Electrode Placement and Prolactin Response to Electroconvulsive Therapy

Study of serum prolactin during electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) in depressive patients revealed a greater prolactin increase after bilateral than after unilateral ECT. A linear correlation between the two types of prolactin response was found for a group of 10 patients, a finding that suggests a quantitative rather than a qualitative difference between bilateral and unilateral ECT with regard to their prolactin-releasing properties. The magnitude of prolactin response did not differ between right and left unilateral ECT, nor in a systematically studied case of postictal dysphoric excitement that occurred after right, but not after left, unilateral ECT. In this case, maximal prolactin response occurred earlier with right than with left unilateral ECT. Prolactin increase after ECT was not correlated with such factors as severity of depression nor seizure duration.     

The effects of rest and subsequent training on selected physiological parameters in professional female classical dancers.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of a six-week summer break and of dance preparations at the beginning of the new season following the break, on selected physiological parameters. Seventeen professional ballerinas (mean age 27.2 +/- 1.4 years, mean height 160.2 +/- 6.2 cm) volunteered. They were assessed just before and immediately after their normal summer break, during which very little or no physical work was reported. Eight of these dancers were assessed for a third time, 2-3 months after the end of the break, while they were into preparing for the new season. More specifically, compared to pre-break data, the six-weeks of holiday was followed by a 15% overall increase in the three flexibility tests (from 334 to 386 degrees, P < 0.01), a 14% increase in peak anaerobic power (from 350 to 400 watts; P < 0.01), a 16% increase in leg strength (from 143 to 166 Nm; P < 0.01) (i.e. the mean performance of left and right knee extension added to the mean performance of left and right knee flexion), and a 10% increase in VO2max (from 41.2 to 45.2 ml/kg/min; P < 0.05). The third set of data, 2-3 months after the end of the break, revealed further significant increases by 24% in leg-strength (P < 0.005) and 17% in VO2max (P < 0.01) compared to pre-holiday data. Despite the lack of a control group, the present results fit with the hypothesis of a degree of "burnout" at the end of the season, which negatively affected the mechanisms of fitness and conditioning. A six-week summer-break can act as a restorer of these mechanisms. Two to three months into the new season, positive adaptations to exercise appeared to confirm recovery from the "burnout" or overtraining phenomenon. More research is required on the effects of demanding dance schedules on fitness and conditioning, and how such schedules might adversely affect dance performance and dancers' careers.     

Antioxidant responses following active and passive smoking of tobacco and electronic cigarettes

Context: It has been indicated that acute active and passive tobacco cigarette smoking may cause changes on redox status balance that may result in significant pathologies. However, no study has evaluated the effects of active and passive e-cigarette smoking on redox status of consumers.

Objective: To examine the acute effects of active and passive e-cigarette and tobacco cigarette smoking on selected redox status markers.

Methods: Using a randomized single-blind crossover design, 30 participants (15 smokers and 15 nonsmokers) were exposed to three different experimental conditions. Smokers underwent a control session, an active tobacco cigarette smoking session (smoked 2 cigarettes within 30-min) and an active e-cigarette smoking session (smoked a pre-determined number of puffs within 30-min using a liquid with 11?ng/ml nicotine). Similarly, nonsmokers underwent a control session, a passive tobacco cigarette smoking session (exposure of 1?h to 23?±?1?ppm of CO in a 60?m³ environmental chamber) and a passive e-cigarette smoking session (exposure of 1?h to air enriched with pre- determined number of puffs in a 60?m³ environmental chamber). Total antioxidant capacity (TAC), catalase activity (CAT) and reduced glutathione (GSH) were assessed in participants’ blood prior to, immediately after, and 1-h post-exposure.

Results: TAC, CAT and GSH remained similar to baseline levels immediately after and 1-h-post exposure (p?>?0.05) in all trials.

Conclusions: Tobacco and e-cigarette smoking exposure do not acutely alter the response of the antioxidant system, neither under active nor passive smoking conditions. Overall, there is not distinction between tobacco and e-cigarette active and passive smoking effects on specific redox status indices.     

Accumulation of cholera toxin and GM1 ganglioside in the early endosome of Niemann–Pick C1-deficient cells

We investigated intracellular trafficking of GM1 ganglioside in Niemann-Pick C1 (NPC1)-deficient Chinese hamster ovary cells [NPC1(-) cells] by using cholera toxin (CT) as a probe. Both the holotoxin and the B subunit (CTB) accumulated in GM1-enriched intracellular vesicles of NPC1(-) cells. CTB-labeled vesicles contained the early endosome marker Rab5 but not lysosome-associated membrane protein 2 and were not labeled with either Texas red-transferrin or Lysotracker, indicating that they represent early endosomes. Similarly, CT accumulated in intracellular vesicles of human NPC fibroblasts that contained both Rab5 and early endosomal antigen 1. CTB accumulation in NPC1(-) cells was abolished by expression of wild-type NPC1 but not by mutant proteins with a mutation either in the NPC domain or the sterol-sensing domain. A part of these mutant NPC1 proteins expressed in NPC1(-) cells was localized on CTB-labeled vesicles. U18666A treatment of "knock in" cells [NPC1(-) cells that stably expressed wild-type NPC1] caused CTB accumulation similar to that in NPC1(-) cells, and a part of wild-type NPC1was localized on CTB-labeled vesicles in drug-treated cells. Finally, CT tracer experiments in NPC1(-) cells revealed retarded excretion of internalized toxin into the culture medium and an increase in the intracellular release of A subunits. In accordance with the latter result, CT was more effective in stimulating cAMP formation in NPC1(-) than in wild-type cells. These results suggest that transport of CT/GM1 complexes from the early endosome to the plasma membrane depends on the function of NPC1, whereas transport to the Golgi apparatus/endoplasmic reticulum does not.     

Coronary hemodynamics and atherosclerotic wall stiffness: a vicious cycle

Local hemodynamic environment, including low shear stress and increased tensile stress, determines the localization, growth and progression of coronary atherosclerosis. As atherosclerotic lesions evolve, the diseased coronary arteries undergo local quantitative and qualitative changes in their wall, and progressively become stiff. Arterial stiffening amplifies the atherogenic local hemodynamic environment, initiating a self-perpetuating vicious cycle, which drives the progression of atherosclerosis and the formation of atherosclerotic plaque. In vivo evidence indicates that endothelial dysfunction is associated with arterial stiffness, an association that creates a challenging perspective of utilizing stiffness as an early marker of endothelial dysfunction and future atherosclerosis. Coronary stiffening is also associated with vascular remodeling, which is a major determinant of the natural history of atherosclerotic plaques. Thus, arterial stiffness may constitute a useful marker for the identification of the remodeling pattern, in particular expansive remodeling, which is closely associated with high-risk plaques. The early identification of endothelial dysfunction, or a high-risk plaque may enable the early adoption of preventive measures to improve endothelial function, or justify pre-emptive local interventions in high-risk regions to prevent future acute coronary syndromes. Further experimental and perspective clinical studies are needed for the investigation of these perspectives, whereas the development of new modalities for non-invasive and reliable assessment of coronary stiffness is anticipated to serve these studies.     

Multiple behavioral risk factors for chronic diseases in adults aged 50+: regional differences across eleven European countries

Aim

The aim of this study was to estimate the differences in prevalence of multiple behavioral risk factors (MBRFs) for chronic diseases in European adults, from eleven North, Central and South European countries.

Subjects and methods

We used data from 26,656 adults, aged 50+ years, participating in the Survey of Health, Ageing and Retirement in Europe (2004/05). Physical inactivity, high body weight, smoking and risky alcohol consumption were assessed and estimated based on sampling weights, controlling for socioeconomic characteristics.

Results

53.4 % of adults had 2+ MBRFs. Prevalence in the total sample was highest for physical inactivity (71.2 %) and lowest for smoking (18.1 %). The cluster of high body weight and physical inactivity had the highest prevalence of MBRFs (35.4 %), with higher prevalence in Southern Europe (p?<?0.05). Smoking and alcohol consumption presented the greatest degree of clustering (observed to expected ratio?=?2.44). Spain and Greece had the highest prevalence of clustering 2+ MBRFs, whereas Southern European countries had a higher mean number of MBRFs, compared to North and Central European regions (p?<?0.05).

Conclusion

Prevalence of MBRFs varied between countries, with Southern European countries engaging in more risky behaviors. Primary prevention programmes should be developed to reduce MBRFs in this population.