Correlation between working memory and quality of life in multiple sclerosis patients

Background: Working memory impairment is one of the most important cognitive deficits in multiple sclerosis (MS) patients that affect the quality of life even in the early stages of the disease. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the correlation between the working memory and the quality of life in MS patients. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was performed on 35 (case) and 28 healthy (control) participants. Working memory and quality of life were assessed using Wechsler adult intelligence scale and the MS quality of life 54 (MSQOL-54) inventory, respectively. Results: Results showed a significant difference between the two groups in the means of working memory in both auditory (P<0.001) and visual span (P<0.0001) as well as physical quality of life (P<0.04). Moreover, logistic regression analysis showed that MS disease had an impact on both physical (OR= .679 and CI= .889-.519) and mental (OR= .929 and CI= .857-.998) components of the quality of life. Conclusion: Findings of the study indicate that cognition is an effective factor to engage in activities of daily living. Moreover, the relation between the working memory impairment and the quality of life in MS patients highlights the importance of the early recognition of cognitive deficit

A preconcentration procedure for copper, nickel and chromium ions in some food and environmental samples on modified Diaion SP-850

A sensitive and simple method for the simultaneous preconcentration of trace amount of Cu(2+), Ni(2+) and Cr(3+) ions in some real samples has been reported In this method these elements are adsorbed as respective complex with Bis(2-hydroxyacetophenone)-1,2-propanediimine (BHAPPDI) on Diaion SP-850 and the retained metal ions are eluted using 8 ml of 4 M nitric acid. The influences of the analytical parameters including pH, solid phase ingredients amount and condition of eluting solution and sample volume were investigated. The effects of matrix ions on retentions of the analytes were also examined. The recoveries of analytes were generally higher than 90% with a relatively low RSD. The method has been successfully applied for these metal ions contents evaluation in some food and environmental samples. (C) 2009 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved

Evaluation of regulatory T lymphocytes and IL2Ra and FOXP3 gene expression in peripheral mononuclear cells from patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Background: Loss of neuroprotective role of CD4+ helper T cells, regulatory T cells, and M2 microglia constitutively results in the rapid neural death in the �rapidly progressive phase� of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). Aim: We aimed to investigate relative count of CD4+ and regulatory T lymphocytes and expression level of IL2Ra and FOXP3 genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from patients with ALS. Method: We performed a flow cytometric analysis on PBMC from 38 patients with ALS and 32 controls to determine the count of CD4+ and CD4+CD25+ cells. Quantitative real-time PCR analyses were implemented to determine the level of expression of FOXP3 and IL-2Rα (CD25) genes in the peripheral blood mononucleated cells. Results: We found a significant higher proportion of CD4+ T cells (p value &lt; 0.001), along with a significantly reduced proportion of CD4+CD25+ Treg cells (p value = 0.001, p value = 0.02), in the peripheral blood of patient�s with ALS. Conclusion: The results of our study are in line with the hypothesis that in the early phase of ALS, neuroprotective helper T cells infiltrate in the affected areas in the lumbar spinal cord. This was reflected in higher peripheral percentage of CD4+ helper T cells and higher expression of FOXP3 and IL-2Rα. The observed demise in the number of active CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells might indicate early signs of progression to later stages of ALS in our study group. Interestingly, disease duration was the sole independent significant determining factor that predicted CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cell counts in the peripheral blood of patients at various stages of ALS, according to a logistic regression model. © 2018 Royal Academy of Medicine in Irelan