Review article Prevalence and clinical specificity of fatigue symptoms in chronic fatigue syndrome, multiple sclerosis, and myasthenia gravis

This article provides a critical review of the psychological and related literature on fatigue resulting in both mental and physical experiences. On one hand, prolonged severe fatigue is a prominent disabling symptom in various diseases of different aetiology – psychiatric (e.g. depression), somatic (e.g. some infections) and neurologic (e.g. multiple sclerosis, myasthenia gravis). For instance, fatigue is a main symptom of myasthenia that leads to pathological skeletal muscle weakness. Furthermore, 40 to 90 per cent of individuals suffering from multiple sclerosis confirm they have experienced fatigue, which impairs their cognitive functioning. In both multiple sclerosis and myasthenia, fatigue has not only a physical but also a psychological dimension. On the other hand, fatigue can be seen as an isolated set of symptoms of unknown origin called the chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS). The development of the concept, diagnostic criteria and some strategies of coping with CFS are presented. Various somatic disorders, as well as subjective cognitive and emotional complaints, are common and well documented in patients with CFS. The most typical include depression, as well as problems with concentration of attention, decision-making and reasoning in complex situations. However, general intellectual abilities and higher order cognitive skills are intact. Directions for future research are outlined

Personality in Patients With Takotsubo Cardiomyopathy

The last few years have seen an increase in the awareness of a specific heart disease referred to as takotsubo cardiomyopathy. The evidence from the literature demonstrates that psychological variables (especially personality traits) can have a significant impact on the manifestations of different heart diseases. Little is known, however, about the psychological characteristics of takotsubo patients. The primary purpose of this research was to extract the specific personality traits of patients with takotsubo syndrome. Our research covered 76 participants divided into three groups: the clinical group—patients with takotsubo cardiomyopathy (n = 30); Comparison Group 1—individuals with acute myocardial infarction group (n = 21); and Comparison Group 2—heart-healthy persons (n = 25). The study included psychological tests and an MRI examination. The psychological methods used in the research were the NEO Personality Inventory, the Type D Scale, and the assessment of the occurrence of stressful life events. Most takotsubo patients reported stressful life events before the occurrence of takotsubo symptoms. In our studies, it was not typical for takotsubo to be associated type D personality. Takotsubo patients have experienced negative emotions but do not suppress their emotions and participate socially without emotional inhibitions. Moreover, patients are open to experience, have average self-control, and tend to be dutiful and dependable. It is possible that these personality traits could facilitate the healing process

Comparative Study of Various Procedures for Extracting Doxorubicin from Animal Tissue Samples

This article presents a comparative study of selected deproteinization-, liquid–liquid-extraction- (LLE), and solid-phase-extraction (SPE)-based procedures for the isolation of doxorubicin (DOX) and daunorubicin (DAU) as an internal standard (IS) from rat tissue samples. During the experiments, all samples were analyzed via liquid chromatography coupled with fluorescence detection (LC-FL), with analytes being monitored at excitation and emission wavelengths of 487 and 555 nm, respectively. The absolute recoveries of the sample-preparation procedure were then calculated and compared, and the advantages and disadvantages of each approach were considered in depth. Ultimately, SPE with hydrophilic–lipophilic balanced (HLB) sorbents was selected as the most effective extraction procedure as it enabled the absolute recovery of DOX from tissue samples at a level of 91.6 ± 5.1%. Next, the selected HLB-SPE protocol was coupled with LC-FL separation and the resultant method was validated according to FDA and ICH requirements. The validation data confirmed that the developed procedure met all required criteria for bioanalytical methods, with a limit of detection (LOD) and limit of quantification (LOQ) of 0.005 µg/g and 0.01 µg/g, respectively. Finally, the developed protocol was successfully tested on various rat tissues enriched with DOX, confirming its potential as an interesting alternative to previously reported protocols for pharmacokinetic studies and clinical investigations aimed at analysis of the level and biodistribution of DOX in tissue samples after systemic administration of this drug

Effects of Fe₃O₄ Magnetic Nanoparticle Functionalization with Ionic Liquids and a Double-Chained Surfactant on the Pretreatment of Plasma Samples during Drug Extraction

Ionic liquids (ILs), also known as “designer solvents,” comprise a large group of compounds that can improve overall sample preparation performance due to their unique physical and chemical properties. Some of them have a comparable structure to surfactants, which can be also considered as effective extraction solvents. In this study, nine different ILs and a double-chained surfactant were investigated as potential coating materials for iron oxide-based nanoparticles (NPs) used in the pretreatment of human plasma samples. Various methods of synthesizing and functionalizing NPs were employed in fabricating the magnetic sorbents, with the physicochemical properties of the resultant extraction phases (i.e., naked NPs, NPs coated with silica, and NPs coated with silica and selected IL or surfactant) being characterized via X-ray diffraction (XRD), Fourier transform infrared (FT-IR) spectroscopy, thermogravimetric analysis (TG), and transmission electron microscopy (TEM). The effectiveness of the developed NP-based extraction phases was tested by applying them for the extraction of epirubicin hydrochloride (EPI) from plasma samples, followed by analysis via liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection (LC-FL). The results showed that NPs coated with both silica and IL or silica and surfactant provided significantly higher extraction efficiency compared to naked NPs and NPs coated solely with silica. Additionally, the findings also revealed that the adsorption of analytes depends not only on the coating procedure but also on the type of coating material used to functionalize the NPs. Among the tested structures, didodecyldimethylammonium bromide provided the best performance for the functionalization of NP sorbents previously coated with silica

The Effect of Clozapine and Novel Glutamate Modulator JNJ-46356479 on Nitrosative Stress in a Postnatal Murine Ketamine Model of Schizophrenia

Schizophrenia (SZ) is a heterogeneous mental disorder, affecting ~1% of the worldwide population. One of the main pathophysiological theories of SZ is the imbalance of excitatory glutamatergic pyramidal neurons and inhibitory GABAergic interneurons, involving N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAr). This may lead to local glutamate storms coupled with excessive dendritic pruning and subsequent cellular stress, including nitrosative stress, during a critical period of neurodevelopment, such as adolescence. Nitrosative stress is mediated by nitric oxide (NO), which is released by NO synthases (NOS) and has emerged as a key signaling molecule implicated in SZ. Regarding glutamatergic models of SZ, the administration of NMDAr antagonists has been found to increase NOS levels in the prefrontal cortex (PFC) and ventral hippocampus (HPC). We hypothesized that suboptimal NOS function in adolescence could be a target for early treatments, including clozapine (CLZ) and the novel metabotropic glutamate receptor modulator JNJ-46356479 (JNJ). We analyzed the protein levels of NOS isoforms in adult PFC and HPC of a postnatal ketamine induced murine model of SZ receiving CLZ or JNJ during adolescence by western blot. Endothelial NOS and neuronal NOS increased under ketamine administration in PFC and decreased in CLZ or JNJ treatments. The same trends were found in the HPC in neuronal NOS. In contrast, inducible NOS was increased under JNJ treatment with respect to ketamine induction in the HPC, and the same trends were found in the PFC. Taken together, our findings suggest a misbalance of the NOS system following NMDAr antagonist administration, which was then modulated under early CLZ and JNJ treatments