or HC cannabis users vs. non-users, or between use frequency groups. CHR late-onset users showed significantly higher IQ than CHR early-onset users. Age at onset of cannabis use was significantly and positively correlated with IQ in CHR only. Results suggest that age at onset of cannabis may be a more important factor for IQ than use current use or use frequency in CHR. PMID:26626949

Association of a Community Campaign for Better Beverage Choices With Beverage Purchases From Supermarkets

PubMed Central

Schneider, Glenn E.; Choi, Yoon-Young; Li, Xun; Harris, Jennifer; Andreyeva, Tatiana; Hyary, Maia; Highsmith Vernick, Nicolette; Appel, Lawrence J.

2017-01-01

Importance Data are needed to evaluate community interventions to reduce consumption of sugary drinks. Supermarket sales data can be used for this purpose. Objective To compare beverage sales in Howard County, Maryland (HC), with sales in comparison stores in a contiguous state before and during a 3-year campaign to reduce consumption of sugary beverages. Design, Setting, and Partipicants This observational experiment with a control group included 15 HC supermarkets and 17 comparison supermarkets. Weekly beverage sales data at baseline (January 1 to December 31, 2012) and from campaign years 1 to 3 (January 1, 2013, through December 31, 2015) were analyzed. A difference-in-differences (DID) regression compared the volume sales per product per week in the HC and comparison stores, controlling for mean product price, competitor’s product price, product size, weekly local temperature, and manufacturer. Exposures The campaign message was to reduce consumption of all sugary drinks. Television advertising, digital marketing, direct mail, outdoor advertising, social media, and earned media during the 3-year period created 17 million impressions. Community partners successfully advocated for public policies to encourage healthy beverage consumption in schools, child care, health care, and government settings. Main Outcomes and Measures Sales were tracked of sugary drinks highlighted in the campaign, including regular soda, sports drinks, and fruit drinks. Sales of diet soda and 100% juice were also tracked. Sales data are expressed as mean fluid ounces sold per product, per store, per week. Results Regular soda sales in the 15 HC supermarkets decreased (−19.7%) from 2012 through 2015, whereas sales remained stable (0.8%) in the 17 comparison supermarkets (DID adjusted mean, −369 fl oz; 95% CI, −469 to −269 fl oz; P < .01). Fruit drink sales decreased (−15.3%) in HC stores and remained stable (−0.6%) in comparison stores (DID adjusted mean, −342 fl oz; 95% CI, −466 to −220 fl oz; P < .001). Sales of 100% juice decreased more in HC (−15.0%) than comparison (−2.1%) stores (DID mean, −576 fl oz; 95% CI, −776 to −375 fl oz; P < .001). Sales of sports drinks (−86.3 fl oz; 95% CI, −343.6 to 170.9 fl oz) and diet soda (−17.8 in HC stores vs −11.3 in comparison stores; DID adjusted mean, −78.9 fl oz; 95% CI, −182.1 to 24.4 fl oz) decreased in both communities, but the decreases were not significantly different between groups. Conclusions and Relevance A locally designed, multicomponent campaign to reduce consumption of sugary drinks was associated with an accelerated decrease in sales of regular soda, fruit drinks, and 100% juice. This policy-focused campaign provides a road map for other communities to reduce consumption of sugary drinks. PMID:28264077

Familial hypertrophic cardiomyopathy: functional effects of myosin mutation R723G in cardiomyocytes.

PubMed

Kraft, Theresia; Witjas-Paalberends, E Rosalie; Boontje, Nicky M; Tripathi, Snigdha; Brandis, Almuth; Montag, Judith; Hodgkinson, Julie L; Francino, Antonio; Navarro-Lopez, Francisco; Brenner, Bernhard; Stienen, Ger J M; van der Velden, Jolanda

2013-04-01

Familial Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy (FHC) is frequently caused by mutations in the β-cardiac myosin heavy chain (β-MyHC). To identify changes in sarcomeric function triggered by such mutations, distinguishing mutation effects from other functional alterations of the myocardium is essential. We previously identified a direct effect of mutation R723G (MyHC723) on myosin function in slow Musculus soleus fibers. Here we investigate contractile features of left ventricular cardiomyocytes of FHC-patients with the same MyHC723-mutation and compare these to the soleus data. In mechanically isolated, triton-permeabilized MyHC723-cardiomyocytes, maximum force was significantly lower but calcium-sensitivity was unchanged compared to donor. Conversely, MyHC723-soleus fibers showed significantly higher maximum force and reduced calcium-sensitivity compared to controls. Protein phosphorylation, a potential myocardium specific modifying mechanism, might account for differences compared to soleus fibers. Analysis revealed reduced phosphorylation of troponin I and T, myosin-binding-protein C, and myosin-light-chain 2 in MyHC723-myocardium compared to donor. Saturation of protein-kinaseA phospho-sites led to comparable, i.e., reduced MyHC723-calcium-sensitivity in cardiomyocytes as in M. soleus fibers, while maximum force remained reduced. Myofibrillar disarray and lower density of myofibrils, however, largely account for reduced maximum force in MyHC723-cardiomyocytes. The changes seen when phosphorylation of sarcomeric proteins in myocardium of affected patients is matched to control tissue suggest that the R723G mutation causes reduced Ca(++)-sensitivity in both cardiomyocytes and M. soleus fibers. In MyHC723-myocardium, however, hypophosphorylation can compensate for the reduced calcium-sensitivity, while maximum force generation, lowered by myofibrillar deficiency and disarray, remains impaired, and may only be compensated by hypertrophy. Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Migraineurs without aura show microstructural abnormalities in the cerebellum and frontal lobe.

PubMed

Granziera, C; Romascano, D; Daducci, A; Roche, A; Vincent, M; Krueger, G; Hadjikhani, N

2013-12-01

The involvement of the cerebellum in migraine pathophysiology is not well understood. We used a biparametric approach at high-field MRI (3 T) to assess the structural integrity of the cerebellum in 15 migraineurs with aura (MWA), 23 migraineurs without aura (MWoA), and 20 healthy controls (HC). High-resolution T1 relaxation maps were acquired together with magnetization transfer images in order to probe microstructural and myelin integrity. Clusterwise analysis was performed on T1 and magnetization transfer ratio (MTR) maps of the cerebellum of MWA, MWoA, and HC using an ANOVA and a non-parametric clusterwise permutation F test, with age and gender as covariates and correction for familywise error rate. In addition, mean MTR and T1 in frontal regions known to be highly connected to the cerebellum were computed. Clusterwise comparison among groups showed a cluster of lower MTR in the right Crus I of MWoA patients vs. HC and MWA subjects (p = 0.04). Univariate and bivariate analysis on T1 and MTR contrasts showed that MWoA patients had longer T1 and lower MTR in the right and left pars orbitalis compared to MWA (p < 0.01 and 0.05, respectively), but no differences were found with HC. Lower MTR and longer T1 point at a loss of macromolecules and/or micro-edema in Crus I and pars orbitalis in MWoA patients vs. HC and vs. MWA. The pathophysiological implications of these findings are discussed in light of recent literature.

The perception of positive and negative facial expressions by unilateral stroke patients.

PubMed

Abbott, Jacenta D; Wijeratne, Tissa; Hughes, Andrew; Perre, Diana; Lindell, Annukka K

2014-04-01

There remains conflict in the literature about the lateralisation of affective face perception. Some studies have reported a right hemisphere advantage irrespective of valence, whereas others have found a left hemisphere advantage for positive, and a right hemisphere advantage for negative, emotion. Differences in injury aetiology and chronicity, proportion of male participants, participant age, and the number of emotions used within a perception task may contribute to these contradictory findings. The present study therefore controlled and/or directly examined the influence of these possible moderators. Right brain-damaged (RBD; n=17), left brain-damaged (LBD; n=17), and healthy control (HC; n=34) participants completed two face perception tasks (identification and discrimination). No group differences in facial expression perception according to valence were found. Across emotions, the RBD group was less accurate thanthe HC group, however RBD and LBD group performancedid not differ. The lack of difference between RBD and LBD groups indicates that both hemispheres are involved in positive and negative expression perception. The inclusion of older adults and the well-defined chronicity range of the brain-damaged participants may have moderated these findings. Participant sex and general face perception ability did not influence performance. Furthermore, while the RBD group was less accurate than the LBD group when the identification task tested two emotions, performance of the two groups was indistinguishable when the number of emotions increased (four or six). This suggests that task demand moderates a study's ability to find hemispheric differences in the perception of facial emotion. Copyright © 2014 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Validation of the Fatigue Impact Scale in Hungarian patients with multiple sclerosis.

PubMed

Losonczi, Erika; Bencsik, Krisztina; Rajda, Cecília; Lencsés, Gyula; Török, Margit; Vécsei, László

2011-03-01

Fatigue is one of the most frequent complaints of patients with multiple sclerosis (MS). The Fatigue Impact Scale (FIS), one of the 30 available fatigue questionnaires, is commonly applied because it evaluates multidimensional aspects of fatigue. The main purposes of this study were to test the validity, test-retest reliability, and internal consistency of the Hungarian version of the FIS. One hundred and eleven MS patients and 85 healthy control (HC) subjects completed the FIS and the Beck Depression Inventory, a large majority of them on two occasions, 3 months apart. The total FIS score and subscale scores differed statistically between the MS patients and the HC subjects in both FIS sessions. In the test-retest reliability assessment, statistically, the intraclass correlation coefficients were high in both the MS and HC groups. Cronbach's alpha values were also notably high. The results of this study indicate that the FIS can be regarded as a valid and reliable scale with which to improve our understanding of the impact of fatigue on the health-related quality of life in MS patients without severe disability.

An Experimental Analysis of the Affect Regulation Model of Binge Eating

PubMed Central

Russell, Sarah L.; Haynos, Ann F.; Crow, Scott J.; Fruzzetti, Alan E.

2016-01-01

There is research suggesting that binge eating may serve an affect regulation function. However, experimental evidence supporting this model in adults is sparse and studies have been mixed regarding whether negative affect impacts objective energy intake. This study examined the impact of a real-time interpersonal stressor on laboratory test meal intake between individuals endorsing recent objective binge eating (≥1x/week) and those denying disordered eating. Generalized linear modeling was used to compare individuals with recent binge eating (BE group; n = 52) to those denying recent eating pathology (HC group; n = 51) on test meal intake following a stressor (stressful condition) or neutral stimulus (non-stressful condition). Moderated mediation analyses were used to examine whether negative affect mediated the impact of condition on intake differently between BE and HC groups. The BE group did not have significantly higher energy intake than the HC group in the stressful verses non-stressful condition. However, the BE group was more likely to engage in extreme intake (i.e., over- or under-consumption) than the HC group in the stressful versus non-stressful condition (p = .02). Changes in negative affect did not significantly mediate the relationship between condition and intake extremes for the BE group. The results indicate that both over- and under-consumption are triggered by stress among individuals with recent binge eating. Continued research investigating both binge eating and restriction as a means of affect regulation in binge-eating samples is encouraged. PMID:27940313

Thermal stability of hydrocarbons in nature: Limits, evidence, characteristics, and possible controls

USGS Publications Warehouse

Price, L.C.

1993-01-01

Numerous petroleum-geochemical analyses of deeply buried, high-rank, fine-grained rocks from ultra-deep wellbores by different investigators demonstrate that C15+ hydrocarbons (HCs) persist in moderate to high concentrations at vitrinite reflectance (R0) values of 2.0-5.0% and persist in measurable concentrations up to R0 = 7.0-8.0%, at which point the thermal deadline for C15+ HC's is finally approached. Qualitative analyses have been carried out on 1. (1) high-rank gas condensates which have been exposed to the HC-thermal-destructive phase, 2. (2) bitumens from high-temperature aqueous-pyrolysis experiments in the HC-thermal-destructive phase, and 3. (3) bitumens from high-rank, fine-grained rocks near the HC-thermal-destructive phase. These analyses clearly demonstrate that well-defined compositional suites are established in the saturated, aromatic, and sulfur-bearing aromatic HCs in and near the HC-thermal-destructive phase. On the other hand, accepted petroleum-geochemical paradigms place rigid limits on HC thermal stability: C15+ HCs begin thermal cracking at R0 values of 0.9% and are completely thermally destroyed by R0 = 1.35%; C2-C4 HC gases are thermally destroyed by R0 = 2.0% and methane is thermally destroyed by R0 = 4.0%. Furthermore, published data and observations in many HC basins worldwide support these models; for example, 1. (1) sharp basinal zonations of gas and oil deposits vs. maturation rank in HC basins and 2. (2) decreasing C15+ HC concentrations in some fine-grained rocks at ranks of R0 ??? 0.9%. The fact that observed data (C15+ HCs thermally stable to R0 = 7.0-8.0%) is so far removed from predicted behavior (C15+) HCs expected to be thermally destroyed by R0 = 1.35%) may be due to 1. (1) a lack of recognition of some important possible controlling parameters of organic matter (OM) metamorphism and too much importance given to other assumed controlling parameters; and 2. (2) assigning HC distribution patterns in petroleum basins to HC thermal cracking when such patterns may be due to other causes. In the first case, laboratory experiments strongly suggest that the presence of water, increasing fluid pressures, and closed systems (product retention) all suppress OM metamorphic reactions. Conversely, the absence of water, low fluid pressures, and open systems (product escape) all promote OM metamorphic reactions. These experiments also demonstrate that OM metamorphic reactions proceed by reaction kinetics greater than first order. Thus, the effect of geologic time appears to have been over-estimated in OM metamorphism. In the second case, the strong decreases in C15+ HC concentrations in fine-grained rocks with Type III OM over R0 = 0.9-1.35% are most probably due to intense primary migration and loss of HCs to drilling muds during the trip uphole in drilling operations. Data from coals demonstrate that these decreases in HC concentrations cannot be due to C15+ HC thermal destruction. Oil deposits are generally found at shallow depths in basins, and "dry gas" (methane ??? 98% of all HC gases) deposits are found at the greatest depths. This HC distribution pattern would be caused by methane, generated during the late stages of C15+ HC generation, flushing oil (including C2-C4 HC gases condensed into the liquid phase) out of deep basinal traps by Gussow's (1954) principle of differential entrapment. Hence, only "dry gas" deposits are left in the basin deeps. Oil emplacement processes in traps during expulsion and secondary migration could also contribute to the HC distribution pattern observed in petroleum basins. ?? 1993.

Effects of Relocation and Individual and Environmental Factors on the Long-Term Stress Levels in Captive Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes): Monitoring Hair Cortisol and Behaviors.

PubMed

Yamanashi, Yumi; Teramoto, Migaku; Morimura, Naruki; Hirata, Satoshi; Inoue-Murayama, Miho; Idani, Gen'ichi

2016-01-01

Understanding the factors associated with the long-term stress levels of captive animals is important from the view of animal welfare. In this study, we investigated the effects of relocation in addition to individual and environmental factors related to social management on long-term stress level in group-living captive chimpanzees by examining behaviors and hair cortisol (HC). Specifically, we conducted two studies. The first compared changes in HC levels before and after the relocation of 8 chimpanzees (Study 1) and the second examined the relationship between individual and environmental factors and individual HC levels in 58 chimpanzees living in Kumamoto Sanctuary (KS), Kyoto University (Study 2). We hypothesized that relocation, social situation, sex, and early rearing conditions, would affect the HC levels of captive chimpanzees. We cut arm hair from chimpanzees and extracted and assayed cortisol with an enzyme immunoassay. Aggressive behaviors were recorded ad libitum by keepers using a daily behavior monitoring sheet developed for this study. The results of Study 1 indicate that HC levels increased during the first year after relocation to the new environment and then decreased during the second year. We observed individual differences in reactions to relocation and hypothesized that social factors may mediate these changes. In Study 2, we found that the standardized rate of receiving aggression, rearing history, sex, and group formation had a significant influence on mean HC levels. Relocation status was not a significant factor, but mean HC level was positively correlated with the rate of receiving aggression. Mean HC levels were higher in males than in females, and the association between aggressive interactions and HC levels differed by sex. These results suggest that, although relocation can affect long-term stress level, individuals' experiences of aggression and sex may be more important contributors to long-term stress than relocation alone.

Investigation of four self-report instruments (FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, HC-PAIRS) to measure healthcare practitioners' attitudes and beliefs toward low back pain: Reliability, convergent validity and survey of New Zealand osteopaths and manipulative physiotherapists.

PubMed

Moran, Robert W; Rushworth, Wendy M; Mason, Jesse

2017-12-01

Healthcare practitioner beliefs influence advice and management provided to patients with back pain. Several instruments measuring practitioner beliefs have been developed but psychometric properties for some have not been investigated. To investigate internal consistency, test-retest reliability and convergent validity of the Fear Avoidance Beliefs Tool (FABT), the Tampa Scale of Kinesiophobia for Health Care Providers (TSK-HC), the Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire (Back-PAQ), and the Health Care Pain and Impairment Relationship Scale (HC-PAIRS). A secondary aim was to explore beliefs of New Zealand osteopaths and physiotherapists regarding low back pain. FABT, TSK-HC, Back-PAQ, and HC-PAIRS were administered twice, 14 days apart. Data from 91 osteopaths and 35 physiotherapists were analysed. The FABT, TSK-HC and Back-PAQ each demonstrated excellent internal consistency, (Cronbach's α = 0.92, 0.91, and 0.91 respectively), and excellent test-retest reliability (lower limit of 95% CI for intraclass correlation coefficient >0.75). Correlations between instruments (Pearson's r = 0.51 to 0.77, p < 0.001) demonstrated good convergent validity. There was a medium to large effect (Cohen's d > 0.47) for mean differences in scores, for all instruments, between professions. This study found excellent internal consistency, test-retest reliability and good convergent validity for the FABT, TSK-HC, and Back-PAQ. Previously reported internal consistency, test-retest and convergent validity of the HC-PAIRS were confirmed, and test-retest reliability was excellent. There were significant scoring differences on each instrument between professions, and while both groups demonstrated fear avoidant beliefs, physiotherapist respondent scores indicated that as a group, they held fewer fear-avoidant beliefs than osteopath respondents. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Effects of carrot pomace powder and a mixture of pectin and xanthan on the quality of gluten-free batter and cakes.

PubMed

Majzoobi, Mahsa; Vosooghi Poor, Zahra; Mesbahi, Gholamreza; Jamalian, Jalal; Farahnaky, Asgar

2017-12-01

Carrot pomace powder (CPP) is a valuable by-product of carrot processing containing nutrients and fiber and can be utilized for enrichment of gluten-free products. The main purpose of this study was to determine the effects of various levels of CPP (0, 10, 20, and 30%) and a mixture of hydrocolloids (HC) including pectin and xanthan (1.5% of each) on the quality of batter and gluten-free cakes. With increasing the level of CPP and inclusion of HC the viscosity of the batter increased significantly from 87 mPa s for the control to >7000 mPa s for 30%CCP + HC sample. The density of the control batter was 1.2 g/cm 3 which reduced significantly to 0.899 g/cm 3 for HC sample. The pH of the cake reduced from 7.23 to 6.78 with addition of CPP but increased slightly with inclusion of HC. The density of the cake reduced from 0.510 g/cm 3 for the control to 0.395 g/cm 3 for 20%CCP + C sample. The texture of the cakes became softer, more springy and chewable with addition of CPP, CPP + HC, and HC. The control sample had the lowest uniformity index (0.178) which improved with addition of CPP and CPP + HC and a highly uniform cake with a uniformity index of 0.045 was obtained for the 30%CCP + HC cake. Addition of CPP increased the dark color of the cakes while inclusion of HC had no effect on the appearance of the cake and color. It was concluded that inclusion of maximum 30%CCP and 20%CPP + HC promoted the quality and sensory attributes of gluten-free cakes. Although different types of gluten-free products are available in the market, most of them contain insufficient amount of fiber and nutrients. Despite popularity, gluten-free cakes are poor in fiber and nutrient contents. Therefore, improving the nutritional value of these products has received an increasing attention by the food industry. Carrot pomace powder (CPP) is an available source of fiber and nutrients and hence can be utilized for enrichment of gluten-free products. This study showed that the inclusion of up to 30% CPP or 20% CPP with a mixture of xanthan and pectin (3%, 1:1) improved the quality and sensory attributes of the cakes. Industrial implications of this study may lead to new product development and improved marketing due to the enhancement of quality, sensory attributes, and nutritional value of the products. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Choreito formula for BK virus-associated hemorrhagic cystitis after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation.

PubMed

Kawashima, Nozomu; Ito, Yoshinori; Sekiya, Yuko; Narita, Atsushi; Okuno, Yusuke; Muramatsu, Hideki; Irie, Masahiro; Hama, Asahito; Takahashi, Yoshiyuki; Kojima, Seiji

2015-02-01

Therapy for BK virus (BKV)-associated hemorrhagic cystitis (BKV-HC) is limited after hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). We examined whether choreito, a formula from Japanese traditional Kampo medicine, is effective for treating BKV-HC. Among children who underwent allogeneic HSCT between October 2006 and March 2014, 14 were diagnosed with BKV-HC (median, 36 days; range, 14 to 330 days) after HSCT, and 6 consecutive children received pharmaceutical-grade choreito extract granules. The hematuria grade before treatment was significantly higher in the choreito group than in the nonchoreito group (P = .018). The duration from therapy to complete resolution was significantly shorter in the choreito group (median, 9 days; range, 4 to 17 days) than in the nonchoreito group (median, 17 days; range, 15 to 66 days; P = .037). In 11 children with macroscopic hematuria, the duration from treatment to resolution of macroscopic hematuria was significantly shorter in the choreito group than in the nonchoreito group (median, 2 days versus 11 days; P = .0043). The BKV load in urine was significantly decreased 1 month after choreito administration. No adverse effects related to choreito administration were observed. Choreito may be a safe and considerably promising therapy for the hemostasis of BKV-HC after HSCT. Copyright © 2015 American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The HLA-G Genetic Contribution to Bipolar Disorder: A Trans-Ethnic Replication.

PubMed

Sundaresh, Aparna; Wu, Ching-Lien; Chinnadurai, Raj Kumar; Rajkumar, Ravi Philip; Mariaselvam, Christina Mary; LeMaoult, Joël; Krishnamoorthy, Rajagopal; Leboyer, Marion; Negi, Vir Singh; Tamouza, Ryad

2018-05-08

Bipolar disorder (BD) is frequently associated with immune dysfunctions. Studying the genetic diversity of the immuno-modulatory human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-G locus in a French BD cohort, we previously reported an association between a functionally relevant 14 bp Ins/Del polymorphism and BD risk. The present study investigated the genetic and expression diversities of HLA-G in a geographically distinct South Indian population-group BD patients, as well as the influence of exposure to the neurotropic Toxoplasma gondii pathogen. Three functionally relevant HLA-G polymorphisms, i.e. HLA-G 14 bp Ins/Del (rs66554220), +3142G>C (rs1063320) and +3187A>G (rs9380142) were genotyped by polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and real-time PCR. Sub-samples of BD patients and healthy controls (HC) were investigated for plasma levels of soluble HLA-G (sHLA-G) isoforms, as well as circulating stigma of T. gondii infection. Findings indicate: (i) the frequency of the HLA-G 14 bp Del/Del genotype was higher in BD cases, as compared to HC; (ii) the HLA-G + 3142 C allele and CC genotype were more prevalent in BD patients than in HC; (iii) sHLA-G levels were significantly higher in BD cases, especially in females and in the early onset sub-group; and (iv) the InsGA haplotype was more prevalent in HC. Our findings further support the genetic contribution of HLA-G to BD risk, as well as indicate relevant expression profiles. Such data may also indicate a potential developmental role in BD etiology, given that HLA-G is an important immune regulator from the intrauterine period and across development.

Age- and stage-dependent variations of muscle-specific gene expression in brown trout Salmo trutta L.

PubMed

Churova, Maria V; Meshcheryakova, Olga V; Ruchev, Mikhail; Nemova, Nina N

2017-09-01

This study was conducted to characterize the features of muscle-specific genes expression during development of brown trout Salmo trutta inhabiting the river Krivoy ruchey (Kola Peninsula, Russia). Gene expression levels of myogenic regulatory factors (MRFs - MyoD1 paralogs (MyoD1a, MyoD1b, MyoD1c), Myf5, myogenin), myostatin paralogs (MSTN-1a, MSTN-1b, MSTN-2a), fast skeletal myosin heavy chain (MyHC) were measured in the white muscles of brown trout parr of ages 0+ (under-yearling), 1+ (yearling) and 2+ (two year old) and smolts of age 2+. Multidirectional changes in MyoD1 and MSTN paralogs expression along with myogenin, Myf 5 and MyHC expression levels in white muscles in parr of trout with age were revealed. The expression of MyoD1c, myogenin, MSTN-2a was the highest in 0+ parr and then decreased. MyoD1a/b expression levels didn't differ between age groups. The simultaneous elevation of MyHC, Myf5, MSTN-1a, and MSTN-1b was found in trout yearlings. In smolts, expression levels of MSTN paralogs, MyHC, Myf5, MyoD1a was lower than in parr. But in contrast, the MyoD1c and myogenin mRNA levels was higher in smolts. The study revealed that there are definite patterns in simultaneous muscle-specific genes expression in age groups of parr and smolts. As MyoD and MSTN paralogs expression changed differently in dependence on age and stage, it was suggested that paralogs of the same gene complementarily control myogenesis during development. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Acute Affective Reactivity and Quality of Life in Older Adults with Amnestic Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Functional MRI Study.

PubMed

Ren, Ping; Heffner, Kathi L; Jacobs, Alanna; Lin, Feng

2017-11-01

Poor quality of life (QoL) is a major concern among older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (MCI). Maladaptive affective regulation and its relevant frontal dysfunction that are often observed in older adults with MCI may provide an insight into the understanding of their QoL. In this case-controlled study, participants (MCI patients, N = 18; healthy comparisons [HC], N = 21) completed cognitive tasks, and underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) immediately before and after the tasks. The amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) of rs-fMRI signals was calculated to examine the brain's spontaneous activity. The change in valence from the Self-Assessment Manikin indexed affective reactivity. QoL was assessed using Quality of Life-AD measure. Multiple mediator model was used to examine the mediating effect of frontal regions' ALFF reactivity between the affective reactivity and QoL. The MCI group had significantly worse QoL and more negative affective reactivity than HC group. Less negative affective reactivity was significantly associated with better QoL in MCI not HC. ALFF in the anterior cingulate cortex, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and superior frontal gyrus (SFG) increased significantly less after cognitive tasks in MCI than HC. For the entire sample, greater increases of ALFF in MPFC and SFG were significantly associated with better QoL, and SFG alone significantly mediated the association between affective reactivity and QoL. Enhancing SFG activation, especially among those with MCI, may provide a therapeutic target for addressing the negative impact of maladaptive affective regulation on QoL. Copyright © 2017 American Association for Geriatric Psychiatry. Published by Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Identification of the acclimation genes in transcriptomic responses to heat stress of White Pekin duck.

PubMed

Kim, Jun-Mo; Lim, Kyu-Sang; Byun, Mijeong; Lee, Kyung-Tai; Yang, Young-Rok; Park, Mina; Lim, Dajeong; Chai, Han-Ha; Bang, Han-Tae; Hwangbo, Jong; Choi, Yang-Ho; Cho, Yong-Min; Park, Jong-Eun

2017-11-01

White Pekin duck is an important meat resource in the livestock industries. However, the temperature increase due to global warming has become a serious environmental factor in duck production, because of hyperthermia. Therefore, identifying the gene regulations and understanding the molecular mechanism for adaptation to the warmer environment will provide insightful information on the acclimation system of ducks. This study examined transcriptomic responses to heat stress treatments (3 and 6 h at 35 °C) and control (C, 25 °C) using RNA-sequencing analysis of genes from the breast muscle tissue. Based on three distinct differentially expressed gene (DEG) sets (3H/C, 6H/C, and 6H/3H), the expression patterns of significant DEGs (absolute log2 > 1.0 and false discovery rate < 0.05) were clustered into three responsive gene groups divided into upregulated and downregulated genes. Next, we analyzed the clusters that showed relatively higher expression levels in 3H/C and lower levels in 6H/C with much lower or opposite levels in 6H/3H; we referred to these clusters as the adaptable responsive gene group. These genes were significantly enriched in the ErbB signaling pathway, neuroactive ligand-receptor interaction and type II diabetes mellitus in the KEGG pathways (P < 0.01). From the functional enrichment analysis and significantly regulated genes observed in the enriched pathways, we think that the adaptable responsive genes are responsible for the acclimation mechanism of ducks and suggest that the regulation of phosphoinositide 3-kinase genes including PIK3R6, PIK3R5, and PIK3C2B has an important relationship with the mechanisms of adaptation to heat stress in ducks.

Hypertensive crisis: clinical-epidemiological profile.

PubMed

Vilela-Martin, José Fernando; Vaz-de-Melo, Renan Oliveira; Kuniyoshi, Cristina Hiromi; Abdo, André Neder Ramires; Yugar-Toledo, Juan Carlos

2011-03-01

Hypertensive crisis (HC) stands out as one type of acute elevation in blood pressure (BP) and can manifest as hypertensive emergency (HE-with target-organ damage (TOD)) or hypertensive urgency (HU-without TOD), usually accompanied by levels of diastolic BP ≥120 mmHg. The aim of this study was to characterize the clinical-epidemiological profile of HC over the course of 1 year in a university reference hospital and perform a review of the literature. The study was a cross-sectional study, conducted over a period of 1 year (2006) in 362 patients who presented for treatment at the emergency hospital with HC, as described above. Among all patients examined, 231 individuals met the criteria for HE and 131 met the criteria for HU. Patients with HE were older (P<0.001) and more sedentary (P=0.026) than those with HU. Furthermore, fewer HE patients than HU patients had previously undergone antihypertensive treatment (P=0.006). The groups did not differ regarding BP levels, gender, smoking or body mass index. Dyspnea (41.1%), thoracic pain (37.2%) and neurological deficit (27.2%) were common signs/symptoms in those with HE. Meanwhile, in the group with HU, we most frequently found headache (42.0%), thoracic pain (41.2%) and dyspnea (34.3%). Among the forms of HE, we most frequently observed acute lung edema (30.7%), myocardial infarction/unstable angina (25.1%), and ischemic (22.9%) and hemorrhagic (14.8%) stroke. HC is a clinical entity associated with high morbidity in the emergency room. Individuals with HE are older and sedentary and have lower rates of antihypertensive treatment. Adequate control of BP should be pursued as a way to avoid this severe complication of hypertension. © 2011 The Japanese Society of Hypertension All rights reserved

Tryptophan-kynurenine and lipid related metabolites as blood biomarkers for first-episode drug-naïve patients with major depressive disorder: An exploratory pilot case-control study.

PubMed

Kuwano, Nobuki; Kato, Takahiro A; Setoyama, Daiki; Sato-Kasai, Mina; Shimokawa, Norihiro; Hayakawa, Kohei; Ohgidani, Masahiro; Sagata, Noriaki; Kubo, Hiroaki; Kishimoto, Junji; Kang, Dongchon; Kanba, Shigenob

2018-04-15

Early intervention in depression has been critical to prevent its negative impact including suicide. Recent blood biomarker studies for major depressive disorder (MDD) have suggested that tryptophan-kynurenine and lipid related metabolites are involved in the pathophysiology of MDD. However, there have been limited studies investigating these blood biomarkers in first-episode drug-naïve MDD, which are particularly important for early intervention in depression. As an exploratory pilot case-control study, we examined the above blood biomarkers, and analyzed how these biomarkers are associated with clinical variables in first-episode drug-naïve MDD patients, based on metabolome/lipidome analysis. Plasma tryptophan and kynurenine levels were significantly lower in MDD group (N = 15) compared to healthy controls (HC) group (N = 19), and plasma tryptophan was the significant biomarker to identify MDD group (area under the curve = 0.740). Lower serum high density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) was the predictive biomarker for severity of depression in MDD group (R 2 = 0.444). Interestingly, depressive symptoms were variously correlated with plasma tryptophan-kynurenine and lipid related metabolites. Moreover, plasma tryptophan-kynurenine metabolites and cholesteryl esters (CEs) were significantly correlated in MDD group, but not in HC group. This study had small sample size, and we did not use the multiple test correction. This is the first study to suggest that not only tryptophan-kynurenine metabolites but also HDL-C and CEs are important blood biomarkers for first-episode drug-naïve MDD patients. The present study sheds new light on early intervention in clinical practice in depression, and further clinical studies especially large-scale prospective studies are warranted. Copyright © 2018 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

β-Myosin Heavy Chain Is Induced by Pressure Overload in a Minor Sub-Population of Smaller Mouse Cardiac Myocytes

PubMed Central

López, Javier E.; Myagmar, Bat-Erdene; Swigart, Philip M.; Montgomery, Megan D.; Haynam, Stephen; Bigos, Marty; Rodrigo, Manoj C.; Simpson, Paul C.

2011-01-01

Rationale Induction of the fetal hypertrophic marker gene beta-myosin heavy chain (β-MyHC) is a signature feature of pressure overload hypertrophy in rodents. β-MyHC is assumed present in all or most enlarged myocytes. Objective To quantify the number and size of myocytes expressing endogenous β-MyHC using a flow cytometry approach. Methods and Results Myocytes were isolated from the LV of male C57Bl/6J mice after transverse aortic constriction (TAC), and the fraction of cells expressing endogenous β-MyHC was quantified by flow cytometry on 10,000–20,000 myocytes, using a validated β-MyHC antibody. Side scatter by flow cytometry in the same cells was validated as an index of myocyte size. β-MyHC-positive myocytes were 3±1% of myocytes in control hearts (n=12), increasing to 25±10% at 3d-6w after TAC (n=24, p<0.01). β-MyHC-positive myocytes did not enlarge with TAC, and were smaller at all times than myocytes without β-MyHC (~70% as large, p<0.001). β-MyHC-positive myocytes arose by addition of β-MyHC to α-MyHC, and had more total MyHC after TAC than did the hypertrophied myocytes that had α-MyHC only. Myocytes positive for β-MyHC were found in discrete regions of the LV, in 3 patterns, peri-vascular, in areas with fibrosis, and in apparently normal myocardium. Conclusion β-MyHC protein is induced by pressure overload in a minor sub-population of smaller cardiac myocytes. The hypertrophied myocytes after TAC have α-MyHC only. These data challenge the current paradigm of the fetal hypertrophic gene program, and identify a new sub-population of smaller working ventricular myocytes with more myosin. PMID:21778428

Differential Neural Responses to Food Images in Women with Bulimia versus Anorexia Nervosa

PubMed Central

Brooks, Samantha J.; O′Daly, Owen G.; Uher, Rudolf; Friederich, Hans-Christoph; Giampietro, Vincent; Brammer, Michael; Williams, Steven C. R.; Schiöth, Helgi B.; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C.

2011-01-01

Background Previous fMRI studies show that women with eating disorders (ED) have differential neural activation to viewing food images. However, despite clinical differences in their responses to food, differential neural activation to thinking about eating food, between women with anorexia nervosa (AN) and bulimia nervosa (BN) is not known. Methods We compare 50 women (8 with BN, 18 with AN and 24 age-matched healthy controls [HC]) while they view food images during functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI). Results In response to food (vs non-food) images, women with BN showed greater neural activation in the visual cortex, right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, right insular cortex and precentral gyrus, women with AN showed greater activation in the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex, cerebellum and right precuneus. HC women activated the cerebellum, right insular cortex, right medial temporal lobe and left caudate. Direct comparisons revealed that compared to HC, the BN group showed relative deactivation in the bilateral superior temporal gyrus/insula, and visual cortex, and compared to AN had relative deactivation in the parietal lobe and dorsal posterior cingulate cortex, but greater activation in the caudate, superior temporal gyrus, right insula and supplementary motor area. Conclusions Women with AN and BN activate top-down cognitive control in response to food images, yet women with BN have increased activation in reward and somatosensory regions, which might impinge on cognitive control over food consumption and binge eating. PMID:21799807

Bias to negative emotions: a depression state-dependent marker in adolescent major depressive disorder.

PubMed

Maalouf, Fadi T; Clark, Luke; Tavitian, Lucy; Sahakian, Barbara J; Brent, David; Phillips, Mary L

2012-06-30

The aim of the current research was to examine for the first time the extent to which bias to negative emotions in an inhibitory control paradigm is a state or trait marker in major depressive disorder (MDD) in adolescents. We administered the affective go/no go task which measures the ability to switch attention to or away from positive or negative emotional stimuli to 40 adolescents with MDD (20 in acute episode (MDDa) and 20 in remission (MDDr)) and 17 healthy controls (HC). MDDa were significantly faster on the shift to negative target blocks as compared to shift to positive target blocks while HC and MDDr displayed the opposite pattern as measured by an "emotional bias index" (EBI=latency (shift to negative targets)-latency (shift to positive targets)). There was also a trend for an effect of group on commission errors, suggesting more impulsive responding by MDDa than both MDDr and HC independently of stimulus valence throughout the task. Negative bias was not associated with depression severity or medication status. In conclusion, bias to negative emotional stimuli appears to be present in the acute stage of MDD and absent in remission suggesting that it is a depression state-specific marker of MDD in adolescents. Latency emerges as a better proxy of negative bias than commission errors and accuracy on this inhibitory control task in adolescents with MDD. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

Physiological measures in participants with chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis and healthy controls following repeated exercise: a pilot study.

PubMed

Hodges, L D; Nielsen, T; Baken, D

2017-08-07

To compare physiological responses of chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS/ME), multiple sclerosis (MS) and healthy controls (HC) following a 24-h repeated exercise test. Ten CFS, seven MS and 17 age- and gender-matched healthy controls (10, CFS HC; and seven, MS HC) were recruited. Each participant completed a maximal incremental cycle exercise test on day 1 and again 24 h later. Heart rate (HR), blood pressure (BP), rating of perceived exertion (RPE), oxygen consumption (V˙O2), carbon dioxide production and workload (WL) were recorded. Data analysis investigated these responses at anaerobic threshold (AT) and peak work rate (PWR). On day 2, both CFS and MS had significantly reduced max workload compared to HC. On day 2, significant differences were apparent in WL between CFS and CFS HC (93 ± 37 W, 132 ± 42 W, P<0·042). CFS workload decreased on day 2, alongside a decrease in HR but with an increase in V˙O2 (ml   kg   min -1 ). This was in comparison with an increase in WL, HR and V˙O2 for CFS HC. MS demonstrated a decreased WL compared to MS HC on both days of the study (D1 81 ± 30 W, 116 ±30 W; D2 84 ± 29 W, 118 ± 36 W); however, patients with MS were able to achieve a higher WL on day 2 alongside MS HC. These results suggest that exercise exhibits a different physiological response in MS and CFS/ME, demonstrating repeated cardiovascular exercise testing as a valid measure for differentiating between fatigue conditions. © 2017 Scandinavian Society of Clinical Physiology and Nuclear Medicine. Published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Production of Korean Idiomatic Utterances Following Left- and Right-Hemisphere Damage: Acoustic Studies

ERIC Educational Resources Information Center

Yang, Seung-yun; Van Lancker Sidtis, Diana

2016-01-01

Purpose: This study investigates the effects of left- and right-hemisphere damage (LHD and RHD) on the production of idiomatic or literal expressions utilizing acoustic analyses. Method: Twenty-one native speakers of Korean with LHD or RHD and in a healthy control (HC) group produced 6 ditropically ambiguous (idiomatic or literal) sentences in 2…

Cytokine Response after Stimulation with Key Commensal Bacteria Differ in Post-Infectious Irritable Bowel Syndrome (PI-IBS) Patients Compared to Healthy Controls.

PubMed

Sundin, Johanna; Rangel, Ignacio; Repsilber, Dirk; Brummer, Robert-Jan

2015-01-01

Microbial dysbiosis and prolonged immune activation resulting in low-grade inflammation and intestinal barrier dysfunction have been suggested to be underlying causes of post-infectious irritable bowel syndrome (PI-IBS). The aim of this study was to evaluate the difference in cytokine response between mucosal specimens of PI-IBS patients and healthy controls (HC) after ex vivo stimulation with key anaerobic bacteria. Colonic biopsies from 11 PI-IBS patients and 10 HC were stimulated ex vivo with the commensal bacteria Bacteroides ovatus, Ruminococcus gnavus, Akkermansia muciniphila, Subdoligranulum variabile and Eubacterium limosum, respectively. The cytokine release (IL-1β, IL-2, IL-8, IL-10, IL-13, IL-17, TNF-α and IFN-γ) in stimulation supernatants was analyzed using the LUMINEX assay. Comparison of cytokine release between PI-IBS patients and healthy controls was performed taking both unstimulated and bacterially stimulated mucosal specimens into account. IL-13 release from mucosal specimens without bacterial stimulation was significantly lower in PI-IBS patients compared to HC (p < 0.05). After stimulation with Subdoligranulum variabile, IL-1β release from PI-IBS patients was significantly increased compared to HC (p < 0.05). Stimulation with Eubacterium limosum resulted in a significantly decreased IL-10 release in HC compared to PI-IBS patients (p < 0.05) and a tendency to decreased IL-13 release in HC compared to PI-IBS patients (p = 0.07). PI-IBS patients differ from HC with regard to cytokine release ex vivo after stimulation with selected commensal bacteria. Hence, our results support that the pathogenesis of PI-IBS comprises an altered immune response against commensal gut microbes.

Circadian variation in serum cortisol during hydrocortisone replacement is not attributable to changes in cortisol-binding globulin concentrations.

PubMed

Chung, T T; Gunganah, K; Monson, J P; Drake, W M

2016-04-01

Patients taking hydrocortisone (HC) replacement for primary or secondary adrenal failure require individual adjustment of their dose. In addition to modifying the administered doses of HC for each patient, physicians are increasingly interested in variations in the bioavailability of glucocorticoid replacement. One potential determinant of the bioavailability of replaced HC is a variation in serum cortisol-binding globulin (CBG) concentration, which may, in turn, affect interpretation of cortisol profiles and individual dose selection for patients on hydrocortisone replacement therapy. To investigate the hypothesis that there is a circadian variation in CBG levels. A total of 34 male patients divided into 3 groups (10 patients with non-somatotroph structural pituitary disease on HC replacement, 11 patients with treated acromegaly on HC replacement and 13 patients with treated acromegaly not on HC replacement) and 10 healthy volunteers were included. Cortisol and CBG levels were measured at 6 time points (0800, 1100, 1300, 1500, 1700 and 1900). No significant circadian variation in CBG concentration was found in any of the 4 groups. Circadian variation in serum cortisol during hydrocortisone replacement is not attributable to changes in cortisol-binding globulin concentration. Changes in serum cortisol levels may thus be explained by other factors including 11 β-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase type 1 activity or circadian changes in the binding properties of CBG. © 2015 John Wiley & Sons Ltd.

Effect of LED phototherapy (λ630 +/- 20nm) on mast cells during wound healing in hypothyroid

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Paraguassú, Gardênia M.; De Castro, Isabele Cardoso V.; Vasconcelos, Rebeca M.; da Guarda, Milena G.; Rodriguez, Tânia T.; Ramalho, Maria José P.; Pinheiro, Antônio Luiz B.; Ramalho, Luciana Maria P.

2014-02-01

Hypothyroidism has been associated with the disruption of the body's metabolism, including the healing process. LED phototherapy has been studied using several healing models, but their effects on mast cells proliferation associated to hypothyroidism remains unknown. The aim of this study was to assess the effect LED (λ630+/-20nm) phototherapy on mast cells proliferation during tissue repair in hypothyroid rats. Under general anesthesia, a standard surgical wound (1cm2) was created on the dorsum of 24 male Wistar rats divided into 4 groups of 6 animals each: EC-Control Euthyroid; ED-Euthyroid+LED; HC-Control Hypothyroid and HD-Hypothyroid+LED. The irradiation started immediately after surgery and was repeated every other day for 7 days, when animals death occurred. Hypothyroidism was induced in rats with propylthiouracil (0.05g/100mL) administered orally for 4 weeks and maintained until the end of the experiment. The specimens removed were processed to wax and stained with toluidine blue for mast cell identification. The mast cell proliferation was significantly higher in HC group than in EC group (Mann Whitney, p<0.05), but when ED group was compared to HD group, no significant difference was found. Our results showed that there was increase of mast cells in the presence of hypothyroidism, prolonging the inflammatory phase of repair, and the LED light has a biomodulative effect on mast cell population, even when hipothyroidism was present.

Plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D, hormonal contraceptive use, and cardiometabolic disease risk in an ethnically diverse population of young adults.

PubMed

García-Bailo, Bibiana; Karmali, Mohamed; Badawi, Alaa; El-Sohemy, Ahmed

2013-01-01

The relationship between vitamin D and cardiometabolic disease risk across ethnic groups is unclear, and it is not known whether the use of hormonal contraceptives (HCs), which affect vitamin D metabolism and are also associated with cardiometabolic disease risk, modifies this relationship. Our objectives were to determine the prevalence of vitamin D deficiency (plasma 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] < 30 nmol/L) to assess seasonal variation in concentrations of 25(OH)D, and to examine whether 25(OH)D is associated with cardiometabolic biomarkers across ethnic groups and across men, female HC nonusers, and female HC users in an ethnically diverse population of young adults living in Canada. The study population consisted of Caucasian, East Asian, and South Asian individuals (n = 1384, 69% female) aged 20-29 years. Participants provided overnight fasting blood samples, from which plasma 25(OH)D and cardiometabolic biomarkers were measured. Vitamin D status distributions were compared using χ(2) tests, and analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) was used to examine seasonal variations in 25(OH)D, as well as the association between 25(OH)D and cardiometabolic biomarkers, across groups. Plasma 25(OH)D concentrations fluctuated seasonally among Caucasians and East Asians and across men, female HC nonusers, and female HC users, but they remained low year-round in South Asians, half of whom were vitamin D deficient. Vitamin D deficiency was associated with higher insulin, homeostasis model assessment-estimated insulin resistance (HOMA-IR), and homeostasis model assessment (HOMA)-beta among Caucasians and East Asians and among men and female HC nonusers and with higher triglycerides among men only. No biomarkers were associated with 25(OH)D among South Asians and female HC users, although nonsignificant trends were observed for higher markers of glycemic dysregulation in those who were vitamin D deficient in both groups. Vitamin D deficiency varies between ethnic groups and is particularly high among South Asians, and it is associated with biomarkers of glycemic dysregulation; however, HC use among women may attenuate this association. Given the widespread use of HCs by women throughout the world, a better understanding of the extent to which these medications may modify the relationship between vitamin D and processes related to disease is warranted.

Abnormal Hippocampal Morphology in Dissociative Identity Disorder and Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Correlates with Childhood Trauma and Dissociative Symptoms

PubMed Central

Chalavi, Sima; Vissia, Eline M.; Giesen, Mechteld E.; Nijenhuis, Ellert R.S.; Draijer, Nel; Cole, James H.; Dazzan, Paola; Pariante, Carmine M.; Madsen, Sarah K.; Rajagopalan, Priya; Thompson, Paul M.; Toga, Arthur W.; Veltman, Dick J.; Reinders, Antje A.T.S.

2015-01-01

Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in individuals with posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID), but the regional specificity of hippocampal volume reductions and the association with severity of dissociative symptoms and/or childhood traumatization are still unclear. Brain structural MRI scans were analyzed for 33 outpatients (17 with DID and 16 with PTSD only) and 28 healthy controls (HC), all matched for age, sex, and education. DID patients met criteria for PTSD (PTSD-DID). Hippocampal global and subfield volumes and shape measurements were extracted. We found that global hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in all 33 patients (left: 6.75%; right: 8.33%) compared to HC. PTSD-DID (left: 10.19%; right: 11.37%) and PTSD-only with a history of childhood traumatization (left: 7.11%; right: 7.31%) had significantly smaller global hippocampal volume relative to HC. PTSD-DID had abnormal shape and significantly smaller volume in the CA2-3, CA4-DG and (pre)subiculum compared to HC. In the patient groups, smaller global and subfield hippocampal volumes significantly correlated with higher severity of childhood traumatization and dissociative symptoms. These findings support a childhood trauma-related etiology for abnormal hippocampal morphology in both PTSD and DID and can further the understanding of neurobiological mechanisms involved in these disorders. PMID:25545784

Abnormal hippocampal morphology in dissociative identity disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder correlates with childhood trauma and dissociative symptoms.

PubMed

Chalavi, Sima; Vissia, Eline M; Giesen, Mechteld E; Nijenhuis, Ellert R S; Draijer, Nel; Cole, James H; Dazzan, Paola; Pariante, Carmine M; Madsen, Sarah K; Rajagopalan, Priya; Thompson, Paul M; Toga, Arthur W; Veltman, Dick J; Reinders, Antje A T S

2015-05-01

Smaller hippocampal volume has been reported in individuals with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and dissociative identity disorder (DID), but the regional specificity of hippocampal volume reductions and the association with severity of dissociative symptoms and/or childhood traumatization are still unclear. Brain structural magnetic resonance imaging scans were analyzed for 33 outpatients (17 with DID and 16 with PTSD only) and 28 healthy controls (HC), all matched for age, sex, and education. DID patients met criteria for PTSD (PTSD-DID). Hippocampal global and subfield volumes and shape measurements were extracted. We found that global hippocampal volume was significantly smaller in all 33 patients (left: 6.75%; right: 8.33%) compared with HC. PTSD-DID (left: 10.19%; right: 11.37%) and PTSD-only with a history of childhood traumatization (left: 7.11%; right: 7.31%) had significantly smaller global hippocampal volume relative to HC. PTSD-DID had abnormal shape and significantly smaller volume in the CA2-3, CA4-DG and (pre)subiculum compared with HC. In the patient groups, smaller global and subfield hippocampal volumes significantly correlated with higher severity of childhood traumatization and dissociative symptoms. These findings support a childhood trauma-related etiology for abnormal hippocampal morphology in both PTSD and DID and can further the understanding of neurobiological mechanisms involved in these disorders. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Growth of healthy term infants fed partially hydrolyzed whey-based infant formula: a randomized, blinded, controlled trial.

PubMed

Borschel, Marlene W; Choe, Yong S; Kajzer, Janice A

2014-12-01

Partially hydrolyzed formulas (pHF) represent a significant percentage of the infant formula market. A new whey-based, palm olein oil (PO)-free pHF was developed and a masked, randomized, parallel growth study was conducted in infants fed this formula or a commercially available whey-based pHF with PO. Infants between 0 and 8 days were to be enrolled and studied to 119 days of age. Growth and tolerance of infants were evaluated. Mean weight gain from 14 to 119 days of age was similar between groups. There were no significant differences between groups in weight, length, head circumference (HC), or length or HC gains. Infants fed the new PO-free pHF had significantly softer stools than those fed the PO-containing formula except at 119 days of age. This study demonstrates that whereas growth of infants fed different formulas during the first 4 months of life may be similar, infants may tolerate individual formulas differently. © The Author(s) 2014.

Associations of blood homocysteine concentrations in Arab schizophrenic patients.

PubMed

Akanji, A O; Ohaeri, J U; Al-Shammri, S A; Fatania, H R

2007-09-01

This study aimed to evaluate the blood homocysteine concentration in Arab patients with schizophrenia and assess its associations with clinical phenotypes of the disease. Two age-matched groups of subjects were studied: (1) Healthy Controls, HC, n=165; (2) patients with schizophrenia, SZ: n=207. Each subject was evaluated with a standard questionnaire for age at disease onset, family history, disease severity and outcome. Plasma homocysteine levels (Hcys) were measured by immunoassay and serum levels of other biochemical parameters were measured by routine Autoanalyzer techniques. Group HC was heavier (body mass index, BMI) while SZ had greater waist-hip ratio (WHR) and plasma Hcys levels. In SZ, there were significant correlations between Hcys and BMI, triglycerides and HDL. Hcys levels in SZ were highest in the younger male patients. Schizophrenic patients have increased blood Hcys levels which correlate with components of the metabolic syndrome. Hcys levels were highest in the younger male patients and were not influenced by prognostic features of the disease.

An fMRI study of neural pathways following acupuncture in mild cognitive impairment patients

NASA Astrophysics Data System (ADS)

Feng, Yuanyuan; Bai, Lijun; Wang, Hu; Zhong, Chongguang; You, Youbo; Zhang, Wensheng; Tian, Jie

2012-03-01

While the use of acupuncture as a complementary therapeutic method for treating MCI is popular in certain parts of the world, the underlying mechanism is still elusive. In the current study, we adopted multivariate Granger causality analysis (mGCA) to explore the causal interactions of brain networks involving acupuncture in mild cognitive impairment (MCI) patients compared to healthy controls (HC). The fMRI experiment was performed with two different paradigms: namely, deep acupuncture (DA) and superficial acupuncture (SA) at acupoint KI3. Results demonstrated that deep acupuncture could modulate the abnormal regions in MCI group. These regions are implicated in memory encoding and retrieving. This may relate to the purported therapeutically beneficial effects of acupuncture for the treatment of MCI. However, the most significant causal interactions were found in the sensorimotor regions in HC group. This may because acupuncture has a greater modulatory effect on patients with a pathological imbalance. This paper provides the preliminary neurophysiological evidence for the potential efficacy effect of acupuncture on MCI.

Subliminal food images compromise superior working memory performance in women with restricting anorexia nervosa.

PubMed

Brooks, Samantha J; O'Daly, Owen G; Uher, Rudolf; Schiöth, Helgi B; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C

2012-06-01

Prefrontal cortex (PFC) is dysregulated in women with restricting anorexia nervosa (RAN). It is not known whether appetitive non-conscious stimuli bias cognitive responses in those with RAN. Thirteen women with RAN and 20 healthy controls (HC) completed a dorsolateral PFC (DLPFC) working memory task and an anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) conflict task, while masked subliminal food, aversive and neutral images were presented. During the DLPFC task, accuracy was higher in the RAN compared to the HC group, but superior performance was compromised when subliminal food stimuli were presented: errors positively correlated with self-reported trait anxiety in the RAN group. These effects were not observed in the ACC task. Appetitive activation is intact and anxiogenic in women with RAN, and non-consciously interacts with working memory processes associated with the DLPFC. This interaction mechanism may underlie cognitive inhibition of appetitive processes that are anxiety inducing, in people with AN. Copyright © 2012 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

The nature of verbal memory impairment in multiple sclerosis: a list-learning and meta-analytic study.

PubMed

Lafosse, Jose M; Mitchell, Sandra M; Corboy, John R; Filley, Christopher M

2013-10-01

The primary purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that multiple sclerosis (MS) patients have impaired acquisition rather than a retrieval deficit. Verbal memory impairment in MS was examined in 53 relapsing-remitting MS patients and 31 healthy controls (HC), and in a meta-analysis of studies that examined memory functioning in MS with list-learning tasks. The MS group demonstrated significantly lower acquisition and delayed recall performance than the HC group, and the meta-analysis revealed that the largest effect sizes were obtained for acquisition measures relative to delayed recall and recognition. Our data argue against a retrieval deficit as the sole explanation for verbal memory impairment in MS, and make a consistent case for the position that deficient acquisition contributes to the memory dysfunction of MS patients. Deficient acquisition may result from demyelination in relevant white matter tracts that reduces encoding efficiency as a result of impaired speed of information processing.

Neurochemical correlates of internet game play in adolescents with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: A proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) study.

PubMed

Bae, Sujin; Han, Doug Hyun; Kim, Sun Mi; Shi, Xianfeng; Renshaw, Perry F

2016-08-30

Previous studies have examined the relationship of brain metabolic changes in patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and internet gaming disorder (IGD). However, these studies have been limited by a small number of subjects, a large variance in subject age, and different brain regions of interest. The present study assessed the effects of chronic internet game play in ADHD children. Twenty eight ADHD adolescents with IGD (IGD+ADHD), 27 ADHD adolescents without problematic internet game playing (ADHD only) and 42 healthy comparison adolescents (HC) were included in the study. Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) was performed on a 3T MRI scanner. Our results indicate that the levels of NAA in both ADHD groups were lower than those observed in the HC group. The levels of Glu+Gln in the ADHD only group were increased, compared to those observed in the control group. However, Glu+Gln was not increased in the IGD+ADHD group. In addition, the levels of Glu+Gln in the IGD+ADHD group were positively correlated with K-ARS total and inattention scores. ADHD and IGD subjects were both characterized by decreased NAA levels within the frontal lobe, consistent with hypofrontality. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Longitudinal effect of eteplirsen versus historical control on ambulation in Duchenne muscular dystrophy

PubMed Central

Goemans, Nathalie; Lowes, Linda P.; Alfano, Lindsay N.; Berry, Katherine; Shao, James; Kaye, Edward M.; Mercuri, Eugenio; Hamid, Hoda Abdel; Byrne, Barry J.; Connolly, Anne M.; Dracker, Robert A.; Matthew Frank, L.; Heydemann, Peter T.; O'Brien, Kevin C.; Sparks, Susan E.; Specht, Linda A.; Rodino‐Klapac, Louise; Sahenk, Zarife; Al‐Zaidy, Samiah; Cripe, Linda H.; Lewis, Sarah; M, Pane; E, Mazzone; S, Messina; GL, Vita; Bertini, D Amico A; Casimiro, Berardinelli A; Y, Torrente; F, Magri; GP, Comi; G, Baranello; T, Mongini; A, Pini; R, Battini; E, Pegoraro; C, Bruno; L, Politano; S, Previtali

2016-01-01

Objective To continue evaluation of the long‐term efficacy and safety of eteplirsen, a phosphorodiamidate morpholino oligomer designed to skip DMD exon 51 in patients with Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Three‐year progression of eteplirsen‐treated patients was compared to matched historical controls (HC). Methods Ambulatory DMD patients who were ≥7 years old and amenable to exon 51 skipping were randomized to eteplirsen (30/50mg/kg) or placebo for 24 weeks. Thereafter, all received eteplirsen on an open‐label basis. The primary functional assessment in this study was the 6‐Minute Walk Test (6MWT). Respiratory muscle function was assessed by pulmonary function testing (PFT). Longitudinal natural history data were used for comparative analysis of 6MWT performance at baseline and months 12, 24, and 36. Patients were matched to the eteplirsen group based on age, corticosteroid use, and genotype. Results At 36 months, eteplirsen‐treated patients (n = 12) demonstrated a statistically significant advantage of 151m (p < 0.01) on 6MWT and experienced a lower incidence of loss of ambulation in comparison to matched HC (n = 13) amenable to exon 51 skipping. PFT results remained relatively stable in eteplirsen‐treated patients. Eteplirsen was well tolerated. Analysis of HC confirmed the previously observed change in disease trajectory at age 7 years, and more severe progression was observed in patients with mutations amenable to exon skipping than in those not amenable. The subset of patients amenable to exon 51 skipping showed a more severe disease course than those amenable to any exon skipping. Interpretation Over 3 years of follow‐up, eteplirsen‐treated patients showed a slower rate of decline in ambulation assessed by 6MWT compared to untreated matched HC. Ann Neurol 2016;79:257–271 PMID:26573217

Increased small intestinal permeability in ulcerative colitis: rather genetic than environmental and a risk factor for extensive disease?

PubMed

Büning, Carsten; Geissler, Nora; Prager, Matthias; Sturm, Andreas; Baumgart, Daniel C; Büttner, Janine; Bühner, Sabine; Haas, Verena; Lochs, Herbert

2012-10-01

A disturbed epithelial barrier could play a pivotal role in ulcerative colitis (UC). We performed a family-based study analyzing in vivo gastrointestinal permeability in patients with UC, their healthy relatives, spouses, and controls. In total, 89 patients with UC in remission, 35 first-degree relatives (UC-R), 24 nonrelated spouses (UC-NR), and 99 healthy controls (HC) were studied. Permeability was assessed by a sugar-drink test using sucrose (gastroduodenal permeability), lactulose/mannitol (intestinal permeability), and sucralose (colonic permeability). Data were correlated with clinical characteristics including medical treatment. Increased intestinal permeability was detected significantly more often in UC patients in remission (25/89, 28.1%) compared with HC (6/99, 6.1%; P < 0.001). Similar results were obtained in UC-R (7/35, 20.0%; P = 0.01 compared with HC) regardless of sharing the same household with the patients or not. No difference was found between UC-NR (3/24, 12.5%) and HC. Notably, in UC patients increased intestinal permeability was found in 12/28 patients (42.9%) with pancolitis, 7/30 (23.3%) patients with left-sided colitis, and in 2/19 (10.5%) patients with proctitis (P = 0.04). Gastroduodenal and colonic permeability were similar in all groups. Among patients on azathioprine, increased intestinal permeability was only seen in 1/18 (5.6%) patients. In contrast, in 24/70 (34.3%) patients without azathioprine, an increased intestinal permeability was found (P = 0.005). An increased intestinal but not colonic permeability was found in UC patients in clinical remission that could mark a new risk factor for extensive disease location. Similar findings in healthy relatives but not spouses suggest that this barrier defect is genetically determined. Copyright © 2012 Crohn's & Colitis Foundation of America, Inc.

T174. STRUCTURAL ABNORMALITIES IN THE CINGULATE CORTEX IN ADOLESCENTS AT ULTRA-HIGH RISK WHO LATER DEVELOP PSYCHOSIS

PubMed Central

Fortea, Adriana; van Eindhjoven, Phillip; Pariente, Jose; Calvo, Anna; Batalla, Albert; de la Serna, Elena; Ilzarbe, Daniel; Tor, Jordina; Dolz, Montserrat; Baeza, Inmaculada; Sugranyes, Gisela

2018-01-01

Abstract Background Identification of biomarkers of transition to psychosis in individuals at ultra-high risk (UHR) has the potential to improve future outcomes (McGorry, 2008). Structural MRI studies with UHR samples have revealed steeper rates of cortical thinning in temporal, prefrontal and cingulate cortices in individuals who later develop psychosis in both baseline and longitudinal comparisons (Fusar-Poli, 2011; Cannon, 2014). However, little is known about how onset of prodromal symptoms during adolescence impacts on changes in cortical thickness (CTH) (Ziermans, 2012). Methods Multicentre cross-sectional case-control study, including youth aged 10–17 years, recruited from two child and adolescent mental health centres. UHR individuals were identified using the Structured Interview for Prodromal Syndromes criteria with some modifications. Healthy controls (HC) were recruited from the same geographical area. Exclusion criteria comprised personal history of psychotic symptoms, IQ<70, autism spectrum disorder, presence of neurological disorder, or antecedents of head trauma with loss of consciousness. The study was approved by the local Ethical Review Boards. All participants underwent a comprehensive socio-demographic and clinical evaluation at baseline and after 6, 12 and 18 months follow-up to identify which individuals converted to psychosis (UHR-P) and which did not (UHR-NP). High-resolution magnetic resonance structural images were acquired at baseline on a 3Tesla and 1.5Tesla scanners. An inter-site compatibility study was conducted with healthy controls which revealed high inter-site correlation coefficients (r>.6) for CTH measures. Images were pre-processed employing automated procedures implemented in FreeSurfer 5.3.0, cortical parcellation employed the Desikan-Killiany brain atlas. Analyses: First, mean global and lobar (frontal, parietal, temporal, occipital, insula and cingulate) CTH measurements were computed. Then, within lobes showing group effects, CTH was measured for each parcellation. ANCOVA was performed to test differences between groups in SPSS 22.0, including gender, age, total intracranial volume and site as covariates. Significance was set at p<.05, corrected using the false discovery rate (FDR). Results 122 subjects were included (59 UHR-NP vs. 18 UHR-P vs. 45 HC, mean ages: 15.2 ± 1.5 vs. 15.0 ± 1.8 vs. 15.8 ± 1.5, F=1.9, p=.15; gender (%female): 61.0% vs 61.1% vs 68.9%, χ2=.76, p=.68). There were no significant differences in case-control proportion between centres: χ2=1.3, p=.25. No significant differences in global CTH in UHR-P (2.57 ± 0.13mm) relative to UHR-NP (2.56 ± 0.11mm) and HC (2.58 ± 0.09mm) were found. There was a significant group effect on the right cingulate cortex (F=6.6, pFDR=.024): UHR-P showed lower CTH in this area relative to controls (p=.007 uncorrected). Within the right cingulate cortex, a significant group effect was found in the posterior cingulate (F=5.7, pFDR=.016) and isthmus (F=4.6, pFDR=.024), and a trend level in the caudal anterior cingulate (F=2.9, p=.057): with smaller CTH in UHR-P relative to HC in the isthmus cingulate (p=.025) and the posterior cingulate (p=.066). No significant differences were observed between UHR-P and UHR-NP groups. Discussion UHR-P showed significant cortical thinning in several regions of the right cingulate cortex in comparison to HC, giving support to the notion that structural alterations in the cingulate cortex may be present in children and adolescents prior the onset of psychosis. Longitudinal changes in CTH have the potential to increase understanding of changes related to transition to clinical illness.

Improvement of wound healing by regulated oxygen-enriched negative pressure-assisted wound therapy in a rabbit model.

PubMed

Li, Y Z; Hu, X D; Lai, X M; Li, Y F; Lei, Y

2018-01-01

Development of drug therapies and other techniques for wound care have resulted in significant improvement of the cure rate and shortening of the healing time for wounds. A modified technique of regulated oxygen-enriched negative pressure-assisted wound therapy (RO-NPT) has been reported. To evaluate the efficacy and impact of RO-NPT on wound recovery and inflammation. Infected wounds were established on 40 adult female white rabbits, which were then randomized to one of four groups: O 2 group, regulated negative pressure-assisted wound therapy (RNPT) group, regulated oxygen-enriched negative pressure-assisted wound therapy (RO-NPT) group and healthy control (HC) group. Each day, the O 2 group was treated with a constant oxygen supply (1 L/min) to the wound, while the RNPT group was treated with continuous regulated negative pressure (70 ± 5 mmHg) and the RNPT + O 2 group was treated with both. The HC group was treated with gauze dressing alone, which was changed every day. Leucocyte count, colony count and wound-healing rate were calculated. Levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-1β and IL-8 were evaluated by ELISA. RO-RNPT significantly decreased bacterial count and TNF-α level, and increased the wound-healing rate. IL-1β, IL-8 and leucocyte count had a tendency to increase in the early phase of inflammation and a tendency to decrease in the later phase of inflammation in the RO-RNPT group. RO-NPT therapy assisted wound recovery and inflammation control compared with the RNPT and oxygen-enriched therapies. RO-NPT therapy also increased levels of IL-1β and IL-8 and attenuated expression of TNF-α in the early phase of inflammation. © 2017 British Association of Dermatologists.

Physiotherapists supporting self-management through health coaching: a mixed methods program evaluation.

PubMed

Dufour, Sinéad Patricia; Graham, Shane; Friesen, Josh; Rosenblat, Michael; Rous, Colin; Richardson, Julie

2015-01-01

To evaluate a program in support of chronic disease self-management (CDSM) that is founded on a health coaching (HC) approach, includes supervised exercise and mindfulness-based stress reduction components and is delivered within a private practice physiotherapy setting. An explanatory mixed method design, framed by theory-based program evaluation, was employed to evaluate an eight-week group-based program. Standardized self-rated and performance measures were evaluated pre- and post intervention. Additionally, participant focus groups were conducted following the intervention period. An inductive thematic approach was undertaken to analyze the qualitative data. Seventeen participants (N = 17) completed the study. Improvements were seen in both self-report and performance outcomes. Participants explained how and why they felt the program was beneficial. Six themes were generated: (1) group dynamic; (2) learning versus doing; (3) holism and comprehensive care; (4) self-efficacy and empowerment; (5) previous solutions versus new management strategies; and (6) healthcare provider support. This study established that a group program in support of CDSM founded on a HC approach demonstrated potential value from participants as well as favorable outcomes. A pragmatic randomized control trial is required to determine efficacy of this intervention.

[Evaluation of the impact of a community intervention on the consumption of fruits and vegetables in Colombia].

PubMed

Prada, Gloria Esperanza; Dubeibe-Blanco, Lucia Yalile; Herrán, Oscar F; Herrera-Anaya, Martha

2007-01-01

To evaluate the impact of an alimentary intervention on the frequency of consumption of fruits and vegetables (FV) in the municipality of Girón, Santander, Colombia. A community intervention was carried out over a ten-month period, where 66 families who use fourteen community homes (HC) received an alimentary intervention based on educational strategies. Seventy-three families in twelve HC served as a control group. The frequency of FV consumption was evaluated by repeated measurements using a food frequency questionnaire. The evaluation was carried out on two levels: the family and the HC. The Bland-Alman method was used to determine the intra- and inter-group impact. A multiple linear regression model enabled the evaluation of the intervention's effect on consumption frequency, adjusted for economic and demographic variables. The frequency of consumption of fruits increased an average of 1.3 times per week (CI 0.3, 1.8, p = 0.040). This was achieved when the probability of having a blender was higher than 75% (R2 for the regression 0.33; n = 26). The frequency of vegetable consumption did not increase. In poor populations an increase in the consumption of fruits can be achieved through educational strategies. However, the limited access to equipment for transforming and preserving alimentary products is decisive to the final result.

Oligoclonal T cell expansions in patients with Behçet's disease

PubMed Central

DIRESKENELI, H; EKSIOGLU-DEMIRALP, E; KIBAROGLU, A; YAVUZ, S; ERGUN, T; AKOGLU, T

1999-01-01

Behçet's disease (BD) is a multisystem disorder with oral and genital ulcers, mucocutaneous, ocular, joint, vascular and central nervous system involvement. In this study, the peripheral T cell repertoire was analysed in patients with BD with MoAbs against T cell receptor (TCR) Vβ gene products in CD4+ and CD8+ T cell compartments, and these were compared with rheumatoid arthritis (RA) patients and healthy controls (HC). In the CD4+ T cell compartment, oligoclonal TCR Vβ expression was observed in 56% of BD (10/18), 71% of RA (5/7) patients and 21% (3/14) of HC. In the CD8+ T cell group 50% of BD (9/18), 57% of RA patients and 28% of HC (4/14) had an oligoclonal TCR repertoire. An increase of TCR Vβ5.1 subset was observed in five BD patients among CD8+ T cells. Other elevations of TCR Vβ subsets were heterogeneously distributed with one to three different Vβ subsets. Our results suggest an antigen-driven oligoclonal increase of T cells in BD. There was no overall increase in any Vβ group to suggest a superantigen effect. Analysis of the responsible antigens causing the increase in T cell subsets may give insights into the aetiopathogenesis of BD and immunomodulation of these T cells may lead to new treatments. PMID:10403931

Differences in social functioning among patients with major psychiatric disorders: Interpersonal communication is impaired in patients with schizophrenia and correlates with an increase in schizotypal traits.

PubMed

Yasuyama, Toshiki; Ohi, Kazutaka; Shimada, Takamitsu; Uehara, Takashi; Kawasaki, Yasuhiro

2017-03-01

Impaired social functioning is a hallmark of major psychiatric disorders. The purpose of this study was to detect a disorder-specific factor of social dysfunction among patients with major psychiatric disorders (PSY), including schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BIP) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Social functioning was assessed in patients with SCZ (n=80), BIP (n=27) or MDD (n=29) and healthy controls (HC, n=68) using the Social Functioning Scale (SFS). Compared to HC, the SCZ, BIP and MDD patient groups showed lower total SFS scores. No differences in the total scores for social functioning were observed between patient groups. We next investigated seven subscales of the SFS among PSY and observed significant diagnostic effects on all subscales of the SFS. Notably, patients with SCZ have poorer interpersonal communication than patients with MDD. Furthermore, the poorer interpersonal communication score was significantly correlated with an increase in schizotypal personality traits, as assessed by the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire (SPQ) in HC. Although there were no differences in overall social functioning among PSY, disorder-specific factors, such as interpersonal communication, were evident in SCZ. The correlation between poor interpersonal communication and the increase in schizotypal traits suggests that poor interpersonal communication may be an intermediate phenotype of SCZ. Copyright © 2017 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.

Lifestyle Change Plus Dental Care (LCDC) program improves knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward oral health and diabetes mellitus among the elderly with type 2 diabetes.

PubMed

Saengtipbovorn, Saruta; Taneepanichskul, Surasak

2015-03-01

Currently, there is an increased prevalence of diabetes mellitus among the elderly. Chronic inflammation from diabetes mellitus effects glycemic control and increases risk of diabetes complications. To assess the effectiveness of a Lifestyle Change plus Dental Care (LCDC) program by improved knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward oral health and diabetes mellitus among the elderly with type 2 diabetes. A quasi-experimental study was conducted in two Health Centers (HC 54 intervention and HC 59 control) between October 2013 and April 2014. Sixty-six diabetic patients per health center were recruited. At baseline, the intervention group attended a 20-minute lifestyle and oral health education program, individual lifestyle counseling using motivational interviewing, application of self-regulation manual, and individual oral hygiene instruction. At 3-month follow-up, the intervention group received individual lifestyle counseling and oral hygiene instruction. The intervention group received booster education every visit by viewing a 15-minute educational video. The control group received the routine program. Participants were assessed at baseline, 3-month, and 6-month follow-up for knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) toward oral health and diabetes mellitus. Data was analyzed by using descriptive statistic, Chi-square test, Fisher's exact test, and repeated measure ANOVA. After the 6-month follow-up, repeated measure ANOVA analysis showed that participants in the intervention group had significantly higher knowledge and attitude toward oral health and diabetes mellitus. The participants in the intervention group were more likely to exercise, modify diet, have foot examinations, always wear covered shoes, participate in self-feet screening, use dental floss, and use inter-proximal brush than the control group with statistically significant differences. The combination of lifestyle change and dental care in one program improved knowledge, attitude, andpractice (KAP) toward oral health and diabetes mellitus in the elderly with type 2 diabetes. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.in.th: TCTR20140602001.

[Prevalence of hypercalciuria in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis].

PubMed

Carvalho, Mauricio; Kulak, Carolina Aguiar Moreira; Borba, Victória Zegbi Cochenski

2012-02-01

To determine the prevalence of hypercalciuria (HC) in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and its relationship with clinical data and bone mineral metabolism. Calciuria was measured in 24-hour urine samples of 127 women. BMD was measured in the lumbar spine and femur by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA). Mean age (±SD) was 64 (±8) years. According to urinary calcium excretion, patients were divided into normo- and hypercalciuric (HC). Of the 127 patients, 19 (15%) were classified as HC. The only difference between the groups was the age of onset of menopause (46 ± 6 vs. 50 ± 3 years HC, p < 0.0005). No association was found between calciuria and age, BMI, BMD, calcium, phosphorus, PTH, and alkaline phosphatase. HC is frequent in postmenopausal women with osteoporosis, and calciuria measurement should be included in the investigation of these patients.

Cortical thickness as a contributor to abnormal oscillations in schizophrenia?

PubMed

Edgar, J Christopher; Chen, Yu-Han; Lanza, Matthew; Howell, Breannan; Chow, Vivian Y; Heiken, Kory; Liu, Song; Wootton, Cassandra; Hunter, Michael A; Huang, Mingxiong; Miller, Gregory A; Cañive, José M

2014-01-01

Although brain rhythms depend on brain structure (e.g., gray and white matter), to our knowledge associations between brain oscillations and structure have not been investigated in healthy controls (HC) or in individuals with schizophrenia (SZ). Observing function-structure relationships, for example establishing an association between brain oscillations (defined in terms of amplitude or phase) and cortical gray matter, might inform models on the origins of psychosis. Given evidence of functional and structural abnormalities in primary/secondary auditory regions in SZ, the present study examined how superior temporal gyrus (STG) structure relates to auditory STG low-frequency and 40 Hz steady-state activity. Given changes in brain activity as a function of age, age-related associations in STG oscillatory activity were also examined. Thirty-nine individuals with SZ and 29 HC were recruited. 40 Hz amplitude-modulated tones of 1 s duration were presented. MEG and T1-weighted sMRI data were obtained. Using the sources localizing 40 Hz evoked steady-state activity (300 to 950 ms), left and right STG total power and inter-trial coherence were computed. Time-frequency group differences and associations with STG structure and age were also examined. Decreased total power and inter-trial coherence in SZ were observed in the left STG for initial post-stimulus low-frequency activity (~ 50 to 200 ms, ~ 4 to 16 Hz) as well as 40 Hz steady-state activity (~ 400 to 1000 ms). Left STG 40 Hz total power and inter-trial coherence were positively associated with left STG cortical thickness in HC, not in SZ. Left STG post-stimulus low-frequency and 40 Hz total power were positively associated with age, again only in controls. Left STG low-frequency and steady-state gamma abnormalities distinguish SZ and HC. Disease-associated damage to STG gray matter in schizophrenia may disrupt the age-related left STG gamma-band function-structure relationships observed in controls.

Ethnic health care advisors: a good strategy to improve the access to health care and social welfare services for ethnic minorities?

PubMed

Hesselink, Arlette E; Verhoeff, Arnoud P; Stronks, Karien

2009-10-01

Empirical studies indicate that ethnic minorities have limited access to health care and welfare services compared with the host population. To improve this access, ethnic health care (HC) advisors were introduced in four districts in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. HC advisors work for all health care and welfare services and their main task is to provide information on health care and welfare to individuals and groups and refer individuals to services. Action research was carried out over a period of 2 years to find out whether and how this function can contribute to improve access to services for ethnic minorities. Information was gathered by semi-structured interviews, analysing registration forms and reports, and attending meetings. The function's implementation and characteristics differed per district. The ethnicity of the health care advisors corresponded to the main ethnic groups in the district: Moroccan and Turkish (three districts) and sub-Sahara African and Surinamese (one district). HC advisors reached many ethnic inhabitants (n = 2,224) through individual contacts. Half of them were referred to health care and welfare services. In total, 576 group classes were given. These were mostly attended by Moroccan and Turkish females. Outreach activities and office hours at popular locations appeared to be important characteristics for actually reaching ethnic minorities. Furthermore, direct contact with a well-organized back office seems to be important. HC advisors were able to reach many ethnic minorities, provide information about the health care and welfare system, and refer them to services. Besides adapting the function to the local situation, some general aspects for success can be indicated: the ethnic background of the HC advisor should correspond to the main ethnic minority groups in the district, HC advisors need to conduct outreach work, there must be a well-organized back office to refer clients to, and there needs to be enough commitment among professionals of local health and welfare services.

Dopaminergic influences on executive function and impulsive behaviour in impulse control disorders in Parkinson's disease.

PubMed

Leroi, Iracema; Barraclough, Michelle; McKie, Shane; Hinvest, Neal; Evans, Jonathan; Elliott, Rebecca; McDonald, Kathryn

2013-09-01

The development of impulse control disorders (ICDs) in Parkinson's disease (PD) may arise from an interaction among cognitive impairment, impulsive responding and dopaminergic state. Dopaminergic state may be influenced by pharmacologic or genotypic (catechol-O-methyltransferase; COMT) factors. We sought to investigate this interaction further by comparing those with (n = 35) and without (n = 55) ICDs on delay-discounting in different pharmacologic conditions (ON or OFF dopaminergic medication) and on response inhibition as well as aspects of executive functioning in the ON state. We then undertook an exploratory sub-group analysis of these same tasks when the overall PD group was divided into different allelic variants of COMT (val/val vs. met/met). A healthy control group (HC; n = 20) was also included. We found that in those with PD and ICDs, 'cognitive flexibility' (set shifting, verbal fluency, and attention) in the ON medication state was not impaired compared with those without ICDs. In contrast, our working memory, or 'cognitive focus', task was impaired in both PD groups compared with the HC group when ON. During the delay-discounting task, the PD with ICDs group expressed greater impulsive choice compared with the PD group without ICDs, when in the ON, but not the OFF, medication state. However, no group difference on the response inhibition task was seen when ON. Finally, the met homozygous group performed differently on tests of executive function compared with the val homozygous group. We concluded that the disparity in levels of impairment among different domains of executive function and impulsive decision-making distinguishes those with ICD in PD from those without ICD, and may in part be affected by dopaminergic status. Both pharmacologic and genotypic influences on dopaminergic state may be important in ICD. © 2013 The British Psychological Society.

Altered time course of amygdala activation during speech anticipation in social anxiety disorder.

PubMed

Davies, Carolyn D; Young, Katherine; Torre, Jared B; Burklund, Lisa J; Goldin, Philippe R; Brown, Lily A; Niles, Andrea N; Lieberman, Matthew D; Craske, Michelle G

2017-02-01

Exaggerated anticipatory anxiety is common in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Neuroimaging studies have revealed altered neural activity in response to social stimuli in SAD, but fewer studies have examined neural activity during anticipation of feared social stimuli in SAD. The current study examined the time course and magnitude of activity in threat processing brain regions during speech anticipation in socially anxious individuals and healthy controls (HC). Participants (SAD n=58; HC n=16) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during which they completed a 90s control anticipation task and 90s speech anticipation task. Repeated measures multi-level modeling analyses were used to examine group differences in time course activity during speech vs. control anticipation for regions of interest, including bilateral amygdala, insula, ventral striatum, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. The time course of amygdala activity was more prolonged and less variable throughout speech anticipation in SAD participants compared to HCs, whereas the overall magnitude of amygdala response did not differ between groups. Magnitude and time course of activity was largely similar between groups across other regions of interest. Analyses were restricted to regions of interest and task order was the same across participants due to the nature of deception instructions. Sustained amygdala time course during anticipation may uniquely reflect heightened detection of threat or deficits in emotion regulation in socially anxious individuals. Findings highlight the importance of examining temporal dynamics of amygdala responding. Copyright © 2016 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.

Altered time course of amygdala activation during speech anticipation in social anxiety disorder

PubMed Central

Davies, Carolyn D.; Young, Katherine; Torre, Jared B.; Burklund, Lisa J.; Goldin, Philippe R.; Brown, Lily A.; Niles, Andrea N.; Lieberman, Matthew D.; Craske, Michelle G.

2016-01-01

Background Exaggerated anticipatory anxiety is common in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Neuroimaging studies have revealed altered neural activity in response to social stimuli in SAD, but fewer studies have examined neural activity during anticipation of feared social stimuli in SAD. The current study examined the time course and magnitude of activity in threat processing brain regions during speech anticipation in socially anxious individuals and healthy controls (HC). Method Participants (SAD n = 58; HC n = 16) underwent functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) during which they completed a 90s control anticipation task and 90s speech anticipation task. Repeated measures multi-level modeling analyses were used to examine group differences in time course activity during speech vs. control anticipation for regions of interest, including bilateral amygdala, insula, ventral striatum, and dorsal anterior cingulate cortex. Results The time course of amygdala activity was more prolonged and less variable throughout speech anticipation in SAD participants compared to HCs, whereas the overall magnitude of amygdala response did not differ between groups. Magnitude and time course of activity was largely similar between groups across other regions of interest. Limitations Analyses were restricted to regions of interest and task order was the same across participants due to the nature of deception instructions. Conclusions Sustained amygdala time course during anticipation may uniquely reflect heightened detection of threat or deficits in emotion regulation in socially anxious individuals. Findings highlight the importance of examining temporal dynamics of amygdala responding. PMID:27870942

Migraine headaches in chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS): comparison of two prospective cross-sectional studies.

PubMed

Ravindran, Murugan K; Zheng, Yin; Timbol, Christian; Merck, Samantha J; Baraniuk, James N

2011-03-05

Headaches are more frequent in Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) than healthy control (HC) subjects. The 2004 International Headache Society (IHS) criteria were used to define CFS headache phenotypes. Subjects in Cohort 1 (HC = 368; CFS = 203) completed questionnaires about many diverse symptoms by giving nominal (yes/no) answers. Cohort 2 (HC = 21; CFS = 67) had more focused evaluations. They scored symptom severities on 0 to 4 anchored ordinal scales, and had structured headache evaluations. All subjects had history and physical examinations; assessments for exclusion criteria; questionnaires about CFS related symptoms (0 to 4 scale), Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI) and Medical Outcome Survey Short Form 36 (MOS SF-36). Demographics, trends for the number of diffuse "functional" symptoms present, and severity of CFS case designation criteria symptoms were equivalent between CFS subjects in Cohorts 1 and 2. HC had significantly fewer symptoms, lower MFI and higher SF-36 domain scores than CFS in both cohorts. Migraine headaches were found in 84%, and tension-type headaches in 81% of Cohort 2 CFS. This compared to 5% and 45%, respectively, in HC. The CFS group had migraine without aura (60%; MO; CFS+MO), with aura (24%; CFS+MA), tension headaches only (12%), or no headaches (4%). Co-morbid tension and migraine headaches were found in 67% of CFS. CFS+MA had higher severity scores than CFS+MO for the sum of scores for poor memory, dizziness, balance, and numbness ("Neuro-construct", p = 0.002) and perceived heart rhythm disturbances, palpitations and noncardiac chest pain ("Cardio-construct"; p = 0.045, t-tests after Bonferroni corrections). CFS+MO subjects had lower pressure-induced pain thresholds (2.36 kg [1.95-2.78; 95% C.I.] n = 40) and a higher prevalence of fibromyalgia (47%; 1990 criteria) compared to HC (5.23 kg [3.95-6.52] n = 20; and 0%, respectively). Sumatriptan was beneficial for 13 out of 14 newly diagnosed CFS migraine subjects. CFS subjects had higher prevalences of MO and MA than HC, suggesting that mechanisms of migraine pathogenesis such as central sensitization may contribute to CFS pathophysiology. Georgetown University IRB # 2006-481

Thinking about eating food activates visual cortex with reduced bilateral cerebellar activation in females with anorexia nervosa: an fMRI study.

PubMed

Brooks, Samantha J; O'Daly, Owen; Uher, Rudolf; Friederich, Hans-Christoph; Giampietro, Vincent; Brammer, Michael; Williams, Steven C R; Schiöth, Helgi B; Treasure, Janet; Campbell, Iain C

2012-01-01

Women with anorexia nervosa (AN) have aberrant cognitions about food and altered activity in prefrontal cortical and somatosensory regions to food images. However, differential effects on the brain when thinking about eating food between healthy women and those with AN is unknown. Functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) examined neural activation when 42 women thought about eating the food shown in images: 18 with AN (11 RAN, 7 BPAN) and 24 age-matched controls (HC). Group contrasts between HC and AN revealed reduced activation in AN in the bilateral cerebellar vermis, and increased activation in the right visual cortex. Preliminary comparisons between AN subtypes and healthy controls suggest differences in cortical and limbic regions. These preliminary data suggest that thinking about eating food shown in images increases visual and prefrontal cortical neural responses in females with AN, which may underlie cognitive biases towards food stimuli and ruminations about controlling food intake. Future studies are needed to explicitly test how thinking about eating activates restraint cognitions, specifically in those with restricting vs. binge-purging AN subtypes.

Comparison of corneal biomechanics in Sjögren's syndrome and non-Sjögren's syndrome dry eyes by Scheimpflug based device.

PubMed

Long, Qin; Wang, Jing-Yi; Xu, Dong; Li, Ying

2017-01-01

To compare the corneal biomechanics of Sjögren's syndrome (SS) and non-SS dry eyes with Corneal Visualization Scheimpflug Technology (CorVis ST). Corneal biomechanics and tear film parameters, namely the Schirmer I test value, tear film break-up time (TBUT) and corneal staining score (CSS) were detected in 34 eyes of 34 dry eye patients with SS (SSDE group) and 34 dry eye subjects without SS (NSSDE group) using CorVis ST. The differences of the above parameters between the two groups were examined, and the relationship between corneal biomechanics and tear film parameters were observed. The differences in age, sex, intraocular pressure (IOP) and central corneal thickness (CCT) were not significant between the two groups ( P >0.05). The tear film parameters had significant differences between the SSDE group and NSSDE group (all P <0.05). Patients in the SSDE group had significantly lower A1-time and HC-time, but higher DA ( P =0.01, 0.02, and 0.02, respectively) compared with the NSSDE group. In the SSDE group, DA was negatively correlated with TBUT ( rho =-0.38, P =0.03); HC-time was negatively correlated with CSS ( rho =-0.43, P =0.02). In the NSSDE group, HC-time was again negatively correlated with CSS ( rho =-0.39, P =0.02). There are differences in corneal biomechanical properties between SSDE and NSSDE. The cornea of SSDE tends to show less "stiffness", as seen by a significantly shorter A1-time and HC-time, but larger DA, compared with the cornea of NSSDE. Biomechanical parameters can be influenced by different tear film parameters in both groups.

Brain structural anomalies in borderline and avoidant personality disorder patients and their associations with disorder-specific symptoms.

PubMed

Denny, Bryan T; Fan, Jin; Liu, Xun; Guerreri, Stephanie; Mayson, Sarah Jo; Rimsky, Liza; McMaster, Antonia; Alexander, Heather; New, Antonia S; Goodman, Marianne; Perez-Rodriguez, Mercedes; Siever, Larry J; Koenigsberg, Harold W

2016-08-01

Borderline personality disorder (BPD) and avoidant personality disorder (AvPD) are characterized by hyper-reactivity to negatively-perceived interpersonal cues, yet they differ in degree of affective instability. Recent work has begun to elucidate the neural (structural and functional) and cognitive-behavioral underpinnings of BPD, although some initial studies of brain structure have reached divergent conclusions. AvPD, however, has been almost unexamined in the cognitive neuroscience literature. In the present study we investigated group differences among 29 BPD patients, 27 AvPD patients, and 29 healthy controls (HC) in structural brain volumes using voxel-based morphometry (VBM) in five anatomically-defined regions of interest: amygdala, hippocampus, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and anterior cingulate cortex (ACC). We also examined the relationship between individual differences in brain structure and self-reported anxiety and affective instability in each group. We observed reductions in MPFC and ACC volume in BPD relative to HC, with no significant difference among patient groups. No group differences in amygdala volume were found. However, BPD and AvPD patients each showed a positive relationship between right amygdala volume and state-related anxiety. By contrast, in HC there was an inverse relationship between MPFC volume and state and trait-related anxiety as well as between bilateral DLPFC volume and affective instability. Current sample sizes did not permit examination of gender effects upon structure-symptom correlations. These results shed light on potentially protective, or compensatory, aspects of brain structure in these populations-namely, relatively reduced amygdala volume or relatively enhanced MPFC and DLPFC volume. Published by Elsevier B.V.

Altered functional connectivity density in patients with herpes zoster and postherpetic neuralgia.

PubMed

Hong, Shunda; Gu, Lili; Zhou, Fuqing; Liu, Jiaqi; Huang, Muhua; Jiang, Jian; He, Laichang; Gong, Honghan; Zeng, Xianjun

2018-01-01

The aim of this study was to explore intrinsic functional connectivity patterns in patients with herpes zoster (HZ) and postherpetic neuralgia (PHN). Thirty-three right-handed HZ patients (13 males; mean age 57.15±9.30 years), 22 right-handed PHN patients (9 males; mean age 66.13±6.77 years), and 28 well-matched healthy controls (HC) (9 males; mean age 54.21±7.72 years) underwent resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging for intrinsic functional connectivity analyses. Functional connectivity density (FCD) was calculated and compared among the PHN, HZ, and HC groups. In addition, the Pearson correlation coefficient was calculated to compare various clinical indices in the regions with abnormal FCD values. Compared with the HC, both HZ and PHN patients showed significantly decreased FCD in the precuneus, and patients with HZ displayed significantly increased FCD in the brainstem/limbic lobe/parahippocampalgyrus, whereas patients with PHN displayed significantly increased FCD in the hippocampus (correlation thresholds r =0.25, voxel level of P <0.01 and Gaussian random field theory at a cluster level of P <0.05). However, the FCD was not significantly different between the PHN and HZ patients. Furthermore, the decreased FCD in the precuneus was positively correlated with the visual analog scale score in the PHN group ( r =0.672; P =0.001). Decreased connectivity of the precuneus occurred in both HZ and PHN patients, indicating a disrupted default-mode network. Furthermore, in the HZ group (initial stage of the virus infection), hyperconnectivity was observed in systems involved in pain transmission and interpretation, but hyperconnectivity only occurred in the hippocampus in the PHN group (neuropathic pain stage).

Disorders of "taste cognition" are associated with insular involvement in patients with Alzheimer's disease and vascular dementia: "memory of food is impaired in dementia and responsible for poor diet".

PubMed

Suto, Teiko; Meguro, Kenichi; Nakatsuka, Masahiro; Kato, Yuriko; Tezuka, Kimihiro; Yamaguchi, Satoshi; Tashiro, Manabu

2014-07-01

In dementia patients, dietary intake problems may occur despite the absence of swallowing problems. We investigated cognitive functions on food and taste in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) patients. Participants included 15 healthy controls (HC), 30 AD and 20 VaD patients. Food Cognition Test: Replicas of three popular foods in Japan with no odors were presented visually to each participant, with the instruction to respond with the name of each food. Replicas of food materials were subsequently presented to ask whether they were included in these foods. Taste Cognition Test: Replicas of 12 kinds of foods were presented to describe their expected tastes. The AD/VaD groups exhibited significantly lower scores on Food/Taste Cognition Tests compared with the HC group. These scores correlated inversely with Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) scores in the AD group. Decreased dietary intake was observed in 12 of the 50 patients; 8 of the 12 exhibited decreased Taste Cognition Test scores, higher than that of the normal-intake patients. There was no difference in the filter paper taste disc test between HC/AD/VaD groups. To test the hypothesis that the insula is associated with taste cognition, two MMSE-matched AD subgroups (n = 10 vs. 10) underwent positron emission tomography. Glucose metabolism in the right insula was lower in the low taste cognition subgroup. The VaD patients with insular lesions exhibited impaired Taste Cognition Test findings. It is important to consider the cognitive aspect of dietary intake when we care for dementia patients.

Processing of Emotional Faces in Patients with Chronic Pain Disorder: An Eye-Tracking Study.

PubMed

Giel, Katrin Elisabeth; Paganini, Sarah; Schank, Irena; Enck, Paul; Zipfel, Stephan; Junne, Florian

2018-01-01

Problems in emotion processing potentially contribute to the development and maintenance of chronic pain. Theories focusing on attentional processing have suggested that dysfunctional attention deployment toward emotional information, i.e., attentional biases for negative emotions, might entail one potential developmental and/or maintenance factor of chronic pain. We assessed self-reported alexithymia, attentional orienting to and maintenance on emotional stimuli using eye tracking in 17 patients with chronic pain disorder (CP) and two age- and sex-matched control groups, 17 healthy individuals (HC) and 17 individuals who were matched to CP according to depressive symptoms (DC). In a choice viewing paradigm, a dot indicated the position of the emotional picture in the next trial to allow for strategic attention deployment. Picture pairs consisted of a happy or sad facial expression and a neutral facial expression of the same individual. Participants were asked to explore picture pairs freely. CP and DC groups reported higher alexithymia than the HC group. HC showed a previously reported emotionality bias by preferentially orienting to the emotional face and preferentially maintaining on the happy face. CP and DC participants showed no facilitated early attention to sad facial expressions, and DC participants showed no facilitated early attention to happy facial expressions, while CP and DC participants did. We found no group differences in attentional maintenance. Our findings are in line with the clinical large overlap between pain and depression. The blunted initial reaction to sadness could be interpreted as a failure of the attentional system to attend to evolutionary salient emotional stimuli or as an attempt to suppress negative emotions. These difficulties in emotion processing might contribute to etiology or maintenance of chronic pain and depression.

Low-dose hydrocortisone replacement is associated with improved arterial stiffness index and blood pressure dynamics in severely adrenocorticotrophin-deficient hypopituitary male patients.

PubMed

Behan, Lucy-Ann; Carmody, David; Rogers, Bairbre; Hannon, Mark J; Davenport, Colin; Tormey, William; Smith, Diarmuid; Thompson, Christopher J; Stanton, Alice; Agha, Amar

2016-06-01

Increased cardiovascular and cerebrovascular morbidity and mortality in hypopituitary subjects may be linked to inappropriate glucocorticoid exposure; however, the pathophysiology remains unclear. We aimed to examine the effect of three commonly prescribed hydrocortisone (HC) regimens on vascular risk factors. An open crossover study randomising ten hypopituitary men with severe adrenocorticotrophic hormone deficiency to three HC dose regimens: dose A (20mg mane and 10mg tarde), dose B (10mg mane and 10mg tarde) and dose C (10mg mane and 5mg tarde). Following 6 weeks on each regimen, participants underwent 24-h serum cortisol sampling, 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (BP) measurements, calculation of the Ambulatory Arterial Stiffness Index (AASI), oral glucose tolerance testing and fasting serum osteoprotegerin (OPG) sampling. There were no differences in 24-h BP between dose regimens and controls; however, low-dose HC replacement (dose C) was associated with the lowest AASI, indicating a less stiff arterial tree (P<0.05) compared with the other dose regimens. Loss of the physiologic nocturnal BP dip was more common in higher HC replacement regimens, although only significant for dose B compared with dose C (P=0.03). Twenty per cent of patients had abnormal glucose tolerance, but this was unrelated to dose regimen. OPG correlated strongly with 24-h BP in those on dose A only (r=0.65, P=0.04). Currently prescribed HC replacement doses do not result in significant differences in absolute BP levels or improvements in insulin sensitivity. However, lower HC doses may result in lower arterial stiffness and a more physiological nocturnal BP dip. Long-term studies are required to confirm these findings and evaluate their impact on vascular morbidity in this patient group. © 2016 European Society of Endocrinology.

The LDIFLARE and CCM methods demonstrate early nerve fibre abnormalities in untreated hypothyroidism: a prospective study.

PubMed

Sharma, Sanjeev; Tobin, Victoria; Vas, Prashant R J; Rayman, Gerry

2018-05-31

Recent studies using skin biopsy suggest presence of small fibre neuropathy in subclinical hypothyroidism. This study uses two novel non-invasive methods - the Laser Doppler imager (LDIFLARE) and Corneal confocal microscopy (CCM) - to assess small fibre function (SFF) and structure (SFS) respectively in newly diagnosed hypothyroidism (HT) before and after adequate treatment. Single-center, prospective, intervention-based cohort study. 20 patients with newly diagnosed HT- 15 primary and 5 post-radioiodine - along with 20 age-matched healthy controls (HC). Both HT and HC were assessed neurologically at diagnosis and baseline respectively. The HT group was reassessed after optimal replacement (defined as TSH:0.27-4.20mIU/L) with levothyroxine (LT4) while HC were reviewed at 1-year interval. Neurological assessment for small fibres was performed using the LDIFLARE for SFF and CCM for SFS while large fibres were studied by sural nerve conduction velocity (SNCV) and amplitude (SNAP). At baseline, compared to HC, both LDIFLARE (mean±SD) (6.74±1.20vs.8.90±1.75cm2; p=0.0002) and CCM-nerve fibre density (CNFD) (50.77±6.54vs.58.32±6.54no/mm2;p=0.002) were significantly reduced in HT whereas neither SNCV nor SNAP were different (p=>0.05). Following optimal LT4 treatment, both LDIFLARE (7.72±1.12vs.6.74±1.20 cm2; p=<0.0001) and CNFD (54.43±5.70vs.50.77±6.54no/mm2; p=0.02) improved significantly but remained significantly reduced compared to HC (p=0.008 and p=0.01 respectively) despite normalization of TSH. This study demonstrates that dysfunction of small fibres precedes large neural fibres in early hypothyroidism. This can be reversed by replacement therapy to achieve a biochemically euthyroid state but small fibres neural outcomes continued to be remain low when compared to HC.

A comparative study of magnetic resonance venography techniques for the evaluation of the internal jugular veins in multiple sclerosis patients☆

PubMed Central

Rahman, M. Tamizur; Sethi, Sean K.; Utriainen, David T.; Hewett, J. Joseph; Haacke, E. Mark

2014-01-01

Background and Purpose The use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to assess the vascular nature of diseases such as multiple sclerosis (MS) is a growing field of research. This work reports on the application of MR angiographic (MRA) and venographic (MRV) techniques in assessing the extracranial vasculature in MS patients. Materials and Methods A standardized MRI protocol containing 2D TOF-MRV and dynamic 3D contrast-enhanced (CE) MRAV was run for 170 MS patients and 40 healthy controls (HC). The cross-sectional area (CSA) of the internal jugular veins (IJVs) was measured at three neck levels in all subjects for both MRV techniques to determine the presence of venous stenoses. All data were analyzed retrospectively. Results For the values where both methods showed signal, the 3D method showed larger CSA measurement values compared to 2D methods in both IJVs, in both MS and HC subjects which was confirmed with student paired t-tests. Of the 170 MS patients, 93 (55%) in CE-MRAV and 103 (61%) in TOF-MRV showed stenosis in at least one IJV. The corresponding numbers for the 40 HC subjects were 2 (5%) and 4 (10%), respectively. Carotid ectasias with IJV stenosis were seen in 26 cases (15%) with 3D CE-MRAV and were not observable with 2D TOF-MRV. Carotid ectasias were not seen in the HC group. In the 2D TOF-MRV data, banding of the IJVs related to slow flow was seen in 58 (34%) MS cases and in no HC cases. MS patients showed lower average CSAs than the HC subjects. Conclusion The 3D CE MRAV depicted the vascular anatomy more completely than the 2D TOF-MRV. However, the 3D CE MRAV does not provide any information about the flow characteristics which are indirectly available in the 2D TOF-MRV in those cases where there is slow flow. PMID:23850076

Foveal and Peripapillary Vascular Decrement in Migraine With Aura Demonstrated by Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography

PubMed Central

Chang, Melinda Y.; Phasukkijwatana, Nopasak; Garrity, Sean; Pineles, Stacy L.; Rahimi, Mansour; Sarraf, David; Johnston, Mollie; Charles, Andrew; Arnold, Anthony C.

2017-01-01

Purpose Migraine, particularly with aura, has been associated with ocular and systemic ischemic complications, but there are limited data on the ocular vasculature in migraine. We used optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) to assess perfusion of the macula and optic nerve in migraine patients, with (MA) and without (MO) aura, compared to healthy controls (HC). Methods We recruited 15 MA (mean age 42 years), 12 MO (mean age 46 years), and 22 HC (mean age 39 years) participants from neurology and neuro-ophthalmology clinics. Participants underwent optical coherence tomography and 3 × 3 mm OCTA of the macula and optic nerve. Foveal avascular zone area was automatically measured using AngioVue software, and vessel density was calculated as blood vessel length divided by scan area (mm−1) after skeletonization of OCTA images. Results On macular OCTA, MA participants had an enlarged foveal avascular zone area when compared with HC (0.300 ± 0.019 vs. 0.220 ± 0.066 mm2, P = 0.006). In addition, superficial foveal vessel density was decreased in MA participants when compared with MO participants (7.8 ± 0.31 vs. 9.3 ± 0.44, P = 0.04) and HC (7.8 ± 0.31 vs. 9.4 ± 0.21 mm−1, P = 0.002). On optic nerve OCTA, the MA participants had reduced superior peripapillary vessel density when compared with the MO participants (12.0 ± 0.45 vs. 14.0 ± 0.38 mm−1, P = 0.031) and HC (12.0 ± 0.45 vs. 14.1 ± 0.53 mm−1, P = 0.035). There were no significant differences between the MO and HC groups. Conclusions Migraine with, but not without, aura was associated with foveal and peripapillary vascular decrements, which may possibly mediate increased risk of ocular and systemic vascular complications in these patients. OCTA could potentially be useful as a biomarker for migraine with aura. PMID:29059314

Alpha-Tocopherol Supplementation Restricts Aluminium- and Ethanol-Induced Oxidative Damage in Rat Brain but Fails to Protect Against Neurobehavioral Damage.

PubMed

Nayak, Prasunpriya; Sharma, Shiv Bhushan; Chowdary, N V S

2018-04-05

The concurrent presence of oxidative stress (OS) and aluminium exposure is an inducer of neurodegenerative changes. Aluminium can augment OS in a pro-oxidant dominant condition. Antioxidative property of α-tocopherol may be useful in restricting these degenerative changes in the brain. OS parameters are tested in frontal cortex (FC), hippocampus (HC), and cerebellum (CL) of α-tocopherol-supplemented (5 IU/day) male Wistar rats exposed to aluminium (10 mg Al/Kg/day; "Al"), ethanol (0.6 g ethanol/Kg/day; "Et"), and both ("Al-Et") and vehicle-treated control ("C") for 4 weeks. The α-tocopherol supplementation restricted regional alterations of reduced glutathione, superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. Accordingly, the regional superoxide and peroxide handling capacities (SPHC) also remain unaltered. Al-Et group demonstrated significant elevation in the lipid peroxidation level in FC and CL regions compared to the group C; similar elevations in lipid peroxidation were noted in all the tested brain regions of Al group. Likewise, declines in glutathione reductase activity were noted in HC (versus Et group) and CL (versus Al and Et groups) of Al-Et group. Interestingly, changes in behavioral patterns of all the treatment groups are comparable while differing from that of the control group. Significant difference with group C is observed during first through fourth weeks, third to fourth weeks, and second to third weeks in terms of spontaneous motor activity, Rota Rod performance, and Hebb-Williams maze performance, respectively. Hence, the current dose and duration of α-tocopherol supplementation failed to provide full protection against the aluminium-induced neurodegeneration; nevertheless, it could provide only partial protection toward aluminium-induced augmentation of OS in specific brain regions.

The frequencies of Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and their HLA ligands in chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy are similar to those in Guillian Barre syndrome but differ from those of controls, suggesting a role for NK cells in pathogenesis.

PubMed

Blum, Stefan; Csurhes, Peter; McCombe, Pamela

2015-08-15

Chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) is an acquired inflammatory neuropathy, which has similar clinical and pathological features to Guillain-Barré Syndrome (GBS), but differs in time course. We investigated the frequency of genes encoding Killer immunoglobulin-like receptors and their HLA ligands in subjects with CIDP, in subjects with GBS and in healthy controls. There were no differences in KIR gene frequency among the 3 groups. The gene frequencies for HLA-B Bw4-I were significantly greater in CIDP than HC, but did not differ from GBS. The frequency of the combination of 3DL1/HLA-B Bw4I was greater in CIDP than HC, but did not differ from that of GBS. These data raise the possibility of NK cell function being an important factor in the pathogenesis of CIDP. Copyright © 2015 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.