Search NEL Online

Journal Article 2011; 32(4): 453-457 PubMed PMID: 21876501 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Cervix Uteri:anatomy & histology, Female, Fertilization in Vitro, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Mass Screening:methods, Predictive Value of Tests, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Trimester, Third, Premature Birth:diagnosis, Risk Factors, Sensitivity and Specificit.   

OBJECTIVES: To verify the relation between pregnancy duration and cervical length (CL) at 22-24 wks of spontaneous and IVF singleton gestations and to assess its predictive value for preterm delivery (< 37 wks).

MATERIAL & METHODS: CL at 22-24 wks was performed according to FMF recommendations in 344 women who conceived spontaneously and in 107 IVF singleton pregnancies. The results of CL in both groups were divided into subgroups: ≤ 29 mm, 30-34 mm; 35-39 mm; 40-44 mm; 45-49 mm and ≥ 50 mm. They were subsequently correlated with mean durations of gestation within subgroups and parameters of accuracy were calculated. Correlation and regression analysis was performed.

RESULTS: The average age of women in both groups was 28.1 y.o. (SD=4.2 years) and 33.4 y.o. (SD=4.1 years), respectively. The mean gestation age at delivery was 38.9 wks (SD=2.1 wks) vs. 37.9 wks (SD=2.3 wks) and the rate of prematurity equaled 7% vs. 15%, respectively. Regardless the method of conception there is a positive correlation between the CL and the duration of gestation. The regression analysis showed that the significant increase in pregnancy duration was correlated with CL ≥ 35 mm (correlation coefficient greater for spontaneous vs. IVF: rxy=0.418 vs rxy=0.341; p<0.001). All CL parameters of accuracy were better for spontaneous in comparison to IVF pregnancies.

CONCLUSIONS: IVF singleton pregnancy carries additional risk factors for preterm delivery. Therefore mid-gestational cervical length is less sensitive predictor than in spontaneous singleton gestations....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Comparative Study 2011; 32(4): 518-525 PubMed PMID: 21876492 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Body Mass Index, Cholesterol, HDL:blood, Cholesterol, LDL:blood, Cognition:physiology, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1:complications, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2:complications, Female, Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated:metabolism, Humans, Male, Memory Disorders:e.   

OBJECTIVES: The goal of the study was an evaluation of differences in working memory effectiveness between patients with type 1 and type 2DM. It was also attempted to ascertain whether the level of diabetes control is associated with working memory effectiveness.

METHODS: 62 subjects were enrolled into the study. All patients were divided into two groups: patients with type 1DM (n=31) and with type 2DM (n=31). The Trail Making Test (TMT) and the Stroop Test were used for evaluation of working memory effectiveness. Diabetes control indicators included: glycated haemoglobin (HbA1C) level, total cholesterol concentration, HDL and LDL cholesterol concentration and body mass index (BMI).

RESULTS: The patients with type 1DM obtained a significantly lower time in the execution of TMT, part B (p=0.01) and of RCNb (p=0.01) and NCWd (p=0.01) versions of the Stroop Test, while making significantly less errors in NCWd version (p=0.01). Significant correlations were demonstrated between BMI values and the rate of execution of TMT, part B (p=0.03), as well as the rate of execution of RCNb (p=0.04) and NCWd (p=0.01) versions of the Stroop Test. Total cholesterol level was significantly correlated with the rate of execution of TMT, part A (p=0.04) and B (p=0.01). No significant correlations were found between cholesterol fraction levels in blood of the studied patients and the results of performed tests, with one exception, regarding the relationship between LDL cholesterol fraction and the rate of the Stroop Test execution in RCNb version (p=0.04).

CONCLUSIONS: 1). Higher working memory efficacy was demonstrated among the patients with type 1DM vs. those with type 2DM. 2). The level of diabetes control is an influential factor for working memory effectiveness in diabetic patients....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Journal Article 2011; 32(3): 349-353 PubMed PMID: 21712777 Citation  Keywords:  Adipokines:blood, Body Mass Index, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Complications:blood, Female, Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated:metabolism, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Obesity:blood, Resistin:blood, Sex Characteristics,.   

OBJECTIVE: Glycosylated hemoglobin (HbA1c) and resistin may be influenced by diabetes, but their associations remain unclear. We hypothesized that serum resistin might be parallel to Hb1c.

DESIGN AND SETTING: We measured serum resistin in 134 obese non-diabetic (73 women and 61 men), and 65 obese diabetic (33 women and 32 men) humans, and examined their relationships with HbA1c. The presence of diabetes was the only differentiating factor between the groups.

RESULTS: Resistin, non-diabetic vs. diabetic, median and interquartile range, respectively: resistin (ng/mL) 26.08, 16.09 and 22.14,14.54, p>0.5. To investigate the influence of HbA1c on resistin, both groups were divided into tertiles based on HbA1c. In diabetics, resistin was similar in high, intermediate, and low HbA1c subgroups, p>0.05, and resistin was not influenced by HbA1c: r=-0.1785; p=0.15. In non-diabetics, resistin differed between HbA1c tertiles, p<0.001, and was influenced by HbA1c, r = -0.3599; p=0.0003.

CONCLUSIONS: Resistin concentrations are similar in diabetic and non-diabetic humans with the same range of obesity. However, resistin is associated with HbA1c only in non-diabetic obese individuals which may point to the fact that resistin is a marker of glycaemic balance in obesity but not in diabetes....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Journal Article 2011; 32(1): 102-108 PubMed PMID: 21407166 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Atherosclerosis:metabolism, Body Mass Index, Cholesterol, HDL:blood, Cholesterol, LDL:blood, Exercise:physiology, Female, Humans, Middle Aged, Obesity:metabolism, Oxygen Consumption:physiology, Physical Fitness:physiology, Sedentary Lifestyle, Trig.   

OBJECTIVE: In obese patients, we hypothesized physical exercise (PE) to affect lipids through its intrahepatic fat accumulation-lowering effect, associated with a decrease of total body fat (Fat%) and even weight (Mass).

DESIGN AND SETTING: Thirty seven sedentary, non-diabetic women (BMI median 34.8) from our out-patient department were tested. Elimination criteria: recent weight reduction, lipid-influencing or heart rate-modifying medication.

PARTICIPANTS: 50 entering, 37 finishing, 7 excluded for processing failure, 6 did not fulfill the protocol.

INTERVENTIONS: PE protocol: 60 min supervised trainings, intensity at 65% of VO2max, modified by the clamp heart rate test. Median of total training hours was 34 during 115 days (median).

MAIN OUTCOME MEASUREMENTS: an effect of PE on total cholesterol (CH), triglycerides (TG), HDL-cholesterol (HDL_C), LDL-cholesterol (LDL_C), index of atherogenity (IA), atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), maximum peak oxygen consumption (VO2max), Mass, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference (Waist) and Fat%.

RESULTS: Statistically significant differences at start (_s) and the end (_e) of PE (p<0.05): AIP -0.049, Mass -3.6 (kg), BMI -1.7 (kg/m2), Waist -2.5 (cm), Fat% -2.5, VO2max 2.92 (L.min-1kg-1). Correlation coefficients, Pearson's between Gaussian distributed (Gd-v) variables and Spearman´s (non Gd-v) statistically significant (p<0.05): IA and BMI, IA and Mass, IA and Waist, IA and Fat%, LDL and BMI, LDL and Mass, LDL and Fat%, LDL and Waist, IA and VO2max, LDL_C and VO2max.

CONCLUSIONS: PE improves lipid profile towards production of antiatherogenic particles more likely due to changes in anthropometric parameters than in improvement of physical fitness....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 754-760 PubMed PMID: 21196922 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Analysis of Variance, Antidepressive Agents:therapeutic use, Body Mass Index, Body Weight:drug effects, Combined Modality Therapy, Feeding and Eating Disorders:diagnosis, Female, Humans, Inpatients, Male, Personality Inventory, Precisio.   

OBJECTIVE: The goal of this study is to determine how a comprehensive approach comprising a combination of a particular psychotherapeutic programme and antidepressant treatment influences the signs and symptoms of eating disorders.

METHODS: Inpatients entering a particular 6-week programme were assessed using body mass index (BMI), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI), Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26) and psychological symptoms using Symptom Checklist (SCL-90).

RESULTS: In the whole group (n=84) the mean BMI remained stable (17.9, 17.8). There was a significant effect of TIME in the repeated measures ANOVA with most of dependent variables. The "TREATMENT" had no effect (antidepressants, no antidepressants) and there was no significant interaction between "TREATMENT" and "TIME". Post-hoc analysis revealed significant differences between baseline and end-point values of all but two EDI, all EAT items and some SCL dimensions in the antidepressant-treated group.

CONCLUSIONS: The comprehensive and individualized approach is able to achieve weight stabilization, and improvement in attitudes, pathological eating behaviour and psychopathology....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Comparative Study 2010; 31(5): 616-621 PubMed PMID: 21178944 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Choice Behavior, Corticosterone:secretion, Female, Follow-Up Studies, Humans, Hydrocortisone:secretion, Impulsive Behavior:metabolism, Individuality, Male, Mass Spectrometry, Middle Aged, Models, Psychological, Reward, Saliva:metabolism, Sex .   

OBJECTIVES: Stress hormones have been associated with temporal discounting. Although time-discount rate is shown to be stable over a long term, no study to date examines whether individual differences in stress hormones could predict individuals' time-discount rates in the relatively distant future (e.g., six month later), which is of interest in neuroeconomics of stress-addiction association.

METHODS: We assessed 87 participants' salivary stress hormone (cortisol, cortisone, and alpha-amylase) levels and hyperbolic discounting of delayed rewards consisting of three magnitudes, at the time-interval of six months. For salivary steroid assays, we employed a liquid chromatography/ mass spectroscopy (LC/MS) method. The correlations between the stress hormone levels and time-discount rates were examined.

RESULTS: We observed that salivary alpha-amylase (sAA) levels were negatively associated with time-discount rates in never-smokers. Notably, salivary levels of stress steroids (i.e., cortisol and cortisone) negatively and positively related to time-discount rates in men and women, respectively, in never-smokers. Ever-smokers' discount rates were not predicted from these stress hormone levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Individual differences in stress hormone levels predict impulsivity in temporal discounting in the future. There are sex differences in the effect of stress steroids on temporal discounting; while there was no sex defference in the relationship between sAA and temporal discounting....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Comparative Study 2010; 31(5): 679-683 PubMed PMID: 21173748 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Biomarkers:blood, Blood Glucose:metabolism, Body Mass Index, Case-Control Studies, Comorbidity, Diabetes Mellitus:blood, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2:blood, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Hemoglobin A, Glycosylated:metabolism, Humans, Insu.   

OBJECTIVES: Glycosylated haemoglobin (HbA1c), leptin, leptin soluble receptors (sOB-R) and free leptin index (FLI) may all be influenced by diabetes, but their associations remain unclear. Therefore, we put forward a hypothesis that serum leptin, sOBR and FLI might be parallel to Hb1c, as they all reflect the metabolic status.

DESIGN AND SETTING: We measured leptin and sOB-R concentrations in 97 obese non-diabetic (47 women and 50 men), and 65 obese diabetic (32 women and 33 men) humans, and examined whether they were related to HbA1c. Under the condition, the presence of diabetes was the only differentiating factor between two groups of frankly obese humans.

RESULTS: Non-diabetic vs. diabetic, median and interquartile range, respectively: Leptin (ng/ml), 30.83, 37.27 vs. 28.24, 23.34; p>0.05; sOB-R (ng/ml), 17.62, 17.05 vs. 21.81, 16.61, p<0.05; FLI, 231.23, 310.00 vs. 131.76, 157.68, p<0.05. To investigate the influence of HbA1c on leptin and sOB-R, both groups were divided into tertiles based on HbA1c. In diabetics, leptin did not differ between the high, intermediate, and low HbA1c levels subgroups, p>0.05, and leptin was not influenced by HbA1c levels: r=0.086; p>0.05. For sOB-R, respectively: p>0.05; r=0.080; p>0.05. In non-diabetics, respectively: p<0.05; r=0.2923; p<0.05 for leptin; and p<0.0001, r=0.5103; p<0.0001, for s-OB-R.

CONCLUSIONS: Not leptin alone but serum sOB-R and FLI are the markers of leptin action impairment in type 2 diabetes. Further, HbA1c is not associated with metabolic status of leptin in obese diabetic patients, whereas this association is found in obese non-diabetic humans....

Read abstract  Full text PDF

Comparative Study 2010; 31(5): 631-634 PubMed PMID: 21173745 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Body Mass Index, Case-Control Studies, Cataplexy:diagnosis, Comorbidity, Czech Republic:epidemiology, Female, Humans, Male, Medical Records, Middle Aged, Narcolepsy:diagnosis, Obesity:diagnosis, Polysomnography, Sleep, Wakefulness,.   

BACKGROUND: Narcolepsy with cataplexy (NC) differs from narcolepsy without cataplexy (NwoC) in the cerebrospinal fluid levels of hypocretin. Since hypocretin is known to regulate not only wakefulness but also eating behaviour, we decided to compare the two entities for body mass index (BMI) and the presence of obesity.

METHODS: Clinical data on patients with NC and NwoC was studied and examined, including nocturnal polysomnography and the Multiple Sleep Latency Test (MSLT). The results were rated against a group of age- and sex-matched healthy controls.

RESULTS: The BMI in NC (29.1±SD=5.8) was significantly higher than in NwoC (25.4±4.4) or in the controls (25.8±3.9) (p<0.001, F=17.4, df= 323), while no difference in BMI was found between NwoC and the controls. The proportion of patients with BMI >30 was significantly greater in NC (39.0%) than in NwoC (13.8%) or than in the control group (13.0%). A negative correlation of BMI and sleep latency in MSLT (p=0.009) was found in the combined NC and NwoC groups.

CONCLUSION: Unlike NC, NwoC has neither a higher BMI nor a higher incidence of obesity than the general population....

Read abstract  Full text PDF