Vincristine-associated total antioxidant and oxidant status of ovaries and in vitro nuclear oocyte maturation in dogs with canine transmissible venereal tumor

The aim of this study is to evaluate the effects of scheduled vincristine sulfate therapy on canine oocyte quality and nuclear oocyte maturation, associated with total antioxidant and oxidant status of ovaries and Anti-Müllerian Hormone (AMH) concentrations in dogs with Canine Transmissible Venereal Tumor (CTVT). Six bitches suffering from CTVT and six healthy bitches were included in the study. Hemogram was carried out weekly. AMH measurements and ovariohysterectomy operations were performed after the termination of vincristine sulfate therapies. Tissue samples from ovaries were utilized for Malondialdehyde (MDA), reduced Glutathione (GSH), Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), Total Anti-oxidative Status (TAS), Total Oxidative Status (TOS) measurements, and Oxidative Stress Index (OSI) was calculated. Collected oocytes were evaluated for meiotic competence, after In Vitro Maturation (IVM) and parthenogenetic activation. No difference between the two groups was observed in hematologic parameters (P > 0.05). Meiotic stages of Germinal Vesicle Break Down (GVBD), Metaphase I (MI), and Metaphase II (MII) were significantly different between groups (P < 0.05). The number of oocytes reaching MII and meiotic resumption was lower in the CTVT group. Furthermore, AMH concentrations, oxidant parameters (OSI, TOS, and MDA), and antioxidant parameters (GSH, SOD, and TAS) were also statistically different between groups (P < 0.05). The results of this study show that vincristine sulfate application in the treatment of CTVT could alter oxidant/antioxidant status in ovaries. Apart from these, oocyte quality and IVM rates seem to decline related to gonadotoxicity. Moreover, AMH could be an important marker in the evaluation of oocyte qualities in bitches, as it is in women.

A pilot study of cognition and creativity among persons with HIV disease referred for neuropsychological evaluation

Creativity can help people to innovate, overcome obstacles, and successfully navigate challenges in daily life. Some aspects of creativity rely on the prefrontostriatal loops and executive functions, which can be compromised in persons with HIV (PWH). This pilot study examined whether neuropsychological functioning plays a role in creativity in PWH. A consecutive series of 41 PWH who were referred to an urban neuropsychology clinic in southeastern Texas were enrolled. Participants completed the Abbreviated Torrance Test for Adults (ATTA) to measure creativity, from which standardized creativity scores of fluency, originality, elaboration, and flexibility were derived. Participants also completed several measures of everyday functioning and a brief clinical neuropsychological battery measuring executive functions, motor skills, memory, and visuoconstruction. Global neuropsychological functioning showed a large, positive association with ATTA creativity performance that did not vary meaningfully by creativity domain and was independent of premorbid IQ. ATTA creativity scores were not associated with any measure of everyday functioning. Findings from this pilot study suggest that higher levels of neuropsychological functioning may support multiple dimensions of creativity in adults with HIV disease. Future studies might examine whether creativity moderates the association between HIV-associated neurocognitive impairment and various health behaviors (e.g., adherence, appointment attendance).

How did individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy influence the initial uptake and use of health-related information about COVID-19?

Introduction: The rapid development of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) into a pandemic required people to quickly acquire, evaluate, and apply novel complex health-related information about the virus and transmission risks. This study examined the potentially unique and synergistic roles of individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy in the early uptake and use of COVID-19 public health information.Method: Data were collected between April 23 and 21 May 2020, a period during which 42 out of 50 states were under a stay-at-home order. Participants were 217 healthy adults who completed a telephone-based battery that included standard tests of neurocognition, health literacy, verbal IQ, personality, and anxiety. Participants also completed measures of COVID-19 information-seeking skills, knowledge, prevention intentions, and prevention behaviors.Results: A series of hierarchical multiple regressions with data-driven covariates showed that neurocognition (viz, episodic verbal memory and executive functions) was independently related to COVID-19 knowledge (e.g. symptoms, risks) at a medium effect size, but not to information-seeking skills, prevention intentions, or prevention behaviors. Health literacy was independently related to all measured aspects of COVID-19 health information and did not interact with neurocognition in any COVID-19 health domain.Conclusions: Individual differences in neurocognition and health literacy played independent and meaningful roles in the initial acquisition of knowledge related to COVID-19, which is a novel human health condition. Future studies might examine whether neurocognitive supports (e.g. spaced retrieval practice, elaboration) can improve COVID-19-related knowledge and health behaviors in vulnerable populations.

A Clinical Pilot Study of Spaced Retrieval Practice with a Self-Generation Booster to Improve Health-Related Memory in Persons With HIV Disease

Objective

Spaced retrieval practice (SRP) and self-generation are among the most replicated and effective mnemonic strategies in the cognitive psychology literature, but their benefits have not yet been realized in healthcare settings. This study used a randomized, between-subjects design to examine the hypothesis that SRP with a self-generation booster can improve memory for health-related information among clinically referred persons with HIV (PWH), who often have difficulty acquiring new health knowledge.

Method

A consecutive series of 41 PWH referred to a county-funded urban neuropsychology clinic were enrolled. Participants were randomly assigned to learn four statements about the treatment of a mock infectious disease in either a massed study control condition (n = 20) or an SRP condition (n = 21) in which they received two distributed free recall training tests supplemented with self-generation for missed items. The primary outcome was participants’ free recall of the four treatment statements after a 20-minute delay filled with nonverbal tests.

Results

PWH participants in the SRP condition were four times more likely than controls to recall at least one treatment statement at the 20-minute delay. SRP was not related to post-test recognition or health-related decision-making performance but was associated with moderately better self-efficacy for decision-making.

Conclusions

Findings from this pilot study show the potential of SRP with a self-generation booster to improve learning and memory for health-related information among PWH in clinic.

A Preliminary Study of Health Literacy in an Ethnically Diverse University Sample

There is a considerable body of research on health literacy in adult healthcare settings, mostly among at-risk clinical populations. However, much less is known about health literacy among youth transitioning to adulthood, including college students. Despite the protective effects of higher levels of education, some college students might have other risk factors for low health literacy (i.e., minority status). Hence, the purpose of the present study was to explore health literacy in an ethnically diverse public urban university. Although a majority of the students performed within the adequate range, we observed a subset of Hispanic and foreign students with lower health literacy, particularly in the domain of numeracy. Our preliminary results suggest that, contrary to common belief, there exists a vulnerable subpopulation of college students that have difficulty understanding and using health-related information. Health professionals should be alert to possible low health literacy among college students that may interfere with communication of vital health-related information and decision-making.

A systematic review of prospective memory in HIV disease: from the laboratory to daily life

OBJECTIVE

Prospective memory (PM) is described as the capacity to form and maintain an intention that is executed in response to a specific cue. Neural injury and associated neurocognitive disorders are common among persons living with HIV disease, who might therefore be susceptible to impairment in PM.

METHOD

This literature review utilized a structured qualitative approach to summarize and evaluate our current understanding of PM functioning in people living with HIV disease. 33 studies of PM in HIV+ persons met criteria for inclusion.

RESULTS

Findings showed that HIV is associated with moderate deficits in PM, which appear to be largely independent of commonly observed comorbid factors. The pattern of PM deficits reveals dysregulation of strategic processes that is consistent with the frontal systems pathology and associated executive dysfunction that characterizes HIV-associated neural injury. The literature also suggests that HIV-associated PM deficits present a strong risk of concurrent problems in a wide range of health behaviors (e.g. medication non-adherence) and activities of daily living (e.g. employment). Early attempts to improve PM in HIV disease have revealed that supporting strategic processes might be effective for some individuals.

CONCLUSIONS

HIV-associated PM deficits are common and exert a significant adverse effect on the daily lives and health of infected persons. Much work remains to be done to understand the cognitive architecture of HIV-associated PM deficits and the most efficient means to enhance PM functioning and improve health outcomes in persons living with HIV.

Is the Newest Vital Sign a Useful Measure of Health Literacy in HIV Disease?

BACKGROUND

Limited health literacy is common among persons infected with HIV and has been linked to poor mental and physical health outcomes, but there are no well-validated screening measures of health literacy in this vulnerable clinical population. The present study evaluates the usefulness of the Newest Vital Sign (NVS) as a brief measure of health literacy in HIV disease.

METHODS

Seventy-eight HIV+ adults were administered the NVS, Rapid Estimate of Adult Literacy in Medicine (REALM), and Single Item Literacy Screener (SILS). Main criterion variables included plasma HIV viral load, medication management capacity, self-efficacy for medication management, and perceived relationships with healthcare providers.

RESULTS

The NVS showed good internal consistency and moderate correlations with the REALM and SILS. Rates of limited health literacy were highest on the NVS (30.3%) as compared to SILS (6.6%) and REALM (9.2%). A series of regressions controlling for education showed that the NVS was incrementally predictive of viral load, medication management capacity and self-efficacy, and relationships with healthcare providers, above and beyond the REALM and SILS.

CONCLUSION

The NVS shows evidence of reliability, convergent validity, and incremental criterion-related validity and thus may serve as useful screening tool for assessing health literacy in HIV disease.

Accelerated and accentuated neurocognitive aging in HIV infection

There is debate as to whether the neurocognitive changes associated with HIV infection represent an acceleration of the typical aging process or more simply reflect a greater accentuated risk for age-related declines. We aimed to determine whether accelerated neurocognitive aging is observable in a sample of older HIV-infected individuals compared to age-matched seronegatives and older old (i.e., aged ≥65) seronegative adults. Participants in a cross-sectional design included 48 HIV-seronegative (O-) and 40 HIV-positive (O+) participants between the ages of 50-65 (mean ages = 55 and 56, respectively) and 40 HIV-seronegative participants aged ≥65 (OO-; mean age = 74) who were comparable for other demographics. All participants were administered a brief neurocognitive battery of attention, episodic memory, speeded executive functions, and confrontation naming (i.e., Boston Naming Test). The O+ group performed more poorly than the O- group (i.e., accentuated aging), but not differently from the OO- on digit span and initial recall of a supraspan word list, consistent with an accelerating aging profile. However, the O+ group's performance was comparable to the O- group on all other neurocognitive tests (ps > 0.05). These data partially support a model of accelerated neurocognitive aging in HIV infection, which was observed in the domain of auditory verbal attention, but not in the areas of memory, language, or speeded executive functions. Future studies should examine whether HIV-infected adults over 65 evidence accelerated aging in downstream neurocognitive domains and subsequent everyday functioning outcomes.

Pill Burden Influences the Association Between Time-Based Prospective Memory and Antiretroviral Therapy Adherence in Younger But Not Older HIV-Infected Adults

Prospective memory (PM) is associated with antiretroviral (ARV) adherence in HIV, but little is known about how pill burden and age might affect this association. One hundred seventeen older (≥50 years) and 82 younger (<50 years) HIV-infected adults were administered a measure of PM in the laboratory and subsequently were monitored for ARV adherence for 30 days using the Medication Event Monitoring System. In the older group, better time-based PM performance was associated with higher likelihood of adherence, irrespective of pill burden. Within the younger sample, time-based PM was positively related to adherence only in participants with lower pill burdens. Younger HIV-infected individuals with higher pill burdens may overcome the normal effects of time-based PM on adherence through compensatory medication-taking strategies, whereas suboptimal use of these strategies by younger HIV-infected individuals with lower pill burdens may heighten their risk of ARV nonadherence secondary to deficits in time-based PM.

The effects of HIV disease and older age on laboratory-based, naturalistic, and self-perceived symptoms of prospective memory: does retrieval cue type and delay interval matter?

There is a rising prevalence of older HIV+ adults who are at risk of deficits in higher order neurocognitive functions and associated problems in everyday functioning. The current study applied multiprocess theory to examine the effects of HIV and aging on measures of laboratory-based, naturalistic, and self-perceived symptoms of prospective memory (PM). Participants included 125 Younger (48 with HIV, age = 32 ± 4.6 years) and 189 Older (112 with HIV, age = 56 ± 4.9 years) adults. Controlling for global neurocognitive functioning, mood, and other demographics, older age and HIV had independent effects on long-delay time-based PM in the laboratory, whereas on a naturalistic PM task older HIV- adults performed better than older HIV+ adults and younger persons. In line with the naturalistic findings, older age, but not HIV, was associated with a relative sparing of self-perceived PM failures in daily life across longer delay self-cued intervals. Findings suggest that, even in relatively younger aging cohorts, the effects of HIV and older age on PM can vary across PM delay intervals by the strategic demands of the retrieval cue type, are expressed differently in the laboratory and in daily life, and are independent of other higher order neurocognitive functions (e.g., retrospective memory).

Dimensions of trauma and specific symptoms of complex posttraumatic stress disorder in inner-city youth: a preliminary study

We examined relations of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms with dimensions of trauma, including environment (Domestic vs. Community) and proximity (Indirect vs. Direct trauma) among inner-city youth. Participants (n = 65) reported traumatic events they had experienced on a version of the UCLA PTSD Reaction Index Trauma Exposure Screen, and reported PTSD symptoms with the PTSD Checklist--Civilian version (PCL-C). High rates of trauma and PTSD were found, consistent with other reports of inner-city youth. The 49% of youth surveyed met criteria for PTSD on the PCL-C symptom scale with a score cutoff of 35. Females reported elevated PTSD symptom scores and a higher incidence of Domestic trauma than did males but similar incidence of other trauma types. When males and females were combined, Domestic trauma significantly correlated with each of the PTSD symptom clusters of intrusions, numbing/avoidance, and hyperarousal. When participants with Community trauma were excluded from analyses to reduce confounding environmental influence, Domestic trauma marginally correlated with numbing/avoidance symptoms. Our findings suggest that Domestic trauma may result in more emotional numbing/avoidance symptoms than other types of trauma. Further analyses suggested that Community trauma may result in more intrusions and hyperarousal symptoms rather than emotional numbing. Environmental aspects of trauma, rather than the proximity of trauma, may have greater impact on presentation of PTSD. Future studies with larger samples are needed to confirm these findings.

Caffeic acid phenethyl ester accelerates cutaneous wound healing in a rat model and decreases oxidative stress

BACKGROUND

Cutaneous injury causes a depression in antioxidant status, as reactive oxygen species (ROS) are produced in response to injury.

AIM

To determine the effects of caffeic acid phenethyl ester (CAPE), an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent, on wound healing in rats.

METHODS

In total, 40 male rats were divided into two groups: one group treated with CAPE (n = 20) and a second untreated control group (n = 20). A linear full-thickness incision was performed on the back of each rat and sutured. After incision, CAPE was given to the treatment group and saline to the control group. On days 1, 3, 7 and 14, five animals in each group were killed, and wound tissues dissected for biochemical and histopathological analysis.

RESULTS

Wound tissues showed a significant increase in glutathione and nitric oxide levels, and a significant decrease in malondialdehyde levels and superoxide dismutase levels in the CAPE group compared with the control group. Histopathology of the wound tissues displayed rapid epithelium development in the CAPE group compared with the control group.

CONCLUSION

This study has demonstrated that CAPE partly accelerates full-thickness wound healing by its antioxidant and ROS-scavenging capabilities.

Mild degree of Poland's Syndrome reconstruction with customized silicone prosthesis

Poland's Syndrome consists of unilateral absence of the pectoralis major muscle, ipsilateral symbrachydaktylia, and occasionally associated other malformations of the anterior chest wall and breast. Mild Poland's Syndrome is characterized by asymmetry of the breasts with partial absence of the pectoralis major muscle. This report describes a 19-year-old man with unilateral hypoplasia of the breast, absence of the anterior axillary fold, and absence of the pectoralis major muscle. The patient's chest wall was reconstructed with a customized silicone prosthesis. This reconstructive technique is a simple alternative to more complex surgeries or muscle transposition.

Nasolabial V-Y advancement for closure of the midface defects

BACKGROUND

V-Y subcutaneous advancement flaps receive an excellent blood supply from subcutaneous tissue and are ideal for use on the face. Also it is advantageous cosmetically compared to other local flaps.

OBJECTIVE

Nasolabial V-Y advancement flaps are very useful in closing defects of the midface region after tumor resection.

METHODS

Our experience with nasolabial V-Y flaps in 22 patients is reported. The average defect size was 2.4 cm x 3.2 cm.

RESULTS

Minor flap necrosis occurred in one patient and simple lower eyelid ectropion in another.

CONCLUSION

Nasolabial V-Y advancement flap is a simple and satisfactory alternative for closing relatively large defects in the midface when compared with other methods such as skin graft and rotation or transposition flaps. It is easy to design, reliable, and offers good cosmetic results.

Retroperitoneal fibrosis mimicking a rectal tumor: report of a case

PURPOSE

The study contained herein was undertaken to report an original case of retroperitoneal fibrosis that resembled a rectal tumor both symptomatically and radiologically.

METHOD

Reported is a case of retrorectal fibrosis with a brief literature review of the topic.

RESULT

Although many forms of retroperitoneal fibrosis have been reported, extension below the pelvic rim is very unusual. Compression of the rectum and right ureter, with constipation as a chief complaint, made this case presentation unusual. Although computerized tomographic findings and needle biopsies supported the diagnosis of retroperitoneal fibrosis, an exploratory laparotomy was necessary to rule out a malignancy and to release the ureter.

CONCLUSION

A fibrotic mass involving the retrorectal region may mimic a rectal tumor. To reach a final diagnosis, an exploratory laparotomy may be necessary, despite sophisticated evaluation techniques, because it is difficult to differentiate whether the mass is malignant.

Gallstone recurrence after shock wave therapy

Fifty-three patients with complete clearance of all gallstone fragments after combined extracorporeal shock wave lithotripsy (ESWL) oral litholytic therapy were included in the study. Eight patients had recurrence of gallstones within the first year at follow-up evaluation. The rate of gallstone recurrence was 15.2 percent within the first year. Four of these eight patients reported biliary pain, the other four remained asymptomatic. The incidence of gallstone recurrence was high in patients who had multiple stones before ESWL treatment (p < 0.05). Age above 60 years was also associated with a higher rate of gallstone recurrence (p < 0.05).

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy and litholytic therapy in cholelithiasis

Extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (ESWL) and litholytic therapy were used in 100 patients over a period of 16 months. ESWL was carried out with a Lithostar Plus and chenodeoxycholic acid was used as the lytic agent, given until 3 months after complete disappearance of stones. Within a period of 8-12 months, stones disappeared completely in 82 per cent of the patients who had a single stone less than or equal to 20 mm in diameter and in 50 per cent of those with a single stone greater than 20 mm in size or with multiple stones. Complications requiring surgery developed in five patients: three had acute cholecystitis and two developed acute pancreatitis. Of the patients in whom complete stone clearance was achieved, two of 11 followed up developed recurrence of stones 4 months after cessation of lytic therapy.