PRESERVED NUMBER OF OREXIN NEURONS IN POSTMORTEM HYPOTHALAMIC TISSUE OF CHRONIC ALCOHOLICS

The hypothalamic orexin system is critically involved in addiction, including chronic alcohol abuse. Microinjection of orexin into the lateral hypothalamus increases alcohol intake in rats, while reduced immunoreactivity of orexin neurons is associated with decreased alcohol drinking. Recently, the numbers of orexin neurons were found to be increased in opiate addiction in humans [4] and cocaine addiction in rats [2], but the integrity of orexin neurons has not yet been studied in human alcoholics. We examined the hypothalamus of 9 patients of chronic alcoholism and 10 subjects without a history of alcoholism or any other neurological or psychiatric disorder. We performed immunohistochemistry for orexin A, followed by stereological quantification. The hypothalamic tissue of chronic alcoholics exhibited a slightly increased number (9%) of orexin-containing neurons compared to the control group (123’087 ± 18’536 and 110’431 ± 14’439, p = 0.11). Mean Gundersen’s coefficient of error was 0.06 ± 0.01. The number of orexin neurons was similar in chronic alcoholics and control subjects without a history of alcoholism. Further examination of alcohol-induced hypothalamic damage is needed to understand, whether a neuroplastic increase in orexin neurons counterbalances a concurrent alcohol-toxic damage to these neurons.

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THE RISK FACTORS OF MOLAR PREGNANCY

Journal of Medicine and Pharmacy ◽

10.34071/jmp.2017.1.8 ◽

2017 ◽

pp. 53-58

Author(s):

Lam Huong Le

Keyword(s):

High Risk ◽

Gestational Trophoblastic Disease ◽

Living Standard ◽

Control Group ◽

Uterine Perforation ◽

Molar Pregnancy ◽

Health It ◽

Pregnancy Risk ◽

History Of ◽

And Control

Objectives: Molar pregnancy is the gestational trophoblastic disease and impact on the women’s health. It has several complications such as toxicity, infection, bleeding. Molar pregnancy also has high risk of choriocarcinoma which can be dead. Aim: To assess the risks of molar pregnancy. Materials and Methods: The case control study included 76 molar pregnancies and 228 pregnancies in control group at Hue Central Hospital. Results: The average age was 32.7 ± 6.7, the miximum age was 17 years old and the maximum was 46 years old. The history of abortion, miscarriage in molar group and control group acounted for 10.5% and 3.9% respectively, with the risk was higher 2.8 times; 95% CI = 1.1-7.7 (p<0.05). The history of molar pregnancy in molar pregnancy group was 9.2% and the molar pregnancy risk was 11.4 times higher than control group (95% CI = 2.3-56.4). The women having ≥ 4 times births accounted for 7.9% in molar group and 2.2% in control group, with the risk was higher 3.8 times, 95% CI= 1.1-12.9 (p<0.05). The molar risk of women < 20 and >40 years old in molar groups had 2.4 times higher than (95% CI = 1.1 to 5.2)h than control group. Low living standard was 7.9% in molar group and 1.3% in the control group with OR= 6.2; 95% CI= 1.5-25.6. Curettage twice accounted for 87.5%, there were 16 case need to curettage three times. There was no case of uterine perforation and infection after curettage. Conclusion: The high risk molar pregnancy women need a better management. Pregnant women should be antenatal cared regularly to dectect early molar pregnancy. It is nessecery to monitor and avoid the dangerous complications occuring during the pregnancy. Key words: Molar pregnancy, pregnancy women

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A community-based randomized trial for the prevention and control of brucellosis among rural populations in Iran: application of the PRECEDE planning model

10.21203/rs.2.13991/v2 ◽

2020 ◽

Author(s):

Leila Jahangiry ◽

Maryam Khazaee-Pool ◽

Towhid Babazadeh ◽

Parvin Sarbakhsh ◽

Koen Ponnet

Keyword(s):

Prevention And Control ◽

Intervention Program ◽

Controlled Trial ◽

Animal Health ◽

Public Health Problem ◽

Control Program ◽

Control Group ◽

Community Based ◽

History Of ◽

And Control

Abstract Background: Brucellosis is one of the most frequently occurring zoonotic diseases of veterinary and a public health problem in developing countries. It affects human and animal health and has measurable effects on the productive and reproductive performance of livestock. Therefore, the main purpose of this study was to develop a community-based intervention program for brucellosis prevention and control. A two-arm parallel cluster randomized controlled trial investigated the effectiveness of the program over six months in a rural population in Ahar, East Azerbaijan, Iran. A total of 16 village health houses were randomly allocated to the intervention and the control groups (eight per arm), and 400 participants were recruited via household health records in the health houses. The PRECEDE model, which is an acronym for Predisposing, Reinforcing and Enabling Constructs in Educational Diagnosis and Evaluation, was used to design, implement, and evaluate the brucellosis prevention and control program. Knowledge, attitudes, self-efficacy, social support, environmental enabling, and behavioral factors were measured at the baseline and the six-month follow-up. A generalized mixed effects model was used to analyze data. Results: The mean ages (SD) of the intervention and control group respondents were 35.9 (11.87) and 37.28 (11.04) years, respectively. After the six-month intervention, significant between-group differences were found on all PRECEDE variables, adjusted for education, history of brucellosis, and family history of brucellosis. Conclusion: There is a need to consolidate collaborative health and veterinary sector efforts, as well as increase regular vaccination practices and financial resources to support farmers willing to slaughter animals and/or offer slaughter facilities. The present study was able to demonstrate which educational and ecological factors influence behaviors and environments related to brucellosis and, as such, provide evidence of the effectiveness of interventions based on the PROCEDE model.

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Olfactory Dysfunction in β Thalassemia Major Patients Treated With Iron-Chelating Agents

Ear Nose & Throat Journal ◽

10.1177/0145561319840079 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 98 (8) ◽

pp. NP125-NP130

Author(s):

Serhan Derin ◽

Selvet Erdogan ◽

Murat Sahan ◽

Mehmet Fatih Azik ◽

Hatice Derin ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Chelating Agents ◽

Thalassemia Major ◽

Olfactory Dysfunction ◽

Facial Trauma ◽

Control Group ◽

Control Groups ◽

History Of ◽

And Control ◽

Iron Chelating Agents

Ocular and ophthalmological adverse effects may be seen in β-thalassemia major (BTM) patients treated with regular blood transfusions and iron-chelating agents. We hypothesized that olfactory dysfunction may be present in this population. In this study, we aimed to investigate olfactory dysfunction in patients with BTM and determine the etiological factors. A total of 43 patients with BTM were included in the study. Forty-three patients without any nasal complaints, history of facial trauma, or nasal surgery were included as the controls. All participants had nasal endoscopy. The iron-chelating agents used, their duration of use, as well as hemoglobin and ferritin levels of the BTM patients were recorded. Sniffin’ Sticks test (SST) was used to assess olfactory functions, and BTM and control groups were compared for the results. The correlations of SST scores with the other study parameters were analyzed. Eight (18.6%) of 43 patients in the BTM group had hyposmia while none of the patients in the control group had hyposmia ( P < .001). Older age, low-hemoglobin level, and longer use of deferoxamine were found to be correlated with olfactory dysfunction. Olfactory dysfunction may be seen in BTM patients treated with iron-chelating agents. The results of this study suggest that screening for olfactory function may be needed in routine follow-up of BTM patients.

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BCG In the treatment of recurrent. Genital condyloma accuminatum

Revista de Medicina ◽

10.11606/issn.1679-9836.v97i3p283-286 ◽

2018 ◽

Vol 97 (3) ◽

pp. 283-286

Author(s):

Chen Jen Shan ◽

Antonio Marmo Lucon ◽

Miguel Srougi

Keyword(s):

Control Group ◽

High Recurrence Rate ◽

Cure Rate ◽

Clinical Recurrence ◽

Collateral Effects ◽

Collateral Effect ◽

History Of ◽

Electro Coagulation ◽

And Control

Introduction: The Human Papilloma Virus (HPV) is the most prevalent sexually transmissible disease. The treatment of Condyloma Accuminatum is a great challenge because of the high recurrence rate and of the lack of any drug efficient in its elimination. Objective: To assess the efficacy of the treatment with Imuno BCG (Bacillus Calmette-Guérin) for bearers of condylomas recurrent for more than 2 years. Patients and Methods: Patients with age between 18 and 60 years, having a history of more than 2 years of genital warts, were included, attended as from 01-08-2011; bearers of serious diseases, immunodeficiency or users of immune-suppressors, being excluded. The procedure adopted began with a biopsy of the wart(s) with local anesthetic, followed by the electro-coagulation of all the warts and bases of the biopsies, a solution with 80 mg of Imuno BCG dissolved in 2 ml of saline solution 0.9% was applied to all the genital area, including the cauterized areas. The area was covered with plastic for 2 hours and afterwards washed with water. The local application of Imuno BCG was repeated for 8 consecutive weeks. At the end of the second month the cases were re-assessed. When there was clinical recurrence a new procedure with the same drug was undertaken, but with 3 weekly applications made by the patient himself for 8 weeks. Result: Sixteen patients completed 2-year follow-up. The cure rate was of 62.5%. Of the 10 patients cured, 6 (37.5%) used one series of Imuno BCG, 1 (6.25%) used 2 series, and 3 (18.75%) used 3 series. Of the 6 patients who were not cured, there was a reduction in the number of cauterizations from 5.5 times (over an average period of the disease of 51.6 months) to 2.4 cauterizations (over an average follow-up period of 52.3 months) after the use Imuno BCG. The collateral effects of the use of Imuno BCG were insignificant. Conclusion: Topical BCG is a good option for the treatment of recurrent condylomas, with minimal collateral effect. It may be used even on PPD-negative patients. However, this result must be confirmed with larger sample populations and control-group studies.

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Endothelial Function and Cardiovascular Autonomic Activity in Neurally Mediated Syncope

Cardiology ◽

10.1159/000443519 ◽

2016 ◽

Vol 134 (2) ◽

pp. 65-71 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Kyoung-Ha Park ◽

Sang Jin Han ◽

Hyun-Sook Kim ◽

Sang Ho Jo ◽

Sung-Ai Kim ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Endothelial Function ◽

Parasympathetic Activity ◽

Control Group ◽

Autonomic Activity ◽

Frequency Spectra ◽

Ambulatory Electrocardiography ◽

Neurally Mediated Syncope ◽

History Of ◽

Head Up Tilt ◽

And Control

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate endothelial function and cardiovascular autonomic activity in patients with neurally mediated syncope (NMS). Methods: Patients with a typical history of NMS were divided according to the result of a head-up tilt (HUT) test. There were 25 patients each in the HUT-positive (HUT+), HUT-negative (HUT-) and control groups. Flow-mediated dilation (FMD) and 24-hour ambulatory electrocardiography (AECG) were performed before the HUT tests. Results: The HUT+ group had a significantly higher FMD than that of the HUT- group and the control group (8.8 ± 3.3 vs. 6.4 ± 2.9%, p = 0.006, and 8.8 ± 3.3 vs. 5.7 ± 2.2%, p = 0.001, respectively). On a 24-hour AECG, the parasympathetic indexes of time domain, such as rMSSD and the pNN50, were significantly higher in the HUT+ group than in the HUT- group (39.0 ± 9.6 vs. 31.6 ± 9.6 ms, p = 0.016, and 16.5 ± 8.1 vs. 10.2 ± 7.2%, p = 0.002, respectively) and the control group (39.0 ± 9.6 vs. 28.9 ± 9.6%, p = 0.001 and 16.5 ± 8.1 vs. 8.7 ± 6.7%, p = 0.001, respectively). High-frequency spectra (parasympathetic activity) of the frequency domain showed similar results. Conclusions: Not only parasympathetic activity, but also endothelial function may affect the results of HUT tests in patients with NMS.

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Functional Polymorphisms of Matrix Metalloproteinases 1 and 9 Genes in Women with Spontaneous Preterm Birth

Disease Markers ◽

10.1155/2014/171036 ◽

2014 ◽

Vol 2014 ◽

pp. 1-7 ◽

Cited By ~ 8

Author(s):

Nina Pereza ◽

Ivana Pleša ◽

Ana Peterlin ◽

Žiga Jan ◽

Nataša Tul ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Preterm Birth ◽

Gene Polymorphisms ◽

Control Group ◽

Spontaneous Preterm Birth ◽

Functional Polymorphisms ◽

Fetal Birth Weight ◽

Gestational Age At Delivery ◽

History Of ◽

Caucasian Women ◽

And Control

Objective. The aim of this study was to investigate the association of functionalMMP-1-1607 1G/2G andMMP-9-1562 C/T gene polymorphisms with spontaneous preterm birth (SPTB; preterm birth with intact membranes) in European Caucasian women, as well as the contribution of these polymorphisms to different clinical features of women with SPTB.Methods and Patients. A case-control study was conducted in 113 women with SPTB and 119 women with term delivery (control group). Genotyping ofMMP-1-1607 1G/2G andMMP-9-1562 C/T gene polymorphisms was performed using the combination of polymerase chain reaction and restriction fragment length polymorphism methods.Results. There were no statistically significant differences in the distribution of neither individual nor combinations of genotype and allele frequencies ofMMP-1-1607 1G/2G andMMP-9-1562 C/T polymorphisms between women with SPTB and control women. Additionally, these polymorphisms do not contribute to any of the clinical characteristics of women with SPTB, including positive and negative family history of SPTB, gestational age at delivery, and maternal age at delivery, nor fetal birth weight.Conclusion. We did not find the evidence to support the association ofMMP-1-1607 1G/2G andMMP-9-1562 C/T gene polymorphisms with SPTB in European Caucasian women.

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Retrospective and Prospective Memory Among OEF/OIF/OND Veterans With a Self-Reported History of Blast-Related mTBI

Journal of the International Neuropsychological Society ◽

10.1017/s1355617717001217 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 24 (4) ◽

pp. 324-334 ◽

Cited By ~ 10

Author(s):

Kathleen F. Pagulayan ◽

Holly Rau ◽

Renee Madathil ◽

Madeleine Werhane ◽

Steven P. Millard ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Prospective Memory ◽

Verbal Learning ◽

California Verbal Learning Test ◽

Control Group ◽

Retrospective Memory ◽

Post Injury ◽

History Of ◽

Current Ptsd ◽

Learning Test ◽

And Control

AbstractObjectives: To evaluate prospective and retrospective memory abilities in Operation Enduring Freedom (OEF), Operation Iraqi Freedom (OIF), and Operation New Dawn (OND) Veterans with and without a self-reported history of blast-related mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI). Methods: Sixty-one OEF/OIF/OND Veterans, including Veterans with a self-reported history of blast-related mTBI (mTBI group; n=42) and Veterans without a self-reported history of TBI (control group; n=19) completed the Memory for Intentions Test, a measure of prospective memory (PM), and two measures of retrospective memory (RM), the California Verbal Learning Test-II and the Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised. Results: Veterans in the mTBI group exhibited significantly lower PM performance than the control group, but the groups did not differ in their performance on RM measures. Further analysis revealed that Veterans in the mTBI group with current PTSD (mTBI/PTSD+) demonstrated significantly lower performance on the PM measure than Veterans in the control group. PM performance by Veterans in the mTBI group without current PTSD (mTBI/PTSD-) was intermediate between the mTBI/PTSD+ and control groups, and results for the mTBI/PTSD- group were not significantly different from either of the other two groups. Conclusions: Results suggest that PM performance may be a sensitive marker of cognitive dysfunction among OEF/OIF/OND Veterans with a history of self-reported blast-related mTBI and comorbid PTSD. Reduced PM may account, in part, for complaints of cognitive difficulties in this Veteran cohort, even years post-injury. (JINS, 2018, 24, 324–334)

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Evaluation of The 10 Warning Signs In Immunodeficient Patients: Additional Suggestions

10.21203/rs.3.rs-1189503/v1 ◽

2021 ◽

Author(s):

Fadime Ceyda Eldeniz ◽

Yahya Gül ◽

Alaattin Yorulmaz ◽

Şükrü Nail Güner ◽

Sevgi Keles ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Family History ◽

Early Diagnosis ◽

Chronic Diarrhea ◽

Warning Signs ◽

Control Group ◽

Healthy Children ◽

Physician Awareness ◽

History Of ◽

And Control ◽

Immunological Evaluation

Abstract Objective: Ten warning signs of primary immunodeficiency (PID) were suggested by the Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF), to increase physician awareness of PID. These warning signs have not yet been evaluated for patients with secondary immunodeficiency (SID). This study investigated whether the 10 warning signs used for the diagnosis of PID are sufficient for the diagnosis of SID, and explored the possibility of additional signs.Methods: This prospective study was conducted between June and December 2020. The mothers of 162 patients with PID and SID, and mothers of 200 healthy children, were asked to complete a questionnaire about family and personal history in addition to the warning signs of PID developed by the JMF. A JMF score was created by giving one point for each “Yes” answer for the 10 warning signs of PID. Medical records of the patients were evaluated for possible additional warning signs for PID and SID. Results: The JMF scores of the PID (3.36 ± 1.65) and SID (3.72 ± 1.12) groups were significantly higher than the scores of the control group (0.34 ± 0.61) (p < 0.05). A sign for immunological evaluation in two patients without warning signs in the PID group was found to be chronic diarrhea. In addition to the 10 JMF warning signs, we found that consanguinity and a family history of tuberculosis were statistically significant in our PID group, compared with the SID and control groups. Conclusions: The JMF warning signs are important for early diagnosis of PID. Our study showed that these signs may also be used for the early diagnosis of SID in patients and, according to our results, in addition to the 10 JMF signs for PID, parental consanguinity, chronic diarrhea, and a family history of tuberculosis may also be considered warning signs for the early diagnosis of PID.

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Hypertensive patients features of the microcirculation type after new coronavirus infection of COVID-19

Regional blood circulation and microcirculation ◽

10.24884/1682-6655-2021-20-4-45-51 ◽

2022 ◽

Vol 20 (4) ◽

pp. 45-51

Author(s):

I. A. Zolotovskaya ◽

G. R. Gimatdinova ◽

I. L. Davydkin

Keyword(s):

Blood Flow ◽

Heart Disease ◽

Family History ◽

Adverse Events ◽

Skin Blood Flow ◽

Control Group ◽

Doppler Flowmetry ◽

Hypertensive Patients ◽

History Of ◽

And Control

Introduction. The COVID-19 pandemic multiplies the incidence of long-term adverse events. Family history of heart disease predicates the necessity of study hemostasis in hypertensive patients. The purpose was to study the microcirculation in hypertensive COVID-19 survivors. Materials and methods. We selected patients treated at the hospitals of Samara from January to March 2021. COVID-19 survivors (diagnosis was confirmed by polymerase chain reaction analysis) were divided into 2 groups and analysed: the group with family history of hypertension (167 patients) and control group with no relevant past medical history (68 patients). The main microcirculation characteristics were evaluated by laser Doppler flowmetry of skin blood flow. Results. The average age of COVID-19 survivors was 52.3±14.2 years, n=86 (51.4 %) – male. The majority of patients (n=61/36.5 %) were 45 to 54 years. A fifth of the patients (n=35/20.9 %) showed no complaints about the underlying disease, the clinical manifestations of the rest were general weakness, fever, shortness of breath, cough, headaches, unstable blood pressure, inflammation of the ENT organs. By comparison the microcirculation parameters of the case patients and control group, a decreased perfusion was detected. It requires a preventive medicine to prevent from early and distant micro and macrothrombosis. Conclusion. The study of microcirculation essential features by the LDF of skin blood flow revealed a pathological type with a predominance of vasoconstrictions in patients with a history of hypertension. Taking into account the proven increase in the incidence of thrombotic events in COVID-19 survivors, the noticed changes in microcirculation require a new approach to prevent from adverse events concerning the hypercoagulation process, especially in patients with famil y history of heart disease.

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Prognosis of the development of pneumonia in children at the outbreak of respiratory mycoplasmosis

Kazan medical journal ◽

10.17750/kmj2017-921 ◽

2017 ◽

Vol 98 (6) ◽

pp. 921-927 ◽

Cited By ~ 1

Author(s):

S P Kokoreva ◽

O A Razuvaev

Keyword(s):

Risk Factors ◽

Past History ◽

Binary Logistic Regression ◽

Control Group ◽

Mycoplasma Pneumonia ◽

Focus Of Infection ◽

History Of ◽

Mycoplasmal Pneumonia ◽

And Control

Aim. To identify risk factors for mycoplasma pneumonia at the outbreak of respiratory mycoplasmosis in the children’s collective using a comprehensive statistical analysis. Methods. 120 children aged 12-15 years from the focus of respiratory mycoplasmosis outbreak were observed. They were divided into two groups: study group - 33 children with mycoplasma pneumonia, and control group - 56 children from the focus of infection, 14 of which during the observation period had no disease simptoms, and 42 children had other forms of respiratory mycoplasmosis. Results. 6 factors influencing the development of mycoplasma pneumonia were identified in children from the focus of respiratory mycoplasmosis outbreak. The correlation analysis was performed and one-dimensional models of the chance of developing pneumonia were constructed by calculating odds ratios. Past history of pneumonia increases the risk for pneumonia by 23.46 times, passive smoking in a child - by 2.77 times. At the same time, emergency prevention with immunotropic drugs reduces the risk for pneumonia by 8.93 times, daily walking - by 3.31 times, walking for more than 2 hours - by 3.83 times, increasing fruit in the diet - by 3.09 times and taking multivitamins - by 2.56 times compared to cases when these measures were not taken. The binary logistic regression was calculated to build a multidimensional research model. The sensitivity of this model was 87.88%, specificity - 91.07%. Conclusion. At the outbreak of respiratory mycoplasmosis the risk factors for the development of mycoplasmal pneumonia are pneumonia in past medical history, smoking in a child’s family; preventive measures are long-term daily exposure to fresh air, emergency prevention with immunotropic, complex multivitamin preparations with trace elements and lactic acid bacteria, dietary intake corrected for fruit intake.

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