What are the factors associated with the duration of remission of intra-articular corticosteroid injection in juvenile idiopathic arthritis?

Clinical Rheumatology - Intra-articular corticosteroid injection (IACI) is generally used in the management of juvenile idiopathic arthritis (JIA) to obtain rapid relief of active synovitis and...     

Five-year change scores in old age for six neuropsychological tests and normative data for the Useful Field of View (UFOV) test: The influence of physical health

Introduction: Neuropsychological assessment of cognitive change over time is often conducted in clinical settings, but whether neuropsychological change scores are influenced by physical health has, as far as we know, not been examined previously.

Method: In a sample of 153 older Swedish adults (age range, 72–86 years), we evaluated the influence of common age-related diseases, terminal decline pathology, age, education, and gender, to provide (a) preliminary test-specific regression weights and 90% confidence intervals to assess significant change in performance after five years on tests of visual scanning, mental shifting, visual spatial ability, memory, reaction time, and selective attention, and (b) normative data for the Useful Field of View test (UFOV) from a single testing occasion.

Results: Multiple regression analyses showed that test–retest changes were affected by physical health for mental shifting, visual spatial ability, memory, and reaction time, by age for mental shifting and visual reaction time, by education for visual spatial ability, and by Age × Education for auditory reaction time. Gender did not affect any of the change scores. The overall average of variance explained was 2.5%: up to 8.1% for physical health, 4.4% for age, and 3.6% for education. The UFOV scores were mostly influenced by age, but also by physical health and education.

Conclusions: The findings indicate that considering the influence of health on normative change scores in old age in addition to demographic factors leads to more accurate predictions of whether true change has occurred.     

Acknowledging the use of human cadaveric tissues in research papers: Recommendations from anatomical journal editors

Research within the anatomical sciences often relies on human cadaveric tissues. Without the good will of these donors who allow us to use their bodies to push forward our anatomical knowledge, most human anatomical research would come to a standstill. However, many research papers omit an acknowledgement to the donor cadavers or, as no current standardized versions exist, use language that is extremely varied. To remedy this problem, 20 editors‐in‐chiefs from 17 anatomical journals joined together to put together official recommendations that can be used by authors when acknowledging the donor cadavers used in their studies. The goal of these recommendations is to standardize the writing approach by which donors are acknowledged in anatomical studies that use human cadaveric tissues. Such sections in anatomical papers will not only rightfully thank those who made the donation but might also encourage, motivate, and inspire future individuals to make such gifts for the betterment of the anatomical sciences and patient care.     

Mothers’ emotional states and attitudes regarding their children with asthma

Objectives: The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of asthma with the psychological profile (depression and anxiety) of children with asthma and their mothers as well as the attitudes of these mothers toward their children and their family relationships. Methods: Sixty-four children with asthma, 60 healthy children and their mothers were included in the study. The Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) and Childhood Anxiety Sensitivity Index (CASI) were applied to the children. All mothers completed the Beck Depression Inventory, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, the Parental Attitude Research Instrument and the Family Assessment Device. Results: CASI scores were significantly higher in children with asthma (p?<?0.001) than in healthy children. The increasing duration and severity of asthma were associated with increasing anxiety levels in children with asthma. Depression and anxiety scores were significantly higher in the mothers of children with asthma than in the comparison group. The mothers of children with asthma did not have supportive and friendly relationships with their children. In addition, these mothers had significantly higher Attitude of Hostility and Rejection, Attitude of Over-parenting and Authoritarian Attitude scores than those of the comparison group. Increasing duration and severity of asthma influenced family functions and the attitude of the mothers of children with asthma. There was a correlation between an increasing number of emergency department visits and increasing depression in the mothers of children with asthma. Conclusions: This cross-sectional study revealed that the disease may negatively affect the lives of children with asthma and their mothers and their family relationships.     

The investigation of the effects of topiramate on the hypothalamic levels of fat mass/obesity-associated protein and neuropeptide Y in obese female rats

Objective: The aim of the present study is to investigate the effects of topiramate on the fat mass/obesity-associated protein (FTO) and on the neuropeptide Y (NPY) level in the hypothalamus depending on the recently increased prevalence of obesity.

Method: In this study, twenty-four female rats were divided into four equal groups: Non-obese control, obese control, non-obese topiramate, and obese topiramate. Obese groups were fed with a 40% high-fat diet. At the end of the 9th week, the drug treatment started and the subjects were treated with topiramate once a day for 6 weeks. All animals underwent cardiac perfusion under high-dose anesthesia on the 15th week. Tissues were analyzed using biochemical, histological, and stereological methods.

Results: In terms of neuron number in the arcuate nucleus area, a significant difference was observed among all groups (P?<?0.01). The neuron number of the non-obese topiramate group was found to be significantly higher than that of the non-obese control group (P?<?0.01). In the examination of the ventromedial nucleus of the entire group, it was observed that the neuron number of the non-obese control group was significantly lower than those of the other groups (P?<?0.01). A significant increase in the NPY levels of the obese groups compared to the groups treated with topiramate was observed. Furthermore, the amount of the FTO protein increased in obese rats, while FTO and NPY levels decreased in the groups treated with topiramate.

Discussion: In conclusion, the mechanism of the effect of topiramate to create a state of obesity is thought to involve the decrease in the levels of NPY and FTO.