scholarly journals Lower GDNF Serum Level Is a Possible Risk Factor for Constipation in Patients With Parkinson Disease: A Case–Control Study

2022 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gang Chen ◽  
Yinzhen Du ◽  
Xue Li ◽  
Piniel Alphayo Kambey ◽  
Li Wang ◽  
...  

Background: Constipation is a significant symptom of Parkinson's disease (PD). Glial-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF) is important for the morphogenesis of the enteric nervous system and plays a critical role in the preservation of mucosal integrity under enteric glia surveillance. The aim of this work was to evaluate the serum levels of GDNF in patients with PD with and without constipation.Methods: This work included 128 patients with PD. The patients were classified into three groups: those with PD but no constipation (nCons-PD) (n = 49), those with prodromal stage constipation (Cons-Pro-PD) (n = 48), and those with clinical stage constipation (Cons-Clinic-PD) (n = 31). The association between serum GDNF concentration and constipation was explored using logical regression.Results: The nCons-PD group's mean GDNF levels were 528.44 pg/ml, which was higher than the Cons-Pro-PD group's 360.72 pg/ml and the Cons-Clinic-PD group's 331.36 pg/ml. The results of binary logistic regression indicated that GDNF was a protective factor in the prevention of constipation. Cons-Clinic-PD group had a higher score of MDS-UPDRS-II, MDS-UPDRS-III, MDS-UPDRS-IV, and a higher H-Y staging as compared with nCons-PD group. Relative to the nCons-PD group, Cons-Clinic-PD had higher NMSS scores, lower MoCA and PDSS scores, and were more likely to have RBD.Conclusions: GDNF serum levels are lower in patients with PD who are constipated. A low GDNF level is a potential risk factor for constipation in patients with PD.

2013 ◽  
Vol 142 (4) ◽  
pp. 820-825 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. BASSAL ◽  
A. REISFELD ◽  
I. NISSAN ◽  
V. AGMON ◽  
D. TARAN ◽  
...  

SUMMARYThis matched case-control study investigated the risk factors for sporadicSalmonellaInfantis infection in 263 affected children and 263 age-, gender- and neighbourhood-matched controls. Information about exposure to potential risk factors was obtained via telephone interview and evaluated by conditional logistic regression analysis. Age groups ⩽1 year (n = 77) and >1 year (n = 186) were analysed separately. Of those aged ⩽1 year, breastfeeding was a significant protective factor against infection [matched odds ratio (mOR) 0·24, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0·10–0·59,P < 0·01]. In the older group, consumption of eggs (mOR 1·87, 95% CI 1·00–3·49,P = 0·05) was a significant risk factor and thawing chicken in water (mOR 2·55, 95% CI 0·94–6·91,P = 0·07) was borderline risk factor, while consumption of carrots (mOR 0·46, 95% CI 0·26–0·83,P < 0·01), drinking tap water (mOR 0·44, 95% CI 0·22–0·85,P = 0·02), religious lifestyle (mOR 0·40, 95% CI 0·21–0·74,P < 0·01) and having a high number of children in the household (mOR 0·72, 95% CI 0·58–0·88,P < 0·01) were significant protective factors. Consumers should avoid eating undercooked eggs and food handlers should be educated regarding proper handling and cooking of eggs. Breastfeeding should be strongly encouraged by public health authorities. The public must be educated on stringent hygiene practices, especially proper cooking of eggs to reduce infection rates.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Na Zhu ◽  
Xiaolan Wang ◽  
Jia Tan ◽  
Shuaishuai Xu ◽  
Yanhong Peng ◽  
...  

Abstract Microcystins(MCs) have been reported to be closely related to the occurrence and development of inflammation by animal and cell experiments, but there are no study on the relationship between serum microcystin-LR(MC-LR) and chronic pelvic inflammatory disease (CPID) risk in populations. We designed a clinical case-control study to investigate the relationship between serum MC-LR and CPID risk. From October 2020 to March 2021, 50 patients diagnosed with CPID and 50 controls (frequency matched by age) were recruited from the First Hospital University of South China, in Hengyang, Central China. The basic information on lifestyle and history of disease was acquired through questionnaires. Blood samples were analyzed for MC-LR by ELISA. Binary logistic regression analyses and chi-square test were used to evaluate the effects of MC-LR on CPID risk. With the increase of serum MC-LR level (Q2, Q3 and Q4), the AOR of CPID risk increased (0.139, 0.167 and 0.040, respectively). The serum MC-LR(0.06 ~ 0.66µg/L) was an independent protective factor for CPID in humans, and the protective effect of concentrations ≥ 0.25μg/L was more obvious. Within the certain concentration range, MC-LR was an independent protective factor for the risk of CPID in humans, which will provide a scientific basis for the study of the relationship between serum microcystins and inflammation.


2021 ◽  
Vol 30 (2) ◽  
pp. 125-132
Author(s):  
Shaimaa A. Sharaf-El-Deen ◽  
Fatma H. Shalan ◽  
Mohammed A. Agha ◽  
Reham M. Brakat

Background: COVID-19 is a worldwide pandemic that stroke almost all countries of the world causing thousands of deaths and disabilities and burdened the economy of countries. One of the main criteria of the immune response against COVID-19 is the “immune exhaustion”, due to increased expression of T cell suppressor molecules e.g. programmed death-1 (PD-1), that leads to flaring of viral multiplication and disastrous clinical outcomes. This immune exhaustion is not restricted to COVID-19 but is also a common complication of chronic infections with the widely spreading protozoan, Toxoplasma (T.) gondii. Thus, theoretically, the toxoplasmosis-associated immune exhaustion can worsen that of COVID-19 and consequently increases its severity. However, the studies on this theory are still insufficient. Objective: this work was designed to answer two questions. Does T. gondii co-infection affect the severity of COVID-19 manifestations? Is this action related to T. gondii-induced PD-1 changes? Methodology: Covid-19+ patients with moderate and severe conditions were screened for T. gondii IgG and compared to healthy controls. Serum levels of IL-1β, IL-6, TNFα, IFNγ, IL-1α cytokines were assessed to evaluate COVID-19 severity and prognosis. Lymphocytic expression of PD-1 was assessed by flowcytometry. Results: We recorded a higher incidence of toxoplasmosis among COVID-19 patients especially patients with severe/critical manifestations. T. gondii positive cases exhibited a statistically significant increase in lymphocytic expression of PD-1 that correlated positively with the proinflammatory and bad prognosis cytokines. With fixation of other risk factors for severity, toxoplasmosis still scored a significant value. Conclusion: toxoplasmosis increased the severity of COVID-19. These effects can be related to the Toxoplasmaassociated increased lymphocytic PD-1 expression. So, toxoplasmosis can be considered as an unrecognized independent risk factor for COVID-19 severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 44
Author(s):  
Ni Kadek Muliawati ◽  
I Gusti Ayu Trisna Windiani ◽  
Anak Agung Sagung Sawitri ◽  
Luh Seri Ani

Background and purpose: Neonatal jaundice is both a physiological and pathological condition. Neonatal physiological jaundice occurs within 3-5 days after the baby is born. Publications about colostrum and neonatal jaundice are still limited. This study aims to determine the risk of the onset of colostrum discharge of more than 6 hours to physiological jaundice in neonates.Methods: A case control study was conducted at the Sanglah General Hospital in Denpasar from August to December 2017. The number of cases was 55 neonates with physiological jaundice and the number of controls was 55 neonates without physiological jaundice. Cases and controls were selected by consecutive sampling. The occurrence of physiological jaundice was obtained by direct observation and the degree of jaundice was determined based on the division of Kramer's body zone. Neonates with the Kramer grades I and II at the age of 3-5 days were classified as experiencing physiological jaundice (as cases) and neonates with a Kramer grade of 0 at the age of 3-5 days were classified as not jaundice (as controls). Cases were matched with controls by sex and age of the neonates. Data on maternal socio-demographic characteristics, onset of colostrum discharge, early breastfeeding initiation and 24-hour breastfeeding frequency were obtained by interview; data on jaundice was obtained by observation while mode of delivery, parity, history of pre-eclampsia, prematurity, neonatal birth weight, history of birth trauma (cephalic hematoma), history of asphyxia and major congenital abnormalities were obtained from medical records. Multivariate analysis with binary logistic regression was carried out to determine the adjusted odds ratio (AOR) of the onset of colostrum discharge.Results: The characteristics of cases and controls were found to be similar in terms of maternal education, neonatal age and sex, parity and pre-eclampsia history. Significant outset of colostrum >6 hours was found to be associated with physiological jaundice with AOR=2.57 (95%CI: 1.04-6.37). In this study, variables that were not found to be the risk factors of physiological jaundice in neonates were: cesarean delivery (AOR=0.36; 95%CI: 0.09-1.41; p=0.14), breastfeeding frequency within 24 hours (AOR=2.20; 95%CI: 0.47-10.23; p=0.31) and early breastfeeding initiation (AOR=0.71; 95%CI: 0.19-2.59; p=0.60)Conclusion: Onset of colostrum discharge >6 hours is a risk factor for neonatal jaundice. Efforts should be made to accelerate the release of colostrum in order to prevent neonatal jaundice.


Blood ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 116 (15) ◽  
pp. 2724-2731 ◽  
Author(s):  
Leila R. Martins ◽  
Paulo Lúcio ◽  
Milene C. Silva ◽  
Kenna L. Anderes ◽  
Paula Gameiro ◽  
...  

Abstract Expression of protein kinase CK2 is frequently deregulated in cancer and mounting evidence implicates CK2 in tumorigenesis. Here, we show that CK2 is overexpressed and hyperactivated in chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Inhibition of CK2 induces apoptosis of CLL cells without significantly affecting normal B and T lymphocytes. Importantly, this effect is not reversed by coculture with OP9 stromal cells, which are otherwise capable of rescuing CLL cells from in vitro spontaneous apoptosis. CLL cell death upon CK2 inhibition is mediated by inactivation of PKC, a PI3K downstream target, and correlates with increased PTEN activity, indicating that CK2 promotes CLL cell survival at least in part via PI3K-dependent signaling. Although CK2 antagonists induce significant apoptosis of CLL cells in all patient samples analyzed, sensitivity to CK2 blockade positively correlates with the percentage of CLL cells in the peripheral blood, β2 microglobulin serum levels and clinical stage. These data suggest that subsets of patients with aggressive and advanced stage disease may especially benefit from therapeutic strategies targeting CK2 function. Overall, our study indicates that CK2 plays a critical role in CLL cell survival, laying the groundwork for the inclusion of CK2 inhibitors into future therapeutic strategies.


2016 ◽  
Vol 134 (3) ◽  
pp. 205-210 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhong Wang ◽  
Shaoze Chen ◽  
Lina Zhang ◽  
Guilin Lu ◽  
Chengming Zhou ◽  
...  

CONTEXT AND OBJECTIVE: Dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase enzymes (DDAH), which are encoded by the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2, play a fundamental role in maintaining endothelial function. We conducted a case-control study on a Chinese population that included three ethnic groups (Han, Kazakh and Uygur), to systemically investigate associations between variations in the genes DDAH1 and DDAH2 and hypertension. DESIGN AND SETTING: Experimental study at the Department of Internal Medicine and Genetic Diagnosis, Tongji Hospital, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology. METHODS: This case-control study included 1,224 patients with hypertension and 967 healthy unrelated individuals as controls. DDAH1 -396 4N (GCGT) del>ins, rs3087894, rs805304 and rs9267551 were genotyped using the TaqMan 5' nuclease assay. RESULTS: The G/C genotype of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group in the co-dominant model (G/C versus G/G) (OR 1.39; 95% CI: 1.02-1.88; P < 0.05), with the same result in the dominant model (G/C + C/C versus G/G) (OR 1.38; 95% CI: 1.03-1.84; P < 0.05). In contrast, the C/C genotype of rs3087894 seemed to be a protective factor against hypertension in the Uygur group in the recessive model (C/C versus G/G + G/C) (OR 0.62; 95% CI: 0.39- 0.97; P < 0.05). Similar findings for rs3087894 were also observed after adjusting the variable for the age covariate. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated that the C-allele of rs3087894 in DDAH1 was a risk factor for hypertension in the Kazakh group but a protective factor in the Uygur group.


Blood ◽  
2008 ◽  
Vol 112 (11) ◽  
pp. 5350-5350
Author(s):  
Bregje van Zaane ◽  
Alessandro Squizzato ◽  
Roeland Huijgen ◽  
Anton P van Zanten ◽  
Eric Fliers ◽  
...  

Abstract &lt;&gt;BACKGROUND: It has been hypothesized that overt hyperthyroidism may increase venous thromboembolic risk given substantiated evidence of a thyroid-induced hemostatic imbalance favoring a hypercoagulable state. Aim of this study was to investigate whether or not overt hyperthyroidism functions as a risk factor for venous thrombosis. &lt;&gt;METHODS: We performed laboratory measurement of thyroid function in 190 patients with objectively confirmed venous thrombosis of the lower extremities and 375 sex-matched controls drawn from a prospective study on general risk factors for venous thrombosis. &lt;&gt;FINDINGS: Of the 190 included cases, 155 patients were diagnosed with deep venous thrombosis (DVT), 12 patients with calfvein thrombosis and 23 with superficial thrombophlebitis. Undetected overt primary hyperthyroidism was found present in 3 DVT patients at the time of the event, whereas none was seen in controls (p=0.037, all thrombosis patients combined; p=0.024, DVT patients only). We found slightly higher levels of serum free thyroxine (fT4) in patients with venous thrombosis as compared to controls, and analysis of the proportion of cases with a higher fT4, above 16 pmol/L (75th percentile of values in controls), yielded an odds ratio of 1.7 for DVT to develop (95% CI 1.12–2.45 when adjusted for sex, age and known thyroid dysfunction). No such association was found for serum levels of thyrotropin or thyroidperoxidase antibodies. &lt;&gt;INTERPRETATION: Our data suggest overt hyperthyroidism to function as a risk factor for venous thrombosis. In addition, higher levels of fT4, even within the normal range, are associated with increased VTE risk.


2019 ◽  
Vol 08 (04) ◽  
pp. 212-214 ◽  
Author(s):  
Navneet Kaur ◽  
Srikant K Swain ◽  
Basudev D Banerjee ◽  
Tusha Sharma ◽  
Thammineni Krishnalata

Abstract Background: Incidence rates of breast cancer are showing an increasing trend in young women (≤40 years) in India. Risk for breast cancer in this age group can be attributed only partially to various known risk factors. Environmental exposure to organochlorine (OC) compounds has been identified as a potential risk factor. However, the possible role of OC compounds in increasing breast cancer risk in young women has not been explored. This case–control study was planned with the objectives to assess the serum levels of OC compound in a North Indian population of young women. Materials and Methods: Forty-two patients of breast cancer ≤ 40 years age and 42 age-matched controls were evaluated for exposure to OC compounds by performing assays in blood samples for pesticides such as dichlorodiphenyltrichloroethane (DDT) and its metabolites DDD and DDE; dieldrin; aldrin; methoxychlor, heptachlor; α-endosulfan; β-endosulfan; and hexachlorocyclohexane and its isomers (α, β, and γ). Results: Young women with breast cancer were found to have significantly higher serum levels of all the OC compounds except aldrin, p, p’ DDT, and methoxychlor. Conclusions: Exposure to OC pesticides could be an important modifiable risk factor for breast cancer, especially in younger women.


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