scholarly journals Gout Is Not Just Arthritis: Abnormal Cortical Thickness and Structural Covariance Networks in Gout

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yifan Yang ◽  
Yuqi Cheng ◽  
Xiangyu Wang ◽  
Bibhuti Upreti ◽  
Ruomei Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Global Network ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Structural Covariance ◽  
Network Measures ◽  
Disease Damage ◽  
The Difference ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Background: Hyperuricemia is the cause of gout. The antioxidant and neuroprotective effects of uric acid seem to benefit some patients with central nervous system injury. However, changes in the brain structure have not been discovered in patients with gout.Object: Clarify the changes in cortical thickness in patients with gout and the alteration of the structural covariance networks (SCNs) based on cortical thickness.Methods: We collected structural MRIs of 23 male gout patients and 23 age-matched healthy controls. After calculating and comparing the difference in cortical thickness between the two groups, we constructed and analyzed the cortical thickness covariance networks of the two groups, and we investigated for any changes in SCNs of gout patients.Results: Gout patients have thicker cortices in the left postcentral, left supramarginal, right medial temporal, and right medial orbitofrontal regions; and thinner cortices were found in the left insula, left superior frontal, right pericalcarine, and right precentral regions. In SCN analysis, between-group differences in global network measures showed that gout patients have a higher global efficiency. In regional network measures, more nodes in gout patients have increased centrality. In network hub analysis, we found that the transfer of the core hub area, rather than the change in number, may be the characteristic of the gout's cortical thickness covariance network.Conclusion: This is the first study on changes in brain cortical thickness and SCN based on graph theory in patients with gout. The present study found that, compared with healthy controls, gout patients show regional cortical thinning or thickening, and variation in the properties of the cortical thickness covariance network also changed. These alterations may be the combined effect of disease damage and physiological compensation. More research is needed to fully understand the complex underlying mechanisms of gout brain variation.

scholarly journals Exploring rationality in schizophrenia

BJPsych Open ◽  
2015 ◽  
Vol 1 (1) ◽  
pp. 98-103 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rasmus Revsbech ◽  
Erik Lykke Mortensen ◽  
Gareth Owen ◽  
Julie Nordgaard ◽  
Lennart Jansson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Test Performance ◽  
Statistical Tests ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Neuropsychological Test ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Neuropsychological Performance ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
The Difference

BackgroundEmpirical studies of rationality (syllogisms) in patients with schizophrenia have obtained different results. One study found that patients reason more logically if the syllogism is presented through an unusual content.AimsTo explore syllogism-based rationality in schizophrenia.MethodThirty-eight first-admitted patients with schizophrenia and 38 healthy controls solved 29 syllogisms that varied in presentation content (ordinary v. unusual) and validity (valid v. invalid). Statistical tests were made of unadjusted and adjusted group differences in models adjusting for intelligence and neuropsychological test performance.ResultsControls outperformed patients on all syllogism types, but the difference between the two groups was only significant for valid syllogisms presented with unusual content. However, when adjusting for intelligence and neuropsychological test performance, all group differences became non-significant.ConclusionsWhen taking intelligence and neuropsychological performance into account, patients with schizophrenia and controls perform similarly on syllogism tests of rationality.

Cortical morphological changes in chronic migraine in a Taiwanese cohort: Surface- and voxel-based analyses

Cephalalgia ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (6) ◽  
pp. 575-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kuan-Lin Lai ◽  
David M Niddam ◽  
Jong-Ling Fuh ◽  
Wei-Ta Chen ◽  
Jaw-Ching Wu ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Major Depression ◽  
Chronic Migraine ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Medication Overuse ◽  
Medication Overuse Headache ◽  
Group Differences ◽  
Precentral Gyrus ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Voxel Based Morphometry ◽  
Surface Based Morphometry

Background Previous voxel- or surface-based morphometric analysis studies have revealed alterations in cortical structure in patients with chronic migraine, yet with inconsistent results. The discrepancies may be derived partly from the sample heterogeneity. Employing both methods in a clinically homogenous group may provide a clearer view. Methods Structural MRI data from 30 prevention-naïve patients with chronic migraine without medication overuse headache or a history of major depression and 30 healthy controls were analyzed. Vertex-wise (surface-based) or voxel-wise (voxel-based) linear models were applied, after controlling for age and gender, to investigate between-group differences. Averaged cortical thicknesses and volumes from regions showing group differences were correlated with parameters related to clinical profiles. Results Surface-based morphometry showed significantly thinner cortices in the bilateral insular cortex, caudal middle frontal gyrus, precentral gyrus, and parietal lobes in patients with chronic migraine relative to healthy controls. Additionally, the number of migraine days in the month preceding MRI examination was correlated negatively with right insular cortical thickness. Voxel-based morphometry (VBM) did not show any group differences or clinical correlations. Conclusion Patients with chronic migraine without medication overuse headache, major depression, or prior preventive treatment had reduced cortical thickness in regions within the pain-processing network. Compared to voxel-based morphometry, surface-based morphometry analysis may be more sensitive to subtle structural differences between healthy controls and patients with chronic migraine.

scholarly journals Structural and functional thalamocortical connectivity study in female fibromyalgia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Dajung J. Kim ◽  
Manyoel Lim ◽  
June Sic Kim ◽  
Chun Kee Chung
Keyword(s):  
Functional Connectivity ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Pain Perception ◽  
Pain Modulation ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Resting State Functional Connectivity ◽  
Structural Covariance ◽  
Posterior Thalamus ◽  
Left Posterior ◽  
Cortical Regions

AbstractDysfunctional thalamocortical interactions have been suggested as putative mechanisms of ineffective pain modulation and also suggested as possible pathophysiology of fibromyalgia (FM). However, it remains unclear which specific thalamocortical networks are altered and whether it is related to abnormal pain perception in people with FM. Here, we conducted combined vertex-wise subcortical shape, cortical thickness, structural covariance, and resting-state functional connectivity analyses to address these questions. FM group exhibited a regional shape deflation of the left posterior thalamus encompassing the ventral posterior lateral and pulvinar nuclei. The structural covariance analysis showed that the extent of regional deflation of the left posterior thalamus was negatively covaried with the left inferior parietal cortical thickness in the FM group, whereas those two regions were positively covaried in the healthy controls. In functional connectivity analysis with the left posterior thalamus as a seed, FM group had less connectivity with the periaqueductal gray compared with healthy controls, but enhanced connectivity between the posterior thalamus and bilateral inferior parietal regions, associated with a lower electrical pain threshold at the hand dorsum (pain-free point). Overall, our findings showed the structural thalamic alteration interacts with the cortical regions in a functionally maladaptive direction, leading the FM brain more responsive to external stimuli and potentially contributing to pain amplification.

Neuroserpin in Bipolar Disorder

2020 ◽  
Vol 20 (7) ◽  
pp. 518-523
Author(s):  
Rugül Köse Çinar
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Bipolar Disorder ◽  
Polymerase Chain Reaction Method ◽  
Type I ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Disease States ◽  
Cord Injury ◽  
System Functioning

Objective: Neuroserpin is a serine protease inhibitor predominantly expressed in the nervous system functioning mainly in neuronal migration and axonal growth. Neuroprotective effects of neuroserpin were shown in animal models of stroke, brain, and spinal cord injury. Postmortem studies confirmed the involvement of neuroserpin in Alzheimer’s disease. Since altered adult neurogenesis was postulated as an aetiological mechanism for bipolar disorder, the possible effect of neuroserpin gene expression in the disorder was evaluated. Methods: Neuroserpin mRNA expression levels were examined in the peripheral blood of bipolar disorder type I manic and euthymic patients and healthy controls using the polymerase chain reaction method. The sample comprised of 60 physically healthy, middle-aged men as participants who had no substance use disorder. Results: The gene expression levels of neuroserpin were found lower in the bipolar disorder patients than the healthy controls (p=0.000). The neuroserpin levels did not differ between mania and euthymia (both 96% down-regulated compared to the controls). Conclusion: Since we detected differences between the patients and the controls, not the disease states, the dysregulation in the neuroserpin gene could be interpreted as a result of the disease itself.

Formononetin Ameliorates Cognitive Disorder via PGC-1α Pathway in Neuroinflammation Conditions in High-Fat Diet-Induced Mice

2019 ◽  
Vol 18 (7) ◽  
pp. 566-577 ◽  
Author(s):  
Xinxin Fu ◽  
Tingting Qin ◽  
Jiayu Yu ◽  
Jie Jiao ◽  
Zhanqiang Ma ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Alzheimer’S Disease ◽  
Alzheimer's Disease ◽  
High Fat Diet ◽  
Trifolium Pratense ◽  
Amyloid Β ◽  
Cognitive Disorder ◽  
Mechanism Study ◽  
High Fat ◽  
Neuroprotective Effects ◽  
Underlying Mechanisms

Background: Alzheimer’s disease is one of the most common neurodegenerative diseases in many modern societies. The core pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease includes the aggregation of hyperphosphorylated Tau and abnormal Amyloid-β generation. In addition, previous studies have shown that neuroinflammation is one of the pathogenesis of Alzheimer’s disease. Formononetin, an isoflavone compound extracted from Trifolium pratense L., has been found to have various properties including anti-obesity, anti-inflammation, and neuroprotective effects. But there are very few studies on the treatment of Alzheimer’s disease with Formononetin. Objective: The present study focused on the protective activities of Formononetin on a high-fat dietinduced cognitive decline and explored the underlying mechanisms. Methods: Mice were fed with HFD for 10 weeks and intragastric administrated daily with metformin (300 mg/kg) and Formononetin (20 and 40 mg/kg). Results: We found that Formononetin (20, 40 mg/kg) significantly attenuated the learning and memory deficits companied by weight improvement and decreased the levels of blood glucose, total cholesterol and triglyceride in high-fat diet-induced mice. Meanwhile, we observed high-fat diet significantly caused the Tau hyperphosphorylation in the hippocampus of mice, whereas Formononetin reversed this effect. Additionally, Formononetin markedly reduced the levels of inflammation cytokines IL-1β and TNF-α in high-fat diet-induced mice. The mechanism study showed that Formononetin suppressed the pro-inflammatory NF-κB signaling and enhanced the anti-inflammatory Nrf-2/HO-1 signaling, which might be related to the regulation of PGC-1α in the hippocampus of high-fat diet -induced mice. Conclusion: Taken together, our results showed that Formononetin could improve the cognitive function by inhibiting neuroinflammation, which is attributed to the regulation of PGC-1α pathway in HFD-induced mice.

scholarly journals Effects of neuroactive metabolites of the tryptophan pathway on working memory and cortical thickness in schizophrenia

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Junchao Huang ◽  
Jinghui Tong ◽  
Ping Zhang ◽  
Yanfang Zhou ◽  
Yimin Cui ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Working Memory ◽  
Cognitive Impairment ◽  
Cortical Thickness ◽  
Serum Levels ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Tryptophan Pathway ◽  
Liquid Chromatography Tandem Mass ◽  
Therapeutic Development ◽  
Tryptophan Metabolites ◽  
Insight Into

AbstractA number of tryptophan metabolites known to be neuroactive have been examined for their potential associations with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Among these metabolites, kynurenic acid (KYNA), 5-hydroxyindole (5-HI), and quinolinic acid (QUIN) are documented in their diverse effects on α-7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptor (α7nAChR) and/or N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), two of the receptor types thought to contribute to cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. In this study, serum levels of KYNA, 5-HI, and QUIN were measured in 195 patients with schizophrenia and in 70 healthy controls using liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry; cognitive performance in MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery and cortical thickness measured by magnetic resonance imaging were obtained. Patients with schizophrenia had significantly lower serum KYNA (p < 0.001) and QUIN (p = 0.02) levels, and increased 5-HI/KYNA (p < 0.001) and QUIN/KYNA ratios (p < 0.001) compared with healthy controls. Multiple linear regression showed that working memory was positively correlated with serum 5-HI levels (t = 2.10, p = 0.04), but inversely correlated with KYNA concentrations (t = −2.01, p = 0.05) in patients. Patients with high 5-HI and low KYNA had better working memory than other subgroups (p = 0.01). Higher 5-HI levels were associated with thicker left lateral orbitofrontal cortex (t = 3.71, p = 2.94 × 10−4) in patients. The different effects of 5-HI and KYNA on working memory may appear consistent with their opposite receptor level mechanisms. Our findings appear to provide a new insight into the dynamic roles of tryptophan pathway metabolites on cognition, which may benefit novel therapeutic development that targets cognitive impairment in schizophrenia.

scholarly journals Ability of radiofrequency echographic multispectrometry to identify osteoporosis status in elderly women with type 2 diabetes

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carla Caffarelli ◽  
Maria Dea Tomai Pitinca ◽  
Antonella Al Refaie ◽  
Elena Ceccarelli ◽  
Stefano Gonnelli
Keyword(s):  
Type 2 Diabetes ◽  
Lumbar Spine ◽  
Elderly Women ◽  
Fragility Fractures ◽  
Dual Energy ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Diagnosis Of Osteoporosis ◽  
X Ray ◽  
The Difference

Abstract Background Patients with type 2 diabetes (T2DM) have an increased or normal BMD; however fragility fractures represent one of the most important complications of T2DM. Aims This study aimed to evaluate whether the use of the Radiofrequency Echographic multi spectrometry (REMS) technique may improve the identification of osteoporosis in T2DM patients. Methods In a cohort of 90 consecutive postmenopausal elderly (70.5 ± 7.6 years) women with T2DM and in 90 healthy controls we measured BMD at the lumbar spine (LS-BMD), at femoral neck (FN-BMD) and total hip (TH-BMD) using a dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry device; moreover, REMS scans were also carried out at the same axial sites. Results DXA measurements were all higher in T2DM than in non-T2DM women; instead, all REMS measurements were lower in T2DM than in non T2DM women. Moreover, the percentage of T2DM women classified as “osteoporotic”, on the basis of BMD by REMS was markedly higher with respect to those classified by DXA (47.0% vs 28.0%, respectively). On the contrary, the percentage of T2DM women classified as osteopenic or normal by DXA was higher with respect to that by REMS (48.8% and 23.2% vs 38.6% and 14.5%, respectively). T2DM women with fragility fractures presented lower values of both BMD-LS by DXA and BMD-LS by REMS with respect to those without fractures; however, the difference was significant only for BMD-LS by REMS (p < 0.05). Conclusions Our data suggest that REMS technology may represent a useful approach to enhance the diagnosis of osteoporosis in patients with T2DM.

scholarly journals Significant Associations of lncRNA H19 Genotypes with Susceptibility to Childhood Leukemia in Taiwan

2021 ◽  
Vol 14 (3) ◽  
pp. 235
Author(s):  
Jen-Sheng Pei ◽  
Chao-Chun Chen ◽  
Wen-Shin Chang ◽  
Yun-Chi Wang ◽  
Jaw-Chyun Chen ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Confidence Interval ◽  
Childhood Leukemia ◽  
Healthy Controls ◽  
Nucleotide Polymorphisms ◽  
Wild Type ◽  
Single Nucleotide ◽  
Genotypic Distribution ◽  
Heterozygous Variant ◽  
Significant Difference ◽  
The Difference

The purpose of our study was to investigate whether genetic variations in lncRNA H19 were associated with susceptibility to childhood leukemia. Two hundred and sixty-six childhood leukemia patients and 266 healthy controls were enrolled in Taiwan, and two single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), rs2839698 and rs217727, in H19 were genotyped and analyzed. There was a significant difference in the genotypic distribution of rs2839698 between patients and healthy controls (p = 0.0277). Compared to the wild-type CC genotype, the heterozygous variant CT and homozygous variant TT genotypes were associated with significantly increased risks of childhood leukemia with an adjusted odd ratio (OR) of 1.46 (95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08–2.14, p = 0.0429) and 1.94 (95%CI, 1.15–3.31, p = 0.0169), respectively (pfor tread = 0.0277). The difference in allelic frequencies between childhood leukemia patients and controls was also significant (T versus C, adjusted OR = 1.53, 95%CI, 1.13–1.79, p = 0.0077). There were no significant differences in the genotypic and allelic distributions of rs217727 between cases and controls. Interestingly, the average level of H19 rs2839698 was statistically significantly higher for patients with CT and TT genotypes than from those with the CC genotype (p < 0.0001). Our results indicate that H19 SNP rs2839698, but not rs217727, may serve as a novel susceptibility marker for childhood leukemia.

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