Plasma proteome profiling identifies changes associated to AD but not to FTD

Background Frontotemporal dementia (FTD) is caused by frontotemporal lobar degeneration (FTLD), characterized mainly by inclusions of Tau (FTLD-Tau) or TAR DNA binding43 (FTLD-TDP) proteins. Plasma biomarkers are strongly needed for specific diagnosis and potential treatment monitoring of FTD. We aimed to identify specific FTD plasma biomarker profiles discriminating FTD from AD and controls, and between FTD pathological subtypes. In addition, we compared plasma results with results in post-mortem frontal cortex of FTD cases to understand the underlying process. Methods Plasma proteins (n = 1303) from pathologically and/or genetically confirmed FTD patients (n = 56; FTLD-Tau n = 16; age = 58.2 +/- 6.2; 44% female, FTLD-TDP n = 40; age = 59.8 +/- 7.9; 45% female), AD patients (n = 57; age = 65.5 +/- 8.0; 39% female), and non-demented controls (n = 148; 61.3 +/- 7.9; 41% female) were measured using an aptamer-based proteomic technology (SomaScan). In addition, exploratory analysis in post-mortem frontal brain cortex of FTD (n = 10; FTLD-Tau n = 5; age = 56.2 +/- 6.9, 60% female, and FTLD-TDP n = 5; age = 64.0 +/- 7.7, 60% female) and non-demented controls (n = 4; age = 61.3 +/- 8.1; 75% female) were also performed. Differentially regulated plasma and tissue proteins were identified by global testing adjusting for demographic variables and multiple testing. Logistic lasso regression was used to identify plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from non-demented controls and AD, or FTLD-Tau from FTLD-TDP. Performance of the discriminatory plasma protein panels was based on predictions obtained from bootstrapping with 1000 resampled analysis. Results Overall plasma protein expression profiles differed between FTD, AD and controls (6 proteins; p = 0.005), but none of the plasma proteins was specifically associated to FTD. The overall tissue protein expression profile differed between FTD and controls (7-proteins; p = 0.003). There was no difference in overall plasma or tissue expression profile between FTD subtypes. Regression analysis revealed a panel of 12-plasma proteins discriminating FTD from AD with high accuracy (AUC: 0.99). No plasma protein panels discriminating FTD from controls or FTD pathological subtypes were identified. Conclusions We identified a promising plasma protein panel as a minimally-invasive tool to aid in the differential diagnosis of FTD from AD, which was primarily associated to AD pathophysiology. The lack of plasma profiles specifically associated to FTD or its pathological subtypes might be explained by FTD heterogeneity, calling for FTD studies using large and well-characterize cohorts

Relationship betweeh Health Locus of Control, slip Memory and Physician– Patient relationship with Adherence in Type II Diabetic Patients

Introduction: One of the important challenges in patient with chronic diseases specially diabetes is adherence to therapy of treatment. While the patients don’t follow the treatment program, They get into critical consequences like relapse of illness, intensification of disability, necessity of emergency and hospitalization. So the present study intended to investigate the relationship between health locus of control, slip memory and physician – patient relationship with aherence to therapy. Methods: To carry out this research, 115 adults with type Π diabetes(men and women) who had referred to Glands clinic of Sina hospital in Tabriz from June to August 2010, completed the following five research questionnaires: demographic information questions, patient – doctor relationship questionnaire(PDRQ-19), General Aherence to therapy Scale(GAS), Prospective and retrospective memory questionnaire(PRMQ), and Multidimensional health locus of control(MHLC). In order to analyze the data, both descriptive and inferred statistics were applied including Pearsons correlation coefficient and multiple regression analysis methods. Results: The study findings indicated that there exist a positive significant relation between external health locus of control(other- powerful), internal health locus of control and desired physician- patient relationship with adherence to therapy in diabetic patients of type Π. However, results revealed a negative significant relationship between slip memory and adherence to therapy. Conclusion: The study results proposed that the patients with diabetes type Π, who regard more powerful individuals as responsible for their health like their physician, believe in their own role in control of their health in the second place. Furthermore, they had a desired relationship with their physicians, showed less slip memory, and displayed more adherence to therapy

Investigating the Relationship between Five Personality Factors (NEO-FFI) and Marital Satisfaction

The present study aims at investigating the relationship between personality characteristics and marital satisfaction. The statistical population were married individuals in the first and fourth regions in Tabriz, among whom 160 ( 80 males & 80 females) were selected through cluster sampling. Data were collected through “Marriage Satisfaction Questionnaire ( 47 statements) and “Personality of NEO-FFI” ( 60 statements). The correlation coefficient of Pierson was computed and then regression analysis was performed. The results indicated that there is a significant relationship between personality characteristics and marital satisfaction. Among the different aspects of personality, “Neuroticism” and “Openness” contributed to the prediction of marital satisfaction, respectively

Effects of methanol extract of soy on the apoptosis of hippocampal cells in ovariectomized rats

Background: The decline in estrogen level after menopause results in a decrease in life quality and different neurological disorders such as memory impairment. However, hormone replacement therapy remains controversial. Some studies have been investigated the effects of soy phytoestrogens (e.g. genistein) on cognitive brain functions. This study aimed to examine the effect of oral administration of soy extract on the apoptosis of hippocampus cells. Materials and Methods: In this study, 30 rats were randomly allocated into 3 equal groups: 1) Sham (surgery without ovariectomy) 2) ovariectomized (OVX) and 3) treatment (OVX+soy extract). The animals in the treatment group received soy extract (60mg/kg) daily in drinking water by gavage for six weeks. At the end of treatment, brain samples of all animals were collected for tissue sectioning. Apoptosis in hippocampal cell was studied using the TUNEL method and a light microscopy. Results: Oral administration of soy extract significantly decreased the number of apoptotic (neuronal and glial) cells (P<0.05), while ovariectomy significantly increased the number of apoptotic cells in the ovariectomized group compared to the Sham (P=0.034) and treatment groups (P=0.016). Conclusion: Results of this study indicate that the oral administration of soy extract in ovariectomized rats had neuroprotective effects by decreasing the number of apoptotic cells

Photo neutron dose equivalent rate in 15 MV X-ray beam from a Siemens Primus Linac

Fast and thermal neutron fluence rates from a 15 MV X-ray beams of a Siemens Primus Linac were measured using bare and moderated BF 3 proportional counter inside the treatment room at different locations. Fluence rate values were converted to dose equivalent rate (DER) utilizing conversion factors of American Association of Physicist in Medicine′s (AAPM) report number 19. For thermal neutrons, maximum and minimum DERs were 3.46 × 10 -6 (3 m from isocenter in +Y direction, 0 × 0 field size) and 8.36 × 10 -8 Sv/min (in maze, 40 × 40 field size), respectively. For fast neutrons, maximum DERs using 9" and 3" moderators were 1.6 × 10 -5 and 1.74 × 10 -5 Sv/min (2 m from isocenter in +Y direction, 0 × 0 field size), respectively. By changing the field size, the variation in thermal neutron DER was more than the fast neutron DER and the changes in fast neutron DER were not significant in the bunker except inside the radiation field. This study showed that at all points and distances, by decreasing field size of the beam, thermal and fast neutron DER increases and the number of thermal neutrons is more than fast neutrons

Central Opioidergic System Interplay with Histamine on Food Intake in Neonatal Chicks: Role of µ-Opioid and H1/H3 Receptors

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to examine the role of Opioidergic and Histaminergic systems on feeding behavior in 3-hour food deprived neonatal meat- type chicks. In experiment 1, chicks received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of (A) control solution, (B) α-FMH (alpha fluoromethyl histidine; 250 nmol), (C) DAMGO (µ-opioid receptor agonist, 125 pmol) and (D) α-FMH + DAMGO. Experiments 2-4 were similar to experiment 1, except chicken ICV injected with Chlorpheniramine (histamine H1 receptors antagonist; 300 nmol), famotidine (histamine H2 receptors antagonist; 82 nmol) and Thioperamide (histamine H3 receptors antagonist; 300 nmol) instead of the α-FMH. In experiments 5-8, birds ICV injected with the same procedure as experiments 1-4, except they were injected with DPDPE (δ-opioid receptor agonist, 40 nmol) instead of DAMGO. Experiments 9-12 were similar to the experiments 1-4, except neonatal broilers ICV were injected with U-50488H (κ-opioid receptor agonist, 30 nmol) instead of DAMGO. Then the cumulative food intake was measured until 120 min post injection. According to the results, ICV injection of DAMGO, significantly decreased food intake (p0.05). Also, the hyperphagic effect of DPDPE and U-50488 had no affect by α-FMH, Chlorpheniramine, famotidine and Thioperamide (p>0.05). These results suggested that an interconnection between central opioidergic and histaminergic systems on feeding behavior is mediated via µ-opioid and H1/H3 receptors in neonatal broilers

The effectiveness of motivational interviewing in improving health outcomes in adults with type 2 diabetes

AbstractDiabetes is one of the most serious, threatening, developing, and costly health problems. This disease can influence the psychological and especially physical dimensions of people. The aim of current study was investigation of the effects of group Motivational Interviewing (MI) and Cognitive Behavioral Group Training (CBGT) in improving physical health outcomes among adults with diabetes type 2. Ninety- three Patients with type 2 diabetes were selected from Iranian Diabetes Society and Institute of Endocrinology and Metabolism. The participants were randomly allocated to the MI group, CBGT group, and the control group and were tested before and after intervention. Each of interventions consisted of four 90minutes group sessions. The findings showed that in the MI and CBGT groups, mean of BMI was significantly lower than control group. Also, it was found that, in the MI, the mean of HbA1c was significantly lower than CBGT intervention group. The results indicated that in helping adults with type 2 diabetes, CBGT and MI in group format may be useful interventions to improve their weight loss, and MI may be a useful intervention to improve their glycemic control than CBGT. Theoretical and practical implications of results are discussed

Central Opioidergic System Interplay with Histamine on Food Intake in Neonatal Chicks: Role of µ-Opioid and H1/H3 Receptors

ABSTRACT The present study was designed to examine the role of Opioidergic and Histaminergic systems on feeding behavior in 3-hour food deprived neonatal meat- type chicks. In experiment 1, chicks received intracerebroventricular (ICV) injection of (A) control solution, (B) α-FMH (alpha fluoromethyl histidine; 250 nmol), (C) DAMGO (µ-opioid receptor agonist, 125 pmol) and (D) α-FMH + DAMGO. Experiments 2-4 were similar to experiment 1, except chicken ICV injected with Chlorpheniramine (histamine H1 receptors antagonist; 300 nmol), famotidine (histamine H2 receptors antagonist; 82 nmol) and Thioperamide (histamine H3 receptors antagonist; 300 nmol) instead of the α-FMH. In experiments 5-8, birds ICV injected with the same procedure as experiments 1-4, except they were injected with DPDPE (δ-opioid receptor agonist, 40 nmol) instead of DAMGO. Experiments 9-12 were similar to the experiments 1-4, except neonatal broilers ICV were injected with U-50488H (κ-opioid receptor agonist, 30 nmol) instead of DAMGO. Then the cumulative food intake was measured until 120 min post injection. According to the results, ICV injection of DAMGO, significantly decreased food intake (p0.05). Also, the hyperphagic effect of DPDPE and U-50488 had no affect by α-FMH, Chlorpheniramine, famotidine and Thioperamide (p>0.05). These results suggested that an interconnection between central opioidergic and histaminergic systems on feeding behavior is mediated via µ-opioid and H1/H3 receptors in neonatal broilers.</div

Magnetic resonance imaging-based target volume delineation in radiation therapy treatment planning for brain tumors using localized region-based active contour

Purpose: To evaluate the clinical application of a robust semiautomatic image segmentation method to determine the brain target volumes in radiation therapy treatment planning. Methods and Materials: A local robust region-based algorithm was used on MRI brain images to study the clinical target volume (CTV) of several patients. First, 3 oncologists delineated CTVs of 10 patients manually, and the process time for each patient was calculated. The averages of the oncologists' contours were evaluated and considered as reference contours. Then, to determine the CTV through the semiautomatic method, a fourth oncologist who was blind to all manual contours selected 4-8 points around the edema and defined the initial contour. The time to obtain the final contour was calculated again for each patient. Manual and semiautomatic segmentation were compared using 3 different metric criteria: Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and mean absolute distance. A comparison also was performed between volumes obtained from semiautomatic and manual methods. Results: Manual delineation processing time of tumors for each patient was dependent on its size and complexity and had a mean (±SD) of 12.33 ± 2.47 minutes, whereas it was 3.254 ± 1.7507 minutes for the semiautomatic method. Means of Dice coefficient, Hausdorff distance, and mean absolute distance between manual contours were 0.84 ± 0.02, 2.05 ± 0.66 cm, and 0.78 ± 0.15 cm, and they were 0.82 ± 0.03, 1.91 ± 0.65 cm, and 0.7 ± 0.22 cm between manual and semiautomatic contours, respectively. Moreover, the mean volume ratio (=semiautomatic/manual) calculated for all samples was 0.87. Conclusions: Given the deformability of this method, the results showed reasonable accuracy and similarity to the results of manual contouring by the oncologists. This study shows that the localized region-based algorithms can have great ability in determining the CTV and can be appropriate alternatives for manual approaches in brain cancer. © 2013 Elsevier Inc

Effect of soy isoflavones supplementation on migraine characteristics, mental status and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels in women with migraine: results of randomised controlled trial

Background: Literature suggests a relationship between estrogen levels and migraine headache pathogenesis. However, the effect of soy isoflavones on migraine characteristic remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate the effect of soy isoflavones on migraine characteristics and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) levels in women with migraine. Methods: Eighty-three participants completed a randomized double-blind controlled trial, receiving 50 mg per day soy isoflavones or placebo supplementation for 8 weeks. Migraine severity, migraine days per month, frequency and duration of attacks, mental status, quality of life and serum CGRP levels were measured at baseline and the end of the intervention. Bivariate comparison and intention-to-treat (ITT) were used for analysis. Results: Soy isoflavones intake resulted in a significant decrease in mean frequency (-2.36 vs -0.43, P 0.05). Conclusion: soy isoflavones supplementation may be considered as a complementary treatment for women with migraine to improve migraine characteristics and reduce the burden of disease. © 2022, The Author(s)