Hypothalamic actions and interactions of alcohol and IGF-1 on the expression of glial receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase-β during female pubertal development

Background: Hypothalamic glial–neuronal communications are important for the activation of luteinizing hormone releasing hormone (LHRH) secretion at the time of puberty. As we have shown that alcohol (ALC) diminishes prepubertal LHRH secretion and delays puberty, we first assessed the effects of short‐term ALC administration on the basal expression of a specific gene family involved in glial–neuronal communications. Second, as insulin‐like growth factor‐1 (IGF‐1) is a critical regulator of LHRH secretion and the pubertal process, we then assessed whether IGF‐1 could induce the expression of these signaling genes and determine whether ALC can block this affect. Methods: Immature female rats were fed a liquid diet containing ALC for 6 days beginning when 27 days old. Control animals received either the companion isocaloric liquid diet or rat chow and water. Animals were decapitated on day 33, in the late juvenile stage of development. Medial basal hypothalamic (MBH) tissues were obtained for gene and protein analyses of glial receptor protein tyrosine phosphatase‐β (RPTPβ) and the 2 neuronal components, contactin and contactin‐associated protein 1 (Caspr1). In the second experiment, IGF‐1 was administered into the third ventricle (3V) and the MBH removed 6 hours after peptide delivery, and the above‐mentioned 3 genes were analyzed by real‐time PCR. To determine whether this action was affected by ALC, immature female rats were administered either ALC (3 g/kg) or water via gastric gavage at 0900 hours. At 1030 hours, the ALC and control groups were subdivided such that half of the animals were injected into the 3V with IGF‐1 and the other half with an equal volume of saline. Rats were killed 6 hours after the IGF‐1 injection and MBHs collected. Results: Real‐time PCR showed that when compared with control animals, ALC caused a marked decrease (p < 0.001) in the basal expression of the RPTPβ gene, but did not affect the expression of either contactin or Caspr1. Likewise, analysis by Western blotting demonstrated that ALC caused suppressed (p < 0.001) levels of the RPTPβ protein, with the expressions of both contactin and Caspr1 proteins being unaltered. In the second experiment, results showed that only the RPTPβ gene was stimulated (p < 0.05) by IGF‐1 in the MBH 6 hours after peptide delivery. Assessments revealed that the IGF‐1 induced increase (p < 0.01) in the expression of the RPTPβ gene was blocked by the presence of ALC. Conclusions: Prepubertal ALC exposure is capable of interfering with hypothalamic glial–neuronal communications by suppressing the synthesis of the glial product, RPTPβ, which is required for binding to the contactin–Caspr1 complex on LHRH neuronal terminals, thus suggesting that this action of ALC contributes to its detrimental effects on the pubertal process.     

Sensation seeking: a personality trait characteristic of adolescent girls and young women with eating disorders?

The aim of the following study was to evaluate the role of sensation seeking in eating disorders (anorexia and bulimia), taking into account the subtypes (purging versus nonpurging) and the concept of binge‐eating disorder. The study involved 141 adolescent girls and young women, aged 14 to 25 years who lived in the French speaking part of Switzerland (79 clinical subjects with eating disorders according to DSM‐IV criteria, and 62 control subjects without eating disorders from the general population). All the subjects completed the Sensation Seeking Scale (SSS, Zuckerman, 1971). The results show that subjects with bulimic behaviours characterized by recurrent episodes of binge‐eating, whatever their exact diagnosis and subtype, do not significantly differ from one another on the Sensation Seeking Scale. They all had higher scores than the control group especially on the ‘Thrill and Adventure Seeking’ dimension. In contrast, restricting anorexics had lower scores on the Sensation Seeking Scale than the control group, especially on the ‘Experience Seeking’ dimension. Copyright © 2000 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Studies on the development of Plasmodium yoelii yoelii in Anopheles stephensi and a comparison of the susceptibility of three Anopheline mosquitoes.

1. Male and female gametes appeared in 7-60 minutes and 7 min-48 h afterinfective meal, zygotes in 15 min-48 h, mature ookinetes in 4.5-52 h, but mostnumerous in 12-15 h. The early stage oocyst appeared in 24 h and the mature     

Does tumor type and sex distribution of primary lung cancer change? The comparison of the results of 2004 and previous years

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the tumor cell type and sex distribution of patients diagnosed with primary lung cancer during 2004. Patients with primary lung cancer were detected from pathology records. Clinical files of patients were analyzed retrospectively. 1403 patients with primary lung cancer were included in the study. 1238 (88.2%) patients were male and 165 (11.8%) were female and female to male ratio was 1/7.5. When the ratio was compared with 1/10.9 in 1998, the ratio of female patients was determined to increase. Tumor cell type was squamous cell carcinoma in 577 (41.1%) patients, adenocarcinoma in 359 (25.6%), small cell carcinoma in 184 (13.1%), nonsmall cell carcinoma in 115 (8.2%) and other malign tumors in 21 (1.5%) patients. Tumor cell type was not detected in 147 (10.5%) patients. When 147 patients were excluded from the study, the frequency of squamous cell carcinoma was 45.9%, adenocarcinoma was 28.6% and small cell carcinoma was 14.6%. The results of our study show that squamous cell carcinoma is the most frequent tumor cell type in our center and the ratio of female patients is increasing.     

Experiences of living with asthma – a focus group study with adolescents and parents of children with asthma

Objective: The goal for asthma treatment is that every individual, so far as possible, shall live without symptoms and exacerbations. Patients and health care professionals sometimes have different perceptions of what is important for achieving good quality of life. This work aims to describe the experiences among adolescents as well as those of parents with young children living with asthma. Methods: Four focus group interviews were performed, two with parents of young children and two with adolescents. The data were qualitatively analyzed, using Systematic Text Condensation. Result: Three themes relevant to the participants’ experiences of living with asthma were presented; strategies, frustrations and expectations. The adolescents wanted to be like their peers and developed their own strategies for self-management of asthma, which included not always taking medication as prescribed. The parents emphasized frustration regarding not being believed, lack of understanding feelings of loneliness, or anxiety. One identified expectation was that the participants wanted to be met with competence and understanding in asthma care from health care professionals. Another expectation expressed among parents was that teachers in nursery and primary schools should have more knowledge and understanding on how to care for children with asthma. Conclusion: Living with asthma leads to developing personal strategies in self-management of asthma. Moreover both parents and adolescents had expectations of being met by competent and understanding health care professionals. Developing a partnership between patients and health care professionals could be a successful way to improve the care of patients with asthma.     

Clinical Guidelines Update on the Diagnosis and Management of Barrett’s Esophagus

Barrett’s esophagus is a condition in which metaplastic columnar epithelium replaces stratified squamous epithelium in the distal esophagus. This condition occurs due to chronic gastroesophageal reflux disease and is a risk factor for the development of esophageal adenocarcinoma. Multiple clinical guidelines have been published around the world in recent years to assist gastroenterologists in the management of these patients and have evolved as new data have become available. While some information such as surveillance technique has not drastically changed, there has been an evolution over the years in diagnostic criteria, screening and endoscopic therapy with a variety of subtle differences among the different guidelines. Herein, we highlight areas of agreement and disagreement on definitions, screening, surveillance, and treatment techniques among these guidelines for the optimal management of Barrett’s esophagus patients.     

Prevalence of and factors contributing to anxiety,depression and cognitive disorders among urban elderly in Odisha – A study through the health systems’ Lens

IntroductionGrowing geriatric mental health needs of urban population in India pose several programmatic challenges. This study aimed to assess anxiety, depression and cognitive disorders among urban elderly, and explore availability of social support mechanisms and of a responsive health system to implement the national mental health programme.Methods244 respondents were randomly selected from Berhampur city. We administered a semi-structured interview schedule to assess substance abuse, chronic morbidity, anxiety, depression and cognitive abilities. Further, in-depth interviews were conducted with 25 key informants including district officials, psychiatrists, and programme managers. We used R software and ‘thematic framework’ approach, respectively, for quantitative and qualitative data analysis. Ethical standards were complied with.ResultsAbout half of the respondents were economically dependent; 57.3% had moderate to severe anxiety; 46.7% had moderate to severe depression; while about 25% had severe cognitive impairments. We found association of chewing tobacco (1.34(0.28–2.40)) and depression (0.52(0.37–0.68)) with anxiety; negative perception about elderly-friendly society (1.64(0.75–2.53)) and physical inactivity (2.88(1.60–4.16)) with depression; and age (-0.11(-0.20 – -0.02)) and physical inactivity (-3.44(-5.13 – -1.74)) with cognitive disorders. Qualitative analysis revealed lack of awareness, social stigma, poor availability of trained human resources, and poor political commitment as important systemic barriers to early detection and treatment of mental ailments among the elderly.ConclusionEstablishing tobacco cessation centres, sensitizing community about mental health needs of elderly, incentivizing physical activity of elderly, integrating mental health with primary care, multi-skilling providers and developing a cadre of community counsellors need urgent attention of policy makers and programme implementers.     

What is the impact of adolescent arthritis and rheumatism? Evidence from a national sample of Canadians

OBJECTIVE: Adolescent arthritis or rheumatism (AAR) has been shown to influence the activities, mental health, and healthcare utilization of affected individuals. However, these effects have never been estimated in a population-based sample. We examined the association of AAR with health status, health services use, health behaviors, and activity limitations. We also investigated the effect of socioeconomic status and family background on respondents with AAR. METHODS: The 1996 National Population Health Survey is a nationally representative survey exploring the health status and behaviors of Canadians. Among the 26,012 individuals aged 12 to 19 with complete responses on the presence of chronic illnesses, the 213 self-reporting arthritis or rheumatism (AAR) were compared to: (1) all other adolescents as a single group; or (2) the group of 9161 adolescents reporting other chronic diseases (OCD) but not AAR, and the group of 16,638 adolescents without chronic disease (WCD). Between-group differences were examined for the following variables: health status; use of health services; presence of activity limitations in school, work, or at home; and school enrollment and work status. RESULTS: Compared to those without, respondents with AAR reported more diagnoses of non-AAR chronic illnesses. Depression among AAR individuals was more prevalent than among non-AAR individuals, as was suffering from moderate or severe pain. Those with AAR were more likely than WCD individuals to use physician services, hospital services, and pain relief medications. AAR patients were more likely to be limited in their activities, and less likely to be enrolled in school than OCD or WCD individuals. CONCLUSION: This study indicates a broad range of effects of AAR in a nationally representative sample. Arthritis or rheumatism affected measures of mental health, health service use, and the school, work, and home activities of affected individuals, compared to individuals without chronic disease or with other chronic disease.     

Updates on the role of adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors in Cushing’s syndrome: a focus on novel therapies

Purpose

Endogenous Cushing’s syndrome (CS) is a rare disease that results from exposure to high levels of cortisol; Cushing’s disease (CD) is the most frequent form of CS. Patients with CS suffer from a variety of comorbidities that increase the risk of mortality. Surgical resection of the disease-causing lesion is generally the first-line treatment of CS. However, some patients may not be eligible for surgery due to comorbidities, and approximately 25 % of patients, especially those with CD, have recurrent disease. For these patients, adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors may control cortisol elevation and subsequent symptomatology. CS is rare overall, and clinical studies of adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors are often small and, in many cases, data are limited regarding the efficacy and safety of these treatments. Our aim was to better characterize the profiles of efficacy and safety of currently available adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors, including drugs currently in development.

Methods

We performed a systematic review of the literature regarding adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors, focusing on novel drugs.

Results

Currently available adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors, including ketoconazole, metyrapone, etomidate, and mitotane, have variable efficacy and significant side effects, and none are approved by the US Food and Drug Administration for CS. Therefore, there is a clear need for novel, prospectively studied agents that have greater efficacy and a low rate of adverse side effects. Efficacy and safety data of current and emerging adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors, including osilodrostat (LCI699) and levoketoconazole (COR-003), show promising results that will have to be confirmed in larger-scale phase 3 studies (currently ongoing).

Conclusions

The management of CS, and particularly CD, remains challenging. Adrenal steroidogenesis inhibitors can be of major interest to control the hypercortisolism at any time point, either before or after surgery, as discussed in this review.

     

The effects of immune serum of Leishmania promastigotes on the development of homologous and heterologous counterparts.

Immune sera were collected respectively from rabbits immunized with promastigotesof Leishmania donovani, L. tropica, L. mexicana, L. gerbilli and a lizard Leishmaniacultured in NNN medium. The results showed that the promastigotes in medium withhomologous Leishmania immune serum were markedly deformed. Opaque granular patches