Cross-sectional but not longitudinal association between n-3 fatty acid intake and depressive symptoms: results from the SU.VI.MAX 2 study

Findings regarding the association between n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) status and depression are conflicting. Thus, the authors studied associations between PUFA intake and depressive symptoms. In 1996, depressive symptoms were assessed in a subsample of participants from the Supplementation with Antioxidant Vitamins and Minerals (SU.VI.MAX) Study using the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale (CES-D). In 2007-2009, information on CES-D score, history of depression, and use of antidepressant medication was obtained. Intakes of n-3 PUFAs were estimated from repeated 24-hour dietary records collected during 1994-1996. Subjects with depressive symptoms (cases) were identified using CES-D scores greater than 15 and/or antidepressant use. Logistic regression analyses were used. Cross-sectional (n = 2,744) and longitudinal (n = 1,235) associations between quartiles of PUFA intake and depressive symptoms were estimated. In cross-sectional analyses, quartile of n-3 PUFA intake was associated with lower odds of depressive symptoms (fourth quartile vs. first: odds ratio = 0.74, 95% confidence interval: 0.58, 0.95; P for trend = 0.001). No association between PUFA intake and incidence of depressive symptoms over 13 years was detected. This study provides new insights into the PUFA-depression link. While no association between n-3 PUFA intake and incidence of depressive symptoms was detected, an association was observed in cross-sectional analyses, which may reflect unhealthy dietary patterns among subjects with depressive symptoms.     

Main characteristics and participation rate of European adolescents included in the HELENA study

Background

Substance abuse puts a burden on the physical and mental health and well-being of individuals and their families, particularly parents. Parents of substance-abusing young people are in need of professional or informal support and information. Potential and easy accessible sources are support groups. We explored the experiences of parents of substance-abusing young people attending support groups regarding several topics related to the substance-abuse of their son or daughter, the impact on their lives and their views on social support.

Methods

In this small-scale qualitative study based on in-depth interviews, we interviewed parents of substance-abusing young people focusing on their experiences concerning having a substance-abusing relative and attending the support group.

Results

All parents displayed feelings of stress and strain. They appeared to be highly satisfied with their participation in a support group. The expert status and knowledge of the facilitator and the provision of accurate information in the support group was also much appreciated. They were however dissatisfied by the attitude and knowledge of their GP.

Conclusions

Our findings suggest that parents benefit from joining support groups, particularly in terms of emotional and social support and the practical information they received.     

The effect of polyelectrolyte multilayer coated titanium alloy surfaces on implant anchorage in rats

Advances have been achieved in the design and biomechanical performance of orthopedic implants in the last decades. These include anatomically shaped and angle-stable implants for fracture fixation or improved biomaterials (e.g. ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene) in total joint arthroplasty. Future modifications need to address the biological function of implant surfaces. Functionalized surfaces can promote or reduce osseointegration, avoid implant-related infections or reduce osteoporotic bone loss. To this end, polyelectrolyte multilayer structures have been developed as functional coatings and intensively tested in vitro previously. Nevertheless, only a few studies address the effect of polyelectrolyte multilayer coatings of biomaterials in vivo. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the effect of polyelectrolyte coatings of titanium alloy implants on implant anchorage in an animal model. We test the hypotheses that (1) polyelectrolyte multilayers have an effect on osseointegration in vivo; (2) multilayers of chitosan/hyaluronic acid decrease osteoblast proliferation compared to native titanium alloy, and hence reduce osseointegration; (3) multilayers of chitosan/gelatine increase osteoblast proliferation compared to native titanium alloy, hence enhance osseointegration. Polyelectrolyte multilayers on titanium alloy implants were fabricated by a layer-by-layer self-assembly process. Titanium alloy (Ti) implants were alternately dipped into gelatine (Gel), hyaluronic acid (HA) and chitosan (Chi) solutions, thus assembling a Chi/Gel and a Chi/HA coating with a terminating layer of Gel or HA, respectively. A rat tibial model with bilateral placement of titanium alloy implants was employed to analyze the bones’ response to polyelectrolyte surfaces in vivo. 48 rats were randomly assigned to three groups of implants: (1) native titanium alloy (control), (2) Chi/Gel and (3) Chi/HA coating. Mechanical fixation, peri-implant bone area and bone contact were evaluated by pull-out tests and histology at 3 and 8 weeks. Shear strength at 8 weeks was statistically significantly increased (p < 0.05) in both Chi/Gel and Chi/HA groups compared to the titanium alloy control. No statistically significant difference (p > 0.05) in bone contact or bone area was found between all groups. No decrease of osseointegration of Chi/HA-coated implants compared to non-coated implants was found. The results of polyelectrolyte coatings in a rat model showed that the Chi/Gel and Chi/HA coatings have a positive effect on mechanical implant anchorage in normal bone.     

Severe traumatic brain injury, frontal lesions, and social aspects of language use: a study of French-speaking adults

The purpose of this study was to gain insight into the social (pragmatic) aspects of language use by French-speaking individuals with frontal lesions following a severe traumatic brain injury. Eleven participants with traumatic brain injury performed tasks in three areas of communication: production (interview situation), comprehension (direct requests, conventional indirect requests, and hints), and metapragmatic knowledge. The results of the patients pointed out some strengths (turn-taking in production, and request comprehension, including hints and the speaker's intention) and some weaknesses (topic maintenance in production and metapragmatic knowledge). The patients' good comprehension of requests and their difficulty expressing metapragmatic knowledge suggest that they differ from controls in how they "explain the world": their knowledge of the event sequence was not based on verbally expressible knowledge about the relationship between the structural characteristics of a request utterance and those of its social production context. The pragmatic skills of persons with traumatic brain injury seem to vary across tasks: these individuals have specific strengths and weaknesses in different domains. In addition, marked interindividual differences were noted among the patients: three of them had only one weak point, topic maintenance. These interindividual differences were not systematically linked to performance on executive function tests, but lesion unilaterality (right or left) seems to help preserve patients' pragmatic and metapragmatic skills. The discussion stresses the need to take each patient's strengths and weaknesses into account in designing remediation programs. Learning outcomes: As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to explain the social/pragmatic aspects of language in typical and atypical participants with TBI. As a result of this activity, the reader will be able to identify social/pragmatic weaknesses and strengths.     

Mammalian cumulus-oocyte complex communication: a dialog through long and short distance messaging

Journal of Assisted Reproduction and Genetics - Communications are crucial to ovarian follicle development and to ovulation, and while both folliculogenesis and oogenesis are distinct processes,...     

Delayed-onset hypoxic cortical blindness: coming back from the abyss

Documenta Ophthalmologica - To report a case of typical delayed-onset hypoxic cortical blindness that occurred few days after resuscitation from drowning in a young male. Neurological and...     

Personalized Estimates of Brain Structural Variability in Individuals With Early Psychosis

BackgroundEarly psychosis in first-episode psychosis (FEP) and clinical high-risk (CHR) individuals has been associated with alterations in mean regional measures of brain morphology. Examination of variability in brain morphology could assist in quantifying the degree of brain structural heterogeneity in clinical relative to healthy control (HC) samples. MethodsStructural magnetic resonance imaging data were obtained from CHR (n = 71), FEP (n = 72), and HC individuals (n = 55). Regional brain variability in cortical thickness (CT), surface area (SA), and subcortical volume (SV) was assessed with the coefficient of variation (CV). Furthermore, the person-based similarity index (PBSI) was employed to quantify the similarity of CT, SA, and SV profile of each individual to others within the same diagnostic group. Normative modeling of the PBSI-CT, PBSI-SA, and PBSI-SV was used to identify CHR and FEP individuals whose scores deviated markedly from those of the healthy individuals. ResultsThere was no effect of diagnosis on the CV for any regional measure (P > .38). CHR and FEP individuals differed significantly from the HC group in terms of PBSI-CT (P < .0001), PBSI-SA (P < .0001), and PBSI-SV (P = .01). In the clinical groups, normative modeling identified 32 (22%) individuals with deviant PBSI-CT, 12 (8.4%) with deviant PBSI-SA, and 21 (15%) with deviant PBSI-SV; differences of small effect size indicated that individuals with deviant PBSI scores had lower IQ and higher psychopathology. ConclusionsExamination of brain structural variability in early psychosis indicated heterogeneity at the level of individual profiles and encourages further large-scale examination to identify individuals that deviate markedly from normative reference data.     

Intravascular large cell lymphoma revealed by diffuse telangiectasia and cauda equina syndrome

BACKGROUND: Intravascular lymphoma is a rare disease with usually fatal outcome, characterized by the proliferation within the lumen of small blood vessels of neoplastic large lymphoid cells of B-cell origin. We report a case of intravascular lymphoma revealed by diffuse telangiectasia and cauda equina syndrome. CASE REPORT: A 64-year-old Vietnamese woman presented with unexpected fever and weight loss. Three months after the onset of the first symptoms, an oedema appeared on the lower limbs and the trunk, followed by the eruption of diffuse superficial telangiectasia. Neurologic examination revealed a cauda equina syndrome. The diagnosis of intravascular B cell lymphoma was established on cutaneous and muscular biopsy specimen. A moderate hemophagocytic syndrome was observed, confirmed by bone marrow biopsy. Corticosteroid therapy was started, followed by combination chemotherapy yielding complete response. Six months later death occurred, without evidence of relapse of intravascular lymphoma. DISCUSSION: Clinical presentation of intravascular lymphoma is often confusing, mimicking systemic disease, with a predilection for skin and nervous system involvement. Diagnosis is difficult and often an autopsy finding. Prognosis is generally poor, but favourable responses to chemotherapy have been observed after early diagnosis and treatment. The pathogenesis of intravascular lymphoma remains unknown. Dysfunction of cell-endothelial interaction affecting adhesion molecules has been suspected. The implication of Epstein-Barr virus in intravascular lymphoma remains controversial.