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Journal Article 2009; 30(3): 284-299 PubMed PMID: 19855350 Citation  Keywords:  Cognitive Therapy, Exercise Therapy, Fatigue, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic:therapy, Humans, Randomized Controlled Trials as Topic, Treatment Outcome,.   

: Benign Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME) / Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) is a debilitating disease which, despite numerous biological abnormalities has remained highly controversial. Notwithstanding the medical pathogenesis of ME/CFS, the (bio)psychosocial model is adopted by many governmental organizations and medical profes-sio-nals to legitimize the combination of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) and Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) for ME/CFS. Justified by this model CBT and GET aim at eliminating presumed psychogenic and socially induced maintaining factors and reversing deconditioning, respectively. In this review we invalidate the (bio)psychosocial model for ME/CFS and demonstrate that the success claim for CBT/GET to treat ME/CFS is unjust. CBT/GET is not only hardly more effective than non-interventions or standard medical care, but many patients report that the therapy had affected them adversely, the majority of them even reporting substantial deterioration. Moreover, this review shows that exertion and thus GET most likely have a negative impact on many ME/CFS patients. Exertion induces post-exertional malaise with a decreased physical performan-ce/aerobic capacity, increased muscoskeletal pain, neurocognitive impairment, "fatigue", and weakness, and a long lasting "recovery" time. This can be explained by findings that exertion may amplify pre-existing pa-thophysiological abnormalities underpinning ME/CFS, such as inflammation, immune dysfunction, oxidative and nitrosative stress, channelopathy, defec-tive stress response mechanisms and a hypoactive hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. We conclude that it is unethical to treat patients with ME/CFS with ineffective, non-evidence-based and potentially harmful "rehabilitation therapies", such as CBT/GET....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(3): 275-283 PubMed PMID: 19855349 Citation  Keywords:  Cell Differentiation, Cell Shape, Dendritic Cells:cytology, Epithelial Cells:cytology, Humans, Macrophages:cytology, T-Lymphocytes:cytology, Thymus Gland:cytology,.   

: The thymus is the central organ of the immune system. It is essential for the development and maintenance of normal immune system, especially cell-mediated immunity. From the morphological point of view, the thymus is divided into two main compartments, cortex and medulla. The thymic microenvironment consists of a network of reticular epithelial cells and other fixed and free cells. The microenvironment of thymus is very important for the selection and maturation of T cells. T cell differentiation occurs via T cell receptors. The major histocompatibility complex participates in interactions between T cells and thymic epithelial cells, in addition to interactions between T cells and dendritic cells, macrophages and myoid cells. The neuroendocrine system regulates early T cell differentiation by the transcription of neuroendocrine genes in the stromal network and expression of cognitive receptors by immature T cells. This work briefly summarizes morphological and ultrastructural characteristics of thymic epithelial cells, dendritic cells, macrophages and myoid cells. It is accompanied by the authors' own photomicrographs and electronmicrograph from a transmission electron microscope. All of these cells play a critical role in the proliferation, differentiation and selection of precursor cells in the T-cell lineage, but the precise mechanisms not well understudood....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 195-203 PubMed PMID: 19675526 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, DNA-Binding Proteins, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Drosophila Proteins, Estradiol:blood, Estrogen Receptor alpha:metabolism, Estrogen Receptor beta:metabolism, Estrogens:blood, Female, Glial Fibrillary Acidic Protein:metabolism, Hippocampus:.   

OBJECTIVES: The aim of present work was to examine estrogen influence on neurogenesis in the model of predegenerated peripheral nerve grafts implantation into the rat hippocampal dentate gyrus.

METHODS: Experiment was carried out on female rats divided into three experimental groups: NO - non-ovariectomized, OV - ovariectomized and E - heterogeneous group with various 17-beta-estradiol substitution after ovariectomy. Proliferating cells were labeled with BrdU. Brains were subjected to immunohistochemical procedures to visualize nestin, GFAP and estrogen receptors (ERalpha and ERbeta).

RESULTS: Proliferation rate was highest in E groups with estrogen levels resembling that in proestrus phase. Ovariectomy resulted in higher than in NO group number of new neurons, while high hyperestrogenemia worsened the results. The proportions of nestin-labeled cells correlated in similar way with different hormonal state. We found also distinct co-localization of nestin and GFAP in E group (proestrus). It may suggest the presence of radial glia, a potential source of new neurons in adult mammals. Nerve graft induced ERalpha expression at the site of injury in all groups. Distribution of ERbeta in hippocampus was estradiol-dose-dependent and correlated with cell proliferation.

CONCLUSION: In our model, 17-beta-estradiol and predegenerated nerve graft implantation had synergistic effect on hippocampal neurogenesis....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 180-184 PubMed PMID: 19675525 Citation  Keywords:  Adiponectin:metabolism, Aging:metabolism, Cardiovascular Diseases:metabolism, Humans, Longevity:physiology, Risk Factors,.   

: Adiponectin, a protein secreted by adipocytes, has been recently found to be also secreted by cardiomyocytes. Adiponectin possesses several physiological functions including modulation of glucose metabolism and energy homeostasis. The interactions between adiponectin and metabolic parameters were found. Studies on aging humans revealed that enhanced adiponectin values are a distinctive feature of centenarians. Thus, this parameter may be considered as a prognostic factor of prolonged survival. However, it has also been demonstrated that high adiponectin levels may predict mortality in patients with cardiovascular disease (CVD). Several mechanisms of adiponectin elevation, both in the process of aging and in pathomechanism of CVD, are discussed in this paper....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 185-191 PubMed PMID: 19675524 Citation  Keywords:  Attention, Choice Behavior, Culture, Economics, Humans, Models, Neurological, Reinforcement (Psychology), Time Factors,.   

: According to theories of cultural neuroscience, Westerners and Easterners may have distinct styles of cognition (e.g., different allocation of attention). Previous research has shown that Westerners and Easterners tend to utilize analytical and holistic cognitive styles, respectively. On the other hand, little is known regarding the cultural differences in neuroeconomic behavior. For instance, economic decisions may be affected by cultural differences in neurocomputational processing underlying attention; however, this area of neuroeconomics has been largely understudied. In the present paper, we attempt to bridge this gap by considering the links between the theory of cultural neuroscience and neuroeconomic theory of the role of attention in intertemporal choice. We predict that (i) Westerners are more impulsive and inconsistent in intertemporal choice in comparison to Easterners, and (ii) Westerners more steeply discount delayed monetary losses than Easterners. We examine these predictions by utilizing a novel temporal discounting model based on Tsallis' statistics (i.e. a q-exponential model). Our preliminary analysis of temporal discounting of gains and losses by Americans and Japanese confirmed the predictions from the cultural neuroeconomic theory. Future study directions, employing computational modeling via neural networks, are outlined and discussed....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 204-208 PubMed PMID: 19675523 Citation  Keywords:  Analysis of Variance, Animals, Bone Marrow Cells:physiology, Cell Movement:physiology, Cell Survival:physiology, Coculture Techniques:methods, Insulin:metabolism, Islets of Langerhans:physiology, Mesenchymal Stromal Cells:physiology, Microfluidic Analytic.   

OBJECTIVES: A coculture microfluidic chip had been fabricated to investigate the dynamic process of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells migrating to the pancreatic islets in vitro.

METHODS: We fabricated a coculture microfluidic chip using standard procedures. On the chip, bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells and pancreatic islets were introduced respectively into two microchambers which could be connected by a traffic tunnel. Migration assay was performed along the tunnel, and the function of pancreatic islets was timely evaluated by analysis of insulin secretion in response to high-glucose-challenge.

RESULTS: The results showed that some bioactive factors excreted by freshly isolated pancreatic islets could enhance the migrating rate of BM-MSCs. Besides, pancreatic islets also showed a better survival and function by coculturing with bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells.

CONCLUSION: The results demonstrated that bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells had the ability to migrate to pancreatic islets and provide an apparent overall preservation for islet function. This microfluidic device was a potentially useful tool to mimic actual biological processes of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells migrating to the pancreatic islets in vitro....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 221-226 PubMed PMID: 19675522 Citation  Keywords:  5' Untranslated Regions, Animals, Female, Gene Expression, Genotype, Mutation, Polymerase Chain Reaction, Polymorphism, Single Nucleotide, Prolactin:blood, Reproduction:genetics, Sequence Analysis, DNA, Swine:genetics, Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone:metabo.   

OBJECTIVES: The recent genetics and molecular biology progress seems to be a fascinating challenge for the interdisciplinary studies on the effects of genetic changes in gene structure that causes the modification of physiological functions of many important proteins including hormones. Pig prolactin is one of the interesting hormones for this study.

AIM OF THE STUDY: The aim of the study was to analyze the mutation in 5'UTR region of the pig prolactin (PRL) gene and to evaluate the effect of this polymorphism on changes in plasma prolactin concentration.

RESULTS: It was found that only two individual groups of animals differed by the genotype in examined PRL gene locus - homozygote C/C and heterozygote C/T. PRL plasma concentration was 38.4 ng/ml (for C/T animals) or 42.7 ng/ml (for C/C animals). Animals with C/C genotyped exhibited a tendency to elevate PRL concentration as compared to the C/T group (p< 0.07).

CONCLUSIONS: This research combines the genetic, molecular and, in vivo, physiological study which allows focus on the possible relationship between the gene polymorphism and physiological status of animal....

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Journal Article 2009; 30(2): 262-267 PubMed PMID: 19675521 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adrenal Hyperplasia, Congenital:pathology, Child, Child, Preschool, Disorders of Sex Development:pathology, Female, Genitalia:abnormalities, Genitalia, Female:abnormalities, Humans, Infant, Male, Reconstructive Surgical Procedures, Treatment O.   

INTRODUCTION: Ambiguous genitalia always present diagnostic and therapeutic problem. Long-term results of feminizing operations are unsatisfactory in some cases and reports from follow-up after feminizing genitoplasty are rare in the literature. Systematic studies are needed to evaluate ultimate function of all girls undergoing feminizing surgery. In our opinion, the lack of worldwide-accepted scale for the assessment of long-term effects of feminizing genitoplasty, enabling the possibility of comparing outcomes between institutions and countries, may contribute to this deficit of reliable data.

AIM: The aim of the study was the evaluation of the outcomes of surgical management of masculinization using a novel scale developed by the authors.

MATERIAL AND METHODS: We examined 43 patients aged 3-24 years (mean age 15,4 years) operated due to ambiguous genitalia. Most of the patients were females with congenital adrenal hyperplasia (CAH) diagnosed in 38 of subjects (88.4%).The patients were operated at the age from 10 months - 15 years (mean age 4,5 years). Five patients had to be reoperated. The effects of surgical management in ambiguous genitalia were assessed using our own scale. We evaluated five anatomical and cosmetic parameters (general appearance, size of pudendal labia, symmetry of pudendal labia symmetry, size and position of clitoris, size of introitus and position of urethra opening), each of them was scored 0-2 points.

RESULTS: In 36 of examined patients the result of the surgery was considered good, in 4 patients - satisfactory and in 3 - poor. The most common complication of feminizing genitoplasty in our patients was stenosed vagina (in 10 patients, 23.8%). Location of urinary coil in anterior wall of vagina was found in 6 patients (13.9%) and in 1 patient it was invisible (2.3%). Post-operational clitoral enlargement was found in 3 cases (6.9%).

CONCLUSION: Taking into consideration controversial data about the results of feminizing genitoplasty, a standarized, well-defined and commonly accepted scale enabling comparison between methods and institutions is necessary. In our opinion scoring scale makes the evaluation more precise and the results are more comparable....

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