Adv Exp Med Biol
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Because of the poor link between psychiatric diagnosis and neurobiological findings, it is difficult to classify mental disorders. The changes made to psychiatric diagnostic systems over the years can be understood in terms of "practical conservatism." The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM)-I and DSM-II were theoretically supported by the psychoanalytic and psychodynamic approach. Subsequently, psychiatric diagnoses of this kind were opposed by the anti-psychiatry movement, as well as by the findings of the Rosenhan experiment. ⋯ To overcome the limitations of the categorical approach, psychiatrists have considered adopting a dimensional approach. However, their efforts were frustrated in the DSM-5 revision process. Thus, the DSM-5 is characterized by the rearrangement of psychiatric diagnoses, the partial adoption of a dimensional approach, the introduction of new diagnoses, and harmonization with the International Classification of Diseases.
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Despite the progress made over the last decades to understand the mechanisms underlying tissue damage and neurological deficits after neurotrauma, there are currently no effective treatments in the clinic. It is well accepted that the inflammatory response in the CNS after injury exacerbates tissue loss and functional impairments. Unfortunately, the use of potent anti-inflammatory drugs, such as methylprednisolone, fails to promote therapeutic recovery and also gives rise to several undesirable side effects related to immunosuppression. ⋯ Bioactive lipids have emerged as potent molecules in controlling the initiation, coordination, and resolution of inflammation and in promoting tissue repair and recovery of homeostasis. These bioactive lipids are produced by cells involved in the inflammatory response, and their defective synthesis leads to persistent chronic inflammation, tissue damage, and fibrosis. The present chapter discusses recent evidence for the role of some of these bioactive lipids, in particular, eicosanoid and pro-resolving lipid mediators, in the regulation of inflammation after neurotrauma and highlights the therapeutic potential of some of these lipids in enhancing neurological outcomes after CNS injuries.
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Personalized medicine aims to integrate a number of characteristics such as genetic and epigenetic variations, other biomarkers, clinical symptoms, and environmental factors in order to predict susceptibility to disease, aid in diagnosis, and identify efficacious treatments with maximum likelihood of favorable response and minimal chance of adverse effects. The use of personalized medicine approaches in psychiatry is underdeveloped, but has a profound potential for improving prevention and treatment. ⋯ Ultimately, the best model for precision medicine in complex, multifactorial diseases such as psychiatric illnesses will likely involve integrated methodology that combines information from multiple sources including biologic, clinical, and environmental data. While much progress has been made in the development of valid biomarkers in psychiatric disorders, there is much work to be done in determining their clinical utility.
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Glioblastoma is a primary tumor of the brain with a poor prognosis. Pathological examination shows that this disease is characterized by intra-tumor morphological heterogeneity, while numerous and ongoing genomic analysis reveals multiple layers of heterogeneity. ⋯ In this chapter, we review, highlight, and discuss controversies and clinical relevance of glioblastoma heterogeneity and its cellular basis. Characterization of how cancer stem cells (CSCs) behave is important in understanding how tumors are initiated and how they recur following initial treatment.
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In order to provide a theoretical basis for the amelioration of heat stress-related diseases in broilers by taurine supplementation, the effect of taurine on the viability and antioxidant ability of aortic endothelial cells in broilers under heat stress was investigated in the present study. In this experiment, 10d healthy broilers were sacrificed, then aortic tissue was used for aortic endothelial cells isolation and cultivation. Tissue patching was used to cultivate primary broiler aortic endothelial cells. ⋯ Compared with the HS group, the taurine groups showed significantly higher level in relative survival rates (P < 0.05), and significantly lower apoptosis rates (P < 0.05); (2) compared to control group, LDH activity and MDA content of endothelial cells in the HS group were significantly increased (P < 0.01), while the levels of T-SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC were significantly decreased (P < 0.01). The LDH activity and MDA content of endothelial cells were significantly lower in Tau group than those of HS group (P < 0.05), while the T-SOD activity, GSH-Px activity and T-AOC of endothelial cells were significantly increased (P < 0.05) in the taurine group. The results show that HS decreases antioxidant capacity, which causes severe oxidative damage to the endothelial cells; while taurine administration prevents the decline in LDH activity and MDA content, and increases the activity of several antioxidant enzymes, including SOD, GSH-Px and T-AOC, which implies that taurine can improve the broiler aortic endothelial cells activity and antioxidant ability under heat stress.