Marked Positive Response Research Articles

Comparative Studies on the Effect of Quercetin and Emilia sonchifolia Leaf Extract on Lipid Profile of Cadmium Induced Male Wistar Rats

Aims: The effects of quercetin and Emilia sonchifolia on the lipid profile in Cadmium chloride induced oxidative stress were investigated in this study
 Methodology: Twenty-four (24) male albino Wistar rats aged 5-6 weeks old and weighing 100-170g were divided into four groups of six rats each; consisting of normal control group, CdCl2 untreated group, QE treated group and ES treated group. In the initial phase of the experiment called the induction phase, Group 1 being the NC group received distilled water orally and the rest of the experimental groups were orally administered CdCl2 at a dose level of 5mg/kg b.w/day for 21 days. In the next phase of the experiment called the treatment phase Group 1 and 2 being the NC and CdCl2 untreated groups respectively, were orally administered 0.07ml of 2% tween80. Group 3 being QE treated group was administered quercetin at a dose level of 20mg/kg b.w/day + 0.07ml of 2% tween80. Group 4 being ES treated group was administered Emilia sonchifolia at a dose level of 575.8mg/kg b.w/day + 0.07ml of 2% tween80 for 28 days. After the treatment period of 28 days, the animals were fasted overnight, anesthetized and sacrificed. Whole blood was collected for biochemical assay.
 Results: Results showed that cadmium decreased body weight and significantly increased serum levels of TG, TC, LDL-C and VLDL-C across the treatment groups.
 Conclusion: Marked positive response were observed following treatment with quercetin and Emilia sonchifolia in all treated groups thus suggesting the hypolipidemic activities of quercetin and Emilia sonchifolia in cadmium induced oxidative stress.

Polar answers and epistemic stance in Greek conversation

AbstractThis conversation analytic study examines the linguistic resources for indexing epistemic stance in second position in question sequences in Greek conversation. It targets three formats for providing affirming/confirming answers to polar questions: unmarked and marked positive response tokens, and repetitions. It is shown that the three formats display different functional distributions. Unmarked response tokens do ‘simple’ answering, marked response tokens provide overt confirmations, and repetitional answers assert the respondent’s epistemic authority besides confirming the question’s proposition. Unmarked and marked response tokens accept the questioner’s epistemic stance, whereas repetitional answers may accept or resist the epistemic terms of the question, depending on the action being implemented by the question. This study sheds light on the organization of questioning and answering in Greek conversation and the role of epistemics in the design of polar answers.

GP-delivered brief weight loss interventions: a cohort study of patient responses and subsequent actions, using conversation analysis in UK primary care.

BackgroundGuidelines encourage GPs to make brief opportunistic interventions to support weight loss. However, GPs fear that starting these discussions will lead to lengthy consultations. Recognising that patients are committed to take action could allow GPs to shorten brief interventions.AimTo examine which patient responses indicated commitment to action, and the time saved if these had been recognised and the consultation closed sooner.Design and settingA mixed-method cohort study of UK primary care patients participating in a trial of opportunistic weight management interventions.MethodConversation analysis was applied to 226 consultation audiorecordings to identify types of responses from patients that indicated that an offer of referral to weight management was well received. Odds ratios (OR) were calculated to examine associations between response types and likelihood of weight management programme attendance.ResultsAffirmative responses, for example ‘yes’, displayed no conversational evidence that the referral was well received and showed no association with attendance: ‘yes’ (OR 1.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.37 to 3.95, P = 0.97). However, ‘oh’-prefaced responses and marked positive responses, for example ‘lovely’, showed conversational evidence of enthusiasm and were associated with higher odds of commercial weight management service attendance. Recognising these could have saved doctors a mean of 31 seconds per consultation.ConclusionWhen doctors make brief opportunistic interventions that incorporate the offer of help, ‘oh’-prefaced or marked positive responses indicate enthusiastic acceptance of the offer and a higher likelihood of take-up. Recognising these responses and moving swiftly to facilitate patient action would shorten the brief intervention in many cases.

Electroconvulsive therapy for manic state with mixed and psychotic features in a teenager with bipolar disorder and comorbid episodic obsessive\u2013compulsive disorder: a case report

BackgroundComorbidity of bipolar disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder is common in adolescence. Obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms may be episodic and secondary to alterations in mood, and display specific features. Management of pediatric bipolar disorder-obsessive–compulsive disorder is challenging, as pharmacotherapy of obsessive–compulsive disorder may induce or exacerbate manic episodes and there is limited evidence of treatment efficacy. Electroconvulsive therapy is sparsely used in children and adolescents, but is documented to be a safe and efficacious intervention in adults with bipolar disorder. In view of the severity of symptoms in juvenile mania, studies on treatment strategies are warranted. We report a case of an adolescent with bipolar disorder-obsessive–compulsive disorder who was successfully treated with electroconvulsive therapy during an episode of severe mania.Case presentationA 16-year-old girl of Middle East origin first presented to us with depressed mood, irritability, and increased obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms, which were initially interpreted in the context of acute stress secondary to migration. She had been diagnosed with bipolar disorder and obsessive–compulsive disorder in her previous home country, but had difficulties in accounting for earlier psychiatric history. During hospitalization her mood switched to a manic state with mixed and psychotic features, at times showing aggression toward others. Interruption in her lithium treatment for a short period and possibly the introduction of an atypical antipsychotic could in part have been triggering factors. After 8 weeks of in-patient care and psychotropic drug trials, electroconvulsive therapy was initiated and administered every second or third day for 4 weeks, with marked positive response. No apparent side effects were reported.ConclusionsThis case demonstrates the need for a detailed medical history, taking special note of periodicity and character of obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms, in adolescents with mood disorders. When treating culturally diverse patients, extra consideration should be taken. Special concerns in the pharmacological treatment to avoid the patient’s condition from worsening must be addressed, including giving priority to mood stabilization before obsessive–compulsive disorder symptoms. There are potential benefits in considering electroconvulsive therapy in young patients with severe mania where first-line treatment options have failed.

Sulfonylurea challenge test in subjects diagnosed with type 1 diabetes mellitus.

Patients with early onset diabetes because of defects in glucose-stimulated insulin secretion (GSIS) may respond better to sulfonylureas than insulin treatment. Such patients include those with monogenic disorders, who can be differentiated from autoimmune type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) by genetic testing. Genetic testing is expensive and unknown defects in GSIS would not be diagnosed. We propose a sulfonylurea challenge test to identify patients who have been clinically diagnosed with T1DM, but those who maintain a preferentially sulfonylurea-responsive insulin secretion. A total of 3 healthy controls, 2 neonatal diabetes mellitus (NDM) subjects, 3 antibody-positive (Ab+T1DM), and 12 antibody-negative (Ab-T1DM) subjects with type 1 diabetes, were given an intravenous bolus of glucose followed by an oral dose of glipizide. Healthy controls showed a robust C-peptide increase after both glucose and glipizide, but NDM subjects showed a large increase in C-peptide only following glipizide. As expected, 2 of 3 Ab+T1DM, as well as 11 of 12 Ab-T1DM showed no response to either glucose or glipizide. However, 1 Ab-T1DM and 1 Ab+T1DM showed a small C-peptide response to glucose and a marked positive response to glipizide, suggesting defects in GSIS rather than typical autoimmune diabetes. These data demonstrate the feasibility of the sulfonylurea challenge test, and suggest that responder individuals may be identified. We propose that this sulfonylurea challenge test should be explored more extensively, as it may prove useful as a clinical and scientific tool.

Effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy based on Heimbergs model of self-concept

The objective of this study is to review the effectiveness of cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) on girl students’ self-concept based on Heimberg's model. The method of this study was an experimental type. Using Tennessee’s self-concept questionnaire, 18 students (n = 9 for each group) were randomly selected into two groups: experimental group (cognitive behavioral group therapy) and control group (no treatment). After 12 session treatments (2 h per session), Tennessee’s self-concept questionnaire was repeated as a post-test in both groups. Covariance test showed that CBGT based on Heimberg’s model was more effective in experimental students' self-concept than in control group, with 99% confidence. Therefore, CBGT based on Heimberg’s model was associated with a marked positive response in young students’ self-concept. Key words: Cognitive-behavioral group therapy, Heimberg's model, self-concept, young students.

Ionospheric observations during the geomagnetic storm events on 24–27 July 2004: Long‐duration positive storm effects

Ionospheric storms represent large global disturbances of the ionospheric F region electron density in response to geomagnetic storms. In this study, we use a combination of ionospheric total electron content (TEC) global maps and data from in‐situ satellite measurements, such as solar wind data from the Advanced Composition Explorer (ACE), the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program (DMSP), and TOPographic EXplorer (TOPEX) and JASON‐1 satellites, to investigate the ionospheric response during the geomagnetic storm event on 24–27 July 2004. A chain of ground‐based Global Positioning System (GPS) stations and ionosonde measurements across South Africa have been used to give a comprehensive coverage over this midlatitude location. The most pronounced ionospheric effects of the storm occurred at low‐ and midlatitudes in the Southern hemisphere, with the most significant enhancements, observed on 25 and 27 July, presented here. The DMSP F15 satellite observed a sharp density enhancement over the midlatitudes. Over South Africa, the enhancement on 25 July was about twice as large as that observed on 27 July. The positive storm enhancements on 25 and 27 July both lasted over 7 hours, and can be classified as long‐duration positive storm effects. Also, IMF Bz had southward orientation for an extended number of hours (exceeding 9 hours) and could have been the means by which energy was continuously fed into the magnetosphere and ionosphere. In addition, the F region critical frequency (foF2) values observed at two ionosonde stations showed marked positive responses that were associated with an increase in the ionospheric peak height (hmF2).

Improved nitrogen nutrition enhances root uptake, root‐to‐shoot translocation and remobilization of zinc (65Zn) in wheat

This study focussed on the effect of increasing nitrogen (N) supply on root uptake and root-to-shoot translocation of zinc (Zn) as well as retranslocation of foliar-applied Zn in durum wheat (Triticum durum). Nutrient solution experiments were conducted to examine the root uptake and root-to-shoot translocation of (65) Zn in seedlings precultured with different N supplies. In additional experiments, the effect of varied N nutrition on retranslocation of foliar-applied (65) Zn was tested at both the vegetative and generative stages. When N supply was increased, the (65) Zn uptake by roots was enhanced by up to threefold and the (65) Zn translocation from roots to shoots increased by up to eightfold, while plant growth was affected to a much smaller degree. Retranslocation of (65) Zn from old into young leaves and from flag leaves to grains also showed marked positive responses to increasing N supply. The results demonstrate that the N-nutritional status of wheat affects major steps in the route of Zn from the growth medium to the grain, including its uptake, xylem transport and remobilization via phloem. Thus, N is a critical player in the uptake and accumulation of Zn in plants, which deserves special attention in biofortification of food crops with Zn.

Preliminary Observations on the Response ofChironex fleckeri(Cnidaria: Cubozoa: Chirodropida) to Different Colors of Light

Cubozoans are well known for their attraction to light and light-colored objects. Two highly venomous types are a public safety concern in Australian waters and elsewhere: Chironex fleckeri, long considered the world's deadliest animal and colloquially called the box jellyfish; and the irukandjis, a group of at least 10 species that cause various degrees of debilitating illness. We were asked by the tourism industry whether there might be a color of light that box jellyfish and irukandjis are not attracted to, such that nighttime diving activities might pose less risk of being stung. Our preliminary trials with Chironex fleckeri indicated a marked positive response to lights of white, red, yellow, green, orange, and blue. All colors elicited a strong and directed attraction to light; however, medusae slowed down their pulsation rate, streamed out their tentacles, and performed a series of figure-eight patterns back and forth through the lighted area when exposed to blue light, which we interpreted as feeding behavior. This compares curiously with a report subsequent to our testing, in which the small, mangrove-inhabiting cubomedusa Tripedalia cystophora and the beach-dwelling Chiropsella bronzie demonstrate a peak sensitivity to blue-green light in the region of 500 nm, and that the former is behaviorally attracted to blue and green light, but ignores red. This leaves open the possibility that Irukandji species, which are more closely related to Tripedalia than to Chironex, may be blind to red.

Central acetylcholinesterase inhibitors in the treatment of chronic traumatic brain injury—clinical experience in 111 patients

Purpose Theoretically, central acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (CAIs) could alleviate at least some of the main symptoms of chronic traumatic brain injury (TBI). The aim of this report is to describe clinical experience of the treatment of chronic TBI with these drugs. General methods From an outpatient clinic material, 111 patients were selected having chronic stable TBI with at least one of the following target symptoms: fatigue, poor memory, diminished attention or diminished initiation. Patients received in random donepezil, galantamine or rivastigmine. The evaluation of the treatment response was based on the subjective view of the patient. Findings As first treatment, 27 patients received donepezil, 30 galantamine and 54 rivastigmine. Altogether 41 patients tried more than one drug, but only three patients tried all three alternatives. In total, 61% of patients had a marked positive response and 39% a modest or no response. The clearest effect was in almost all responders a better vigilance and attention causing better general function. About half of the patients (55%) wanted to continue therapy with one of these drugs. The therapeutic response became very quickly and at low doses. There were no significant differences between the three drugs either in effect or tolerability. The age, sex, type of injury, severity of TBI or elapsed time after injury did not affect the response. The mean dose in maintenance therapy was 7.2 mg od for donepezil, 5.0 mg bid for galantamine and 2.3 mg bid for rivastigmine. Side effects or inadequate therapeutic response were the main causes for discontinuation with nearly equal frequency. Paradoxical responses were seen in some patients. Conclusions CAIs show a very promising therapeutic potential in the treatment of chronic TBI. There were no significant differences between the three drugs. Large-scale randomised double-blinded placebo-controlled studies are clearly needed.

Growth and phosphorus nutrition of a Paris-type arbuscular mycorrhizal symbiosis.

• Paris -type arbuscular mycorrhizas (AM) are reportedly the most common morphological type of AM; however, most research has focused on the Arum -type. Asphodelus fistulosus , a common weed in southern Australia, forms Paris -type AM when colonised by Glomus coronatum . It is often found in sites with low nutrient levels, and may therefore be dependent on its AM associations for growth and phosphorus (P) nutrition. • A. fistulosus was inoculated with G. coronatum and grown in pots containing a soil/sand mixture with P added to give five soil P concentrations. The plants were grown in a glasshouse and harvested 6 and 9wk after planting, at which times growth, P nutrition and colonisation were measured. • At low soil P, A. fistulosus showed very marked positive responses to colonisation both in P uptake and growth; both responses decreased with increasing P supply. Colonisation was not greatly reduced by increasing P supply. • This study appears to be one of the first detailed investigations of P responses in a Paris -type AM, providing insight into what is reportedly the more common but less well studied morphological type of AM.

Dietary melatonin selectively reverses age-related changes in cortical cytokine mRNA levels, and their responses to an inflammatory stimulus.

The basal levels of expression of mRNA of cytokines, interleukin-6 (IL-6) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF-alpha), in the cerebral cortex of 5 and 26 month-old male B6C3F1 mice have been compared. In addition, the responsivity of animals of differing age to an inflammatory stimulus (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) has been studied. Basal levels of both of these cytokine mRNAs were elevated in aged animals relative to the younger group. However LPS administration led to a robust increase in cytokine mRNA levels in the younger animals but in aged mice, there was either an unchanged (IL-6) or a depressed (TNF-alpha) response. Administration of dietary melatonin (200 ppm) to aged mice for 6 weeks prior to sacrifice, resulted in reduction of basal levels of cytokine mRNA to values found in the younger animals. Furthermore, following administration of LPS to melatonin fed animals, cerebral cytokine mRNA levels were significantly elevated rather than being unchanged or depressed. Taken together these findings reflect a trend in the cortices of melatonin-treated aged mice, to more closely approximate the status of younger mice. For comparative purposes, parallel studies were carried out using an immunologically active organ (spleen) and a non-neural organ with a low rate of cell turnover (heart muscle). In both these tissues, basal levels of cytokine mRNAs of animals of either age were very low, and there was a marked positive response to LPS. Dietary melatonin had no effect on the responses of TNF-alpha mRNA to LPS but attenuated the reaction of splenic IL-6 mRNA, thus bringing the response closer to that of the younger mice.

Observations of the effects of drought on evergreen and deciduous species in the eastern Cape forests

A study was initiated in the eastern Cape forests, just after the severe drought which ended in July 1983. The relative importance, survival and recovery of deciduous and evergreen species were studied on seven sites which covered an environmental gradient between the East London coast and the inland Amatole mountain complex. Seventy tree species were recorded of which twelve were deciduous and eight semi-deciduous. The results show no relationship between percentage deciduousness and temperature (altitude), soil moisture (pH) or soil fertility (available phosphorus). The coastal and the lowland sites were most adversely affected. Of the 236 trees which initially showed some drought impact, only 47 were dead after 40 months, and 45 of these had been evergreen trees. Leaves of most evergreen species died while they remained attached to the branches, including the rare endemic Umtiza listeriana. The evergreen Buxus macowanii in the coastal site was not affected by the drought, but was severely defoliated by a Palpita species (Lepidoptera), after which some trees and most of the saplings died. Most deciduous and semi-deciduous trees were not affected by the drought, and flushed and flowered shortly after the first rains. There are slight indications of better growth in deciduous than in evergreen trees. The deciduous Ptaeroxylon obliquum showed the most marked positive response in the coastal site. After seven months its seedlings covered the bare forest floor under the defoliated trees of Buxus macowanii, of which 35% are still surviving after eight years. The extreme drought was an important disturbance factor in the dynamics of the forests, and changed the floristic and structural composition of the Umtiza and Pirie forests, which may influence the future canopy dominance of the forest in favour of deciduous species.

After lithium augmentation: a retrospective follow-up of patients with antidepressant-refractory depression

There have been no systematic follow-up studies of depressed patients with documented refractoriness to antidepressants treated with lithium augmentation. To assess their longitudinal course, 66 (88%) of an original cohort of 75 such patients were followed in a retrospective, naturalistic design for 29.0 ± SD 15.3 months. At follow-up, 29% had poor, 23% fair, and 48% good outcomes. An acute marked positive response to lithium augmentation predicted a good subsequent course. Acute partial and non-responders had a less benign outcome despite subsequent treatments. These findings indicate that outcomes of patients with documented refractory depression are heterogenous. There is a suggestion that an acute marked response to lithium augmentation is sustained regardless of the duration of taking lithium, but this must be regarded as speculative.

Orthogonal arrays of particles in non-pigmented cells of rat ciliary epithelium: relation to distribution of filipin- and digitonin-induced alterations of the basolateral membrane.

It has been suggested that orthogonal arrays of particles may increase the rigidity of plasma membrane, as does cholesterol. Therefore, using freeze-fractured non-pigmented ciliary epithelium, the distribution of such arrays was compared to the distribution of membrane deformations induced by the sterol-probes filipin and digitonin in different domains of the basolateral plasma membrane. The distribution of orthogonal arrays of particles was homogeneous between different regions of the basolateral membrane of the non-pigmented ciliary epithelium, while the number of filipin-induced alterations was nearly 4 times higher in the membrane domains not in contact with the basal lamina than in domains in contact with it. Contrary to the homogeneous distribution of arrays, digitonin-induced deformations also differed markedly in these two basolateral membrane domains. Considering that a marked positive response to sterol probes implies a high sterol content, we conclude that orthogonal arrays of particles can occur in plasma membrane regions well-provided with cholesterol and not in direct contact with the basal lamina. Other possible roles of these arrays are discussed.

Activation of human and murine B cells by anti-immunoglobulin antibody: Dependence of the response on the preexisting level of B-cell activation

Previous reports of the response of B lymphocytes to soluble anti-immunoglobulin (anti-Ig) antibodies have yielded conflicting data. While most studies show activation of B cells, others have shown inhibitory effects. In the assay reported in this report, we were able to obtain widely diverse responses of human B-cell populations to anti-Ig antibody. An explanation of this variability was established by resort to an animal (murine) model. Mice maintained in a pathogen-free environment failed to respond or responded only weakly to anti-Ig antibody. Mice which had previously received heavy antigenic stimulation, but at the time of the experiment were not undergoing any known challenge, showed a marked positive response. Mice deliberately challenged with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) 24 hr prior to anti-Ig antibody exposure showed a high background mitogenesis in control cultures, which was inhibited by anti-Ig antibody. This preliminary study suggests that response to anti-Ig antibody differs in each phase of B-cell differentiation. In future studies it is hoped that this variability in response can be used to characterize different subsets of B-cell differentiation separated by physical or phenotypic parameters.