scholarly journals Vitamin E Level In Friedreich’s Ataxic Phenotype Patients In Four Major Hospitals In Baghdad

2019 ◽  
Vol 13 (1) ◽  
pp. 132-136
Author(s):  
Ahmed Hasan Ahmed

Background: Friedreich ataxia (FRDA) is the most common form of inherited ataxia, comprising one-half of all hereditary ataxias with a carrier rate between 1 in 60 to 1 in 90 and with a disease prevalence of 1 per 29,000. It can occur in two forms the classic form or in association with a vitamin E dependent ataxia. The precise role of Vitamin E in the nervous system is unknown; An Oxidative attack is suspected to play a role in Ataxia with Vitamin E deficiency, as well as in Friedreich ataxia. Vitamin E is the major free-radical-trapping antioxidant. Objective: Theobjectives of the study is to asses vitamin E level in patients with Friedreichs ataxia phenotype in Iraqi patients. Type of the study:Cross-sectional study. Method: This study was conducted at the neuroscience hospital and Baghdad teaching hospital during the period from the 1st of November 2013 through November 2014. Forty patients with friedreich's ataxia attended in neuroscience hospital and Baghdad teaching hospital during this period; there was12 male, 20 female patients and their age range between (4-50) years. Results: Regarding the level of vitamin E in patients in the present study, The study revealed that mean level of vitamin E for Friedreich ataxia patients was (10.92 μg/ml) ranging from (8-18 μg/ml),while in the control group the mean was (28.06μg/ml) ranging from (22-36μg/ml), the difference in mean level was found to be statistically significant (p=0.0001.) Thirty percents of (FRDA) patients was (8-9.9μg/ml), while half of patients (50%) were within (10-11.9 μg/ml),and low percentage (15 %)of patients were within (12-13.9 μg/ml ). The rest (5%) were had vitamin E level equal or more than 14 μg/ml. these finding revealed that majority of Friedreich ataxia patients were found with low level of vitamin E (32 patients(80%)), and low percentage with normal level (8 patients(20%.)) Patients with Friedreich ataxia were found to have a comparable level 10.47±1.79(8.4-13.5),11.48±2.61(9.4-18) and 10.66±1.26(9-12.5) for those with less than 10 years, 10-19 years , equal or more than 20 years of age respectively (p=0.382), while it was found to have a significantly decreasing level with advance in the age for the control group, 30.57±4.61(24.5-36), 27.46±3.16(23.7-33.5), 25.50±3.03 (22.9-29) for those less than 10 years, 10-19 years, 20 years or more respectively (p=0.006.) Vitamin E level in relation to Gender showed that Friedriech ataxia male patients had significantly higher vitamin E level compared to females [12.05±2.66 (9.0-18.0) compared to 10.17±1.07 (8.4-12.0)] (p=0.003), while relation to gender in the control group was not of significant value statistically [27.08±2.90 (22.9-30.0) for male compared to 29.04±4.97 (23.7-36) for females] , p=0.136. Conclusion: In the light of the results of the present study, the following conclusions were made:  The level of vitamin E in friedreichs ataxic phenotype patients was subnormal than normal range representing 80% of the sample selected for the test.  The level of vitamin E in male patients of freidriechs ataxic phenotype patients was higher than female patients.  

2011 ◽  
Vol 18 (2) ◽  
pp. 164-173 ◽  
Author(s):  
Menno M Schoonheim ◽  
Hanneke E Hulst ◽  
Doriana Landi ◽  
Olga Ciccarelli ◽  
Stefan D Roosendaal ◽  
...  

Background: Gender effects are strong in multiple sclerosis (MS), with male patients showing a worse clinical outcome than female patients. Functional reorganization of neural activity may contribute to limit disability, and possible gender differences in this process may have important clinical implications. Objectives: The aim of this study was to explore gender-related changes in functional connectivity and network efficiency in MS patients. Additionally, we explored the association of functional changes with cognitive function. Methods: Sixty subjects were included in the study, matched for age, education level and intelligence quotient (IQ). Male and female patients were matched for disability, disease duration and white matter lesion load. Two cognitive domains often impaired in MS, i.e. visuospatial memory and information processing speed, were evaluated in all subjects. Functional connectivity between brain regions and network efficiency was explored using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging and graph analysis. Differences in cognitive and functional characteristics between groups, and correlations with cognitive performance, were examined. Results: Male patients showed worse performance on cognitive tests than female and male controls, while female patients were cognitively normal. Decreases in functional connectivity and network efficiency, observed in male patients, correlated with reduced visuospatial memory ( r = −0.6 and r = −0.5, respectively). In the control group, no cognitive differences were found between genders, despite differences in functional connectivity between healthy men and women. Conclusions: Functional connectivity differences were found in male patients only and were related to impaired visuospatial memory. These results underline the importance of gender in MS and require further investigation in larger and longitudinal studies.


2015 ◽  
Vol 166 (2) ◽  
pp. 307-329
Author(s):  
María Basterrechea

The present study set out to determine how learners’ written production would affect their noticing and production of a specific language form (the English 3rd person singular present tense marker -s) upon receiving relevant input subsequently, in an attempt to contribute to the ongoing debate about how production affects noticing of linguistic forms. One hundred and eighteen (118) English-as-a-Foreign-Language (EFL) learners (age range 15–6) in two educational contexts (Content and Language Integrated Learning and mainstream EFL) carried out a multi-stage dictogloss task. They followed the usual steps in this type of task (listen and jot down key words, text reconstruction). Then the experimental group (EG) listened to the text once again and compared it with their reconstructed version of the original passage. Their production of the target feature was compared to that of a control group (CG) who did not receive input after their own reconstruction. Results showed that the difference between the EG and the CG in the amount of instances of the target feature produced in the dictogloss task did not reach statistical significance. In other words, the act of producing and subsequent exposure to relevant input did not affect the noticing and production of the morpheme under study. In addition, no interaction between the pushed output condition and the educational context was found.


Folia Medica ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 62 (3) ◽  
pp. 515-518
Author(s):  
Tahir Dalkiran ◽  
Mehmed Mustafa Özaslan ◽  
Can Acipayam ◽  
Yaşar Kandur ◽  
Velid Unsal

Introduction: A smokeless tobacco known as Maras powder (MP) is commonly consumed in the southern region of Turkey. To the extent of our knowledge, no previous study in literature has reported acute MP intoxication in children. Aim: Our aim was to determine the clinical effects and treatment strategies of MP poisoning in children.Materials and methods: We retrospectively reviewed the medical records of children <18 years of age with MP intoxication who were followed up in the Intensive Care Unit between January 2016 and April 2018 in our center. Results: Forty-one patients (M/F= 25/16) were included in this study. The mean age was 13.2&plusmn;22.4 months (age range: 7 to 30 months). The patients presented with vomiting (n=23, 56%), cough (n=17, 41.5%), loss of consciousness (n=11, 26.8%), respiratory distress (n=6, 14.6%), convulsion (n=7, 17%), cyanosis (n=1, 2.4%), and abdominal pain (n=1, 2.4%) following oral ingestion of the substance. On their physical examination all patients with convulsion were in a comatose state. Thirty-two patients (78%) had tachycardia; 15 patients (36.5%) had pharyngeal hyperemia; and three (7.3%) had hiccups. Although the female patients had a lesser rate of symptoms than male patients, the difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: Our aim was to inform the doctors about the clinical picture that develops after taking this substance and contribute to the understanding of the treatment approach.


2020 ◽  
pp. 499-507
Author(s):  
Shaymaa H. Aldabagh ◽  
Makarim Q. Al-Lami ◽  
Abdilkarim Y. Al-Samarriae

The present study aims to evaluate levels of calcium regulating hormones and some biochemical parameters in a sample of growth hormone (GH) deficient patients. Seventy five GH deficient patients and twenty healthy subjects used as a control group have been involved in this study during their attendance at the National Diabetic Centerfor Treatment and Research /Al-Mustansiriya University. The studied subjects were in an age range of 3-15 years. Blood samples were collected from the studied subjects to determine levels of basal GH,GH2. and GH3 after 60 mins. and 90mins. of provocation with clonidine. The study also included the measurement of the levels of insulin like growth factor (IGF-1); calcium regulating hormones [parathyroid hormone (PTH) and vitamin D],and some biochemical parameters [calcium (Ca), phosphorus (P), urea, and creatinine].Distribution of the studied groups according to gender revealed that most of the GH deficientpatients (60 %) were males while 40 % were females,with the difference being statistically significant (P<0.05), while the control included two equal subgroups (50 % males and 50 % females). Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups Distribution of the studied groups according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed according to BMI values showed that the percentage of underweight was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the patients (48%) compared to the control (10%), while the percentage of normal weight was significantly (P<0.01) higher in the control (85%) as compared to the patients (40%).The results showed highly significant decreases (P<0.01) in the levels of basal GH, GH2 and GH3 in the patients as compared to the control group. Also, IGF-1 levels showed a high significant (P<0.01) decrease in the patients as compared to the control group.The findings of calcium regulating hormones revealed non-significant differences in the levels of PTH and vitamin D between the patients and the control group. Also, the results of the biochemical parameters (Ca, P, urea, and creatinine) showed non-significant differences in their values between the patients and the control group.It can be concluded from the present study that GH deficiency (GHD) seems to be dominating in the males under weighted patients. The diagnosis of GHD cannot be achieved at the basal GH level.IGF-1 is a reliable marker of GH functions. Finally, levels of calcium regulating hormones are not affected by GHD.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (35) ◽  
pp. 65-72
Author(s):  
Noor AL-Huda Salah AL-ZUHAIRY ◽  
Zainab Abdul Jabbar Ridha AL-ALI

Beta-thalassemia is a heterogeneous group of hereditary blood disorders characterized by defects in the synthesis of the β- chains of hemoglobin, resulting in variable phenotypes ranging from severe anemia to clinically asymptomatic individuals. This study aims to assess the serum PTH, vitamin D, calcium, phosphorus, alkaline phosphatase, and magnesium levels in β-thalassemia major patients. A total of 50 (30 male and 20 female) patients with β- thalassemia major with ages range 11- 16 years and an equal number of sex-matched healthy adolescents as a control group were included in this study. A total of 52% of patients were lived in an urban area, and there was no significant difference between patients and the control group regarding residency. Male patients showed low statistically significant (P 0.05) mean serum PTH, vitamin D, and calcium levels, but mean serum phosphorus and alkaline phosphatase levels were significantly higher (P 0.05) as compared to the male control group. However, female patients had low, but without statistical significant (P>0.05) mean serum PTH level, whereas vitamin D and calcium levels were highly significant (P 0.05) reduced. The phosphorus and ALP levels were highly significantly (P 0.05) increased as compared to female controls. Regarding β- thalassemia major group, the current study showed male patients had non-significant (P 0.05) higher levels of PTH, calcium, phosphorus, and ALP. In contrast, vitamin D level was non-significantly (P 0.05) low in male patients as compared to female patients. Mean serum level of PTH had a negative correlation with phosphorus, but it had a positive association with vitamin D, calcium, ALP, and magnesium. In conclusion, this study demonstrated that β-thalassemia major patients have a markedly deranged biochemical metabolic bone profile. Regular monitoring of PTH and biochemical mineral profile is also recommended.


2018 ◽  
Vol 25 (2) ◽  
pp. 258-264
Author(s):  
Hongliang Zou ◽  
Jian Yang

Objective: In this study, we investigate the brain lateralization in ADHD patients. Furthermore, we also explore the difference between male and female patients, and the difference among distinct ADHD subtypes, that is, ADHD–inattentive (ADHD-IA) and ADHD–combined (ADHD-C). Method: We employed the standard deviation to quantify the variability of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) signal and measure the lateralization index (LI). Results: ADHD patients showed significantly increased rightward lateralization in the inferior frontal gyrus (opercular), precuneus, and paracentral lobule, and decreased rightward lateralization in the insula. Compared with male patients, female patients showed significantly rightward lateralization in the putamen and lobule VII of cerebellar hemisphere. ADHD-C patients exhibited increased rightward lateralization in the inferior frontal gyrus (opercular), and decreased rightward lateralization in the inferior temporal gyrus, as compared with ADHD-IA. The LI was also found to be related to inattentive and hyper/impulsive scores. Conclusion: These key findings may aid in understanding the pathology of ADHD.


Medicina ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 56 (1) ◽  
pp. 20
Author(s):  
Ramazan Asoğlu ◽  
Mahmut Özdemir ◽  
Nesim Aladağ ◽  
Emin Asoğlu

Background and Objectives: Epilepsy patients have a higher risk of sudden unexplained death compared to the rest of the population. Cardiac repolarization abnormalities might be seen in epilepsy during interictal periods. We aimed to evaluate the changes in electrocardiography (ECG) parameters in generalized tonic-clonic seizure patients treated with carbamazepine or valproic acid (VPA) drug. Materials and Methods: A totally of 129 subjects (66 epilepsy patients, 63 healthy subjects) were enrolled in the study. Of the patients, 36 were on carbamazepine and 30 were on VPA. There were 12-lead ECGs obtained from all participants. RR interval (time between consecutive R peaks), QT interval (defines the period of ventricular repolarization), corrected QT (QT interval corrected for heart rate; QTc), QTc-maximum (QTc-max), QTc-minimum (QTc-min), QTc dispersion (QTcd), P (atrial depolarization )-maximum (P-max), P-minimum (P-min) and P dispersion (Pd) were measured. Results: QTd (QT dispersion), QTcd, and Pd values were significantly higher in the patients compared to the controls (p < 0.01). QTcd, Pd, and P-max values were statistically higher in male patients compared to healthy male controls. QTcd values were significantly higher in female patients using carbamazepine compared to the female patients on VPA and healthy controls (p = 0.01). Male patients using VPA had significantly higher QTcd values against the male population in carbamazepine and control groups. Conclusions: This study demonstrated that QTd, QTcd, and Pd values were significantly higher in epilepsy patients than in healthy controls. In addition, female patients using carbamazepine and male patients using VPA were prone to ventricular arrhythmia compared to the control group.


2016 ◽  
Vol 2016 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Kupec ◽  
Ulrich Pecks ◽  
Charlotte M. Gräf ◽  
Elmar Stickeler ◽  
Ivo Meinhold-Heerlein ◽  
...  

Purpose.The objective was to evaluate the usefulness of transperineal ultrasound in the assessment of the urethral length and urethral lumen by 3D/4D transperineal sonography to discriminate between female patients with subtypes of urinary incontinence.Methods.A total of 150 female patients underwent an examination because of urinary incontinence. 41 patients were diagnosed with urgency urinary incontinence (OAB), 67 patients were diagnosed with stress urinary incontinence (SUI), and 42 patients were in the control group (CTRL). Three diameters of the urethral lumen (proximal (U1), medial (U2), and distal (U3)) and the urethral length were measured. By the assessment of the urethral lumen, the presence of the urethral funneling was evaluated.Results.We found a significant difference in the urethral length and urethral lumen U2 of OAB and SUI versus CTRL. The urethral length was significantly greater (P<0.05) and the urethral lumen was significantly wider (P<0.05) in the patients with urinary incontinence. The incidence of the urethral funneling was significantly higher (P<0.05) in the study groups with urinary incontinence than in the control group.Conclusions.Our results have shown the urethral changes obtained by ultrasound in patients with urinary incontinence, but they are still insufficient to distinguish between subtypes of urinary incontinence.


2003 ◽  
Vol 182 (1) ◽  
pp. 50-56 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Macdonald ◽  
J. Halliday ◽  
T. MacEwan ◽  
V. Sharkey ◽  
S. Farrington ◽  
...  

BackgroundThat sexual dysfunction occurs in schizophrenia is not in doubt. Previous studies have had weaknesses such as the use of selected populations or the absence of a control group.AimsTo measure rates of sexual dysfunction in people with schizophrenia compared with the general population.MethodSexual dysfunction was assessed by a self-completed gender-specific questionnaire. Ninety-eight (73%) of 135 persons with schizophrenia and 81 (71%) of 114 persons recruited as controls returned the questionnaire.ResultsAt least one sexual dysfunction was reported by 82% of men and 96% of women with schizophrenia. Male patients reported less desire for sex, were less likely to achieve and maintain an erection, were more likely to ejaculate more quickly and were less satisfied with the intensity of their orgasms. Female patients reported less enjoyment than the control group. Sexual dysfunction in female patients was associated with negative schizophrenic symptoms and general psychopathology. There was no association between sexual dysfunction and type of antipsychotic medication.ConclusionsPeople with schizophrenia report much higher rates of sexual dysfunction than do the general population. Men and women with schizophrenia have a different pattern of sexual dysfunction.


2019 ◽  
Vol 26 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Rahmad Krismantoro ◽  
Fikri Rizaldi ◽  
Doddy M Soebadi

Objective: To determine the difference in spermatogonium cells, leydig cells and sertoli cells count in white rats testicle (wistar strains) obtained with the combination of cisplatin and vitamin E compared with that only received cisplatin. Material & Methods: There were 4 random groups out of a total of twenty four winstar strain rats (n=6). The control group (I) injected normal saline 0.9% intraperitoneally (i.p.) as the placebo on the 3rd week. Group (II) given cisplatin (5 mg/kgbw) injection i.p. on 3rd week, Group (III) given cisplatin injection 5 mg/kgbw i.p. on 3rd week + vitamin E 50 mg/kgbw by gavage for 7 weeks and group (IV) cisplatin injection 5mg/kgbw i.p. on 3rd week + vitamin E 200 mg/kgbw by gavage for 7 weeks. Vitamin E was given 3 weeks before up to 4 weeks after cisplatin injection (total 7 weeks). Observations by calculating the average number of spermatogonia, sertoli and leydig cells on a cross-sectional section of the seminiferous tubule with Haematoxylin-Eosin staining using a 400x light magnification microscope. Results: Cisplatin decreases spermatogonia, sertoli, and leydig cells significantly against control. Vitamin E 200 mg/kgbw significantly increased the number of spermatogonium, sertoli, and leydig cells (p<0.05) compared to group in combination with vitamin E 50 mg/kg bw and cisplatin or cisplatin only group. Only leydig cells count was significantly increased in the combination group of vitamin E 50 mg/kgbw  and cisplatin compared to the cisplatin group. Conclusion: Vitamin E 200 mg/kgbw provides a protective effect against decreased spermatogonia, sertoli and leydig cells due to cisplatin 5 mg/kgbw exposure which its protectivity depends on the given dose.


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