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Controlled Clinical Trial 2009; 30(1): 125-130 PubMed PMID: 19300388 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Diet, Dietary Supplements, Female, Humans, Male, Pattern Recognition, Visual:drug effects, Photic Stimulation, Phytoestrogens:administration & dosage, Psychological Tests, Rotation, Sex Characteristics, Soy Foods, Space Perception:drug effects, Tas.   

INTRODUCTION: It is well known that men outperform women in tests of spatial cognition, such as mental rotation, and that performance in these tasks is influenced by sexual hormones. Phytoestrogens are plant substances chemically similar to estradiol, capable of binding estrogen receptors. In a previous study, one-week phytoestrogen-rich diet improved performance in mental rotation in women, but it remained unclear whether this was due to direct binding of phytoestrogens to estrogen receptors or by modulating testosterone blood levels.r />r /> OBJECTIVES: We investigated whether one week consumption of phytoestrogens will equally affect performance in mental rotation in women and men. We expected improved performance in women, but unchanged skill in men, if the effects were mediated by changes of testosterone level. On the other hand, direct modulation of estrogen receptors should yield comparable improvement in both genders.r />r /> METHODS: Thirty-six healthy adult young volunteers (16 females) were divided into the control and soy groups. During 7 consecutive days, in addition to their usual diet, subjects in the soy group consumed a daily dose of 2 g of soybeans per kilogram body weight (about 170 mg/kg of isoflavones). The control group members stayed on their usual diet. The subjects were tested on mental rotation of letters and digits at the baseline and after 7 days of soy consumption.r />r /> RESULTS: Consumption of soy had no influence on performance in the mental rotation task. For the intermediate stimulus rotation angle (60 deg), irrespective of soy intake, improvement of response latencies was greater in women than in men.r />r /> CONCLUSION: The results indicate that soy phytoestrogens have little impact on mental rotation skill. The findings also suggest that women, in contrast to men, more readily engage memory mechanisms to solve the mental rotation task....

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Comparative Study 2009; 30(1): 25-31 PubMed PMID: 19300387 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Anti-Anxiety Agents:pharmacology, Anxiety:drug therapy, Behavior, Animal:drug effects, Diazepam:pharmacology, Exploratory Behavior:drug effects, Male, Motor Activity:drug effects, Neuropsychological Tests, Rats, Rats, Wistar,.   

OBJECTIVES: Anxiety is an emotional state experienced by people, and is not readily modeled in animals. In order to extend till now ethologically derived paradigms used in the evaluation of anxiety and fear in rodents, a modified open-field was designed.r />r /> METHODS: Spontaneous behavior of male rats was investigated in the elevated arena; the bottom was divided by inter-space of different width (2, 4, 6, 8 and 10 cm) into two identical parts. Anxiolytic effects of diazepam (DZP) at doses 0.5, 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg were investigated in the newly designed device and compared with the effects of similar doses in a large circular open-field arena.r />r /> RESULTS: In Experiment 1 the progressive extension of the inter-space prolonged the first passing, decreased the total number of passing, and increased the inter-space sniffing in intact animals. In Experiment 2 DZP at doses 1.0, 2.5 and 5.0 mg/kg significantly enhanced the readiness to cross, the frequency of passing the inter-space and decreased inter-space sniffing as compared to controls. In Experiment 3 we found that DZP at doses 0.1 and 0.3 mg/kg increased behavioral activity both along the perimeter and in the center of the arena, thus indicating lower level of anxiety.r />r /> CONCLUSION: The presented modified open-field test is a useful paradigm to investigate risk assessment behavior in rats, and may provide a sensitive novel model of anxiety and fear level....

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Case Reports 2009; 30(1): 22-24 PubMed PMID: 19300386 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2:complications, Exercise Therapy:methods, Humans, Male, Motor Activity:physiology, Obesity:complications, Time Factors, Treatment Outcome,.   

: The case history of a 44-year-old, severely obese Caucasian man with serious decompensation of diabetes and subsequent withdrawal of high-dose insulin is reported. Insulin was withdrawn after 5 years of continuous therapy and the patient was treated for 6 months with diet, individualized physical therapy and oral antidiabetic drugs from the group of insulin sensitizers. Six months later, oral antidiabetics were discontinued for low blood glucose levels, and the treatment was limited to therapeutic life style changes. After insulin withdrawal, the patient's condition markedly improved: he showed better diabetes control, decrease in insulin resistance, weight loss, reduced BMI, reduced waist circumference, sagittal abdominal diameter and body fat, increased fitness level, normalized blood pressure and decreased heart rate at rest....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(1): 6-10 PubMed PMID: 19300385 Citation  Keywords:  Child of Impaired Parents, Delivery, Obstetric:methods, Female, Fertilization:physiology, Graft Survival:physiology, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Organ Transplantation:physiology, Postpartum Period:physiology, Pregnancy:physiology, Pregnancy Complications:epi.   

: Ovarian function with regular menstrual cycles is usually restored in women of reproductive age after solid organ transplantation. The number of pregnancies reported in these patients increases gradually. Pregnancy is always considered high risk, and not properly planned may lead to serious complications. The best for the patient is to conceive in a period of good general health and good stable graft function, after appropriate preparation and not later than five years after transplantation. Immunosuppressive regimen should be modified before conception. Sirolimus and mycophenolate mofetil should be excluded. The blood levels of immunosuppressive agents should be regularly controlled during the whole pregnancy. The rate of successful pregnancies isn approximately 95% in graft recipients. Increased incidence of preterm labor, anemia and intrauterine growth restriction is observed compared with general population. Organ transplantation itself is not an indication for cesarean section and vaginal delivery is recommended as the best for the patient, the graft and the newborn. Breast feeding is believed to be contraindicated in women on immunosuppressive therapy, however no adverse effects were reported in children of graft recipients who decided to breast feed. The rate of congenital malformations in newborns is approximately 3-4% and does not differ from the rate seen in general population. The rate of perinatal deaths decreased beneath 0.8% in recent reports. Jaundice, hyperglycemia and hyperkalemia, observed more frequently in newborns of graft recipients, are mild and in most cases do not have any clinical implications....

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Case Reports 2009; 30(1): 19-21 PubMed PMID: 19300384 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antipsychotic Agents:adverse effects, Clozapine:adverse effects, Humans, Male, Myocarditis:chemically induced, Parkinson Disease:complications, Periodicity, Psychotic Disorders:complications, Recurrence,.   

: Myocarditis is a rare but life threatening adverse effect of clozapine. Some symptoms of myocarditis--elevated temperature, tachycardia and fatigue--appear commonly during the onset of treatment with clozapine and during the dose titration. We present a case of a patient with concurrent schizoaffective disorder and Parkinson's disease, who twice developed clozapine-induced myocarditis. All symptoms disappeared after the discontinuation of the drug. Early diagnosis, discontinuation of clozapine and supportive therapy of myocarditis lower the risk of a fatal outcome....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(1): 61-66 PubMed PMID: 19300383 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Aged, 80 and over, Body Mass Index, Carotid Arteries:pathology, Carotid Stenosis:complications, Case-Control Studies, Comorbidity, Female, Humans, Incidence, Male, Middle Aged, Neck:anatomy & histology, Sleep Apnea, Obstructive:complications,.   

OBJECTIVES: Sleep apnea is associated with advanced atherosclerosis. This study was focused on sleep breathing in patients with hemodynamically significant carotid stenosis, currently free from clinical symptoms.r />r /> DESIGN AND SETTINGS: 17 patients with carotid artery stenosis of 70% and more in the absence of actual neurological symptoms indicated for non-acute endarterectomy, and 17 age- and sex-matched controls were examined using sleep polygraphy. 12 patients had a follow-up sleep polygraphy a month after the surgery.r />r /> RESULTS: The criteria of obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) were met by 4 patients prior to operation, by 2 patients after the operation, and by 2 control subjects. The pre-surgery apnea/hypopnea index (AHI) was 14 (+/-SD=17.0), post-surgery 8.3 (+/-9.0) and in the controls 6.7(+/-6.7). The pre-surgery oxygen desaturation index was 20.1 (+/-17.7), post-surgery 15.0 (+/-12.0) and in the controls 11.6 (+/-6.1). A comparison between the pre-surgery results seen in the patients and in controls after adjustment for BMI revealed no significant difference. The only significant difference between the pre-surgery and post-surgery values was found in the AHI (P=0.045).r />r /> CONCLUSION: According to this study there exists an association between carotid stenosis and OSA, however this association is explainable by a higher BMI. The study also found a tendency toward OSA alleviation in response to endarterectomy....

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Comparative Study 2009; 30(1): 67-73 PubMed PMID: 19300382 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Female, HLA Antigens:blood, HLA-G Antigens, Histocompatibility Antigens Class I:blood, Humans, Labor, Obstetric:blood, Maternal-Fetal Exchange:immunology, Mothers, Pregnancy, Pregnancy Complications:blood, Solubility, Time Factors, Young Adult,.   

BACKGROUND: The expression of the HLA-G antigen from implantation toward term is crucial for the growth of a semiallogenic fetus as it shields this fetus from the maternal cytotoxic response. Little is known, however, about the potential role of soluble HLA-G isoforms during delivery. The initiation of labor is associated with a complex molecular response leading to a brief activation of the maternal immune system with an accompanying capacity to restrict this activation, and HLA-G seems to be an important factor in enabling the proper immune response at the maternal fetal interface.r />r /> METHODS: In our study the levels of soluble HLA-G concentration were evaluated in the blood serum samples obtained from 47 pregnant women who either underwent cesarean sections or delivered vaginally. The patients were divided into three subgroups according to the progression of labor at the time of the cesarean or, in cases of vaginal delivery, according to the duration of the pregnancy.r />r /> RESULTS: We have observed that the progression of labor is associated with a continuous increase in the sHLA-G plasma level. The sHLA-G levels were statistically significantly higher in the blood sera obtained from the women in advanced labor than from the women who were at the beginning of labor.r />r /> CONCLUSION: The changes in sHLA-G concentration levels observed during the stages of labor may indicate that this isoform participates in maintaining reproductive tract homeostasis....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(1): 99-106 PubMed PMID: 19300381 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adolescent Behavior:psychology, Adolescent, Hospitalized:psychology, Child, Child Behavior:psychology, Child Behavior Disorders:diagnosis, Child, Hospitalized:psychology, Female, Genetic Predisposition to Disease, Humans, Life Change Events, M.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify risk factors and possible predictors of severity of suicidal behavior of children and adolescents.r />r /> METHODS: Seventy-seven patients (15 boys and 62 girls) aged 15.5+/-1.6 years on average, hospitalized due to a suicidal attempt in the department of pediatric psychiatry, were examined. Structured interviews with patients and their parents were used to clinically assess circumstances of suicidal behavior, relevant risk factors and severity of suicidal behavior.r />r /> RESULTS: The results indicated that patients with any previous traumatic experience tended to have somatically less severe suicidal attempts (p=0.050). Intensity of suicidal intent was associated with a history of depression (p=0.014) and anxiety disorders (p=0.004), and the current stress from a mental disorder (p=0.014). Somatic severity of suicidal behavior was significantly associated with intensity of suicidal intent (p=0.014). A history of any trauma (previous traumatic experience predicted less severe suicidal behavior, p=0.053) and the current stress from sexual problems (p=0.067) were identified as predictors of somatic severity of suicidality. These two predictors showed only a trend level of significance. The only significant predictor of intensity of suicidal intent was the current stress from a mental illness (p=0.017).r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: Several risk factors of somatic severity of suicidal behavior and intensity of suicidal intent were described. The most important finding of the study was the association between a history of psychological trauma and a tendency to have less somatically severe suicidal behavior....

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