scholarly journals Evaluation of Leptin Levels among Fibromyalgia Patients before and after Three Months of Treatment, in Comparison with Healthy Controls

2012 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 89-92 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jacob N Ablin ◽  
Natalia Aronov ◽  
Ilan Shimon ◽  
Hannah Kanety ◽  
Clara Pariente ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Evaluation ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Significant Information ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Body Weight Control ◽  
Plasma Leptin

BACKGROUND: Leptin, an adipocyte-produced cytokine, interacts with various hormones, including those of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Fibromyalgia is a syndrome characterized by widespread pain accompanied by tenderness. The pathogenesis involves a disturbance in pain processing and transmission by the central nervous system, leading to a general increase in pain perception.OBJECTIVES: To analyze potential changes in leptin levels among female fibromyalgia patients compared with healthy controls, and to evaluate the changes in leptin levels during treatment.METHODS: Sixteen female fibromyalgia patients were recruited. Patients underwent clinical evaluation, physical examination, including manual dolorimetry, and were evaluated regarding quality of life, pain, fatigue, anxiety and depression. Plasma leptin levels were determined by ELISA. Patients were offered standard treatment for fibromyalgia. Clinical evaluation and leptin determination were repeated after three months.RESULTS: No significant difference was observed between leptin levels among fibromyalgia patients and controls; no significant correlation was observed between leptin levels and clinical parameters reflecting fibromyalgia severity; and no significant change was observed in leptin levels over three months of treatment. These results did not change after adjustment of leptin levels for body mass index values.CONCLUSIONS: The results of the present study do not support the existence of a significant relationship between leptin and fibromyalgia pathogenesis. Increasing the sample size or examining the interaction between leptin and additional hormones/mediators of metabolism and body weight control may yet uncover significant information in this field.

Musical Performance Anxiety and the High-risk Model of Threat Perception

2000 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 65-71
Author(s):  
Marcie Zinn ◽  
Claudia McCain ◽  
Mark Zinn
Keyword(s):  
High Risk ◽  
Negative Affect ◽  
Social Desirability ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Risk Model ◽  
Performance Anxiety ◽  
Threat Perception ◽  
Stage Fright ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Fourteen music majors were tested using the high-risk model of threat perception (HRMTP), a biopsychosocial model designed to diagnose and guide treatment of stress-related somatic disorders. Regression analysis revealed that negative affect, social desirability, peripheral vasoconstriction, and “catastrophizing” predicted state anxiety scores after jury performance (p ≤ 0.041). A significant difference in hand temperature before and after jury performance was also found (p ≤ 0.01). Social desirability scores were inversely correlated with negative affect and catastrophizing scores (p ≤ 0.01). These results are consistent with predictions from the HRMTP, which predicts that people high in either overt or covert negative affect and catastrophizing are at greater risk for psychophysiological disorders than normals. The model also predicts that people who are high in social desirability (repressors) are likewise at risk because of inhibited pain perception. Since performance anxiety has been discussed by several authors as a psychophysiological event, implicating the role of the autonomic nervous system in the initiation and maintenance of stage fright, this model may provide a new pathway into the understanding of stage fright.

scholarly journals Association of Leptin Gene Polymorphisms with Rheumatoid Arthritis in a Chinese Population

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-7
Author(s):  
Sha-Sha Tao ◽  
Yi-Lin Dan ◽  
Guo-Cui Wu ◽  
Qin Zhang ◽  
Tian-Ping Zhang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Rheumatoid Arthritis ◽  
Chinese Population ◽  
Clinical Manifestations ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Plasma Leptin

Background. Recently, increasing studies have revealed that leptin is involved in the development of rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This study is aimed at exploring the association of leptin gene single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) with susceptibility to RA in a Chinese population. Methods. We recruited 600 RA patients and 600 healthy controls from a Chinese population and analyzed their three leptin SNPs (rs10244329, rs2071045, and rs2167270) using the improved Multiplex Ligase Detection Reaction (iMLDR) assays. The associations of these SNPs with clinical manifestations of RA were also analyzed. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was performed for plasma leptin determination. Results. No significant difference in either allele or genotype frequencies of these three SNPs between RA patients and healthy controls was observed (all P > 0.05 ). Association between the genotype effects of dominant, recessive models was also not found (all P > 0.05 ). No significant difference in plasma leptin levels was detected between RA patients and controls ( P > 0.05 ). Conclusion. Leptin gene (rs10244329, rs2071045, and rs2167270) polymorphisms are not associated with RA genetic susceptibility and its clinical features in the Chinese population.

scholarly journals Pilot study on serum C-reactive protein in pet rabbits: clinical usefulness

2019 ◽  
Vol 6 (1) ◽  
pp. e000272
Author(s):  
Eiji Oohashi ◽  
Yuki Kimura ◽  
Kotaro Matsumoto
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Practice ◽  
Mortality Rate ◽  
Gastrointestinal Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
C Reactive Protein ◽  
Reactive Protein ◽  
Dermatological Disease ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Wbc Count

ObjectivesThe present study was performed to evaluate the usefulness of serum C-reactive protein (CRP) as an acute phase reactive protein in pet rabbits in clinical practice.MethodsThe CRP level using a rabbit CRP ELISA and white blood cell (WBC) count in pet rabbits (30 healthy controls and 62 with various diseases) were measured in the clinical practice setting. The CRP level and WBC count were measured before and after ovariohysterectomy of a healthy rabbit and a rabbit with uterine adenocarcinoma. The association between the CRP level and mortality in rabbits with various diseases was assessed.ResultsThe CRP level in healthy controls was 0.52±0.82 mg/dl (mean±SD). No age and sex-related differences in neither the CRP level nor WBC count were observed in the healthy control rabbits. The CRP levels in rabbits with gastrointestinal disease (n=22, 11.74±22.89 mg/dl), reproductive and urinary system disease (n=20, 21.19±49.68 mg/dl), dental disease (n=6, 4.87±5.47 mg/dl) and musculoskeletal disease (n=4, 85.66±107.28 mg/dl) were significantly higher than those in healthy controls. The CRP levels in rabbits with neurological disease (n=7, 2.55±1.79 mg/dl) and dermatological disease (n=3, 8.84±7.71 mg/dl) were higher than those in healthy controls, but no significant difference was observed. The WBC counts were not significantly different between rabbits with diseases and healthy controls. Serum samples were collected from two rabbits before and after ovariohysterectomy. In both rabbits, the CRP peaked on postoperative day 1, but no obvious WBC peak was observed. The mortality rate increased as the CRP level increased; the mortality rate was significantly higher in rabbits with a CRP level of ≥100 mg/dl than of <10 mg/dl.ConclusionsThis study indicates that the serum CRP level is useful to determine the disease status, monitor the treatment course and evaluate the prognosis in pet rabbits in clinical practice.

Agouti-related protein in patients with acute and weight-restored anorexia nervosa

2011 ◽  
Vol 41 (10) ◽  
pp. 2183-2192 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. V. Merle ◽  
V. Haas ◽  
R. Burghardt ◽  
N. Döhler ◽  
N. Schneider ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Anorexia Nervosa ◽  
Weight Gain ◽  
Negative Energy ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Related Protein ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Plasma Leptin ◽  
Agouti Related Protein ◽  
Partial Weight

BackgroundAn imbalance in appetite-regulating neuropeptides of the central nervous system has been associated with anorexia nervosa (AN), but the mechanisms of action are poorly understood. Agouti-related protein (AGRP), an orexigenic mediator of the hypothalamus, increases food intake and decreases energy expenditure in times of negative energy balance. The aim of the present study was to investigate AGRP in acute and fully weight-restored patients with AN, as well as during weight gain.MethodPlasma AGRP and leptin levels were assessed using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit in a total of 175 female participants, including 75 patients with acute AN, 37 weight-restored AN patients and 63 healthy controls. Of the patients with acute AN, 33 were reassessed after partial weight gain.ResultsIn weight-restored AN patients plasma AGRP levels were similar to those in healthy controls, whereas in patients with acute AN, AGRP was elevated. AGRP was inversely correlated with indicators of undernutrition such as body mass index and plasma leptin. In addition, AGRP levels normalized during weight gain of longitudinally assessed AN patients.ConclusionsOur results underline the significance of undernutrition and hypoleptinemia for the interpretation of peripheral AGRP concentrations. This provides support for the hypothesis that abnormal AGRP plasma levels in AN patients reflect undernutrition, rather than disease-specific traits.

scholarly journals The mortality rate after hospital discharge in patients with myelomeningocele decreased after implementation of mandatory flour fortification with folic acid

2017 ◽  
Vol 75 (1) ◽  
pp. 20-24 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renato Manganelli Salomão ◽  
Tatiana Protzenko Cervante ◽  
José Francisco Manganelli Salomão ◽  
Soniza Vieira Alves Leon
Keyword(s):  
Folic Acid ◽  
Hospital Discharge ◽  
Cause Of Death ◽  
Chiari Ii Malformation ◽  
Folic Acid Fortification ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Reference Hospital ◽  
The Central Nervous System ◽  
Chiari Ii

ABSTRACT Objective: To evaluate the mandatory folic acid fortification of flour on mortality rates after the hospital discharge of children born with myelomeningocele, the most affected age group and the most frequent cause of death. Methods: A retrospective study of 383 children born with myelomeningocele from January 1990 to December 2013 in a high-fetal-risk reference hospital. Results: A total of 39 patients died (10.1%),of which 23 (6%) died after discharge. Most children who died were younger than 12 months of age. The most frequent cause of death was infection of the central nervous system, followed by urinary tract sepsis and infections of the respiratory system. Symptomatic Chiari II malformation was the most frequent comorbidity factor. Conclusion: Although there was no significant difference in infant mortality before and after folic acid fortification, there was a significant reduction in deaths after hospital discharge in babies born after implementation of mandatory folic acid fortification

scholarly journals Enoxaparin Prevents Steroid-Related Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head

2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rainer Beckmann ◽  
Hayfaa Shaheen ◽  
Nisreen Kweider ◽  
Alireza Ghassemi ◽  
Athanassios Fragoulis ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Femoral Head ◽  
Avascular Necrosis ◽  
Weight Control ◽  
Thrombus Formation ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Usa ◽  
Body Weight Control ◽  
Phosphate Buffered Saline

Nontraumatic osteonecrosis of the femoral head is still a challenging problem in orthopedic surgery. It is responsible for 10% of the 500,000 hip replacement surgeries in the USA and affects relatively young, active patients in particular. Main reasons for nontraumatic osteonecrosis are glucocorticoid use, alcoholism, thrombophilia, and hypofibrinolysis (Glueck et al., 1997; Orth and Anagnostakos, 2013). One pathomechanism of steroid-induced osteonecrosis is thought to be impaired blood flow to the femoral head caused by increased thrombus formation and vasoconstriction. To investigate the preventive effect of enoxaparin on steroid-related osteonecrosis, we used male New Zealand white rabbits. Osteonecrosis was induced by methylprednisolone-injection (1×20 mg/kg body weight). Control animals were treated with phosphate-buffered saline. Treatment consisted of an injection of 11.7 mg/kg body weight of enoxaparin per day (Clexane) in addition to methylprednisolone. Four weeks after methylprednisolone-injection the animals were sacrificed. Histology (hematoxylin-eosin and Ladewig staining) was performed, and empty lacunae and histological signs of osteonecrosis were quantified. Histomorphometry revealed a significant increase in empty lacunae and necrotic changed osteocytes in glucocorticoid-treated animals as compared with the glucocorticoid- and Clexane-treated animals and with the control group. No significant difference was detected between the glucocorticoid and Clexane group and the control group. This finding suggests that cotreatment with enoxaparin has the potential to prevent steroid-associated osteonecrosis.Corrigendum to “Enoxaparin Prevents Steroid-Related Avascular Necrosis of the Femoral Head”

scholarly journals PET Study in a Patient with Spinocerebellar Degeneration before and after Long-Term Administration of Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone

1996 ◽  
Vol 9 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 171-175
Author(s):  
H. Tanji ◽  
H. Nagasawa ◽  
T. Hayashi ◽  
H. Onodera ◽  
T. Fujiwara ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Thyrotropin Releasing Hormone ◽  
Spinocerebellar Degeneration ◽  
Chronic Effect ◽  
Releasing Hormone ◽  
Positron Emission ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Term Administration ◽  
The Central Nervous System

We studied the chronic effect of thyrotropin releasing hormone (TRH) in a patient with spinocerebellar degeneration by measuring cerebral metabolic rate for glucose (CMRG1c) using 2-[18F]fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18FDG) and positron emission tomography (PET). A 56-year-old female, who had suffered from progressive ataxia for 2 years, was treated by intravenous administration of 2 mg TRH for 3 weeks, and CMRG1c of the brain was measured before and after treatment. CMRG1c was markedly decreased in the cerebellum and there was no significant difference before and after the treatment, i.e. mean CMRG1c values were 4.92 and 4.90 mg/100 g/min, and the ratios of the cerebellum versus the frontal cortex were 0.50 and 0.51, respectively. The degree of disequilibrium of her body examined with stabilography became better by the 19th day and further improved by the 26th day after the start of TRH treatment. Based on the present study we conclude that long-term administration of TRH did not improve CMRG1c in the cerebellum, but evidently improved the sway of gravity center by stabilography. We speculate that the chronic effect of TRH was not necessarily due to an improvement of cerebellar function, because TRH receptors are widely distributed throughout the central nervous system.

scholarly journals Increased Circulating Th17 Cells, Serum IL-17A, and IL-23 in Takayasu Arteritis

2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Durga Prasanna Misra ◽  
Smriti Chaurasia ◽  
Ramnath Misra
Keyword(s):  
Disease Activity ◽  
Takayasu Arteritis ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Th17 Cells ◽  
Elevated Serum ◽  
Nonparametric Tests ◽  
Symptom Duration ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After

Introduction.Th17,γδT, NK, and NKT cells in peripheral blood and serum IL-17 and IL-23 in Takayasu arteritis (TA) were measured and correlated with disease activity.Methods.Th17 (anti-CD3APC, CD4PECy7, and IL-17PE), NKT, NK (anti-CD3APC, CD56FITC), andγδT (anti-CD3FITC andγδTCRAPC) cells were enumerated by flow cytometry in peripheral blood of 30 patients with TA (ACR1990 criteria) and 20 healthy controls, serum IL-17 and IL-23 measured by ELISA. Relation with disease activity (NIH criteria, ITAS2010) was analyzed (using nonparametric tests, median with interquartile range).Results.Mean age of patients was33.47±11.78years (25 females); mean symptom duration was7.1±5.3years. 13 were not on immunosuppressants; 12 were active (ITAS2010 ≥ 4). The percentage of Th17 cells was significantly expanded in TA (patients 2.1 (1.5–3.2) versus controls 0.75 (0.32–1.2);p<0.0001) with no differences in other cell populations. Serum IL-17 and IL-23 (pg/mL) in patients (6.2 (4.6–8.5) and 15 (14.9–26.5), resp.) were significantly higher (p<0.001) than controls (3.9 (3.9–7.3) and undetectable median value, resp.). Subgroup analysis revealed no correlation of Th17 cells, serum IL-17, and IL-23 with disease activity or medications, nor any significant difference before and after medication.Conclusions.There is significant expansion of Th17 cells and elevated serum IL-17 and IL-23 levels in TA patients compared to healthy controls.

scholarly journals A pilot study of positive mood induction in euthymic bipolar subjects compared with healthy controls

2006 ◽  
Vol 36 (9) ◽  
pp. 1213-1218 ◽  
Author(s):  
ANNE FARMER ◽  
DOMINIC LAM ◽  
BARBARA SAHAKIAN ◽  
JONATHON ROISER ◽  
AILBHE BURKE ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pilot Study ◽  
Positive Affect ◽  
Mood Induction ◽  
Mood State ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Visual Analogue Scales ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Happy Mood ◽  
Analogue Scales

Background. Demonstrating differences between euthymic bipolar subjects and healthy controls in response to positive (happy) mood induction may help elucidate how mania evolves. This pilot study evaluates the Go task in a reward paradigm as a method for inducing a happy mood state and compares the response of euthymic bipolar subjects and healthy controls.Method. The Sense of Hyperpositive Self Scale, the Tellegen positive and negative adjectives, the Global-Local task and a visual analogue scale for measuring positive affect were administered to 15 euthymic bipolar subjects and 19 age-and-sex-matched healthy control subjects before and after they had performed the Go task in a reward paradigm.Results. Significant differences were found between subjects and controls on several measures at each time-point but there were no differences across the groups across time except for the visual analogue scales, where subjects had a more sustained duration in self-reported happiness compared with controls.Conclusions. This pilot study has shown that a positive affect can be induced in bipolar subjects and controls which can be demonstrated by changes in scores on several tasks. However, only the visual analogue scales showed a significant difference between cases and controls over time. Such tests may prove valuable in furthering understanding about the evolution of manic mood states.

scholarly journals Alteration of Serum Levels of Cytokines in Schizophrenic Patients before and after Treatment with Risperidone

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Esfandiar Azizi ◽  
Ahmad Zavaran Hosseini ◽  
Sara Soudi ◽  
Ahmad Ali Noorbala
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Enzyme Linked Immunosorbent Assay ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Syndrome Scale ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Schizophrenic Patients ◽  
Ifn Γ

A growing body of evidence suggests the existence of abnormalities in the immune system of schizophrenic patients. The current study examined serum levels of interleukin (IL) -1β, IL-6, IL-2,interferon(IFN) -γ, and tumor necrosis factor(TNF)-α in schizophrenic patients before and after treatment with risperidone and correlated levels of these cytokines with symptomatology. The study group consisted of 24 schizophrenic patients as defined by Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders 4th edition (DSM-IV) criteria and 24 healthy controls. Serum cytokine levels were examined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Schizophrenic symptomatology was assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) questionnaire. The serum levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly higher in participants before treatment compared with the healthy controls and after treatment (p<0.001). IFN-γ and IL-2 levels were significantly lower in participants after treatment compared with before treatment and the healthy controls (p<0.001). Except for IL-6 (p<0.05), there was no significant difference in the levels of TNF-α and IL-1β between the patients receiving treatment and the healthy subjects. Moreover, there was no significant difference in levels of IFN-γ and IL-2 between patients before treatment and the healthy subjects. There were no significant correlations between the concentration of cytokines studied and the PANSS. Positive intercorrelations between the production of IFN-γ and IL-2 were detected for sums of all groups(r=0.33, p=0.005). Clinical improvement of treated patients was associated with a reduction in the studied cytokines. It seems that changes in the cytokines level may play a significant role in the psychopathology of these patients.

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