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Case Reports 2004; 25(Suppl 1): 133-136 PubMed PMID: 15735596 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Cost of Illness, Humans, Infant Care, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Intensive Care, Neonatal, Mothers:psychology, Narration, Time Factors,.   

: In this Letter, the author walks through 'Memory Lane'. She reflects upon the birth, growth and developmental trajectory of her third child who was born too soon, in a major Hospital in London. Her aim is to share her knowledge and experiences with other parents and professionals. The author acknowledges the feelings which is so common amongst mothers of preterm babies i.e. that the baby does not belong to them. Moreover, she reflects upon her participation in caring for her daughter, how overwhelming it all was and her joy when her child left hospital and is a healthy teenager....

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Letter 2004; 25(Suppl 1): 127-132 PubMed PMID: 15735595 Citation  Keywords:  Bronchopulmonary Dysplasia:therapy, Cost of Illness, Female, Home Care Services, Humans, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Mental Health, Mothers:psychology, Oxygen:therapeutic use, Time Factors,.   

: This study investigated the long-term influences on mothers' lives having managed an infant with bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BPD), on home oxygen. 16 mothers UK wide, whose children had been at home for over a year, formed this project, and completed a semi-structured questionnaire. All mothers displayed a high standard of literacy and were English/British by their own description with no indication of cross cultural or ethnic differences. Mothers, giving up jobs and careers to remain home, were the primary carers for their child, and experienced long term emotional distress, suffered from lowered self-esteem over many years, self-blame in some cases and grieved over many aspects of pregnancy, birth, babyhood and early childhood. The fear of infection led to these mothers keeping themselves and their children isolated, compounded for half the mothers who faced negative reactions from the community when they did go out with their child....

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Clinical Trial 2004; 25(6): 438-442 PubMed PMID: 15665807 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Estradiol:blood, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Humans, Hypothalamo-Hypophyseal System:drug effects, Klinefelter Syndrome:blood, Luteinizing Hormone:blood, Male, Naloxone:administration & dosage, Narcotic Antagonists:administration & dosage, P.   

UNLABELLED: AIM TO THE STUDY: The investigation of the influence of anti-opioid drug on hypophyseal and gonadal hormones secretion in case of Klinefelter syndrome.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: The naloxone test (0,4 mg iv) was performed in 14 patients with Klinefelter syndrome aged from 19 to 32 and in 12 age matched control subjects with azoospermia and normal spermatogenesis in testicular histology. The plasma levels of FSH, LH, prolactin, testosterone and estradiol were established before and after 30, 60, 60 and 120 minutes respectively, following the drug administration.

RESULTS: Basal FSH, prolactin and estradiol levels were significantly higher whereas basal testosterone was significantly lower in patients with Klinefelter syndrome than in the control group. After the naloxone administration the mean plasma prolactin level decreased significantly (p=0.01) in Klinefelter subjects. The respective diminution in control group was not significant. The levels of FSH and LH as well as testosterone and estradiol did not change during the naloxone test in both Klinefelter and control subjects.

CONCLUSIONS: The naloxone administration in Klinefelter syndrome caused the decrease in plasma prolactin levels but did not affect the plasma level of another hypophyseal and gonadal hormones. The opioid controlled gonadotropin secretion is altered in case of Klinefelter syndrome....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(6): 435-437 PubMed PMID: 15665806 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Alzheimer Disease:cerebrospinal fluid, Cognition Disorders:cerebrospinal fluid, Depression:cerebrospinal fluid, Dopamine:metabolism, Female, Homovanillic Acid:cerebrospinal fluid, Humans, Hydroxyindoleacetic Acid:cerebrospinal fluid, Male, Middle Ag.   

: In this study we investigated the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) concentrations of 5-hydroxyindoleacetic acid (5-HIAA) and homovanillic acid (HVA) in Alzheimer (AD) patients (n=75), patients with mild cognitive impairment (MCI, n=9) and patients with depression (n=7). CSF HVA was significantly elevated in AD with depression (Geriatric Depression Scale, 15 point version GDS>5) in comparison to AD without depression (p<0.05, ANOVA) and CSF HVA showed a significant positive correlation with the GDS score of AD-patients (p=0.03, Spearman Rho: 0.38, Spearman Rank Correlation). In the group of AD patients CSF 5-HIAA was positively correlated with cerebrospinal fluid beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta42), p<0.05, Spearman Rho: 0.3, Spearman Rank Correlation, but not with CSF tau. Additionally, there was a significant positive correlation between cerebrospinal fluid 5-HIAA and HVA in the group of AD patients (p<0.0001, Rho: 0.47, Spearman Rank correlation). Neither 5-HIAA nor HVA in CSF could differentiate between mild cognitive impairment, depression and AD. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the serotonergic system plays a role in the course of AD. They further suggest an important role of dopamine metabolism in depression within AD patients....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(6): 423-428 PubMed PMID: 15665804 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Carbon Monoxide:metabolism, Ganglia, Parasympathetic:metabolism, Heme Oxygenase (Decyclizing):metabolism, Heme Oxygenase-1, Humans, Immunohistochemistry, Membrane Proteins, Middle Aged, Oxidoreductases Acting on CH-CH Group Donors.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to localize in cranial ganglia of man the occurrence of the putative gaseous neural messenger carbon monoxide (CO) and the biliverdin degrading enzyme biliverdin reductase (BVR).

METHODS: Immunocytochemistry with antibodies against the CO-inducing enzymes HO-1, HO-2, BVR and calcitonin gene-related peptide was used.

RESULTS: In the trigeminal ganglion about 60% of the cell bodies exhibited HO-2- and about 40% BVR-immunoreactivity. HO-2- as well as BVR-immunoreactivity was predominantly (78%) expressed in medium-sized cells (30-60 microm). In the superior cervical ganglion about 40% of the cell bodies exhibited HO-2-immunoreactivity. In the sphenopalatine and otic ganglia only a few cell bodies were HO-2 immunoreactive. HO-1, the inducible isoform of heme oxygenase, gave only very weak immunoreactivity in all ganglia examined. Double immunostaining revealed that in the human trigeminal ganglion HO-2 and BVR co-localized with calcitonin gene-related peptide.

CONCLUSIONS: The finding suggests that CO might serve as a modulator of synaptic transmission in man....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(6): 415-418 PubMed PMID: 15665802 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Aging:metabolism, Analysis of Variance, Cohort Studies, Humans, Melatonin:metabolism, Middle Aged, Radioimmunoassay, Saliva:metabolism,.   

OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether melatonin levels in older cohorts within the 'aged' population were significantly lower than in younger 'aged' individuals and hence point to a possible confound in cross-sectional studies which group individuals over 55 in one category.

SETTING AND DESIGN: Melatonin levels of 35 North Queensland residents over 55 years of age living in an aged-care facility, a retirement village or the general community were compared across three age groups.

METHODS: Subjects were ten 56-65 year olds, eighteen 66-75 year olds and seven over-75 year olds. Information was obtained on sleep, awakening, medical conditions and medications, with subsequent exclusion of those with known medical conditions and/or medications. Melatonin was collected by salivary samples at 2200 hours and concentrations were determined by immunoassay.

RESULTS: Mean melatonin levels were significantly lower (p=.03) in the 'oldest' (over 75 yrs) group compared to the 'youngest' (56-65 yrs) group.

MAIN FINDINGS: The results of this preliminary study indicate that within the older population, melatonin levels appear to decline significantly with age.

CONCLUSIONS: Future studies of melatonin and ageing may benefit from a longitudinal approach, with older subjects sampled across time....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(6): 407-410 PubMed PMID: 15665800 Citation  Keywords:  Action Potentials, Animals, Entropy, Intralaminar Thalamic Nuclei:physiology, Male, Models, Neurological, Neuralgia:physiopathology, Nonlinear Dynamics, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Rhizotomy,.   

OBJECTIVES: A novel evaluative approach was used to determine single unit activities of non-bursting intralaminar thalamic nuclei under neuropathic pain state following dorsal rhizotomy.

SETTINGS AND DESIGN: Extensive dorsal rhizotomy at cervicothoracic level in rats was used as a model of central pain. After rhizotomy, rats were divided into two groups: rats without any signs of self-mutilation, and those presenting self-mutilation. Spontaneous single unit activities of neurons of intralaminar thalamic nuclei were recorded and interspike intervals (ISIs) of non-bursting cells were counted for both groups and compared with that of non-rhizotomized control rats. Chaodynamic methods were applied for the evaluation of the ISIs.

RESULTS: In control rats Lyapunov exponents, Shannon entropy and mutual information average values were significantly higher than those of rhizotomized rats without any signs of self-mutilation. Paradoxically, in animals presenting self-mutilation following rhizotomy the evaluated parameters were similar to those of controls. Further, Lyapunov exponents were positive values in all animals indicating chaotic pattern of the neuronal firing.

MAIN FINDINGS: 1. Neurons behave in chaotic way in all animals, 2. The most regular firing was found in non-mutilating rhizotomized animals, 3. Patterns of the firing in selfmutilating rats were similar to those in controls.

CONCLUSIONS: It is concluded that pain feeling is not executed neither by changes of chaotic dynamics of non-bursting intralaminar thalamic neurons. On the other hand, the paradoxical firing of the neurons under pathological brain matrix might participate in modification pain feeling....

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Journal Article 2004; 25(6): 403-406 PubMed PMID: 15665799 Citation  Keywords:  Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists:pharmacology, Adrenergic beta-Antagonists:pharmacology, Animals, Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental:drug therapy, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Insulin:blood, Islets of Langerhans:drug effects, Male, Oligopeptides:pharmacolog.   

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of ipamorelin (IPA), a novel pentapeptide with a strong growth hormone releasing potency, on insulin secretion from pancreatic tissue fragments of normal and diabetic rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Diabetes mellitus was induced by streptozotocin (60 mg kg(-1)). Four weeks after the induction of diabetes, pancreatic tissue fragments of normal and diabetic rats were removed and incubated with different concentrations (10(-12) - 10(-6) M) of IPA. Insulin release from the pancreas was measured by radioimmunoassay.

RESULTS: Ipamorelin evoked significant (p<0.04) increases in insulin secretion from the pancreas of normal and diabetic rats. Either diltiazem or yohimbine or propranolol or a combination of atropine, propranolol and yohimbine inhibited IPA-evoked insulin secretion significantly (p<0.03) from the pancreas of normal and diabetic rats. Atropine caused a significant (p<0.007) reduction in the IPA-induced insulin secretion in diabetic but not in normal rats.

CONCLUSION: IPA stimulates insulin release through the calcium channel and the adrenergic receptor pathways. This is the first study to examine the effect of ipamorelin on insulin secretion in the pancreas....

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