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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 174-176 PubMed PMID: 16648807 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Aged, Cataplexy:complications, Citalopram:therapeutic use, Ejaculation:drug effects, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Narcolepsy:complications, Retrospective Studies, Serotonin Uptake Inhibitors:therapeutic use, Sleep,.   

BACKGROUND: Narcolepsy with cataplexy is a debilitating sleep disease of which some symptoms can be treated with antidepressants. The antidepressant escitalopram is considered the most specific serotonin reuptake inhibitor.r />r /> PATIENTS AND METHODS: Ten patients (5 men and 5 women, age range 18-77 years) suffering from narcolepsy with cataplexy occurring at least weekly were treated with escitalopram 5 or 10 mg a day for 28-98 days. These patients were barred from taking any drugs influencing cataplexy and also had no other diseases affecting sleep or vigilance.r />r /> RESULTS: The mean number of cataplexies per week in 8 compliant patients declined significantly from 6.7 (+/-SD=7.2) to 0.3 (+/-0.6), P=0.02 (Sign test). Cataplexy completely disappeared in 6 patients. Subjective daytime sleepiness, power of concentration, quality of night sleep and mood remained unchanged. During the treatment, two patients had ejaculation disturbances. Two patients withdrew from the therapy (one because of ejaculation disturbance, the other for unknown reason).r />r /> CONCLUSION: Escitalopram proved to have anticataplectic effects in this small-scale open-label study....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 183-188 PubMed PMID: 16648806 Citation  Keywords:  Absorptiometry, Photon, Acromegaly:blood, Adult, Aged, Body Mass Index, Bone Density:physiology, Cytokines:blood, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Female, Human Growth Hormone:blood, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Sex Characteristics, Testosterone:blood,.   

OBJECTIVES: Elevated cytokines levels were observed as a marker of increased bone resorption in certain diseases. The aim was to assess serum levels of selected cytokines in acromegaly, regarding to different disease's stages, gonadal function, gender and character of BMD change.r />r /> METHODS: The study was carried out in 62 patients with acromegaly (40 women, 22 men) aged 26-75 years in various stages of the disease. The controls were 30 healthy, age- and sex-matched subjects. Serum cytokines concentration was assessed using ELISA method.r />r /> RESULTS: We have shown higher (p=0.044) concentrations of TGF-beta in male patients with active acromegaly than in cured males. When the influence of all cytokines studied on BMD using multiple regression analysis was carried out, the borderline (p=0.099) statistical significance was achieved (regression coefficient B=0.68271) according to TGF-beta and trochanter major BMD. IL-6 and TNF-alpha were higher (p=0.062, and p=0.098, respectively) in these acromegalic patients, in which gain of trochanter major BMD occurred. IL-1beta levels were lower in patients with ultradistal radius and 1/3 distal radius BMD gain (p=0.007, and p=0.009, respectively). Lower TGF-beta levels (p=0.077) were shown in patients with 1/3 distal radius gain. IL-6 levels were higher in patients with total body BMD gain (p=0.059).r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: The relations between TGF-beta and acromegaly activity in men, and trochanter major BMD in both sexes were documented. Concentrations of all cytokines studied correlated with the BMD changes in different bone sites. Noteworthy is homogeneity of the secretory character of cytokines studied according to BMD changes within particular skeleton sites....

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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 142-144 PubMed PMID: 16648805 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Anthropometry, Azoospermia:etiology, Body Height:physiology, Body Weight:physiology, Gonadal Steroid Hormones:blood, Humans, Klinefelter Syndrome:diagnostic imaging, Male, Testis:blood supply, Twins, Ultrasonography,.   

: A rare case of Klinefelter syndrome in identical twins is reported. Hormonal levels before and after hCG administration and testicular artery Doppler flow measurements are presented....

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Case Reports 2006; 27(1-2): 203-208 PubMed PMID: 16648804 Citation  Keywords:  Child Development:physiology, Congenital Hypothyroidism:drug therapy, Female, Growth:physiology, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Humans, Infant, Newborn, Schools, Twins, Monozygotic,.   

: Authors present the long-term development of two monozygotic twin sisters. One of them was detected by newborn screening as athyreotic (gemelus A) and healthy gemelus B sister. Therapy in athyreotic girl started at 4 weeks after birth and was monitored in order to maintain serum thyroxine and TSH in normal range. Both sisters spent their chilhood and adolescence together in the same family, school and work together as tailors in the same factory. Their development was very similar. In order to detect subclinical difference of their development, the school achievements were tested using their school certificates. Studies were divided to testing mechanical memory, logical thinking and skills. The evaluation of all classes of school attendance (13 years) reveals subtle differences - deficit of patient at approximately 6-15% level, mainly in studies demanding skills. However, dynamic evaluation after years reveals that the worse results of the patient (gemelus A) occurred during the first years of basic school whereas during adolescence having attended the special school tailor, she attained better results than her healthy sister. It seems that mental deficit in early treated hypothyroid patient is not severe and varies even during the life. Problem of the fetal hypothyroidism is probably more related to the iodine deficiency, which assures necessity of thyroid hormones for athyreotic child from mother's or twin's normally supplemented thyroid glands....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 53-59 PubMed PMID: 16648803 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Computer Graphics, Databases, Factual, Humans, Immune System:immunology, Internet, Neurosecretory Systems:immunology, Signal Transduction:genetics, Tissue Distribution,.   

OBJECTIVES: To construct a specific database for the neuro-endocrine-immune (NEI) interactions.r />r /> METHODS/RESULTS: Version 1.0 database for neuro-endocrine-immune (dbNEI) serves as a web-based knowledge resource specific for the NEI systems. dbNEI collects 1,058 NEI related signal molecules, their 940 interactions and 72 affiliated tissues from the Cell Signaling Networks database, manually selects 982 NEI papers from PubMed, and gives links to 27,848 NEI generally related genes from UniGene database. NEI related information, such as signal transductions, regulations and control subunits, is integrated. Especially, dbNEI represents as graphic visualization, by which control subunits can be automatically obtained according to the inquiring issues, the combinative queries and the NEI related diseases respectively.r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: dbNEI, which can be accessed at http://bioinfo.au.tsinghua.edu.cn/dbNEIweb/, provides a knowledge environment for understanding the main regulatory systems of NEI in a molecular level....

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Letter 2006; 27(1-2): 70-72 PubMed PMID: 16648802 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Diabetes Mellitus:physiopathology, Hypothalamus:physiology, Insulin:physiology, Mice, Mice, Obese, Neuropeptide Y:physiology, Pro-Opiomelanocortin:physiology,.   

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 153-156 PubMed PMID: 16648801 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Cells, Cultured, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Growth Hormone:metabolism, Male, Neuropeptides:pharmacology, Pituitary Gland:cytology, Radioimmunoassay, Rats, Rats, Inbred WKY,.   

OBJECTIVE: Cortistatin (CST) is a 17-amino acid neuropeptide expressed mainly in the cortex and hippocampus. It is also found in the peripheral tissues such as the stomach, kidney, pancreas and the immune system. Two forms of cortistatin CST-17, CST-29 bind with high affinity all somatostatin (SS) receptor subtypes. It has been reported that a receptor called MrgX(2) is able to selectively bind both CST-17 and CST-14 rather than SS. In human tissues CST-17 and CST-29, rather than SS, also bind ghrelin receptor GHS-r1a. In in vivo experiments CST inhibited GH and insulin secretion.r />r /> THE AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of cortistatin on GH release in in vitro experiments.r />r /> RESEARCH METHODS: CST-14 and SS-14 in doses of 1nMol, 10nMol, and 100nMol were added after 48 hrs of pituitary cell culture, and the medium was collected 30, 60, 120, 240 min thereafter. rGH was measured with RIA kits provided by Linco.r />r /> RESULTS: CST-14 stimulated GH release from cultured pituitary cells in a dose dependent manner. The maximum effect of CST-14 was observed after 60 min of incubation. However, SS-14 in doses of 10 nMol and 100 nMol inhibited GH release.r />r /> CONCLUSION: A direct stimulating effect of Cortistatin-14 on GH release from cultured pituitary cells was found....

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Journal Article 2006; 27(1-2): 271-276 PubMed PMID: 16648800 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Anaerobic Threshold:physiology, Complement C3:metabolism, Complement C4:metabolism, Complement System Proteins:metabolism, Exercise:physiology, Humans, Immunoglobulins:blood, Leukocyte Count, Leukocytes:physiology, Male, Nephelometry and Turbidimet.   

BACKGROUND: The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of various sports disciplines on basic elements of the acquired and natural defense systems and to compare their results with that of non-sporting controls.r />r /> MATERIALS/METHODS: The study included 15 sedentary (Group 1), 15 volleyball players (Group 2) and 15 long distance running athletes (Group 3). The VO2 Max for the groups was determined by subjecting the individuals to a 20 meter Shuttle run test. Immunoglobin and complement levels were measured by the turbidometric method. Leukocyte counts were made through peripheral blood smear examination.r />r /> RESULTS: The IgA levels in sedentary living individuals was found to be lower than that in volleyball and athlete groups while that in athletes was in turn lower than that in volleyball players (p<0.05). In volleyball players the IgG level was significantly higher than both the sedentary living individuals and the athletes (p<0.05). IgM however, showed a significantly higher level in the sedentary group than in both athletes and volleyball players. The C3 levels in athletes was significantly lower than that of volleyball players and sedentary individuals (p<0.05), while the C4 levels were higher in the volleyball group (p<0.05). The leukocyte, eosinophil, and monocyte counts in the athletes were also significantly lower than those in the volleyball and sedentary groups (p<0.05). The values for the sedentary group on the other hand however, was found to be lower than those of the volleyball players (p<0.05). The neutrophil counts was lower in the sedentary group than in the volleyball group (p<0.05). The levels in the athlete group was lower than that in the volleyball group, however (p<0.05). The lymphocyte counts in volleyball players was higher than that in the sedentary group (p<0.05).r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, changes in the immune parameters were found to be dependent on the type of physical exercise performed on regular basis. Considering the protective antibody response in those performing regular sports, moderate exercise carried out on regular basis can be said to affect positively mononuclear and polymorphonuclear phagocytic cells--the basic elements of the natural immune system....

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