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Journal Article 2007; 28(3): 274-278 PubMed PMID: 17627261 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Body Height, Child, Child, Preschool, Female, Growth Disorders:blood, Human Growth Hormone:blood, Humans, Insulin-Like Growth Factor I:analysis, Male,.   

OBJECTIVES: Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) secretion is growth hormone (GH) dependent. However the data on using IGF-I assessment as a screening procedure in diagnosing GH deficiency are not consistent. The goal of the study was an analysis of the relations between GH secretion in stimulating tests and plasma IGF-I concentration.

PATIENTS & METHODS: The analysis comprised 540 children with short stature in whom two standard GH stimulating tests (GHST) were performed, together with an assessment of plasma IGF-I concentration. The relationships between GH peak in both tests and IGF-I secretion were analysed.

RESULTS: There was no correlation either between GH peaks in different tests or between GH and IGF-I secretion in particular patients. Moreover, both the mean IGF-I concentration was similar in the patients with normal and subnormal results of GHST and the mean GH peak in GHST presented similar in the groups of children with normal and decreased IGF-I secretion.

CONCLUSIONS: Assessment of IGF-I secretion fails to be a screening procedure for the results of GHST. The lack of correlation between the results of two GHST should be taken into account when evaluating the significance of GHST and IGF-I assessment in diagnosing GH deficiency....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(3): 267-273 PubMed PMID: 17627260 Citation  Keywords:  Acetamides:pharmacology, Animals, Autoradiography, Binding Sites, Brain:metabolism, Circadian Rhythm, Female, Melatonin:metabolism, Memory, Receptors, Melatonin:analysis, Stress, Psychological:physiopathology, Suprachiasmatic Nucleus:chemistry, Tupaiidae,.   

OBJECTIVE: In this study we investigated the distribution of melatonergic receptors in the tree shrew brain. The psychosocial stress in the tree shrew is a validated model of depression with disturbance of circadian rhythms.

METHODS: Given the role of melatonin in the modulation of circadian rhythms, we determined by autoradiography the distribution of binding sites of 2-[125I]-MLT, a ligand for the two melatonergic receptors MT1 and MT2, in the tree shrew brain focusing mostly on the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the biological clock involved in resynchronization of circadian rhythms. We also analyzed the distribution of 2-[125I]-MLT in other brain areas involved in regulation of mood.

RESULTS: Specific binding of 2-[125I]-MLT was found in the SCN. In addition, several structures in the tree shrew brain were labeled, among them the pars tuberalis, the cerebellum, structures of the hippocampal formation and dopaminergic areas such as the caudate putamen and nucleus accumbens, providing other potential targets of psychosocial stress in the tree shrew, in addition to the SCN.

CONCLUSIONS: The demonstration of melatonergic receptors in these brain areas supports their probable involvement in the behavioural, neuroendocrine and circadian rhythms disturbances observed in the psychosocial stress model of depression in the tree shrew....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(3): 259-266 PubMed PMID: 17627259 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Autoantibodies:blood, Autoimmune Diseases:immunology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Myoglobin:immunology, Myosins:immunology, Thyroid Diseases:immunology, Thyroxine:immunology, Triiodothyronine:immunology, Tropomyosin:immunol.   

OBJECTIVE: Anti-thyroglobulin, anti-thyroid-peroxidase and anti-TSH receptor antibodies have been observed with high frequency in autoimmune thyroid diseases. Thyroid hormone auto-antibodies (THAA): anti-thyroxine (T4) and anti-triiodothyronine (T3), conversely, have been reported rarely. In both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism, patients suffer from muscle weakness and function disorders. The aim of our study was the evaluation of the occurrence rate of autoantibodies targeting muscle proteins in a group of 24 patients with circulating anti-T3 and/or anti-T4 autoantibodies. The control group consisted of 41 healthy blood donors.

METHODS: In polyethylene tubes coated with muscle antigens: actin, myosin, myoglobin, troponin and tropomyosin solid-phase radioimmunoassay was performed to detect autoantibodies. A reaction with 125I-labelled staphylococcus protein A was used for the detection of antibodies bound to the antigens on the tubes.

RESULTS: We found a high occurrence of antibodies to muscle proteins in patients with THAA. Anti-myoglobin autoantibodies were most frequent (54.2% of subjects), the binding index values was very high and exceeded normal values two to four fold. Anti-myosin autoantibodies were detected in 50% of subjects; anti-troponin autoantibodies in 33.3%, and anti-tropomyosin autoantibody in 3 patients (12.5%). Differences between the patients and the controls were statistically significant. The antibody binding index to actin was low and statistically insignificant.

CONCLUSIONS: Our study indicates that muscle protein antibodies, especially to myoglobin, myosin and troponin, are very frequently present in patients with autoimmune thyroid disease and circulating anti-T3 and anti-T4 autoantibodies, as well as in most cases of chronic thyroiditis with clinical symptoms of hypothyroidisms....

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Letter 2007; 28(3): 250-251 PubMed PMID: 17627256 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Brain Stem Neoplasms:diagnostic imaging, Female, Glioma:diagnostic imaging, Humans, Indium Radioisotopes, Receptors, Somatostatin:analysis, Somatostatin:analogs & derivatives, Tomography, Emission-Computed, Single-Photon,.   

: In diffuse brainstem gliomas often surgical biopsies cannot be obtained. The diagnosis relies upon imaging criteria, first line being MRI. Gliomas generally express somatostatin receptors (SSTR), which might enable receptor imaging. We present the case of a female adolescent with acute onset of hallucinations, dysphagia and diplopia. MRI detected a suggestive large pontine glioma. This lesion presented with marked In-111-pentreotide tracer uptake. SSTR-scan provided information about SSTR-expression, tumour viability and extension. Radiopeptide therapy for selected patients might be discussed....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(Suppl 2): 27-29 PubMed PMID: 17558373 Citation  Keywords:  Anti-Bacterial Agents:therapeutic use, Child, Child, Preschool, Cross Infection:drug therapy, Drug Resistance, Bacterial, Enterobacteriaceae Infections:complications, Female, Humans, Infant, Infant, Newborn, Male, Meningitis, Bacterial:drug therapy, Risk .   

: Nosocomial neuroinfections due to Enterobacteriaceae represented 9.5% in our cohort of 171 cases of paediatric meningitis within last 15 years. Commonest etiologic agents was E. coli - 9 (50%) followed by Klebsiella pneumoniae - 3 (16,7%) and Enterobacter cloacae. Citrobacter freundii, Proteus mirabilis and Salmonella enteritidis (1 each). Commonest risk factors were neonatal age 13 - (72.2%), very low birth weight 5 (27.8%), craniocerebral trauma - 4 (22.2%) and neurosurgery - 5 (27.8%). All but 1 case were treated with antibiotics: 8 with III-rd and 3 with IV-th generation cephalosporins (ceftazidim, cefotaxim and cefepim) 2 with meropenem and 4 with ciprofloxacin: Nosocomial meningitis due to enterobacteriaceae was associated with significantly high mortality (29.9% vs. 15.1% in all cohort of pediatric meningitis - p<0.02)....

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Journal Article 2007; 28(Suppl 2): 20-21 PubMed PMID: 17558370 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Anti-Bacterial Agents:therapeutic use, Cefotaxime:therapeutic use, Ceftazidime:therapeutic use, Chi-Square Distribution, Child, Preschool, Chloramphenicol:therapeutic use, Cross Infection:drug therapy, Drug Therapy, Combination, Female, Gentam.   

: Risk factors, therapy and outcome of 15 cases of nosocomial meningitis due to Pseudomonas aeruginosa is reviewed. No difference in risk factors was found, however mortality for Ps. aeruginosa was significantly higher (33.3 vs 15.1% p<0.04)....

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Evaluation Studies 2007; 28(2): 191-198 PubMed PMID: 17435681 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Depression:diagnosis, Dissociative Disorders:diagnosis, Epilepsy:diagnosis, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Models, Theoretical, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Psychological Tests, Reproducibility of Results, Surveys and Que.   

OBJECTIVE: Dissociation is often defined as partial or total disconnection between memories of the past, awareness of identity and of immediate sensations, and control of bodily movements, often resulting from traumatic experiences, intolerable problems, or disturbed relationships. This type of reaction to a psychological and/or physical trauma has often various neurobiological consequences and its clinical assessment has received enormous interest in recent psychological and neuroscience research.

METHODS: Psychometric parameters of the Czech version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale were tested from the viewpoints of internal consistency, validity and factor structure, using data from a sample of n=783 adults, divided into three groups (epilepsy n=243, depression n=357, norm n=183), average age 39 years, SD=13.5.

RESULTS: Findings of this study demonstrated that reliability, validity and factor structure of the Czech version of the Dissociative Experiences Scale correspond to those of the original English version.

CONCLUSIONS: The Czech version of the questionnaire may be considered a suitable tool for estimating subjectively experienced dissociative symptoms....

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Clinical Trial 2007; 28(2): 106-109 PubMed PMID: 17435679 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Cognition:physiology, Depressive Disorder:blood, Electrocardiography, Female, Gyrus Cinguli:physiopathology, Heart Rate, Humans, Hydrocortisone:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Neuropsychological Tests, Task Performance and Analysis,.   

OBJECTIVE: According to recent findings detecting a cognitive conflict is related to activation of anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) and central autonomic network. Several recent findings also suggest the hypothesis that the cognitive conflict is related to specific nonlinear chaotic changes of the neural signal. This conflict related activation elicits autonomic responses which can be assessed by psychophysiological measures such as heart rate variability calculated as beat to beat R-R intervals (RRI).

METHOD: The present study used Stroop word-colour test as an experimental approach to psychophysiological study of cognitive conflict in connection with RRI measurement, assessment of serum cortisol and calculation of largest Lyapunov exponents in nonlinear data analysis of RRI time series in 30 patients with unipolar depression.

RESULTS: Significant correlation -0.45 (p<0.01) between largest Lyapunov exponents during conflicting Stroop task and serum cortisol levels has been found.

CONCLUSIONS: The study indicates that a defect of neural inhibition during conflicting Stroop task is closely related to decreased serum cortisol levels which probably reflect defense psychological mechanisms....

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