Alexithymia is associated with low level of vitamin D in young healthy adults

Objective

Vitamin D plays an important role in brain development and functioning. Low levels of vitamin D have been described in several psychiatric and neurologic conditions including autism spectrum disorder. Alexithymia that shows high comorbidity with autism is also present in the general population as well as hypovitaminosis D.

Methods

Here we assessed the relation between alexithymia as measured by the Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 and vitamin D level in healthy young adults.

Results

We found an inverse correlation between the levels of alexithymia and vitamin D.

Discussion

These data suggest the association between disturbed emotional processing and low levels of vitamin D to be present in young healthy subjects.     

Book Review

Changing the public health

Rcswch Unit in Health .ad Behaviourd Chutge. University of Edinburgh, John Wdey and Son, London, 1989, ISBN 0 471 91976 4.

The new public health

John Ashtw and RowYd Seymour. Open University Press, 1988. ISBN 0 335 15550 2, £6.95.

Infertility services-a desperate case

N d Pfeilu cmd Allison Qukk. Greater London Association of Community Health Councils, 1988.

A new kind of Doctor

Julian Tudor Hart. Merlin Press, 1988. ISBN 085036 299 7, £11.95 (hardback).     

Acceleration of reflex maturation and physical development in suckling rats: effects of a maternal diet containing lipids from goat milk

Objective

To investigate the effects of lipids from goat milk containing conjugated linoleic acids on body weight and reflex ontogeny of neonatal rats treated during the prenatal and suckling periods.

Methods

Three groups were studied: soybean oil (S), coconut oil (C), and goat milk lipids (GM). Reflex maturation (palm grasp, righting reflex, cliff avoidance, vibrissae placing, negative geotaxis, auditory startle, and free-fall righting) as well as body weight evolution were recorded during lactation.

Results

Data demonstrated that the lipids from goat milk accelerated body weight evolution as well as all the reflex maturation investigated (P < 0.05).

Discussion

The supply of goat's milk offered to Wistar rats during pregnancy and lactation provided a variety of fatty acids necessary to accelerate the development of offspring.     

Antinociceptive and antiallodynic effects of Momordica charantia L. in tibial and sural nerve transection-induced neuropathic pain in rats

Objective

This study was designed to investigate the ameliorative potential of Momordica charantia L. (MC) in tibial and sural nerve transection (TST)-induced neuropathic pain in rats.

Materials and methods

TST was performed by sectioning tibial and sural nerve portions (2 mm) of the sciatic nerve, and leaving the common peroneal nerve intact. Acetone drop, pin-prick, hot plate, paint-brush, and walking track tests were performed to assess cold allodynia, mechanical and heat hyperalgesia, and dynamic mechanical allodynia and tibial functional index, respectively. The levels of tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha and thio-barbituric acid reactive substances (TBARS) were measured in the sciatic nerve as an index of inflammation and oxidative stress. MC (all doses, orally, once daily) was administered to the rats for 24 consecutive days.

Results

TST led to significant development of cold allodynia, mechanical and heat hyperalgesia, dynamic mechanical allodynia, and functional deficit in walking along with rise in the levels of TBARS and TNF-alpha. Administration of MC (200, 400, and 800 mg/kg) significantly attenuated TST-induced behavioural and biochemical changes. Furthermore, pretreatment of BADGE (120 mg/kg, intraperitoneally) abolished the protective effect of MC in TST-induced neuropathic pain.

Conclusions

Collectively, it is speculated that PPAR-gamma agonistic activity, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidative potential is critical for antinociceptive effect of MC in neuropathic pain.     

Fish oil protects the peripheral and central nervous systems against cisplatin-induced neurotoxicity

Objective

The protective effects of fish oil (FO) on cisplatin (CP)-induced central and peripheral neurotoxicity were investigated in rats.

Methods

Rats (n = 28) were divided equally into four groups, the first group was kept as a control. In the second and third groups, CP and FO were given at doses of 7 mg/kg and 1 softgel/rat/day, respectively. In the fourth group, CP and FO were given together at the same doses.

Results

Although CP caused significant oxidative damage, via induction of lipid peroxidation and reduction in the antioxidant defense system potency, FO treatment largely reversed these effects. CP also resulted in histopathological damage, such as apoptosis, and electromyographical changes in the sciatic nerve. FO treatment partially prevented the histopathological and electromyographical effects of CP.

Discussion

CP has severe central and peripheral neurotoxic effects in rats and these effects were largely prevented by FO treatment. Thus, it appears that co-administration of FO with CP may be a useful approach to attenuate the negative effects of CP on the nervous system.     

Rodent control in urban communities in Johannesburg,South Africa: from research to action

Introduction:

Rodents are troublesome urban pests, with potentially serious health implications. Preventive efforts require greater understanding of social contexts in which they are prevalent. This study aimed to determine rodent prevalence and identify factors associated with rodent infestations in urban residential settings.

Methods:

The Health, Environment and Development study is a longitudinal panel study conducted in five settlements across Johannesburg. Data on socio-economic status, domestic behaviour and housing quality are collected annually. Logistic regression revealed risk factors for rodent prevalence at household level.

Results:

Rodents are a major household problem in all study areas (prevalence 54%). Factors associated with increased prevalence of rats included lower income, living in informal areas, overcrowding, cracks in dwelling walls and internal damp.

Conclusion:

Socio-economic status, housing quality, domestic behaviour and environmental health services are associated with exposure to rodents in urban Johannesburg communities. This information served as a platform to launch rodent awareness campaigns at study sites.     

Impaired IQ and academic skills in adults who experienced moderate to severe infantile malnutrition: A 40-year study

Objectives

To evaluate IQ and academic skills in adults who experienced an episode of moderate-to-severe infantile malnutrition and a healthy control group, all followed since childhood in the Barbados Nutrition Study.

Methods

IQ and academic skills were assessed in 77 previously malnourished adults (mean age = 38.4 years; 53% male) and 59 controls (mean age = 38.1 years; 54% male). Group comparisons were carried out by multiple regression and logistic regression, adjusted for childhood socioeconomic factors.

Results

The previously malnourished group showed substantial deficits on all outcomes relative to healthy controls (P < 0.0001). IQ scores in the intellectual disability range (< 70) were nine times more prevalent in the previously malnourished group (odds ratio = 9.18; 95% confidence interval = 3.50–24.13). Group differences in IQ of approximately one standard deviation were stable from adolescence through mid-life.

Discussion

Moderate-to-severe malnutrition during infancy is associated with a significantly elevated incidence of impaired IQ in adulthood, even when physical growth is completely rehabilitated. An episode of malnutrition during the first year of life carries risk for significant lifelong functional morbidity.     

Mild iron deficiency anaemia during pregnancy and lactation in guinea pigs alters amplitudes and auditory nerve velocity,but not brainstem transmission times in the offspring's auditory brainstem response

Objectives

It is well known that postnatal/early childhood iron deficiency (ID) anaemia (IDA) adversely affects infants' cognitive development and neurophysiology. However, the effects of IDA during gestation and lactation on the offspring are largely unknown. To address this health issue, the impact of mild IDA during gestation and lactation on the offsprings' neural maturation was studied in the guinea pig, using auditory brainstem responses (ABRs) latencies and amplitudes.

Methods

Female guinea pigs (n = 10/group) were fed an iron sufficient (ISD) or deficient diet (IDD) (144 and 11.7 mg iron/kg) during the gestation and lactation periods. From postnatal day (PNd) 9 onward, the ISD was given to both groups of weaned offspring. The offsprings' ABRs were collected on PNd24 using a broad range of stimulus intensities in response to 2, 4, 8, 16, and 32 kHz tone pips.

Results

Although the IDA siblings (n = 8) did not differ in brainstem transmission times (BTTs) compared to the IS siblings (n = 8), they showed significant delayed peak I latency at 100 and 80 dB, respectively. Additionally, significantly higher ABR wave amplitudes were observed in the IDA female offspring between 35 and 50 dB (4 kHz), a phenomenon suggestive of a neural hyperactivity (hyperacusis).

Discussion

In support to our previous findings, the present results indicate that a mild IDA during gestation and lactation can have detrimental effects on early development of the offsprings' hearing and nervous systems, particularly on neural synchrony and auditory nerve conduction velocity, but not on BTT.     

Book Reviews

Marketing for health services

Rod Sheaff. Open University Press, Milton Keynes. ISBN 0-335-15427-1 (pbk) £11.99.

Quasi-Markets and Contracts: A market and Heirarchies Perspective on NHS Reform

Will Bartlett. SAUS Publications, University of Bristol, 1991. ISBN 1-873575-05-X.     

Dietary intake of fruits and beta-carotene is negatively associated with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis risk in Koreans: A case-control study

Objectives

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a rare progressive neurodegenerative disease, has been suggested to have an association with oxidative stress, and thus antioxidant dietary factors may influence pathophysiological mechanisms or the risk of ALS. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the hypothesis that intake of fruits, rich in antioxidant nutrients, is negatively associated with the risk of ALS.

Methods

Seventy-seven Koreans diagnosed with ALS according to the EI Escorial criteria-revised and the same number of age- and sex-matched healthy controls participated in this study. Dietary intake was estimated using the standardized food frequency questionnaire.

Results

Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that fruit consumption was negatively associated with the risk of ALS, but intake of beef, fish, and fast food were positively associated with the risk of ALS. In addition, the risk of ALS was negatively associated with intake of plant calcium and beta-carotene, while positively associated with intake of total calcium and animal calcium. Intake of vegetables and other antioxidant nutrients had no effect on the risk of ALS in the present study.

Discussion

The intake of fruits and beta-carotene decreases the risk of sporadic ALS in this present study. However, large prospective and interventional studies are needed to confirm the effect of fruits and beta-carotene intake on the risk of ALS.     

Postnatal protein malnutrition induces neurochemical alterations leading to behavioral deficits in rats: Prevention by selenium or zinc supplementation

Background/objectives

Protein malnutrition (PM) is a worldwide problem affecting brain development in a large number of children. The present study was aimed at studying the perturbations in antioxidant defense system resulting from protein deficiency and to evaluate the preventive effect of Se and Zn on cortex and cerebellum.

Methods

Well-fed (WF) and PM rats were fed on 16 and 5% protein diet, respectively. After 10 weeks, animals were supplemented with Se and Zn at a concentration of 0.15 and 227 mg/l in drinking water for 3 weeks.

Results

PM rats showed significant increase in lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and protein carbonyl levels. Reduction in the activity of antioxidant enzymes, thiol levels, GSH/GSSG ratio, and neurobehavioral deficits were observed in PM groups. Se and Zn supplementation reduced the levels of lipid peroxidation, nitrite, and protein carbonyl and restored the activity of antioxidant enzymes and thiol levels in the cortex and cerebellum of PM rats along with neurobehavioral deficits.

Discussion

The study showed that Se and Zn supplementation might be beneficial in preventing biochemical alterations and neurobehavioral deficits in PM children.     

DHA status is positively related to motor development in breastfed African and Dutch infants

Objectives

Docosahexaenoic (DHA) and arachidonic (AA) acids are important for neurodevelopment. We investigated the relation between erythrocyte (RBC) DHA and AA contents and neurological development, by assessment of General Movements (GMs), in populations with substantial differences in fish intakes.

Methods

We included 3-month-old breastfed infants of three Tanzanian tribes: Maasai (low fish, n = 5), Pare (intermediate fish, n = 32), and Sengerema (high fish, n = 60); and a Dutch population (low–intermediate, fish, n = 15). GMs were assessed by motor optimality score (MOS) and the number of observed movement patterns (OMP; an MOS sub-score). RBC-DHA and AA contents were determined by capillary gas chromatography.

Results

We found no between-population differences in MOS. OMP of Sengerema infants (high fish) was higher than OMP of Dutch infants (low–intermediate fish). MOS related to age. OMP related positively to infant age (P < 0.001) and RBC-DHA (P = 0.015), and was unrelated to ethnicity and RBC-AA.

Discussion

The positive relation between RBC-DHA and the number of observed movement patterns of 3-month old infants might reflect the connection of DHA with motor development.     

The effect of acute caffeine ingestion on coincidence anticipation timing in younger and older adults

Objectives

This study compared the effect of acute caffeine ingestion on coincidence timing accuracy in younger and older adults.

Methods

Thirteen young (aged 18–25 years, age: 20 ± 2 years, 7 females, 5 males) and 13 older (aged 61–77 years, age: 68 ± 6 years, 9 females, 3 males) adults, all who were habitual moderate caffeine consumers undertook measures of coincident anticipation timing performance pre- and post-acute caffeine (3 mg/kg) or placebo ingestion administered in a double blind, randomized fashion.

Results

Results indicated significant pre-to-post X substance (caffeine vs. placebo) interactions for absolute (P = 0.02, Pη² = 0.204) and variable error (P = 0.015, Pη² = 0.221). In both cases, error (absolute or variable) improved pre-to-post ingestion in the caffeine condition but not in the placebo condition. There were no significant differences due to age (younger vs. older adults, P > 0.05) in any of the analyses.

Discussion

The results of this study suggest that acute caffeine ingestion positively influence coincidence anticipation timing performance in both younger and older adults, who are moderate habitual caffeine consumers. Such effects might therefore be useful for older adults in enhancing ability to undertake cognitive-perceptual tasks which involve interceptive actions.     

Clinical,nerve conduction and nerve biopsy study in vitamin B12 deficiency neurological syndrome with a short-term follow-up

Objective

The frequency and type of neuropathy in vitamin B12 deficiency neurological syndrome (VBDNS) is controversial. This study reports the frequency and type of nerve dysfunction in VBDNS using nerve conduction and sural nerve biopsy and its response to treatment.

Method

Sixty-six patients with VBDNS diagnosed on the basis of low serum vitamin B12 level and/or megaloblastic bone marrow were subjected to clinical evaluation, hemoglobin, mean corpuscular volume, thyroid function test, HIV serology, and vasculitic profile. Peroneal motor and sural sensory nerve conduction studies were done. Sural nerve biopsy was done in six patients. The patients were treated with cyanocobalamin injection and followed up clinically and with nerve conduction study at 3 and 6 months.

Results

The median age of the patients was 46 (12–80) years and 11 patients were females. The duration of symptoms was 1–96 (median 7) months. Clinical features of neuropathy were present in 46 (69.7%) patients and nerve conduction was abnormal in 36 (54.5%) patients. On nerve conduction study, 8 (22.2%) patients had axonal, 4 (11.1%) had demyelinating, and 24 (66.7%) had mixed features. Nerve biopsy revealed acute axonal degeneration in early stage and chronic axonopathy with demyelination in the late stages of disease. The nerve conduction parameters improved at 6 months along with clinical recovery.

Conclusion

Nearly 70% patients with VBDNS had evidence of neuropathy which is mainly axonal with some demyelinating features.     

Concord grape juice reverses the age-related impairment in latent learning in rats

Objective

Two experiments were conducted to determine if dietary supplementation with Concord grape juice could reverse the latent learning impairment normally observed in middle-aged male rats.

Methods

Both experiments utilized the latent cue preference (LCP) task, in which water-replete rats sample water in one compartment of a three-compartment box, and are subsequently given a compartment preference test when water-deprived to determine if they remember the compartment cue previously associated with water. In the first experiment, 40 male Sprague-Dawley rats (9, 10, 11, or 12 months old) were used to determine the age of onset of the impairment. In the second experiment, 24 male Sprague-Dawley rats (11 months old) were given daily access (10 ml/day) to 50% Concord grape juice, 50% white grape juice, or a calorically-equivalent sugar solution daily for 5 weeks prior to training.

Results

The first experiment revealed that the latent learning impairment begins to manifest at 10 months of age in the male rats and is fully present at 11 months. The second experiment showed that rats that consumed the 50% Concord grape juice for 5 weeks beginning at 11 months of age showed intact latent learning in the LCP task, while rats that consumed the other two supplements showed the normal impairment on the LCP task.

Discussion

These results indicate that daily supplementation with Concord grape juice was able to reverse the latent learning impairment normally seen in middle-aged male rats. This reversal is most likely due to the presence of flavonoids in Concord grape juice.     

Racial discrimination,racial/ethnic segregation,and health behaviors in the CARDIA study

Objective

Racial discrimination has been associated with unhealthy behaviors, but the mechanisms responsible for these associations are not understood and may be related to residential racial segregation. We investigated associations between self-reported racial discrimination and health behaviors before and after controlling for individual- and neighborhood-level characteristics; and potential effect modification of these associations by segregation.

Design

We used data from the longitudinal Coronary Artery Risk Development in Young Adults (CARDIA) study for 1169 African-Americans and 1322 whites. To assess racial discrimination, we used a four category variable to capture the extent and persistence of self-reported discrimination between examination at years 7 (1992–1993) and 15 (2000–2001). We assessed smoking status, alcohol consumption, and physical activity at year 20 (2005–2006). Segregation was examined as the racial/ethnic composition at the Census tract level.

Results

Discrimination was more common in African-Americans (89.1%) than in whites (40.0%). Living in areas with high percentage of blacks was associated with less reports of discrimination in African-Americans but more reports in whites. After adjustment for selected characteristics including individual- and neighborhood-level socioeconomic conditions and segregation, we found significant positive associations of discrimination with smoking and alcohol consumption in African-Americans and with smoking in whites. African-Americans experiencing moderate or high discrimination were more physically active than those reporting no discrimination. Whites reporting some discrimination were also more physically active than those reporting no discrimination. We observed no interactions between discrimination and segregation measures in African-Americans or whites for any of the three health behaviors.

Conclusions

Racial discrimination may impact individuals' adoption of healthy and unhealthy behaviors independent of racial/ethnic segregation. These behaviors may help individuals buffer or reduce the stress of discrimination.     

Comparison of nutritional status indicators according to feeding methods in patients with acute stroke

Background

Feeding methods for patients with acute stroke differ based on their ability to swallow; therefore, it is necessary to determine whether these methods deliver enough nourishment to these patients. Although nutrition could affect recovery from acute stroke, it is often overlooked. Indicators of nutritional status are important for the nutritional assessment of patients.

Purpose

The purpose of this study was to compare changes in nutritional indicators with various feeding methods in patients with acute stroke.

Methods

Data on 261 patients with acute stroke who were admitted to a stroke unit in 2010 and met the inclusion criteria of the study were retrospectively analyzed. For comparative analysis, we investigated the participants' National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale score, feeding methods using the Modified Gugging Swallowing Screen, and indicators of nutritional status, such as body mass index, pre-albumin level, albumin level, total lymphocyte count, and total protein level. All nutritional indicators were compared at the time of admission to the stroke unit and at 7 days after admission.

Results

At the time of admission, indicators of nutritional status were within normal ranges in all feeding groups (tube, dysphagia, and general diet). At 7 days after admission, pre-albumin (P = 0.003), albumin (P = 0.001), and total protein (P = 0.000) values in the tube feeding group were below the normal range, and the pre-albumin value and total lymphocyte count were below the normal range in the dysphagia diet group (P = 0.027). The values for all nutritional indicators were within normal limits in the general diet group.

Conclusions

Indicators of nutritional status change according to the swallowing ability of patients with acute stroke. At 7 days after admission to the stroke unit, patients with severe dysphagia had higher levels of indicators of malnutrition. Health care providers should consider whether the feeding method of each patient with stroke provides suitable nourishment. Additionally, it is important to know why these indicators vary based on swallowing abilities and what these patients require for adequate nutrition.     

Reproductive and maternity health care services in Finland: perceptions and experiences of Somali-born immigrant women

Objective. To explore immigrant Somali women's experiences of reproductive and maternity health care services (RMHCS) and their perceptions about the service providers.

Design. Five focus group discussions were conducted from April 1999 to June 2000 using a purposeful sampling strategy in order to reach multiparous female Somali-born Immigrants with experiences from the maternity health care in Finland.

Participants. A total of 70 married Somali women aged 18–50 and mother of 2–10 children were studied. Among them, 18 came from Kenya, 32 from Mogadishu and 20 from Hargeysa.

Settings. Of the participants, 45 were living in the city of Vantaa, 22 in the city of Helsinki and 13 in the city of Turku.

Results. Participants were satisfied with the RMHCS they received in Finland. Despite their satisfaction, the health care providers' social attitudes towards them were perceived as unfriendly, and communication as poor.

Conclusions. The women's experiences revealed that they have access to good quality RMHCS in Finland. While their experiences are significant, their perceptions are important for physicians, nurses and midwives in order to achieve culturally competent care.     

Differential sensitivity of Pak5, Pak6, and Pak5/Pak6 double-knockout mice to the stimulant effects of amphetamine and exercise-induced alterations in body weight

Objectives

PAK5 and PAK6 are protein kinases highly expressed in the brain. Previously, we observed that Pak6 knockout mice gained significantly more weight during development than Pak5 knockout mice as well as wild-type controls and double-knockout mice lacking both Pak5 and Pak6. In this study, we assessed the effects of exercise on food intake and weight gain of these mice as well as their sensitivity to the stimulant effects of amphetamine.

Methods

Mice of each genotype were placed in cages with free access to run wheel exercise or in cages without run wheels for a total of 74 days. Food and fluid intake as well as body weight of each mouse were measured on a weekly basis. Finally, mice were given a high dose of amphetamine and activity levels were observed immediately thereafter for 90 minutes. Brains and testes of mice were assayed for protein levels of the estrogen alpha and progesterone receptors.

Results

While run wheel mice consumed significantly more food, they weighed less than non-run wheel mice. In addition, although Pak6 knockout mice consumed the same amount of food as wild-type mice, they were significantly heavier regardless of run wheel condition. Pak5 knockout mice were found to be more active than other genotypes after amphetamine treatment. Finally, protein levels of the progesterone and estrogen alpha receptors were altered in brain and testes of the Pak6 knockout mice.

Discussion

Collectively, these data suggest that PAK6 play a role in weight gain unrelated to exercise and caloric intake and that Pak5 knockout mice are more sensitive to the stimulant effects of amphetamine.