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Case Reports 2009; 30(6): 705-708 PubMed PMID: 20038924 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Deglutition, Family Conflict:psychology, Female, Foreign Bodies:diagnosis, Humans, Needles, Self-Injurious Behavior:diagnosis, Suicide, Attempted:psychology,.   

: Self-harm represents a serious and pathological behavior that occurs most notably during adolescent years and currently seems to be a problem that is on the increase. Self-harm is a self destructive behavior which most frequently takes the form of cutting and burning. Relative to suicidal behavior, self-harm, in and of itself, is not intended to be lethal and tends to be repeated and addictive. However, in cases of self-harm the risk of suicidal behavior cannot be ignored. This presentation is a case study of a girl who engaged in an unusual form of self-harm, by swallowing needles....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(6): 733-738 PubMed PMID: 20038922 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Amniotic Fluid:metabolism, Biomarkers:metabolism, Chorioamnionitis:diagnosis, Female, Fetal Membranes, Premature Rupture:diagnosis, Gestational Age, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Infant, Premature, Interleukin-8:metabolism, Predictive Value of Tests, Pr.   

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether amniotic fluid levels of interleukin-8 (IL-8) are of value in the antenatal diagnosis of acute histological chorioamnionitis (HCA) in preterm premature rupture of membranes (PPROM).

SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Charles University, Medical School and University Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

METHODS: We compared amniotic fluid IL-8 levels in twenty-nine pregnant women with preterm premature rupture of membranes between 24th and 36th gestational weeks with presence and absence acute histological chorioamnionitis or/and microbial invasion in the amniotic cavity using nonparametric tests (Mann-Whitney test), given the non-normal distribution of analyte. Comparisons of proportions were performed with Shapiro-Wilk normality test.

RESULTS: Patients with HCA had a significantly higher median amniotic fluid IL-8 concentration than patients without the histological signs of chorioamnionitis (1867 pg/mL, 826-5577 versus 1045 pg/mL, 60-4133, p=0.013). Patients with MIAC had a significantly higher median amniotic fluid level than patients without invasion (1888 pg/mL, 519-5577 versus 1225 pg/mL, 60-2766, p= 0.017). Women with HCA and MIAC had a significantly higher median amniotic fluid IL-8 level than women without histological signs of chorioamnionitis and microbial invasion (3117 pg/mL, 826-5577 versus 1468 pg/mL, 394-2766, p=0.034).

CONCLUSIONS: HCA or/and MIAC are associated with a significant increase of amniotic fluid interleukin-8 levels. Amniotic fluid IL-8 seems to be a marker of intraamniotic inflammation....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(5): 629-636 PubMed PMID: 20035271 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Child, Child, Preschool, Drug Resistance:physiology, Female, Humans, I-kappa B Proteins:metabolism, Male, NF-KappaB Inhibitor alpha, Nephrotic Syndrome:metabolism, Receptors, Glucocorticoid:metabolism, Transcription Factor RelA:metabolism, You.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to investigate levels of glucocorticoid receptor (GRalpha), nuclear factor kappa B (NFkappaB) p65/p50 and inhibitor of NFkappaB alpha (IkappaBalpha) in the peripheral mononuclear blood cells (PMBC) of children with idiopathic nephrotic syndrome (INS).

METHODS: The expression of GRalpha, NFkappaBp65/p50 and IkappaBalpha was determined in 59 patients (age 10.2+/-5.1) and 25 healthy controls (CO) (age 13.1+/-3.4) using Western blot analysis. Patients were labeled according to their clinical sensitivity to glucocorticoids (GCs) as responders (RE), partial responders (PR), and non-responders (NR).

RESULTS: Significantly higher expressions of GRalpha were observed in RE than in PR, NR (p<0.01) and even CO (p<0.05). Similarly, expression of NFkappaBp65 was higher in RE in comparison to PR, NR and CO (p<0.05). These differences were more emphasized in the relapse: levels of GRalpha were significantly lower in PR than in RE and CO (p<0.01). Significant differences were also observed in expression of NFkappaB: RE showed significantly higher expression of NFkappaBp65 in comparison to PR, NR and even CO (p<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS: Lower levels of both GRalpha and NFkappaBp65 are associated with poor or no response to GCs and the difference is more pronounced in patients experiencing relapse of INS....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(5): 592-598 PubMed PMID: 20035268 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Antidepressive Agents:metabolism, Cell Line, Tumor, GTP-Binding Protein alpha Subunits:metabolism, Male, Rats, Rats, Wistar,.   

OBJECTIVES: Neurochemical studies on the etiopathogenesis of depression are also focusing on the transduction system beyond receptors. Trimeric G-proteins play a crucial role in the transmembrane signalling, signal amplification and intracellular processing. Abnormalities of G-protein levels are observed in subjects with depression, G-protein modulation is considered to play a role in the antidepressant mode of action.

METHODS: We studied acute or chronic administration of antidepressants from different pharmacological groups. We used immunochemical estimation (ELISA) of the main types of G-protein alpha subunits from isolated membranes of C6 glioma cells and rat brain tissue.

RESULTS: Significant elevation of G alpha q/11 subunits after chronic administration of sertraline and significant reduction of G alpha s subunit levels following both acute and chronic administrations of sertraline were found. In contrast, no significant effects on G alpha subunit levels following acute desipramine and moclobemide administration were observed in vitro. Chronic moclobemide effect in vivo is causing significant elevation of Galpha s and Galpha i1,2 subunit levels.

CONCLUSIONS: Results show involvement of antidepressant drugs in the C6 glioma signal transduction cascades modulation in dependence on the antidepressant class. Significant influence in the cAMP system modulation is observed after administration both SSRI and MAOA inhibitors. Astrocytoma cells - C6 glioma cells also can offer a model system of the glia where modulation of cell signalization cascades can influence cell functioning and production of neurotrophic factor molecules relevant to the antidepressant treatment and depression etiopathogenesis....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(5): 599-603 PubMed PMID: 20035264 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Anticonvulsants:therapeutic use, Child, Circadian Rhythm, Epilepsy:drug therapy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Sleep:physiology, Sleep Wake Disorders:physiopathology, Surveys and Questionnaires, Young Adult,.   

OBJECTIVE: The relationship between epilepsy and sleep has been known for many years. Yet is still not well understood because of it's reciprocal and intrinsic influences. Epileptic manifestations during sleep may lead to fragmentation of sleep stages. On the other hand insomnia or other sleep disorders may cause sleep deprivation and increase number of epileptic seizures in patients with epilepsy. The study is designed to compare daytime sleepiness and architecture of sleep in patients with epilepsy and control subjects. We tried to evaluate factors that have influence on sleep architecture of patients with epilepsy.

METHODS: We evaluated the daytime sleepiness through a certain type of questionnaire called Epworth Scale of Sleepiness (ESS). The questionnaire was filled out by patients with epilepsy (83 patients) and a group of healthy controls (80 persons). Furthermore we evaluated the quatity of night sleep in both groups using polysomnograph (electroencephalography - EEG, electrooculography - EOG, electromyography - EMG). Sleep stages were scored according to Manual of Standardized Terminology, Techniques and Scoring System for Sleep Stages of Human Subjects (Rechtschaffen, Kales, 9). Multiple sleep latency test (MSLT) was performed in the group of patients with epilepsy in order to objectivise daytime sleepiness.

RESULTS: Measuring by Epworth scale of sleepiness we found out that the patients with epilepsy suffered from a significantly higher daytime sleepiness than the healthy controls. Patients with epilepsy also experienced significant changes in sleep architecture, the reduction of NREM S3, S4 and REM stages and the increase of NREM S2 stage. These changes were not related to used antiepileptic medication....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(5): 604-609 PubMed PMID: 20035263 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Animals, Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity:blood, Biomarkers:metabolism, Child, Dopamine beta-Hydroxylase:blood, Female, Humans, Male, Mental Disorders:blood,.   

BACKGROUND: Developmental study of dopaminergic and noradrenergic systems in child psychiatric disorders are rare. DBH activity is one of noradrenergic biochemical marker that is correlate in psychiatry to clinical and genetic data.

OBJECTIVES: The main aim of the present study was to measure DBH activity at the onset of acute schizophrenia and depressive disorder in children and adolescents without pharmacological treatment and to compare these values with DBH activity in healthy controls. The authors also investigated untreated ADHD children.

METHODS: We examined 42 control healthy children, 15 children non-treated with acute schizophrenia, 15 non-treated children with acute depressive disorders and 30 non-treated ADHD children, all in age 7-14. Plasma DBH level was provided by Nagatsu (1972; 1974). Depressed children were reexamined after clinical remission.

RESULTS: DBH activity is statistically significantly decreased in non-treated depressive disorder and ADHD in children and adolescents. DBH activity is normalised during antidepressant therapy in child depression. Child schizophrenia patients present with normal DBH activity.

CONCLUSION: These results are similar to the results that have been observed in adult patients with schizophrenia and depression and in previous studies of DBH activity in children with ADHD. These results also indicate hypoactivity of the noradrenergic system in children with ADHD and depression....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(6): 715-722 PubMed PMID: 20035260 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Biomarkers:blood, Cardiovascular Diseases:epidemiology, Creatinine:urine, DNA Damage:physiology, Depressive Disorder, Major:epidemiology, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic:epidemiology, Female, Guanine:analogs & derivativ.   

BACKGROUND: There is now evidence that major depression and myalgic encephalomyelitis / chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) are accompanied by partially overlapping pathophysiological mechanisms, i.e. activation of various inflammatory and oxidative & nitrosative (IO&NS) pathways.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the present study was to examine the urinary excretion of 8-hydroxy-deoxyguanosine (8-OhdG), a marker of oxidative damage to DNA, in depression; ME/CFS; and depression and ME/CFS.

METHODS: Toward this end, morning urine was sampled for the assays of 8-OHdG and creatinine, in 44 patients with ME/CFS; 25 with major depression; 23 with depression and ME/CFS; and 17 normal controls. Severity of fatigue and somatic symptoms was measured by means of the Fibromyalgia and CFS Rating (FF) scale.

RESULTS: We found that 49.0% of the variance in the urinary excretion of 8-OHdG was predicted by the regression on creatinine. Consequently, the urinary 8-OHdG excretion should be expressed as the residualized 8-OHdG values after partialling out the effects of creatinine and not by computing the 8-OHdG / creatinine ratio. We found that the residualized urinary excretion of 8-OHdG (adjusted for creatinine) was significantly higher in patients with depression and ME/CFS than in normal controls and all other patients. In the patient group, there were significant correlations between the urinary 8-OHdG and the total score on the FF scale and sadness and flu-like malaise.

CONCLUSIONS: The findings show increased oxidatively generated DNA damage in patients with major depression and ME/CFS and, therefore, further extent the role played by IO&NS pathways in the pathophysiology of both disorders. Since oxidatively damage to DNA is a risk factor for atherosclerosis and neurodegeneration, our results also explain previous findings on increased cardiovascular morbidity in depression and ME/CFS, and neurodegenerative processes in depression....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(5): 663-670 PubMed PMID: 20035259 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Behavior, Animal:drug effects, Central Nervous System Stimulants:administration & dosage, Estradiol:pharmacology, Female, Humans, Infusions, Intravenous, Male, Methamphetamine:administration & dosage, Ovariectomy, Rats, Rats, Wistar, Reinforcemen.   

OBJECTIVE: The female animals were already recorded to respond differently to methamphetamine (MET) abuse than males. This gender dissimilarity may be caused by the influence of estral cycles and different susceptibility to behavioural sensitization.

METHODS: Influences of gender and pre-exposure to MET were studied in the rat model of MET intravenous self-administration (IVSA). The fixed ratio (FR) paradigm was employed in male rats (M) and estrogenized (F-ESTR) and non-estrogenized ovariectomized female rats (F-OVX) either pre-exposed or not-exposed to MET pretreatment.

RESULTS: In rats that were not pre-exposed to MET, F-ESTR self-administered more MET infusions than each of the other groups, but F-OVX self-administered less than each of the other groups; the same trend was apparent in the MET pretreated groups. MET pre-exposure decreased subsequent MET IVSA in all groups except F-OVX.

CONCLUSION: Thus, pre-exposure to MET and the loss of inherent estrogen in females notably decreased the intake of MET by rats, suggesting that abuse liability was reduced. Estrogen's effects on MET self-administration here correspond with accumulating evidence of stronger behavioural responses of females to drugs of abuse....

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