From the monthly archives:

February 2010

Reducing dietary sodium: the case for caution.

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 21, 2010)

Reducing dietary sodium: the case for caution. JAMA. 2010 Feb 3;303(5):448-9 Authors: Alderman MH QUOTE: Multiple randomized clinical trials (RCTs) have established that reduction of sodium intake sufficient to lower blood pressure also increases sympathetic nerve activity, decreases insulin sensitivity, activates the renin angiotensin system, and stimulates aldosterone secretion. ———- Low salt diets lead to: [...]

Low Serum Folate Levels as a Risk Factor for Depression

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 21, 2010)

Low Serum Folate Levels as a Risk Factor for Depressive Mood in Patients With Chronic Epilepsy J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci 15:64-66, February 2003 Johannes Rösche, Dr.med., M.A., Carmen Uhlmann, Dr.hum.biol., Dipl.Psych. and Walter Fröscher, Prof.Dr.med. This study takes into consideration whether low serum folate levels may contribute to depressive mood in patients with chronic epilepsy. [...]

Hydrocortisone treatment restores brain metabolism and working memory in PTSD

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 20, 2010)

Changes in Relative Glucose Metabolic Rate Following Cortisol Administration in Aging Veterans with Posttraumatic Stress Disorder: An FDG-PET Neuroimaging Study J Neuropsychiatry Clin Neurosci.2009; 21: 132-143 Rachel Yehuda, Ph.D., Philip D. Harvey, Ph.D., Julia A. Golier, M.D., Randall E. Newmark, B.A., Christopher R. Bowie, Ph.D., Janelle J. Wohltmann, B.A., Robert A. Grossman, M.D., James Schmeidler, [...]

DHEA improves immune system response against parasites

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 20, 2010)

Effects of dehydroepiandrosterone-sulfate (DHEA-S) and benznidazole treatments during acute infection of two different Trypanosoma cruzi strains. Immunobiology. 2010 Feb 15; Authors: Domingues Santos C, Loria RM, Rodrigues Oliveira LG, Collins Kuehn C, Alonso Toldo MP, Albuquerque S, do Prado Júnior JC A significant role for hormones in regulating the balance of Th1- and Th2-associated cytokines [...]

Gut microbes enhance the immune system

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 7, 2010)

Gut microbes extend reach to systemic innate immunity Nature Medicine 16, 160 (2010). Authors: Dana J Philpott & Stephen E Girardin Microbes in the gut can influence distant events, affecting the function of neutrophils in the circulation of mice (pages 228-231). The findings should lead to new studies examining how intestinal microbes affect immunity. ———- [...]

Selenium slows memory decline – Reducing acetylcholinesterase activity

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 7, 2010)

Organoselenium improves memory decline in mice: Involvement of acetylcholinesterase activity. Neurosci Lett. 2010 Jan 29; Authors: Pinton S, Rocha JT, Zeni G, Nogueira CW The present study was designed to investigate the possible neuroprotective effect of p,p’-methoxyl-diphenyl diselenide [(MeOPhSe)(2)] in a model of sporadic dementia of Alzheimer’s type (SDAT) induced by intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of [...]

Selenium prevents cognitive decline and oxidative damage

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 7, 2010)

Selenium prevents cognitive decline and oxidative damage in rat model of streptozotocin-induced experimental dementia of Alzheimer’s type. Brain Res. 2009 Jul 24;1281:117-27. Epub 2009 Apr 15. Ishrat T, Parveen K, Khan MM, Khuwaja G, Khan MB, Yousuf S, Ahmad A, Shrivastav P, Islam F. Department of Medical Elementology and Toxicology, Neurotoxicology Laboratory, Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard [...]

Pergolide Reduces Cognitive Deficits Associated with Schizotypal Personality Disorder

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 6, 2010)

Pergolide Treatment of Cognitive Deficits Associated with Schizotypal Personality Disorder: Continued Evidence of the Importance of the Dopamine System in the Schizophrenia Spectrum. Neuropsychopharmacology. 2010 Feb 3; Authors: McClure MM, Harvey PD, Goodman M, Triebwasser J, New A, Koenigsberg HW, Sprung LJ, Flory JD, Siever LJ Cognitive deficits observed in schizophrenia are also frequently found [...]

Supressing HPA Axis Activity via Exogenous Cortisol Enhances Aggressive Behavior in Females, but not in Males.

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 6, 2010)

Exogenous cortisol enhances aggressive behavior in females, but not in males. Psychoneuroendocrinology. 2010 Feb 1; Böhnke R, Bertsch K, Kruk MR, Richter S, Naumann E The hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis plays a major role in the development, elicitation, and enhancement of aggressive behavior in animals. Increasing evidence suggests that this is also true for humans. Here, [...]

Omega-3 Fatty Acids for Prevention of Psychotic Disorders

by Romeo Mariano, MD (February 6, 2010)

Long-Chain {omega}-3 Fatty Acids for Indicated Prevention of Psychotic Disorders: A Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 2010 Feb;67(2):146-54 Amminger GP, Schäfer MR, Papageorgiou K, Klier CM, Cotton SM, Harrigan SM, Mackinnon A, McGorry PD, Berger GE CONTEXT: The use of antipsychotic medication for the prevention of psychotic disorders is controversial. Long-chain omega-3 (omega-3) polyunsaturated [...]

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