How childhood trauma and emotions influence essential tremor and its severity in Sakarya Province.

OBJECTIVE: Essential tremor (ET) is among the most common central nervous system disorders. It is characterised by symmetrical and bilateral postural tremor, usually affecting the hands. Alongside such motor symptoms, psychiatric symptoms, such as anxiety and depression, often occur. This study aimed to investigate how anxiety, depression and childhood trauma influence ET patients' tremor frequency and severity. PATIENTS AND METHODS: The participants comprised 85 patients and 70 control volunteers. Participating patients have been admitted to our clinic for hand tremor complaints and diagnosed with ET, according to the Washington Heights Inwood Genetic Study of Essential Tremor (WHIGET) diagnosis criteria, and they returned for follow-up for at least one year after their initial treatment. Patients with thyroid dysfunction, Parkinson's disease, central nervous system pathology, a history of smoking or alcohol use or a history of drug use that may cause tremor were excluded from the study. Patients' demographic data, such as their age and gender, age at disease onset, disease duration, family history and tremor severity were recorded. The Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ) were applied to all patients. RESULTS: Statistically significant differences were found in BDI score averages and BAI score averages between the patient and control groups (p = 0.002; p = 0.001) and physical abuse, emotional neglect and sexual abuse scores on the CTQ scale (p = 0.001, p = 0.007 and p = 0.001, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Childhood mental trauma and emotional mood disorders are more common among ET patients. However, these disorders do not appear to affect ET severity.

Cardioprotective effect of melatonin and agomelatine on doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity in a rat model: an electrocardiographic, scintigraphic and biochemical study.

AIM: The present study aimed to determine the protective effect of melatonin and agomelatine on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity in rats by electrocardiographic, scintigraphic and biochemical methods. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Forty-nine male Wistar rats were randomly separated into seven groups; control (CON), doxorubicin (DOX), melatonin (MEL), agomelatine (AGO), melatonin+doxorubicin (MEL+DOX), agomelatine+doxorubicin (AGO+DOX) and melatonin+ agomelatine+ doxorubicin (MEL+AGO+DOX) groups. Cardiotoxicity was induced by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of DOX (18 mg/kg daily for three days). Rats receiving MEL and AGO treatment in the DOX-induced cardiotoxicity group received MEL and AGO (40 mg/kg/day, i.p., for seven days). They were injected with doxorubicin (18 mg/kg, i.p.) on days 5, 6, and 7. The rats were given MEL and AGO as substance control (40 mg/kg/day, i.p., for 7 days). On day 8 of the experiment, animals were evaluated by means of electrocardiography (ECG) and 99mtechnetium pyrophosphate (99mTc PYP) scintigraphy and their biochemical parameters [blood urea nitrogen (BUN), creatine kinase (CK), cardiac troponin T (cTnT)] were examined. RESULTS: DOX-induced acute cardiotoxicity in rats is characterized by conduction abnormalities in the ECG pattern (including decreased P wave and QRS complex duration, increased QT and RR intervals, and ST-segment elevation), increased serum BUN, CK, and cTnT parameters and increased 99mTc PYP uptake (p < 0.001). Pretreatment with MEL, AGO, or MEL+AGO effectively alleviated DOX-induced ECG abnormalities close to normal (p < 0.001). Moreover, serum biochemical evidence and 99mTc PYP uptake values demonstrated that pretreatment with MEL, AGO, or MEL+AGO has the same protective effect against the abnormalities produced in the heart by DOX (p < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS: MEL and AGO have a potential protective effect on DOX-induced cardiotoxicity. At the same time, this study suggests that 99mTc PYP is a non-invasive method suitable for early determination of DOX-induced cardiotoxicity (Tab. 3, Fig. 5, Ref. 41).

Protective effect of melatonin and agomelatine on adriamycin-induced nephrotoxicity in rat model: a renal scintigraphy and biochemical study.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed to determine the possible protective effects of melatonin and agomelatine on an animal model of adriamycin nephrotoxicity by 99mTc DMSA renal scintigraphy and biochemical methods. METHODS: Ten weeks old 49 male Wistar rats were randomly separated into seven groups; namely control (CON), adriamycin (ADR), melatonin (MEL), agomelatine (AGO), melatonin + adriamycin (MEL+ADR), agomelatine + adriamycin (AGO+ADR) and melatonin + agomelatine + adriamycin (MEL+AGO+ADR) groups. Nephrotoxicity was induced by a three-dose of 18 mg/kg adriamycin, i.p. at a 24 h interval on the 5th, 6th and 7th days. A dose of melatonin and agomelatine (40 mg/kg/i.p, the same doses) were injected for 7 days before and after the injected of ADR (18 mg/kg, i.p.), respectively. On the 8th day of the experiment, all animals were evaluated and scintigraphic and biochemical parameters were assessed, respectively. RESULTS: ADR significantly increased blood urea nitrogen (1040 %) and plasma creatinine (1020 %), and decreased 99mTc DMSA uptake levels (59 %) compared to the control (p < 0.001). Pretreatment with MEL, AGO, MEL+AGO mitigated these abnormalities produced by ADR in the kidney (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: 99mTc DMSA for the early determination of ADR-induced nephrotoxicity had an important role. Also, a significant correlation was found between biochemical and scintigraphy parameters. Adriamycin caused significant damages to kidneys that were reduced with MEL and AGO (Tab. 2, Fig. 3, Ref. 39).

Prognostic utility of neuroinjury biomarkers in post out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) patient management.

Despite aggressive intervention, patients who survive an out-of-hospital cardiac arrest (OHCA) generally have very poor prognoses, with nationwide survival rates of approximately 10-20%. Approximately 90% of survivors will have moderate to severe neurological injury ranging from moderate cognitive impairment to brain death. Currently, few early prognostic indicators are considered reliable enough to support patients' families and clinicians' in their decisions regarding medical futility. Blood biomarkers of neurological injury after OHCA may be of prognostic value in these cases. When most bodily tissues are oxygen-deprived, cellular metabolism switches from aerobic to anaerobic respiration. Neurons are a notable exception, however, being dependent solely upon aerobic respiration. Thus, after several minutes without circulating oxygen, neurons sustain irreversible damage, and certain measurable biomarkers are released into the circulation. Prior studies have demonstrated value in blood biomarkers in prediction of survival and neurologic impairment after OHCA. We hypothesize that understanding peptide biomarker kinetics in the early return of spontaneous circulation (ROSC) period, especially in the setting of refractory cardiac arrest, may assist clinicians in determining prognosis earlier in acute resuscitation. Specifically, during and after immediate resuscitation and return of ROSC, clinicians and families face a series of important questions regarding patient prognosis, futility of care and allocation of scarce resources such as the early initiation of extracorporeal cardiopulmonary resuscitation (ECPR). The ability to provide early prognostic information in this setting is highly valuable. Currently available, as well as potential biomarkers that could be good candidates in prognostication of neurological outcomes after OHCA or in the setting of refractory cardiac arrest will be reviewed and discussed.