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Comment 2010; 31(6): 728; author reply 729-730 PubMed PMID: 21196919 Citation  Keywords:  Brain:pathology, Child, Diagnosis, Differential, Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Edema:diagnosis, Humans, Magnetic Resonance Imaging, Male, Nephrotic Syndrome:complications, Posterior Leukoencephalopathy Syndrome:diagnosis,.   

: Kabicek and colleagues described a case of nephritic-syndrome-associated posterior reversible encephalopathy syndrome (PRES) (Kabicek, et al. 2010). This adds to the accumulating evidence that PRES can be associated with disorders other than hypertension. However, we wonder how the authors would explain the neuroimaging findings unsuggestive of vasogenic oedema. PRES (also named reversible posterior leukoencephalopathy syndrome, RPLS) represents a clinicoradiological syndrome characterized by vasogenic oedema as revealed by apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) map of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) (Bartynski, 2008). The pathogenesis of PRES has been suggested to be autoregulation failure and endothelial dysfunction (Sharma, et al.). ......

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 848-851 PubMed PMID: 21196918 Citation  Keywords:  Age Factors, Animals, Animals, Newborn, Blotting, Western, Cerebral Cortex:metabolism, Disease Models, Animal, Female, Hypothyroidism:metabolism, Male, Mice, Mice, Inbred C57BL, Neurons:metabolism, Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II:genetics, Pregnancy, RNA, M.   

OBJECTIVES: The expression of iNOS mRNA and protein levels was studied in hypothyroid rat cerebral cortex during early days after postnatal life.

METHOD: The homogenate of the cerebral cortex was examined using Real-time reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (real-time RT PCR) and Western blot analysis.

RESULT: ΔCt in hypothyroid group on day 7, 14, 21 was 18.89±0.92, 18.83±0.99, 16.48±0.29, separately. While in control group, ΔCt was 20.32±0.92, 20.07±0.86, 17.96±0.50, separately. Meanwhile, the protein level was detected only in hypothyroid group of 59 ± 5% on day 14. On day 21, iNOS protein expression showed a decrease (p<0.05) in hypothyroid group (37 ± 3%), compared with control group (58 ± 4%).

CONCLUSION: Our findings show the successive changes of the iNOS mRNA and protein levels in early postnatal days of hypothyroid rat brain, and confirm the cross-talk between the TH and NO signaling pathway in developing cerebral cortex of rats....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 792-795 PubMed PMID: 21196917 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Cerebral Cortex:drug effects, Disease Models, Animal, Disease Susceptibility, Dose-Response Relationship, Drug, Electrodes, Implanted, Electrophysiology, Evoked Potentials, Hippocampus:drug effects, Injections, Intraperitoneal, Motor Cortex:patho.   

OBJECTIVES: Nicotine is a widely used drug of abuse exerting number of effects on the central nervous system. The study was aimed at the effects of nicotine in various doses on the excitability of cerebral cortex and - by using the methods of histochemistry - to identify possible signs of neuronal degeneration after nicotine administration.

METHODS: Cortical afterdischarges were elicited by repeated stimulation of the right sensorimotor cortex. The duration of evoked ADs was monitored in animals treated with nicotine (0.75 or 1.0mg/kg) and in animals treated with saline. Methods of histochemistry (Fluoro-Jade B and bis-benzimide) were used to detect possible neuronal degeneration in hippocampus or in cerebral cortex.

RESULTS: No Fluoro-Jade B positive cells were found in hippocampi of control animals, or animals treated with nicotine. ADs length was significantly influenced by administration of nicotine.

CONCLUSION: Nicotine in 0.75 or 1.0 mg/kg dose leads to the decrease in ADs duration, influences the seizure susceptibility, and doesn't cause any detectable neuronal damage....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 738-742 PubMed PMID: 21196916 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Circadian Clocks:physiology, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Cricetinae, Male, Photoperiod, Reproduction:physiology, Seasons, Time Factors,.   

OBJECTIVES AND DESIGN: In European hamsters a circannual clock drives the seasonal changes in the reproductive state. Its resetting by photoperiod is clearly phase dependent. In mid subjective winter a 1-month pulse of long photoperiod (LP) advances the onset of the reproductive phase of animals maintained in constant short photoperiod (SP) by up to 1.5 months. The present study investigated whether shorter pulses, i.e. 8, 4 or 2 days LP-pulses are still effective to phase shift the circannual rhythm.

MAIN FINDINGS: All pulses induced gonadal development after a similar time relative to the offset of the pulse and earlier than in the control group. Thus, they all shared a similar effectiveness.

CONCLUSIONS: In European hamsters a very brief LP-pulse can phase shift the reproductive rhythm but its strength is not determined by its duration at least not in the tested range....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 761-765 PubMed PMID: 21196915 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Circadian Rhythm:physiology, Male, Melatonin:secretion, Microscopy, Electron, Pineal Gland:physiology, Rats, Rats, Sprague-Dawley, Synapses:ultrastructure,.   

OBJECTIVE: The pineal gland is part of the circadian clock system and is under the predominant influence of the endogenous oscillator located in the suprachiasmatic nucleus. A polysynaptic pathway involving hypothalamus, spinal cord and sympathetic system regulates the so far best-studied aspect of its neuroendocrine output, i.e., the synthesis and secretion of melatonin. This parameter increases dramatically at night upon sympathetic activation in rats and many other mammals including man. In addition, parasympathetic, trigeminal, diencephalic and other sites or mechanisms connect the gland, mainly via its stalk, to the nervous system. However, their function for pineal metabolic or morphological features are hardly known. An interesting ultrastructural attribute of the pineal gland are ribbon synapses. These presynaptic structures in pinealocytes are composed of a ribbon and vesicles. They are thought to regulate and facilitate multivesicular release, and display a circadian rhythm with higher levels at night paralleling melatonin synthesis but regulated differently.

METHODS: To gain more insight into the roles of both, the non-sympathetic ("central") innervation and the regulation of pineal ribbon synapses, a surgical transection of the pineal stalk was conducted in rats and the number of synaptic ribbons (SR) were determined by electron microscopy from experimental, sham-operated and control animals.

RESULTS: The transection resulted in normal daytime levels but diminished the nocturnal increase of SR numbers when compared to controls or sham-operated rats.

CONCLUSION: These data provide first evidence that the central innervation of this neuroendocrine organ plays an important role in SR (up)regulation, and that this pathway is antagonistic to the sympathetic innervation....

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Journal Article 2010; 31(6): 775-781 PubMed PMID: 21196911 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Aged, Depression:psychology, Female, Health Knowledge, Attitudes, Practice, Humans, Hyperthyroidism:psychology, Informed Consent:statistics & numerical data, Iodine Radioisotopes:therapeutic use, Male, Middle Aged, Patients:psychology, Poland, Surv.   

OBJECTIVES: Many patients with a chronic disease are dissatisfied with the information they are given. A brief questionnaire completed by patients would assist health professionals to identify areas of information needed to be provided, tailored to the patient's mental condition.

AIM: The aim of our study was to assess how often thyroid patients report being adequately informed about iodine treatment in connection with their real need thereof, emotional state and acceptance of the disease.

METHODS: One hundred outpatients who had presented subclinical hyperthyroidism "[19 men (19%), 81 women (81%); mean (SD±) age 53±14,range 18-77 yr ] treated with radioiodine (RAI) responded to an Experimental Questionnaire, 54 of them answered to AIS, HADS-M and Beck Inventory measuring their acceptance of the illness and depressive symptoms, 37 of them answered the Patient Request Form (PRF).

RESULTS: The obtained results indicated that about 50% of patients treated with 131I therapy did not receive suitable information about their treatment. Neither written information prepared by the specialist, nor verbal information given by physicians were adequate for specific problems of study group. The examined patients presented with a comparable intensity of three distinct types of requests: for explanation and reassurance, for emotional support, and for investigation and treatment. The acceptance of their disease was mediocre for most of the study group.

CONCLUSION: We conclude that the reported lack of satisfaction with medical information in study group was associated with depressive symptoms influencing cognitive efficiency, patients' great need of emotional and cognitive support, influencing the acceptance of their disease, and social prejudice to radioiodine (as a method of treatment), worrying them additionally. All thyroid patients even these with subclinical symptoms of hyperthyroidism should be treated with specific attention by physicians, especially during information process....

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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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Evaluation Studies 2010; 31(6): 766-770 PubMed PMID: 21196909 Citation  Keywords:  Female, Fetal Development, Fetus, Gestational Age, Humans, Male, Nomograms, Pregnancy, Regression Analysis, Thymus Gland:anatomy & histology, Ultrasonography, Prenatal,.   

OBJECTIVE: To determine sonographically the transverse diameter of the fetal thymus and present nomogram for the transverse diameter of the fetal thymus in uncomplicated singleton pregnancies between 19 and 38 weeks of gestation.

SETTING: Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Charles University in Prague, Faculty of Medicine Hradec Kralove, University Hospital Hradec Kralove, Czech Republic.

METHODS: A prospective study was performed. The transverse diameter of the fetal thymus was measured by the one experienced examiner in 198 healthy fetuses between 19 and 38 weeks of gestation.

RESULTS: The transverse diameters of the fetal thymus were obtained from 183 of the 198 subjects. The regression equation was expressed as a function of gestational age: the transverse diameter of the fetal thymus (mm) = 1.001 × gestational age (week) - 0.932 or 0.143 × day - 1.34. Both the correlation coefficients, r=0.91 for weeks and r=0.92 for days were found to be highly statistically significant (p<0.0001).

CONCLUSION: This study presents normative data (mean, 5th and 95th) for the ultrasound measurements of the transverse diameter of the fetal thymus in healthy singleton pregnancies....

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