Neuro endocrinology letters最新文献

Introduction: The parallel process is a psychosocial phenomenon where the relationship dynamics between the therapist and the client are repeated in the supervisory relationship between the therapist and the supervisor. The concept of the parallel process can be a useful tool for understanding and solving problems in therapy. However, it can induce supervision drift or block the supervision process.

Objective: This article aims to familiarize the reader with parallel processes in cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and schema therapy supervision and discuss how to manage this phenomenon in supervision.

Method: This article is a narrative review with illustrations of supervision interviews in which the parallel process unfolds. The text provides an overview of theoretical constructions and empirical studies related to the parallel process. We searched PubMed, PsycINFO, Web of Science, and Google Scholar for relevant resources using the keywords "parallel process," "cognitive behavioural therapy," "schema therapy," "transference," and "countertransference." Case vignettes were collected from trainees, training leaders and supervisors to provide real-life examples of how self-reflection and self-experience can enhance CBT and schema therapy training, practice, and supervision.

This review discusses the topic of synthetic neuroactive steroids. A brief introduction to the mode of action of neuroactive steroids is followed by a short overview of the best-known synthetic neuroactive steroids used in clinical practice and the reasons for their withdrawal from the market. The paper examines various aspects of 6 specific synthetic neuroactive steroids which either have been approved for treatment or are currently in advanced phases of clinical trials, and lists their indications, current experience, and undesirable adverse effects. The authors conclude that the therapeutic potential of neuroactive steroids is still not made full use of. It is to be hoped that this particular class of drugs will find more widespread use also in the management and treatment neurological and psychiatric disorders other than those discussed in this article.

Objectives: Intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) is a serious public health problem with high mortality and morbidity. The current study aims to investigate the effects of rosiglitazone on the microglial distribution and the expression of PPARγ and CD36 in the ICH rat model.

Methods new: Sprague-Dawley male rats (n=116) were randomly divided into four groups: control, ICH, rosiglitazone, and PPARγ antagonist (GW9662). Hematoxylin-eosin staining was used to observe the brain edema in the ICH rat model. The effect of rosiglitazone on the expression of OX-42, a microglial marker, was evaluated by immunohistochemistry. Immunohistochemistry, quantitative real-time PCR, and western blot were utilized to assess the role of rosiglitazone in the expression of PPARγ and CD36.

Results: ICH rats exhibited a remarkable brain edema at 72 h. OX-42 expression was significantly increased in brain tissues of ICH rats. Rosiglitazone remarkably promoted the OX-42 expression in ICH rats, whereas GW9662 suppressed OX-42 expression. In addition, immunohistochemistry analysis showed that rosiglitazone markedly enhanced the expression of PPARγ and CD36 in brain tissues around the hematoma in ICH rats, while GW9662 inhibited their expression in ICH rats. Moreover, rosiglitazone significantly promoted the mRNA and protein expression of PPARγ and CD36 in the brain tissues of ICH rats, while GW9662 showed the opposite trend.

Conclusion: Rosiglitazone may improve microglial distribution via promoting the expression of PPARγ and CD36 around the hematoma in the ICH rat model, which may provide effective therapeutic targets for the treatment of ICH.

Background: Obesity has long been regarded as a risk factor for abnormal liver function, although the quantitative relationship between them is not clear. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and gamma-glutamyl transpeptidase (GGT) in different gender populations.

Methods: The cross-sectional study included 221,934 people aged over 18 years and under 90 years who underwent physical examinations at Yijishan Hospital in Wuhu City from 2011 to 2016. t-test and Chi-square test were used to compare the differences in demographic characteristics and biochemical indexes between men and women. Linear regression model and smooth curve method were used to investigate the relationship between BMI and GGT.

Results: The smooth curve shows a checkmark association between GGT and BMI. After adjusting for confounders, the cut-off BMI for the whole population was 19.5 kg/m2. When BMI was less than 19.5 kg/m2, GGT levels decreased with increasing BMI, and when BMI was greater than 19.5 kg/m2, GGT levels increased with increasing BMI. After gender stratification, there was a checkmark association between male and female GGT levels and BMI, but the trend of male GGT levels changing with BMI was more obvious than that of females.

Conclusions: Our investigation demonstrated that the GGT level in obese Chinese people is significantly higher than that in non-obese people living in Wuhu City. BMI level can be considered as an early warning index for diseases related to liver function injury in the clinic, although the influence of gender difference should be specifically considered.

When studying the literature on current public health policy challenges, a number of rankings can be found, created from data collected and processed by different methods and from different sources, ordering the challenges by their significance. Inevitably, in global studies, there are errors caused by averaging data across populations that differ significantly in population size and the causes of the decline in disability-adjusted life years (DALYs), potentially in combination with years of life lost (YLL) and years of life lived with disability (YLD), that may serve as indicators of the health status of a given population (Lopez 2005). Averaging data from populations that differ significantly in size, the larger population dominates and the main causes of health problems may be the same in both populations, and malnutrition and infectious diseases should be targeted, although in the smaller population cardiovascular disease is the main risk. A study published in 2018 shows that there are significant differences between countries and regions in the causes of the decline in DALYs and the increase in YLL and YLD (Global, regional, and national age-sex-specific mortality for 282 causes of death in 195 countries and territories, 1980-2017: a systematic analysis for the Global Burden of Disease Study 2017 2018). Some similarities in the order of factors influencing the above indicators can be found in populations with comparable economic performance. In the so-called developed countries, demographic development, in other words, low birth rates resulting in aging of the population, and a significant increase in psychological disorders, are considered to be the core problem (Walker et al. 2015). Caution is needed in assessing the latter issue; bias may arise because mental health is given more attention in developed countries than in areas where even basic needs such as sufficient food and drinking water are not fully met, or where stressors such as military conflict or terrorism are present. On the other hand, lifestyles, associated with an abundance or surplus of resources and, thanks to generous social systems, the risk of dissolving the line between work and reward and the consequent absence of meaningful activity can pose a risk to the development of mental disorders (Dogra et al. 2022; Kim et al. 2013). Even with a cautious approach to global data, time is another factor that increases the opacity of the public health landscape. Over the last 30 years, there has been a significant rearrangement in the ranking of the most important factors influencing DALYs, YLL, and YLD. The top spot occupied in 1990 by lower respiratory tract infections has been taken by coronary heart disease in 2020, diarrheal diseases by unipolar depression and perinatal conditions, perhaps somewhat surprisingly, by traffic accidents (Anish and Sreelakshmi 2013).

Objectives: There is a complex, reciprocal link between epilepsy and the hypothalami pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis. This study aimed to evaluate the role of the HPA axis in individuals with focal epilepsy, including those with right- or left-hemispheric lateralized epilepsy.

Material and methods: The study comprised 60 individuals with focal epilepsy, ages 18 to 85, with seizures coming from a single hemisphere, no destructive lesions on cranial magnetic resonance imaging, and 32 healthy persons. Blood was drawn from the patient and control groups at 8.00 for serum cortisol level and at 23.00 for serum melatonin level. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and the Epworth Sleepiness Scale were administered to both the patient and control groups.

Results: Patients showed decreased melatonin levels (p < 0.001) and poorer sleep quality (p = 0.035). The cortisol level of the patients was found to be lower than the cortisol level of healthy individuals, although it was not statistically significant (p = 0.107). Cortisol and melatonin levels did not significantly differ between patients with seizures coming from the right or left hemisphere. The patients with seizures originating from the left hemisphere had a longer duration of epilepsy disease (p = 0.013), higher seizure frequency (p = 0.013), lower age of first seizure onset (p = 0.038), and a higher rate of polytherapy (p = 0.05).

Conclusion: Low cortisol and melatonin levels in patients with focal epilepsy may be an indicator of disruption in the HPA axis. There is no significant difference in the HPA axis function between patients with focal epilepsy according to the epileptic hemisphere.

Objectives: This preliminary study aims to examine the effects of tomato juice, which can be easily consumed regularly, on the physical and psychological states of healthy adults in the Coronavirus era.

Design: Prospective observational study.

Materials and methods: Ten healthy adults (mean age, 39.7±4.2 years) who consumed 180 mL of tomato juice twice daily for 4 weeks were enrolled. Measurements were taken before and after 4 weeks of consumption for the items below. Five salivary stress biomarkers (cortisol, α-amylase, secretory immunoglobulin A, chromogranin A, and oxytocin) were measured using approximately 1ml of passively pooled saliva samples, which were stored at -20°C until measurement. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) activity was evaluated using an acceleration pulse wave meter. Skin moisture content and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) were measured using Multi Display devices® MDD4 with specific probes. Subjective psychological states were assessed using Profile of Mood Status (POMS2®) and a survey on skin condition was conducted.

Results: As for salivary stress biomarkers, tomato juice intake reduced cortisol and significantly increased oxytocin levels (p = 0.0427). No significant changes were observed in ANS activity. POMS2® results showed a significant decrease in confusion and bewilderment (p = 0.0207). Skin moisture content increased significantly (p = 0.0011), whereas TEWL decreased. The skin condition survey revealed significant changes in 10 parameters.

Conclusions: Tomato juice, which can be easily consumed regularly, may alleviate the stress of healthy adults in the Coronavirus era, supported by positive changes in salivary stress biomarker levels, skin moisture content, TEWL, and POMS2® results of this preliminary study.

Objectives: Physical restraint in the prone position is still utilized in healthcare facilities to immobilize violent patients. It is associated with the sudden death of violent patients. The aim of this study is to objectify the impact of physical restraint in the prone position on spirometric and ventilatory parameters.

Design: A pilot simulation study.

Material and methods: Ten university students were included in the study. They underwent two types of physical restraint: in the prone position with "chest kneeling" and in the lateral position. Spirometric parameters (FVC, PEF and FEV1%) and ventilatory parameters (EtCO2 and respiratory rate) were measured before initiation and after five minutes of physical restraint.

Results: Both methods of physical restraint resulted in a decrease in FVC (p = 0.005 or p = 0.047) and PEF (p = 0.005 or p = 0.028). No significant changes were observed in EtCO2 and respiratory rate.

Conclusion: Physical restraint in the prone position should not be used in healthcare.

Background: Idiopathic spinal epidural lipomatosis (iSEL) is frequently associated with the utilization of steroids, endocrine disorders, obesity, and surgical interventions. Nevertheless, the pathogenesis of iSEL remains inadequately understood. The study aimed to investigate the contribution of inflammatory factors to idiopathic epidural lipomatosis.

Methods: Thirteen patients with iSEL (Grade III, iSEL group) and 12 patients with lumbar disc herniation (control group) who underwent unilateral biportal endoscopy from March 2020 to April 2023 were enrolled. Histological examination of adipose tissue was the performed to analyze expressions of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α, IL-1β), and anti-inflammatory factors (arginase-1, IL-10) in serum and epidural adipose cells.

Results: Compared with the control group, the number of inflammatory cell infiltrations per field in HE-stained sections was significantly elevated, TNF-α and IL-1β expression in adipocytes of epidural adipose tissue were markedly higher, and arginase-1 and IL-10 expression were significantly lower in the iSEL group (all p < 0.001). However, no statistically significant differences were observed in the serum level of TNF-α, IL-1β, arginase-1, and IL-10 between the two groups (p = 0.963). In addition, there was also no significant disparity in adipocyte size between the two groups (p = 0.739).

Conclusion: iSEL demonstrated elevated inflammatory cells and imbalance towards proinflammatory cytokines in adipocytes of epidural adipose tissue that may be associated with the pathogenesis of symptomatic iSEL. These data suggest that inflammatory response could be one of the mechanisms of iSEL. However, further multicenter epidemiological investigations and rigorous basic and clinical research are warranted to elucidate the specific etiology of iSEL.

Introduction: Recurrent Cushing's disease (recurrent CD) is an uncommon and intricate clinical form of Cushing's syndrome. However, the connection between the pathological types of ACTH-secreting PitNETs and the clinical signs of recurrent CD remains uncertain.

Case description: A 64-year-old woman, previously diagnosed with renal carcinoma, was admitted to our hospital due to recent weight gain. Previous endocrine tests indicated fluctuating hypercortisolemia and a recurrent pituitary tumor over the past six years. She underwent two transsphenoidal hypophysectomies, and histopathological analysis of the tumor revealed it as a densely granulated corticotroph tumor (DGCT), a subtype of TPIT-lineage PitNET, accompanied by tumor apoplexy.

Conclusion: This case highlights the connection between recurrent CD and the pathological subtypes of TPIT-lineage DGCT-PitNETs.