bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Neuroprotective effect of chronic lithium treatment against hypoxia in specific brain regions with upregulation of cAMP response element binding protein and brain‐derived neurotrophic factor but not nerve growth factor: comparison with acute lithium treatment
Authors: Omata N , Murata T , Takamatsu S , Maruoka N , Mitsuya H , Yonekura Y , Fujibayashi Y , Wada Y 
Published: April 2008

Objectives:  We evaluated the neuroprotective effect of chronically or acutely administered lithium against hypoxia in several brain regions. Furthermore, we investigated the contribution of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), nerve growth factor (NGF), and cAMP response element binding protein (CREB) to the neuroprotective effect of lithium.Methods:  Brain slices were prepared from rats that had been treated chronically or acutely with lithium. The cerebral glucose metabolic rate (CMRglc) before and after hypoxia loading to brain slices was measured using the dynamic positron autoradiography technique with [18F]2‐fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐d‐glucose. The changes of expression of proteins were investigated using Western blot analysis.Results:  Before hypoxia loading, the CMRglc did not differ between the lithium‐treated and untreated groups. After hypoxia loading, the CMRglc of the untreated group was significantly lower than that before hypoxia loading. However, the CMRglc of the chronic lithium treatment group recovered in the frontal cortex, caudate putamen, hippocampus and cerebellum, but not in the thalamus. In contrast, the CMRglc of the acute lithium treatment group did not recover in any analyzed brain regions. After chronic lithium treatment, the levels of expression of BDNF and phospho‐CREB were higher than those of untreated rats in the frontal cortex, but not in the thalamus. However, the expression of NGF did not change in the frontal cortex and thalamus.Conclusions:  These results demonstrated that lithium was neuroprotective against hypoxia only after chronic treatment and only in specific brain regions, and that CREB and BDNF might contribute to this effect.
Auditory P300 in patients with bipolar disorder and their unaffected relatives
Authors: Schulze Katja K , Hall Mei‐Hua , McDonald Colm , Marshall Nicolette , Walshe Muriel , Murray Robin M , Bramon Elvira 
Published: April 2008

Objectives:  There is evidence that genetic susceptibility may be shared between bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia, but electrophysiological phenotypes which have been extensively used in studies of genetic susceptibility for schizophrenia remain far less explored in bipolar illness. This study assesses whether auditory P300 latency delays and amplitude reductions, which have been demonstrated in patients with schizophrenia and their unaffected first‐degree relatives, are associated with familial liability to psychotic bipolar illness.Methods:  The P300 auditory evoked potential was obtained using an oddball task from 37 participants with BD who had a history of psychotic symptoms, 38 of their unaffected first‐degree relatives and 42 healthy unrelated comparison subjects. Patients and relatives came from families multiply affected with BD or another functional psychotic disorder. P300 amplitude and latency at midline sites were compared between the groups, using linear regression analyses and robust variance estimators for clustered data, including age and gender as covariates.Results:  Bipolar disorder patients with a history of psychosis and their unaffected relatives showed significantly delayed P300 latency at Pz compared to controls. The groups did not differ in P300 amplitude.Conclusions:  P300 latency delays are associated with both psychotic BD and familial liability for this illness. Sample size limited our ability to test for multimodal distribution of P300 measures among relatives, which might be expected if only a subgroup inherits any deficits. In future it will be of interest to directly compare groups of families with psychotic and non‐psychotic forms of BD to explore further the role of psychotic symptoms with regard to P300 measures in the disorder. Our results indicate that delayed P300 latency is a promising candidate endophenotype for psychotic BD, as well as schizophrenia, and may reflect the impact of shared susceptibility genes for both types of psychosis.
Norepinephrine and serotonin imbalance in the locus coeruleus in bipolar disorder
Authors: Wiste Anna K , Arango Victoria , Ellis Steven P , Mann J John , Underwood Mark D 
Published: April 2008

Objectives:  Abnormalities in norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5‐HT) are implicated in bipolar disorder (BD). We examined 5‐HT input and NE neurons in the locus coeruleus (LC, the NE nucleus that innervates the forebrain) in BD by quantifying immunoreactivity (IR) for tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) and tryptophan hydroxylase (TPH), the biosynthetic enzymes for NE and 5‐HT, respectively.Methods:  Six suicides with BD were compared to matched normal controls and unipolar major depression suicides, using immunocytochemistry with computer‐assisted quantification of immunoreactivity.Results:  Depressed bipolar suicides had 26.7 ± 1.3% of LC area occupied by the TH immunoreactive (TH‐IR) process, while controls had 50.7 ± 8% (p = 0.002) and unipolar depressed suicides had 50.3 ± 2.5% (p = 0.003). In bipolars, these processes did not stain as darkly (1.9 ± 0.5 × background) as controls (2.9 ± 0.9 × background; p = 0.01) or unipolars (2.9 ± 0.6 × background; p = 0.002). Bipolar suicides also had less TPH‐IR processes in the LC (11.7 ± 10%) compared with controls (32.8 ± 8.8%; p = 0.01) or unipolar suicides (30.3 ± 8%; p = 0.02). The TPH‐IR intensity did not differ between groups.Conclusions:  We found less TH‐IR and TPH‐IR in the LC in depressed bipolar suicides, but not unipolar suicides, suggesting that both NE and 5‐HT activity is lower in BD. Studies during manic or euthymic states will determine whether these changes are mood state dependent.
Mania as the first manifestation of Wilson’s disease
Authors: Machado Alexandre Costa , Deguti Marta Mitiko , Caixeta Leonardo , Spitz Mariana , Lucato Leandro Tavares , Barbosa Egberto Reis 
Published: April 2008

Background:  Although mental changes are frequent in Wilson’s disease, severe psychiatric disorders occur uncommonly and usually accompany the neurological picture. There are few reports in the literature of Wilson’s disease patients with typical bipolar affective disorder (BPAD).Case report:  The authors report the case of a patient with Wilson’s disease whose initial manifestation was a manic episode followed by depression. Tremor in the upper limbs appeared one year after the onset of symptoms. The diagnosis of Wilson’s disease was established three years after the first symptoms appeared, based on the neuropsychiatric picture, the detection of Kayser–Fleischer rings and the results of diagnostic tests indicating chronic liver disease and copper excess. ATP7B genotyping and magnetic resonance imaging of the brain with proton spectroscopy study were also performed. The patient became asymptomatic two years after starting treatment with penicillamine and remained non‐symptomatic controlled during the eight‐year follow‐up period, without any specific treatment for the BPAD.Conclusions:  To our knowledge, this is a singular report of a case of Wilson’s disease in which a manic episode preceded the onset of neurological symptoms. The association between Wilson’s disease and bipolar disorder is discussed.
Age at onset in Sardinian bipolar I patients: evidence for three subgroups
Authors: Manchia Mirko , Lampus Simona , Chillotti Caterina , Sardu Claudia , Ardau Raffaella , Severino Giovanni , Zompo Maria Del 
Published: April 2008

Objective:  We studied age at onset (AAO) in order to assess the presence of different subgroups in a homogeneous genetic population, such as the Sardinian population.Methods:  Admixture analysis was applied in order to identify a model of separate normal distribution of AAO characterized by different means, variances and population proportions to allow for evaluation of different subgroups in a sample of 181 unrelated patients of Sardinian origin with bipolar disorder (BP) type I. The Mann–Whitney test was used to compare the means of AAO between subjects with a history of suicide attempts and subjects with no such history.Results:  The best‐fitting model had three components with means (SD) of 18.1 (2.3), 24.3 (5.3) and 41 (11.5) years, comprising 36%, 39% and 25% of the sample, respectively. We obtained two cut‐off points at 21 and 33 years, enabling the sample to be divided into three subgroups. The Mann–Whitney test revealed a difference between the mean AAO of subjects with a positive history of suicide attempts and that of subjects with no such history (p = 0.041).Conclusions:  We found three AAO sub‐groups in our sample of BP I patients of Sardinian origin. Our findings add further support to the hypothesis whereby AAO acts as a clinical marker of biological heterogeneity in BP.
Susceptibility of Thirty Cherry Genotypes on Phytophthora cactorum, P. citrophthora, P. citricola and P. parasitica
Authors: Thomidis T. , Karayiannis I. , Tsipouridis C. 
Published: April 2008

AbstractThe diseases Phytophthora crown and root rot consist of the most important problems in cherry cultivation. In this study, the susceptibility of 30 cherry genotypes to Phytophthora cactorum, P. citrophthora, P. parasitica and P. citricola was evaluated by using excised twig assay, excised shoot method and stem inoculation method. The results showed that all cherry genotypes tested were susceptible to all Phytophthora isolates used. Phytophthora parasitica and P. citrophthora were the most aggressive species. Host specificity of the Phytophthora isolates used in this study was not found although these isolates were from different plant species. In conclusion, because none of the cherry genotype showed a level of resistance to these pathogens, caution should be taken when these genotypes are used in locations, where these diseases are endemic.
Analysing Motility Parameters on Fresh Bull Semen Could Help to Predict Resistance to Freezing: A Preliminary Study
Authors: Defoin L , Granados A , Donnay I 
Published: April 2008

ContentsBatches of straws often need to be thrown away after freezing because of a too few number of motile or progressive sperm cells after thawing. Our objective was to evaluate the possibility to predict before freezing the quality of the semen after freezing/thawing. Computer‐Aided Sperm Analysis was performed on motility parameters both before and after freezing of 20 ejaculates from different bulls. Significant variation between bulls was observed both before and after freezing for all the analysed traits (anova2; p < 0.001): proportion of motile (%mot) and progressive (%prog) sperm, velocity on the curved line (VCL), velocity on the straight line (VSL), velocity on the average path (VAP), linearity (VSL/VCL), beat cross frequency and average orientation change of the head. Freezing significantly altered the motility parameters and correlations were found between samples analysed before and after freezing (Pearson coefficient: R = 0.43–0.72; p < 0.05). The mean VAP, VSL and the %prog obtained before freezing were highly correlated to the %mot and %prog observed after freezing (R = 0.75–0.82; p < 0.001). Applying thresholds on mean VAP and VSL values allowed us to predict respectively 6 and 7 of nine batches that would be rejected after freezing due to a too low %prog (<15%). Combining different traits did not add to the precision. In conclusion, analysis of velocity traits on fresh sperm seems more efficient than analysis of %mot or %prog to discard batches that will be of poor quality after freezing.
Infertile Boars with Knobbed and Immotile Short‐tail Sperm Defects in the Finnish Yorkshire Breed
Authors: Kopp C , Sironen A , Ijäs R , Taponen J , Vilkki J , Sukura A , Andersson M 
Published: April 2008

ContentsIn the period 1996–2006 two specific sperm defects, the knobbed acrosome (KA) defect and the immotile short‐tail sperm (ISTS) defect, showed a strong negative association with fertility in Finnish breeding boars. In this study, we examined the incidence of these two sperm defects in two pig breeds, their effects on fertility and their associations with sperm morphology and testicular histology. Semen samples from 2048 (1097 Yorkshire, 951 Landrace) boars were collected. None of the Landrace boars revealed either the KA defect or the ISTS defect. Of the Yorkshire boars, 0.8% were afflicted with the KA defect and 7.6% with the ISTS defect. Boars diagnosed with the ISTS defect produced no litters. Fertility data were available from two artificially inseminated (AI) boars and six farm breeding boars affected with the KA defect. Breeding boars with 45–81% knobbed spermatozoa (n = 6) did not produce any litters out of 71 sows bred. AI boars with 25–30% knobbed spermatozoa had a poor non‐return rate (on average 47% compared with 85% for normal control boars) and produced small litters, on average 2.5 piglets less than other boars of the same breed. Morphometry of testicular tissue and distribution of different cells in the seminiferous tubules were examined in nine boars. Boars with the KA defect had a smaller diameter of the seminiferous tubules (p < 0.05) and a lower number of Sertoli cells (p < 0.05) than controls. ISTS boars, in turn, had a significantly lower number of elongated spermatids (p < 0.05), and they also produced on average only 12% of the spermatozoa of normal boars. The ISTS defect is a manifestation of an autosomal recessive disease caused by an insertion in theKPL2gene in porcine chromosome 16. Although we tried to map the KA defect, its aetiology remains unclear.
Effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis
Authors: NISHIYAMA Osamu , KONDOH Yasuhiro , KIMURA Tomoki , KATO Keisuke , KATAOKA Kensuke , OGAWA Tomoya , WATANABE Fumiko , ARIZONO Shinichi , NISHIMURA Koichi , TANIGUCHI Hiroyuki 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  Although pulmonary rehabilitation is effective for patients with COPD, its efficacy in patients with IPF is unknown. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the effects of pulmonary rehabilitation in IPF.Methods:  Thirty patients diagnosed with IPF, according to the consensus statement, were randomly assigned to the rehabilitation group or the control group. The pulmonary rehabilitation mainly consisted of a 10‐week programme of exercise training. Pulmonary function, blood gas analysis, 6MWD, dyspnoea rating with the baseline dyspnoea index and health‐related quality of life score on the St George's Respiratory Questionnaire were evaluated at baseline and after the programme.Results:  Assessment of efficacy was carried out on 13 patients who completed the programme and 15 patients in the control group. There were no significant effects of the programme on measures of pulmonary function, values of arterial blood gas analysis or dyspnoea rating. Although there were some differences in the baseline 6MWD and total health‐related quality of life score which were not statistically significant, marked improvements were observed in the 6MWD (mean difference 46.3 m (95% CI: 8.3–84.4), P < 0.05) and the total health‐related quality of life score (−6.1 (95% CI: −11.7 to −0.5), P < 0.05).Conclusions:  Pulmonary rehabilitation improves both exercise capacity and health‐related quality of life in patients with IPF.
Interferon‐γ responses after isoniazid chemotherapy for latent tuberculosis
Authors: HIGUCHI Kazue , HARADA Nobuyuki , MORI Toru 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  Chemotherapy for Mycobacterium tuberculosis infection may decrease interferon (IFN)‐γ responses to early secretory antigenic target 6 and culture filtrate protein (CFP)‐10; a reaction that could be useful to monitor the success of treatment. We investigated IFN‐γ responses in subjects with latent TB infection before and after isoniazid (INH) chemotherapy.Methods:  A total of 48 patients who had contact with a TB patient in a psychiatric hospital were suspected to have latent TB infection on the basis of a positive QuantiFERON‐TB Gold (QFT‐G) test and were offered INH treatment for 6 months. After INH chemotherapy, IFN‐γ responses were again quantified and compared with initial measurements.Results:  Thirty‐four patients completed 6 months of therapy and 28 were retested. Seven (25%) had a negative test and the other patients showed an overall decline. Geometric mean for early secretory antigenic target 6 decreased from 1.398 to 0.362 (P < 0.001), and that for CFP‐10 from 0.312 to 0.120 (P < 0.001). A subsequent QFT‐G test carried out 18 months after chemotherapy showed no further decline of IFN‐γ responses.Conclusions:  If the success of chemotherapy is defined as negative conversion in the QFT‐G test, these results suggest that although the waning of QFT‐G responses as a result of chemotherapy is an important characteristic of IFN‐γ responses, the extent of waning would not be sufficient to allow effective monitoring of the success of chemotherapy because a majority of contacts still showed positive responses in the QFT‐G test even after chemotherapy.
Clinical benefit of sequential three‐step empirical therapy in the management of chronic cough
Authors: YU Li , QIU Zhongmin , LÜ Hanjing , WEI Weili , SHI Cuiqin 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  A prospective study was conducted to investigate the efficacy of empirical therapy in the management of chronic cough.Methods:  A three‐step empirical therapy protocol was used to treat patients who had a chronic cough and a normal CXR and normal lung function testing. In step one antihistamine decongestants plus bronchodilators were taken, corticosteroids in the second step, and a combination of a proton pump inhibitor and a prokinetic agent in the third step. Cough symptom scores were recorded before and after each step in the protocol.Results:  There were 102 patients recruited; mean age 49 ± 16 years and with a history of cough of between 2 and 120 months at presentation. The cough resolved in 67.6% (n = 69) of the patients after the first‐step therapy; in a further 12.7% (13) after the second‐step therapy, and in another 7.8% (8) after the third‐step of the treatment protocol. In three patients cough improved after the first‐step of therapy but only achieved complete resolution when this treatment was combined with the third‐step therapy. Overall, the three‐step empirical therapy was successful in 88.2% (n = 90) of the patients. Cough symptom scores decreased from 3.30 ± 0.75 to 0.30 ± 0.97 (P < 0.001). The mean duration of treatment was 2.70 ± 1.52 weeks (range 1–12). Cough was controlled in <4 weeks in 79.4% (n = 81) of patients.Conclusions:  Three‐step empirical therapy seemed to be useful in most patients and has practical application in the management of chronic cough.
Pleural fluid viscosity may help identifying malignant pleural effusions
Authors: CHANG Liang‐Che , HUA Chung‐Ching , LIU Yu‐Chih , CHU Chien‐Ming , CHEN Hung‐Jie , LEE Ning 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  Cancer cells are larger in size and more rigid than blood cells. As the size and rigidity of cells contribute to blood viscosity, an association may exist between high pleural fluid viscosity and cancer cells in pleural effusions. The aim of this study was to determine the correlation between pleural fluid viscosity and cell constituents or laboratory data in pleural diseases with different aetiologies.Methods:  Fluid viscosities were determined in pleural effusions obtained via thoracocentesis. Pleural fluid viscosities were correlated with the laboratory data and with the percentages of different cellular constituents as assessed by cytological examination.Results:  Pleural fluid viscosity was highest in malignant pleural effusions with positive results on cytological examination, and was correlated with the percentages of tumour cells (Spearman's rho = 0.24, P = 0.037) and mitotic figures (rho = 0.23, P = 0.041) in the exudates. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that pleural fluid viscosity was a significant determinant of positive results on cytological examination (odds ratio (OR) 6.26, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.32–29.8), as were the levels of protein (OR 1.48, 95% CI 1.01–2.16) and LDH (OR 1.001, 95% CI 1–1.002).Conclusion:  High pleural fluid viscosity may suggest a potential diagnosis of malignant pleural effusion.
Oxidant stress mediates inflammation and apoptosis in ventilator‐induced lung injury
Authors: SYRKINA Olga , JAFARI Behrouz , HALES Charles A. , QUINN Deborah A. 
Published: April 2008

Background and objective:  Ventilator‐induced lung injury (VILI) leads to airway epithelial cell apoptosis and lung inflammation. High tidal volume ventilation in vivo has been shown to induce MIP‐2 production, lung neutrophil sequestration and apoptotic airway cell death. This study aimed to determine the effect of N‐acetylcysteine (NAC), a scavenger of oxygen radicals, on lung inflammation and apoptosis in an in vivo model of VILI.Methods:  Sprague–Dawley rats (n = 5 per group) were ventilated at low tidal volume (VT 7 mL/kg) or high tidal volume (VT 20 mL/kg) with or without administration of 140 mg/kg of intravenous NAC. Animals were ventilated for 30 min, 1 or 2 h, then allowed to recover for 2 h, at which time neutrophil infiltration, MIP‐2, TNF‐α and IL‐6 in BAL fluid, as well as the percentage of apoptotic airway epithelial cells, were measured.Results:  Ventilation at VT 20 mL/kg increased oxidant release, as measured by serum isoprostane, and decreased lung glutathione, the major antioxidant in the lung. NAC treatment during ventilation at VT 20 mL/kg prevented the decrease in lung glutathione and significantly lowered serum isoprostane levels, neutrophil infiltration, cytokines in the BAL and apoptosis in the airways as compared with animals ventilated at VT 20 mL/kg without NAC (P < 0.05).Conclusions:  These data point to an early role of oxidant‐induced inflammation and apoptosis in VILI.
Using a genetic algorithm to drive a microbial ecosystem in a desirable direction
Authors: Vandecasteele Frederik P. J. , Crawford Ronald L. , Hess Thomas F. 
Published: April 2008

SummaryThe functioning of natural microbial ecosystems is influenced by various biotic and abiotic conditions. The careful experimental manipulation of environmental conditions can drive microbial ecosystems toward exhibiting desirable types of functionality. Such manipulations can be systematically approached by viewing them as a combinatorial optimization problem, in which the optimal configuration of environmental conditions is sought. Such an effort requires a sound optimization technique. Genetic algorithms are a class of optimization methods that should be suitable for such a task because they can deal with multiple interacting variables and with experimental noise and because they do not require an intricate understanding or modelling of the ecosystem of interest. We propose the use of genetic algorithms to drive undefined microbial ecosystems in desirable directions by combinatorially optimizing sets of environmental conditions. We tested this approach in a model system where the microbial ecosystem of a human saliva sample was manipulated in successive steps to display increasing amounts of azo dye decoloration. The results of our experiments indicated that a genetic algorithm was capable of optimizing ecosystem function by manipulating the presence or absence of a set of 10 chemical supplements. Genetic algorithms hold promise for use as a tool in environmental microbiology for the efficient control of the functioning of natural and undefined microbial ecosystems.