ALBERT

Beschreibung: Mild anxieties, nervousness, and restlessness are common in the general population and are commonly treated by complementary and alternative medical (CAM) therapies. A prospective, nonrandomized, noninterventional, observational study, using conventional or CAM practices, was conducted in 49 German practices. Each practice could include up to 15 subjects treated with either the homeopathic preparation Neurexan®or with combination formulations based on valerian extracts. There was no placebo group. Choice and doses of study therapies were at the respective physician's discretion. The planned treatment duration was 2 weeks. A total of 826 subjects were included in the study and 777 (553 Neurexan and 224 valerian) subjects were available for the final examination. Subjects receiving Neurexan tended to weigh less, to have fewer concomitant illnesses and slightly milder severity of nervousness/restlessness, and were likelier to be female than the subjects receiving valerian therapies. The summary score for nervousness/restlessness was reduced from 19.0 ± 6.1 at baseline to 7.4 ± 6.8 at the end of the observation period in the Neurexan group, a reduction of 11.5 ± 7.3 score units. In the valerian group, the summary score was reduced from 21.4 ± 6.0 to 12.6 ± 7.3, a reduction of 9.0 ± 6.6 score units. The changes from baseline and the differences between the groups were statistically significant. Similar significant differences in effects were seen on the subscores and on the subjects' assessments of effectiveness. Both study therapies were well tolerated. Neurexan appears to be an effective and well-tolerated alternative to valerian-based combination therapies for the treatment of nervousness/restlessness in subjects favorable towards a CAM-based therapy.

Beschreibung: Hair is composed of proteins, lipids, water, and small amounts of trace elements. All proteins in animal and human bodies are built from permutations of amino acid molecules in a polypeptide string. The polypeptide chains of protein keratin are organized into filaments in hair cells. Hair is one of the most difficult proteins to digest or solubilize. Among the most common dissolving procedures for hair are acidic, alkaline, and enzymatic hydrolysis. For the analysis of hair, the solid samples are transferred by solubilization via digestion into a liquid phase. Small molecular solvents and molecules with hydrophobic groups appear to have higher affinity for hair. A good solvent attacks the disulfide bonds between cystine molecules and hydrates the hair shaft. Consequently, the hair becomes a jelly-like mass.

Beschreibung: Corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) is a 41-amino-acid neuropeptide involved in stress responses initiated from several brain areas, including the amygdala formation. Research shows a strong relationship between stress, brain CRF, and excessive alcohol consumption. Behavioral studies suggest that the central amygdala (CeA) is significantly involved in alcohol reward and dependence. We recently reported that the ethanol augmentation of GABAergic synaptic transmission in rat CeA involves CRF1 receptors, because both CRF and ethanol significantly enhanced the amplitude of evoked GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents (IPSCs) in CeA neurons from wild-type (WT) and CRF2 knockout (KO) mice, but not in neurons of CRF1KO mice. The present study extends these findings using selective CRF receptor ligands, gene KO models, and miniature IPSC (mIPSC) analysis to assess further a presynaptic role for the CRF receptors in mediating ethanol effects in the CeA. In whole-cell patch recordings of pharmacologically isolated GABAAergic IPSCs from slices of mouse CeA, both CRF and ethanol augmented evoked IPSCs in a concentration-dependent manner, with low EC50s. A CRF1(but not CRF2) KO construct and the CRF1-selective nonpeptide antagonist NIH-3 (LWH-63) blocked the augmenting effect of both CRF and ethanol on evoked IPSCs. Furthermore, the new selective CRF1agonist stressin1, but not the CRF2agonist urocortin 3, also increased evoked IPSC amplitudes. Both CRF and ethanol decreased paired-pulse facilitation (PPF) of evoked IPSCs and significantly enhanced the frequency, but not the amplitude, of spontaneous miniature GABAergic mIPSCs in CeA neurons of WT mice, suggesting a presynaptic site of action. The PPF effect of ethanol was abolished in CeA neurons of CRF1KO mice. The CRF1antagonist NIH-3 blocked the CRF- and ethanol-induced enhancement of mIPSC frequency in CeA neurons. These data indicate that presynaptic CRF1receptors play a critical role in permitting or mediating ethanol enhancement of GABAergic synaptic transmission in CeA, via increased vesicular GABA release, and thus may be a rational target for the treatment of alcohol abuse and alcoholism.

Beschreibung: This study focuses on the analysis of the Landsat-5 TM + SPOT-Pan (1992), IRS-1C/D LISS + Pan (2000), and Landsat-5 TM (2006) satellite images that reflect the drastic land use/land cover changes in the Küçükçekmece Lake region, Istanbul. Landsat-5 TM satellite data dated 2006 was used for mapping water quality. A multiple regression analysis was carried out between the unitless planetary reflectance values derived from the satellite image andin situwater quality parameters chlorophyll a, total phosphorus, total nitrogen, turbidity, and biological and chemical oxygen demand measured at a number of stations homogenously distributed over the lake surface. The results of this study provided valuable information to local administrators on the water quality of Küçükçekmece Lake, which is a large water resource of the Istanbul Metropolitan Area. Results also show that such a methodology structured by use of reflectance values provided from satellite imagery,in situwater quality measurements, and basin land use/land cover characteristics obtained from images can serve as a powerful and rapid monitoring tool for the drinking water basins that suffer from rapid urbanization and pollution, all around the world.

Beschreibung: Approaching epidemic levels, diabetic kidney disease (DKD) is now the leading cause of end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Microalbuminuria is an early clinical marker of DKD that results from damage to the glomerular filtration barrier at the level of the highly differentiated glomerular podocyte cells. Injury to these epithelial cells, podocytopathies, includes cellular hypertrophy, foot process effacement, detachment from the glomerular basement membrane, and apoptosis. Here we review the role of a number of recently identified factors that contribute to podocytopathies in DKD. These factors include members of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), including angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) types 1 and 2, prorenin and its receptor, reactive oxygen species (ROS), prostanoids, peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPAR), advanced glycation end-products (AGEs) and their receptors (RAGE), adiponectin, and microRNAs. As the number of therapeutic options that slow, but do not halt, the progression of DKD to ESRD remains limited, a more comprehensive understanding of the signaling events that contribute to this increasingly prevalent disease may identify novel avenues for treatment and prevention.

Beschreibung: Rotavirus is a nonenveloped, double-stranded, RNA virus belonging to the Reoviridae family and is the major etiological agent of viral gastroenteritis in young children and young animals. Remarkable progress in the understanding of the rotavirus cycle has been made in the last 10 years. The knowledge of viral replication thus far acquired is based on structural studies, the expression and coexpression of individual viral proteins, silencing of individual genes by siRNAs, and the effects that these manipulations have on the physiology of the infected cell. The functions of the individual rotavirus proteins have been largely dissected; however, the interactions between them and with cell proteins, and the molecular mechanisms of virus replication, are just beginning to be understood. These advancements represent the basis for the development of effective vaccination and rational therapeutic strategies to combat rotavirus infection and diarrhea syndromes. In this paper, we review and try to integrate the new knowledge about rotavirus entry, replication, and assembly, and pose some of the questions that remain to be solved.

Beschreibung: Bilateral hydronephrosis secondary to urinary obstruction leads to a buildup of back pressure in the urinary tract and may lead to impairment of renal function. We present a case of a 57-year-old male with a history of alcoholic liver cirrhosis, who presented with tense ascites and acute renal failure. Bilateral hydronephrosis was seen on abdominal ultrasound. Multiple large-volume paracenteses resulted in resolution of hydronephrosis and prompt improvement in renal function.

Beschreibung: Postoperative and postdischarge nausea and vomiting (PONV and PDNV, respectively) add morbidity to perioperative outcomes. Combining some antiemetic agents of different mechanisms is more effective than using single agents, although this concept has not yet been tested extensively with aprepitant. Consecutive high-risk patients for PONV (n = 100) were given preoperative aprepitant 40 mg before surgery and were followed perioperatively. Female patients receiving general anesthesia (n = 81) were selected for data analysis. The primary endpoints were PONV/PDNV in the 48 h after surgery. For patients included in the data analysis, using Apfel PONV risk factors, the median risk count was four out of four. PONV and PDNV incidences were 21% (95% CI: 14-31%) and 37% (95% CI: 27-48%), respectively. Two patients experienced PACU (postanesthesia care unit) vomiting and two patients experienced emesis postdischarge. When using regression modeling and comparing patients who received one or two vs. three or four mechanistically unique antiemetics (added to preoperative aprepitant), while adjusting for surgical case duration, the three or four additional antiemetic group showed more PONV/PDNV (Odds Ratio 3.73, 95% CI 1.3-10.9,p= 0.016) than did the one or two additional drug group. There were no other predictors of PONV/PDNV (transabdominal surgery, four vs. three Apfel risk factors) in these patients. The low incidence of vomiting (2-5%) suggests the potential importance of aprepitant in a multimodal antiemetic regimen. However, there may be the potential that too many unique antiemetic mechanisms combined with preoperative aprepitant may actually increase the incidence of perioperative nausea.

Beschreibung: Over the last 3 decades since the first AIDS cases appeared, we have witnessed great progress in therapeutic methodologies that have transformed the evolution of the disease from debilitating and fatal, into chronic and controllable. HIV-infected children are arriving at adolescence and bringing specific challenges, not only to themselves, but also to their families and caregivers. This retrospective study sets forth epidemiological and treatment characteristics of 46 HIV-infected adolescents followed in a specialized university service relating said characteristics to therapy adherence assessed through a combination of three indirect methods. Therapy adherence did not reveal any association with either epidemiologic characteristics regarding age, sex, school level, household composition, age at diagnosis, mode of infection, knowledge of diagnosis, treatment time, or initial antiretroviral scheme. Patients with good therapy adherence presented lower viral load and used a smaller number of antiretroviral schemes.