The role of the brain-sparing effect of growth-restricted fetuses in newborn germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage

2021 ◽  
Vol 0 (0) ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Mete Kirlangic ◽  
Erdem Sahin ◽  
Yusuf Madendag ◽  
Merve Vural Yalman ◽  
Esra Akdemir ◽  
...  

Abstract Objectives The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the brain-sparing effect (BSE) of fetal growth restriction (FGR) in newborn germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage (GM/IVH). Methods A total of 320 patients who delivered prior to the 34th gestational week were analyzed from data records. 201 patients were divided into two groups according to cerebro-placental ratio (CPR): early fetal growth restriction (FGR) with abnormal CPR group (n=104) and appropriate for gestational age with normal Doppler group (control) (n=97). Using the normal middle cerebral artery (MCA) Doppler as a reference, multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to assess the association between the BSE and the primary outcome. Results The rate of Grade I–II Germinal matrix/intraventricular hemorrhage (GM/IVH) was 31(29.8%) in the group possessing early FGR with abnormal CPR and 7(7.2%) in the control group, showing a statistically significant difference. The rate of grade III–IV GM/IVH was 7(6.7%) in the group possessing early FGR with abnormal CPR and 2 (2.1%) in the control group, showing no statistically significant difference. We found that gestational age at delivery <32 weeks was an independent risk factor for GM/IVH. In addition, we found that other variables such as the presence of preeclampsia, fetal weight percentile <10, emergency CS delivery, 48-h completion after the first steroid administration and 24-h completion rate after MgSO4 administration were not independently associated with the primary outcome. Conclusions Our results indicate that the rate of GM-IVH was increased in the group possessing early FGR with abnormal CPR; however, multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that BSE was not an independent risk factor for GM/IVH.

2021 ◽  
Vol 80 (2) ◽  
pp. 673-681
Author(s):  
Jin Wang ◽  
Xiaojuan Guo ◽  
Wenhui Lu ◽  
Jie Liu ◽  
Hong Zhang ◽  
...  

Background: Vascular factors and mitochondria dysfunction contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). DL-3-n-butylphthalide (NBP) has an effect in protecting mitochondria and improving microcirculation. Objective: The aim was to investigate the effect of donepezil combined NBP therapy in patients with mild-moderate AD. Methods: It was a prospective cohort study. 92 mild-moderate AD patients were classified into the donepezil alone group (n = 43) or the donepezil combined NBP group (n = 49) for 48 weeks. All patients were evaluated with Alzheimer’s Disease Assessment Scale-Cognitive subscale (ADAS-cog), Clinician’s Interview-Based Impression of Change plus caregiver input (CIBIC-plus), Alzheimer’s Disease Cooperative Study-Activities of Daily Living (ADCS-ADL), and Neuropsychiatric Inventory (NPI) every 12 weeks. All patients were monitored for adverse events (AEs). The efficacy was analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: The multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that the changes of ADAS-cog score (OR = 2.778, 95% CI: [1.087, 7. 100], p = 0.033) and ADCS-ADL score (OR = 2.733, 95% CI: [1.002, 7.459], p = 0.049) had significant difference between donepezil alone group and donepezil combined NBP group, while the changes of NPI (OR = 1.145, 95% CI: [0.463, 2.829], p = 0.769), MMSE (OR = 1.563, 95% CI: [0.615, 3.971], p = 0.348) and CIBIC-plus (OR = 2.593, 95% CI: [0.696, 9.685], p = 0.156) had no significant difference. The occurrence of AEs was similar in the two groups. Conclusion: Over the 48-week treatment period, donepezil combined NBP group had slower cognitive decline and better activities of daily living in patients with mild to moderate AD. These indicated that the multi-target therapeutic effect of NBP may be a new choice for AD treatment.


2009 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 173-179 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dejan Petrović ◽  
Radmila Obrenović ◽  
Biljana Stojimirović

Introduction Aortic valve calcification (AVC) accelerates development of aortic valve stenosis and cardiovascular complications. Hyperphosphatemia is one of the key risk factors for aortic valve calcification. Aim The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of AVC in patients on regular hemodialysis and to assess the impact of different factors on its appearance. Method: The study investigated a total of 115 patients treated in the Hemodialysis Department of the Urology and Nephrology Clinic at the Kragujevac Clinical Center in Serbia. The variables investigated were: serum albumin, C-reactive protein (CRP), homocysteine, total cholesterol, LDL-cholesterol (LDL-C), HDL-cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides (TG), Apolipoprotein A-I (Apo A-I), Apolipoprotein B (Apo B) and lipoprotein (a), calcium, phosphate and parathormone, and calcium-phosphorus product (Ca × P). Patients were evaluated by echocardiography for AVC. Statistical analysis included univariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results Univariate regression analysis showed that serum phosphate levels and Ca × P are the most important risk factors for AVC (p<0.001). Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed that hyperphosphatemia is an independent risk factor for AVC (p<0.001). Conclusion Hyperphosphatemia is an independent risk factor for aortic valve calcification.


2000 ◽  
Vol 68 (6) ◽  
pp. 3153-3157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Christian Østergaard ◽  
Runa Vavia Yieng-Kow ◽  
Thomas Benfield ◽  
Niels Frimodt-Møller ◽  
Frank Espersen ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The polysaccharide fucoidin is a selectin blocker that inhibits leukocyte recruitment into the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) during experimental pneumococcal meningitis. In the present study, the effect of fucoidin treatment on the release of the proinflammatory cytokines tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin-1 (IL-1), and IL-8 into the CSF was investigated. Rabbits (n = 7) were treated intravenously with 10 mg of fucoidin/kg of body weight every second hour starting 4 h after intracisternal inoculation of ∼106 CFU of Streptococcus pneumoniae type 3 (untreated control group, n = 7). CSF samples were obtained every second hour during a 16-h study period. Treatment with fucoidin caused a consistent and significant decrease in CSF IL-1 levels (in picograms per milliliter) between 12 and 16 h (0 versus 170, 0 versus 526, and 60 versus 1,467, respectively;P < 0.02). A less consistent decrease in CSF TNF-α levels was observed in the fucoidin-treated group, but with no significant difference between the two groups (P > 0.05). In contrast, there was no attenuation in CSF IL-8 levels. Indeed, there was a significant increase in CSF IL-8 levels (in picograms per milliliter) in the fucoidin-treated group at 10 and 12 h (921 versus 574 and 1,397 versus 569, respectively;P < 0.09). In conclusion, our results suggest that blood-derived leukocytes mainly are responsible for the release of IL-1 and to some degree TNF-α into the CSF during pneumococcal meningitis, whereas IL-8 may be produced by local cells within the brain.


2018 ◽  
Vol 26 (9) ◽  
pp. 1210-1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mathilde Bourdon ◽  
Pietro Santulli ◽  
Yulian Chen ◽  
Catherine Patrat ◽  
Khaled Pocate-Cheriet ◽  
...  

Objective: The aim of this study was to assess whether a deferred frozen–thawed embryo transfer (Def-ET) offers any benefits compared to a fresh ET strategy in women who have had 2 or more consecutive in vitro fertilization (IVF)/intracytoplasmic injection (ICSI) cycle failures. Design: An observational cohort study in a tertiary referral care center including 416 cycles from women with a previous history of 2 or more consecutive IVF/ICSI failures cycles. Both Def-ET and fresh ET strategies were compared using univariate and multivariate logistic regression models. The main outcome measured was the cumulative live birth rate (CLBR). Results: A total of 416 cycles were included in the analysis: 197 in the fresh ET group and 219 in the Def-ET group. The CLBR was not significantly different between the fresh and Def-ET groups (58/197 [29.4%] and 57/219 [26.0%], respectively, P = .437). In addition, after the first ET, there was no significant difference in the live birth rate between the fresh ET and Def-ET groups (50/197 [25.4%] vs 44/219 [20.1%], respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis indicated that compared to the fresh strategy, the Def-ET strategy was not associated with a higher probability of live birth. Conclusions: In cases with 2 or more consecutive prior IVF/ICSI cycle failures, a Def-ET strategy did not result in better ART outcomes than a fresh ET strategy.


2021 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 42-50
Author(s):  
Zahra Nazari Barchestani ◽  
◽  
Maryam Rafieirad ◽  

Background: Ischemia causes severe neuronal damage and induces oxidative stress, memory impairment, and reduces pain threshold. Herniarin is a powerful antioxidant. Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the effect of herniarin on memory, pain, and oxidative stress in an ischemia model in male rats. Materials & Methods: In this study, 50 male rats were divided into 5 groups of control, sham, ischemic, and two other ischemic groups, which received herniarin at doses of 150 and 300 mg/kg by gavage for 14 days. Behavioral tests were performed by shuttle box, and Y-maze and pain tests were performed by Tail-Flick test. Then, the rats’ brains were extracted to evaluate lipid peroxidation and measure the levels of thiol and Glutathione Peroxidase (GPX) in the hippocampus and striatum tissues. The results were expressed as Mean±SEM and then analyzed using suitable statistical methods of ANOVA and least significant difference post-hoc test in SPSS V. 20. Results: Herniarin significantly increased the avoidance memory, spatial memory, and pain thresholds of ischemic rats at different concentrations (P<0.001). Besides, the amount of malondialdehyde (MDA) and thiol in the ischemic group increased significantly in comparison to the control group (P<0.001). Also, in the ischemic group, GPX (P<0.001) significantly decreased. Decreased MDA (P<0.001) and thiol (P<0.001) and increased GPX levels were observed with herniarin administration (P<0.01). Conclusion: According to this study’s results, herniarin can remove free radicals and oxidant substances from the brain. Thus, it improves memory and pain thresholds in the brain hypoperfusion ischemia model.


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (7) ◽  
pp. 1078
Author(s):  
Tamminana Venugopala Rao ◽  
Budumuru Annaji Rao ◽  
Sreedevi Panchadi ◽  
K. Sudheer

Background: The incidence of cerebrovascular disease increases with age and the number of strokes is projected to increase as the elderly population grows. A stroke occurs when blood vessels that carry blood to the brain suddenly blocked or burst, preventing blood flow to the brain. The most common cause of blood vessel blockages is thrombosis (a blood clot) or an embolism (floating clot). Blood clots may form in the arteries that are damaged by atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is an aging process but some factors (risk factor) precipitate it to occur earlier. To find out the risk factors properly are of tremendous importance as risk factor change could directly influence or indirectly affect case fatality by altering the natural history of the disease. Serum lipids are thought to interact with the pathogenesis of stroke through the atherosclerotic mechanism. Objective was to identify the high serum lipid as an independent risk factor of stroke.Methods: This is a hospital-based case-control study. Seventy cases of stroke patients and age, sex-matched 70 healthy control subjects were enrolled by non-random sampling. 12 hours of fasting plasma lipids were estimated in both cases and control subjects. Then it was compared between cases and controls.Results: Hypercholesterolemia was higher in the case group than control but not statistically significant. Mean LDL- cholesterol, and triglycerides were significantly higher in the case group than the control group. The mean value of serum HDL-cholesterol was not significantly lower in the case group than the control group.Conclusions: Serum lipids are significantly higher in ischaemic stroke patients than the control group (LDL cholesterol and triglyceride). So, it may be an independent risk factor of ischemic stroke.


2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (3) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ali Yoonessi ◽  
Seyed Amir Hossein Batouli ◽  
Iman Ahmadnezhad ◽  
Hamid Soltanian-zadeh

Background: Addiction is currently one of the problems of human society. Drug abuse is one of the most important issues in the field of addiction. Methamphetamine (crystal) is one of the drugs that has been abused in recent decades. Methods: In this case-control study, 10 individuals aged 20 to 40 years old with at least 2 years of experience of methamphetamine consumption without any history of drug use or other stimulants from clients and drug withdrawal centers in Tehran City, and 10 healthy volunteers were selected. Age, social status, and economic status of addicts were included in the fMRI apparatus, and 90 selected pleasurable, non-pleasurable, and neutral images (IAPS) were displayed by the projector through an event-related method. The playback time of each photo was 3 s, and after this process, the person outside the device, without the time limit selected the enjoyable and unpleasant images. Results: The results showed that there was no significant difference between the groups in terms of age, alcohol use, and smoking history (P < 0.05). There was no significant difference in terms of the age at first use between members of the methamphetamine-dependent group. Also, the methamphetamine-dependent group showed more brain activity in their pre-center and post-center gyrus than the normal (control) group. Conclusions: According to the results obtained in this study, in general, it can be concluded that there are some areas in the brain of addicts that are activated when watching pleasant photos, while these areas are not active in the brains of normal people.


2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (5) ◽  
pp. 727-736
Author(s):  
Sahar Gamil ◽  
Jeanette Erdmann ◽  
Edzard Schwedhelm ◽  
Khalid Hussein Bakheit ◽  
Ihab B.B. Abdalrahman ◽  
...  

Introduction: Essential hypertension (EH) is a disease caused by various environmental and genetic factors. Nitric oxide (NO) is important for the functional integrity of the endothelium. It is produced in endothelial cells by endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) that mediates the conversion of the amino acid arginine into NO and citrulline. Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) acts as an inhibitor of eNOS. In contrast, symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) has no direct effect on eNOS but plays an important role competing with arginine for transport across the amino acid transporter. ADMA and SDMA have been found to play a central role in the development of cardiovascular diseases. Serum ADMA levels may serve as a future diagnostic marker and a target of therapy in hypertensive patients in the Sudanese population. This study aimed to investigate the relation between serum arginine, ADMA, and SDMA levels with EH in the Sudanese population. Methods: Patients (n = 260) with established hypertension and controls (n = 144) with normal blood pressure were included in this case-control study. Serum blood samples were analyzed for arginine, ADMA, and SDMA, using high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. Other laboratory data were measured using routine methods. Mann-Whitney’s U test and χ2 tests were used for continuous and categorical data, respectively. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was conducted to investigate the independent effect of multiple variables on the development of hypertension. Results: Serum arginine levels were significantly lower in the patient group than in the control group (p < 0.001). ADMA and SDMA levels were significantly higher in the patient group than the control group (p < 0.001, p = 0.001, respectively). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that only older age, being a male, and arginine levels are independent factors controlling the development of hypertension (p < 0.001, p < 0.001, and p = 0.046, respectively). ADMA and SDMA levels were not independent factors for the development of hypertension. Conclusions: This study demonstrated increased serum levels of ADMA and SDMA and decreased arginine levels in Sudanese patients with EH. Lowering serum ADMA levels or increasing the arginine levels might be a novel therapeutic target in these individuals.


2019 ◽  
Vol 32 (5) ◽  
pp. 447-454
Author(s):  
Shengkai Ye ◽  
Haiying Chen ◽  
Xia Ren ◽  
Jie Wen ◽  
Ying Du ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Too much consumption of carbonated beverages increases the risk of diabetes. Insulin deficiency and the body’s decreased sensitivity to insulin cause diabetes. C-peptide can assess a person’s own insulin secretion. The decrease of C-peptide is closely related to the occurrence of diabetes and its chronic complications. The present study assessed the effect of carbonated beverages on C-peptide in adolescents and analyzed the correlation between C-peptide and the drinking index (DI). Methods The subjects investigated including 463 adolescents were divided into a carbonated beverages group, a non-carbonated beverages group and a control group. The general demographic characteristics, beverage consumption status, physical activity and family history of hypertension and diabetes were interviewed with a questionnaire designed by us. All the subjects maintained their original lifestyle and received the oral glucose tolerance test. Various biochemical indicators and C-peptides were detected in these three groups. The data were analyzed by statistical analysis, and multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to examine the risk factors related to C-peptide. Results Blood glucose, blood lipid, liver function and renal function had no statistically significant difference among the three groups. C-peptide levels were lower in the carbonated beverages group and the non-carbonated beverages group than in the control group. Compared to the non-carbonated beverages group, there was a significant decrease in C-peptide levels in the carbonated beverages group. Logistic analysis demonstrated that DI was negatively correlated with C-peptide levels when the physical activity was adjusted. The odds ratio (OR) (OR = 2.540, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.121–5.752) value difference was statistically significant at a stratification level of DI ≥ 6. Conclusions The C-peptide of adolescents was affected by the long-term consumption of beverages, and the effect of carbonated beverages was even more obvious. DI ≥ 6 bottle-years was a risk factor for diabetes, and we can constitute prevention and control measures accordingly so as to reduce the incidence of diabetes.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (Supplement_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
T Miki ◽  
T Miyoshi ◽  
K Ichikawa ◽  
S Miyauchi ◽  
J Soh ◽  
...  

Abstract Introduction Development of chemoradiation therapy (CRT) has improved mortality in patients with cancer. Whereas, it is emerging problem that cancer-survivors suffer from cardiovascular diseases, and the association between modern CRT and the increase in future cardiovascular events is suggested. Meanwhile, previous studies showed that thoracic aortic calcification (TAC) detected by computed tomography (CT), a marker of atherosclerosis, was associated with all-cause mortality and cardiovascular events. However, the influence of CRT on TAC progression remains unclear. Purpose The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether CRT would exacerbate TAC. Methods A total of 68 patients who treated lung cancer at our hospital between 2011 and 2015 were retrospectively analyzed (mean 62 year-old, male 78%): 35 patients underwent surgical treatment after induction CRT (CRT group) and 33 patients underwent surgical treatment alone (control group), extracted by propensity score matching by age, sex, smoking status, and diseased side. The volume of TAC between 2nd and 12th thoracic vertebrae was quantitatively measured with CT imaging, at baseline and at 1 year follow-up. The annual percent change in TAC was compared between the CRT and the control group. Moreover, the independent relationship between implementation of CRT and the progression of TAC was assessed by multivariate logistic regression analysis, adjusting for age, gender, conventional atherosclerotic risk factors and baseline aortic calcification volume. Results Patients in the CRT group received radiation (mean 47.3±4.0 Gy) and chemotherapy: 2 courses of cisplatin with docetaxel (34 cases) or vinorelbine (1 case). The prevalence of dyslipidemia, taking statins and diabetes drugs were significantly higher in the control groups (17% vs. 39%; p=0.041, 11% vs. 33%; p=0.029, 3% vs. 18%; p=0.044, respectively). Baseline C-reactive protein level was significantly higher in the CRT group (0.255 vs. 0.115; p=0.034). In univariate analysis, the annual percent change in TAC volume was significantly increased in the CRT group compared with the control group (37.6% vs. 23.3%; p=0.006). Multivariate logistic regression analysis demonstrated that CRT was an independent factor associated with the progression of TAC volume, even after adjustment for baseline calcification volume and coronary risk factors (OR, 3.90; 95% CI, 1.32–11.47; p=0.014). Conclusion CRT to patients with lung cancer exacerbates thoracic aortic calcification, which may result in future cardiovascular events.


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