Tiagabine Increases [11C]flumazenil Binding in Cortical Brain Regions in Healthy Control Subjects

SummaryThe objective of this study was to develop new standardized alcohol-associated cues and assess their effects on brain activation with functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Pictures of alcoholic and neutral beverages and affectively neutral pictures were presented to 44 abstinent alcoholics and 37 age-matched healthy control subjects. We assessed the skin conductance response, and the elicited arousal and valence. Alcoholics and control subjects did not differ in arousal, valence or skin conductance response evoked by alcohol-associated and affectively neutral stimuli, while nonalcoholic beverages were rated as more unpleasant and arousing by alcoholics compared with control subjects. In the fMRI pilot study, alcohol and abstract pictures were presented to six abstinent alcoholics and induced a significant activation of brain areas associated with visual emotional processes such as the fusiform gyrus, parts of the brain reward system (basal ganglia and orbitofrontal gyrus) and further brain regions in the frontal and parietal cortices associated with the attention network. These observations suggest that standardized pictures of alcoholic beverages can be used to assess brain circuits involved in the processing and evaluation of alcohol cues.

Download Full-text

22 Whole-brain functional connectivity based on the graph theory analysiisn Psychogenic Non-Epileptic Seizures (PNES)

Journal of Neurology Neurosurgery & Psychiatry ◽

10.1136/jnnp-2020-bnpa.39 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 91 (8) ◽

pp. e17.1-e17

Author(s):

M Arbabi ◽

S Amiri ◽

F Badragheh ◽

MM Mirbagheri ◽

AA Asadi-Pooya

Keyword(s):

Graph Theory ◽

Functional Connectivity ◽

Brain Networks ◽

Epileptic Seizures ◽

Brain Regions ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Wide Range ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Left And Right ◽

Brain Functional Connectivity

ObjectiveDespite being the subject of many studies over the past two decades, mechanisms underlying psychogenic non-epileptic seizures (PNES) are still poorly understood. We tried to address this issue by utilizing brain functional connectivity analysis to identify brain regions with abnormal activities in patients with PNES. In a case-control study, we performed graph based network analysis, a robust technique that determines the organization of brain connectivity and characterizes topological properties of the brain networks.MethodsTwelve individuals with PNES and twenty-one healthy control subjects were examined. Resting state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rsfMRI) was acquired. All subjects were asked to keep their eyes open during the scanning process. The rsfMRI analysis consisted of pre-processing, extracting the functional connectivity matrix (FCM) based on the AAL atlas, threshold for binary FCM, constructing a graph network from FCM and extracting graph features, and finally statistical analysis. For all cortical and subcortical regions of the AAL atlas, we calculated measures of ‘degree,’ which is one of the features of the graph theory. Results: Our results revealed that, as compared to the healthy control subjects, patients with PNES had a significantly lower degree in some brain regions including their left and right insula (INS), right Putamen (PUT), left and right Supramarginal gyrus (SMG), right Middle occipital gyrus (MOG), and left and right Rolandic operculum (ROL). In contrast, degree was significantly greater in two regions [i.e., right Caudate (CAU) and left Inferior frontal gyrus orbital part (ORBinf)] in patients with PNES compared to that in controls.ConclusionOur findings suggest that functional connectivity of several major brain regions are different in patients with PNES compared with that in healthy individuals. While there is hypoactivity in regions important in perception, motor control, self- awareness, and cognitive functioning (e.g., insula) and also movement regulation (e.g., putamen), there is hyperactivity in areas involved in feedback processing (i.e., using information from past experiences to influence future actions and decisions) (e.g., caudate) in patients with PNES. The observation that individuals with PNES suffer from a wide range of abnormal activities in functional connectivity of their brain networks is consistent with the fact that PNES occur in a heterogeneous patient population; no single mechanism or contributing factor could explain PNES in all patients.

Download Full-text

Enhancement of Platelet Sensitivity to ADP-Aggregation by Isometric Exercise in Arteriosclerotic Patients and its Prevention

Thrombosis and Haemostasis ◽

10.1055/s-0038-1649233 ◽

1977 ◽

Vol 37 (02) ◽

pp. 329-338 ◽

Cited By ~ 14

Author(s):

Tadahiro Sano ◽

Takeshi Motomiya ◽

Hiroh Yamazaki ◽

Takio Shimamoto

Keyword(s):

Cyclic Amp ◽

Mechanical Stress ◽

Optical Density ◽

Platelet Function ◽

Isometric Exercise ◽

Phosphodiesterase Inhibitor ◽

New Method ◽

Platelet Aggregability ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Healthy Control

SummaryA new method for assessment of platelet sensitivity to ADP-aggregation was devised. Its reproducibility and the correlations between the values obtained by this method, the optical density (O. D.) method, and the screen filtration pressure (SFP) method were assessed. In summary, this method may be said to have three main points:1. It can be performed without centrifugation, avoiding mechanical stress to platelets, using only 0.8 ml. of blood and inexpensive equipment.2. It may reflect different aspects of platelet function from the O. D. method and the SFP method, despite the positive significant correlations between the values obtained by these three methods.3. It was proved to be highly reproducible and is thought to be useful clinically.By using this method, the effect of sustained isometric exercise by handgripping on platelet aggregability was assessed in coronary sclerotic and cerebral arteriosclerotic patients on placebo and EG-626, a newly synthesized cyclic AMP phosphodiesterase inhibitor. On placebo, an enhancement of platelet sensitivity was observed after isometric exercise in coronary and cerebral arteriosclerotic patients but not in healthy control subjects. The enhancement was prevented by pretreatment of EG-626, administered orally 1.5 hours prior to exercise.

Download Full-text

Some Cytokines Levels (IL-6 and IL-10) in Sera Patients with Cutaneous Leismanasis in Nassiriya Province

10.32792/utq/utjsci/vol7/2/1 ◽

2020 ◽

pp. 4-6

Keyword(s):

Serum Level ◽

Immune Status ◽

Pure Science ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Significant Difference ◽

Healthy Control

The present study was carried out in the Labs of collage of education for pure science, during period from January 2017 to endDecember of the same year. The immune status investigates for CLpatients by measuring the levels of cytokines (IL6and IL10) in sera using a technique enzyme-linked immune Sorbent adsorptive (ELISA). The study included 120 subjects with (60 CLpatientsL.majar and 60 CLpatients L. tropica with and (30) were healthy control. Increased mean Serum level of IL6 was in the observed in the total patients as compared to control Subjects (224.53pg/ml,70.70pg/ml), the result indicate there was significant difference at (p<0.05) ,such observation was consistent in the patient infected with L.majar and L. tropica (104 .90 pg/ml and 112.78 pg/ml) respectively. The results of the IL10 showed significant difference at (p<0.05)increased of mean Serum level in the total CL patients as compared to control Subjects(226.90 pg/ml 46.77pg/ml,).Ahighly significant difference at (p<0.05) increased observed in patients group infected with L.majar and followed by patients group infected L. tropica (112.78pg/ml and 114.12pg/ml) respectively.These results revealed that the excessive presence of cytokines might play a role in CL patients.

Download Full-text

Comparison of serum tumor necrosis factor-like weak inducer of apoptosis levels in patients with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects

10.26226/morressier.5785edccd462b80296c98f6a ◽

2016 ◽

Author(s):

Ummuhan Ozkal

Keyword(s):

Tumor Necrosis Factor ◽

Tumor Necrosis ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Necrosis Factor ◽

Serum Tumor Necrosis

Download Full-text

Recurrent Indoor Environmental Pollution and Its Impact on Health and Oxidative Stress of the Textile Workers in Bangladesh

Environmental Health Insights ◽

10.1177/1178630220938393 ◽

2020 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

pp. 117863022093839

Author(s):

Tania Rahman ◽

Ar-Rafi Md. Faisal ◽

Tahura Khanam ◽

Hossain Uddin Shekhar

Keyword(s):

Oxidative Stress ◽

Ascorbic Acid ◽

Occupational Health ◽

Environmental Pollution ◽

Control Area ◽

Textile Workers ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Oxidative Stresses ◽

Healthy Control ◽

Textile Industries

Perennial indoor environmental pollution in the textile industrial area is a potential health hazard for workers engaged in this line of work, resulting in mental aberration to severe health risks. This study was designed to investigate the indoor environmental quality of textile industries and correlate its effect on the occupational health and well-being of the textile workers by measuring plasma oxidative stress status in textile workers and healthy control subjects. Environmental samples were collected from 15 textile industries located in Dhaka division, and 30 volunteer textile workers and 30 volunteer office workers (control) aged 18 to 57 years participated in the study. The concentration of plasma ascorbic acid (P-ASC), plasma malondialdehyde (P-MDA), and plasma conjugated diene (P-CD) was measured in both groups. The noise level (78.0 ± 0.68 dB) and the formaldehyde level (141.80 ± 4.47 µg/m3) were found to be significantly higher in the indoor environmental area compared with those in the control area (70.17 ± 0.25 dB and 108.0 ± 0.76 µg/m3, respectively). Furthermore, the daily average concentration of suspended particulate matters (PMs), that is, PM2.5 (322.2 ± 13.46 µg/m3) and PM10 (411.0 ± 17.57 µg/m3), was also found to be significantly higher in the indoor environmental air compared with that in the control area (78.59 ± 1.66 and 174.0 ± 2.33 µg/m3, respectively). The levels of P-MDA (0.37 ± 0.03 nmol/L) and P-CD (14.74 ± 0.61 nmol/L) were significantly increased, whereas the level of P-ASC level (0.46 ± 0.04 mg/dL) was markedly decreased in the textile workers compared with the healthy control subjects (0.18 ± 0.01 nmol/L of P-MDA, 10.04 ± 0.44 nmol/L of P-CD, and 1.29 ± 0.06 mg/dL of P-ASC). The textile plants were found to have significantly elevated levels of indoor environmental pollutants compared with those in the control area, and the textile workers were significantly exposed to oxidative stresses compared with the control subjects. The use of noise pads and high-efficiency air filters is perhaps highly instrumental to put an end to this prevailing situation. Moreover, to overcome the oxidative stresses among workers, supplementation of antioxidant vitamins (ie, ascorbic acid and/or vitamin E) may be beneficial. In addition, to prevent serious health-related issues, proper precautions should be taken to protect the occupational health of the textile workers.

Download Full-text

Circulating tumour DNA methylation in hepatocellular carcinoma diagnosis using digital droplet PCR

Journal of International Medical Research ◽

10.1177/0300060521992962 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 49 (3) ◽

pp. 030006052199296

Author(s):

Juan Wang ◽

Liu Yang ◽

Yanjun Diao ◽

Jiayun Liu ◽

Jinjie Li ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Hepatocellular Carcinoma ◽

Dna Methylation ◽

Likelihood Ratio ◽

Predictive Value ◽

Positive Likelihood Ratio ◽

Negative Likelihood Ratio ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Droplet Pcr ◽

Healthy Control

Objective To evaluate the performance of a DNA methylation-based digital droplet polymerase chain reaction (ddPCR) assay to detect aberrant DNA methylation in cell-free DNA (cfDNA) and to determine its application in the detection of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Methods The present study recruited patients with liver-related diseases and healthy control subjects. Blood samples were used for the extraction of cfDNA, which was then bisulfite converted and the extent of DNA methylation quantified using a ddPCR platform. Results A total of 97 patients with HCC, 80 healthy control subjects and 46 patients with chronic hepatitis B/C virus infection were enrolled in the study. The level of cfDNA in the HCC group was significantly higher than that in the healthy control group. For the detection of HCC, based on a cut-off value of 15.7% for the cfDNA methylation ratio, the sensitivity and specificity were 78.57% and 89.38%, respectively. The diagnostic accuracy was 85.27%, the positive predictive value was 81.91% and the negative predictive value was 87.20%. The positive likelihood ratio of 15.7% in HCC diagnosis was 7.40, while the negative likelihood ratio was 0.24. Conclusions A sensitive methylation-based assay might serve as a liquid biopsy test for diagnosing HCC.

Download Full-text

Parent Report of Mealtime Behavior and Parenting Stress in Young Children With Type 1 Diabetes and in Healthy Control Subjects

Diabetes Care ◽

10.2337/diacare.25.2.313 ◽

2002 ◽

Vol 25 (2) ◽

pp. 313-318 ◽

Cited By ~ 110

Author(s):

S. W. Powers ◽

K. C. Byars ◽

M. J. Mitchell ◽

S. R. Patton ◽

D. A. Standiford ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Type 1 Diabetes ◽

Young Children ◽

Parenting Stress ◽

Parent Report ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Mealtime Behavior ◽

Healthy Control

Download Full-text

TSP-1-1223 A/G Polymorphism as a Potential Predictor of the Recurrence Risk of Bladder Cancer in a Chinese Population

International Journal of Genomics ◽

10.1155/2013/473242 ◽

2013 ◽

Vol 2013 ◽

pp. 1-9 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

Xiao Yang ◽

Pengchao Li ◽

Xuejian Yang ◽

Chao Qin ◽

Qiang Cao ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Bladder Cancer ◽

Chinese Population ◽

Recurrence Risk ◽

Taqman Assay ◽

Control Subjects ◽

Kaplan Meier ◽

Genotype Frequencies ◽

Healthy Control ◽

First Recurrence ◽

Cancer Tissues

Backgrounds. TSP-1 is a glycoprotein that functions in the biology of bladder cancer. We investigated the relationship between the distribution ofTSP-1-1223 A/G polymorphism (rs2169830) and the clinical characteristics of bladder cancer.Materials and Methods. TaqMan assay was performed to determine the genotype of 609 cases and 670 control subjects in a Chinese population. Logistic regression was used to assess the association between the polymorphism and the risk of bladder cancer. Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction was performed to determineTSP-1mRNA expression. Survival curves were generated using the Kaplan-Meier method.Results. No significant differences were detected in the genotype frequencies of healthy control subjects and patients with bladder cancer. By contrast, the time until the first recurrence differed significantly between genotypes (P=0.017). The expression ofTSP-1mRNA in bladder cancer tissues was lower in patients with an AG genotype than in those with an AA genotype. The lowest expression was observed in patients with a GG genotype.Conclusions. In conclusion,TSP-1-1223 A/G polymorphism may contribute to the recurrence of bladder cancer in Chinese population.

Download Full-text