Project description:Background:Acute administration of caffeine produces panic attacks in most Panic Disorder (PD) patients, but little is known about chronic caffeine use in these patients. Objective:To assess caffeine use in patients with PD and to ascertain if caffeine consumption is associated with sociodemographic or clinical features. Methods:65 adults with PD and 66 healthy controls were included in the current study. Their caffeine intake within the previous week was quantified with a questionnaire and compared. Harmful caffeine use was defined as consumption above 400 mg/day of caffeine. We tested for correlations between caffeine intake, demographic and clinical features. Results:Patients consumed significantly more caffeine than controls (P < 0.001). 14% (N = 9) of the PD patients made harmful use of caffeine. The use of caffeine-containing medications was observed in 40% (N = 26) of the PD patients and 6% (N = 4) of controls. Consumption of energy drinks was observed in 11% (N = 7) of PD patients and in none of the healthy subjects. Patients reported sleeping significantly less than controls (P < 0.001). In PD patients, caffeine consumption was not correlated with the presence of panic attacks or comorbidity with depression. The use of benzodiazepines or sedative medications was not correlated with caffeine intake. Conclusion:High caffeine consumption in PD patients could be explained by the development of tolerance with regular use of this substance. Subtypes of sensitive and non-sensitive PD patients could also explain why some of these patients are able to tolerate high doses of caffeine.
Project description:IntroductionWe aimed to explore the use of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) in vivo as a tool to elucidate the placental phenotype in women with chronic hypertension.MethodsIn case-control study, women with chronic hypertension and those with uncomplicated pregnancies were imaged using either a 3T Achieva or 1.5T Ingenia scanner. T2-weighted images, diffusion weighted and T1/T2* relaxometry data was acquired. Placental T2*, T1 and apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC) maps were calculated.Results129 women (43 with chronic hypertension and 86 uncomplicated pregnancies) were imaged at a median of 27.7 weeks' gestation (interquartile range (IQR) 23.9-32.1) and 28.9 (IQR 26.1-32.9) respectively. Visual analysis of T2-weighted imaging demonstrated placentae to be either appropriate for gestation or to have advanced lobulation in women with chronic hypertension, resulting in a greater range of placental mean T2* values for a given gestation, compared to gestation-matched controls. Both skew and kurtosis (derived from histograms of T2* values across the whole placenta) increased with advancing gestational age at imaging in healthy pregnancies; women with chronic hypertension had values overlapping those in the control group range. Upon visual assessment, the mean ADC declined in the third trimester, with a corresponding decline in placental mean T2* values and showed an overlap of values between women with chronic hypertension and the control group.DiscussionA combined placental MR examination including T2 weighted imaging, T2*, T1 mapping and diffusion imaging demonstrates varying placental phenotypes in a cohort of women with chronic hypertension, showing overlap with the control group.
Project description:This nested case-control study sought to determine whether an accelerated rate of leukocyte telomere length (LTL) shortening over 6 years was associated with chronic periodontitis.We sampled cases (n = 178) with severe chronic periodontitis and controls (n = 178) with no/mild chronic periodontitis from the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities study. Controls were frequency-matched to cases by study site, age, sex and race. Age ranged from 53 to 73 years. Severe chronic periodontitis was defined using the CDC-AAP case classification. LTL was measured from DNA collected at two time points, 6 years apart, with quantitative polymerase chain reaction relative to a single-copy control gene. Multiple linear regression evaluated associations between LTL measured at baseline, follow-up and change scores with severe chronic periodontitis, adjusting for potential confounders.Cases had shorter LTL than controls at baseline (p = 0.03) and follow-up (p = 0.04) after adjusting for confounding. Overall there was a net reduction in LTL over time (p = 0.02). The rate of LTL did not differ between cases and controls (p = 0.80).Leukocyte telomere length shortening occurred at the same rate among adults with and without severe chronic periodontitis. This suggests that LTL shortening may have occurred earlier in the life course.
Project description:The aim of the study is to establish the existence of a relationship between the dietary intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA) and the risk of colorectal cancer in humans, using 2 reliable and complementary biomarkers: the fatty acid-composition of lipids of the abdominal subcutaneous adipose tissue and the fatty acid composition of erythrocyte phospholipids.
Project description:INTRODUCTION: Innate immunity is the first protection against microorganisms. Nowadays, there is a growing interest in innate immune molecule known as palate, lung, nasal epithelial clone (PLUNC). PLUNC is a specific product of the airways, of approximately 25 kDa, encoded by adjacent genes found within a 300 kb region of chromosome 20; these proteins must be detected predominantly in the upper respiratory tract. MATERIALS AND METHODS: We performed a case-control study to investigate the presence of this protein in nasal tissue of patients affected by chronic rhinosinusitis. 59 patients were enrolled (44 cases, 15 controls). We have examined the correlation between the presence of pathology and the PLUNC proteins positivity. RESULTS: 100% of controls have a +++ rated PLUNC proteins positivity, while cases have a lower percentage of positivity. We used χ (2) statistical test to analyze the results of the study and there is a difference statistically significant between cases and controls in PLUNC proteins positivity. CONCLUSIONS: These observations suggest that, in response to agents or chemical factors, nasal mucosal epithelium will react and produce PLUNC proteins. So PLUNC proteins have a protective function on upper airways mucosa, as we can see by evaluating the high positivity in control group.
Project description:PURPOSE:Because of the inconsistent symptoms associated with Ureaplasma infections, their clinical significances in genitourinary tracts are under debate. Therefore, we evaluated the presence of Ureaplasma urealyticum (UU) and Ureaplasma parvum (UP) in urine samples and examined their associations with chronic prostatitis (CP) through a case and control study. MATERIALS AND METHODS:We included 696 nonchlamydial nongonococcal (NCNG) urine samples from men; 350 were categorized into non-inflammatory CP, 88 in inflammatory CP, and 258 in non-CP group. We amplified a region in the Ureaplasma urease areas from these samples and determined their biovars using the Sanger method. RESULTS:Among the NCNG population, the rates of UU, UP, and non-UU/UP were 3.88%, 6.46%, and 89.66%, respectively. The overall infection rates of non-CP, inflammatory CP, and non-inflammatory CP groups were 4.15%, 6.10%, and 3.65% in UU (p=0.612) and 6.85%, 7.22%, and 6.50% in UP (p=0.968), respectively. UU infection increased the risk of white blood cell (WBC) counts (?5) in urine (p=0.005). In contrast, UP infections did not increase the risks of urethritis. Re-analysis from the 633 men who were excluded from urethritis effects did not reveal the associations between UU infection and the clinical characteristics of CP. Furthermore, the profiles from the National Institutes of Health-Chronic Prostatitis Symptom Index questionnaire and WBC counts in expressed prostatic secretion were similar among the non-CP and the two CP groups in each Ureaplasma infection. CONCLUSIONS:We found that UU may induce male urethritis. However, Ureapalsma species in urine were not definitively associated with the occurrence of CP.
Project description:Whereas several longitudinal metabolomics studies have been conducted in individuals with normal estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at baseline, disease progression among individuals with established chronic kidney disease (CKD) has not been rigorously examined.We performed a nested case-control study of rapid CKD progression in the Chronic Renal Insufficiency Cohort Study, profiling baseline plasma from 200 individuals each with eGFR slope <-3 ml/min/1.73 m2/year (cases) or between -1 and +1 ml/min/1.73 m2/year (controls), matched on baseline eGFR and proteinuria. To directly assess how the kidney modulates circulating metabolites, we profiled plasma from the aorta and renal vein of 25 hospital-based individuals.At baseline, cases and controls had a mean eGFR of 41.7 ± 13.3 and 45.0 ± 14.5 ml/min/1.73 m2, respectively. Ten plasma metabolites were nominally associated with CKD progression in logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, race/ethnicity, hypertension, systolic and diastolic blood pressure, diabetes, eGFR and proteinuria; no metabolite achieved the Bonferroni-adjusted significance threshold (p < 0.0003). In a cross-sectional analysis, all 6 of the metabolites that were higher in cases than controls were significantly associated with eGFR at baseline. By contrast, threonine, methionine and arginine were lower in cases than in controls and had no association with baseline eGFR. Furthermore, in the hospital-based cohort that underwent renal arteriovenous sampling, these 3 metabolites were net released from the kidney. Combining these metabolites into a panel of markers further strengthened their association with CKD progression.Our results motivate interest in arginine, methionine and threonine as potential indicators of renal metabolic function and markers of renal prognosis.
Project description:Background:Telogen effluvium (TE) is a form of alopecia characterized by diffuse hair shedding. Vitamin D receptor (VDR) plays a role in hair cycle regulation as it is expressed in follicular keratinocytes and dermal papilla cells. Purpose:To investigate the association between Cdx1 and Taq1 VDR gene polymorphisms and chronic TE. Methods:Thirty female patients with chronic TE were selected and 30 healthy, age- and sex-matched volunteers were included as a control group. Detection of VDR gene polymorphisms Taq1 and Cdx1 was done by real-time polymerase chain reaction. Results:Regarding Taq 1, CC genotype was present in 30% of cases versus 3.3% of controls. TC genotype was present in 33.3% of cases and 36.7% of controls. CC genotype was significantly associated with cases (P=0.01). It increases the risk of chronic TE by 14.7 folds. C allele was significantly associated with patient group (P=0.004). It increases the risk of disease occurrence by 3.1 folds. Regarding Cdx1, AA genotype was present in 6.7% of cases versus 3.3% of controls. GA genotype was present in approximately 30% of cases and 6.7% of controls. GA genotype was significantly associated with cases (P=0.03). It increases the risk of chronic TE by 6.3 folds. A allele was significantly associated with patient group (P=0.007). It increases the risk of disease occurrence by 3.8 folds. Limitations:The main limitation is the small number of cases due to the time and financial constraints. Only chronic TE was analyzed, therefore, other types should be investigated in the following studies. Conclusion:After exposure to primary physical or mental stressor, hair follicles are stimulated to enter prematurely into telogen and shed out. In individuals with Taq1 and Cdx1 polymorphisms, the disease persists as a result of prevention of new anagen growth and inhibition of hair follicle stem cell proliferation.