Cerebrospinal fluid biomarker candidates associated with human WNV neuroinvasive disease

During the last decade, the epidemiology of WNV in humans has changed in the southern regions of Europe, with high incidence of West Nile fever (WNF) cases, but also of West Nile neuroinvasive disease (WNND). The lack of human vaccine or specific treatment against WNV infection imparts a pressing need to characterize indicators associated with neurological involvement. By its intimacy with central nervous system (CNS) structures, modifications in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) composition could accurately reflect CNS pathological process. Until now, few studies investigated the association between imbalance of CSF elements and severity of WNV infection. The aim of the present study was to apply the iTRAQ technology in order to identify the CSF proteins whose abundances are modified in patients with WNND. Forty-seven proteins were found modified in the CSF of WNND patients as compared to control groups, and most of them are reported for the first time in the context of WNND. On the basis of their known biological functions, several of these proteins were associated with inflammatory response. Among them, Defensin-1 alpha (DEFA1), a protein reported with anti-viral effects, presente

Analysis of the effects of sex hormone background on the rat choroid plexus transcriptome by cDNA microarrays

The choroid plexus (CP) are highly vascularized branched structures that protrude into the ventricles of the brain, and form a unique interface between the blood and the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), the blood-CSF barrier, that are the main site of production and secretion of CSF. Sex hormones are widely recognized as neuroprotective agents against several neurodegenerative diseases, and the presence of sex hormones cognate receptors suggest that it may be a target for these hormones. In an effort to provide further insight into the neuroprotective mechanisms triggered by sex hormones we analyzed gene expression differences in the CP of female and male rats subjected to gonadectomy, using microarray technology. In gonadectomized female and male animals, 3045 genes were differentially expressed by 1.5-fold change, compared to sham controls. Analysis of the CP transcriptome showed that the top-five pathways significantly regulated by the sex hormone background are olfactory transduction, taste transduction, metabolism, steroid hormone biosynthesis and circadian rhythm pathways. These results represent the first overview of global expression changes in CP of female and male rats induced by gonadectomy and suggest that sex hormones are implicated in pathways with central roles in CP functions and CSF homeostasis

Cognitive dysfunction in major depression and Alzheimer's disease is associated with hippocampus–prefrontal cortex dysconnectivity

Dayalan Sampath,1 Monica Sathyanesan,1,2 Samuel S Newton1,2 1Division of Basic Biomedical Sciences, Sanford School of Medicine, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, 2Sioux Falls VA Healthcare System, Sioux Falls, SD, USA Abstract: Cognitive dysfunction is prevalent in psychiatric disorders. Deficits are observed in multiple domains, including working memory, executive function, attention, and information processing. Disability caused by cognitive dysfunction is frequently as debilitating as the prominent emotional disturbances. Interactions between the hippocampus and the prefrontal cortex are increasingly appreciated as an important link between cognition and emotion. Recent developments in optogenetics, imaging, and connectomics can enable the investigation of this circuit in a manner that is relevant to disease pathophysiology. The goal of this review is to shed light on the contributions of this circuit to cognitive dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders, focusing on Alzheimer’s disease and depression. Keywords: hippocampus, prefrontal cortex, cognition, depression, Alzheimer’s diseas

A Modified Laparoscopic Technique for the Removal of Nonfragmentable Giant Gastric Trichobezoar

Bezoars are usually defined as collections of nondigestible matter that most commonly accumulates in the stomach and can sometimes extend to the small bowel. Trichobezoars are a rare entity which is most commonly observed in young psychiatric females with trichotillomania and trichophagia. Here, we report a case of giant gastric trichobezoar and a novel technique of laparoscopic removal in a 16 year old female with trichophagia. The giant gastric trichobezoar weighing about half a kilogram was removed en masse laparoscopically by a novel technique. She had an uneventful postoperative recovery and was discharged after psychiatric counseling