Prevention of Coronary Artery Disease through Diet

Our understanding of the potential role of diet in the prevention and risk reduction of coronary artery disease (CAD) has evolved in the past 100 years. Data on trends in food consumption and ecological studies are the early evidences that showed associations between prevalence and fat intake across and within countries. The last 50 years of epidemiology and clinical trials have focused on the efficiency of nutritional interventions in the prevention of CAD

Social interaction of rats is related with baseline prepulse inhibition level.

The symptoms of schizophrenia are evaluated in three general categories: positive, negative and cognitivesymptoms. Disruption of prepulse inhibition (PPI) of the acoustic startle reflex is commonly used to modelpositive and cognitive symptoms in experimental animals. On the other hand, deficient social interaction(SI) is a common model of negative symptoms. Here we tested whether PPI provides information aboutnegative symptoms by using a SI test. Baseline PPI and its relation with anxiety-like behavior were alsoexamined with elevated plus maze (EPM) test. In the first experiment, baseline PPI levels of 30 Wistarrats were measured and animals with the highest 1/3 and the lowest 1/3 of PPI scores were respectivelyassigned in high-inhibitory (HI) and low-inhibitory (LI) groups. Subsequently, rats in the HI and LI groupswere paired with animals from the same group and tested for SI. In the second experiment, another batchof animals was assigned to HI and LI groups and they were investigated in the EPM test. The results demon-strate a significant difference between the PPI values of HI and LI groups. Both the SI time and the movingdistance of LI rats were significantly lower, and the average distance between rat pairs was significantlylonger than HI rats. In the EPM test LI and HI rats showed similar levels of anxiety-like behaviors, howeverour results imply that performance of the rats in the SI test is related to baseline PPI levels. Thus PPI testcan provide predictive information about the outcome of animal models for negative symptoms in rats

Comparison of corticosteroid injection and ozone injection for relief of pain in chronic lateral epicondylitis

AbstractPurpose: To evaluate and compare the therapeutic effects of corticosteroid and ozone injections in the alleviation of pain associated with chronic lateral epicondylitis .Methods: Data was collected from the medical records of 80 patients (56 women, 24 men; average age: 45.8±7.5). Corticosteroid injection was performed once a week for three times, and ozone was injected 6-8 times at 3 day intervals. No additional analgesics were given. Pain assessment was made by means of Verhaar scores before and after the first injection, on 3rd, 6th and 9th months.Results: The duration of pain was 24.4±12.5 months and the right side was more commonly affected (47, 58.8% vs. 33, 41.2%). Corticosteroid and ozone groups were similar with respect to age (p=0.45), gender distribution (p=0.43) and side of epicondylitis (p=0.88). Pain scores at rest, at compression and on activity were not different in two groups before and following injection. Notably, ozone group displayed better scores compared to corticosteroid in terms of pain on 3rd, 6th and 9th months after injection (p<0.001 for all).Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that ozone injection can be an effective therapeutic option for CLE patients who are refractory to conservative treatment

Differential effect of age on the brain fatty acid levels and their correlation with animal cognitive status in mice

The aim of the present study was to investigate the possible relationship between the levels of various fatty acids (FA) in the brain and learning indices in aged (22-23 months old) and young (2-3 months old) female Swiss Webster (SW) mice. The mice were classified as "good" or "poor" learners based on their performance in a spatial learning task: the Morris Water Maze. The levels of several FA including palmitic, stearic, oleic, linoleic, arachidonic (AA), and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA), were measured by gas chromatography in tissue samples from four different brain areas: hippocampus, frontal cortex, striatum and hypothalamus. The results of behavioral tests confirmed a decline in learning skills with age. However, a great individual variation was revealed in learning scores between aged subjects, indicating that biological aging does not always parallel chronological aging. The relative levels of particular fatty acids across the four examined brain structures were very similar. Interestingly, only in the hypothalamus was the DHA omega-3 acid level significantly higher in young mice compared to the old mice. For the remaining brain structures, no significant correlations were found between the DHA level and the animal's age and/or cognitive status. A significant correlation between learning performance and fatty acid levels in the brain was found only for AA in the young mice hippocampus, a structure known to be critical for spatial learning and memory. The AA level was significantly lower in young "good" learners compared to both young "poor" and old "good" learners with young "good" learners showing significantly better performance than the two other groups. These findings contribute to the current debate on the value of DHA supplementation as an effective protective treatment against senile dementia and the potential role of AA in memory deficits

Effects Of Sono-Feedback During Aspiration Of Baker'S Cysts: A Controlled Clinical Trial

Objective: To determine whether (diagnostic and interventional) ultrasound imaging can be used to provide visual feedback affecting treatment outcome (pain and disability). Design: Controlled clinical trial. Subjects: A total of 52 patients with (ultrasonographically confirmed) symptomatic Baker's cysts were enrolled. Methods: The cysts were drained under ultrasound guidance and, if necessary, corticosteroid injections were given on the follow-up visit. In group I (n = 26) the patients did not observe the procedures on the ultrasound (US) screen. In group II (n = 26) the US images/videos were shown and explained to the patients. The patients were included in one of the groups consecutively, unless they refused the protocol of that group. Treatment outcome was assessed via US measurements, aspirate volumes, visual analogue scale (VAS) (knee pain, procedure discomfort), Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index (WOMAC), Rauschning-Lindgren Classification (RLC), Kellgren-Lawrence grading scale, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and paracetamol intake. Results: The 2 groups were similar regarding US measurements, aspirate volume and paracetamol use (p-values >0.05). In both groups all VAS (p < 0.001) and WOMAC (p < 0.05) scores decreased after treatment. Although initial VAS and WOMAC scores were similar between the groups, all VAS/WOMAC scores, except VAS-2, WOMAC-2 pain, and WOMAC-3 stiffness, were significantly lower in group II (all p < 0.05). Initial RLC scores were similar between the groups; however, group II had significantly lower scores at visits 2 and 3. Conclusion: In patients with Baker's cysts (diagnostic/interventional) US imaging can be used as a simple means of visual biofeedback, favourably affecting the treatment outcome (pain and disability).WoSScopu

Increased plasma agmatine levels in patients with schizophrenia

Agmatine is an endogenous substance, synthesized from L-arginine, and it is proposed to be a new neurotransmitter. Preclinical studies indicated that agmatine may have an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study was organized to investigate plasma agmatine in patients with schizophrenia and in healthy controls. Eighteen patients with schizophrenia and 19 healthy individuals constituted the subjects. Agmatine levels in the plasma were measured using the HPLC method. The S100B protein level, which is a peripheral biomarker for brain damage, was also measured using the ELISA method. While plasma levels of agmatine in patients with schizophrenia were significantly increased (p < 0.0001) compared to those of healthy individuals (control), there were no significant changes in the levels of S100B protein (p ¼ 0.660). An ROC (receiver operating characteristic) curve analysis revealed that measuring plasma agmatine levels as a clinical diagnostic test would significantly differentiate between patients with schizophrenia and those in the control group (predictive value: 0.969; p < 0.0001). The predictive value of S100B measurements was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). A multiple regression analysis revealed that the age of the patient and the severity of the illness, as indicated by the PANSS score, significantly contributed the plasma agmatine levels in patients with schizophrenia. These results support the hypothesis that an excess agmatine release is important in the development of schizophrenia. The findings also imply that the plasma agmatine level may be a potential biomarker of schizophrenia

Cognitive Group Therapy for Test Anxiety

Test anxiety is a major problem that affects students academic, vocational and emotional state and several treatment strategies have been developed and applied. Cognitive behavioral therapy is one of the efficacious treatments for test anxiety, but we know little about whether cognitive or behavioral techniques (or both) are effective. The aim of this study is to assess the efficacy of cognitive techniques without behavioral interventions. The study was carried out with 38 individual who complained of test anxiety and were divided into four groups. Six 90 min sessions of cognitive group therapy is applied weekly. Test Anxiety Inventory (TAI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI), Ruminative Thought Style Questionnaire (RTSQ) and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ) were given to attendants. There was statistically significant difference between first and last evaluation of mean rank of BAI total and its cognitive and somatic subscales, ATQ and STAI-II. There was no significant difference for mean rank of STAI-I and RTSQ total scores. Statistically significant difference was found between first and last evaluation of total TAI and 3 subscales of TAI which were Others opinions, Worry about future, Worry about preparation and unspecified test anxiety. Cognitive techniques are effective for treatment of test anxiety even without behavioral interventions. However, its effect on self-related perception componenet of test anxiety and ruminative response styles is uncertain. Adding behavioral interventions to cognitive techniques may increase the efficacy of treatment for test anxiety. [JCBPR 2016; 5(1.000): 28-37

Mesenchymal stem cell therapy for the streptozotocin-induced neurodegeneration in rats

Background and Aim: Bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells (BM-MSCs) are one of the sources of adult stem cells being explored for potential use in repairing neurodegenerative disorders. In this study, it was aimed to investigate the useful effects of BM-MSCs therapy on the streptozotocin-induced neurodegeneration in rats

Clustering Mobile Trajectories for Resource Allocation in Mobile Environments

The recent developments in computer and communication technologies gave rise to Personal Communication Systems. Due to the nature of the PCS, the bandwidth allocation problem arises, which is based on the notion of bandwidth-on-demand. We deal with the problem of how to predict the position of a mobile client. We propose a new algorithm, called DCP, to discover user mobility patterns from collections of recorded mobile trajectories and use them for the prediction of movements and dynamic allocation of resources. The performance of the proposed algorithm is examined against two baseline algorithms. The simulation results illustrate that the proposed algorithm achieves recall that is comparable to that of the baseline algorithms and substantial improvement in precision. This improvement guarantees very good predictions for resource allocation with the advantage of very low resource consumption

Effects of pioglitazone and retinoic acid in a rotenone model of parkinson's disease

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a late-onset, progressive and neurodegenerative disorder of unknown etiology. Besides the other therapeutic approaches, new drug options in pharmacotherapy of PD are important. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of pioglitazone and retinoic acid, antioxidant and neuroprotective agents, on rotenone-induced model of PD in rats. Adult male Wistar rats (260-373 g) were subjects. Rotenone (2.5 mg/kg, sc) was injected to rats for 70 days. At the end of rotenone administration, rats were treated with pioglitazone (10 mg/kg, ip) and retinoic acid (1 mg/kg, ip) or vehicles for 15 days. Then, rats were tested for evaluation of Parkinson signs by measurement of locomotor activity. In addition, dopamine levels were detected in striatum, hippocampus and hypothalamus in individual groups of control, rotenone and pioglitazone or retinoic acid-treated rats. Rotenone significantly reduced locomotor activity of the rats. It also significantly reduced dopamine levels in striatum and hippocampus, but not hypothalamus. Pioglitazone and retinoic acid reversed in reduction of locomotor activity significantly. Pioglitazone, but not retinoic acid, significantly reversed the reduced striatal dopamine level. Both drugs were ineffective on reduced levels of dopamine in hippocampus. Our results suggest that pioglitazone and retinoic acid have some beneficial effects on rotenone-induced model of PD in rats. Pioglitazone seems to be more effective than retinoic acid. These agents may be helpful for preventing or controlling of some signs of PD.Scientific Research Committee of Gulhane Military Medical Academy (GATA) (AR-2008/25