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Case Reports 2015; 36(1): 96-99 PubMed PMID: 25789592 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Exercise Therapy:methods, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic:physiopathology, Humans, Male, Physical Exertion:physiology,.   

: A Graded Exercise Therapy (GET) - Myalgic Encephalomyelitis (ME)/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS) Running Anomaly. Imagine you have been disabled with ME/CFS's cluster of symptoms for 19 years. Yet, this morning you just ran an easy 10K with no flare up of your exercise intolerance symptoms during the run or post-exertional malaise after the run. Then later in the day you go browsing for books and after 30 minutes or so your exercise intolerance and post-exertional malaise symptoms flare up. You experience a wave of exhaustion, achy muscles and additional cognitive fog, all of which carry into the next day. To me, this is a confusing anomaly that needs an explanation....

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Case Reports 2015; 36(1): 24-27 PubMed PMID: 25789591 Citation  Keywords:  Chelation Therapy:methods, Humans, Iron:metabolism, Iron Chelating Agents:therapeutic use, Male, Middle Aged, Parkinson Disease:drug therapy, Treatment Outcome,.   

: In this case presentation, a man with a diagnosis of Parkinson's disease was treated with Chelation Therapy against iron without iron serum level correlation. The patient, who suffered from motor and non-motor symptoms of the disease, showed an improved condition after the Therapy. This clinical test was evaluated with UPDRS III score. The rationale and the limits of the Therapy are discussed. This case suggests that iron-dependent oxidative stress could represent a promising therapy for this dramatic disease; the necessity to deeply study the iron metabolism in neuro-degeneration appears really significant....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(8): 711-717 PubMed PMID: 25702300 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antidepressive Agents:therapeutic use, Anxiety Disorders:drug therapy, Combined Modality Therapy, Depressive Disorder:drug therapy, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Psychotherapy:methods, Self Concept, Social Stigma, Treatment Outcome,.   

OBJECTIVE: Many psychiatric patients suffer from self-stigma. One consequence of these internalized prejudices is decreased treatment efficacy. Much has been written about the effects of self-stigma in patients with severe mental disorders. However, individuals with minor psychiatric disorders also suffer from self-stigma. It is therefore necessary to explore the effect of self-stigma on treatment efficacy of neurotic patients.

METHOD: Aim of out study was to investigate relationship between self-stigma, severity of symptoms, and presence of comorbidit disorder and treatment outcome in neurotic patients. Patients were treated by combined psycho and pharmacotherapy. Level of self-stigma was measured by Internalized Stigma Of Mental Illness scale. Severity of anxiety and depressive symptoms was assed by Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depressive Inventory and Clinical Global Impression Scale.

RESULTS: Level of self-stigma was significantly correlated with the levels of anxiety, depression and global evalutions of a mental state on the beginnig of the therapy. Up to our results patients with higher level of self-stigmatization had lower improvement after combined treatmet in respect to perceived anxiety symptoms.

CONCLUSION: Self-stigma seems to be an important factor influencing efficacy of combined treatment. More researches focused on self-stigmatization should be done to find an optimal therapeutic strategy for patients with higher level of self-stigmatization....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(8): 684-690 PubMed PMID: 25702296 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Apoptosis:drug effects, Dietary Supplements, Disease Models, Animal, Drug Therapy, Combination, Hippocampus:drug effects, Hormone Replacement Therapy, Hypothyroidism:drug therapy, Male, Oxidative Stress:drug effects, Random Allocation, Rats.Rats.   

OBJECTIVE: To examine the effect of levothyroxine (L-T4), vitamin E or both on oxidative stress status and hippocampal apoptosis in a propylthiouracil (PTU)-induced hypothyroid rat model.

METHODS: Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into five groups: Control, PTU+PTU+L-T4+PTU+Vit E, PTU+Vit E+L-T4. In each group we assessed levels of serum triiodothyronine (T3), tetraiodothyronine (T4), thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH), hippocampus cellular apoptosis index (AI), hippocampus nicotinamide adenine denucleotide hydrogen (NADPH)oxidase and superoxide dismutase (SOD).

RESULTS: 1) Compared with the control group, NADPH oxidase levels were significantly increased, and SOD levels were significantly reduced in the PTU groups (p<0.05). 2) Compared to the PTU group, SOD levels were significantly increased in the PTU+Vit E and PTU+L-T4+Vit E group (p<0.05). NADPH oxidase levels were significantly decreased in the PTU+L-T4, PTU+Vit E and PTU+ L-T4+Vit E group (p<0.05). 3) Compared with the control group, hippocampus AI increased significantly in the PTU group (p<0.05). Compared with the PTU group, hippocampus AI was significantly reduced in the PTU+L-T4 group and PTU+L-T4+Vit E group (p<0.05). 4) Hippocampus AI was positively correlated with NADPH oxidase expression levels in hippocampus tissue (r=0.644, p<0.01).

CONCLUSION: Levothyroxine replacement therapy combined with vitamin E reduces hippocampus AI by improving oxidative stress. This study suggested that the mechanisms of hippocampus tissue injury in a hypothyroid rat model is related to hippocampus apoptosis from increased oxidative stress....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(Suppl 2): 175-179 PubMed PMID: 25638383 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Antioxidants:pharmacology, Antipsychotic Agents:pharmacology, Cells, Cultured, Clozapine:pharmacology, Inflammation:drug therapy, Interleukin-6:metabolism, Macrophages:drug effects, Mice,.   

OBJECTIVES: Clozapine is an atypical antipsychotic drug known for its impact on production of pro-inflammatory cytokines. The aim of our work was to examine the impact of clozapine on the production of interleukin 6 (IL-6) by the LPS (lipopolysaccharide) stimulated macrophage cells and to confirm or exclude that it regulates the inflammation due to its interaction with alpha 7 nicotinic receptor (nAChR). Secondly, we focused on a verification of the antioxidant effect of clozapine.

METHODS: The levels of IL-6 in cell culture media were determined by ELISA method. Antioxidant properties of clozapine were estimated based on the reduction of 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical.

RESULTS: The IL-6 level produced by cells treated clozapine decreased significantly from IL-6 level created by clozapine-untreated cells. However, the production of IL-6 in the cells treated with clozapine and simultaneously with selective alpha 7 nAChR antagonist methyllycaconitine did not alter significantly from the IL-6 production in the cells treated just with clozapine. The free radical scavenging activity of clozapine in concentration 1.00 mM was found equivalent to 0.13 mM of standard antioxidant N-acetyl-L-cystein.

CONCLUSION: Our study confirmed, that clozapine reduces production of IL-6 in LPS-activated macrophage cells nevertheless we denied that it would be mediated through alpha 7 nAChR. Moreover antioxidant potential of clozapine was observed.

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Journal Article 2014; 35(7): 645-652 PubMed PMID: 25617890 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Anti-Anxiety Agents:therapeutic use, Antidepressive Agents:therapeutic use, Antipsychotic Agents:therapeutic use, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Medication Adherence:psychology, Middle Aged, Outpatients:psychology, Psychotic Disorde.   

OBJECTIVE: Adherence to treatment of mental disorders is one of the key factors influencing its success and, secondarily, the patients' quality of life and social adaptation. The cross-sectional study of 90 outpatients diagnosed with psychotic disorders aimed at determining if there was a relationship between discontinuation of psychoactive drugs in the past, current adherence to treatment and self-stigma.

METHODS: The assessment was made with the objective and subjective Clinical Global Impression - Severity scale, Drug Attitude Inventory, Internalized Stigma of Mental Illness (ISMI) scale and demographic data. The questionnaires were filled out by 79 patients, of whom 5 handed in incomplete questionnaires. Complete sets of data were obtained from 74 patients.

RESULTS: The data analysis showed that the levels of self-stigma as assessed by the total ISMI scores was not statistically significantly correlated with most of the demographic factors (age, age of illness onset, gender, education, marital status, employment, duration of the illness, number of hospitalizations and antipsychotic dosage). However, there was a significant negative correlation with current adherence to treatment....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 454-462 PubMed PMID: 25433849 Citation  Keywords:  Acetylglucosaminidase:metabolism, Alzheimer Disease:drug therapy, Animals, Antioxidants:pharmacology, CA1 Region, Hippocampal:drug effects, Cognition Disorders:drug therapy, Disease Models, Animal, Indoles:pharmacology, Male, Malondialdehyde:metabolism, M.   

BACKGROUND: The idea of antioxidant therapy attenuating Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathology starts to be attractive. Animal models are often used in these studies. An AD-like model of trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neurodegeneration, targeting the hippocampus, involves neuronal cell death and cognitive impairment.

OBJECTIVES: Effect of the pyridoindole SMe1EC2 (3×50 mg/kg) and vitamin C (3×50mg/kg) was analyzed in the model of TMT-induced (8 mg/kg) neurodegeneration.

METHODS: The study was focused on the effect of the antioxidants tested on learning performance in the Morris water maze (MWM) on days 21-25 after TMT administration, on biochemical variables - malondyaldehyde (MDA) and lysosomal enzyme NAGA in brain cortex and blood serum, and on pyramidal cell number in the CA1 area of the hippocampus on day 31 after TMT administration in adult male Wistar rats (n=32).

RESULTS: Critical deterioration of learning performance was observed due to the TMT administration in the MWM. Further, apparent reduction of pyramidal cell number to 21% in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, increased MDA and NAGA activity in serum and increased NAGA activity in the cortex were determined contrary to controls. In serum, an increase of MDA level was prevented by both antioxidants tested without any effect on NAGA activity. SMe1EC2 apparently preserved pyramidal cell viability in the CA1 area. Both substances tested failed to ameliorate the detrimental effect of TMT on spatial memory.

CONCLUSION: The biochemical and morphometrical findings suggest that reduction of oxidative stress may play a role in AD-like neurodegeneration. Different doses and timing of SMe1EC2 administration might bring improvement in next learning performance....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(Suppl 1): 34-39 PubMed PMID: 25433352 Citation  Keywords:  Cardiac Resynchronization Therapy:methods, Electrodes, Implanted, Heart Failure:surgery, Heart Ventricles:surgery, Humans, Pericardium:surgery,.   

: Cardiac resynchronization therapy is now recognized as an effective and safe therapeutic modality in heart failure patients and leads to a reduction in mortality and morbidity. Today, transvenous implantation is considered to be the gold standard for lead placement. However, transvenous LV lead implantation fails in 2-10% of patients undergoing the implantation procedure. In these cases surgical LV lead implantation is preferred. The present article reviews LV pacing lead implantation strategies in cases where standard transvenous implantation failed....

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