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Case Reports 2011; 32(3): 226-233 PubMed PMID: 21712779 Citation  Keywords:  Administration, Cutaneous, Adult, Capsaicin:administration & dosage, Electric Stimulation Therapy, Electrodes, Implanted, Female, Humans, Neuralgia:psychology, Neurologic Examination, Neurosurgery, Peripheral Nerves:physiology, Ulnar Nerve:physiology, Uln.   

: Peripheral nerve stimulation (PNS) is a neurostimulation analgesic technique. PNS is utilized to treat peripheral neuropathic pain. It is highly sophisticated and a specialized technique used where other forms of treatment have failed. This paper describes the PNS procedure, its therapeutic principles, indications, and the comprehensive care for patients after the PNS implant. First, we summarize our experience using this type of invasive treatment. In the second part, a case of intractable neuropathic pain following repeated surgery to the ulnar nerve is reported. Prior to PNS, the patient underwent multiple types of antineuralgic treatment with no significant result. Only after the PNS application, was a significant analgesic effect achieved....

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Journal Article 2011; 32(2): 121-126 PubMed PMID: 21552191 Citation  Keywords:  Humans, Schizophrenia:therapy, Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation, Treatment Outcome,.   

: One of the fundamental prerequisites of the successful schizophrenia treatment is represented by an adequately significant impact on the negative symptoms of schizophrenia. Since the present pharmacotherapy has probably reached its limit in this area, there is a logical effort to utilize other, non-pharmacological methods. One of the most promising supplements that has been for a long time verified in the clinical practice is rTMS. Most of the studies have arrived at the conclusion that rTMS is an efficient method in the treatment of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. A valuable contribution to the assessment of the rTMS application in the treatment of negative symptoms is represented by meta-analyses. The meta-analyses indicate that the effect is mild to moderate (d=0.43 to 0.68). To sum it up, there will be higher probability of the rTMS effect on negative symptoms if 10 Hz stimulating frequency and a longer stimulation period in the extent at least three, ideally four to six weeks is used....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 807-813 PubMed PMID: 21196910 Citation  Keywords:  Absorptiometry, Photon:methods, Animals, Bone Density, Bone Remodeling, Bone Resorption, Calcium:blood, Disease Models, Animal, Electric Stimulation:methods, Foot, Injections, Intraperitoneal, Male, Neuropsychological Tests, Norepinephrine:blood, Osteocla.   

OBJECTIVES: Bone remodeling has recently been revealed to be under sympathetic nerve control. The role of the sympathetic nerve system is not clearly understood. The present study aim to explore the effect of chemical sympathectomy and stress on bone remodeling in adult rats.

METHODS: 24 twelve-month-old Wistar rats were divided into three group (sympathectomy, stress and control). The sympathectomy and stress group rats were administered 6-hydroxydopamine (150 mg/kg each day) and saline (1 ml/kg each day) intraperitoneal respectively for one week and exposed to stress procedure for another three weeks. The stress procedure was mild, unpredictable footshock, administered for one hour once daily. Analysis of serum chemistry, microcomputed tomography, dual energy X-ray absorptiometry, biomechanical testing and bone histomorphometry were employed.

RESULTS: The stress group rats showed increased bone resorption in contrast to the sympathectomy and control group rats. The serum level of calcium and phosphorus cations and norepinephrine were enhanced, the cancellous bone volume and bone mineral density were reduced, bone mechanical property such as strength, ductility and toughness were weakened, the osteoclast counts and osteoclast surfaces were increased and the bone formatin rate were decreased significantly in the stress group rats in contrast to the other two groups rats. There was no significant difference of bone remodeling between the sympathectomy group and control group rats.

CONCLUSION: Our study showed stress-increased sympathetic nerve system activity enhanced bone resorption while chemical sympathectomy inhibited bone resorption under stress. We postulate sympathetic neurotransmitter and neuropepitide may play a role in regulating bone remodeling....

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Comparative Study 2010; 31(3): 330-335 PubMed PMID: 20588229 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Energy Transfer, Humans, Melatonin:blood, Photic Stimulation:instrumentation, Phototherapy:instrumentation,.   

OBJECTIVE: Practicability remains a problem in light therapy of biological rhythm disorders. We report here the effect on melatonin secretion of a device consisting of a prototype of eyeglasses including light emitting diodes (LED) in lenses (Somnavue).

METHODS: Light (1,200 lx) was administered in a randomised crossover design to ten healthy subjects with Somnavue for 1 or 2 hours, Lumino (a helmet which administers light) for 1 hour, and placebo, beginning at 01:00 h. Plasma melatonin concentrations were evaluated between 20:00-05:00 h.

RESULTS: Multiple comparisons showed differences between placebo and Somnavue administered for one or two hours (p<0.01 and p<0.05 respectively) and Lumino and placebo (p<0.05).

CONCLUSIONS: In conclusion, Somnavue was able to suppress melatonin. The development of such a device could increase adherence with light treatment in SAD or circadian rhythm sleep disorders....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(2): 275-280 PubMed PMID: 20424593 Citation  Keywords:  Acoustic Stimulation:methods, Adolescent, Anorexia Nervosa:physiopathology, Auditory Pathways:physiopathology, Auditory Perception, Brain Stem:physiopathology, Child, Cochlear Nerve:physiopathology, Evoked Potentials, Auditory, Brain Stem, Female, Humans,.   

OBJECTIVE: In the course of anorexia nervosa (AN), the central nervous system (CNS) undergoes both anatomic and functional changes that may cause disturbances of stimulation transmission in the sensory areas of CNS. Method of brain-stem auditory evoked potentials (BAEPs) was used in the children with AN to test the auditory pathway transmission.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: The study included 37 children and adolescents, aged 10-18 years, with clinically diagnosed AN. BAEPs were recorded after a click stimulation of 75 dB intensity. Then, wave I latency (response from the auditory nerve) and inter-peak latency I-V (IPL I-V; response from the brain-stem) were analyzed.

RESULTS: Abnormalities of the BAEPs recordings were noted total in 32.4% of the study patients. Predominantly (in 24.3%), a decreased transmission within the brain-stem, expressed as the IPL I-V prolongation, was observed. It was also found that the percentage of the abnormal BAEPs results and the degree of IPL I-V prolongation were increasing together with enhancing AN severity.

CONCLUSIONS: IPL I-V prolongation observed in the AN children reflects a disturbed neural transmission in the brain-stem section of the auditory pathway and can be ascribed to impairments in the nerves myelin sheath....

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Comparative Study 2010; 31(2): 250-255 PubMed PMID: 20424581 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone:blood, Drama, Emotions, Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay, Fear:psychology, Female, Humans, Motion Pictures as Topic, Photic Stimulation:methods, Visual Perception,.   

OBJECTIVES: Central neuropeptides modulate behaviour. Plasma levels of neuropeptides may reflect central levels due to specific brain-to-blood transport systems. We purposed to show the modulation of plasma corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH) levels in relation to induced emotions.

DESIGN: Three groups were defined. For experimental groups A and B, an emotionally significant movie fragment was projected for 20 min, while no film projection occurred in group C. Peripheral venous blood samples were collected before, 10 and 60 min after the film or at 0 and 30 min for group C. Total CRH was measured in plasma. Personality was evaluated by the Minnesota Multiphasic Personality Inventory (MMPI).

RESULTS: Plasma CRH levels did not change in the condition with no movie projection - group C - 346 + or - 198 vs. 327 + or - 143 pg/mL. Plasma CRH levels dramatically increased with the projection of a dramatic movie - group A - 394 + or - 147 vs. 791 + or - 636 vs. 803 + or - 771 pg/mL, p<0.05. Plasma CRH increased less markedly in the condition with the projection of a comic movie - group B - 364 + or - 138 vs. 486 + or - 260 vs. 483 + or - 228 pg/mL, p<0.05 for differences between samples 1 and 3. Baseline plasma CRH was significantly and independently related to the neurotic triad and psychotic dyad - partial r=0.328 and 0.267, respectively, p<0.05.

CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that plasma CRH levels increase with experimental emotion induction and that baseline levels are significantly related to behavioural traits. Plasma levels of neuropeptides may reflect central levels and may be useful in clinical medicine and in the study of behavioural disorders....

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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.

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.

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.

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.

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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Journal Article 2009; 30(6): 761-768 PubMed PMID: 20038927 Citation  Keywords:  Acoustic Stimulation, Age Factors, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Anxiety, Separation:immunology, Apoptosis:immunology, Body Weight, Cells, Cultured, Corticosterone:blood, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Immune Tolerance:physiology, Lymphocytes:cytology, Male.   

OBJECTIVES: Different inbred mouse strains but also each animal of the same strain show an individually different stress response which is influenced by genetic and environmental factors such as early life experiences. In this study, we investigated consequences of mild postnatal stress exposure on the stress coping style of adult BALB/c mice.

METHODS: We used a model of mild early life stress where neonatal mice were repeatedly separated from the dam staying with their siblings for 1-h each day during the first two postnatal weeks. The environment during maternal separation was adapted to the nest (bedding, 37 degrees C warm).

RESULTS: Adult female BALB/s mice that underwent the maternal separation protocol or were not isolated from the dam in early life were exposed to combined acoustic and restraint stress in adulthood. Repeated maternal separation which was performed under ambient conditions increased the stress coping ability of mice at the age of 12 weeks when exposed to this psychological stressors. By acoustic and restraint stress-induced alterations such as high corticosterone levels, an anti-inflammatory immune conditioning with an ex vivo hyperinducibility of interleukin-10 of splenocytes and a massive loss of body weight were significantly reduced in the maternally separated group compared with conventionally bred control mice.

CONCLUSIONS: Mild maternal separation in early life modifies the stress coping style of adult female BALB/c mice to a more stress-resistant phenotype which shows reduced repeated stress-induced immune suppression and weight loss and is linked to reduced release of glucocorticoids after stress exposure....

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