A randomised controlled trial of the Neuro Emotional Technique (NET) for childhood Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD): a protocol

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>An abundance of literature is dedicated to research for the treatment of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). Most, is in the area of pharmacological therapies with less emphasis in psychotherapy and psychosocial interventions and even less in the area of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM).</p> <p>The use of CAM has increased over the years, especially for developmental and behavioral disorders, such as ADHD. 60–65% of parents with children with ADHD have used CAM. Medical evidence supports a multidisciplinary approach (i.e. pharmacological and psychosocial) for the best clinical outcomes. The Neuro Emotional Technique (NET), a branch of Chiropractic, was designed to address the biopsychosocial aspects of acute and chronic conditions including non-musculoskeletal conditions. Anecdotally, it has been suggested that ADHD may be managed effectively by NET.</p> <p>Design/methods</p> <p>A placebo controlled, double blind randomised clinical trial was designed to assess the effectiveness of NET on a cohort of children with medically diagnosed ADHD.</p> <p>Children aged 5–12 years who met the inclusion criteria were randomised to one of three groups. The control group continued on their existing medical regimen and the intervention and placebo groups had the addition of the NET and sham NET protocols added to their regimen respectively. These two groups attended a clinical facility twice a week for the first month and then once a month for six months.</p> <p>The Conners' Parent and Teacher Rating Scales (CRS) were used at the start of the study to establish baseline data and then in one month and in seven months time, at the conclusion of the study. The primary outcome measures chosen were the Conners' ADHD Index and Conners' Global Index. The secondary outcome measures chosen were the DSM-IV: Inattentive, the DSM-IV:Hyperactive-Impulsive, and the DSM-IV:Total subscales from the Conners' Rating Scales, monitoring changes in inattention, hyperactivity and impulsivity.</p> <p>Calculations for the sample size were set with a significance level of 0.05 and the power of 80%, yielding a sample size of 93.</p> <p>Discussion</p> <p>The present study should provide information as to whether the addition of NET to an existing medical regimen can improve outcomes for children with ADHD.</p> <p>Trial registration</p> <p>Australian New Zealand Clinical Trial Registration Number: ANZCTRN 012606000332527</p

Overexpression of cathepsin K during silica-induced lung fibrosis and control by TGF-β

BACKGROUND: Lung fibrosis is characterized by tissue remodeling resulting from an imbalance between synthesis and degradation of extracellular organic matrices. To examine whether cathepsin(s) (Cat) are important in the development of pulmonary fibrosis, we assessed the expression of four Cat known for their collagenolytic activity in a model of silica-induced lung fibrosis. METHODS: Different strains of mice were transorally instilled with 2.5 mg crystalline silica or other particles. Cat expression (Cat K, S, L and B) was quantified in lung tissue and isolated pulmonary cells by quantitative RT-PCR. In vitro, we assessed the effect of different cytokines, involved in lung inflammatory and fibrotic responses, on the expression of Cat K by alveolar macrophages and fibroblasts. RESULTS: In lung tissue, Cat K transcript was the most strongly upregulated in response to silica, and this upregulation was intimately related to the fibrotic process. In mouse strains known for their differential response to silica, we showed that the level of Cat K expression following silica treatment was inversely related to the level of TGF-β expression and the susceptibility of these strains to develop fibrosis. Pulmonary macrophages and fibroblasts were identified as Cat K overproducing cells in the lung of silicotic mice. In vitro, Cat K was downregulated in mouse and human lung fibroblasts by the profibrotic growth factor TGF-β1. CONCLUSION: Altogether, these data suggest that while Cat K may contribute to control lung fibrosis, TGF-β appears to limit its overexpression in response to silica particles

Gene expression profile of aquaporin 1 and associated interactors in malignant pleural mesothelioma

Overexpression of AQP1 has recently been shown to be an independent prognostic factor in pleural mesothelioma favoring survival. This paper presents a data mining and bioinformatics approach towards the evaluation of the gene expression profile of AQP1 in malignant pleural mesothelioma and of AQP1 associated markers in the context of mesothelioma disease phenotype, CDKN2A gene deletion, sex and asbestos exposure. The data generated were thus again subjected to differential expression profile analysis. Here we report that AQP1 is overexpressed in epithelioid mesothelioma and identify TRIP6 and EFEMP2 as candidate genes for further investigation in mesothelioma. (C) 2013 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved