Biofortification of Broccoli Microgreens (Brassica oleracea var. italica) with Glucosinolates, Zinc, and Iron through the Combined Application of Bio- and Nanofertilizers.

There is a severe need to develop a sustainable, affordable, and nutritious food supply system. Broccoli microgreens have attracted attention due to their rich nutritional content and abundant bioactive compounds, constituting an important opportunity to feed the ever-increasing population and fight global health problems. This study aimed to measure the impact of the combined application of biofertilizers and zinc and iron nanofertilizers on plant growth and the biofortification of glucosinolates (GLSs) and micronutrients in broccoli microgreens. Biofertilizers were based on plant growth-promoting (PGP) bacterial consortia previously isolated and characterized for multiple PGP traits. Nanofertilizers consisted of ZnO (77 nm) and γ-Fe2O3 (68 nm) nanoparticles synthesized with the coprecipitation method and functionalized with a Pseudomonas species preparation. Treatments were evaluated under seedbed conditions. Plant growth parameters of plant height (37.0-59.8%), leaf diameter (57.6-81.1%) and fresh weight (112.1-178.0%), as well as zinc (122.19-363.41%) and iron contents (55.19-161.57%), were mainly increased by nanoparticles subjected to the functionalization process with Pseudomonas species and uncapped NPs applied together with the biofertilizer treatment. Regarding GLSs, eight compounds were detected as being most positively influenced by these treatments. This work demonstrated the synergistic interactions of applying ZnO and γ-Fe2O3 nanofertilizers combined with biofertilizers to enhance plant growth and biofortify micronutrients and glucosinolates in broccoli microgreens.

Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Complicated With Aorto-Left Retroaortic Renal Vein Fistula.

We present the case of a male with a fistula from an infrarenal aortic aneurysm to the left renal vein resolved with an endovascular prosthesis. Few cases have been reported in the literature.

Visual hallucinations in patients with acute stroke: a prospective exploratory study.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The incidence, underlying physiopathology, features and association with lesion topography of visual hallucinations in acute stroke have scarcely been investigated. METHODS: Patients with a diagnosis of acute stroke (ischaemic or haemorrhagic) in any vascular territory, admitted within 24 h after the onset of symptoms, were consecutively included in the study. Patients with a previous history of psychosis or cognitive impairment were excluded. They and/or their caregivers answered a structured hallucination and sleep questionnaire at admission, within the first 15 days and at the clinical follow-up 3-6 months after discharge. Lesion location (IMAIOS online atlas) and leukoaraiosis (Wahlund scale) were determined by magnetic resonance imaging or computed tomography scan. Subsets of patients also underwent a neuropsychological evaluation (N = 50) and an electroencephalogram (N = 33) before discharge. RESULTS: In all, 77 patients with a mean age of 71 ± 12 years were included of whom 57.1% were men. The incidence of visual hallucinations was 16.7%. These hallucinations were mostly complex, in black and white and self-limited. The appearance of hallucinations was not influenced by age, sex, neuropsychological performance during admission or modified Rankin scale score at discharge. Visual hallucinations were associated with occipital cortex lesions (P = 0.04), and with sleep disturbances during and before admission (P = 0.041 and P = 0.03 respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Visual hallucinations are relatively frequent in patients with acute stroke and they are self-limited. Patients with occipital lesions and sleep disturbances are more likely to suffer them.

PSA levels in patients on hemodialysis treatment.

OBJECTIVES: Standardized prostate-specific antigen (PSA) levels are based upon the general population levels and, although a higher incidence of prostate cancer in patients on hemodialysis (HD)has not been demonstrated, some studies point at the possibility of observing higher PSA levels in this type of patients than in males with preserved renal function. The objective of the present study is to compare PSA levels in males on hemodialysis with those of the population with normal renal function. METHODS: Comparative, transversal study of the variables age, total PSA, free PSA and PSA index in 190 patients with chronic renal disease on hemodialysis treatment (group 1) and 237 subjects without renal disease ( group 2). We carried out a descriptive analysis and a comparative study of the above mentioned variables using the SPSS software. RESULTS: Median age of patients on HD was 55 in cases (47-61)and 59 in controls (54-63.5). Mean total PSA was 1.49 ng/mL [1.24-1.73] in cases and 1.62 ng/mL [1.29-1.95] in controls; mean free PSA was 1.40 ng/mL [0.89-1.91] in group 1 and 2.31 ng/mL [-0.83-5.45] in group 2; mean PSA index was 27.67% [19.91-35.63] in cases and 14.82%[12.79-16.85]] in controls. The comparative study showed differences between the two groups in free PSA (p ≤ 0.007), PSA index (p ≤ 0.000) and total PSA (p ≤ 0.000) in patients under 50 after an age-specific analysis. CONCLUSIONS: Total PSA is higher in patients on HD within the subgroup of patients under 50 with statistically significant but not clinically relevant difference. PSA index is remarkably higher in the group of patients on HD. These data could have clinical implications as far as indications for biopsy is concerned.

Short-lasting episodes of prosopagnosia in Parkinson's disease.

BACKGROUND: Prosopagnosia, the selective inability to recognize known faces, has been described in Alzheimer's disease and fronto-temporal dementia but is not expected to occur in Parkinson's disease (PD). METHODS AND RESULTS: We report three PD patients who developed recurrent, paroxysmal and short-lasting episodes of prosopagnosia, before progressing to PD dementia (PDD). Hallucinations and other higher-order visual deficits - such as optic ataxia and micro/macropsia - were also seen. CONCLUSION: Progressive signs of temporal and parietal dysfunction have been suggested to herald dementia in PD. The observation of prosopagnosia and other higher-order visuoperceptive defects in the transition to dementia, reinforce the importance of posterior-cortical deficit in PD.

Pairs of kidneys transplanted from the same donor: is there any difference?

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to compare the evolution of the first kidney in relation to the second kidney transplanted from the same donor, focusing on the impact that a longer cold ischemia time may have as an independent variable. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study included 44 pairs of kidneys transplanted from the same donor between February 2008 and October 2010, divided into Groups 1 and 2 according to the graft placement order. The variables analyzed were age, sex, comorbidities, number of transfusions, length of hospital stay, maximum peak PRA, immunologic incompatibility, ischemia time, delayed graft function (DGF), presence of rejection, creatinine clearance at first week, at 3 months and at 1 year, and vascular and tract complications in each group. RESULTS: The mean cold ischemia time was 15.6 hours in Group 1 and 20.1 hours in Group 2 (P < .001). The average recipient age was 52.79 years in Group 1 and 54.52 years in Group 2, with an equal sex ratio in the two groups; an average of 2.06 PRC were transfused prior to transplantation in Group 1 and 0.93 PRC in Group 2; the average length of stay was similar in the two groups. Major DR incompatibility was only found in Group 2 (P < .03). Creatinine clearance at first week, DGF and acute rejection showed worse results in Group 2, but these differences were not significant. Vascular complications were present in 4.5% and 2.3% of Groups 1 and 2, respectively, and tract complications were 6.8% and 11.4%. CONCLUSIONS: A greater tendency to DGF, early rejection and tract complications were found in the group with longer ischemia time, although the difference was not statistically significant. Larger series will be necessary to confirm our results.

[Psychopathological symptoms in patients suffering from chronic cephalea with or without fibromyalgia]. / Síntomas psicopatológicos en pacientes afectos de cefalea crónica con o sin fibromialgia.

INTRODUCTION: The presence of psychopathological symptoms as anxiety and depression in chronic daily headache and in fibromyalgia is common. AIM: To study whether there are any difference in the psychopathological profile and treatment response between patients with chronic headache and fibromyalgia (CHFM) and patients with chronic headache without fibromyalgia (CH). PATIENTS AND METHODS: A comprehensive psychological test battery was administered to 30 patients with CH and 30 patients with CHFM, diagnosed by a rheumatologist. We included chronic migraine and chronic tensional headache in CH group. Patients were matched for age and gender. Depression, anxiety and obsession scores, and the profile of psychopathological symptoms (MMPI-2, SCL-90-R) were compared (t-test). Correlations between symptoms and treatment response were examined. RESULTS: Patients with CHFM showed significant highest scores on hypochondriasis, depression, hysteria, paranoia, psychasthenia and schizophrenia (MMPI-2) and more somatization, obsession and anxiety according to SCL-90-R. A poorer response to treatment was observed in CHFM (17.85%) versus CH (42,85%) group. CONCLUSIONS: Patients with CHFM showed a psychopathological profile with highest scores and symptoms than patients without fibromyalgia. These differences correlated with the therapeutic response.

Motor changes during sertraline treatment in depressed patients with Parkinson's disease*.

BACKGROUND: Pharmacological interventions to treat depressive symptoms associated with Parkinson's disease (PD) are limited. Whether selective serotonine re-uptake inhibitors increase parkinsonism or have clinically significant interactions with antiparkinsonian drugs is unresolved. PURPOSE: We used a naturalistic approach to prospectively investigate the long-term effects on motor status of adding sertraline in a large sample of community-dwelling PD patients with depressive symptoms. METHODS: Main outcome measure was the motor part of the Unified PD Rating Scale (UPDRS) at baseline and at 1-, 3-, and 6-month follow-up. Secondary measures were the change in antiparkinsonian drugs expressed as total levodopa equivalent dose and the scores of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Of the 374 patients included, 310 (82%) completed the study. RESULTS: Treatment with sertraline (mean dose 66.0 +/- 29.8 mg) resulted in improvement in all UPDRS domains along with a significant decrease of the HADS scores. A modest but significant increase of the total dose of levodopa, without significant change of total levodopa equivalent dose, was observed. Almost 8% of patients discontinued medication for adverse events, mainly related to the gastrointestinal system. CONCLUSIONS: Although worsening of tremor was observed in some patients, active management of depression with sertraline appears to have a positive impact on parkinsonism.

Lack of prefrontal repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation effects in time production processing.

The aim of the present study was to determine the effects of high frequency repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) over different neuroanatomical areas [left and right doroslateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and right cerebellar hemisphere] on time production task. The study was performed in 16 healthy right-handed men with a cross-over, within subject repeated measures design. There were four rTMS conditions: baseline without stimulation, high frequency rTMS over right, left DLPFC and over right cerebellum. The volunteers were asked to produce a 3-min interval by internal counting. The rTMS was applied during the task. No significantly differences were observed in absolute error scores in time estimation task with any rTMS condition. This preliminary study does not support the role of the prefrontal lobe in time production processes.

[Cognitive and functional decline in the stage previous to the diagnosis of Alzheimers disease]. / Deterioro cognitivo y funcional en la fase previa al diagnóstico de enfermedad de Alzheimer.

INTRODUCTION: The decline in the phase prior to diagnosis of Alzheimers disease (AD) is not well known, although this knowledge is necessary to evaluate the efficiency of new drugs that can influence in disease course prior to diagnosis. OBJECTIVE: To contribute to better knowledge of the decline prior to diagnosis, we have investigated the cognitive and functional deterioration for 2-3 years before the probable AD diagnosis was established. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared results obtained by 17 control subjects and 27 patients at the time of diagnosis of a probable AD with results obtained 2-3 years before (interval of 27.7 4 months). We compared memory functions (logical, recognition, learning and autobiographical memory), naming, visual and visuospatial gnosis, visuoconstructive praxis, verbal fluency and the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), Informant Questionnaire and Blessed's Scale scores. RESULTS: Performance of control subjects did not change. AD patients showed a significant decline in scores, except for verbal fluency. In order of importance, cognitive decline was more marked in scores of learning memory, visuospatial gnosis, autobiographical memory and visuoconstructive praxis. CONCLUSIONS: Decline prior to diagnosis of AD is characterized by an important learning memory impairment. Deterioration of visuospatial gnosis and visuoconstructive praxis is greater than deterioration of MMSE and Informant Questionnaire scores.

[Williams syndrome: memory, visuospatial and visuoconstructive functions]. / Sindrome de Williams: memoria, funciones visuoespaciales y funciones visuoconstructivas.

INTRODUCTION: Williams syndrome (WS) is a dominant autosomal genetic syndrome resulting from a microdeletion on chromosome 7. This deletion gives rise to certain characteristic physical traits, systemic pathologies and a cognitive behavioural pattern that is characterised by the relative preservation of linguistic abilities with very striking visuospatial deficits. CASE REPORTS: We describe the neuropsychological features of three patients with WS, diagnosed by means of a cytogenetic study, and their mnemonic functions and visuospatial skills are explored. CONCLUSIONS: The results obtained in the study of these three patients reinforce the idea, already acknowledged in the literature, of the marked visuospatial difficulties. They also account for the need for an early diagnosis and an extensive knowledge of the cognitive profile of these patients so as to allow the planning of a stimulation that strengthens the cognitive possibilities of children suffering from this syndrome as much as possible.

Effects of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation on memory subtypes: a controlled study.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) of human cortex may disrupt or facilitate cortical activity. The aim of the present study was to investigate the consequences of rTMS applied over different cortical areas during various memory tasks, measuring immediate, working and episodic verbal memory. The study was performed in 16 right-handed healthy men. A double-blind, cross-over, within-subject repeated measures design was used. There were five rTMS conditions: baseline without stimulation, high frequency (HF) rTMS over right and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and over right cerebellum, and low frequency (LF) parameters over left DLPFC. Digits forwards and backwards and letter-number sequencing of the Wechsler Adults Intelligence Scale (WAIS) were used to assess immediate and working verbal memory, and logical memory of the Rivermead Behavioural Memory Test was used to assess episodic memory encoding. An analysis of variance (ANOVA) for repeated measures in the scores of each memory task according to rTMS conditions was used. Significantly lower scores in the number of memory units of the episodic memory task were observed when rTMS high frequency parameters were applied over left DLPFC (P=0.009). No significant differences were found in the other memory subtype tasks analysed during the different rTMS conditions. These findings provide evidence for the significant role of the left DLPFC in episodic verbal memory processes.

[Neuropsychological and behavioural impairments resulting from bilateral thalamic infarct]. / Alteraciones neuropsicológicas e infarto talámico bilateral.

The neuropsychological characteristics of a patient with a bilateral thalamic infarct in the posterior communicating artery territory due to basilar artery thrombosis are described. MRI examination showed bilateral thalamic acute ischemic lesions in the zone anterior to the tuberothalamic branches. In the cognitive exploration, the patient showed verbal and visual memory disorders, impairment of the executive functions including inability to generate and make decisions and behavioural disorders including lack of inhibition, euphoria, and occasional aggressiveness. Two months later the patient had improved in the neuropsychological test scores but still suffered from severe recent memory loss, and certain behavioural disorders including lack of inhibition and euphoria. Other cases on thalamic infarcts with cognitive and behavioural impairments due to disconnection of the front subcortical pathways have been described in the literature.

[Validation of the translation to Catalan and Spanish of cognitive evoked potential N400]. / Validación de la traducción a los idiomas catalán y castellano del potencial evocado cognitivo N400.

INTRODUCTION: The cognitive evoked potential N400 permits an objective assessment of the verbal semantic processing. It has been suspected to be clinically useful in cognitive abnormalities and a correlation with attentional and memory functions has been found. The present study tries to validate the translation and adaptation of the English paradigm to the Catalan and Spanish languages. METHOD: The study was performed on 16 healthy volunteers with Catalan native language and 16 volunteers with Spanish native language. Three blocks of 50 sentences (4-9 words) were administered using headphones. The last word of 50 % of the sentences was incongruent. The beginning of this word was the trigger for the EEG average. EEG leads used were: Fz, Cz, Pz, C3, C4, T3, T4 with biauricular reference. The measures were amplitude and latency of the potential obtained after the subtraction of the EEG average of congruent and incongruent sentences. A t-test for one sample (the original potential) was applied. RESULTS: Amplitude and latency of the potential obtained by the Catalan and Spanish languages were not result statistically different from the original potential. The major amplitude was obtained in Cz. Mean amplitudes: Catalan language: 5.3 2.3 V (95 % CI for the difference: 0.39 2.12 V); Spanish language: 5.2 2.3 V (95 % CI for the difference: 0.43 2.32 V). CONCLUSIONS: The Catalan and Spanish version of the N400 evoked potential offer the possibility to use an objective instrument for the study of language in neuroscience.

[Sustained attention in the preclinical phase of Alzheimer's disease]. / La atencion sostenida en la fase preclinica de la enfermedad de Alzheimer.

INTRODUCTION: Deterioration of attention in the preclinical phase of dementia of Alzheimer s type (DAT) is not very well known neither available studies are conclusive. OBJECTIVE: We outline if would be possible to identify a deficit of sustained attention in preclinical phase of DAT and if this attentional dysfunction could help to identify those patients, referred by subjective memory complaints (SMC), who will progress in a few years to DAT. PATIENTS AND METHODS: We compared basal exploration in a task of sustained attention (CPT) of 70 patients referred by SMC and followed longitudinally for 2 years. Twenty seven patients developed probable DAT and forty three remained clinically stable. RESULTS: Patients who will be diagnosed 2 years later with DAT performed significantly more poorly than patients who did not develop DAT. Patients who will be diagnosed 2 years later with DAT made a higher number of omission errors and obtained a lower number of correct responses. CONCLUSION: CPT paradigm is a vigilance task that detects deterioration of sustained attention in the preclinical phase of DAT and could be an objective indicator of the cognitive decline in the preclinical phase of Alzheimer s disease.

Long-term effects of bilateral frontal brain lesion: 60 years after injury with an iron bar.

BACKGROUND: Harlow's report of the case of Phineas P. Gage in 1848 was one of the earliest description of the personality and behavioral changes following frontal lobe damage. Since Harlow's articles, a few more case reports of frontal lobe damage have been published. As standard neuropsychological and neurologic evaluations may reveal subtle defects, case reports have been particularly useful in characterizing the behavioral changes that follow frontal lobe damage. OBJECTIVE: To describe the long-term outcome of an 81-year-old patient who sustained a severe frontal brain lesion 60 years ago caused by the passage of an iron spike through his head. RESULTS: The patient has bilateral damage affecting the orbital and dorsolateral frontal regions. He displays many of the typical frontal behavioral disturbances described in the literature. His conduct is characterized by dependence on others, cheerfulness, planning difficulties, problems establishing realistic goals, lack of drive, and difficulties in initiating, continuing, and finishing activities. Although gross cognitive functioning is intact, neuropsychological deficits are present in the executive functioning, memory, and visuoconstructive domains. CONCLUSIONS: In contrast with the antisocial conduct pattern usually associated with frontal damage in the literature, this case suggests that large frontal lesions can produce behavioral and personality changes that are compatible with stable functioning in family, professional, and social settings. In addition to the localization of the lesion, many other factors should be considered in the long-term prognosis of frontal brain injured patients.

Blood pressure variability in Binswanger's disease and isolated lacunar infarction.

UNLABELLED: To determine whether blood pressure (BP) variability is increased in hypertensive patients with Binswanger's disease (BD), we studied two samples of consecutive treated hypertensive patients: (1) 11 with BD (mean age 71.3 +/- 5.2 years); (2) 16 with lacunar infarction (mean age 65.2 +/- 8.3 years) without cognitive impairment. An averaged baseline office BP was obtained for 3 consecutive weeks. Ambulatory BP monitoring was then carried out to obtain the averaged mean systolic (SBP) and diastolic BP, and BP variability was defined as the standard deviation of consecutive BP values. RESULTS: Diurnal SBP variability was significantly increased in the BD group (p = 0.04). However, with the analysis of covariance for age and baseline office BP, the difference was no longer significant (p = 0.17 and p = 0.09, respectively). We conclude that increased BP variability in BD patients is probably due to older age and increased baseline office BP. Increased BP variability may be a risk factor for small-vessel disease, but not for cognitive impairment.

Blood pressure variability and leukoaraiosis amount in cerebral small-vessel disease.

OBJECTIVES: To analyze the correlation between blood pressure (BP) variability and leukoaraiosis (LA) amount in patients with symptomatic cerebral small-vessel disease. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We included 25 hypertensive patients: 13 with Binswanger's disease (BD) and 12 with a first-ever lacunar infarction (LI). Baseline office BP was obtained for 3 consecutive weeks. From a 24-h ambulatory BP monitoring performed 1 week later we obtained average systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) BP for daytime, nighttime and 24-h periods. SBP and DBP variability was defined as the within-subject standard deviation of all readings. A standardized cerebral MR was performed in each patient and an LA score was calculated. RESULTS: No statistically significant correlation was obtained between the LA score and any of the following BP values: 1) Baseline SBP and DBP; 2) 24-h, daytime or nighttime SBP and DBP, and 3) 24-h, daytime or nighttime SBP and DBP variability. CONCLUSION: Increased BP variability is not associated with greater amounts of leukoaraiosis.

[Frontal lobes: the executive brain]. / Los lóbulos frontales: el cerebro ejecutivo.

OBJECTIVE: To describe the current basic functional neuroanatomy of the frontal lobes and complex cognitive processes associated with this wide brain zone. DEVELOPMENT: We reviewed recent studies with neurofunctional interest. We structured the frontal zones and the cognitive functions more specifically humans, named 'executive functions'. We classified the frontal syndrome into more specific syndromes; and, we reviewed the fronto-cortical and subcortical connections, which are the basis of the frontal zones and functions. CONCLUSIONS: The frontal lobe is not a single anatomical and functional brain region. Regions and fronto-cortical and subcortical circuits within the frontal lobe are associated with motor functions and cognitive processes highly specialized, which may be differently affected.