scholarly journals Validation Study of Italian Version of Inventory for DéJà vu Experiences Assessment (I-IDEA): A Screening Tool to Detect DéJà vu Phenomenon in Italian Healthy Individuals

2017 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mumoli ◽  
Giovanni Tripepi ◽  
Umberto Aguglia ◽  
Antonio Augimeri ◽  
Rossella Baggetta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Healthy Adult ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
Neurological Patients ◽  
Idea Test

The Inventory Déjà Vu Experiences Assessment (IDEA) is the only screening instrument proposed to evaluate Déjà vu (DV) experience. Here we intended to validate the Italian version of IDEA (I-IDEA) and at the same time to investigate the incidence and subjective qualities of DV phenomenon in Italian healthy adult individuals on basis of an Italian multicentre observational study. In this study we report normative data on the I-IDEA, collected on a sample of 542 Italian healthy subjects aging between 18 to 70 years (average age 40, range 18-70) with a formal educational from 1-19 years. From September 2013 to March 2016 were recruited 542 healthy volunteers from ten outpatient neurological clinics in ItalyAll participants (i.e family members of neurological patients enrolled, medicine’s student, physicians) had no neurological or psychiatric illness and they gave informed consent to participate in the study. All subjects enrolled had self-administered the questionnaire and they are able to complete I-IDEA test without any support. In total 396 (73%) of the 542 healthy controls had DV phenomenon. The frequency of DV was inversely related to age as well as to derealisation, jamais vu, precognitive dreams, depersonalization, paranormal activity, remembering dreams, travel frequency and daydreams (all P<0.012). The Italian version of IDEA maintains good properties in Italian version, thus confirming that this instrument is reliable for detecting and characterising the DV phenomenon.

Methylphenidate reduces orienting bias in healthy individuals

2021 ◽  
pp. 026988112199688
Author(s):  
Leehe Peled-Avron ◽  
Hagar Gelbard Goren ◽  
Noa Brande-Eilat ◽  
Shirel Dorman-Ilan ◽  
Aviv Segev ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Asymmetric Effect ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Double Blind ◽  
Spatial Orienting ◽  
Individual Trait ◽  
Neurological Patients ◽  
Dopamine Signaling ◽  
First Time ◽  
Neural Effect

Background: Healthy individuals show subtle orienting bias, a phenomenon known as pseudoneglect, reflected in a tendency to direct greater attention toward one hemispace. Accumulating evidence indicates that this bias is an individual trait, and attention is preferentially directed contralaterally to the hemisphere with higher dopamine signaling. Administration of methylphenidate (MPH), a dopamine transporter inhibitor, was shown to normalize aberrant spatial attention bias in psychiatric and neurological patients, suggesting that the reduced orienting bias following administration of MPH reflects an asymmetric effect of the drug, increasing extracellular dopamine in the hemisphere with lower dopamine signaling. Aim: We predicted that, similarly to its effect on patients with brain pathology, MPH will reduce the orienting bias in healthy subjects. Methods: To test this hypothesis, we examined the behavioral effects of a single dose (20 mg) of MPH on orienting bias in 36 healthy subjects (18 females) in a randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled, within-subject design, using the greyscales task, which has been shown to detect subtle attentional biases in both patients and healthy individuals. Results/outcomes: Results demonstrate that healthy individuals vary in both direction and magnitude of spatial orienting bias and show reduced magnitude of orienting bias following MPH administration, regardless of the initial direction of asymmetry. Conclusions/interpretations: Our findings reveal, for the first time in healthy subjects, that MPH decreases spatial orienting bias in an asymmetric manner. Given the well-documented association between orienting bias and asymmetric dopamine signaling, these findings also suggest that MPH might exert a possible asymmetric neural effect in the healthy brain.

scholarly journals Validation Study of Italian Version of Inventory for Déjà Vu Experiences Assessment (I-IDEA): A Screening Tool to Detect Déjà Vu Phenomenon in Italian Healthy Individuals

2017 ◽  
Vol 7 (4) ◽  
pp. 50 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laura Mumoli ◽  
Giovanni Tripepi ◽  
Umberto Aguglia ◽  
Antonio Augimeri ◽  
Rossella Baggetta ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Validation Study ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Italian Version ◽  
Deja Vu ◽  
Déjà Vu

scholarly journals A-021 Normative Data on Montreal Cognitive Assessment Total Scores in Healthy Controls

2020 ◽  
Vol 35 (6) ◽  
pp. 811-811
Author(s):  
Ratcliffe L ◽  
Marker C
Keyword(s):  
Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Normative Data ◽  
Screening Tool ◽  
Geographical Location ◽  
Healthy Adults ◽  
Montreal Cognitive Assessment ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Strongly Correlated ◽  
Cognitive Screening ◽  
Cutoff Scores

Abstract The Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) is considered to be a suitable, sensitive, and specific cognitive screening tool for detecting mild cognitive impairment. Research has reported variable cutoff scores for the MoCA based upon geographical location. The aim of the present study is to provide normative data in a sample of cognitively healthy adults. Data was collected through the National Alzheimer’s Coordinating Center (NACC). A population of healthy adults (N = 3610) was examined (66% female, 78% Caucasian, 16% African American, 6% Other). MoCA normative data were derived from age and education, which were found to be weakly but significantly associated with age (r = −.203, p = .000) and more strongly correlated with education (r = .402, p = .000). Total scores (M = 26.25, SD = 2.75) were at the suggested cutoff for impairment (< 26). Based on an ANOVA, age had a significant effect on MoCA scores (F (6, 3603) = 25.30, p < .001). A second ANOVA revealed that education also had a significant effect on MoCA scores (F (2, 3582) = 290.56, p < .001). Individuals with higher levels of education obtained higher MoCA scores. Performance was also found to decrease slightly with age. Therefore, clinicians should use caution when applying the recommended cutoff scores.

scholarly journals Occipital bending in schizophrenia

2016 ◽  
Vol 51 (1) ◽  
pp. 32-41 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jerome J Maller ◽  
Rodney J Anderson ◽  
Richard H Thomson ◽  
Zafiris J Daskalakis ◽  
Jeffrey V Rosenfeld ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
White Matter ◽  
Gray Matter ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Psychiatric Illness ◽  
Gray Matter Volume ◽  
Occipital Lobe ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
White Matter Volume ◽  
Matter Volume ◽  
Control Subjects

Objective: To investigate the prevalence of occipital bending (an occipital lobe crossing or twisting across the midline) in subjects with schizophrenia and matched healthy controls. Method: Occipital bending prevalence was investigated in 37 patients with schizophrenia and 44 healthy controls. Results: Ratings showed that prevalence was nearly three times higher among schizophrenia patients (13/37 [35.1%]) than in control subjects (6/44 [13.6%]). Furthermore, those with schizophrenia had greater normalized gray matter volume but less white matter volume and had larger brain-to-cranial ratio. Conclusion: The results suggest that occipital bending is more prevalent among schizophrenia patients than healthy subjects and that schizophrenia patients have different gray matter–white matter proportions. Although the cause and clinical ramifications of occipital bending are unclear, the results infer that occipital bending may be a marker of psychiatric illness.

A Comparative Evaluation of Serum and Salivary Total Proteins and Immunoglobulins in Patients with Hepatitis A and Healthy Subjects

2018 ◽  
Vol 69 (5) ◽  
pp. 1125-1128
Author(s):  
Daniela G. Balan ◽  
Dan Piperea Sianu ◽  
Iulia I. Stanescu ◽  
Dorin Ionescu ◽  
Andra Elena Stroescu Balcangiu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Comparative Evaluation ◽  
Hepatitis A ◽  
Hepatitis A Virus ◽  
Point Of View ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Total Proteins ◽  
Statistical Point ◽  
Immunological Tests ◽  
Acute Hepatitis A

Assessment of changes in total proteins level, serum and saliva IgG and IgA levels, serum IgM level, serum and saliva IgA/IgG ratio. The study was conducted on a group of 40 subjects, divided into 2 lots: the first lot consisting of 20 healthy individuals and the second consisting of 20 patients with hepatitis with hepatitis A virus (HAV). The levels of total proteins, serum and saliva IgG and IgA, serum IgM and serum and saliva IgA/IgG ratio have higher values in patients with hepatitis A, in comparison to healthy subjects, without necessarily exceeding the maximum admitted value. The results are significant from a statistical point of view. Due to the sensitivity and specificity of salivary anti-HAV IgM and IgG in patients with acute hepatitis A, compared with healthy subjects, there is a possibility of using salivary immunological tests instead of serum tests for the diagnosis and epidemiological study of HAV infection.

Comparison of the Aditus ad Antrum Diameter on CT between Patients with Chronic Otitis Media and Healthy Individuals

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (10) ◽  
pp. 990-993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elif Gündoğdu ◽  
Uğur Toprak
Keyword(s):  
Computed Tomography ◽  
Otitis Media ◽  
Middle Ear ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Normal Values ◽  
Chronic Otitis Media ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Inner Diameter ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
The Right

Background: The middle ear cavity is ventilated through the aditus ad antrum. Aditus blockage contributes to the pathology of otitis media. Objective: To determine the normal values of the aditus ad antrum diameter on computed tomography and to investigate its relationship with chronic otitis media and related pathologies (tympanosclerosis and myringosclerosis). Methods: The temporal CT images of 162 individuals were evaluated retrospectively. In the axial sections, the inner diameter of the aditus was measured at the narrowest point at the cortex. The differences in diameter were compared between diseased and healthy ears. Results: In healthy individuals, the diameter was narrower in women. There was no difference between the right and left ears in healthy subjects. No correlation was found between age and diameter. In male patients with myringosclerosis, the diameter was slightly narrower on both sides but more marked on the left. In female patients with myringosclerosis, the diameter in both ears was slightly narrower. In cases of otitis media and tympanosclerosis, the diameter was less than that of healthy individuals, despite the lack of statistically significant result in all cases. Conclusion: The aditus ad antrum was narrower in diseased ears, indicating that a blocked aditus may contribute to the development of otitis media, as well as mucosal diseases.

Prevalence of Toxoplasma gondii and Toxocara canis among Myositis Patients in Southwest of Iran

2019 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jasem Saki ◽  
Karim Mowla ◽  
Reza Arjmand ◽  
Forough Kazemi ◽  
Somayeh Fallahizadeh
Keyword(s):  
Toxoplasma Gondii ◽  
Nested Pcr ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Toxocara Canis ◽  
Control Group ◽  
Igg Antibodies ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
High Prevalence ◽  
Acute Toxoplasmosis ◽  
Southwest Of Iran

Introduction: Parasitic myositis is caused by some parasites such as T. gondii and T. canis. So, the aim of the study was to evaluate the prevalence T. gondii and T. canis in patients with myositis and healthy individuals. Methods: A total of 108 samples were randomly selected as the control (54 healthy individuals) and test (54 myositis patients) groups. IgG and IgM antibodies against T. gondii and IgG antibodies against T. canis were measured by the ELISA. The detection of chronic and acute toxoplasmosis was performed by the ELISA IgG avidity. The presence of T. gondii in blood was evaluated by the nested-PCR. Results: Of 108, 33 (30.6%) cases were detected positive for IgG against T. gondii that 19 (35.2%) and 14 (25.9%) were observed in myositis patients and healthy individuals, respectively (P=0.296). Of 19 positive cases, 12 (63.2%) and 7 (36.8%) cases were detected as chronic and acute toxoplasmosis, respectively, while, all positive cases in the control group had chronic toxoplasmosis (P=0.013). One (1.9%) sample was detected positive for anti- Toxoplasma gondii IgM and two (3.7%) samples were found positive for IgG against T. canis by the ELISA that these positive cases were observed only in myositis patients (P=1.000 P=0.495, respectively). B1 T. gondii gene was amplified in 12 (63.2%) and 1 (7.1%) in myositis patients and healthy subjects (P=0.001). Conclusions: Our findings showed that there was a relatively high prevalence of acute toxoplasmosis in myositis patients in comparison with the control subjects in southwest of Iran.

Over-expression of IL-6 coding gene in the peripheral blood of migraine with aura patients

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-5
Author(s):  
Mahdi Ramezani ◽  
Alireza Komaki ◽  
Mohammad Mahdi Eftekharian ◽  
Mehrdokht Mazdeh ◽  
Soudeh Ghafouri-Fard
Keyword(s):  
Migraine With Aura ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Healthy Subjects ◽  
Migraine Without Aura ◽  
P Value ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Over Expression ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Male Patients ◽  
Years Lived With Disability

Migraine is a common disorder which is placed among the top ten reasons of years lived with disability. Cytokines are among the molecules that contribute in the pathophysiology of migraine. In the current study, we evaluated expression levels of IL-6 coding gene in the peripheral blood of 120 migraine patients (54 migraine without aura and 66 migraine with aura patients) and 40 healthy subjects. No significant difference was detected in expression of IL-6 between total migraine patients and healthy controls (Posterior beta = 0.253, P value = 0.199). The interaction effect between gender and group was significant (Posterior beta =-1.274, P value = 0.011), therefore, we conducted subgroup analysis within gender group. Such analysis revealed that while expression of this gene is not different between male patients and male controls (Posterior beta =-0.371, P value > 0.999), it was significantly over-expressed in female patients compared with female controls (Posterior beta = 0.86, P= 0.002). Expression of IL-6 was significantly higher in patients with aura compared with controls (Posterior beta = 0.63, adjusted P value = 0.019). However, expression of this cytokine coding gene was not different between patients without aura and healthy subjects (Posterior beta = 0.193, adjusted P value = 0.281). Therefore, IL-6 might be involved in the pathophysiology of migraine among females and migraine with aura among both sexes.

scholarly journals Phenotypic and Functional Alterations of Immune Effectors in Periodontitis; A Multifactorial and Complex Oral Disease

2021 ◽  
Vol 10 (4) ◽  
pp. 875
Author(s):  
Kawaljit Kaur ◽  
Shahram Vaziri ◽  
Marcela Romero-Reyes ◽  
Avina Paranjpe ◽  
Anahid Jewett
Keyword(s):  
Periodontal Disease ◽  
Peripheral Blood ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Oral Disease ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Tnf Α ◽  
Blood Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Ifn Γ ◽  
And Function

Survival and function of immune subsets in the oral blood, peripheral blood and gingival tissues of patients with periodontal disease and healthy controls were assessed. NK and CD8 + T cells within the oral blood mononuclear cells (OBMCs) expressed significantly higher levels of CD69 in patients with periodontal disease compared to those from healthy controls. Similarly, TNF-α release was higher from oral blood of patients with periodontal disease when compared to healthy controls. Increased activation induced cell death of peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) but not OBMCs from patients with periodontal disease was observed when compared to those from healthy individuals. Unlike those from healthy individuals, OBMC-derived supernatants from periodontitis patients exhibited decreased ability to induce secretion of IFN-γ by allogeneic healthy PBMCs treated with IL-2, while they triggered significant levels of TNF-α, IL-1β and IL-6 by untreated PBMCs. Interaction of PBMCs, or NK cells with intact or NFκB knock down oral epithelial cells in the presence of a periodontal pathogen, F. nucleatum, significantly induced a number of pro-inflammatory cytokines including IFN-γ. These studies indicated that the relative numbers of immune subsets obtained from peripheral blood may not represent the composition of the immune cells in the oral environment, and that orally-derived immune effectors may differ in survival and function from those of peripheral blood.

scholarly journals A Circulating Exosome RNA Signature Is a Potential Diagnostic Marker for Pancreatic Cancer, a Systematic Study

Cancers ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (11) ◽  
pp. 2565
Author(s):  
Yixing Wu ◽  
Hongmei Zeng ◽  
Qing Yu ◽  
Huatian Huang ◽  
Beatrice Fervers ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Pancreatic Cancer ◽  
Chronic Pancreatitis ◽  
Early Detection ◽  
Validation Dataset ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Rna Seq ◽  
Healthy Individuals ◽  
Kras Mutations ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
Rna Signature

Several exosome proteins, miRNAs and KRAS mutations have been investigated in the hope of carrying out the early detection of pancreatic cancer with high sensitivity and specificity, but they have proven to be insufficient. Exosome RNAs, however, have not been extensively evaluated in the diagnosis of pancreatic cancer. The purpose of this study was to investigate the potential of circulating exosome RNAs in pancreatic cancer detection. By retrieving RNA-seq data from publicly accessed databases, differential expression and random-effects meta-analyses were performed. The results showed that pancreatic cancer had a distinct circulating exosome RNA signature in healthy individuals, and that the top 10 candidate exosome RNAs could distinguish patients from healthy individuals with an area under the curve (AUC) of 1.0. Three (HIST2H2AA3, LUZP6 and HLA-DRA) of the 10 genes in exosomes had similar differential patterns to those in tumor tissues based on RNA-seq data. In the validation dataset, the levels of these three genes in exosomes displayed good performance in distinguishing cancer from both chronic pancreatitis (AUC = 0.815) and healthy controls (AUC = 0.8558), whereas a slight difference existed between chronic pancreatitis and healthy controls (AUC = 0.586). Of the three genes, the level of HIST2H2AA3 was positively associated with KRAS status. However, there was no significant difference in the levels of the three genes across the disease stages (stages I–IV). These findings indicate that circulating exosome RNAs have a potential early detection value in pancreatic cancer, and that a distinct exosome RNA signature exists in distinguishing pancreatic cancer from healthy individuals.

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