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Comparative Study 2008; 29(6): 990-994 PubMed PMID: 19112411 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antipsychotic Agents:administration & dosage, Chi-Square Distribution, Early Diagnosis, Female, Humans, Longitudinal Studies, Male, Middle Aged, Outcome Assessment (Health Care), Prognosis, Psychotic Disorders:complications, Retrospective Studies, .   

OBJECTIVES: A long duration of untreated psychosis (DUP) is known to be associated with a poorer prognosis and with worse symptomatic and functional outcome. The aim of the study was to test the hypothesis that early detection and treatment with antipsychotics in the prodromal phase of the illness improves the outcome; to compare short and long-term outcome in patients with DUP longer than 1 year (group 1) with patients that were treated already in the prodromal phase of the disease (group 0).

DESIGN AND SETTING: Eighty-seven patients with schizophrenia were included to the retrospective study, 37 patients to group 0 and 50 patients to group 1. The course and outcome of the disease was studied in the two groups. The severity of schizophrenia was evaluated by measuring several outcome parameters. The symptom severity was evaluated using a check list developed from CAARMS inventory; the average daily dose of antipsychotics was calculated as well as the number and duration of hospital admissions. Groups were compared during the acute psychosis of first episode (t1) and at the conclusion of the study (t2).

RESULTS: More symptoms of greater intensity were present during the first and second evaluations in group 1 as compared to group 0 patients. The patients in group 0 needed lower dosages of antipsychotics even several years after treatment had been initiated. This effect persisted until the final evaluation; 11% were without antipsychotics at the conclusion of the study. Patients in group 1 were hospitalized more frequently; they needed more hospitalizations and these were of longer duration. Only 38% of patients in group 0 were treated in the hospital, 27% were hospitalized only once.

CONCLUSIONS: Better outcome can be achieved with early antipsychotic treatment. Patients with long DUP differ from patients who were treated already in the prodromal phase in several outcome measures....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 884-888 PubMed PMID: 19112410 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Animals, Dopamine:genetics, Gene Knockdown Techniques, Inverted Repeat Sequences:genetics, Myelin Proteins:metabolism, Nogo Proteins, PC12 Cells, RNA Interference:physiology, RNA, Messenger:analysis, Rats,.   

OBJECTIVES: Reticulon proteins, which are localized in the endoplasmic reticulum, have recently been shown to be involved in hormone secretion, in particular RTN1 and RTN3. The aim of the present study was to examine the effects of Nogo-A gene expression knockdown by RNA interference (RNAi) on dopamine release in PC12 cells.

METHODS: A small hairpin RNA (shRNA) eukaryotic expression vector, targeting the Nogo-A gene, was constructed and transfected into cultured PC12 cells by lipofecamine2000. Inhibition of Nogo-A gene expression was detected by semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR and Western blot analysis. Following transfection, dopamine release was detected by high performance liquid chromatography.

RESULTS: The pGenesil-1-Nogo-A-2 plasmid was identified by gene sequencing. After transfection of the recombinant vector in PC12 cells, Nogo-A gene expression was significantly inhibited (p<0.01). Compared with the empty vector control group, dopamine release significantly decreased within 48 hours after transfection.

CONCLUSION: Results from this study suggest that Nogo-A might be involved in the mechanism of DA release in PC12 cells....

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Evaluation Studies 2008; 29(6): 939-948 PubMed PMID: 19112409 Citation  Keywords:  Algorithms, Case-Control Studies, Child, Child, Preschool, Cluster Analysis, Computational Biology, Computer Simulation, Databases as Topic, Diagnosis, Computer-Assisted:instrumentation, Electroencephalography, Epilepsy:complications, Humans, Language Dev.   

: At present, more and more researchers are applying tested mathematical-engineering methods into different domains of life. One of these areas is helping people with different forms of disabilities. Research in this area is focused on searching for the relation between clinical and electrophysiological symptoms of children with developmental dysphasia. Sleep EEG and speech analyses are the primary areas under discussion, while the finding of methods acceptable for improvement of the diagnosis and determination of therapeutic procedures is the research topic. It is possible to reduce fundamentally, or to cure optimally these disorders in advanced diagnosis. Therefore it is important to search for new methods and to combine what has been used separately till now....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 924-928 PubMed PMID: 19112408 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Cell Line, Tumor, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Enzyme Activation:drug effects, Ginsenosides:pharmacology, Humans, Medicine, Traditional, Neprilysin:drug effects, Neuroblastoma, Neurons:drug effects, Neuroprotective Agents:pharma.   

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the effect of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 on Neprilysin (NEP) activity in SK-N-SH cells, and probe the underlying mechanism.

METHODS: The effects of ginsenosides Rb1 and Rg1 on NEP activity were analyzed by NEP peptidase assay. Western blot was used to determine NEP gene expression at translational level, and RT-PCR was also performed to detect NEP gene expression at transcriptional level.

RESULTS: NEP peptidase assay indicated that ginsenoside Rb1 can improve the activity of NEP, and RT-PCR and western blot results showed that the enhancement of NEP activity by ginsenoside Rb1 was due to enhancing NEP gene expression, while Rg1 did not have this effect.

CONCLUSION: Our studies showed that ginsenoside Rb1 can enhance NEP activity by upregulating NEP gene expression. Our findings might offer a pharmacological explanation for the use of ginseng in traditional medicine....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 911-916 PubMed PMID: 19112407 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Animals, Capsaicin:pharmacology, Cells, Cultured, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drug Interactions, Galanin:administration & dosage, Ganglia, Spinal:cytology, Irritants:pharmacology, RNA, Messenger:analysis, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Se.   

OBJECTIVES: To determine the effect of exogenous galanin on capsaicin-evoked substance P (SP) release from primary cultured embryonic rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons.

METHODS: DRG was dissected out from embryonic 15-day-old Wistar rat and cultured as dissociated cells for 2 days then exposed to galanin (1 nmol/L, 10 nmol/L, 100 nmol/L). After 4 days incubation with exogenous galanin, the levels of mRNAs for SP and vanilloid receptor 1 (VR1) and protein for VR1 were estimated by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Basal SP release and capsaicin-evoked SP release levels were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA).

RESULTS: The amount of VR1 mRNA and VR1 protein expression and capsaicin-evoked SP release in cultured DRG neurons increased significantly after incubation with exogenous galanin compared with control DRG neurons at the same time point, whereas the amount of SP mRNA and basal SP release were not affected after incubation with exogenous galanin.

DISCUSSION: Exogenous galanin may promote capsaicin-evoked SP release from primary cultured DRG neurons. The elevation of the levels of VR1 mRNA and VR1 protein induced by exogenous galanin implicated that VR1 may be involved in the mechanisms of SP release evoked by capsaicin....

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Evaluation Studies 2008; 29(6): 1045-153 PubMed PMID: 19112404 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Child, Cost of Illness, Cross-Cultural Comparison, Czech Republic, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1:psychology, Female, Health Status, Humans, Male, Parents:psychology, Quality of Life:psychology, Reproducibility of Resul.   

: Type 1 diabetes mellitus is a chronic health condition which affects approximately 750 thousand diabetics in the Czech Republic out of whom 3300 are children at the age of 8-18 years. The effects of illness and treatment go beyond medical control therefore evaluation of quality of life (QOL) is vital for children and adolescents with diabetes in order to examine how diabetes and its complicated and demanding treatment regimen affects their various life domains - family relationships, school, social activities, etc. Health related quality of life has been recognized as an important pediatric outcome measure in the past years and therefore health related quality of life of these children and adolescents was evaluated. The Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory 4.0 (PedsQL) and PedsQL 3.0 Module Diabetes were translated into the Czech language and administered to 79 children with diabetes and 79 parents. The objective of this study was to examine general and health related quality of life of children with diabetes at the age of 8-18. Results showed, that children endorse greater QOL in both general and diabetes related scales compared to their parents. Also, the concordance in reports of parents and children of QOL in children was variable. With regard to the aim of the research to determine whether QOL outcomes are predicted by duration of diabetes, results show that the duration of diabetes is a significant predictor of QOL in children. These results of QOL in children in the Czech Republic are then compared with the outcomes available from abroad....

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Journal Article 2008; 29(6): 949-952 PubMed PMID: 19112403 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Autoantibodies:blood, Embryo Transfer, Female, Fertilization in Vitro, Follicle Stimulating Hormone:blood, Humans, Infertility, Female:immunology, Ovary:immunology, Ovulation:immunology, Reproductive Techniques, Assisted, Young Adult,.   

OBJECTIVE: This study was to investigate the effects of antiovarian antibodies (AOA) on ovarian responsiveness in vitro fertilization and embryo transfer (IVF/ET).

METHODS: 233 infertility women younger than 36 years undergone IVF/ET because of single salpingemphraxis were attended in the study, whose fast blood was taken to detect serum AOA by ELISA. Among them there were 35 women with serum AOA positive composed the study group and the other with serum AOA negative composed the control. Ovarian volume, antral follicle number, basal FSH, gonadotropin dosage and recollected oocytes were compared between the 2 groups.

RESULT(S): There's no difference in ovarian volume between serum AOA positive group with negative group, P>0.05. The number of antral follicles was less and basal FSH was higher in AOA positive group than in control, P<0.05; what's more, the ampoules of gonadotrophin consumed in AOA positive group exceed significantly in control, and less recollected oocytes in AOA positive group than in control, P<0.01. Of the 233 infertility women, the serum AOA positive rate was 73.08% in the women who got less than 5 recollected oocytes, significantly higher than the other women in the study, P<0.01.

CONCLUSION(S): The existing of anti-ovarian antibodies had suppressive effects on the ovarian responsiveness in ovarian stimulation in IVF/ET cycle and on ovarian function. AOA should be detected before IVF/ET to evaluate ovarian responsiveness and further treatment seems necessary....

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Case Reports 2008; 29(6): 1021-105 PubMed PMID: 19112402 Citation  Keywords:  Abdomen:microbiology, Cross Infection:complications, Enterocolitis, Necrotizing:etiology, Fatal Outcome, Female, Humans, Infant, Low Birth Weight, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Intensive Care, Neonatal, Male, Mucormycosis:complications,.   

BACKGROUND: The nosocomial occurrence of mycotic infections negatively affects results of the neonatal care in newborns in the sense of their increased mortality and morbidity.

AIM: The communication presented here is focused on an analysis of predisposing factors and clinical patterns of infections induced with mucormycosis strains. The authors provided an analysis of six case reports concerning newborns that died in association with nosocomial infections, where mucormycosis strains were microbiologically and microscopically detected in autopsy.

RESULTS: The newborns in the group considered died due to general metabolic breakdown induced by peritonitis based on the large intestine perforation - enterocolitis. The predisposing factors include low birth-weight, asphyxia after the delivery, catheterization of umbilical veins and v. cava inferior and introduction of the endotracheal ventilation. Nosocomial nature of the infection propagation is suggested by a delayed onset of manifestations after the delivery.

CONCLUSION: The authors point out the possibility of the origination of nosocomial infection induced with mucormycotic strains. Thus, they recommend adhering to a strict anti-epidemic regimen at neonatal departments with a particular emphasis put on consequent prohibiting of the storage and use of food at the departments. They emphasize the fact that the most frequent clinical pattern induced with mucormycotic strains in newborns with low birth-weight is necrotizing enterocolitis. They also stress the fact that the final diagnosis of the infection is most typically established based on the histological examination only....

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