Atilla Uslu

Prevalence of known mutations in the MEFV gene in a population screening with high rate of carriers

The Familial Mediterranean Fever (FMF) shows an autosomal recessive pattern of inheritance and affects certain ethnic groups. Disease is caused by mutations in MEFV gene and more than 180 mutations have been defined in affected individuals. Current study aimed to determine the frequency-type of the mutations for MEFV gene in Sivas—middle Anatolian city. The cohort was composed of 3340 patients. MEFV gene mutations were studied by multiplex PCR based reverse hybridization stripAssay method. Patients’ clinical features were; family history: 68%, erysipelas-like erythema: 17.6%, fever: 89.9%, abdominal pain: 84.2%, peritonitis: 90.2%, arthritis: 33%, pleuritis: 14.2%, parental consanguinity: 21.2%. Current results revealed that M694V is the most frequent mutation (43.12%), followed by E148Q (20.18), M680I(G/C) (15.00%) and V726A (11.32%). The study population has a high rate of carriers and the E148Q mutation frequency was found to be highest when compared to the other regions of Turkey and other Mediterranean groups.

Time–frequency analysis of the event-related potentials associated with the Stroop test

Multiple executive processes are suggested to be engaged at Stroop test, and time-frequency analysis is acknowledged to improve the informative utility of EEG in cognitive brain research. We aimed to investigate event-related oscillations associated with the Stroop test. EEG data was collected from 23 healthy volunteers while they performed a computer version of Stroop test. Both evoked (phase-locked) and total (phase-locked+non-phase-locked) oscillatory responses in the EEG were analyzed by wavelet transform. Data from the congruent (color-word matching) and incongruent stimuli (color-word non-matching) conditions are compared. In the incongruent condition, N450 wave was more negative and amplitude of the late slow wave was more positive. In the time-frequency plane, the fronto-central total theta amplitude (300-700 ms) was larger in the incongruent condition. The evoked delta (250-600 ms) was larger in the congruent condition particularly over parieto-occipital regions. The larger frontal theta response in the incongruent condition was associated with the detection of interference and inhibition of the response to task-irrelevant features, while the larger evoked delta in the congruent condition was suggestive of the easier decision process owing to congruency between the physical attribute and the verbal meaning of the stimuli. Furthermore, in the incongruent condition, amplitude of the occipital total alpha in the very late phase (700-900 ms) was smaller. This prolonged desynchronization in the alpha band could be reflecting augmentation of attentional filters in visual modality for the next stimulus. These multiple findings on EEG time-frequency plane provide improved description of the overlapping processes in Stroop test.

Alterations in promoter methylation status of tumor suppressor HIC1, SFRP2, and DAPK1 genes in prostate carcinomas.

Hypermethylated genomic DNA is a common feature in tumoral tissues, although the prevalence of this modification remains poorly understood. We aimed to determine the frequency of five tumor suppressor (TS) genes in prostate cancer and the correlation between promoter hypermethylation of these genes and low and high grade of prostate carcinomas. A total of 30 prostate tumor specimens were investigated for promoter methylation status of TS hypermethylated in cancer 1 (HIC1), death-associated protein kinase 1 (DAPK1), secreted frizzled-related protein 2 (SFRP2), cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor 2A (p16), and O-6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase (MGMT) genes by using bisulfite modifying method. A high frequency of promoter hypermethylation was found in HIC1 (70.9%), SFRP2 (58.3%), and DAPK1 (33.3%) genes in tumor samples that were examined. The current data show high frequency of hypermethylation changes in HIC1, SFRP2, and DAPK1 genes in prostate carcinomas of high Gleason Score (GS).

P3 response during short-term memory retrieval revisited by a spatio-temporal analysis

The most reported event related potential (ERP) parameter during short-term memory retrieval has been P3 wave and the association has been built on the relation between P3 latency and reaction times. The aim of this study is to identify an ERP component that reflects the memory scanning process preceding the decision making stage which has been associated with the P3 peak. A spatiotemporal analysis was applied on the P3 and pre-P3 period of ERP responses obtained during the retrieval phase of the Sternberg paradigm with two memory load conditions (3 and 5 letters in the memory set). In the easy task condition with the fastest reaction times (positive probes of 3 letters condition), a single P3 was observed, whereas P3 was split into two peaks in responses to probe items of more demanding task conditions. The single P3 peak and the later components of the split P3 peaks displayed the typical P3 topography. On the other hand, the topographic mapping of the earlier peak of the split P3 wave and ascending part of the single P3 peak revealed a right parietal topography. The onset time of this earlier right lateralized topography was stable among all conditions but it persisted longer in the high memory load condition. We conclude that the right-lateralized positivity in the pre-P3 period reflects the memory scanning process followed by the P3 peak with midline parietal topography reflecting the decision making process.

Vagus nerve stimulation inhibits seizure activity and protects blood-brain barrier integrity in kindled rats with cortical dysplasia

AIMS This study investigates the effects of vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) on seizure severity and blood-brain barrier (BBB) integrity in kindled rats with cortical dysplasia (CD). MAIN METHODS Pregnant rats were exposed to 145 cGy of gamma-irradiation on day 17 of pregnancy. In offsprings, kindling was induced by giving subconvulsive doses of pentylenetetrazole. Left VNS was performed for 48 h at output currents of 0.5 or 1 mA. Horseradish peroxidase (HRP) was used to study the BBB permeability. Immunohistochemistry for occludin and P-glycoprotein (P-gp) was also performed. KEY FINDINGS Kindled rats with CD exhibited seizures with mean Racines scores of 3.57 ± 1.2 during video EEG recording. Kindled animals with CD receiving VNS at 0.5 and 1.0 mA did not exhibit either clinical or electrophysiological signs of seizure. Immunostaining for occludin, a tight junction protein, in hippocampus remained relatively intact in all groups. VNS-treated and -untreated kindled animals with CD revealed intense immunostaining for P-gp in hippocampal formation (P<0.01). Electron microscopic observations revealed frequent transport vesicles containing electron-dense HRP reaction products in the cytoplasm of brain capillary endothelial cells in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus of kindled animals with CD. Those which were exposed to 1 mA VNS were observed to have brain capillary endothelial cells largely devoid of HRP reaction products in both cerebral cortex and hippocampus. SIGNIFICANCE The results of this study suggest that VNS therapy at 1 mA inhibits seizure activity and protects BBB integrity by limiting the enhancement of transcellular pathway in kindled animals with CD.

Topographic and temporal spectral analysis of EEG signals during anaesthesia

In this study, we present the spatial and temporal evolution of EEG signal spectrum under anaesthesia. Studied features include SEF-90, α-β power ratios, spectral entropy that are known to be used in commercially available depth of anaesthesia monitors. As an additional and comparing feature, we also present Higuchi fractal dimension that is used for analysis of non-linear systems. By means of spatial analysis, we verified the shift of occipitally dominant alpha activity to frontal regions and demonstrated corresponding topographic plots.

Evaluation of cognitive performance in professional divers by means of event-related potentials and neuropsychology

OBJECTIVE We investigated whether professional air diving with no decompression illness causes any long-term changes in cognitive functions. METHODS The all-male participants consisted of 18 healthy control (HC) volunteers and 32 divers. Divers were divided into two subgroups as moderate exposure group, Divers-I (DI) and extensive exposure group, Divers-II (DII). Participants were administered a comprehensive neuropsychological battery and event-related potentials (ERPs) were recorded while they performed auditory oddball task and visual continuous performance test (CPT). RESULTS P3 waves in oddball and CPT were significantly attenuated and peak latencies were prolonged in both diver groups compared with HC. Amplitude decrements in CPT P3 were graded with respect to level of diving exposure. Neuropsychologically, DII group displayed significantly poorer performance than HC and DI groups in measures of visuo-constructional and visual long-term memory tests. DI group performed better than HC group in some measures of planning ability. CONCLUSIONS Most of the changes in neurophysiological measures and poorer neuropsychological performance were found in DII group, and this might be interpreted as a red flag for the reflection of the slowly progressing deleterious effects of silent bubbles in brain function. SIGNIFICANCE This study reports impairments in certain neuropsychological measures and apparent neurophysiological markers pointing to slow cognitive decline referring to long-term effects of diving.