The Brief Neuropsychological Screening (BNS): valuation of its clinical validity

The assessment of functional and cognitive efficiency of acute brain injured patients represents a relevant innovation in the rehabilitative approach to stroke patients. Indeed, the identification of severe cognitive difficulties early in the recovery process can be an important prognostic factor for the evolution of the disorders themselves. The aim of the present study was to describe a new diagnostic tool that rapidly assesses the cognitive efficiency of acute patients suffering from a cerebral vascular accident. The Brief Neuropsychological Screening (BNS) has been designed for the detection of either the presence or absence of damage in different cognitive areas, with particular emphasis to those most frequently occurring after a stroke, such as aphasia, apraxia, agnosia or eminattention. Data from 250 normal adult subjects and from a group of 150 acute cerebrovascular inpatients are also presented that confirm the validity of the BNS in discriminating acute patients affected by cognitive impairments from those free of cognitive disruption, and supports its prognostic value in predicting cognitive recovery over time.

The effects of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate and dexamethasone on acute inflammation and T-cell proliferation

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN

Chronic glucocorticoid treatment is associated with pharmacological resistance. We investigated the auxiliary effects of fructose-1,6-bisphosphate (FBP) on dexamethasone (DEX)-related modulation of inflammation and T-cell proliferation.

METHODS

Acute inflammation (pleurisy) was induced by injection of carrageenan into the pleural cavity of rats that were treated in vivo with DEX s. c. and FBP i. p. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells were isolated and T-cell sensitivity to FBP and DEX was evaluated in vitro.

RESULTS

FBP and DEX reduced the exudate volume, protein concentration and neutrophils in the pleural cavity. However no synergistic effects were observed when these compounds were tested simultaneously. In contrast, both compounds dose-dependently and synergistically suppressed T-cell proliferation.

CONCLUSION

These data suggest that FBP may be beneficial as auxiliary drug for the treatment of patients with acquired glucocorticoid resistance.

Extract of the bristles of Dirphia sp. increases nitric oxide in a rat pleurisy model

OBJECTIVES

In the present study we assessed the inflammatory potential of venom obtained from caterpillar genus Dirphia in an acute model of lung injury.

MATERIAL AND METHODS

Injection of extract from the bristles of Dirphia sp. (EBD) into the pleural cavity of rats elicited an acute inflammation response characterized by fluid accumulation which contained a large number of polymorphonuclear neutrophils (PMNs).

RESULTS

The results show that EBD induces an inflammatory response, with a significant increase in PMNs, exudate and nitric oxide within 4 h after a 0.04 mg/kg dose. The administration of anti-inflammatory drugs (fructose-1,6-bisphosphate, dexamethasone, rofecoxib, sodium diclofenac and pyrilamine) significantly reduced the inflammatory effect of EBD.

CONCLUSIONS

EBD causes an inflammatory reaction in the pleural cavity of rats involving a variety of inflammatory mediators, its action mechanism probably involving cellular injury and the exacerbated induction of cytokines and nitric oxide.

Controlled and automatic processing during animal word list generation in schizophrenia

Controlled and automatic aspects of semantic-associative functioning in schizophrenia were investigated by evaluating performance on animal word list generation (WLG). Responses from control (n = 47) and patient (n = 38) participants were subjected to multidimensional scaling (MDS), cluster analysis (CA), and indices on the basis of number of shared attributes (SA) between consecutive responses. Patient MDS results accounted for less variance and contained more error than control data. CA results yielded fewer and less clear animal-response subgroups among patients yet demonstrated intact associations among strongly related exemplars. The SA indices revealed better clustering and more effective switching among response clusters in controls than patients. Results suggest that animal WLG in schizophrenia is compromised both by aberrant automatic semantic-associative network activation and by controlled processes such as search, access, and selection. This pattern is consistent with prominent frontotemporal pathology evident in the disorder.