The NMDA receptor and new possibilities in antidepressant therapy

Due to the inadequate effectiveness of pharmacological methods currently being utilized in the treatment of depression, there is an ongoing need to find newer and safer treatment strategies. Studies undertaken to date aimed at finding more effective methods for the treatment of affective disorders have been widened to incorporate other neurotransmission systems. Experiments with compounds that modify the function of the glutamatergic system highlight a new direction in the study of affective disorder treatment methods. It has been shown that one of the key mechanisms in achieving an antidepressant effect is by weakening the function of the NMDA receptor. Pre-clinical as well as clinical trials have revealed that compounds that modulate the activity of the NMDA receptor are characterized by a significant antidepressant effect which identifies them as potential antidepressant medications. In this study an attempt was made at identifying the role of the NMDA receptor in the pathogenesis and therapy of depressive disorders as well as the influence of ligands (especially antagonist) of this receptor on the function of classical antidepressant medications. Results shown in the attached studies by numerous scientists will in the future potentially add to the development of more effective and safer therapies for patients with affective disorders as well as offering a potential alternative in the treatment of drug resistant forms of depression.

Altered tissue electrical properties in women with breast cancer--preliminary observations

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

In the United States, breast cancer (BC) is the most common non-skin cancer. In Poland, it is estimated that the number of new breast cancer cases affects about 13,500 women each year. There are many methods for nutritional status assessment. One of them is bioimpedance analysis (BIA). Direct bioimpedance measures (resistance, reactance, phase angle (PA)) determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) detectf changes in tissue electrical properties. The study was conducted to investigate whether there are any tissue electrical differences in patients with breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The direct bioimpedance measures determined by bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) were performed on 34 patients with BC and 34 healthy volunteers. The measurements were made with ImpediMed bioimpedance analysis SFB7 BioImp v1.55 (Pinkenba Qld 4008, Australia).

RESULTS

Reactance and resistance at 50 kHz was found to be significantly greater in patients with BC than in the control group (53.59° ± 1.53 vs. 47.26° ± 1.25, respectively, p=0.0031; 603.24° ± 15.38 ohm vs. 515.87° ± 11.48 ohm, respectively, p=0.00004).

CONCLUSION

Pre-surgical patients diagnosed with BC have altered tissue electrical properties. Further observations of a larger patient group would be valuable to calculate survival, validate the prognostic significance of PA, and monitor nutritional and therapeutic interventions in this patient population.

Bioimpedance vector pattern in women with breast cancer detected by bioelectric impedance vector analysis. Preliminary observations

INTRODUCTION AND OBJECTIVES

The study was conducted to evaluate soft tissue hydration and mass through pattern analysis of vector plots as height, normalized resistance, and reactance measurements by bioelectric impedance vector analysis (BIVA) in patients with breast cancer.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Whole-body measurements were made with ImpediMed bioimpedance analysis SFB7 BioImp v1.55 (Pinkenba Qld 4008, Australia) in 68 adult, white, female subjects: 34 adult, white female (age 31-82) patients with breast cancer and 34 healthy volunteers matched by age, gender and BMI as a control group. The measurements were performed prior to oncological and surgical treatment, without the need for active nutritional interventions.

RESULTS

Mean vectors of women with breast cancer versus the healthy women groups were characterized by a slight increase of the normalized resistance and reactance components (separate 95% confidence limits, p < 0.05) indicating that there were slight differences of soft tissue hydration and mass.

CONCLUSION

The results observed in the presented study provide valuable information on the nutritional status of the patient prior to surgery. This quick assessment of the patient nutritional status can allow for early corrective intervention. Further observational research investigating these properties in larger groups would be beneficial to elucidate and/or confirm these findings.