Influence of asymmetric mobilisation of the trunk on the Cobb angle and rotation in idiopathic scoliosisin children and adolescents

Background. The aim of the study was the radiological evaluation of the treatment of the idiopathic scoliosis utilising asymmetric trunk mobilisation in the strictly symmetric initial position. Material and methods. Presented study was based upon 136 cases (13 boys aged from 6 to 16 years and 123 girls aged from 6 to 18 years) treated due to the idiopathic scoliosis (from November 1999 to February 2001). Among 48 children suffering from double-major scoliosis 6 cases were infant scoliosis, 20 juvenile and 22 adolescent. Among 88 single scoliosis 6 were infant, 33 juvenile and 49 adolescent. Radiological examination was conducted always in the repeatable technical conditions. Radiograms were evaluated by the same physician. Radiological analysis of the scoliosis included value of the Cobb angle, angle of axial rotation. Results. In double-major scoliosis observed during one year period, in the thoracic segment Cobb angle decreased in 31,3%, increased in 39,5% and in 29,2% was unchanged. Axial rotation angle in 16,7% of cases decreased, in 35,4% increased and remained the same in 47,9%. In the lumbar segment Cobb angle decreased in 35,4%, increased in 39,6%, remained in 25%. Angle of axial rotation decreased in 23% of cases, increased in 29% and persisted in 48%. In single scoliosis Cobb angle decreased in 38,6%, increased in 35,3% and in 26,1% was unchanged. Axial rotation angle in 21,6% of cases decreased, in 29,5% increased and remained the same in 48,9%. Conclusion. Asymmetric mobilisation of the trunk in strictly symmetric initial positions is a method of choice in the conservative treatment of the idiopathic scoliosis.     

Sex differences in brain control of prosody

Affective (emotional) prosody is a neuropsychological function that encompasses non-verbal aspects of language that are necessary for recognizing and conveying emotions in communication, whereas non-affective (linguistic) prosody indicates whether the sentence is a question, an order or a statement. Considerable evidence points to a dominant role for the right hemisphere in both aspects of prosodic function. However, it has yet to be established whether separate parts of the right hemisphere are involved in processing different kinds of emotional intonation. The aim of this study was to answer this question. In addition, the issue of sex differences in the ability to understand prosody was considered. Fifty-two patients with damage to frontal, temporo-parietal or subcortical (basal) parts of the right hemisphere and 26 controls were tested for their ability to assess prosody information in normal (well-formed) sentences and in pseudo-sentences. General impairment of prosody processing was seen in all patient groups but the effect of damage was more apparent for emotional rather than linguistic prosody. Interestingly, appreciation of emotional prosody appeared to depend on the type of emotional expression and the location of the brain lesion. The patients with frontal damage were mostly impaired in comprehension of happy intonations; those with temporo-parietal damage in assessment of sad intonations, while subcortical lesions mostly affected comprehension of angry intonations. Differential effects of lesion location on the performance of men and women were also observed. Frontal lesions were more detrimental to women, whereas subcortical lesions led to stronger impairment in men. This suggests sex differences in brain organization of prosodic functions.     

Influence of the flavonoids apigenin, kaempferol, and quercetin on the function of organic anion transporting polypeptides 1A2 and 2B1

OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 are uptake transporters of the human organic anion transporting polypeptide (OATP) family with a broad substrate spectrum including several endogenous compounds as well as drugs such as the antihistaminic drug fexofenadine and HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors. Both transporters are localized in the apical membrane of human enterocytes. Flavonoids, abundantly occurring in plants, have previously been shown to interact with drug metabolizing enzymes and transporters. However, the impact of flavonoids on OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 transport function has not been analyzed in detail. Therefore, HEK293 cell lines stably expressing OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 were used to investigate the influence of the Ginkgo flavonoids apigenin, kaempferol, and quercetin on the transport activity of OATP1A2 and OATP2B1. K_i values of all three flavonoids determined from Dixon plot analyses using BSP as substrate indicated a competitive inhibition with quercetin as the most potent inhibitor of OATP1A2 (22.0 μM) and OATP2B1 (8.7 μM) followed by kaempferol (OATP1A2: 25.2 μM, OATP2B1: 15.1 μM) and apigenin (OATP1A2: 32.4 μM OATP2B1: 20.8 μM). Apigenin, kaempferol, and quercetin led to a concentration-dependent decrease of the OATP1A2-mediated fexofenadine transport with IC₅₀ values of 4.3 μM, 12.0 μM, and 12.6 μM, respectively. The OATP1A2- and OATP2B1-mediated transport of atorvastatin was also efficiently inhibited by apigenin (IC₅₀ for OATP1A2: 9.3 μM, OATP2B1: 13.9 μM), kaempferol (IC₅₀ for OATP1A2: 37.3 μM, OATP2B1: 20.7 μM) and quercetin (IC₅₀ for OATP1A2: 13.5 μM, OATP2B1: 14.1 μM). These data indicate that modification of OATP1A2 and OATP2B1 transport activity by apigenin, kaempferol, and quercetin may be a mechanism for food-drug or drug-drug interactions in humans.     

The amygdala of the common shrew,guinea pig,rabbit, fox and pig: five flavours of the mammalian amygdala as a consequence of clade-specific mosaic-like evolution

The amygdala is a part of neural networks that contribute to the regulation of emotional behaviours and emotional learning, stress response, and olfactory, pheromonal and reproductive functions. All these various functions are processed by the three main functional systems, frontotemporal, autonomic and olfactory, which are derived from different telencephalic sources (claustrum, striatum and olfactory cortex) and are represented, respectively, by the basolateral complex (BLC), the central complex (CC) and corticomedial complex (CMC) of the amygdala. The question arises of how these three functional systems evolved during mammalian phylogeny to fit the amygdala to specific needs of various animals. In the present study, we provide quantitative information regarding the individual volumes and neuron numbers in the BLC, CC and CMC of the common shrew, guinea pig, rabbit, fox and pig, a series of animals arranged according to increasing size and complexity of the brain. The results show that, in this series of animals, the BLC underwent a gradual size increase in volume and number of neurons, whereas the CMC was gradually reduced with regard to both these measures. The CC was more or less conserved across studied species. For example, the volume of the amygdala in pigs is ~250 times larger than that in shrews and it also has almost 26 times as many neurons as the amygdala of shrews. However, the volumes of the BLC, CC and CMC were ~380, 208 and 148 times larger, respectively, in pigs than in shrews. The number of neurons in these three regions was ~38, 23 and 20 times greater, respectively, in pigs than in shrews. The results also show striking morphometric similarities of the amygdala in the guinea pig and rabbit as well as fox and pig. For example, the percentages of neurons in the fox and pig are 42.23% and 42.78%, respectively, for the BLC, 16.64% and 16.58%, respectively, for the CC, and 41.12% and 40.64%, respectively, for the CMC. In conclusion, our results indicate that the amygdala does not evolve as a single unit but, instead, the three main functional systems evolved independently, which suggests that brain structures with major functional links evolve together independently of evolutionary changes in other unrelated structures. The size progression of the BLC parallels the size progression of the neocortex with which it is strongly functionally linked, whereas the CMC is strongly connected to olfactory regions, and all these structures follow the same regression course. Remarkable morphometric similarity of the amygdala in the guinea pig and rabbit as well as in the fox and pig, however, suggest that there must also be another mechanism shaping the morphology of the amygdala and the brain during evolution. The gradual nature of size changes in the BLC and CMC support this hypothesis as well.     

Association between tea and coffee consumption and prevalence of metabolic syndrome in Poland – results from the WOBASZ II study (2013–2014)

The study aimed to assess a relationship between tea and coffee consumption and metabolic syndrome (MetS). Cross-sectional study of a random sample of total Polish population was done (The WOBASZ II Study), and the present analysis included 5146 participants at age 20?years and above. Tea and coffee consumption was assessed by 24-h recall method. MetS was defined according to IDF/NHLBI/AHA criteria. After adjustment for covariates, coffee consumption was related to blood pressure and HDL cholesterol, and moderate drinkers had 17% lower odds of MetS compared with non-drinkers (OR?=?0.83, 95%CI?=?0.72–0.97). Tea consumption was related to some components but not to MetS in general. Inverse association between coffee consumption and MetS may reflect the content of the antioxidants that offer cardiovascular protection. However, weak relation of tea with components of MetS points toward the potential importance of composition of polyphenols and the types of tea consumed.