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BACKGROUND: Acute head and neck cancer (HNC) bleeding is a life-threatening situation that frequently presents to the emergency department (ED). The purpose of the present study was to analyze the risk factors for the 30-day mortality in patients with HNC bleeding. METHODS: We included patients who presented to the ED with HNC bleeding (n = 241). Patients were divided into the survivor and nonsurvivor groups. Variables were compared, and the associated factors were examined with Cox's proportional hazard model. RESULTS: Of the 241 patients enrolled, the most common bleeding site was the oral cavity (n = 101, 41.9%). More than half of the patients had advanced HNC stage while 41.5% had local recurrence. The proportion of active bleeding was significantly higher in the nonsurvivor group (70.5% vs. 53.3%, p = 0.038). 42.3% received blood transfusion and 5.0% required inotropic support. In total, 21.2% of the patients experienced rebleeding, and 18.3% died within 30 days. Multivariate analyses indicated that a heart rate > 100 (beats/min) (HR = 2.42; Cl 1.15-5.06; p = 0.019) and inotropic support (HR = 3.00; Cl 1.14-7.89; p = 0.026) were statistically significant independent risk factors for 30-day mortality. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study may aid physicians in the evaluation of short-term survival in HNC bleeding patients and provide critical information for risk stratification and medical decisions.
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Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço , Serviço Hospitalar de Emergência , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/complicações , Hemorragia/etiologia , Humanos , Modelos de Riscos Proporcionais , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
Background and Objectives: The purpose of the present study was to elucidate the in-hospital and long-term outcomes of patients with head and neck cancer (HNC) bleeding and to analyze the risk factors for mortality. Materials and Methods: We included patients who presented to the emergency department (ED) with HNC bleeding. Variables of patients who survived and died were compared and associated factors were investigated by logistic regression and Cox's proportional hazard model. Results: A total of 125 patients were enrolled in the present study. Fifty-nine (52.8%) patients experienced a recurrent bleeding event. The in-hospital mortality rate was 16%. The overall survival at 1, 3 and 5 years was 48%, 41% and 34%, respectively. The median survival time was 9.2 months. Multivariate logistic regression analyses revealed that risk factors for in-hospital mortality were inotropic support (OR = 10.41; Cl 1.81-59.84; p = 0.009), hypopharyngeal cancer (OR = 4.32; Cl 1.29-14.46; p = 0.018), and M stage (OR = 5.90; Cl 1.07-32.70; p = 0.042). Multivariate Cox regression analyses indicate that heart rate >110 (beats/min) (HR = 2.02; Cl 1.16-3.51; p = 0.013), inotropic support (HR = 3.25; Cl 1.20-8.82; p = 0.021), and hypopharygneal cancer (HR = 2.22; Cl 1.21-4.06; p = 0.010) were all significant independent predictors of poorer overall survival. Conclusions: HNC bleeding commonly represents the advanced disease stage. Recognition of associated factors aids in the risk stratification of patients with HNC bleeding.
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Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço , Neoplasias de Cabeça e Pescoço/complicações , Hemorragia , Hospitais , Humanos , Modelos de Riscos Proporcionais , Fatores de RiscoRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a multisystemic autoimmune disease, and few cases combine with Crohn's disease. We present the first SLE patient concurrent with Crohn's disease and rectovaginal fistula. She was successfully treated with vedolizumab and surgical intervention. Besides, she also had a rare opportunistic infection, cryptococcal pneumonia, in previous adalimumab treatment course. CASE: A 57 year-old female had SLE in disease remission for 27 years. She suffered from progressive rectal ulcers with anal pain and bloody stool, and Crohn's disease was diagnosed. She received adalimumab, but the lesion still progressed to a rectovaginal fistula. Besides, she suffered from an episode of cryptococcal pneumonia under adalimumab treatment course. Therefore, we changed the biologics to vedolizumab, and arrange a transverse colostomy for stool diversion. She had clinical remission without active inflammation, but the fistula still persisted. Then, she received a restorative proctectomy with colo-anal anastomosis and vaginal repair. Follow-up endoscopy showed no more rectal ulcers or fistula tracts, and contrast enema also noted no residual rectovaginal fistula. CONCLUSION: When a SLE patient had unusual rectal ulcers, Crohn's disease should be considered. Biologics combined with surgical intervention is an optimal solution for Crohn's disease with rectovaginal fistula. Although cryptococcal pneumonia is a rare opportunistic infection in the biological treatment, we should always keep it in mind.
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Doença de Crohn , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico , Doença de Crohn/complicações , Doença de Crohn/tratamento farmacológico , Feminino , Seguimentos , Humanos , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/complicações , Lúpus Eritematoso Sistêmico/tratamento farmacológico , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fístula Retovaginal/etiologia , Fístula Retovaginal/cirurgia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
OBJECTIVE: Late-life depression (LLD) is a severe public health problem. Given that pharmacological treatments for LLD are limited by their side effects, development of efficient and tolerable nonpharmacological treatment for LLD is urgently required. This study investigated whether high-frequency external muscle stimulation could reduce depressive symptoms in LLD. METHODS: Twenty-two older male veterans with major depression were recruited and randomized into a treatment (n = 9) or sham control group (n = 13). The groups received high-frequency external muscle stimulation or sham intervention 3 times per week for 12 weeks. Clinical symptoms and muscle strength were evaluated at baseline and every 2 weeks. RESULTS: The 2 groups were homogeneous in age, baseline clinical symptoms, and muscle strength. The treatment group showed significant improvement in depression and anxiety scores and muscle strength (all P < .01), whereas the control group showed no significant change after the 12-week follow-up. Compared to the control group, the treatment group showed significant improvements in depression (Geriatric Depression Scale, P = .009; Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, P = .007) and anxiety scores (HAMA, P = .008) and muscle strength (all P < .001). Changes in depression and anxiety levels were significantly correlated with changes in muscle strength after the study. In the treatment group, we observed a trend of correlation between the reduction in depression and muscle strength gains. CONCLUSION: High-frequency external muscle stimulation appears to be an effective treatment for older patients with LLD. Large studies with more tests and/or conducted in different populations are warranted to validate these preliminary findings.
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Depressão/terapia , Terapia por Estimulação Elétrica/métodos , Força Muscular/fisiologia , Veteranos/psicologia , Idoso , Depressão/diagnóstico , Depressão/psicologia , Humanos , Masculino , Projetos Piloto , Estudos Prospectivos , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
BACKGROUND This study aimed to assess the impact of a group music intervention on anxiety and depression of elderly male veterans with dementia. MATERIAL AND METHODS In total, 50 elderly men with Alzheimer disease were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Patients in the intervention group attended a 60-minute group music session that used percussion instruments with familiar music in the morning once a week for 12 weeks, whereas those in the control group received a rest and reading session at the same intervals and under the same conditions. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale and Geriatric Depression Scale were used to assess anxiety and depression at baseline, week 6, and week 12. The Primary Measures of Music Audiation (PMMA) was used to assess musical aptitude at the baseline. RESULTS A significant reduction in the anxiety level following the 12-week music sessions was observed in the intervention group (P<.001), but there was no significant change in the control group. However, the change in depressive symptoms between the 2 groups was nonsignificant. In the intervention group, when stratifying patients based on music aptitude determined through PMMA assessment, patients with high PMMA scores had significantly reduced anxiety symptoms over time compared with those with low scores. CONCLUSIONS For elderly male veterans with dementia, participating in a group music intervention reduced anxiety symptoms. In patients with high musical aptitude, the treatment effects on anxiety reduction were satisfactory. Measures of music aptitude may provide valuable information regarding patients' response to music intervention.
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Doença de Alzheimer/terapia , Ansiedade/terapia , Musicoterapia/métodos , Veteranos/psicologia , Fatores Etários , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Doença de Alzheimer/psicologia , Ansiedade/psicologia , Transtornos de Ansiedade/psicologia , Transtornos de Ansiedade/terapia , Humanos , Masculino , TaiwanRESUMO
INTRODUCTION: Awake craniotomy pursues a balance between extensive tumor resection and preservation of postoperative language function. A dilemma exists in patients whose tumor resection is restricted due to signs of language impairment observed during awake craniotomy. In order to determine the degree to which recovery of language function caused by tumor resection can be achieved by spontaneous neuroplasticity, the change in postoperative language function was compared to quantified intraoperative linguistic performance. METHODS: The modified, short-form Boston Diagnostic Aphasia Examination (sfBDAE) was used to assess pre- and postoperative language functions; visual object naming (DO 80) and semantic-association (Pyramid and Palm Tree Test, PPTT) tests assessed intraoperative linguistic performance. DO 80 and PPTT were performed alternatively during subcortical functional monitoring while performing tumor resection and sfBDAE was assessed 1-week postoperatively. RESULTS: Most patients with observed language impairment during awake surgery showed improved language function postoperatively. Both intraoperative DO 80 and PPTT showed significant correlation to postoperative sfBDAE domain scores (p < 0.05), with a higher correlation observed with PPTT. A linear regression model showed that only PPTT predicted the postoperative sfBDAE domain scores with the adjusted R2 ranging from 0.51 to 0.89 (all p < 0.01). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed a cutoff value of PPTT that yielded a sensitivity of 80% and specificity of 100%. CONCLUSION: PPTT may be a feasible tool for intraoperative linguistic evaluation that can predict postoperative language outcomes. Further studies are needed to determine the extent of tumor resection that optimizes the postoperative language following neuroplasticity.
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Encéfalo/cirurgia , Craniotomia , Transtornos da Linguagem/diagnóstico , Transtornos da Linguagem/etiologia , Monitorização Intraoperatória , Complicações Pós-Operatórias/diagnóstico , Adulto , Idoso , Mapeamento Encefálico , Neoplasias Encefálicas/cirurgia , Feminino , Humanos , Testes de Linguagem , Linguística , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Prognóstico , Curva ROC , Vigília , Adulto JovemRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Loneliness and depression are very common in the aged population. Both have negative impacts on cognition in the elderly. The present study aimed to investigate the effect of loneliness and depression on total as well as specific cognitive domains in cognitively normal male subjects. MATERIAL/METHODS: A total of 189 cognitively normal male subjects were recruited and underwent Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument (CASI) and Wechsler Digit Span Task tests. Depression was assessed by the Geriatric Depression Scale-Short Form (GDS-SF) and loneliness by UCLA loneliness scales. Partial correlation test was used to explore the correlation between loneliness/depression and total as well as specific cognition function, with the controlled factors of age and education. RESULTS: Both depression and loneliness are negatively correlated with global cognitive function as evaluated with CASI (r=-0.227, p=0.002; r=-0.214, p=0.003, respectively). The domains of Attention, Orientation, Abstraction and judgment, and List-generating fluency of cognitive function were specifically associated with loneliness, and the domain of orientation was associated with depression after controlling the factors age and years of education. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggest that loneliness and depression may have negative impacts on global and specific domains of cognitive function in non-demented elderly males. Both loneliness and depression should be actively recognized earlier and appropriately treated because they are significant sources of cognitive impairment in the elderly.
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Transtornos Cognitivos/complicações , Cognição/fisiologia , Depressão/complicações , Solidão , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Envelhecimento , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Psicometria , Inquéritos e Questionários , TaiwanRESUMO
Patients bitten by Protobothrops mucrosquamatus, Viridovipera stejnegeri, and Naja atra develop different degrees of wound infection. This study validated BITE and Cobra BITE scoring systems that we established previously. Bacteriological studies of patients with wound infection were conducted. The operating characteristic curves and area under the curve (AUC) and wound infection rates were compared between the derivation set (our previous study patient population) and the validation set (new patient cohorts enrolled between June 2017 and May 2021). No significant differences in the AUC for both the BITE (0.84 vs. 0.78, p = 0.27) and Cobra BITE (0.88 vs. 0.75, p = 0.21) scoring systems were observed between the derivation and validation sets. Morganella morganii and Enterococcus faecalis were the two most commonly detected bacteria in the microbiological study. More bacterial species were cultured from N. atra-infected wounds. Antibiotics such as amoxicillin with clavulanic acid, oxacillin, and ampicillin may not be suitable for treating patients with P. mucrosquamatus, V. stejnegeri, and N. atra bites in Taiwan. Carbapenem, third-generation cephalosporins, and fluoroquinolone may be superior alternatives.
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Mordeduras de Serpentes , Infecção dos Ferimentos , Animais , Humanos , Mordeduras de Serpentes/terapia , Elapidae , Naja naja , Peçonhas , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Bactérias , Infecção dos Ferimentos/tratamento farmacológico , Venenos Elapídicos , AntivenenosRESUMO
Secondary hyperparathyroidism (SHPT) is a common complication of end-stage kidney disease (ESKD). Hungry bone syndrome (HBS) occurs frequently in patients on maintenance dialysis receiving parathyroidectomy for refractory SHPT. However, there is scanty study investigating the clinical risk factors that predict postoperative HBS, and its outcome in peritoneal dialysis (PD) patients. We conducted a single-center retrospective study to analyze 66 PD patients who had undergone parathyroidectomy for secondary hyperparathyroidism at Chang Gung Memorial Hospital between 2009 and 2019. The patients were stratified into two groups based on the presence (n=47) or absence (n=19) of HBS after parathyroidectomy. Subtotal parathyroidectomy was the most common surgery performed (74.2%), followed by total parathyroidectomy with autoimplantation (25.8%). Pathological examination of all surgical specimens revealed parathyroid hyperplasia (100%). Patients with HBS had lower levels of postoperative nadir corrected calcium, higher alkaline phosphate (ALP), and higher potassium levels compared with patients without HBS (all P<0.05). A multivariate logistic regression model confirmed that lower preoperative serum calcium level (OR 0.354, 95% CI 0.133-0.940, P=0.037), higher ALP (OR 1.026, 95% CI 1.008-1.044, P=0.004), and higher potassium level (OR 6.894, 95% CI 1.806-26.317, P=0.005) were associated with HBS after parathyroidectomy. Patients were followed for 58.2±30.8 months after the surgery. There was no significant difference between HBS and non-HBS groups in persistence (P=0.496) or recurrence (P=1.000) of hyperparathyroidism. The overall mortality rate was 10.6% with no significant difference found between both groups (P=0.099). We concluded that HBS is a common complication (71.2%) of parathyroidectomy for SHPT and should be managed appropriately.
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Lower hemoglobin (Hb) levels are a common feature in the elderly. The present study recruited 180 healthy elderly men. Participants were assessed using the Geriatric Depression Scale, the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument Chinese version, and the Wechsler Digit Span Task test. The mean age of the participants was 85.8 years (SD = 10.5). Pearson's correlation tests demonstrated that Hb concentrations negatively correlated with Geriatric Depression Scale (r = -0.245, P = 0.001), but did not correlate with Cognitive Abilities Screening Instrument, Forward or Backward Digit Span tests. Lower Hb levels, therefore, were associated with depression in the elderly men.
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Envelhecimento/sangue , Envelhecimento/psicologia , Cognição/fisiologia , Depressão/sangue , Depressão/psicologia , Hemoglobinas/metabolismo , Desempenho Psicomotor/fisiologia , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Povo Asiático/psicologia , Humanos , Masculino , Testes Neuropsicológicos/estatística & dados numéricos , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica/estatística & dados numéricosRESUMO
AIMS: Aging is associated with cognitive deterioration, and genetic factors are implicated in individual cognitive differences in the aged. The C677T mutation in the 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase gene (MTHFR) yields a common thermolabile variant (T) with reduced enzyme activity and consequent elevation of serum homocysteine concentrations. We designed the present study to investigate whether this functional polymorphism may affect global and specific cognitive functions in older Chinese males without dementia. METHODS: The subjects included 356 elderly males without major psychiatric disorders or dementia, who were assessed by the Cognitive Abilities Screening Instruments (CASI) and the Wechsler Digit Span Task tests. RESULTS: A significant association was found between the MTHFR C677T polymorphism and total CASI scores (p = 0.012), particularly in short-term memory (p = 0.002) and concentration/mental manipulation (p = 0.007). Post hoc tests indicated that the C/T heterozygotes achieved better cognitive function test results than C/C or T/T carriers. No association was found between the MTHFR genotype and the Wechsler Digit Span Task tests. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that a heterozygote advantage exists for the MTHFR C677T polymorphism in specific cognitive functions in elderly Chinese males without dementia.
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Cognição/fisiologia , Demência/genética , Demência/psicologia , Metilenotetra-Hidrofolato Redutase (NADPH2)/genética , Polimorfismo de Nucleotídeo Único/genética , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , DNA/genética , DNA/isolamento & purificação , Escolaridade , Genótipo , Heterozigoto , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Testes Neuropsicológicos , Desempenho Psicomotor/fisiologia , Taiwan/epidemiologia , Escalas de WechslerRESUMO
Wound necrosis and secondary infection are common complications after Naja atra bites. Clinical tools to evaluate the infection risk after Taiwan cobra bites are lacking. In this Cobra BITE study, we investigated the prevalence of wound infection, bacteriology, and corresponding antibiotic usage in patients presenting with Taiwan cobra snakebites. Patients with wound infection lacking tissue necrosis were included in developing Cobra BITE score utilizing univariate and multiple logistic regression, as patients with wound necrosis require antibiotics for infection treatment. 8,295,497 emergency department visits occurred in the span of this study, with 195 of those patients being diagnosed as having cobra bites. Of these patients, 23 had wound necrosis, and 30 had wound infection, resulting in a wound infection rate of 27.2% (53/195). Enterococcus faecalis and Morganella morganii were the main bacteria identified in the culture report regardless of whether patients' wounds had necrosis. As per our Cobra BITE score, the three factors predicting secondary wound infection after cobra bites are hospital admission, a white blood cell count (in 103/µL) × by neu-trophil-lymphocyte ratio value of ≥114.23, and the use of antivenin medication. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the Cobra BITE score system was 0.88; ideal sensitivity and specificity were 0.89 and 0.76. This scoring system enables the assessment of wound infections after N. atra bites, and it could be modified and improved in the future for other Naja spp. bites.
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Antibacterianos/uso terapêutico , Antivenenos/uso terapêutico , Venenos Elapídicos/antagonistas & inibidores , Enterococcus faecalis/efeitos dos fármacos , Morganella morganii/efeitos dos fármacos , Naja naja , Mordeduras de Serpentes/tratamento farmacológico , Infecção dos Ferimentos/tratamento farmacológico , Adulto , Idoso , Animais , Técnicas de Apoio para a Decisão , Venenos Elapídicos/imunologia , Enterococcus faecalis/isolamento & purificação , Feminino , Humanos , Masculino , Testes de Sensibilidade Microbiana , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Morganella morganii/isolamento & purificação , Necrose , Estudos Retrospectivos , Medição de Risco , Fatores de Risco , Mordeduras de Serpentes/diagnóstico , Mordeduras de Serpentes/microbiologia , Resultado do Tratamento , Infecção dos Ferimentos/diagnóstico , Infecção dos Ferimentos/microbiologiaRESUMO
BACKGROUND: Fistula and intraabdominal fistula are common complications of Crohn's disease (CD), but complex rectal fistula with abscess formation is rare. Tumor necrosis factor antagonists combined with percutaneous drainage or surgical intervention is optimal treatment for fistulizing CD with intraabdominal abscess. There is no study show the efficacy of vedolizumab in such complicated condition. CASE SUMMARY: A 47-year-old man has decompensated liver cirrhosis, child B. He suffered from abdominal pain, bloody diarrhea, fever, and body weight loss. CD with rectoprostatic fistula, rectopresacral fistula, pre-sacral abscess and cyto-megalovirus (CMV) infection were noted. He received antibiotics, anti-viral therapy, transverse colostomy and vedolizumab treatment. Six months later, he had deep remission and complete fistula tracts closure. CONCLUSION: Early vedolizumab and stool diversion are effective and safe in treating CD with complex rectal fistula with abscess formation.
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Doença de Crohn , Fístula Retal , Abscesso/tratamento farmacológico , Abscesso/etiologia , Anticorpos Monoclonais Humanizados , Criança , Doença de Crohn/complicações , Doença de Crohn/tratamento farmacológico , Humanos , Masculino , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Fístula Retal/tratamento farmacológico , Fístula Retal/etiologia , Fístula Retal/cirurgia , Resultado do TratamentoRESUMO
OBJECTIVES: We compared serum levels of chemokines between male elders with major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls, verifying whether any difference exists in the levels of these mediators between those with and without current suicidal ideation (SI). METHODS: We enrolled 145 male elders aged 65 or older and analyzed 40 chemokines in patients with MDD with SI (n = 24) and without SI (n = 23), as well as healthy controls (n = 98). RESULTS: The patients with MDD with SI presented higher levels of MCP-2/CCL8 (p < 0.001) compared with the patients with MDD without SI and the healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: Current findings suggest a potential role of MCP-2/CCL8 in suicidality among elderly males with depression.
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Quimiocina CCL8/sangue , Transtorno Depressivo Maior , Ideação Suicida , Prevenção do Suicídio , Suicídio , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Antidepressivos/uso terapêutico , Correlação de Dados , Transtorno Depressivo Maior/sangue , Transtorno Depressivo Maior/epidemiologia , Transtorno Depressivo Maior/psicologia , Transtorno Depressivo Maior/terapia , Manual Diagnóstico e Estatístico de Transtornos Mentais , Avaliação Geriátrica/métodos , Humanos , Testes Imunológicos/métodos , Masculino , Escalas de Graduação Psiquiátrica , Suicídio/psicologia , Taiwan/epidemiologiaRESUMO
The Escherichia coli AraC protein represses and induces the araBAD operon in response to the absence or presence of l-arabinose. Constitutive mutations in the AraC gene no longer require the presence of l-arabinose to convert AraC from its repressing to its inducing state. Such mutations were isolated directly by virtue of their constitutivity or by their resistance to the nonmetabolizable arabinose analog, d-fucose. The majority of the constitutive mutations lie within the same residues of the N-terminal regulatory arm of AraC. Two, however, were found in the core of the dimerization domain. As predicted by the light switch mechanism of AraC, constitutive mutations increase the susceptibility of the N-terminal arms to digestion by trypsin or chymotrypsin, suggesting that these mutations weaken or disrupt the arm structure required for repression by AraC. Fluorescence, circular dichroism, and cysteine reactivity measurements show that the constitutive mutations in the core of the dimerization domain lead to a weakening of the support for the arms and reduce the stability of the minus-arabinose arm structure. These mutations also weaken the interaction between the two-helix bundle and the beta-barrel subdomains of the dimerization domain and reduce the structural stability of the beta-barrels.
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Fator de Transcrição AraC/biossíntese , Fator de Transcrição AraC/genética , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/biossíntese , Proteínas de Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/genética , Escherichia coli/metabolismo , Regulação Bacteriana da Expressão Gênica , Mutação de Sentido Incorreto , Substituição de Aminoácidos/genética , Arabinose/metabolismo , Quimotripsina/metabolismo , Análise Mutacional de DNA , Fucose/metabolismo , Modelos Biológicos , Modelos Moleculares , Conformação Proteica , Desnaturação Proteica , Estabilidade Proteica , Estrutura Terciária de Proteína , Tripsina/metabolismoRESUMO
Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the most common form of dementia among older people. Presenile familial AD (FAD) and sporadic Alzheimer's disease (SAD) have identical brain lesions, containing senile plaques with beta-amyloid (Abeta) peptide and neurofibrillary tangles formed by hyperphosphorylation of a microtubule-associated protein known as tau. However, FAD and SAD differ in onset and genetic transmission. Unlike SAD, presenile FAD is transmitted as a pure autosomal dominant trait. The authors suggest that lithium could be used for AD prevention, particularly in individuals at risk of presenile FAD, which has early onset. Evidence supporting this hypothesis suggests that lithium decreases Abeta peptide production and inhibits the activity of glycogen synthase kinase-3 which induces aggregation of tau protein into tangles, and tau hyperphosphorylation. Prevalence of AD is lower in patients with chronic lithium treatment, which also increases brain-derived neurotrophic factor activity, so might prevent onset in patients at risk for AD. Several considerations are suggested for prevention trials: the effect of lithium could be evaluated in young animal models that express presenile FAD mutant genes; the time, dose, duration and monitoring of lithium therapy are considered; early phenotypes could be monitored for treatment effect; and some other agents, like valproic acid, could also be candidates for prevention.
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Doença de Alzheimer/genética , Doença de Alzheimer/prevenção & controle , Compostos de Lítio/uso terapêutico , Idade de Início , Idoso , Doença de Alzheimer/epidemiologia , Doença de Alzheimer/patologia , Peptídeos beta-Amiloides/metabolismo , Encéfalo/patologia , Quinase 3 da Glicogênio Sintase/antagonistas & inibidores , Humanos , Pessoa de Meia-Idade , Mutação , Fragmentos de Peptídeos/metabolismo , PrevalênciaRESUMO
In this study, four kinds of lignocellulosic fibers (LFs), namely, those from Chinese fir (Cunninghamia lanceolata), Taiwan red pine (Pinus taiwanensis), India-charcoal trema (Trema orientalis) and makino bamboo (Phyllostachys makinoi), were selected as reinforcements and incorporated into high-density polyethylene (HDPE) to manufacture wood-plastic composites (WPCs) by a flat platen pressing process. In addition to comparing the differences in the physico-mechanical properties of these composites, their chemical compositions were evaluated and their thermal decomposition kinetics were analyzed to investigate the effects of the lignocellulosic species on the properties of the WPCs. The results showed that the WPC made with Chinese fir displayed a typical M-shaped vertical density profile due to the high aspect ratio of its LFs, while a flat vertical density profile was observed for the WPCs made with other LFs. Thus, the WPC made with Chinese fir exhibited higher flexural properties and lower internal bond strength (IB) than other WPCs. In addition, the Taiwan red pine contained the lowest holocellulose content and the highest extractives and α-cellulose contents, which gave the resulting WPC lower water absorption and flexural properties. On the other hand, consistent with the flexural properties, the results of thermal decomposition kinetic analysis showed that the activation energy of the LFs at 10% of the conversion rate increased in the order of Taiwan red pine (146â»161 kJ/mol), makino bamboo (158â»175 kJ/mol), India-charcoal trema (185â»194 kJ/mol) and Chinese fir (194â»202 kJ/mol). These results indicate that the morphology, chemical composition and thermal stability of the LFs can have a substantial impact on the physico-mechanical properties of the resulting WPCs.
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BACKGROUND: Depression and loneliness are prevalent and highly correlated phenomena among the elderly and influence both physical and mental health. Brain functional connectivity changes associated with depressive symptoms and loneliness are not fully understood. METHODS: A cross-sectional functional MRI study was conducted among 85 non-demented male elders. Geriatric depression scale-short form (GDS) and loneliness scale were used to evaluate the severity of depressive symptoms and loneliness, respectively. Whole brain voxel-wise resting-state functional connectivity density (FCD) mapping was performed to delineate short-range FCD (SFCD) and long-range FCD (LFCD). Regional correlations between depressive symptoms or loneliness and SFCD or LFCD were examined using general linear model (GLM), with age incorporated as a covariate and depressive symptoms and loneliness as predictors. RESULTS: Positive correlations between depressive symptoms and LFCD were observed in left rectal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, right supraorbital gyrus, and left inferior temporal gyrus. Positive correlations between depressive symptoms and SFCD were observed in left middle frontal gyrus, left superior frontal gyrus, bilateral superior medial frontal gyrus, left inferior temporal gyrus, and left middle occipital region. Positive correlations between SFCD and loneliness were centered over bilateral lingual gyrus. CONCLUSION: Depressive symptoms are associated with FCD changes over frontal and temporal regions, which may involve the cognitive control, affective regulation, and default mode networks. Loneliness is associated with FCD changes in bilateral lingual gyri that are known to be important in social cognition. Depressive symptoms and loneliness may be associated with different brain regions in non-demented elderly male.
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Apolipoprotein E (APOE) gene polymorphism has been reported to be associated with cognitive dysfunction in healthy individuals, however the results were controversial in the very old elderly. The aim of this study is to assess the possible association of the APOE polymorphism with cognitive dysfunction in people aged 75 years and over. Four hundred and twenty-five aged Chinese veteran men without dementia were enrolled for APOE genotyping and neuropsychological tests including Mini-Mental Status Examination (MMSE), Digit Span Forward and Backward, and Cognitive Ability Screening Instrument Chinese language version (CASI C-2.0) were evaluated in these subjects. Among the elderly veterans, people who carry APOE É4 were found to have worse performance on the total CASI scores, the abstraction/judgment subscores and the list-generating fluency subscores. This study suggests that the APOE É4 alleles contributed detrimental effects on cognitive function in the very old veterans who do not have dementia.
Assuntos
Apolipoproteína E4/genética , Transtornos Cognitivos/genética , Idoso , Idoso de 80 Anos ou mais , Demência/genética , Humanos , Masculino , Polimorfismo Genético , VeteranosRESUMO
Recent resting fMRI studies have suggested that the functional connectivity of the brain's large-scale networks is associated with the cognitive decline of aging and is modulated by genetic factors. Our previous study found a significant association between interleukin-1 (IL-1 beta) C-511T polymorphism and working memory performance among elderly people. This study investigates the effects of IL-1 beta C-511T polymorphism on the functional connectivity of the cognitive division of the cingulate cortex [i.e., the anterior midcingulate (aMCC)] in non-demented Han elderly people and tests the hypothesis that T/T carriers are associated with lowered FC. Non-demented elderly males (n = 95) received resting MRI scanning, genotyping, and cognitive evaluation using the cognitive abilities screening instrument (CASI) and the Wechsler digit span task test. The functional connectivity map in each subject was derived based on positive correlations of low-frequency fMRI fluctuations with a seed in the aMCC according to structural definition. Between-group difference was compared by random effect analysis. Compared to the C/C or C/T carriers, the T/T carriers had a significantly worse CASI performance, especially in the abstraction scores. For the functional connectivity analysis, the T/T carriers exhibited significantly lower functional connectivity with several prefrontal areas and the left putamen. The cortico-striatal connection between the aMCC and left putamen was correlated with the CASI abstraction and attention scores. The results were consistent with our hypothesis and supported that the brains' functional connectivity in elderly people may be modulated by genetic polymorphism associated with local inflammation processes.