Frequency‐dependent neural activity in Parkinson's disease

The brainstem and basal ganglia are important in the pathophysiology of Parkinson's disease (PD). Reliable and sensitive detection of neural activity changes in these regions should be helpful in scientific and clinical research on PD. In this study, we used resting state functional MRI and amplitude of low frequency fluctuation (ALFF) methods to examine spontaneous neural activity in 109 patients with PD. We examined activity in two frequency bands, slow‐4 (between 0.027 and 0.073 Hz) and slow‐5 (0.010–0.027 Hz). Patients had decreased ALFF in the striatum and increased ALFF in the midbrain, and changes were more significant in slow‐4. Additionally, changes in slow‐4 in both basal ganglia and midbrain correlated with the severity of the parkinsonism. The ALFF in the caudate nucleus positively correlated with the dose of levodopa, while the ALFF in the putamen negatively correlated with the disease duration in both slow‐4 and slow‐5 bands. In addition, the ALFF in the rostral supplementary motor area negatively correlated with bradykinesia subscale scores. Our findings show that with a large cohort of patients and distinguishing frequency bands, neural modulations in the brainstem and striatum in PD can be detected and may have clinical relevance. The physiological interpretation of these changes needs to be determined. Hum Brain Mapp 35:5815–5833, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Glycemic index of American-grown jasmine rice classified as high

The primary objective was to determine the glycemic index (GI) of jasmine rice grown in the United States (US). Secondary objective was to compare the GI of US grown jasmine rice to those grown in Thailand. Twelve healthy subjects were served all four brands of jasmine rice and a reference food (glucose), each containing 50?g of available carbohydrate. Fingerstick blood glucose was measured at 0, 15, 30, 45, 60, 90, and 120?min after consumption following a fasting state. The GI was calculated using the standard equation. The GI values for test foods ranged from 96 to 116 and were all classified as high GI foods. No difference in GI was found between American-grown and Thailand-grown jasmine rice. Although not statistically significant, observations show glycemic response among Asian American participants may be different. GI should be considered when planning meals with jasmine rice as the main source carbohydrate.     

Determination of serum glycated albumin and high sensitivity C - reactive protein in the insight of cardiovascular complications in diabetic chronic kidney disease patients

BackgroundLeft ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) has been proved as one among the cardiovascular complications and predominant in patients with CKD. In CKD patients, Glycated albumin (GA) express a superior marker of glycemic control than HbA1c. Nevertheless, the precision of GA for the prediction of cardiovascular diseases among the CKD population has been ineffectively reported. The present study looks at the part of GA, HbA1c in CKD to envisage vascular complications.Materials and methodsOne hundred and ninety-four patients were selected in the present study. The study has a control group (Group I, N: 52) and participants were divided into two groups based on vein diseases (Group II, N: 42; two vessels and group III, N: 100; triple vessel disease). Serum glycated albumin, hsCRP and other routine parameters were estimated in all the three groups. 2-dimensional echocardiography (2D Echo) has been done by a cardiologist to all the study patients for assessing ejection fraction and distinguish the sort of vessel diseases.ResultsGroup I compared with group II and III shown there was a significant association among blood glucose, serum creatinine, HbA1c, mean blood glucose, GA, ejection fraction and hsCRP. Additionally, observed that increased levels of HbA1c, GA and creatinine inversely related to the left ventricle ejection fraction. Notwithstanding, GA and hsCRP predict precisely the left ventricle ejection fraction than different parameters.ConclusionGA alongside hsCRP might be appropriate markers for anticipating cardiovascular diseases particularly left ventricle hypertrophy in diabetic CKD population.     

Sleep,self-management,neurocognitive function,and glycemia in emerging adults with Type 1 diabetes mellitus: A research protocol

Type 1 Diabetes (T1D) affects 1.6 million Americans, and only 14% of emerging adults ages 18–25 years achieve targets for glycemic control (A1C < 7.0%). Sleep deficiency, including habitual short sleep duration (<6.5 hr total sleep time and high within-person variability in total sleep time), is associated with poorer glycemic control. Emerging adults with T1D have a more pronounced sleep extension on weekends compared with matched controls, consistent with sleep deficiency; however, associations among sleep variability and glycemic control have not been explored in this population. Sleep deficiency may affect the complex higher-order neurocognitive functioning needed for successful diabetes self-management (DSM). We report the protocol for an ongoing study designed to characterize sleep and the associations among sleep deficiency, neurocognitive function, DSM, diabetes quality of life, and glycemia among a sample of 40 emerging adults with T1D. We monitor sleep via wrist-worn actigraphy and glucose via continuous glucose monitoring concurrently over 14 days. We are collecting data on self-report and objective sleep, a 10-min psychomotor vigilance test on a PVT-192 device, a 3-min Trail Making Test on paper, and questionnaires, including twice-daily Pittsburgh sleep diaries using Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap)^TM. Results from this study will be used to support the development and testing of the efficacy of a tailored sleep self-management intervention that may improve total sleep time, sleep variability, neurocognitive function, DSM, glycemic control, and glucose variability among emerging adults with T1D.     

多系统萎缩患者轻度认知功能障碍的静息态低频振幅研究

目的采用静息态功能磁共振成像(resting state functional MRI,rs-fMRI)低频振幅(amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation,ALFF)方法探究多系统萎缩(multiple system atrophy,MSA)患者认知相关的自发脑活动改变。材料与方法对29例认知功能正常的MSA患者(MSA-normal cognition,MSA-NC)、33例伴轻度认知功能障碍的MSA患者(MSA-mild cognitive impairment,MSA-MCI)与33名健康对照者(healthy control,HC)进行rs-fMRI扫描。应用ALFF方法比较各组间自发脑活动改变,并对患者组间存在差异脑区的ALFF值与认知评分进行相关性分析。结果与HC相比,MSA-NC在左侧角回及右侧颞中回出现ALFF增强;与HC相比,MSA-MCI在双侧背外侧前额叶、内侧前额叶、前扣带回、中扣带回出现ALFF减低,而在双侧颞下回、角回、左侧枕中回、右侧颞中回、楔前叶及右侧小脑、小脑蚓出现ALFF增强。与MSA-NC相比,MSA-MCI在右侧额叶皮层出现ALFF减低,并与蒙特利尔认知评估量表(montreal cognitive assessment scale,MoCA)评分呈正相关(r=0.531,P<0.05);在右侧小脑出现ALFF增强,并与MoCA评分呈负相关(r=-0.499,P<0.05)。结论MSA特异的轻度认知功能障碍是由小脑与额叶皮层损伤共同介导,其中小脑起到代偿作用。     

Diabetes Technologies and Hospital Care: The Effect of Diabetes on Hospital Readmissions

Hospital readmission is an important contributor to total medical expenditures and is an emerging indicator of quality of care. Diabetes, similar to other chronic medical conditions, is associated with increased risk of hospital readmission. Risk factors include previous hospitalization, extremes in age, and socioeconomic barriers. Preliminary studies suggest that acute and/or chronic glycemic control may be of importance when diabetes is the primary diagnosis or when it is a comorbidity. Very limited evidence from prospective randomized controlled trials aimed at improving glycemic control is available. However, whether one concludes that inpatient or outpatient glycemic control is partly responsible for reduced hospitalizations, attention to glycemic control in the hospital may facilitate sustained glycemic control post-discharge. Limited prospective and retrospective evidence suggest that the involvement of a diabetes specialist team may improve readmission rates, but attention to more generalized comprehensive approaches may also be worthwhile. Prospective interventional studies targeting interventions for improving glycemic control are needed to determine whether glycemic control impacts readmission rates.     

Zydis selegiline in the management of Parkinson's disease

Selegiline, a selective monoamine oxidase-B inhibitor, has been used for decades in the treatment of Parkinson's disease. The recent development of an orally disintegrating dosage form using Zydis technology allows pregastric drug absorption and, thus, greatly improving the pharmacodynamic and pharmacokinetic drug profiles. This new formulation provides higher drug bioavailability and a substantially reduced concentration of active metabolites. As an adjunct to levodopa, Zydis selegiline is shown to be a safe and effective therapy in patients with motor fluctuations and wearing off. This review outlines the advantages of a Zydis formulation in Parkinson's disease and the evidence supporting the use of Zydis selegiline for motor fluctuations.     

The measurement of psychotic acuity by nursing staff

Accurate evaluation of patients' psychotic state is essential to decrease psychotic symptoms and protect the patient and others. The aim of this paper is to conduct a literature review in order to access the utility, reliability and validity of current rating scales that are purported to measure psychotic acuity of inpatient population. A search of a number of electronic databases was undertaken to retrieve potential articles that focus on the measurement of acute psychosis. We identified some conceptual and theoretical problems when using a scale that is monitoring the progress of discharge and assesses the outcome of treatments. The findings revealed a difficulty in finding a commonly agreed definition of acute psychosis and a problem of obtaining frequent measures, and the frequency of measurement and fluctuation in psychosis. The most dominant scales in assessing psychosis were reviewed: the Global Assessment of Functioning Scale, the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale and the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale. Several issues related to the scales' inter-rater reliability and construct validity remain unexplored. None of these scales addressed the conceptual and theoretical problems that we identified. A new scale that will measure acuity of symptoms in inpatient settings needs to be created.