Health-related Quality of Life Assessment on 100 Tunisian Patients with Ankylosing Spondylitis using the SF-36 Survey

Objectives: The main objective of the study was to examine the self reported health status in patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) compared with the general population and the secondary objective (in the AS group) was to study the association between health status, demographic parameters, and specific disease instruments in AS.Methods: A cross sectional study of 100 AS patients recruited between 2006 and 2009 at the Department of Rheumatology. Health status was assessed by using the SF-36 health questionnaire in patients with AS. Demographic characteristics and disease specific instruments were also examined by the questionnaire. A sample of 112 healthy individuals was also surveyed using the SF-36 health questionnaire.Results: This study showed a great impairment in the quality of life of patients with AS involving all scales. All male patients with AS reported significantly impaired health-related quality of life on all items of the SF-36 compared with the general population whereas female patients reported poorer health on three items only, namely physical functioning, general health and bodily pain. Mental health was mostly affected than physical role. The physical role was significantly higher in patients with high education level than in patients with low education level (p=0.01). Physical functioning was better in employed patients. All scales of SF-36 were correlated with BASFI, BASDAI and BAS-G. Only physical functioning and general health were correlated with BASMI.Conclusion: Impairment in the quality of life can be significantwhen suffering from AS, affecting mental health more than physicalhealth. Among disease parameters, functional impairment,disease activity, mobility limitation, and spinal pain were the most associated factors resulting to the deterioration of quality of life

Adaptive Fuzzy Observer-Based Fault-Tolerant Control for Takagi–Sugeno Descriptor Nonlinear Systems with Time Delay

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Learning Observer-based Robust H1 Fault-Tolerant Control for Takagi-Sugeno descriptor systems with time-delay

International audienceThis brief is concerned with the problem of learning observer-based robust H1 fault-tolerant Control (FTC) for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy descriptor systems with time-delay affected by both actuator faults and external disturbances. The proposed observer allows simultaneous estimation of system states and actuator faults. Based on the state estimation and the actuator fault reconstruction, a FTC is designed to maintain the performance of the faulty system. Using the H1 optimization technique, the analysis and design conditions of the fuzzy learning observer-based FTC are provided and then formulated into a set of delay-dependent linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) which can be solved in a single step. An example is finally presented to validate our findings

Adaptive observer-based H∞ FTC for T-S fuzzy systems. Application to cart motion model

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Delay-Partitioning Approach to State and Sensor/Actuator Fault Estimation for T-S Fuzzy Systems with Time-Delay

International audienceThis brief studies the problem of state and faultestimation for Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy systems with time delaysubject to simultaneously sensor/actuator faults and externaldisturbances. By extending the sensor faults as an auxiliary statevector, the original system is transformed into an augmenteddescriptor system. Adaptive Observer is proposed to achieve asimultaneous estimation of descriptor system states, actuator andsensor faults using the constrained H1 norm optimization. Basedon the Lyapunov functional method and delay-partitioning technique,delay-dependent design conditions of the fuzzy observerare derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Anexample is finally presented to validate our findings

Reinforcing effect of tramadol in the rat

International audienceTramadol is one of the most commonly prescribed analgesic opioids in various pharmacopeias. Tramadol has been linked to abuse in recent clinical investigations. However, the behavioral effects and neural substrates of the drug have not been well characterized in preclinical studies. As a result, the present study investigated the effects of tramadol on behavioral sensitizations in rats. Its impacts on cellular and molecular alterations in the brain were also investigated. In conditioned place preference (CPP) paradigm, tramadol induced behavioral as well as motor sensitizations. These effects were dramatically reduced by intraperitoneal administration of naltrexone, an opioid receptor antagonist. Tramadol caused changes in several molecular markers (pERK1/2, Δ-FosB, PKCγ, PKMζ GAD67) in the anterior cingulate cortex, which could indicate an increase in excitation within this structure. Tramadol is demonstrated in the present study to be a reinforcing drug in rats, as it increased both behavioral and motor sensitizations. Tramadol’s effects are most likely due to the high levels of excitation it causes in the brain, which is mostly caused by the activation of opioid receptors

The Neuroprotective Effect of Clove Essential Oil Against 6-Ohda-Induced Cell Death in Sh-Sy5y and A Rat Model of Parkinson's Disease

International audienceParkinson's Disease (PD) is the second most prevalent neurological disorder. Natural therapies are becoming more popular for preventing disease onset. Clove Essential Oil (CEO), a potent antioxidant derived from Syzygium aromaticum buds, was tested in vitro (SH-SY5Y) and in vivo (PD rat model) for its ability to protect against 6-OHDA-induced cell death. Twenty-four hours of SH-SY5Y cells' exposure to 6-OHDA (100µM) drastically decreased cell viability. At doses lesser than 20µg/ml, CEO and its main component Eugenol (EG) had no cytotoxic effect on SH-SY5Y. CEO and EG at doses of 2.5-20µg/ml provided significant neuroprotection against 6-OH-DA-induced cell death. A PD rat model was generated by injecting 6-OHDA (21µg/animal) unilaterally into the striatum. An assessment of motor performance can predict neuronal cell loss in the Substancia Nigra Compacta (SNc). Compared to 6-OHDA-lesioned, CEO-treated (10mg/Kg) rats' locomotor performance (actimetry and cylinder tests) improved significantly one and two weeks after 6-OHDA-lesion. Tyrosine Hydroxylase (TH) cell count showed a significant decrease in cell death in ipsilateral SNc in both CEOtreated and 6-OHDA-lesioned rats when compared to contralateral. In contrast to the 6-OHDA-lesioned group, the ipsilateral SNc of the CEO-treated group showed a significant high TH cell number. In the present study, the neuroprotective effect of CEO was demonstrated both in vitro and in vivo against 6-OHDA cytotoxicity. Therefore, CEO could be used as a food supplement for PD prevention

A comparative study of secondary metabolites profiling and biological activity of <i>Smyrnium olusatrum</i> L. leaf, flower and fruit

Essential oil (EO) composition of Smyrnium olusatrum was characterised by high proportion of furanosesquiterpenes (51.66–69.35%). The leaf methanolic extract composition was found to be rich with Quercetin-O-hexoside (39.78%). Apigenin 6,8-di-Chexoside represent the major component of flower (18.2%) and fruits (18.82%). Flower extract exhibited the highest contents of total phenolic (48.97 mg GAE/g) and flavonoid (52.63 mg RE/g). The β-carotene and lycopene contents were in the order of 4.55-26.14 mg/100g, and 8.00-49.45 mg/100g, respectively. Methanolic extracts and EOs of different organs were found to possess antioxidant activities, as determined by scavenging effect, chelating activity and β-carotene-linoleic acid model system. Furthermore, Fruit S. olusatrum EO exhibited a potent inhibitory activity against Acetylcholinesterase, while the methanolic extract showed a weaker activity. The methanolic extract displayed inhibitory effects on α-amylase, whereas the EOs was not as efficient in inhibiting this enzyme. The observed level of biological activities varied depending on the specific extracts and organs studied.</p