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ABSTRACT: INTRODUCTION: In this study, we tested the efficacy of a tooth sealant polish (Biscover LV; Bisco, Schaumberg, Ill) to prevent enamel demineralization (white spot lesions) for the full duration of orthodontic treatment with fixed appliances. The trial design was an alternating-tooth split-mouth design. METHODS: Patients starting treatment with bonded appliances in a private practice were enrolled. The 6 maxillary anterior teeth received the test sealant or no sealant. The nonblinded orthodontists visually examined the teeth immediately after debonding and rated the presence and severity of white spot lesions using a 4-point scale. The difference in incidence of white spot lesions on treated and control teeth was tested with multivariate binary logistic regression for repeated measures by using the generalized estimating equations approach. RESULTS: Sixty-five subjects were enrolled, and 3 were lost to follow-up, leaving 62 for analysis. There was a slightly lower incidence of white spot lesions on treated teeth (13.5%; 95% confidence interval, 8.6-18.4) compared with the control teeth (17.7%; 95% confidence interval, 12.4-23.7). This difference was statistically significant in the multivariate model (Wald chi-square, 5.07; df = 1; P = 0.024). The odds ratio was equal to 0.68 (95% confidence interval, 0.47-0.95) that treated teeth would show white spot lesions relative to the control teeth. White spot lesion severity was nearly the same for treated and control teeth (mean ± SD = 1.17 ± 0.47 and 1.20 ± 0.48, respectively; Wald chi-square, 3.03; df = 1; P = 0.082). No serious adverse effects were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The sealant did not prevent all white spot lesions for the full duration of treatment. The sealant demonstrated a clinically small but statistically significant ability to prevent white spot lesions.
American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics: official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics 06/2013; 143(6):837-844. · 1.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Henna E, Hatch JP, Nicoletti M, Swann AC, Zunta-Soares G, Soares JC. Is impulsivity a common trait in bipolar and unipolar disorders? Bipolar Disord 2013: 00: 000-000. © 2013 John Wiley & Sons A/S.Published by Blackwell Publishing Ltd. Objectives: Impulsivity is increased in bipolar and unipolar disorders during episodes and is associated with substance abuse disorders and suicide risk. Impulsivity between episodes predisposes to relapses and poor therapeutic compliance. However, there is little information about impulsivity during euthymia in mood disorders. We sought to investigate trait impulsivity in euthymic bipolar and unipolar disorder patients, comparing them to healthy individuals and unaffected relatives of bipolar disorder patients. Methods: Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11A) in 54 bipolar disorder patients, 25 unipolar disorder patients, 136 healthy volunteers, and 14 unaffected relatives. The BIS-11A mean scores for all four groups were compared through the Games-Howell test for all possible pairwise combinations. Additionally, we compared impulsivity in bipolar and unipolar disorder patients with and without a history of suicide attempt and substance abuse disorder. Results: Bipolar and unipolar disorder patients scored significantly higher than the healthy controls and unaffected relatives on all measures of the BIS-11A except for attentional impulsivity. On the attentional impulsivity measures there were no differences among the unaffected relatives and the bipolar and unipolar disorder groups, but all three of these groups scored higher than the healthy participant group. There was no difference in impulsivity between bipolar and unipolar disorder subjects with and without suicide attempt. However, impulsivity was higher among bipolar and unipolar disorder subjects with past substance use disorder compared to patients without such a history. Conclusions: Questionnaire-measured impulsivity appears to be relatively independent of mood state in bipolar and unipolar disorder patients; it remains elevated in euthymia and is higher in individuals with past substance abuse. Elevated attentional and lower non-planning impulsivity in unaffected relatives of bipolar disorder patients distinguished them from healthy participants, suggesting that increased attentional impulsivity may predispose to development of affective disorders, while reduced attentional impulsivity may be protective.
Bipolar Disorders 01/2013; · 5.29 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: OBJECTIVES: To evaluate temperament and character traits using the Junior Temperament and Character Inventory (JTCI) in children and adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) in comparison with healthy control subjects (HC), and to verify if comorbidity with disruptive behavioral disorders and being currently depressed influence JTCI scores. METHODS: A case-control study comprising 41 MDD children/adolescents matched to 40 HC by gender and age (8-17years). All participants were assessed diagnostically with the Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia - Present and Lifetime (K-SADS-PL). Temperament and character traits were measured with the parent and child versions of JTCI, and depression was evaluated with the Children's Depression Rating Scale (CDRS). RESULTS: According to child and parent data, MDD subjects had significantly higher scores on harm avoidance and novelty seeking, and lower scores on reward dependence, persistence, self-directedness and cooperativeness compared with HC. According to parent data only, MDD subjects significantly differed from HC on self-transcendence (lower spirituality scores and higher fantasy scores). Comorbidity with disruptive behavioral disorders exerted influence on almost all dimensions, in general increasing the mean differences between MDD and HC subjects. Also, being currently depressed did not influence the results, except for reward dependence according to parent data. LIMITATIONS: The cross-sectional nature of the study and its limited sample size. CONCLUSIONS: MDD children/adolescents have a different temperament and character profile compared to HC subjects. This study supports previous findings of trait-like characteristics of harm avoidance and self-directedness.
Comprehensive psychiatry 12/2012; · 2.08 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The objective of this study was to examine whether anxiety increases impulsivity among patients with bipolar disorder (BPD) and major depressive disorder (MDD). Subjects comprised 205 BPD (mean age ± SD 36.6 ± 11.5 y; 29.3% males) and 105 with MDD (mean age ± SD 38 ± 13.1 y; 29.5% males) diagnosed using the DSM-IV-SCID. Impulsivity was assessed with the Barratt Impulsivity Scale and anxiety with the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. Comorbid anxiety disorders were present in 58.9% of the BPD and 29.1% of MDD. BPD were significantly more impulsive than MDD (p < 0.001), and both BPD and MDD subjects showed significantly higher impulsivity when anxiety was present either as a comorbidity (p = 0.010) or as a symptom (p = 0.011). Impulsivity rose more rapidly with increasing anxiety symptoms in MDD than in BPD. The presence of anxiety, either as a comorbid disorder or as current anxiety symptoms, is associated with higher impulsivity in subjects with either BPD or MDD.
Journal of psychiatric research 02/2012; 46(5):616-21. · 3.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Up to 50% of bipolar disorder (BD) patients present a lifetime diagnosis of alcohol use disorders (AUD). BD patients with comorbid AUD, even when in remission from the AUD, have a poorer outcome and functional impairment than patients with BD alone. The neurobiological abnormalities that potentially characterize this severe subgroup of BD patients are unknown. Our goal was to investigate gray matter (GM) volume abnormalities in BD I patients with comorbid AUD. Twenty-one BD-AUD patients, 21 BD-nonAUD BD patients, and 25 healthy controls (HC), matched by age, gender, and handedness were studied. The BD-AUD patients were in remission from AUD on average for 6.8 years. 3D SPGR MRIs (TR=25 ms, TE=5 ms, slice thickness=1.5 mm) were acquired from all subjects using a 1.5 T GE Signa Imaging System. We used an optimized voxel-based morphometry protocol to compare GM volumes among the groups. BD-AUD patients presented smaller GM volumes in the left medial frontal and the right anterior cingulate gyri compared to BD-nonAUD patients. BDnon-AUD patients did not present GM volume differences compared to HC. These findings provide evidence for an effect of comorbid AUD on regional brain structure of BD I patients and warrant further research on neurobiological aspects of this prevalent and severe comorbidity.
Neuroscience Letters 08/2011; 503(2):136-40. · 2.11 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: This article reports the validation of an assessment instrument designed to measure the outcomes of training in evidence-based practice (EBP) in the context of dentistry. Four EBP dimensions are measured by this instrument: 1) understanding of EBP concepts, 2) attitudes about EBP, 3) evidence-accessing methods, and 4) confidence in critical appraisal. The instrument-the Knowledge, Attitudes, Access, and Confidence Evaluation (KACE)-has four scales, with a total of thirty-five items: EBP knowledge (ten items), EBP attitudes (ten), accessing evidence (nine), and confidence (six). Four elements of validity were assessed: consistency of items within the KACE scales (extent to which items within a scale measure the same dimension), discrimination (capacity to detect differences between individuals with different training or experience), responsiveness (capacity to detect the effects of education on trainees), and test-retest reliability. Internal consistency of scales was assessed by analyzing responses of second-year dental students, dental residents, and dental faculty members using Cronbach coefficient alpha, a statistical measure of reliability. Discriminative validity was assessed by comparing KACE scores for the three groups. Responsiveness was assessed by comparing pre- and post-training responses for dental students and residents. To measure test-retest reliability, the full KACE was completed twice by a class of freshman dental students seventeen days apart, and the knowledge scale was completed twice by sixteen faculty members fourteen days apart. Item-to-scale consistency ranged from 0.21 to 0.78 for knowledge, 0.57 to 0.83 for attitude, 0.70 to 0.84 for accessing evidence, and 0.87 to 0.94 for confidence. For discrimination, ANOVA and post hoc testing by the Tukey-Kramer method revealed significant score differences among students, residents, and faculty members consistent with education and experience levels. For responsiveness to training, dental students and residents demonstrated statistically significant changes, in desired directions, from pre- to post-test. For the student test-retest, Pearson correlations for KACE scales were as follows: knowledge 0.66, attitudes 0.66, accessing evidence 0.74, and confidence 0.76. For the knowledge scale test-retest by faculty members, the Pearson correlation was 0.79. The construct validity of the KACE is equivalent to that of instruments that assess similar EBP dimensions in medicine. Item consistency for the knowledge scale was more variable than for other KACE scales, a finding also reported for medically oriented EBP instruments. We conclude that the KACE has good discriminative validity, responsiveness to training effects, and test-retest reliability.
Journal of dental education 02/2011; 75(2):131-44. · 0.91 Impact Factor
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John D Rugh,
William D Hendricson,
Birgit J Glass, John P Hatch,
S Thomas Deahl,
Gary Guest,
Richard Ongkiko,
Kevin Gureckis,
Archie A Jones,
William F Rose,
Peter Gakunga,
Debra Stark,
Bjorn Steffensen
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ABSTRACT: The overarching goal of the Evidence-Based Practice Program at San Antonio is to provide our graduates with life-long learning skills that will enable them to keep up-to-date and equip them with the best possible patient care skills during their 30-40 years of practice. Students are taught to (1) ask focused clinical questions, (2) search the biomedical research literature (PubMed) for the most recent and highest level of evidence, (3) critically evaluate the evidence, and (4) make clinical judgments about the applicability of the evidence for their patients. Students must demonstrate competency with these "just-in-time" learning skills through writing concise one-page Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) on focused clinical questions. The school has established an online searchable library of these Critically Appraised Topics. This library provides students and faculty with rapid, up-to-date evidence-based answers to clinical questions. The long-range plan is to make this online library available to practitioners and the public.
Texas dental journal 02/2011; 128(2):187-90.
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Sheila C Caetano,
Rene L Olvera, John P Hatch,
Marsal Sanches,
Hua Hsuan Chen,
Mark Nicoletti,
Jeffrey A Stanley,
Manoela Fonseca,
Kristina Hunter,
Beny Lafer,
Steven R Pliszka,
Jair C Soares
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ABSTRACT: The few studies applying single-voxel ¹H spectroscopy in children and adolescents with bipolar disorder (BD) have reported low N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), and high myo-inositol / phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr) ratios in the anterior cingulate. The aim of this study was to evaluate NAA, glycerophosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC+PC) and PCr+Cr in various frontal cortical areas in children and adolescents with BD. We hypothesized that NAA levels within the prefrontal cortex are lower in BD patients than in healthy controls, indicating neurodevelopmental alterations in the former.
We studied 43 pediatric patients with DSM-IV BD (19 female, mean age 13.2 ± 2.9 years) and 38 healthy controls (19 female, mean age 13.9 ± 2.7 years). We conducted multivoxel in vivo ¹H spectroscopy measurements at 1.5 Tesla using a long echo time of 272 ms to obtain bilateral metabolite levels from the medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), DLPFC (white and gray matter), cingulate (anterior and posterior), and occipital lobes. We used the nonparametric Mann-Whitney U test to compare neurochemical levels between groups.
In pediatric BD patients, NAA and GPC+PC levels in the bilateral MPFC, and PCr+Cr levels in the left MPFC were lower than those seen in the controls. In the left DLPFC white matter, levels of NAA and PCr+Cr were also lower in BD patients than in controls.
Lower NAA and PCr+Cr levels in the PFC of children and adolescents with BD may be indicative of abnormal dendritic arborization and neuropil, suggesting neurodevelopmental abnormalities.
Journal of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry 01/2011; 50(1):85-94. · 4.98 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Recent studies have demonstrated high rates of psychopathology in the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder. The aim of this study was to identify psychiatric diagnoses in a sample of children of bipolar parents.
This case series comprised 35 children and adolescents aged 6 to 17 years, with a mean age of 12.5 ± 2.9 years (20 males and 15 females), who had at least one parent with bipolar disorder type I. The subjects were assessed using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children - Present and Lifetime version (K-SADS-PL). Family psychiatric history and demographics were also evaluated.
Of the offspring studied, 71.4% had a lifetime diagnosis of at least one psychiatric disorder (28.6% with a mood disorder, 40% with a disruptive behavior disorder and 20% with an anxiety disorder). Pure mood disorders (11.4%) occurred less frequently than mood disorders comorbid with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (17.1%). Psychopathology was commonly reported in second-degree relatives of the offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (71.4%).
Our results support previous findings of an increased risk for developing psychopathology, predominantly mood and disruptive disorders, in the offspring of bipolar individuals. Prospective studies with larger samples are needed to confirm and expand these results.
Clinics (São Paulo, Brazil) 01/2011; 66(5):725-30. · 1.59 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: There is increasing evidence of a reciprocal fronto-limbic network in the pathogenesis of mood disorders. Prior in vivo proton ((1)H) spectroscopy studies provide evidence of abnormal neurochemical levels in the cingulate and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of adult subjects with major depressive disorder (MDD). We examined whether similar abnormalities occur in children and adolescents with MDD. We collected two-dimensional multi-voxel in vivo (1)H spectroscopy data at 1.5 Tesla to quantify levels of N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA), glycerolphosphocholine plus phosphocholine (GPC+PC), and phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr) in the DLPFC, medial prefrontal cortex (MPFC), and anterior cingulate (AC) of children and adolescents aged 8-17 years with MDD (n=16) compared with healthy control subjects (n=38). Analysis of covariance with age and gender as covariates was performed. MDD subjects showed significantly lower levels of NAA in the right MPFC and right AC than controls. MDD subjects also had significantly lower levels of GPC+PC in the right AC than control subjects. There were no significant differences in other metabolites in the studied regions. Pediatric patients with MDD exhibit neurochemical alterations in prefrontal cortex regions that are important in the monitoring and regulation of emotional states.
Psychiatry Research 11/2010; 184(2):71-6. · 2.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The subgenual prefrontal cortex (SGPFC) is an important brain region involved in emotional regulation and reward mechanisms. Volumetric abnormalities in this region have been identified in adults with bipolar disorder but thus far not in pediatric cases. We examined the volume of this brain region in subjects with pediatric bipolar disorder (PBD) and compared them to healthy controls.
Fifty one children and adolescents (mean age ± SD; 13.2 ± 2.9 y) with DSM-IV PBD and 41 (mean age ± SD; 13.7 ± 2.7 y) healthy comparison subjects (HC) underwent 1.5 T structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain scans. We traced the SGPFC manually and compared SGPFC gray matter volumes using analysis of covariance with age, gender, and intracranial volume as covariates. We also examined the relationship of family history of affective disorders and medication status to SGPFC volumes.
SGPFC volumes were not significantly different in PBD and HC subjects. However, exploratory analysis showed PBD subjects who had one or more first degree relatives with mood disorders (n = 33) had significantly smaller left hemisphere SGPFC compared to HC (p = 0.03 Sidak corrected). Current usage of a mood stabilizer was significantly associated with larger right SGPFC volume in PBD (F = 4.82, df = 1/41, p = 0.03).
Subjects with PBD and a close family history of mood disorders may have smaller left SGPFC volumes than HC. Mood stabilizing medication may also impact SGPFC size and could have masked more subtle abnormalities overall.
Journal of psychiatric research 11/2010; 44(15):1106-10. · 3.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Abnormalities of the cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (CSTC) and the limbic-cortico-striatal-thalamic-cortical (LCSTC) circuits have been hypothesized in mood disorders. We performed principal component analysis (PCA) to identify latent volumetric systems on regional brain volumes and correlated these patterns with clinical characteristics; further, we performed exploratory structural equation modeling (SEM) to test a priori hypotheses about the organization among the structures comprising the CSTC and LCSTC circuits, and to investigate differences among subjects with bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), and healthy controls (HC). Participants included 45 BD and 31 MDD patients, and 72 HC. Regional MR brain volumes were used to calculate patterns of volumetric covariance. The identified latent volumetric systems were related to the depression severity and the duration of illness. BD differed from HC on the estimated parameters describing the paths of cortico-striatal, thalamo-striatal and intrastriatal loops of the CSTC circuit, and the paths between anterior and posterior cingulate cortex (PCC), and hippocampus to amygdala of the LCSTC circuit. MDD differed from HC on the paths between putamen and thalamus, and PCC to hippocampus. This study provides evidence to suggest different organizational patterns among structures within the CSTC and LCSTC circuits for BD, MDD, and HC, which may point to structural abnormalities underlying mood disorders.
Psychiatry Research 11/2010; 184(3):177-85. · 2.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: As digital imaging improves and digital cephalometric radiography becomes more prevalent, the need for digital storage space and transmission speed will increase. Compression of the image files is 1 method to overcome transmission overload. However, compression could compromise image quality. The purpose of this study was to determine the range of compression ratios, by using the JPEG2000 standard, within which the identification of landmarks on cephalometric radiographs is not compromised.
Ten lateral cephalometric digital images were used. Six raters identified 19 landmarks under controlled viewing conditions. The images included the original uncompressed TIFF image and the JPEG2000 format at 3:1, 12:1, 50:1, and 110:1 compression ratios. The images were randomized and displayed with image processing software. The x and y coordinates of each landmark were recorded.
All compression ratios performed equally well compared with the original images with the exception of A-point and nasion at 110:1 and gonion at 3:1 compression ratios. All landmark identifications were precise with the exception of the maxillary incisal apex and edge at the 12:1 and 50:1 compression ratios, respectively.
JPEG2000 is a reliable file format that can be implemented in orthodontic practice.
American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics: official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics 10/2010; 138(4):518-24. · 1.33 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The aim of this study was to examine the effects of history of suffocation, state-trait anxiety, and anxiety sensitivity on response to a 35% carbon dioxide (CO₂) challenge in panic disorder patients, their healthy first-degree relatives and healthy comparisons. Thirty-two patients with panic disorder, 32 first-degree relatives, and 34 healthy volunteers underwent the 35% CO₂ challenge. We assessed baseline anxiety with the Anxiety Sensitivity Index (ASI) and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI1), and panic symptoms with the Panic Symptom List (PSL III-R). A history of suffocation was associated with greater risk of CO₂ reactivity in the combined sample. Patients had more anxiety sensitivity and state and trait anxiety than relatives and healthy comparisons; the difference between relatives and healthy comparisons was not significant. In female patients, trait anxiety predicted CO₂-induced panic. Having a CO₂-sensitive panic disorder patient as a first-degree relative did not predict CO₂-induced panic in a healthy relative. History of suffocation may be an important predictor of CO₂-induced panic. Trait anxiety may have a gender-specific relation to CO₂ reactivity.
Psychiatry Research 09/2010; 179(2):194-7. · 2.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: The risks for depression broadly include biological and environmental factors. Furthermore, having a family member suffering from major depression is also likely to have consequences for the family environment. Further research aimed at understanding the effects of having a child with major depression on family interaction patterns is warranted.
We studied 31 families with an 8- to 17-year-old child (mean age +/- SD = 12.9 +/- 2.7 years) who met the DSM-IV criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) and 34 families with no mentally ill children (mean age +/- SD = 12.6 +/- 2.9 years) or parents. Children and their parents were assessed with the K-SADS-PL (Kiddie Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Present and Lifetime Version) interview. Parents completed the Moos Family Environment Scale (FES) to assess their perceptions of current family functioning. Data were analyzed using the nonparametric Wilcoxon-Mann-Whitney test.
Families of MDD children showed significantly different patterns of family functioning on FES subscales representing relationships and personal growth dimensions. The families with MDD children showed higher levels of conflict (p < 0.001) and lower levels of cohesion (p < 0.001), expressiveness (p = 0.003) and active-recreational orientation (p = 0.02) compared to the families without mentally ill children.
Families with MDD children show a lower degree of commitment, provide less support to one another, provide less encouragement to express feelings and have more conflicts compared to families with no mentally ill children or parents. Interventions aimed at improving family dynamics may be beneficial to MDD children and their families.
Psychopathology 01/2010; 43(5):312-8. · 1.82 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: There is evidence from medicine that schools and practitioners are slow to adopt new and proven effective treatments while marketing efforts lead practitioners to too quickly adopt unproven modalities. To address these problems, the dental school at the University of Texas Health Sciences Center at San Antonio, has developed a program designed to teach students, faculty, and practitioners the skills of accessing the literature as an intrinsic part of treatment. The Critically Appraised Topics (CATs) program is described and evidence is presented showing that participants can be taught to prepare high-quality summaries of the literature pertinent to clinical problems.
The Journal of the American College of Dentists 01/2010; 77(2):16-21.
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ABSTRACT: Suicidality is a life-threatening symptom in patients with bipolar disorder (BD). Impulsivity and mood instability are associated with suicidality in mood disorders. Evidence suggests that gray and white matter abnormalities are linked with impulsivity in mood disorders, but little is known about the association between corpus callosum (CC) and impulsivity in BD. We examined the relationship between CC areas, impulsivity and suicidality in BD patients. We studied 10 female BD patients with a history of suicide attempt (mean+/-SD age 36.2+/-10.1 years), 10 female BD patients without suicide attempt history (44.2+/-12.5 years) and 27 female healthy subjects (36.9+/-13.8 years). Impulsivity was evaluated by the Barratt Impulsivity Scale (BIS). We traced MR images to measure the areas of the CC genu, anterior body, posterior body, isthmus and splenium. The genu was divided into anterior, middle and posterior regions. The suicidal and non-suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS total, attention and non-planning scores than the healthy subjects (ps<0.01), and the suicidal BD patients had significantly higher BIS motor scores than the non-suicidal BD and healthy subjects (ps<0.01). There were no significant differences among the three groups on any regional CC areas, although the suicidal BD patients had the smallest areas. The suicidal BD patients showed a significant inverse correlation between anterior genu area and the BIS total (r=-0.75, p=0.04), motor (r=-0.79, p=0.02) and non-planning scores (r=-0.79, p=0.02). These correlations were not found in the non-suicidal BD patients or healthy subjects. The results suggest that the anterior medial frontal region may be involved in the pathophysiology of impulsive and suicidal behaviors in BD.
Neuroscience Letters 11/2009; 469(1):75-80. · 2.11 Impact Factor
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Fabiano G Nery,
Jeffrey A Stanley,
Hua-Hsuan Chen, John P Hatch,
Mark A Nicoletti,
Emel Serap Monkul,
Koji Matsuo,
Sheila C Caetano,
Marco A Peluso,
Pablo Najt,
Jair C Soares
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ABSTRACT: Few proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy ((1)H spectroscopy) studies have investigated the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC), a key region in the pathophysiology of major depressive disorder (MDD). We used (1)H spectroscopy to verify whether MDD patients differ from healthy controls (HC) in metabolite levels in this brain area. Thirty-seven unmedicated DSM-IV MDD patients were compared with 40 HC. Subjects underwent a short echo-time (1)H spectroscopy examination at 1.5 T, with an 8-cm(3) single voxel placed in the left DLPFC. Reliable absolute metabolite levels of N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), phosphocreatine plus creatine (PCr+Cr), choline-containing compounds (GPC+PC), myo-inositol, glutamate plus glutamine (Glu+Gln), and glutamate were obtained using the unsuppressed water signal as an internal reference. Metabolite levels in the left DLPFC did not statistically differ between MDD patients and HC. We found an interaction between gender and diagnosis on PCr+Cr levels. Male MDD patients presented lower levels of PCr+Cr than male HC, and female MDD patients presented higher levels of PCr+Cr than female HC. Moreover, length of illness was inversely correlated with NAA levels. These findings suggest that there is not an effect of diagnosis on the left DLPFC neurochemistry. Possible effects of gender on PCr+Cr levels of MDD patients need to be further investigated.
Psychiatry Research 11/2009; 174(3):177-83. · 2.52 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Alcoholism is highly prevalent among bipolar disorder (BD) patients, and its presence is associated with a worse outcome and refractoriness to treatment of the mood disorder. The neurobiological underpinnings that characterize this comorbidity are unknown. We sought to investigate the neurochemical profile of the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) of BD patients with comorbid alcoholism. A short-TE, single-voxel (1)H spectroscopy acquisition at 1.5T from the left DLFPC of 22 alcoholic BD patients, 26 non-alcoholic BD patients and 54 healthy comparison subjects (HC) were obtained. Absolute levels of N-acetyl aspartate, phosphocreatine plus creatine, choline-containing compounds, myo-inositol, glutamate plus glutamine (Glu+Gln) and glutamate were obtained using the water signal as an internal reference. Analysis of co-variance was used to compare metabolite levels among the three groups. In the primary comparison, non-alcoholic BD patients had higher glutamate concentrations compared to alcoholic BD patients. In secondary comparisons integrating interactions between gender and alcoholism, non-alcoholic BD patients presented significantly higher glutamate plus glutamine (Glu+Gln) than alcoholic BD patients and HC. These results appeared to be driven by differences in male subjects. Alcoholic BD patients with additional drug use disorders presented significantly lower myo-inositol than BD patients with alcoholism alone. The co-occurrence of BD and alcoholism may be characterized by neurochemical abnormalities related to the glutamatergic system and to the inositol second messenger system and/or in glial pathology. These abnormalities may be the neurochemical correlate of an increased risk to develop alcoholism in BD, or of a persistently worse clinical and functional status in BD patients in remission from alcoholism, supporting the clinical recommendation that efforts should be made to prevent or early diagnose and treat alcoholism in BD patients.
Journal of psychiatric research 10/2009; 44(5):278-85. · 3.72 Impact Factor
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ABSTRACT: Obesity is a growing problem in the United States. We examined patients undergoing orthognathic surgical correction for Class II skeletal malocclusions and assessed outcomes in relation to body mass index.
The patients (n = 78) were divided into 3 groups (obese, overweight, and normal or thin) based on body mass index score. They were treated with mandibular advancement (mean, 4.9 mm) with rigid fixation and evaluated cephalometrically for postsurgical changes over a 2-year period; a subset of 54 patients was followed for 5 years.
Obese and overweight patients experienced relative postsurgical forward movements at B-point (means, 2.6 and 1.0 mm, respectively), whereas the normal or thin patients had relapses (mean, -0.7 mm) over the 2 years. This trend held up at 5 years, with the obese patients experiencing 3 mm of forward movement compared with the normal or thin patients. Potential reasons for this difference in postsurgical response are orthopedic effects of tongue posture and hormonal and biochemical differences caused by obesity.
Obese and overweight patients have different responses to mandibular advancement with rigid fixation compared with normal or thin patients. These data should enable orthodontists and surgeons to more appropriately treat obese patients.
American journal of orthodontics and dentofacial orthopedics: official publication of the American Association of Orthodontists, its constituent societies, and the American Board of Orthodontics 09/2009; 136(2):175-84. · 1.33 Impact Factor
