Butyrylcholinesterase activity in schizophrenic patients

Butyrylcholinesterase (BChE) is an enzyme that has been investigated for its putative role in neurodegenerative and neuropsychiatric disorders. The aim of our work was to study BChE activity variations in schizophrenic patients and to investigate the involvement of this enzyme in schizophrenia and the importance of determining its activity in this disease. This cross-sectional study was carried out 131 (104 males and 27 females, mean age = 38.0 ± 11.4 years) patients with chronic schizophrenia according DSM-IV criteria and 90 (64 males and 26 females, mean age = 37.1 ± 15.9 years) healthy controls. Plasma BChE activity was determined by a kinetic method on Integra 400plus(TM) (Roche Diagnostics). Patients with schizophrenia had higher plasma BChE activity than controls (P?相似文献   

Predictors of smoking initiation among schoolchildren in Tunisia: a 4 years cohort study

Objective

To identify predictors of smoking initiation among non smoking Tunisian school children; and to propose efficient antismoking strategies in order to prevent smoking initiation.

Methods

It was a cohort study surveying prospectively for four years pupils attending schools in Sousse city in Tunisia. 441 non smoking pupils aged 13–15 years attending secondary schools in Sousse.Data were collected by a self administered questionnaire during class session. Two ways cross tabulation, univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were the main analytical methods.

Results

57.1% of the surveyed population were girls, 42.9 % were boys. 63% had at least one of their peers who smoked. Before 1999, 16.6% had already tried to smoke, 29.5% had already experienced alcohol. In 2003, smoking prevalence was 17%. 4.8% were girls; 33.3% of boys; p<0,001). 69.9 % of these smokers declared that they would carry on smoking during the following five years. Predictors which were highly associated with smoking initiation were previous experimentation with alcohol and tobacco, having a smoking best friend, lack of sensitization from the part of the school, believing that smoking makes one feel cool and that tobacco shouldn''t be forbidden in public places.

Conclusion

Intervention programs should target young children to avoid experiencing the first cigarette. Multidisciplinary management including community and school based intervention highlighted by mass media campaigns may provide schoolchildren with skills to resist smoking peers prompts to adopt unhealthy habits such as smoking.     

Clinical characteristics of bipolar I patients according to their family history of affective disorders

BACKGROUND: The familial nature of bipolar disorder has been well described and multiple genes are probably involved in most or all cases. Each gene contributes equally to a bipolar phenotype and it may contribute to clinical characteristics. However, the genetic transmission of bipolar disorder remained undetermined up to now, partly due to clinical and genetically heterogeneity. In Tunisia, genetic study will profit from specific interests and advantages: the high rates of consanguinity, the existence of large families, and the relative geographical stability of the population. OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to compare clinical characteristics of familial and nonfamilial bipolar I disorder. METHOD: One hundred and thirty subjects met DSM-IV criteria for a bipolar I disorder; they were recruited and divided into groups according to their family history of affective disorders. Group 1 with a familial history group, comporting bipolar I patients with a family history of affective disorders in first and second degree relatives (n = 76; 52 males and 24 females, mean age = 37.2 +/- 10.7 years) was compared to group 2 (nonfamilial history group), comporting bipolar I patients without a family history of affective disorders (n = 54; 29 males and 25 females, mean age = 38.1 +/- 10.9 years). Available information was obtained from a structured clinical interview, collateral history, and medical records. The family investigation permitted completion of genealogies over three generations. The comparison of the two groups was based on the clinical characteristics (age at onset, numbers of affective episodes, nature and severity of the last affective episode,...). RESULTS: There were no significant differences between the two groups concerning demographic and social features, with the exception of professional activity. Indeed 30.2% of patients with a family history of affective disorders were unemployed versus 12.9% of patients without a family history of affective disorders (p = 0.02). Bipolar I patients with a family history of affective disorders were characterised by an early age at onset of the first episode (before 20 years) (48.7 versus 24.0%; p = 0.004), a high frequency of affective episodes (8.1 +/- 3.6 versus 6.0 +/- 3.5; p = 0.002) and had been more often hospitalised than patients without a family history of affective disorders (5.7 +/- 3.0 versus 4.7 +/- 3.0; p = 0.06). No significant differences were found concerning the nature of the first affective episode in bipolar I patients with or without a family history of affective disorders. Eleven women had developed their first affective episode during the puerperal period; eight of whom had a family history of affective disorders (p = 0.07). The last affective episode was significantly more severe (94.8 versus 77.8%; p = 0.003) and more often associated with psychotic features (55.3 versus 35.2%; p = 0.02) in patients with a family history of affective disorders. After multiple regression, the high frequency of affective episodes and the severity of last episode were more related with a family history of affective disorders. CONCLUSION: The results of our study provide evidence of familiality for some clinical characteristics which can be useful as phenotypic measures in future molecular genetic studies.     

Lower paraoxonase 1 activity in Tunisian bipolar I patients

Background  

The purpose of this study was to investigate the variations of paraoxonase activity and lipid profile in bipolar I patients, and the association of this activity with the sociodemographic, clinical and therapeutic characteristics of this population.     

Cardiovascular risk in schoolchildren in rural Sousse, Tunisia

There is no data available on the cardiovascular risk of children under 18 years of age in Tunisia, although it is well known that these risk factors present themselves in childhood. The authors performed an epidemiological study based on a representative sample of 793 schoolchildren in the rural region of Sousse, in Tunisia, to determine the incidence of the following risk factors: hypertension, hypercholesterolaemia and other lipid disorders, obesity and smoking. The main results show that the prevalence of hypertension is 11.2% with no statistically significant difference between the sexes. The prevalence of hypercholesterolaemia (2.9%), of hyper-LDL cholesterolaemia (0.6%) and hypertriglyceridaemia (1%) were comparable in boys and girls. Obesity (BMI > 30) was observed in 1.8% of the study population and was as common in girls (1.7%) as in boys (1.9%). Smoking was recorded in 4% of the study population and was commoner in boys (7.3%) than in girls (1.2%). This cardiovascular risk profile is encouraging and efforts should be made to maintain these levels until adulthood. This data will form the basis of a regional programme for the promotion of cardiovascular health in schools.     

Direct selection of human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells using an anti-CD49a antibody reveals their CD45med,low phenotype

Human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (MSC) generate, via a fibroblast colony-forming unit (CFU-F), osteo-chondroblastic cells as well as adipocytes and stromacytes. To date, these stem cells are isolated indirectly using a cell culture method and phenotyped as CD45 negative while the in vivo counterparts are undetermined. Our aim was to develop a direct selection method and to determine the phenotype of the MSC isolated in this way. Mesenchymal cells were selected with anti-CD49a and/or anti-CD45 antibodies using either flow cytometry or a magnetic beads method. All CFU-F were always detected in the small population of CD49a-positive cells. These CFU retained their differentiation potential and gave rise to osteo-chondroblastic cells, adipocytes and stromacytes. Phenotypic studies on uncultured cells revealed a CD45med,low, CD34low, HLA-II- cell population. Flow cytometry cell sorting showed that MSC with CFU-F potential were obtained only from a CD49a+/CD45med,low population. In addition, when cultured, they clearly became CD45-, CD34-, HLA-II-, CD49a+. These results confirmed that MSC can be directly selected easily from human bone marrow using magnetic beads without altering their differentiation potential. These cells expressed mildly the haematopoietic marker CD45, which was dramatically downregulated by in vitro culture. The expression of CD45 coupled to CD49a thus enabled direct selection of the MSC.     

Value of 18FDG PET scan in staging of ocular adnexal lymphomas: a large single-center experience

Fluorine 18 deoxyglucose positron emission tomography ((18)FDG PET) is widely used in staging of non-Hodgkin's lymphomas (NHL), but very few studies have focused on its role in the initial staging of patients with ocular adnexal lymphoma (OAL). The aim of this study was therefore to evaluate the role of (18)FDG PET in the diagnosis of ophthalmologic lymphoma. A retrospective review of all imaging records, including computed tomography (CT), magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and FDG PET, was performed. Forty-one OAL patients were included in the study. A pathologic review according to the World Health Organization classification showed 32 low-grade lymphoma patients (78%), including 26 mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue lymphomas (63%). Ophthalmologic sites were intra-orbital + lacrimal gland in 24 patients (59%), conjunctival in 13 patients (32%), multiple in 4 cases, and bilateral in 6 patients. (18)FDG PET was positive in orbital and conjunctival sites in 68 and 35% of cases, respectively. (18)FDG PET positivity was correlated with pathologic sites detected by MRI in 22/30 patients (73%); (18)FDG PET positivity was correlated with pathologic sites detected by CT in 25/34 patients (73%). This study shows that (18)FDG PET has a lower sensitivity than MRI to detect ophthalmologic lymphoma, particularly in non-conjunctival sites.