ABSTRACT
PURPOSE: Premature ejaculation (PE) is one of the most common sexual dysfunctions in men. However, there has been little research evaluating alterations in brain structure related to PE. We aimed to investigate the characteristics of nonmedicated PE patients in terms of brain morphometry. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The sample consisted with 32 medication-naïve adult men with clinical diagnosed PE and matched 31 healthy controls. All participants received diagnostic interviews and 3.0 Tesla MRI scans. Automatic segmentation processing of MRI structure images was performed using FreeSurfer software and cerebral cortical thickness between groups was compared. RESULTS: The PE group had thicker cortex in widespread regions, including the frontal, parietal and occipital lobe, and limbic system, compared with the healthy control group (P < 0.05). Moreover, the duration is negatively correlated with the mean cortical thickness of the right medial orbitofrontal cortex, right precentral gyrus and left superior frontal cortex (R2 = 0.29, P < 0.003; R2 = 0.163, P < 0.04; R2 = 0.2, P < 0.02), while the Premature Ejaculation Diagnostic Tool score is negatively correlated with the mean cortical thickness of the left caudal middle frontal cortex (R2 = 0.33, P < 0.005). CONCLUSION: The result highlights the structural features of PE and suggests the relationship with the severity of impairment is related to the severity of anatomic abnormality with the relevant brain region. These results support the value of imaging measures as markers for understanding the physiopathology of PE. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: 1 Technical Efficacy: Stage 3 J. Magn. Reson. Imaging 2018;47:656-662.
Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Brain/physiopathology , Magnetic Resonance Imaging/methods , Premature Ejaculation/physiopathology , Adult , Humans , Male , Severity of Illness Index , Young AdultABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of mean fasting glucose over the first 72 hours after admission on in-hospital outcomes in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). METHODS: The data of 357 non-diabetic patients hospitalized with STEMI were collected from the database of Sun Yat-sen Memorial Hospital, affiliated to Sun Yat-sen University between January 2006 and April 2009. The patients were categorized into 3 groups according to mean fasting glucose over the first 72 hours after admission: < 5.6 (n = 165), 5.6 - 7.0 (n = 122) and > 7.0 mmol/L (n = 70). Clinical characteristics, therapeutic approaches and the incidence of heart failure, malignant arrhythmias, and death during hospitalization were compared among groups. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was performed to determine the association between risk factors and in-hospital outcomes. Receiver-operator characteristic (ROC) curve was generated to assess the power of mean fasting glucose on predicting in-hospital death. RESULTS: Age, past history of infarction and early revascularization therapy were similar among groups. Heart rate on admission, white blood cell count, peak CK-MB level, and proportion of extensive anterior infarction were increased in proportion to higher mean fasting glucose levels. Higher mean fasting glucose levels were associated with increased risk of reduced left ventricular ejection fraction, heart failure characterized by higher Killip class, and malignant arrhythmias. After multivariate adjustment, mean fasting glucose remained to be an independent risk factor for increased in-hospital death of patients with STEMI (OR = 1.31, 95%CI: 1.10 - 1.57; P = 0.003). Mean fasting glucose had the higher area under the ROC curve than admission glucose or fasting glucose after admission based on single measurement (0.758, 0.674 and 0.717; P < 0.001). CONCLUSION: Mean fasting glucose during first 72 hours after admission is an independent predictor for in-hospital death and complications in patients with STEMI, which is superior to admission glucose or fasting glucose after admission based on single measurement in predicting in-hospital outcomes.
Subject(s)
Blood Glucose/analysis , Myocardial Infarction/diagnosis , Myocardial Infarction/physiopathology , Aged , Electrocardiography , Female , Hospital Mortality , Humans , Hyperglycemia/complications , Logistic Models , Middle Aged , Multivariate Analysis , Myocardial Infarction/complications , Prognosis , Retrospective Studies , Risk Factors , Treatment OutcomeABSTRACT
RATIONALE: Alcohol use disorder (AUD) is a chronically relapsing condition, which affects nearly 11% of population worldwide. Currently, there are only three FDA-approved medications for treatment of AUD, and normally, satisfactory effects are hard to be achieved. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) signaling has been implicated in regulation of ethanol intake. Phosphodiesterase 2 (PDE), a dual substrate PDE that hydrolyzes both cAMP and cGMP, may play a crucial role in regulating ethanol consumption. METHODS: The present study determined whether PDE2 was involved in the regulation of ethanol intake and preference. The two-bottle choice procedure was used to examine the effects of the selective PDE2 inhibitor Bay 60-7550 on ethanol intake. The sucrose and quinine intake (taste preference) and locomotor activity (sedative effects) were also measured to exclude the false positive effects of Bay 60-7550. RESULTS: Treatment with Bay 60-7550 (1 and 3 mg/kg, i.p.) decreased ethanol intake and preference, without changing total fluid intake. In addition, Bay 60-7550 at doses that reduced ethanol intake did not affect sucrose and quinine intake and preference, which excluded the potential influence of taste preference and sedative effects on ethanol drinking behavior. Moreover, Bay 60-7550 at 3 mg/kg did not alter locomotor activity or ethanol metabolism, further supporting the specific effect of Bay 60-7550 on ethanol drinking behavior. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that PDE2 plays a role in the regulation of ethanol consumption and that PDE2 inhibitors may be a novel class of drugs for treatment of alcoholism.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Drinking/drug therapy , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 2/antagonists & inhibitors , Imidazoles/therapeutic use , Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Triazines/therapeutic use , Alcohol Drinking/metabolism , Animals , Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 2/metabolism , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Ethanol/administration & dosage , Imidazoles/pharmacology , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors/pharmacology , Triazines/pharmacologyABSTRACT
trans-Resveratrol, a natural polyphenol enriched in grape seed and skin, has been extensively investigated for its antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and anti-psychiatric properties. The present study examined the effects of trans-resveratrol on ameliorating anxiety-like behaviors and fear memory deficits induced by time-dependent sensitization (TDS) procedure, which is a classical animal model for mimicking posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The results suggested that trans-resveratrol at doses of 10, 20 and 40â¯mg/kg (via gavage, i.g.) reversed TDS-induced decreases in the percentage of time spent in the center of arena, the open arm entries and time spent in the open arms in the open field and elevated plus maze tests. It also decreased the percentage of freezing time in the contextual fear paradigm that was increased in TDS treated rats. Further study suggested that TDS-induced abnormality in the limbic hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal gland (L-HPA) axis was reversed by trans-resveratrol, i.e. it reversed increased adrenal gland index and corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) levels, and rescued the differential expression of glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in the hypothalamus, hippocampus and amygdala. Neurobiological studies suggested that trans-resveratrol increased phosphorylation of cAMP response element binding protein (pCREB) and brain derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels, which were decreased in rats subjected to TDS. These results provide compelling evidence that trans-resveratrol protects neurons against PTSD-like stress insults by regulation of L-HPA axis function and activation of downstream neuroprotective molecules, such as pCREB and BDNF expression.
Subject(s)
Antioxidants/therapeutic use , Anxiety/drug therapy , Fear/drug effects , Memory Disorders/drug therapy , Stilbenes/therapeutic use , Adrenal Glands/drug effects , Adrenal Glands/pathology , Analysis of Variance , Animals , Anxiety/etiology , Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor/metabolism , CREB-Binding Protein/metabolism , Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone/metabolism , Disease Models, Animal , Exploratory Behavior/drug effects , Male , Maze Learning/drug effects , Memory Disorders/etiology , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Resveratrol , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/complications , Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic/pathologyABSTRACT
RATIONALE: Withdrawal symptoms stand as a core feature of alcohol dependence. Our previous results have shown that inhibition of phosphodiesterase-4 (PDE4) decreased ethanol seeking and drinking in alcohol-preferring rodents. However, little is known about whether PDE4 is involved in ethanol abstinence-related behavior. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to characterize the role of PDE4 in the development of anxiety- and depressive-like behavior induced by abstinence from ethanol exposure in different animal models. METHODS: Using three rodent models of ethanol abstinence, we examined the effects of rolipram, a prototypical, selective PDE4 inhibitor, on (1) anxiety-like behavior induced by repeated ethanol abstinence in the elevated plus maze test in fawn-hooded (FH/Wjd) rats, (2) anxiety-like behavior in the open-field test and light-dark transition test following acute ethanol abstinence in C57BL/6J mice, and (3) anxiety- and depressive-like behavior induced by protracted ethanol abstinence in the elevated plus maze, forced-swim, and tail-suspension tests in C57BL/6J mice. RESULTS: Pretreatment with rolipram (0.1 or 0.2 mg/kg) significantly increased entries and time spent in the open arms of the elevated plus maze test in rats with repeated ethanol abstinence. Similarly, in mice with acute ethanol abstinence, administration of rolipram (0.25 or 0.5 mg/kg) dose-dependently increased the crossings in the central zone of the open-field test and duration and transitions on the light side of the light-dark transition test, suggesting anxiolytic-like effects of rolipram. Consistent with these, chronic treatment with rolipram (0.1, 0.3, or 1.0 mg/kg) increased entries in the open arms of the elevated plus maze test; it also reduced the increased duration of immobility in both the forced-swim and tail-suspension tests in mice after protracted ethanol abstinence, suggesting antidepressant-like effects of rolipram. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide the first demonstration for that PDE4 plays a role in modulating the development of negative emotional reactions associated with ethanol abstinence, including anxiety and depression. PDE4 inhibitors may be a novel class of drugs for treatment of alcoholism.
Subject(s)
Alcohol Abstinence/psychology , Anxiety/psychology , Depression/psychology , Ethanol/toxicity , Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors/therapeutic use , Rolipram/therapeutic use , Alcohol Drinking/drug therapy , Alcohol Drinking/psychology , Animals , Anti-Anxiety Agents/pharmacology , Anti-Anxiety Agents/therapeutic use , Antidepressive Agents/pharmacology , Anxiety/chemically induced , Anxiety/drug therapy , Depression/chemically induced , Depression/drug therapy , Dose-Response Relationship, Drug , Ethanol/administration & dosage , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred C57BL , Phosphodiesterase 4 Inhibitors/pharmacology , Random Allocation , Rats , Rodentia , Rolipram/pharmacology , Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/drug therapy , Substance Withdrawal Syndrome/psychologyABSTRACT
We aimed to detect alterations in diffusion characteristics of brain white matter in hepatic myelopathy (HM) patients. Liver cirrhosis patients with (n=25) and without (n=18) HM after transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt and 26 healthy controls were enrolled in this study. All participants were scanned with diffusion tensor imaging on a 3T Siemens scanner. Tract-based spatial statistics analysis was used to detect abnormalities of intracranial white matter tracts. Correlations between clinical characteristics and diffusion metrics were also calculated. HM patients showed widespread decreased fractional anisotropy values in association fibers, callosal fibers, thalamic fibers, and limbic system fibers (P<0.01, family-wise error-corrected) compared with healthy controls. In addition, HM patients showed lower fractional anisotropy values in the corpus callosum, corona radiata, external capsule, and superior longitudinal fasciculus compared with cirrhosis patients without myelopathy (P<0.01, family-wise error-corrected). Furthermore, limb muscle strength grading was correlated with the diffusion characteristics of the corpus callosum and superior longitudinal fasciculus in HM patients (P<0.05). HM patients suffer from more distinct changes of white matter fiber tracts than cirrhosis patients without myelopathy. In addition, alterations of the corpus callosum and superior longitudinal fasciculus may be associated with the major motor disturbance in HM. Our finding may shed light on the underlying neuropathological mechanism of HM.
Subject(s)
Brain/diagnostic imaging , Hepatic Encephalopathy/diagnostic imaging , Portasystemic Shunt, Transjugular Intrahepatic , Postoperative Complications/diagnostic imaging , Spinal Cord Diseases/diagnostic imaging , White Matter/diagnostic imaging , Adult , Cross-Sectional Studies , Diffusion Magnetic Resonance Imaging , Diffusion Tensor Imaging , Female , Fibrosis/diagnostic imaging , Fibrosis/physiopathology , Fibrosis/surgery , Hepatic Encephalopathy/physiopathology , Humans , Male , Middle Aged , Muscle Strength , Neural Pathways/diagnostic imaging , Postoperative Complications/physiopathology , Spinal Cord Diseases/physiopathologyABSTRACT
Neuropathic pain can be considered as a form of chronic stress that may share common neuropathological mechanism between pain and stress-related depression and respond to similar treatment. Ferulic acid (FA) is a major active component of angelica sinensis and has been reported to exert antidepressant-like effects; however, it remains unknown whether FA ameliorate chronic constriction injury (CCI)-induced neuropathic pain and the involvement of descending monoaminergic system and opioid receptors. Chronic treatment with FA (20, 40 and 80 mg/kg) ameliorated mechanical allodynia and thermal hyperalgesia in von Frey hair and hot plate tasks, accompanied by increasing spinal noradrenaline (NA) and serotonin (5-HT) levels. Subsequent study suggested that treatment of CCI animals with 40 and 80 mg/kg FA also inhibited spinal MAO-A levels. FA's effects on mechanical allodynia or thermal hyperalgesiawas blocked by 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) or p-chlorophenylalanine (PCPA) via pharmacological depletion of spinal noradrenaline or serotonin. Moreover, the anti-allodynic action of FA on mechanical stimuli was prevented by pre-treatment with beta2-adrenoceptor antagonist ICI 118,551, or by the delta-opioid receptor antagonist naltrindole. While the anti-hyperalgesia on thermal stimuli induced by FA was blocked by pre-treatment with 5-HT1A receptor antagonist WAY-100635, or with the irreversible mu-opioid receptor antagonist beta-funaltrexamine. These results suggest that the effect of FA on neuropathic pain is potentially mediated via amelioration of the descending monoaminergic system that coupled with spinal beta2- and 5-HT1A receptors and the downstream delta- and mu-opioid receptors differentially.
Subject(s)
Analgesics/pharmacology , Coumaric Acids/pharmacology , Neuralgia/drug therapy , Receptor, Serotonin, 5-HT1A/metabolism , Receptors, Adrenergic, beta-2/metabolism , Receptors, Opioid/metabolism , Animals , Anti-Inflammatory Agents, Non-Steroidal/pharmacology , Hyperalgesia/drug therapy , Hyperalgesia/metabolism , Male , Mice , Mice, Inbred ICR , Monoamine Oxidase/metabolism , Neuralgia/metabolism , Serotonin/metabolismABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: Vibrio cholera was extremely rare in Sichuan province(no cases in 2008). Any outbreak could indicate contamination through the food supply system. In July 2009, a hospital reported a cluster of 7 diarrhea patients;all attended the same banquet. One patient was confirmed to have Vibrio cholera (O139). We conducted this investigation to identify the source of this possible cholera outbreak. METHODS: We defined a suspect case as any banquet attendee with diarrhea (≥ 3 times/day). A confirmed case was a suspect case with a positive Vibrio cholera culture. We took stool samples or rectal swabs from all attendees for cholera culture and interviewed 272 banquet attendees about foods they ate at the banquet and kitchen workers about food preparation. RESULTS: 7.1% (24/337) of attendees developed cases within an average of 65 hours after eating. Three meals were served. All patients had the lunch whereas no patients only ate breakfast and/or dinner. Of 180 attendees who ate turtle meat 12% were case-patients, compared to 3.3% of 92 attendees who did not (RR = 3.6, 95%CI: 1.1 - 12). Of the 150 attendees who ate peanuts 13% were cases compared to 4.1% of 122 attendees who did not eat peanuts (RR = 3.1, 95%CI: 1.2 - 8.0). During preparation, the same utensil was used for fresh turtle meat and peanuts without washing in-between the process. Turtle meat and peanuts were stored for > 16 hours at room temperature after cooking before consumption. All 33 turtles originated from commercial production in another province. CONCLUSION: This outbreak was likely caused by poor food handling of commercially produced turtles. We proposed that to improve microbiologic monitoring of aquatic food animals, and raise the awareness of good handling practices at mass gathering in rural China.