Multiple magnon modes in the Co3_3Sn2_2S2_2 Weyl semimetal candidate

We experimentally investigate electron transport in kagome-lattice ferromagnet Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, which is regarded as a time-reversal symmetry broken Weyl semimetal candidate. We demonstrate $dV/dI(I)$ curves with pronounced asymmetric $dV/dI$ spikes, similar to those attributed to current-induced spin-wave excitations in ferromagnetic multilayers. In contrast to multilayers, we observe several $dV/dI$ spikes' sequences at low, $\approx$10$^4$ A/cm$^2$, current densities for a thick single-crystal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ flake in the regime of fully spin-polarized bulk. The spikes at low current densities can be attributed to novel magnon branches in magnetic Weyl semimetals, which are predicted due to the coupling between two magnetic moments mediated by Weyl fermions. Presence of spin-transfer effects at low current densities in Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ makes the material attractive for applications in spintronics.Comment: final versio

Farmers’ Notion of Climate Change and Response to Rainfall Variability in a Nigerian Coastal Settlement of Oron

The study investigated farmers’ notion of climate change and their response to rainfall variability in Oron, a Coastal settlement in Akwa Ibom State of Nigeria. The specific objectives of the study is to determine farmer’s notion of climate and their response to climate variability. The farmers’ perception of climate change  is necessary for preparedness and planning purposes in an agrarian community in order to boost farm productivity. Through the use of structured questionnaires, data for the study was obtained from 400 farmers’ in 17 randomly sampled villages in Oron. The data was complemented by information obtained through focus group discussion, participatory rural appraisal, direct field observations and in-depth interviews of key informants. To aid the analysis, data on some climatic variables from 2003 to 2013 were obtained from the study area and analysed to show the behavior of annual precipitation, wet  and dry seasons precipitation and to compare results with the farmers’ notion of climate change. In the same vein, the number of drought years occurring in the study area was calculated using Shewale and Kumar (2005) method. The study reveals that (i)  most of the farmers’ were unaware of the concept of climate change, even though they have considerable knowledge of major changes taking place in their environment (ii)  The farmers have general feeling of uncertainty about the best time to plant crops due to the unpredictability of rainfall and the difficulties in planning farming activities  (iii) the number of extreme rain event per year in the study area does not appear to be increasing, indicating that farming has not become more vulnerable to such phenomena. All the farmers indicated the need for  planting early maturing seed and changing the timing of planting, as a response strategies to mitigate the effect of climate variability in the study area. The study, thus concludes that unless urgent steps are taken to educate the farmers’ about their notion of climate variability and the possible pathways to adaptation, the coastal settlement  is vulnerable to food insecurity. Keywords: Climate change; Farmers notion; Rainfall variability; Coastal settlement

Cognitive impairment in diabetes mellitus and hypertension, a possibility of correction

Objective: to evaluate cognitive functions in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM2) and hypertension and the efficacy of Ginkgo biloba extract Egb 761®. Patients and methods: 120 patients with DM2 and 50 hypertensive patients with no complications or a history of stroke and/or myocardial infarction, without active complaints of hypomnesia and other cognitive functions were examined. The exclusion criteria were prior stroke and/or myocardial infarction; clinically significant diseases of the peripheral arteries and major arteries of the head; DM2 decompensation; glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min; proliferative retinopathy; and other endocrine diseases. The investigators used the following methods for the evaluation of cognitive functions: the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Montreal Cognitive Assessment, and the hand-eye coordination test (Parts A and B). Results and discussion: 85% of the patients with DM2 were found to have cognitive impairments (CI): disorders of attention, short-term memory, and thinking speed. Out of them, 82.5% had moderate CI and 2.5% had dementia. 30% of the hypertensive patients were diagnosed as having moderate CIs and 10% had dementia. At the same time, the degree of CI was higher in the patients with MD2 than in those with hypertension. The use of Egb 761® 240 mg/day for 3 months had a statistically significant positive impact on cognitive functions (improvements in short-term memory, concentration, and thinking speed) and everyday activity. Conclusion: The authors consider that CIs are the first sign of encephalopathy in DM2. It is also noted that DM2 has a more pronounced impact on cognitive functions than hypertension. Egb 761® can be used as an effective drug to treat CI in these diseases

The disorders of verbal communication in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2: Causes and treatment

© Medwell Journals, 2015. The study describes the decline of verbal and communicative functions in patients with diabetes mellitus type 2. The researchers reveal the causes of verbal communication impairment and describe some methods of its estimation (baseline neurocognitive tests, Mini-Mental State Examination and Montreal Cognitive Assessment) as well as the research outcomes. We discuss certain problems of verbal contact in these patients from neurological, neurolinguistic and neuropsychological points of view. Verbal communication disorders evidently declare themselves through short and long-term verbal memory impairments and language attention decline. They negatively affect cognitive functions, significantly reducing the patient’s capability for adequate communication. The researchers suggest some ways of medical and linguistic assistance to patients with diabetes mellitus type 2 in clinical practice. They accentuate the need for timely diagnostics and help for these patients. The research was conducted at Department of Neurology No. 1, Republic Clinical Hospital No. 2 (Kazan, Russia), the clinical base of Kazan Federal University

Myogenic Trigger Zone of Trapezius Muscle Increases the Tone of the Middle Cerebral Artery

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.A myogenic trigger zone (MTZ) has been shown to affect the tone of the surface arteries of the head and lower limbs. However, it remains largely unknown whether the tone of the intracranial arteries is regulated by MTZ. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effect of MTZ in trapezius muscle on the tone of the middle cerebral artery. Using ultrasound measurements of the peak velocity of blood flow and the Lindegaard index (LI), we found that the presence of an active MTZ in a trapezius muscle was per se associated with an increased LI values and that pressure stimulation of the MTZ further increases LI. When MTZ was eliminated by means of manual therapy, the indices of blood flow and LI returned to normal values. We conclude that the reflex spasm of the middle cerebral artery can occur in the presence of an active MTZ-TM and that this phenomenon contributes to the pathogenesis and the clinical symptoms associated with the cervicogenic and tension headaches

Tension type headache: GABA-ergic drug anvifen efficacy

© 2016, Media Sphera. All rights reserved.Objective. To assess the efficacy of aminophenylbutyric acid (anvifen), a synthetic GABA-receptor agonist, in the treatment of adult patients with tension type headache (TTH). Material and methods. Eighty-seven patients with episodic TTH (ETTH) and 30 patients with chronic TTH (CTTH) were examined. The area under the headache curve, sleep quality, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) scores and stress resistance measured by an original questionnaire were evaluated. Results. Anvifen in dose of 250 mg TID during 3 weeks had a positive effect on all parameters studied, excluding the area under the headache curve in CTTH. Similar results were demonstrated after the subsequent course of treatment for 3 weeks. Conclusion. Anvifen was highly effective in ETTH but less effective in CTTH. A combination of anvifen with antidepressants can be recommended for patients with CTTH

Alexithymia as a Predictor of Chronic Tension Headaches

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Alexithymia as a violation of inter-hemispheric communication which has no visible organic brain changes is now regarded as a predictor of many chronic physical and neurological diseases, but it has not yet been regarded in connection with chronic tension headaches. The authors examined 137 people with tension-type headache (33 men, 84 women) aged 30–50 years (average age 40,75 ± 6,29) in order to clarify a link to alexithymia. The diagnosis of tension headache was conducted according to the International classification of headaches, 3rd edition (beta version). The authors used the original headache diary, Toronto alexithymia scale, Hospital anxiety and depression scale, the measurement of the space under the curve of headache. It was found that the patients with alexithymia have difficulty in describing the place of headaches (the average number of word descriptors at most 1 word), distrust of doctors, abuse of analgesics and tend to use alternative medicine methods. The intensity (p = 0.0001) and the frequency of headaches (p = 0.0028) is significantly higher in patients with alexithymia, and the more common are depression (p = 0.042) and impaired nocturnal sleep (p = 0.001). Patients with chronic tension-type headache associated with sleep disorders, adaptation and symptoms of depression should be considered as alexithymic personalities until the contrary is proved. Physicians should be aware of the fact that alexithymic patients have problems with feelings verbalization, and if patient’s complaints are vague a doctor should use questionnaires, words-descriptors, phrases-descriptors and other auxiliary verbal techniques for accurate diagnosis

Quality of Life in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.The article presents the results of a survey which included 120 patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (DM-2) without complications, without stroke in anamnesis, with no active complaints about loss of memory, and/or other cognitive functions. The assessment tools for cognitive functions were MMSE, MoCA test, and TMT (parts A and B). SF-36 test was used to assess the quality of life (QoL). It was revealed that the QoL in patients with type 2 diabetes was significantly lower than in the general population. The correlation between QoL and the duration of the disease, the degree of cognitive impairment, and emotional state of patients was evaluated. It was revealed that QoL indicators significantly reduced with the growth of cognitive impairment and emotional disorders. The most significant reduction is revealed in the role functioning indexes and role-emotional functioning indexes

Alexithymia as a Predictor of Chronic Tension Headaches

© 2016, Springer Science+Business Media New York.Alexithymia as a violation of inter-hemispheric communication which has no visible organic brain changes is now regarded as a predictor of many chronic physical and neurological diseases, but it has not yet been regarded in connection with chronic tension headaches. The authors examined 137 people with tension-type headache (33 men, 84 women) aged 30–50 years (average age 40,75 ± 6,29) in order to clarify a link to alexithymia. The diagnosis of tension headache was conducted according to the International classification of headaches, 3rd edition (beta version). The authors used the original headache diary, Toronto alexithymia scale, Hospital anxiety and depression scale, the measurement of the space under the curve of headache. It was found that the patients with alexithymia have difficulty in describing the place of headaches (the average number of word descriptors at most 1 word), distrust of doctors, abuse of analgesics and tend to use alternative medicine methods. The intensity (p = 0.0001) and the frequency of headaches (p = 0.0028) is significantly higher in patients with alexithymia, and the more common are depression (p = 0.042) and impaired nocturnal sleep (p = 0.001). Patients with chronic tension-type headache associated with sleep disorders, adaptation and symptoms of depression should be considered as alexithymic personalities until the contrary is proved. Physicians should be aware of the fact that alexithymic patients have problems with feelings verbalization, and if patient’s complaints are vague a doctor should use questionnaires, words-descriptors, phrases-descriptors and other auxiliary verbal techniques for accurate diagnosis