[Long-term (prophylactic) therapy of bipolar patients with aripiprazole].

This case report presents two female bipolar patients, suffering from their disorders for several years, who are now on prophylactic aripiprazole therapy. Previously given drugs were ineffective and/or caused side effects, so the therapy had to be changed. The patients are now on aripiprazole for two years without any affective episodes, their functioning is appropriate and there has been no need for hospitalization.

Genetic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease associated with the E200K mutation: characterization of a complex proteinopathy.

The E200K mutation is the most frequent prion protein gene (PRNP) mutation detected worldwide that is associated with Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD) and thought to have overlapping features with sporadic CJD, yet detailed neuropathological studies have not been reported. In addition to the prion protein, deposition of tau, α-synuclein, and amyloid-β has been reported in human prion disease. To describe the salient and concomitant neuropathological alterations, we performed a systematic clinical, neuropathological, and biochemical study of 39 individuals carrying the E200K PRNP mutation originating from different European countries.

Seasonality and winter-type seasonal depression are associated with the rs731779 polymorphism of the serotonin-2A receptor gene.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), seasonality and increased sensitivity to the fluctuation of seasons in biological and psychological parameters can manifest to varying degrees across a normal population. The serotonin-2A (5-HT2A) receptor gene has long been suggested as a candidate for the genetic basis of this phenomenon. We hypothesized that functional sequence variation in this gene could contribute to seasonality and the development of winter- and/or summer-type seasonal depression.

Increased neuronal Rab5 immunoreactive endosomes do not colocalize with TDP-43 in motor neuron disease.

Sporadic motor neuron disease (MND) is characterized by progressive degeneration of motor neurons and intraneuronal cytoplasmic translocation and deposition of the nuclear protein TDP-43. There is a paucity of data on the subcellular mechanisms of the nuclear-cytoplasmic trafficking of TDP-43, particularly about the precise role of the endosomal-lysosomal system (ELS). In the present study, using a neuron-specific morphometric approach, we examined the expression of the early endosomal marker Rab5 and lysosomal cathepsins B, D, F, and L as well as PAS-stained structures in the anterior horn cells in 11 individuals affected by sporadic MND and 5 age-matched controls.

Curcumin labeling of neuronal fibrillar tau inclusions in human brain samples.

The study aimed to characterize curcumin (CCM) (fluorescent yellow curry pigment) labeling of neuronal fibrillar tau inclusions (FTIs) in representative cases of 3 main tauopathies: Alzheimer disease (AD), progressive supranuclear palsy, and Pick disease. After identification of FTIs in hematoxylin and eosin-stained brain sections, sequential labeling and signal colocalization image analysis were used to compare CCM with thioflavine S (ThS), monoclonal antibody AT8 immunofluorescence, and Gallyas silver staining by visualizing the same FTIs. Curcumin preference for specific tau isoforms was tested with 3-repeat tau and 4-repeat tau isoform-specific immunofluorescence.

Assessment of pulmonary arterial pressure during exercise in collagen vascular disease: echocardiography vs right-sided heart catheterization.

Background: This study compared the results of exercise Doppler echocardiography (EDE) with right-sided heart catheterization (RHC) and evaluated the combination of EDE and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) as a screening method for early pulmonary vasculopathy in patients with connective tissue disease.

Methods: Patients (N = 52) with connective tissue disease (predominantly systemic sclerosis) and without known pulmonary arterial hypertension underwent both EDE and CPET. If systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (SPAP) was > 40 mm Hg during exercise or peak oxygen uptake (Vo(2)) was < 75% predicted, RHC was suggested.

Clinicopathological variability in neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation.

Neurodegeneration with brain iron accumulation (NBIA) is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative disorder with extrapyramidal and cognitive clinical symptoms characterized by iron accumulation predominantly in the globus pallidus, cs well as extensive axonal spheroids in various regions of the brain. Recent studies indicate multiple genetic causes, however the illness can occur without obvious genetic background. The most frequent genetic form is the pantothene kinase associated neurodegeneration (PKAN) with mutation in the pantothenate kinase 2 (PANK2) gene.

Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary valve.

Pulmonary artery intimal sarcoma is a rare tumor of the cardiovascular system. Intimal sarcoma of the pulmonary valve itself has not been described. Embolization into pulmonary arteries originating from the pulmonary valve intimal sarcoma can mimic chronic thromboembolic pulmonary hypertension and mislead the diagnosis.

[Complex hallucination (visual-auditory) during coadministration of tramadol and clarithromycin].

Acute manifestations of various psychopathological symptoms require detailed differential diagnostic procedure, since their cause is found to be somatic in several cases. These adverse events during the treatment are often the side effects of the prescribed drugs or drug-drug interactions. In the presented case report, the patient had complex visual-auditory hallucinations two days after the initiation of tramadol-clarithromycin coadministration and these transient symptoms were repeated for two days.

Protein coding of neurodegenerative dementias: the neuropathological basis of biomarker diagnostics.

Neuropathological diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementias evolved by adapting the results of neuroanatomy, biochemistry, and cellular and molecular biology. Milestone findings of intra- and extracellular argyrophilic structures, visualizing protein deposition, initiated a protein-based classification. Widespread application of immunohistochemical and biochemical investigations revealed that (1) there are modifications of proteins intrinsic to disease (species that are phosphorylated, nitrated, oligomers, proteinase-resistant, with or without amyloid characteristics; cleavage products), (2) disease forms characterized by the accumulation of a single protein only are rather the exception than the rule, and (3) some modifications of proteins elude present neuropathological diagnostic procedures.

Distribution of apoptosis-related proteins in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease.

Apoptosis is one mode of programmed cell death in sporadic Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (sCJD). Distribution of affected brain regions varies between subtypes of sCJD. To compare apoptosis-related proteins representing different stages of cell death, we evaluated 30 anatomical regions for PARP, NF-kappaB, C-Jun, caspase 3 and 9, and BAX immunoreactivity in 12 sCJD cases of MM-1, MV-1, VV-2, and MV-2 subtypes, and 4 control brains.

[Developments in cancer care with innovative genomics. 2008 report of the National Cancer Consortium].

In the 3rd year of the program 8 new molecular diagnostic services have been introduced to clinic in the management of breast-, lung-, colorectal cancers as well as in GIST and melanoma. Two patents have been filed for innovative modulation of mito/motogenic signaling pathways in cancer cells. In preclinical models of human cancer a functional imaging technique was developed to detect vascular eff ects of erythropoietin.

Recombinant prion protein induces a new transmissible prion disease in wild-type animals.

Prion disease is a neurodegenerative malady, which is believed to be transmitted via a prion protein in its abnormal conformation (PrP(Sc)). Previous studies have failed to demonstrate that prion disease could be induced in wild-type animals using recombinant prion protein (rPrP) produced in Escherichia coli. Here, we report that prion infectivity was generated in Syrian hamsters after inoculating full-length rPrP that had been converted into the cross-beta-sheet amyloid form and subjected to annealing.

O-GlcNAc modification of proteins affects volume regulation in Jurkat cells.

An increasing amount of recent research has demonstrated that the hexosamine biosynthesis pathway (HBP) plays a significant role in the modulation of intracellular signaling transduction pathways, and affects cellular processes via modification of protein by O-linked beta-N-acetylglucosamine (O-GlcNAc). Besides the many known and postulated effects of protein O-GlcNAc modifications, there is little available data on the role of O-GlcNAc in cellular volume regulation. Our objective was to test the effect of increased O-GlcNAc levels on hypotonia-induced volume changes in Jurkat cells.

Creutzfeldt-jakob, Parkinson, lewy body dementia and Alzheimer diseases: from diagnosis to therapy.

Depositions of proteins in form of amyloid and non-amyloid plaques are common pathogenic signs of more than 20 degenerative diseases affecting the central nervous system or a variety of peripheral tissues. Among the neuropathological conditions, Alzheimer's, Parkinson's and the prion diseases, such as Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (CJD), present ambiguities as regarding their differential diagnosis. At present, their diagnosis must be confirmed by post-mortem examination of the brain.

A 55-year-old craftsman with dyspnea and clubbing: a case report.

Introduction: Clubbing is very uncommon in respiratory bronchiolitis-associated interstitial lung disease, and primarily raises the suspicion of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis in a patient presenting with diffuse parenchymal lung disease. If idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis can be excluded, clubbing should raise the suspicion of an occult tumour.

Case Presentation: We describe a heavy smoker presenting with dyspnea and severe clubbing.

Analysis of IMP3 expression in normal and neoplastic human pituitary tissues.

Insulin-like growth factor II mRNA-binding protein 3 (IMP3) is an oncofetal protein highly expressed in fetal tissue and malignant tumors but rarely found in adult benign tissues. In various tumors, IMP3 expression is correlated with increased tumor aggressiveness and reduced overall survival. To our knowledge, IMP3 expression has not been investigated in pituitary tumors.

Associations of adiponectin with paraoxonase 1 and sE-selectin in hemodialyzed patients.

Background/aims: In hemodialyzed (HD) patients, adiponectin and sE-selectin levels are elevated, while antioxidant paraoxonase 1 activity (PON1) is decreased. We determined if the hyperadiponectinemia in HD patients has a protective effect on the decrease in PON1 and elevation in sE-selectin in kidney failure.

Methods And Design: Predialysis serum adiponectin, PON1 and sE-selectin as well as other metabolic variables were measured in 70 HD patients.

Acute SSRI-induced anxiogenic and brain metabolic effects are attenuated 6 months after initial MDMA-induced depletion.

To assess the functional state of the serotonergic system, the acute behavioural and brain metabolic effect of SSRI antidepressants were studied during the recovery period after MDMA-induced neuronal damage. The effects of the SSRI fluoxetine and the serotonin receptor agonist meta-chloro-phenylpiperazine (m-CPP) were investigated in the social interaction test in Dark Agouti rats, 6 months after treatment with a single dose of MDMA (15 or 30 mg kg(-1), i.p.

[Investigation of adolescents' bone metabolism in the western part of Transdanubia].

Unlabelled: Childhood reference range based on the age is not available in Hungary, therefore the diagnosis and therapy of bone metabolic diseases of childhood are subject to difficulties. The aim of this work is to provide information about the adolescents' results of bone mineral density and bone biomarkers.

Subjects And Methods: Measurements were performed in 169 healthy adolescents (98 girls, 71 boys, age: 17.

[The way out from crisis--from the closing of the National Psychiatric and Neurologic Institute (OPNI) to Semmelweis University].

In our recent article we attempt to sum up the circumstances of the closing-down of the National Psychiatric and Neurologic Institute (OPNI). We intend to summarize the values that may disappear by the liquidation of the institute and try to explore the possibilities how to keep them alive in the future. Most of the divisions can operate further under the umbrella of the Semmelweis University; the modus operandi and the role of the University are also covered in this article.

Borderline pulmonary arterial pressure is associated with decreased exercise capacity in scleroderma.

Rationale: Pulmonary arterial hypertension is associated with impaired exercise capacity and decreased survival in patients with scleroderma. Randomized controlled studies showed significant benefit of targeted therapies in patients with a resting mean pulmonary arterial pressure (MPAP) greater than 25 mm Hg. The clinical relevance of pulmonary arterial pressure values in the upper normal range is unknown.