Bilateral juxtapapillary choroidal neovascularization secondary to Birdshot chorioretinopathy—case report

Central vision loss, photopsia, floaters, and macular edema in a highly myopic patient can easily be misinterpreted as high myopia complications. In atypical cases, detailed examination and a thorough diagnostic workup are required to establish the proper diagnosis, which is often beyond the scope of diagnoses initially considered.     

How much are children and their parents objective about the children's eating behaviour and body composition?

The primary objective of our research was to investigate the nutritional status in Belgrade schoolchildren (aged 12–15). The second objective was to compare the children and parents view about the children nutritional status. The study was carried out in two phases: (a) questionnaires for children and parents (questionnaire‐c and questionnaire‐p) were administrated; (b) anthropometrical measurement was conducted among children. There were 2263 participants, randomly chosen from seven Belgrade (Serbia and Montenegro) primary schools. At the end of the study, 1555 children completed the questionnaires and had been measured. According to our results, there were 18.1% boys and 11.3% girls who were overweight/obese. Children were more objective in estimating their nutritional status than their parents. Although the participants were offered free counselling, low response rate of only 4.71% was achieved, suggesting that parents should take an active and unbiased role in children's nutritional education. Copyright © 2006 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd and Eating Disorders Association.     

Glial response in the rat models of functionally distinct cholinergic neuronal denervations

Alzheimer's disease (AD) involves selective loss of basal forebrain cholinergic neurons, particularly in the nucleus basalis (NB). Similarly, Parkinson's disease (PD) might involve the selective loss of pedunculopontine tegmental nucleus (PPT) cholinergic neurons. Therefore, lesions of these functionally distinct cholinergic centers in rats might serve as models of AD and PD cholinergic neuropathologies. Our previous articles described dissimilar sleep/wake‐state disorders in rat models of AD and PD cholinergic neuropathologies. This study further examines astroglial and microglial responses as underlying pathologies in these distinct sleep disorders. Unilateral lesions of the NB or the PPT were induced with rats under ketamine/diazepam anesthesia (50 mg/kg i.p.) by using stereotaxically guided microinfusion of the excitotoxin ibotenic acid (IBO). Twenty‐one days after the lesion, loss of cholinergic neurons was quantified by nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate‐diaphorase histochemistry, and the astroglial and microglial responses were quantified by glia fibrillary acidic protein/OX42 immunohistochemistry. This study demonstrates, for the first time, the anatomofunctionally related astroglial response following unilateral excitotoxic PPT cholinergic neuronal lesion. Whereas IBO NB and PPT lesions similarly enhanced local astroglial and microglial responses, astrogliosis in the PPT was followed by a remote astrogliosis within the ipslilateral NB. Conversely, there was no microglial response within the NB after PPT lesions. Our results reveal the rostrorostral PPT‐NB astrogliosis after denervation of cholinergic neurons in the PPT. This hierarchically and anatomofunctionally guided PPT‐NB astrogliosis emerged following cholinergic neuronal loss greater than 17% throughout the overall rostrocaudal PPT dimension. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Serum activity of DPPIV and its expression on lymphocytes in patients with melanoma and in people with vitiligo

Background

Evidence is accumulating that chronic inflammation may have an important role in prostate cancer (PCa). The COX-2 polymorphism rs2745557 (+202 C/T) has been extensively investigated as a potential risk factor for PCa, but the results have thus far been inconclusive. This meta-analysis was performed to derive a more precise estimation of the association.

Methods

A comprehensive search was conducted to identify all case-control studies of COX-2 rs2745557 polymorphism and PCa risk. We used odds ratios (ORs) to assess the strength of the association, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) give a sense of the precision of the estimate. Statistical analyses were performed by Review Manage, version 5.0 and Stata 10.0.

Results

A total of 8 available studies were considered in the present meta-analysis, with 11356 patients and 11641 controls for rs2745557. When all groups were pooled, there was no evidence that rs2745557 had significant association with PCa under co-dominant, recessive, over-dominant, and allelic models. However, our analysis suggested that rs2745557 was associated with a lower PCa risk under dominant model in overall population (OR = 0.85, 95%CI = 0.74-0.97, P = 0.02). When stratifying for race, there was a significant association between rs2745557 polymorphism and lower PCa risk in dominant model comparison in the subgroup of Caucasians (OR = 0.86, 95%CI = 0.75-0.99, P = 0.04), but not in co-dominant, recessive, over-dominant and allelic comparisons.

Conclusion

Based on our meta-analysis, COX-2 rs2745557 was associated with a lower PCa risk under dominant model in Caucasians.     

Immunity to melanin and to tyrosinase in melanoma patients, and in people with vitiligo

ABSTRACT: BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to determine the presence and the intensity of humoral immunity to melanoma-associated antigens: tyrosinase and melanin, in patients with melanoma, in persons with vitiligo and in control healthy people. METHODS: The study involved 63 patients with melanoma and 19 persons with vitiligo. Control group consisted up to 41 healthy volunteers. Mushroom tyrosinase and synthetic melanin were used as the antigens. RESULTS: ELISA test showed significantly (p<0.0000004 and p<0.04) lower levels of IgM anti-tyrosinase autoantibodies, in melanoma and vitiligo patients respectively, compared to controls. Although there was no significant difference between the levels of IgA anti-melanin autoantibodies in melanoma or vitiligo patients in comparison with controls, the enhanced concentrations of anti-melanin IgA autoantibodies were preferentially found in melanoma patients with metastatic disease. Significantly high percentage in the Fc alpha I (CD89) positive cells was determined in melanoma patients (p<0.002 and p<0.008) in comparison to that found in healthy people or in patients with vitiligo, in the already mentioned order, pointing that IgA dependent cellular cytotoxicity is not important for the immune action against melanoma, even more that it is included in some immune suppression. Levels of IgG autoantibodies to mentioned antigens in melanoma patients although low were not significantly lower from controls. These findings analyzed together with the statistically significant low percentage of FcgammaRIII, (CD16) positive immunocompetent cells (p<0.0007 and p<0.003), which was found in patients with melanoma compared with healthy or vitiligo people respectively, and statistically significant low percentage of (CD16+CD56+) natural killer (NK) cells (p<0.005) found in melanoma patients in comparison to healthy controls pointed to the low probability for anti-melanoma IgG mediated, antibody mediated cellular cytotoxicity, (ADCC) and NK cytotoxicity. Moreover the ratio of the percentages of granulocytes and percentage of lymphocytes was statistically higher in patients with melanoma in relation to healthy people as well as to people with vitiligo (p<0.0007 and p<0.05 respectively). CONCLUSION: Autoantibodies to tyrosinase and to melanin which are found even in healthy people, point that consummation of edible mushrooms that carry the antigen tyrosinase and melanin, could influence the humoral anti-melanoma immune response. Levels of different immunoglobulin classes of anti-melanin and anti-tyrosinase antibodies varied depending on the presence and the stage of studied diseases. Besides, the statistically enhanced ratio of the percentages of granulocytes and percentage of lymphocytes, together with statistically decreased percentage of NK cells is found in analyzed melanoma patients.     

Immunolocalization of nestin, mesothelin and epithelial membrane antigen (EMA) in developing and adult serous membranes and mesotheliomas

The spatial and temporal distribution of epithelial membrane antigen (EMA), mesothelin and nestin was immunohistochemically analyzed in developing and adult human serous membranes and mesotheliomas in order to detect possible differences in the course of mesenchymal to epithelial transformation, which is associated with differentiation of mesothelial cells during normal development and tumorigenesis. Pleura and pericardium developing from the visceral mesoderm gradually transform into mesothelial cells and connective tissue. EMA appeared in mesothelium of both serous membranes during the early fetal period, whereas during further development, EMA expression was retained only in the pericardial mesothelium. It increased in both pleural mesothelium and connective tissue. Mesothelin appeared first in pericardial submesothelial cells and later in surface mesothelium, while in pleura it was immediately localized in mesothelium. In adult serous membranes, EMA and mesothelin were predominantly expressed in mesothelium. Nestin never appeared in mesothelium, but in connective tissues and myocardial cells and subsequently decreased during development, apart from in the walls of blood vessels. Mesothelial cells in the two serous membranes developed in two separate developmental pathways. We speculate that submesothelial pericardial and mesothelial pleural cells might belong to a population of stem cells. In epithelioid mesotheliomas, 13% of cells expressed nestin, 39% EMA and 7% mesothelin.     

A brief dyadic group based psychoeducation program improves relapse rates in recently remitted bipolar disorder: A pilot randomised controlled trial

BackgroundVarious adjunctive psychotherapies assist in decreasing relapse and improving outcomes for people with bipolar disorder (BD). Psychoeducation programs involving patient-only or caregiver-only groups have demonstrated some efficacy. We tested in recently remitted BD if a combined group based psychoeducation program involving patient–companion dyads decreased relapse.Method58 recently remitted BD out-patients were randomised to receive either treatment as usual (TAU, n = 31) or 12 × 90 minute psychoeducation sessions delivered weekly in a group program to the patient and companion (SIMSEP, n = 27). After 12 weeks SIMSEP patients reverted to TAU and all patients were followed until week 60 or relapse. The primary outcome measure was relapse requiring hospital or intensive community intervention.Results45 patients completed the study. 29 patients remained well at week 60 (SIMSEP n = 17, TAU n = 12), whilst 16 had relapsed (SIMSEP n = 3, TAU n = 13). The SIMSEP group were less likely to relapse (Fisher's exact test p = 0.013; OR = 0.16; 95% CI 0.04–0.70) and had an 11 week longer time to relapse compared to the TAU group (chi-square (1) = 8.48, p < 0.01). At study completion SIMSEP compared to TAU patients had lower Young Mania Rating Scale scores (Mann–Whitney U = 255, p < 0.01).LimitationsThe study was limited by a small sample size.ConclusionA brief group psychoeducation program with recently remitted BD patients and their companions resulted in a decreased relapse rate, longer time to relapse, decreased manic symptoms and improved medication adherence suggesting utility in the adjunctive psychotherapeutic treatment of BD.