bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Precursor form of brain‐derived neurotrophic factor and mature brain‐derived neurotrophic factor are decreased in the pre‐clinical stages of Alzheimer's disease
Authors: Peng Shiyong , Wuu Joanne , Mufson Elliott J. , Fahnestock Margaret 
Published: June 2005

AbstractBrain‐derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for the function and survival of neurons that degenerate in the late stage of Alzheimer's disease (AD). There are two forms of BDNF, the BDNF precursor (proBDNF) and mature BDNF, in human brain. Previous studies have shown that BDNF mRNA and protein, including proBDNF, are dramatically decreased in end‐stage AD brain. To determine whether this BDNF decrease is an early or late event during the progression of cognitive decline, we used western blotting to measure the relative amounts of BDNF proteins in the parietal cortex of subjects clinically classified with no cognitive impairment (NCI), mild cognitive impairment (MCI) or mild to moderate AD. We found that the amount of proBDNF decreased 21 and 30% in MCI and AD groups, respectively, as compared with NCI, consistent with our previous results of a 40% decrease in end‐stage AD. Mature BDNF was reduced 34 and 62% in MCI and AD groups, respectively. Thus, the decrease in mature BDNF and proBDNF precedes the decline in choline acetyltransferase activity which occurs later in AD. Both proBDNF and mature BDNF levels were positively correlated with cognitive measures such as the Global Cognitive Score and the Mini Mental State Examination score. These results demonstrate that the reduction of both forms of BDNF occurs early in the course of AD and correlates with loss of cognitive function, suggesting that proBDNF and BDNF play a role in synaptic loss and cellular dysfunction underlying cognitive impairment in AD.
Effect of operant self‐administration of 10% ethanol plus 10% sucrose on dopamine and ethanol concentrations in the nucleus accumbens
Authors: Doyon William M. , Anders Sheneil K. , Ramachandra Vorani S. , Czachowski Cristine L. , Gonzales Rueben A. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractAlthough operant ethanol self‐administration can increase accumbal dopamine activity, the relationship between dopamine and ethanol levels during consumption remains unclear. We trained Long‐Evans rats to self‐administer escalating concentrations of ethanol (with 10% sucrose) over 7 days, during which two to four lever presses resulted in 20 min of access to the solution with no further response requirements. Accumbal microdialysis was performed in rats self‐administering 10% ethanol (plus 10% sucrose) or 10% sucrose alone. Most ethanol (1.6 ± 0.2 g/kg) and sucrose intake occurred during the first 10 min of access. Sucrose ingestion did not induce significant changes in dopamine concentrations. Dopamine levels increased within the first 5 min of ethanol availability followed by a return to baseline, whereas brain ethanol levels reached peak concentration more than 40 min later. We found significant correlations between intake and dopamine concentration during the initial 10 min of consumption. Furthermore, ethanol‐conditioned rats consuming 10% sucrose showed no effect of ethanol expectation on dopamine activity. The transient rise in dopamine during ethanol ingestion suggests that the dopamine response was not solely due to the pharmacological properties of ethanol. The dopamine response may be related to the stimulus properties of ethanol presentation, which were strongest during consumption.
Antiapoptotic property of human α‐synuclein in neuronal cell lines is associated with the inhibition of caspase‐3 but not caspase‐9 activity
Authors: Li Wenxue , Lee Michael K. 
Published: June 2005

AbstractAbnormalities of α‐synuclein (α‐Syn) are mechanistically linked to Parkinson's disease (PD) and other α‐synucleinopathies. To gain additional insights into the relationships between α‐Syn expression and cell death, we examined the effects of expressing human α‐Syn (Huα‐Syn) variants on the cellular vulnerability to apoptotic stimuli. We show that the expression of wild‐type (WT) and A30P mutant, but not A53T mutant, Huα‐Syn leads to the protection of neuronal cell lines from apoptosis but not necrosis. Significantly, Huα‐Syn did not protect non‐neuronal cell lines from apoptosis. We also show that A53T mutant is a loss of function in regards to the antiapoptotic property since the expression of WT Huα‐Syn with an excess of A53T mutant Huα‐Syn leads to protection of the cells from apoptosis. The antiapoptotic property is specific to human α‐Syn as neither β‐Syn nor mouse α‐Syn protected cells from apoptosis, and the carboxy‐terminal 20 amino acids are required for the antiapoptotic property. Analyses of capase‐3 and caspase‐9 activation reveal that the antiapoptotic property of Huα‐Syn in neuronal cell lines is associated with the attenuation of caspase‐3 activity without affecting the caspase‐9 activity or the levels of cleaved, active caspase‐3. We conclude that Huα‐Syn modulates the activity of cleaved caspase‐3 product in neuronal cell lines.
Odorant‐dependent, spatially restricted induction of c‐fos in the olfactory epithelium of the mouse
Authors: Norlin E. Marianne , Vedin Viktoria , Bohm Staffan , Berghard Anna 
Published: June 2005

AbstractVolatile odorous chemicals are detected by around a thousand different G protein‐coupled odorant receptors in the mouse. We demonstrated that exposure of the behaving mouse to odorant for a few minutes led to induction of the immediate early gene c‐fos for several hours in a fraction of the olfactory sensory neurones in the nasal cavity. Associated with this odorant‐specific induction event was activation of extracellular‐regulated kinase (ERK)1/2 that preceded increased c‐fos expression. The distribution of odorant‐activated neurones mimicked the scattered and spatially limited distribution of neurones expressing a single odorant receptor gene. A small change in odorant chemical structure caused a zonal shift in the spatial distribution of activated neurones, suggesting that the gene expression change resulted from specific receptor interaction. Repeated exposure to odorant or use of different concentrations did not change the pattern of c‐fos induction. These results indicate that odorant‐induced c‐fos expression can be used to visualize odorant representations in the olfactory epithelium that reflect late cellular events regulated by adequate odorant receptor stimulation.
Infarct transmurality and adjacent segmental function as determinants of wall thickening in revascularized chronic ischemic heart disease
Authors: Ugander Martin , Cain Peter A. , Perron Annick , Hedström Erik , Arheden Håkan 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground:  There are many factors which influence regional left ventricular wall thickening (WT) in ischemic heart disease (IHD). We used magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to explore, in patients with chronic ischemic heart disease (CIHD), how regional WT is affected by both infarct transmurality (IT) and the function of adjacent segments. We also compared these findings with a group of healthy volunteers (controls).Methods:  Twenty patients (20 men, mean age 63, range 45–80 years) were imaged with cine MRI for function and delayed enhancement MRI for infarction 6 months after revascularization. Twenty age and sex matched controls underwent cine MRI. Short‐axis images were analysed using a 12‐segment per slice model in four midventricular slices per subject.Results:  WT and IT were inversely related (r2 = 0·11, P<0·001). WT of non‐infarcted segments in patients was lower than corresponding segments in controls (5·1 versus 4·6 mm, P<0·001). WT in patients decreased with an increasing number of dysfunctional adjacent segments (P<0·001) and increasing IT (P<0·001). WT was more strongly influenced by the number of dysfunctional adjacent segments (t = −22·93, P<0·001) than by IT (t = −4·50, P<0·001).Conclusions:  The number of dysfunctional adjacent segments is a greater determinant than infarct transmurality on regional wall thickening.
Center of volume and total heart volume variation in healthy subjects and patients before and after coronary bypass surgery
Authors: Carlsson Marcus , Rosengren Anders , Ugander Martin , Ekelund Ulf , Cain Peter A. , Arheden Hakan 
Published: June 2005

SummaryBackground:  Total heart volume variation (THVV) and center of volume variation (COVV) likely affects the efficiency of cardiac pumping, but no study has determined COVV of the heart throughout the cardiac cycle or the effect of surgery on THVV in adults. Therefore, the purposes of this study were to determine COVV in healthy adults and patients with cardiac failure due to ischemic heart disease (IHD), identify any difference in THVV between these two groups, and determine how these parameters are affected by coronary bypass surgery.Methods:  Six healthy volunteers and eight patients before and after surgery were investigated with cardiovascular magnetic resonance imaging. The atrioventricular plane movement (AVPM), THVV and time resolved three‐dimensional coordinates of the center of the cardiac volume (COVV) were measured.Results:  COVV followed a loop in 3D space that between the end‐points was approximately 2 mm with no difference between healthy subjects and patients before surgery (P = 0·093), although AVPM was significantly lower in patients (P = 0·002). However, after surgery the COVV during the cardiac cycle doubled (P = 0·012) and the increase in THVV was significant (P = 0·050), although of very small magnitude, and the AVPM remained unchanged (P = 0·401).Conclusion:  COVV and THVV were similar in patients and healthy subjects even though AVPM was lower in the patient population. After surgery, however, COVV doubled despite a very small change in THVV and no change in AVPM. Taken together, the results of this study may provide new insights into the energy expenditure and efficiency of cardiac pumping.
A new automated method for analysis of gated‐SPECT images based on a three‐dimensional heart shaped model
Authors: Lomsky Milan , Richter Jens , Johansson Lena , El‐Ali Henrik , Åström Karl , Ljungberg Michael , Edenbrandt Lars 
Published: June 2005

SummaryA new automated method for quantification of left ventricular function from gated‐single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) images has been developed. The method for quantification of cardiac function (CAFU) is based on a heart shaped model and the active shape algorithm. The model contains statistical information of the variability of left ventricular shape. CAFU was adjusted based on the results from the analysis of five simulated gated‐SPECT studies with well defined volumes of the left ventricle. The digital phantom NURBS‐based Cardiac‐Torso (NCAT) and the Monte‐Carlo method SIMIND were used to simulate the studies. Finally CAFU was validated on ten rest studies from patients referred for routine stress/rest myocardial perfusion scintigraphy and compared with Cedar‐Sinai quantitative gated‐SPECT (QGS), a commercially available program for quantification of gated‐SPECT images. The maximal differences between the CAFU estimations and the true left ventricular volumes of the digital phantoms were 11 ml for the end‐diastolic volume (EDV), 3 ml for the end‐systolic volume (ESV) and 3% for the ejection fraction (EF). The largest differences were seen in the smallest heart. In the patient group the EDV calculated using QGS and CAFU showed good agreement for large hearts and higher CAFU values compared with QGS for the smaller hearts. In the larger hearts, ESV was much larger for QGS than for CAFU both in the phantom and patient studies. In the smallest hearts there was good agreement between QGS and CAFU. The findings of this study indicate that our new automated method for quantification of gated‐SPECT images can accurately measure left ventricular volumes and EF.
Follow‐up on Behavioral Treatment of Recurrent Headache in Adolescents
Authors: Larsson Bo , Melin Lennart 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISA sample of 108 adolescent students suffering from migraine and tension headaches, treated with relaxation training and attention‐control approaches, were evaluated at 5–6 month and 3–4 year follow‐ups. Data were obtained for 69% (75) of the original subjects at the second follow‐up. The treatments administered within a school setting were contrasted with students' self‐monitoring of headache.The results indicated that students treated with relaxation training showed a good maintenance of post‐treatment headache reduction at the two follow‐up evaluations, 80% and 85%, respectively. Although treatment condition and level of pre‐treatment headache were associated with a favorable outcome at the 5–6 month follow‐up, only baseline headache severity emerged as a significant redictor at the final follow‐up. Several variables from the psychological functioning and health behavioral domains found to predict post‐treatment outcome for the adolescent headache sufferers in previous research, did not contribute significantly to outcome at the follow‐ups.
Blood Flow and Vascular Reactivity During Attacks of Classic Migraine'Limitations of the Xe‐133 Intraarterial Technique
Authors: Olsen Tom Skyhøj , Lassen Niels A. 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISThe present study reports cerebral blood flow (CBF) measurements in 11 patients during attacks of classic migraine (CM)‐migraine with aura. In 6 and 7 patients, respectively, cerebral vascular reactivity to increased blood pressure and to hypocapnia was also investigated during the CM attacks. The Xenon‐133 intraarterial injection technique was used to measure CBF. In this study, based in part on previously published data, methodological limitations, in particular caused by scattered radiation (Compton scatter), are critically analysed. Based on this analysis and the results of the CBF studies it is concluded:During CM attacks CBF appears to decrease focally in the posterior part of the brain to a level around 20 ml/100 g/min which is consistent with a mild degree of ischemia. Changes of CBF in focal low flow areas are difficult to evaluate accurately with the Xe‐133 technique. In most cases true CBF may change 50% or more in the low flow areas without giving rise to significantly measurable changes of CBF. This analysis suggests that the autoregulation response cannot be evaluated in the low flow areas with the technique used while the observations are compatible with the concept that a vasoconstrictive state, unresponsive to hypocapnia, prevails in the low flow areas during CM attacks.The gradual increase in size of the low flow area seen in several cases may be interpreted in two different ways. A spreading process may actually exist. However, due to Compton scatter, a gradual decrease of CBF in a territorythat does not increase in size will also appear as a gradually spreading low flow area when studied with the Xe‐133 intracarotid technique.
Flunarizine I.V. in the Acute Treatment of Common or Classical Migraine Attacks A Placebo‐Controlled Double Blind Trial
Authors: Soyka Dieter , Taneri Ziya , Oestreich Wolfgang , Schmidt Rainer 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISThe efficacy and tolerance of 20 mg flunarizine i.v. were tested in comparison with placebo in a multicentre randomised double‐blind trial in the acute treatment of migraine attacks. Sixty case reports were included in theevaluation; 31 patients were treated with flunarizine and 29 with placebo. Flunarizine proved to be significantly superior in its effect on the intensity of pain and the typical concomitant symptoms of the attacks. Patients were classed as responders who displayed a reduction in pain intensity by at least 50% within 60 minutes after the administration of flunarizine. 23 patients (= 74.2%) were responders, including 11 patients being without pain after60 minutes. In the placebo group the responder rate was 27.6%. The fact that both groups were comparable in all respects should be emphasized. The tolerance of intravenously administered flunarizine was excellent and corresponded to that of placebo. Apart from a sedative effect reported by 9 patients there were no side‐effects. The circulatory conditions remained largely stable. The result of this study seems to indicate that an intravenous injection of 20 mg flunarizine might represent a genuine alternative, and as regards tolerance even a superior one, to the parenteral administration of ergotamine in migraine attacks.
Migraine and Anti‐Phospholipid Antibodies
Authors: Shuaib Ashfaq , Barklay Lynn , Lee Mary Anne , Suchowersky Oksana 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISAnti‐phospholipid antibodies (APA), initially described with SLE, have in recent years received much attention because of an associated increased risk of thrombo‐embolic disease, recurrent abortion and thrombocytopenia. Although commonly seen with SLE or other collagen vascular diseases, the antibodies frequently occur in the absence of any such disease. Neurologic complications include transient or permanent ischemic episodes, migraine or related phenomena, myelopathy and a Guillain‐Barré type syndrome.In this report we describe the presenting features and clinical course of six patients with anti‐phospholipid antibodies where migraine was an early and prominent symptom. All six patients, however, were recognized only after a second more serious event had occurred. As this entity becomes more widely recognized and better treatments evolve an earlier diagnosis of patients with migraine as the only manifestation of APA may prevent the development of other serious complications.
Cardiovascular Sympathetic Hypofunction in Muscle Contraction Headache and Migraine
Authors: Mikamo Katsuaki , Takeshima Takao , Takahashi Kazuro 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISThere have been some recent reports proposing that muscle contraction headache (MCH) and migraine are similar and may have a common etiology. It has been hypothesized that derangement of the autonomic nervous system (ANS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of migraine. However, reports on the ANS function in MCH have rarely been submitted. Therefore, in this report, MCH patients were investigated as well as migraine patients. The cardiovascular reflex responses by orthostatic test, isometric work test and the pulse rate (R‐R interval) variation in fifteen MCH patients and fifteen migraine patients were recorded during headache‐free intervals. The plasma norepinephrine (NE) levels were also measured throughout the orthostatic tests. Fifteen healthy subjects served as the age‐matched control group. In the MCH group and the migraine group, blood pressure immediately after going from the supine to the erect position decreased more significantly than in the control group. The basal NE level was significantly low in both the MCH group and the migraine group, in comparison with the control group. MCH patients as well as migraine patients showed cardiovascular sympathetic hypofunction.
Long‐Term Effects of Training in Relaxation and Stress‐Coping in Patients with Migraine: A 3‐Year Follow‐Up
Authors: Sorbi Marjolijn , Tellegen Bert , Long Arnoud Du 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISResearch on the short‐term effects of psychological interventions in migraine indicates improvement rates of 50 percent. Yet long‐term follow‐ups are scarce: the studies extending to three years provide evidence for the maintenance of effects, but these studies evaluate the benefits of rather complex psychological treatments and the samples include other types of headache.We compared the effects of single‐method psychological interventions upon migraine. The study reports results obtained from 24 patients three years after completion of relaxation training, which is a psychophysiological regimen, and stress‐coping training, which is a cognitive‐behavioral regimen. Results for the complete sample, excluding data biased by confounding factors, provide clear evidence of the preservation of effects in migraine. Relaxation training (RT) and stress‐coping training (SCT) were equally effective and both groups exhibited little medication consumption since completion of training. Among the secondary effects, SCT was found to improve assertiveness and active problem solving, and to decrease depressive reaction. The study yielded two predictor variables‐little external stress for relaxation training, and high self motivation for stress‐coping training‐that accounted for more than 50 percent of the effect variance in the respective groups.Although more research is needed to substantiate our findings, the results suggest that, thus far, there is little reason to favor multimodal training or more complex psychological treatments over single‐method psychological interventions in migraine. Also, our results do not support the assumed superiority of cognitive‐behavioral treatment over psychophysiological treatment. Research on factors predicting long‐term effects of psychological interventions in migraine may profit from considering separate variables on skill rehearsal and skill employment (instead of employing a global measure of home practice), and from a measure for post‐training external stress.
The Effectiveness of Physical Therapy in the Treatment of Chronic Daily Headaches
Authors: Jay Gary W. , Brunson Janel , Branson Suzanne Jeffers 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISWe investigated the adjunctive use of physical therapy, with the more standard modalities of medication and/or biofeedback‐enhanced neuromuscular re‐education, in patients with chronic daily headaches who had palpable muscle spasm in the neck and shoulder regions.Patients in group one received medication detoxification (when necessary), amitriptyline and (in some cases), biofeedback. Patients in group two received detoxification (when necessary), amitriptyline (in somecases) and physical therapy, including TENS (trans‐cutaneous electrical nerve stimulation). Patients in group three received detoxification (when necessary), amitriptyline in (some cases), and TENS without other modalities of physical therapy.Patients in groups two and three, as judged by changes in Headache Index, showed a significantly faster and greater decline in headaches than patients in group one, and maintained this excellent relief through the six month follow‐up period. From a biochemical perspective, this improvement may be related to the demonstrable increase in serotonin levels that attends TENS. From a behavioural perspective, improvement may be related to the change in “locus of control” from the headache to the patient that attends the more “active” modalities of TENS and physical therapy, as opposed to the more “passive” modality of medication alone.
Prophylactic Treatment of Cluster Headache with Verapamil
Authors: Gabai Ivy J. , Spierings Egilius L. H. 
Published: June 2005

SYNOPSISAn open study of verapamil in cluster headache is reported. Forty‐eight patients participated in the study of whom 33 (=69%) improved more than 75%. No significant differences in response were observed between episodic and chronic cluster headache.