Mindful aging: an insightful examination of cognitive impairment in the elderly population of Chengalpattu, Tamil Nadu, using Mini-Cog scale

Background: By 2050, United Nations projects that one in five Indians would be 60 years of age or older. This demographic transition is likely to be accompanied by substantial rise in prevalence of cognitive problems, which will have an impact on quality of life among elderly people. Effective screening at primary level would help in identification of burden of diseases and better planning at secondary and tertiary level. Methods: A community-based cross-sectional study over a period of three months was conducted at Pulipakkam in Chengalpattu district. The estimated sample size was 215, and simple random sampling method was used. Elderly people aged 60 years and above who consented to participate were included in the study. After obtaining informed consent, they were screened using the Mini-Cog tool which combines a short memory test with a simple clock- drawing test followed by a recall component. Results: The 215 participants in total were screened. The mean age of participants was 66.02±3.83 years. The prevalence of cognitive impairment (CI) based on Mini-Cog scale was 44.2%. Females (44.8%) had marginally higher prevalence than males (43.8%). CI was more prevalent among people over 65 years (57.6%). The likelihood of experiencing CI was higher among those who lived without their spouse (59.4%), were unemployed (53.7%), and who were smokers / alcoholics (63.7%). Conclusions: Considering the high burden of CI, there is need for long term prospective research for a comprehensive profile of mental disorders at community level. Early assessment and detection of CI could help in improving quality of life of elderly. Implementing initiatives aimed at increasing awareness, reducing stigma, and conducting widespread screening using reliable tools.

Correlation of serum glutamate and gamma-aminobutyric acid levels with clinical symptoms in chronic schizophrenia patients and their diagnostic value for cognitive impairment / 国际检验医学杂志

Objective To explore the correlation of serum glutamate(Glu)and gamma-aminobutyric acid(GABA)levels with clinical symptoms in chronic schizophrenia patients,and to assess their diagnostic value for cognitive impairment.Methods A total of 92 patients with chronic schizophrenia and another 80 healthy individuals in Wuhan Mental Health Center/Wuhan Hospital for Psychotherapy from January 2021 to July 2022 were enrolled as study group and control group,respectively.The patients in the study group were divid-ed into the cognitive impairment group(44 cases)and the cognitive normal group(48 cases)according to Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale(MoCA).Clinical symptoms were assessed by using Positive and Nega-tive Syndrome Scale(PANSS).MoCA was used to evaluate the cognitive function.The levels of Glu and GA-BA in plasma were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography/electrospray tandem mass spec-trometry.The scores of PANSS and MoCA as well as serum levels of Glu and GABA were compared between two groups.Then the correlation of serum Glu and GABA levels with clinical symptoms and the diagnostic value for cognitive impairment in the patients in the study group were investigated.Results The Glu level in the study group was higher than that in the control group,and the GABA level was lower than that in the con-trol group(P＜0.05).The serum Glu levels in both the cognitive impairment group and the cognitive normal group were higher than the normal range,and the Glu level in the cognitive impairment group was higher than that in the cognitive normal group(P＜0.05).The serum GABA levels in both the cognitive impairment group and the cognitively normal group were lower than the normal range,and the GABA level in the cogni-tive impairment group was lower than that in the cognitive normal group(P＜0.05).In the study group,ser-um Glu level was positively correlated with negative,positive,general psychopathological symptom scores,and overall score in PANSS(P＜0.05),while GABA level was negatively correlated with negative,positive,gener-al psychopathological symptom scores,and overall score in PANSS(P＜0.05).The sensitivity of the single and combined detection of serum Glu and GABA for the diagnosis of cognitive impairment in patients with chronic schizo-phrenia was 77.3％,72.7％and 93.2％,respectively,and the specificity was 72.9％,72.9％,and 75.0％,respec-tively,and the area under the curve was 0.778,0.769,and 0.868,respectively.Conclusion Serum Glu level in patients with chronic schizophrenia is higher than that in healthy individuals,while GABA level is lower than that in healthy individuals,and the above two indicators are correlated with PANSS score,which have high value in diagnosing cognitive impairment and could be used as effective biological indicators to help clinical doctors judge patients'cognitive function.

Application of suturing uterine blood vessels with barbed polydioxanone cog thread through transumbilical single-port access large laparoscopic hysterectomy / 中国内镜杂志

Objective To present our initial experience of suturing uterine blood vessels with barbed polydioxanone cog thread by single-port-access large laparoscopic hysterectomy.Methods A respective non-randomized study with two parallel groups was performed from June 2021 to June 2022.The medical records of a total of 41 patients with enlarged uterus were divided into two groups:The single-port access large laparoscopic hysterectomy group by suturing uterine blood vessels with barbed cog thread(experimental group,n = 20),and the four-port assess laparoscopic hysterectomy group(control group,n = 21).The age,body mass index(BMI),a history of abdominal and pelvic surgery,pre-and post-operative hemoglobin(HGB),operative duration,intraoperative bleeding volume,uterine weight,postoperative pain visual analogue scale(VAS)at 24 h,the first postoperative exhaust time and postoperative length of hospital stay were compared between the two groups.Results 41 patients completed the entire procedure successfully without serious complications.Experimental group had a longer median operative time(P<0.01).There were no significant differences in intraoperative bleeding volume,uterine weight,HGB on postoperative day 1,postoperative hospital stays,postoperative exhaust time and postoperative 24-hour pain VAS(P>0.05).Conclusion Our study shows that suturing uterine blood vessels with barbed polydioxanone cog thread in experimental group is safe and feasible for large uterus,but the surgical time is significantly longer than the control group,as the technology becomes more proficient,this situation will be improved.

Protective effect of COG1410 on the survival of retinal ganglion cells in mice with retinal ischemia-reperfusion injury and its mechanism / 中华实验眼科杂志

Objective:To explore the effects of apolipoprotein E-mimetic peptide COG1410 on M1/M2 microglia polarization and retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) survival after ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury in the mouse retina and its possible mechanisms.Methods:Eighteen 8-week-old C57BL/6J male mice were divided into control group (6 mice), IR 3 days group (6 mice), IR 7 days group (3 mice), and IR 14 days group (3 mice) according to the randomized number table method.Mice in IR group were perfused in the anterior chamber using saline, and the intraocular pressure (IOP) was raised to 100 mmHg (1 mmHg=0.133 kPa) and maintained for 1 hour in order to establish a model of IR injury in the retina.Three mice from control group and 3 mice from IR 3 days group were taken to observe the distribution of retinal microglia by immunofluorescence staining of retinal frozen sections.Three mice were taken from normal control, IR 3 days, IR 7 days, and IR 14 days groups respectively to observe the changes of retinal M1-type and M2-type microglial cells with time after IR injury by immunofluorescence staining of retina.Another 91 C57BL/6J mice were randomly divided into normal control group (19 mice), IR group (24 mice), saline group (24 mice), and COG1410 group (24 mice) according to the random number table method.Mice in normal control group maintained a normal IOP, and the IR injury model was established in the other three groups.In addition, COG1410 group and saline group were injected with 1 mg/kg COG1410 and an equal volume of saline by tail vein injection, respectively.The microglia phenotype and survival rate of RGCs were observed by immunofluorescence staining of retinal wholemount.The relative expressions of retinal tumor necrosis factor-ɑ (TNF-ɑ) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) mRNA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR.The apoptosis of retinal neuronal cells was observed by the TUNEL assay.The expression levels of retinal nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB), B lymphocyte-2 (Bcl-2), and Bcl-2-associated X protein (Bax) proteins were detected by Western blot.Use and care of animals strictly complied with the Hubei Provincial Regulations on the Management of Laboratory Animals and the experiment was approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of the Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University (No.WDRM20190113).Results:Retinal microglia in normal control group and IR 3 days group were mainly distributed in the ganglion cell layer, inner plexiform layer, and outer plexiform layer.There were statistically significant differences in the comparison of the proportions of M1-type and M2-type microglia among normal control, IR 3 days, IR 7 days, and IR 14 days groups ( F=29.83, 57.62; both at P<0.001). Compared with normal control group, the number of M1-type microglia was higher in IR 3 days group, and the number of M2-type microglia was higher in IR 7 days group, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). The proportions of M1-type microglia in normal control group, IR group, saline group, and COG1410 group were (4.25±0.57)%, (65.26±10.43)%, (63.01±4.93)%, and (33.13±4.46%), respectively, and the proportions of M2-type microglia in the four groups were (4.50±0.20)%, (11.47±0.24 )%, (11.75±0.17)%, and (38.93±4.26)%, showing statistically significant differences among them ( F=23.33, 50.82; both at P<0.001). The proportions of M1-type microglia decreased while the proportions of M2-type microglia increased in COG1410 group when compared with IR group, and the differences were statistically significant (both at P<0.05). There were statistically significant differences in RGCs survival rate, relative expression of retinal TNF-ɑ and IL-1β mRNA, retinal apoptotic cell count, retinal NF-κB and Bax protein expression levels, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio among the four groups ( F=30.77, 12.52, 6.74, 28.72, 13.02, 7.94, 7.58; all at P<0.05). Compared with normal control group, there were significant decreases in the survival rate of RGCs and increases in retinal apoptotic cell number, TNF-ɑ and IL-1β mRNA expression, retinal NF-κB and Bax protein expression levels, and Bax/Bcl-2 ratio in IR group (all at P<0.05). Compared with IR group, the COG1410 group had increased retinal RGCs survival rate, decreased TNF-ɑ and IL-1β mRNA expression levels, decreased TUNEL-positive cells, decreased NF-κB and Bax proteins expression levels, and decreased Bax/Bcl2 ratio, and the differences were statistically significant (all at P<0.05). Conclusions:Three days after retinal IR modeling, COG1410 promotes the polarization of M1-type microglia to M2-type, inhibits the expression of retinal NF-κB and downstream inflammatory factors, and attenuates the retinal inflammatory response, as well as inhibits the expression of apoptosis-related proteins, which promotes the survival of RGCs.

Avaliação toxicológica e determinação da dl 50 do extrato bruto de luffa operculata cogn. (cucurbitaceae) / Toxicological evaluation and determination of ld 50 of the crude extract of luffa operculata cogn. (cucurbitaceae) / Evaluación toxicológica y determinación de la dl 50 del extracto crudo de luffa operculata cogn. (cucurbitáceas)

As plantas medicinais têm sido bastante utilizadas para o tratamento de várias enfermidades pelo homem. Numerosos compostos bioativos obtidos de plantas medicinais apresentam atividades antimicrobianas, antivirais, anticancerígenas, anti- inflamatórias, antioxidantes e neuromoduladoras. Entretanto, existe um número crescente de estudos científicos que comprovam a toxicidade de plantas medicinais. O fruto da Luffa operculata Cogn. é utilizado popularmente como purgante, emenogogo, expectorante e rinossinusite. Este trabalho teve como objetivo avaliar a toxicidade aguda e determinar a dose letal 50% (LD50) do extrato bruto etanólico de Luffa operculata Cogn., por via intraperitoneal em camundongos. No experimento foi utilizado camundongos albinos fêmeas Swiss (Mus Muscullus). Os animais foram divididos em grupos (n=6/grupo), e a toxicidade foi avaliada em duas etapas: preliminar e definitiva. As reações comportamentais relacionadas às doses administradas do extrato de Luffa operculata Cogn. foram taquicardia, taquipneia, movimentos estereotipados e circulares e piloereção. Após essa fase, os animais apresentaram reações depressoras envolvendo apneia e prostração. Além disso, os animais apresentaram outros comportamentos como: contorções abdominais, tônus da musculatura abdominal, espasmos e irritação da conjuntiva. O extrato de Luffa operculata Cogn. apresentou uma DL50 de 3,3 mg/Kg de peso corpóreo, sendo considerada muito tóxica. Como essa planta é largamente usada pela população para fins terapêuticos, alertamos quanto a utilização indiscriminada devido ao alto potencial tóxico.

Medicinal plants have been sed for the treatment of various diseases by man. Numerous bioactive compounds obtained from medicinal plants exhibit antimicrobial, antiviral, anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and neuromodulatory activities. However, the number of scientific studies proving the toxicity of medicinal plants is increasing. The fruit of Luffa operculata Cogn. it is popularly used as a purgative, emmenagogue, expectorant, and rhinosinusitis. This work aimed to evaluate the acute toxicity and determine the lethal dose of 50% (LD50) of the crude ethanolic extract of Luffa operculata Cogn., intraperitoneally. In the experiment, Swiss female albino mice (Mus Muscullus) were used. The animals were divided into groups (n=6/group), and toxicity was evaluated in two steps: preliminary and definitive. Behavioral reactions related to administered doses of Luffa operculata Cogn. were tachycardia, tachypnea, stereotyped, and circular movements and piloerection. After this phase, the animals presented depressive reactions involving apnea and prostration. In addition, the animals showed other behaviors such as abdominal contortions, abdominal muscle tone, spasms, and irritation of the conjunctiva. The extract of Luffa operculata Cogn. presented an LD50 of 3.3 mg/Kg of body weight, being considered very toxic. As this plant is widely used by the population for therapeutic purposes, we warn about its use due to its high toxic potential.

Las plantas medicinales han sido ampliamente utilizadas para el tratamiento de diversas enfermedades por parte del hombre. Numerosos compuestos bioactivos obte- nidos de plantas medicinales exhiben actividades antimicrobianas, antivirales, anticance- rígenas, antiinflamatorias, antioxidantes y neuromoduladoras. Sin embargo, hay un nú- mero creciente de estudios científicos que prueban la toxicidad de las plantas medicinales. El fruto de Luffa operculata Cogn. se utiliza popularmente como purgante, emenogogo, expectorante y rinosinusitis. Este trabajo tuvo como objetivo evaluar la toxicidad aguda y determinar la dosis letal al 50% (DL50) del extracto etanólico crudo de Luffa operculata Cogn., por vía intraperitoneal. En el experimento se utilizaron ratones albinos hembra suizos (Mus Muscullus). Los animales se dividieron en grupos (n=6/grupo) y la toxicidad se evaluó en dos etapas: preliminar y definitiva. Reacciones conductuales relacionadas con las dosis administradas de Luffa operculata Cogn. fueron taquicardia, taquipnea, mo- vimientos estereotipados y circulares y piloerección. Después de esta fase, los animales presentaron reacciones depresivas involucrando apnea y postración. Además, los anima- les mostraron otros comportamientos como: contorsiones abdominales, tono muscular abdominal, espasmos e irritación de la conjuntiva. El extracto de Luffa operculata Cogn. presentó una DL50 de 3,3 mg/Kg de peso corporal, considerándose muy tóxico. Como esta planta es muy utilizada por la población con fines terapéuticos, advertimos contra su uso indiscriminado por su alto potencial tóxico.

Early cognitive decline and its assessment in idiopathic Parkinson disease and its correlation with duration of illness

Background:Parkinson disease(PD)is one of the most common age-related brain disorders, with cardinal symptoms rigidity, bradykinesia, resting tremor and postural instability. These aredopamine-related motor symptoms.PD is increasingly recognized as heterogeneous multisystem disorder involving other neurotransmitter associated with nonmotor symptoms. In whichcognitive decline is the most common and important NMS. cognitive decline in PD makes profound effect on patient quality of life and imposes significant burden on the caregiver.Methods:Hospital based cross sectional study conducted among 52 patients of idiopathic Parkinson disease, 61 to 80 years of age (fulfilling UKPDS brain bank criteria) at GSVM medical college, Kanpur during February 2020 to October2021 using SCOPA COG scale.Results:Using SCOPA COG score in 52 patients,17 (33%) patients foundwith declined cognition There was weak negative correlation betweentotal score and duration of illness(p=0.091), weak negative correlation between executive function (assessed by dice) and duration of illness (p=0.047)and a moderate negative correlationbetween visuospatial function (assessed by assembling pattern) and duration of illness (p=0.003).Conclusions:Significant cognitive decline found with increase in duration of illness in terms of visuospatial function.

Clinical and genetic features of a patient with COG5-CDG caused by COG5 gene variation / 中华检验医学杂志

The patient in this study was a 3 years 8 month old boy. The patient presented with facial dysmorphism including wide eye distance and flat nose. The major clinical manifestations were poor response, backward language and motor development; and his fingers cannot be bent. Moreover, the patient′s hands were also uncoordinated. In addition the patient suffered from congenital myopia and nystagmus; and the teeth were fall off easily. The abnormal reproductive system was characterized by small penis and small testicle. No obvious abnormality was found in liver and kidney function and serum immunoglobulin level through laboratory biochemical test. The results of the spine X-Ray examination indicates scoliosis. Results from brain MRI showed cerebellar dysplasia. Compound heterozygous variants in COG5 gene (c.1039C>T and c.928+3A>G), each inheranted from his parents were found in this patient by high-throughput sequencing and Sanger sequencing. After a clear diagnosis, the patient received language rehabilitation training and motor rehabilitation training. In this study, we found two new variants in COG5 gene and increased the mutation spectrum of this gene.

Mini-Cog versus Codex (cognitive disorders examination) Is there a difference? / Mini-Cog versus Codex (exame de distúrbios cognitivos): existe alguma diferença?

Abstract. Mini-Cog and Codex (cognitive disorders examination) are brief cognitive screening tests incorporating word-recall and clock drawing tests. Objective: To assess and compare the screening accuracy of Mini-Cog and Codex for diagnosis of dementia and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) in patients attending a dedicated cognitive disorders clinic. Methods: Tests were administered to a consecutive cohort of 162 patients, whose reference standard diagnoses based on clinical diagnostic criteria were dementia (44), MCI (26), and subjective memory complaint (92). Results: Both Mini-Cog and Codex had high sensitivity (>0.8) for dementia diagnosis, but Codex was more specific. For diagnosis of MCI, Mini-Cog had better sensitivity than Codex. Weighted comparisons of Mini-Cog and Codex showed only marginal net benefit for Mini-Cog for dementia diagnosis but larger net benefit for MCI diagnosis. Conclusion: In this pragmatic study both Mini-Cog and Codex were accurate brief screening tests for dementia but Mini-Cog was better for identification of MCI.

Resumo. Mini-Cog e Codex são testes breves de triagem cognitiva incorporando testes de recuperação de palavras e desenho de relógio. Objetivo: Avaliar e comparar a precisão da triagem de Mini-Cog e Codex (exame de distúrbios cognitivos) para o diagnóstico de demência e comprometimento cognitivo leve (CCL) em pacientes atendidos em uma clínica dedicada a distúrbios cognitivos. Métodos: Os testes foram administrados a uma coorte consecutiva de 162 pacientes, cujos diagnósticos padrão de referência com base em critérios clínicos de diagnóstico foram demência (44), CCL (26) e queixa subjetiva de memória (92). Resultados: O Mini-Cog e o Codex apresentaram alta sensibilidade (>0,8) para o diagnóstico de demência, mas o Codex foi mais específico. Para o diagnóstico de CCL, o Mini-Cog teve melhor sensibilidade que o Codex. As comparações ponderadas de Mini-Cog e Codex mostraram apenas um benefício líquido marginal para o Mini-Cog para o diagnóstico de demência, mas um benefício líquido maior para o diagnóstico de CCL. Conclusão: Neste estudo pragmático, o Mini-Cog e o Codex foram testes breves de triagem precisos para demência, mas o Mini-Cog foi melhor para a identificação de CCL.

Screening for dementia in older adults using Mini-Cog scale from a rural setting of Kashmir division

Background: Dementia is common in the geriatric population. It has been suggested that early detection leads to benefits for the patient and their family and cuts the costs. The solution to this problem lies in the development of brief and easily applicable tests that are acceptable to patients, their caregivers, and health professionals. The current study was undertaken for screening for dementia using Mini-Cog scale.Methods: Cross sectional study from District Budgam of Kashmir Division done on individuals aged >60 yrs after providing informed consent. All participants underwent comprehensive evaluations using the Mini-Cog scale for Dementia.Results: The overall prevalence of dementia was 57.5%. Majority of the individuals with dementia were illiterate (49.8%) and had completed up to primary education (63.2%). However no statistical significance was seen between marital and educational status with dementia. About 70.8% of the individuals with dementia were not aware of the availability of facilities related to mental issues.Conclusions: Need of the hour is to develop culturally appropriate interventions that could be integrated with dementia services within the primary health care system.

A Mild Form of COG5 Defect Showing Early-Childhood-Onset Friedreich's-Ataxia-Like Phenotypes with Isolated Cerebellar Atrophy

Progressive cerebellar ataxias are rare diseases during childhood, especially under 6 years of age. In a single family, three affected siblings exhibited Friedreich's-ataxia-like phenotypes before 2 years of age. They had progressive cerebellar atrophy, intellectual disability, and scoliosis. Although their phenotypes were similar to those observed in patients with autosomal recessive cerebellar ataxias, other phenotypes (e.g., seizure, movement disorders, ophthalmologic disturbance, cardiomyopathy, and cutaneous disorders) were not noted in this family. Whole-exome sequencing of the family members revealed one potential heterozygous mutation (c.1209delG, NM_181733.2; p.Met403IlefsX3, NP_859422.2) of the gene encoding conserved oligomeric Golgi complex subunit 5 (COG5). The heterozygous deletion at the fifth base in exon 12 of COG5 caused a frameshift and premature stop. Western blotting of COG5 proteins in the skin tissues from an affected proband showed a significantly decreased level of full length COG5 and smaller, aberrant COG5 proteins. We reported a milder form of COG5 defect showing Friedreich's-ataxia-like phenotypes without hypotonia, microcephaly, and short stature that were observed in most patients with COG5 defect.

Comparative study on the developmental characteristics of mathematical cognitive between ADHD and nor-mal children / 中华行为医学与脑科学杂志

Objective To compare the differences of the development of mathematical cognitive characteristics between ADHD children and normal children aged from 7 to 12 years old with event?related potentials ( ERP ) in the mathematical tasks, and to explore the neural mechanisms and characteristics. Methods ERP and behavioral data of 72 ADHD children and 88 normal children in three groups( 7?8 years old,9?10 years old,11?12 years old) were recorded,and analyzed N1,P2 and N2 components'amplitude and latency of Fz by judging the answers to simple calculation within 20. Results ( 1) Vertical comparative a?nalysis( the three age groups were compared):the differences of N1,P2 and N2 amplitudes in normal groups were considered to be statistically significant (right answer:N1(-3.8±2.1)μV,(-4.3±3.4)μV,(-2.2± 2.4)μV;P2(10.6±4.3)μV,(12.6±5.1)μV,(8.5±2.4)μV;N2(-6.5±3.1)μV,(-10.2±4.2)μV,(-6.8± 3.4)μV;error answer:N1(-2.8±2.7)μV,(-4.5±3.0)μV,(-2.9±2.5)μV;P2(9.3±5.9)μV,(12.1±5.0)μV,(8.2±3.6)μV;N2(-7.4±3.7)μV,(-11.4±5.5)μV,(-7.7±3.7)μV;all P0.05). (2)Horizontal comparative analysis(ADHD group and normal group were compared):N1 amplitude of ADHD group aged from 7 to 8 years old was higher than normal group’ s while judging the right answer((-5.3±2.4)μV,(-3.8±2.1)μV, P0.05) . The latent period of the wrong answers was longer than that of the right ones among normal groups aged from 11?12 while the difference of ADHD group had no statistical significance ((312.9±42.3)ms,(292.2±21.2)ms, P<0.05). Conclusion The development trend of mathematical ERP component in ADHD children is different from normal ones,and it is closely related to the maldevelopment of frontal lobe.The characteristics of cognitive deficit differ from ages.ADHD children in low and intermediate level were damaged primarily with inhibition function,while the senior were damaged mainly in collision de?tection function.

Research Progress of Event-related Potential in Mild Cognitive Impairment / 法医学杂志

Mild cognitive im pairm ent caused by craniocerebral traum a is the key points and difficulties in judicial authentication. This article has com parative analysis of eachmode of event-related potential (classical O ddball, E riksen flanker task and so on), which can provide a more objective m ethod for such craniocerebral traum a cases in clinical forensic judicial authentication.

Identification of gene fragments related to nitrogen deficiency in Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae) / Identificación de fragmentos de genes relacionados con la deficiencia de nitrógeno en Eichhornia crassipes (Pontederiaceae)

Eichhornia crassipes is an aquatic plant native to the Amazon River Basin. It has become a serious weed in freshwater habitats in rivers, lakes and reservoirs both in tropical and warm temperate areas worldwide. Some research has stated that it can be used for water phytoremediation, due to its strong assimilation of nitro- gen and phosphorus, and the accumulation of heavy metals, and its growth and spread may play an important role in environmental ecology. In order to explore the molecular mechanism of E. crassipes to responses to nitrogen deficiency, we constructed forward and reversed subtracted cDNA libraries for E. crassipes roots under nitrogen deficient condition using a suppressive subtractive hybridization (SSH) method. The forward subtraction included 2 100 clones, and the reversed included 2 650 clones. One thousand clones were randomly selected from each library for sequencing. About 737 (527 unigenes) clones from the forward library and 757 (483 unigenes) clones from the reversed library were informative. Sequence BlastX analysis showed that there were more transporters and adenosylhomocysteinase-like proteins in E. crassipes cultured in nitrogen deficient medium; while, those cultured in nitrogen replete medium had more proteins such as UBR4-like e3 ubiquitin- protein ligase and fasciclin-like arabinogalactan protein 8-like, as well as more cytoskeletal proteins, including actin and tubulin. Cluster of Orthologous Group (COG) analysis also demonstrated that in the forward library, the most ESTs were involved in coenzyme transportation and metabolism. In the reversed library, cytoskeletal ESTs were the most abundant. Gene Ontology (GO) analysis categories demonstrated that unigenes involved in binding, cellular process and electron carrier were the most differentially expressed unigenes between the forward and reversed libraries. All these results suggest that E. crassipes can respond to different nitrogen status by efficiently regulating and controlling some transporter gene expressions, certain metabolism processes, specific signal transduction pathways and cytoskeletal construction.

Se ha convertido en una maleza importante en hábitats de agua dulce en ríos, lagos y embalses, tanto en zonas tropicales como templadas de todo el mundo. Algunas investigaciones han indicado que se puede utilizar para la fitorremediación de agua, debido a su fuerte asimilación de nitrógeno y fósforo, y la acumulación de metales pesados, su crecimiento y propagación puede desempeñar un papel importante en la ecología ambiental. Con el fin de explorar el mecanismo molecular de respuesta a la deficiencia de nitrógeno en E. crassipes, se construyeron bibliotecas de cDNA mediante síntesis adelantada y retrasada para raíces de E. crassipes en condiciones de deficiencia de nitrógeno mediante el método de hibridación supresiva sustractiva (SSH). Para este estudio se utilizaron 2 100 clones de síntesis adelantada y 2 650 de síntesis retrasada. De la biblioteca se escogieron al azar mil clones, 737 (527 unigenes) de síntesis adelanta- da y 757 (483 unigenes) de síntesis retrasada que fueron informativos. El análisis BLASTX mostró que había más transportadores y proteínas adenosilhomocisteinasa en E. crassipes cultivadas en un medio deficiente de nitrógeno; mientras que las cultivadas en un medio repleto de nitróge- no tenían más proteínas como UBR4 e3 ubiquitina-proteína ligasa y la proteína arabinogalactano 8 tipo fasciclina, así como otras proteínas del citoesqueleto, incluyendo la actina y la tubulina. Clúster del Grupo Ortológico (COG) también demostró que en la biblioteca de síntesis adelan- tada, la mayoría de los marcadores de secuencia expresada (ESTs) estaban involucrados en el transporte de coenzimas y el metabolismo.

Surgical management of middle ear cholesteatoma and reconstruction at the same time / Manejo quirúrgico del colesteatoma del oído medio y reconstrucción en un solo tiempo

Introduction: In the surgical management of cholesteatoma, one can opt for a closed technique (simple mastoidectomy) or open surgery (radical mastoidectomy). Open mastoidectomy with reconstruction of the posterior wall and the middle ear in a single surgery combines the advantages of both techniques, namely, adequate surgical exposure, eradication of cholesteatoma, and anatomical reconstruction of the middle ear structures. Objective: To evaluate the surgical results in the management of cholesteatoma through the technique of open mastoidectomy with reconstruction of the posterior wall and the middle ear in a single surgery. Methods: Prospective analytical observational study conducted between 2009 and 2012 with patients undergoing this surgical technique in the Hospital Universitario del Valle [University Hospital of Valle], performing preoperative clinical monitoring and quarterly postoperative tomography with previous assessments of hearing and pre- and postoperative audiometry. Results: Forty-five patients were studied. Mean postoperative follow-up was 28 months. Surgical success was achieved in 93.3% of patients, as measured by clinical and radiological follow-up. Hearing preservation was found after reconstruction of the hearing mechanism, based on measured audiometry, i.e., pure-tone average (PTA), using the statistical test for paired samples between preoperative and postoperative PTA. (95%CI -1.47-12.15). Residual cholesteatoma was present in 6.6% of cases; three to four times lower than the rate reported in the literature. Conclusions: This type of surgery can be considered a successful technique in the treatment of cholesteatoma in selected cases.

Introducción: El manejo del colesteatoma es quirúrgico. Se puede optar por una técnica cerrada (mastoidectomía simple) o técnica abierta (mastoidectomía radical). La mastoidectomía abierta con reconstrucción de la pared posterosuperior y reconstrucción del oído medio en un solo tiempo quirúrgico reúne las bondades de ambas técnicas: una adecuada exposición quirúrgica, erradicación del colesteatoma y reconstrucción anatómica de las estructuras del oído medio. Objetivo: Evaluar los resultados quirúrgicos en el manejo del colesteatoma con la técnica de mastoidectomía abierta con reconstrucción de la pared posterosuperior y el oído medio en un solo tiempo quirúrgico. Métodos: Estudio analítico observacional prospectivo realizado entre 2009-2012 con pacientes sometidos a esta técnica quirúrgica en el Hospital Universitario del Valle, realizándose un seguimiento clínico preoperatorio y postoperatorio trimestral, y evaluaciones previas con tomografía de oído y audiometría pre y postoperatoria. Resultados: Se estudiaron 45 pacientes. La media de seguimiento postoperatorio fue de 28 meses. Se alcanzó éxito quirúrgico en el 93.3% de los pacientes medidos por el seguimiento clínico y radiológico. Se encontró preservación de la audición después de la reconstrucción del mecanismo auditivo, medido con audiometría basada en el promedio tonal auditivo, mediante la prueba estadística para muestras pareadas entre la PTA preoperatoria y postoperatoria (IC95% -1.47-12.15). Se presentó colesteatoma residual en el 6.6%, tres a cuatro veces menor al reportado en la literatura. Conclusion: Este tipo de cirugía se puede considerar una técnica exitosa en el tratamiento de colesteatoma en casos seleccionados.

In Silico Investigation of Rv Hypothetical Proteins of Virulent Strain Mycobacterium tuberculosis H37Rv.

Tuberculosis is an universal health problem worldwide. In Iraq the problem is aggravated by drug resistance. In Silico studies usually pave the way for more investigations of the real problem .On the other hand Mycobacterium tuberculosis does not lend itself for deep wet lab studies, therefore, In Silico studies must precede many aspects of experimental work. In Silico studies were carried out using most virulent strain and a model of studies M. tuberculosis H37Rv to investigate some of the hypothetical proteins which compromised about 39% of the annotated proteins. The studied Rv hypothetical proteins were distributed among cellular compartment fractions with high existence in the cytoplasmic fraction (about 67%). Major function prediction of these proteins were found in cellular process section using different approaches of predictions .However , some of these proteins were still await to be included in the important databases such as COG and GO which concerned mainly with function annotation.

The Correlation between the Degree of Pathogenetic Condition and Cognitive Impairment in Young OSAHS Patients / 听力学及言语疾病杂志

Objective To investigate the correlation between the degree of pathogenetic condition and cogni-tive impairment in young OSAHS patients. Methods Sixty-three patients (18～44 years old) were divided into 3 groups according to the assessment criteria regarding the degrees of pathogenetic conditions of hypoxemia and its persistence time: mild group(the lowest SaO2 ≥ 85 %, n = 20 ), moderate group (the lowest SaO2 : 65 ～ 84 %, n =24), and severe group (the lowest SAO2<65%, n= 19). Twenty-five healthy young adults were selected as the control group. All the subjects were tested with event-related potential, namely P300, the polysomnogram and the mini-mental state examination scale(MMSE). Results P300 latency in patients of three OSAHS groups was sig-nificantly prolonged as 326.1±12.7, 346.9±19.1, and 34.9±18.3 ms, as compared with those of control group: 311.9±18.3 ms (P< 0.05, respectively). In severe group, P300 latency was markedly increased compared with mild and moderate groups(P<0.01, P<0.05, respectively). No obvious differences were observed between mild and moderate groups(P=0. 095). The difference of hypoxemia lasting time could influence the P300 latency, such as when the hypoxemia lasting time was 4～60 seconds, the latency was 338. 12±13.7 ms, and when the hypoxemia lasting time increased to 60 ～ 140 s, the latency was prolonged to 354.74±16.7 ms(P = 0. 031 ). There was no difference among all groups in the P300 amplitudes. The MMSE scores for all patients were within normal limits andthere were differences between serve and control group(RA -RB=9. 91, P= 0. 003). Conclusion Among patients with OS-AHS, the impairment of cognitive function is con'anon. The degrees of pathogenetic conditions of hypoxemia and its lasting time may be used to evaluate the impairment degree of cognitive function in patients with OSAHS.

Development of the Korean Version of Alzheimers Disease Assessment Scale(ADAS-K) to Assess Cognition in Dementia

OBJECTIVES: To develop the Korean version of Alzheimer`s Disease Assessment Scale(ADAS-K), an instrument for assessment of cognitive decline and behavioral symptoms seen in persons with Alzheimer`s disease METHOD: Community-dwelling elderly with Alzheimer`s disease(n=198) and mild cognitive impairment (n=30) participated in this study to evaluate reliabilities and validities of ADAS-K. RESULTS: The ADAS-K demonstrated a high degree of internal consistency and excellent interrater and test-retest reliability and high concurrent validity. Optimal cutoff points for the ADAS-K and ADAS-K-cog were 20/21(sensitivity 91%, specificity 83%) and 17/18(sensitivity 91%, specificity 93%). CONCLUSION: The ADAS-K is valid and reliable instrument in Korean elderly with Alzheimer`s disease, that may have potential to improve research outcomes and reduce the time and costs of research.

The relationship between the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale and other measures of dementia

BACKGROUND: The cognitive subscale of the Alzheimer's Disease Assessment Scale(ADAS-Cog) has been extensively valiated in assessing cognitive function in patients with Alzheimer's Disease(AD) and used as an efficacy measure in clinical trials of AD. There is a need for additional data on the relationship between cognitive performance and other measures of dementia to fully assess the value of the ADAS-Cog as a measure of treatment efficacy. METHODS: We used data from 53 AD participants in 8 multicenter clinical drug trials to examine the distribution of baseline ADAS-Cog scores in relation to Mini-Mental State Examination(MMSE), Global Deterioration Scale(GDES), Katz Index of Activity of Daily Living(ADL), Lawton Instrumental Activity of Daily Living(IADL), Geriatric Depression Scale(GDS) and Mini-Nutritional Assessment(MNA). RESULTS: The ADAS-Cog score was statistically significantly correlated with MMSE (R=-0.755, P<0.001), GDES(R=0.403, P<0.003), ADL(R=-0.532, P<0.001), IADL(R=-0.626, P<0.001) and MNA(R=-0.427, P=0.004) scores. But GDS scores were not associated with ADAS-Cog scores.(R= -0.123, P=0.396) CONCLUSIONS: This study characterizes the relationship between ADAS-Cog scores and other commonly used measures of dementia in AD patients. As expected, baseline scores on ADAS-Cog and MMSE demonstrated significantly high correlation. The relatively weaker correlation between ADAS-Cog and GDES scores may be related to the fact that GDES does not evaluate cognitive function only. There are also significant correlations between ADAS-Cog and ADL, IADL, and MNA which indicate the severity and progression of dementia in AD patients. Further studies with larger samples including cognitive function of broader spectrum need to confirm the findings in this study.