Oxidative stress in schizophrenia patients treated with long-acting haloperidol decanoate

In this study the role of oxidative stress in schizophrenia was investigated by evaluating the relationship of oxidative stress markers with neurochemistry, psychopathology, and extrapyramidal symptoms. Antioxidant activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase, and concentrations of malondialdehyde, protein carbonyls, nitrite, nitrate, glutathione, dopamine, noradrenaline, adrenaline, and serotonin were measured in 52 outpatients with DSM-IV diagnosis of schizophrenia treated with haloperidol decanoate. Psychopathology and extrapyramidal symptoms were assessed by positive and negative syndrome scale, global assessment of functioning, abnormal involuntary movement scale, Simpson Angus scale, and Barnes akathisia rating scale. Haloperidol dose was positively correlated with plasma protein carbonyls. Longer duration of illness was associated with decreased levels of glutathione peroxidase. Increased activity of superoxide dismutase was associated with increased levels of catalase, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase and reduced glutathione, and decreased concentration of malondialdehyde, indicating joint action of various antioxidative systems. Increased levels of nitrite and noradrenaline were associated with decreased level of malondialdehyde. Akathisia was greater in patients with decreased catalase activity, indicating involvement of impaired antioxidant defense in developing extrapyramidal symptoms. These results confirm the hypothesis that oxidative stress is involved in pathophysiology of schizophrenia and severity of extrapyramidal symptoms.     

Bulgaria mental health country profile

The mental health profile of Bulgaria has been compiled and following analysis of both the factual findings and the process of data collection a report has been prepared. The subject of discussion in the paper concerns several major findings: the discrepancy between what the policy documents state and the actual situation in mental health; the organizational culture, which alienates; and the peculiarities of the process of change and how it is driven under political pressure from outside the country. Analysis extends to encompass the influence of the general health reform on the mental health sector, the deficits of the leadership and how they impact on the effectiveness of the system, and the interdependence between the country's economy and the health sector. A conclusion is made about the need to consolidate the public health approach using the lever of international collaboration in the field of mental health.     

Effects of photobiomodulation on the fatigue level in elderly women: an isokinetic dynamometry evaluation

Aging is responsible by a series of morphological and functional modifications that lead to a decline of muscle function, particularly in females. Muscle tissue in elderly people is more susceptible to fatigue and, consequently, to an increased inability to maintain strength and motor control. In this context, therapeutic approaches able of attenuating muscle fatigue have been investigated. Among these, the photobiomodulation demonstrate positive results to interacts with biological tissues, promoting the increase in cell energy production. Thus, the aim of this study was to investigate the effects of photobiomodulation (808 nm, 250 J/cm², 100 mW, 7 J each point) in the fatigue level and muscle performance in elderly women. Thirty subjects entered a crossover randomized double-blinded placebo-controlled trial. Photobiomodulation was delivered on the rectus femoris muscle of the dominant limb immediately before the fatigue protocol. In both sessions, peripheral muscle fatigue was analyzed by surface electromyography (EMG) and blood lactate analysis. Muscle performance was evaluated using an isokinetic dynamometer. The results showed that photobiomodulation was able of reducing muscle fatigue by a significant increase of electromyographic fatigue index (EFI) (p?=?0.047) and decreasing significantly lactate concentration 6 min after the performance of the fatigue protocol (p?=?0. 0006) compared the placebo laser session. However, the photobiomodulation was not able of increasing muscle performance measured by the isokinetic dynamometer. Thus, it can be conclude that the photobiomodulation was effective in reducing fatigue levels. However, no effects of photobiomodulation on muscle performance was observed.     

Clonotypic analysis of T cell reconstitution after haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) in patients with severe combined immunodeficiency

Haematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) is performed for treatment of a broad spectrum of illnesses. Reconstitution of an intact immune system is crucial after transplantation to avoid infectious complications, and above all, the establishment of T cell receptor (TCR) diversity is the most important goal in the procedure. Until recently, little has been known of the mechanism of T cell reconstitution in the very early period after HSCT. In this study, we analysed TCR repertoires sequentially in four patients with severe combined immunodeficiency (SCID) before and after HSCT. In all patients, the TCR repertoires were extremely abnormal before HSCT, whereas after transplantation there was progressive improvement in TCR diversity, based on analysis of the TCR Vbeta repertoire and CDR3 size distributions. Somewhat unexpectedly, there was a significant but transient expansion of TCR diversity 1 month after transplantation in all cases. Clonotypic analysis of TCRs performed in one case showed that many T cell clones shared identical CDR3 sequences at 1 month and that the shared fraction decreased progressively. These results indicate that early expansion of TCR diversity may reflect transient expansion of pre-existing mature T cells from the donor blood, independent of de novo T cell maturation through the thymus.     

Design,synthesis, and biological evaluation of 1‐ethyl‐3‐(thiazol‐2‐yl)urea derivatives as Escherichia coli DNA gyrase inhibitors

Discovery of novel DNA gyrase B inhibitors remains an attractive field in the search for new antibacterial drugs to overcome the known bacterial resistance mechanisms. In the present study, we designed and synthesized novel ethylurea derivatives of 4,5,6,7‐tetrahydrobenzo[1,2‐d]thiazole‐2,6‐diamine, 2‐(2‐aminothiazol‐4‐yl)acetic acid, and benzo[1,2‐d]thiazole‐2,6‐diamine and evaluated their Escherichia coli DNA gyrase inhibition. The most potent DNA gyrase inhibitors in the prepared library of compounds were benzo[1,2‐d]thiazoles 32–34 , 36 , and 37 with IC₅₀ values in the low micromolar range. The most promising inhibitors identified were evaluated against selected Gram‐positive and Gram‐negative bacterial strains. Compound 33 showed a MIC of 50 μM against an E. coli efflux pump‐defective strain, which suggests that efflux decreases the on‐target concentrations of these compounds.     

Evaluation of cardiovascular events and progression to end-stage renal disease in patients with dyslipidemia and chronic kidney disease from the North-Eastern area of Romania

International Urology and Nephrology - The aim of this prospective cohort study was: to identify the association between different biomarkers [proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin 9-PCSK9,...