Classification based on rules and thyroids dysfunctions

This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Gibert, K.; Sonicki, Z. Classification based on rules and thyroids dysfunctions. "Applied stochastic models and data analysis", Octubre 1999, vol. 15, núm. 4, p. 319-324, which has been published in final form at http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1002/(SICI)1526-4025(199910/12)15:4%3C319::AID-ASMB396%3E3.0.CO;2-H/abstract. This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance with Wiley Terms and Conditions for Use of Self-Archived Versions. This article may not be enhanced, enriched or otherwise transformed into a derivative work, without express permission from Wiley or by statutory rights under applicable legislation. Copyright notices must not be removed, obscured or modified. The article must be linked to Wiley’s version of record on Wiley Online Library and any embedding, framing or otherwise making available the article or pages thereof by third parties from platforms, services and websites other than Wiley Online Library must be prohibited.Classification in ill-structured domains (ISD) is a difficult problem for the actual statistical and artificial intelligence techniques, because of the intrinsic characteristics of those domains. Classification based on rules is our proposal to overcome the limitations of Statistics and Artificial Intelligence techniques referred to in this particular context. In this paper, an application of the classification based on rules to a set of real data is presented. Data base is about thyroid function and data was provided by a hospital from Zagreb (Croatia) covering a period of two years.Peer ReviewedPostprint (author's final draft

Depressive Disorder as Possible Risk Factor of Osteoporosis

Hipothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a very complicated control system playing an important role in stress reaction, where glucocorticoids suppress the autonomic (vegetative), endocrine, immunologic and psychic responses to stressful stimuli. We described the marked clinical, physiological, and biochemical connection between osteoporosis and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both conditions are associated with a hyperactive HPA axis and LC/NE system, and hence with increased CRH, cortisol, and catecholamine secretion. There are numerous states or diseases associated with osteoporosis and we were looking for a hypercorticism value as a one of these. Some recent studies demonstrated that earlier history of MDD was associated with marked osteoporosis. In MDD there are two well-documented biochemical abnormalities: hypercortisolism and its resistance to dexamethasone suppression. The present study included 31 MDD patients (19 males and 12 females, mean age 37 1.3, age range 29–41 years), and 17 healthy male volunteers (mean age 39 1.6, age range 34–45 years). In each of our patients 24-hour urinary free cortisol, serum cortisol level at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., cortisol in dexamethasone suppression test and bone mineral density were measured. We have, therefore, analyzed a group of young men and women with normal menstrual cycles, who were without signs of osteoporosis in the beginning, and who received anti-depressive therapy for many years. Analysis showed that increased levels of cortisol and the occurrence of osteoporosis, that developed as the result of elevated cortisol level. For our workshop we used nonparametric rang-correlation with Spearman’s ro = –0.805, with statistic significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Patients under long-term history of depression could develop a very stronger type of osteoporosis i.e. it is before known that the patients with untreated Cushing syndrome developed hard osteoporosis

Association of MAPT haplotype‐tagging polymorphisms with cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers of Alzheimer's disease: A preliminary study in a Croatian cohort

Introduction: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the world leading cause of dementia. Early detection of AD is essential for faster and more efficacious usage of therapeutics and preventive measures. Even though it is well known that one ε4 allele of apolipoprotein E gene increases the risk for sporadic AD five times, and that two ε4 alleles increase the risk 20 times, reliable genetic markers for AD are not yet available. Previous studies have shown that microtubule‐associated protein tau (MAPT) gene polymorphisms could be associated with increased risk for AD. Methods: The present study included 113 AD patients and 53 patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), as well as nine healthy controls (HC) and 53 patients with other primary causes of dementia. The study assessed whether six MAPT haplotype‐tagging polymorphisms (rs1467967, rs242557, rs3785883, rs2471738, del–In9, and rs7521) and MAPT haplotypes are associated with AD pathology, as measured by cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) AD biomarkers amyloid β1–42 (Aβ1–42), total tau (t‐tau), tau phosphorylated at epitopes 181 (p‐tau181), 199 (p‐tau199), and 231 (p‐tau231), and visinin‐like protein 1 (VILIP‐1). Results: Significant increases in t‐tau and p‐tau CSF levels were found in patients with AG and AA MAPT rs1467967 genotype, CC MAPT rs2471738 genotype and in patients with H1H2 or H2H2 MAPT haplotype. Conclusions: These results indicate that MAPT haplotype‐tagging polymorphisms and MAPT haplotypes should be further tested as potential genetic biomarkers of AD

Depressive Disorder as Possible Risk Factor of Osteoporosis

Hipothalamo-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis is a very complicated control system playing an important role in stress reaction, where glucocorticoids suppress the autonomic (vegetative), endocrine, immunologic and psychic responses to stressful stimuli. We described the marked clinical, physiological, and biochemical connection between osteoporosis and major depressive disorder (MDD). Both conditions are associated with a hyperactive HPA axis and LC/NE system, and hence with increased CRH, cortisol, and catecholamine secretion. There are numerous states or diseases associated with osteoporosis and we were looking for a hypercorticism value as a one of these. Some recent studies demonstrated that earlier history of MDD was associated with marked osteoporosis. In MDD there are two well-documented biochemical abnormalities: hypercortisolism and its resistance to dexamethasone suppression. The present study included 31 MDD patients (19 males and 12 females, mean age 37 1.3, age range 29–41 years), and 17 healthy male volunteers (mean age 39 1.6, age range 34–45 years). In each of our patients 24-hour urinary free cortisol, serum cortisol level at 8 a.m. and 5 p.m., cortisol in dexamethasone suppression test and bone mineral density were measured. We have, therefore, analyzed a group of young men and women with normal menstrual cycles, who were without signs of osteoporosis in the beginning, and who received anti-depressive therapy for many years. Analysis showed that increased levels of cortisol and the occurrence of osteoporosis, that developed as the result of elevated cortisol level. For our workshop we used nonparametric rang-correlation with Spearman’s ro = –0.805, with statistic significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). Patients under long-term history of depression could develop a very stronger type of osteoporosis i.e. it is before known that the patients with untreated Cushing syndrome developed hard osteoporosis