Biomedical subjects

Ioannis Liappas

Publications and source records attributed to Ioannis Liappas.

9 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

Interleukin-1 alpha and beta, TNF-alpha and HTTLPR gene variants study on alcohol toxicity and detoxification outcome.

Genetic factors may influence the liability to treatment outcome and medical complications in alcoholism. In the present study we investigated the IL-1A rs1800587, IL-1B rs3087258, TNF-alpha rs1799724 and the HTTLPR variants in a sample of 64 alcohol dependents and 47 relatives versus a set of clinical parameters and outcome measures. Alcohol dependents had a less favorable clinical profile compared to relatives (higher cholesterol, triglycerides, glucose, glutamic oxaloacetic transaminase, glutamic pyruvic transaminase, gamma-glutamyltransferase). After detoxification, all clinical indexes improved and hepatic enzyme levels were similar in alcohol dependents and relatives, except for the GGT that remained significantly higher in alcohol dependents. Alcoholic depressive and anxiety scores were significantly reduced after detoxification. IL-1A, IL-1B, TNF-alpha and HTTLPR variants were not associated with any baseline clinical index or change after detoxification. In our sample IL-1A, IL-1B, TNF-alpha and HTTLPR do not appear as liability factors for alcohol toxicity or detoxification outcome, however the small sample size may influence the observed results.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Indices of low-grade chronic inflammation correlate with early cognitive deterioration in an elderly Greek population.

Elevated serum levels of adhesion molecules (AM) reflect low-grade chronic inflammation and have been associated with several conditions of neuronal damage. The aim of the present study was the investigation of possible correlation between early cognitive decline and inflammatory processes in the elderly as indicated by plasma C-reactive protein (CRP) and AM levels. Thirty-seven subjects with dementia were selected from a community-dwelling, genetically isolated, geriatric population (above 60 years of age) based on the Mini Mental State Examination scale (MMSE) and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-IV) criteria. In parallel, a group of 33 age-matched healthy controls were selected from the same population. The levels of CRP (mg/l), sICAM-1 (ng/ml) and sVCAM-1 (ng/ml) were measured in the serum samples of both groups. Serum concentrations of all three molecules sICAM-1, sVCAM-1 and CRP were significantly higher in the dementia group when compared to controls (656.78 +/- 161.51 versus 467.05 +/- 231.26, p < 0.01; 631.64 +/- 149.76 versus 449.04 +/- 285.27, p < 0.01; 1.53 +/- 0.97 versus 0.7221 +/- 0.61, p < 0.01, respectively). Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between the three molecules studied and the degree of severity of cognitive impairment. The findings of this study enhance the hypothesis of the presence of an underlying inflammatory process leading to cognitive deterioration and predisposing dementia in the elderly. The present work supports the evaluation of inflammatory molecules as early indicators of cognitive decline in elderly individuals.

Adult↗

PubMed2006

Elevation of plasma concentration of adhesion molecules in late-life depression.

OBJECTIVES: Late-life depression may be associated with vascular disease. The purpose of the study was to investigate this association by determining the levels of soluble adhesion molecules (sICAM-1 and sVCAM-1) which represent markers of ischemia-induced inflammation in elderly individuals with depression. METHODS: Blood samples were obtained from 33 subjects with depression selected from a community-dwelling population after screening with the Geriatric Depression Scale, and 33 matched controls. Serum concentrations of sICAM-1 (ng/mL) and sVCAM-1 (ng/mL) were measured in both groups. RESULTS: Depressed patients (Group A) possessed significantly higher sICAM-1 levels compared to healthy controls (Group B) (674.94 +/- 166.90 ng/ml vs 467.05 +/- 231.26 ng/ml, respectively, p < 0.01). Similarly the same groups demonstrated elevated sVCAM-1 levels compared to controls (572.14 +/- 182.20 ng/ml vs 449.04 +/- 285.27 ng/ml, p < 0.05); a difference that in both cases remained significant after adjustment for potential confounders (gender, smoking, presence of metabolic syndrome). CONCLUSION: These findings indicate an association between high serum levels of VCAM-1, and ICAM-1 and depression in the elderly and further support the vascular depression hypothesis, which has important implications for the understanding and management of late-life depression.

Age of Onset↗

PubMed2005

The diagnostic value of tau protein, beta-amyloid (1-42) and their ratio for the discrimination of alcohol-related cognitive disorders from Alzheimer's disease in the early stages.

BACKGROUND: Chronic and heavy alcohol abuse or dependence may result in impaired cognition and dementia. The increased risk of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in older individuals interferes with the differential diagnosis, especially when dealing with elderly patients with a long history of alcohol abuse. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the diagnostic value of the putative cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) biomarkers tau, beta-amyloid 1-42 (Abeta42) and their ratio in differentiating alcohol related cognitive disorder (ARCD) from AD. METHODS: Double-sandwich ELISA (Innotest htau antigen and beta-Amyloid (1-42), Innogenetics) were used to quantify the above markers in a total of 20 patients with ARCD, 33 AD patients with mild to moderate dementia and 50 mentally intact subjects. RESULTS: Tau protein successfully differentiated AD from normal ageing with 96% specificity and 93.9% sensitivity and from ARCD with 95% specificity, and 87.9% sensitivity. Abeta42 alone had a specificity of 88% and a sensitivity of 69.7% in differentiating AD from normal ageing, while the corresponding values for differentiating AD from ARCD were 80% and 84.8% respectively. The tau/Abeta42 ratio was better than tau alone for differentiating AD from normal ageing (specificity 94%, sensitivity 97%) and better than any of the candidate markers alone, for differentiating AD from ARCD (specificity 100%, sensitivity 97%). CONCLUSIONS: The combined use of CSF tau and Abeta42 may be a useful tool in the differential diagnosis of ARCD from AD, especially in the early stages, where diagnostic uncertainty is greater.

Aging↗

PubMed2005

The diagnostic value of cerebrospinal fluid tau protein in dementing and nondementing neuropsychiatric disorders.

Cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) total tau protein (tauT) is increased in Alzheimer's disease (AD) and may be of some help in the diagnostic work-up of demented patients. The aim of the present study was to investigate the diagnostic aid and the additional help (over that of clinical criteria) of tauT in different clinical situations. Double-sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to quantify tauT in 61 healthy controls and 241 patients with various neuropsychiatric diseases. Our results suggest that CSF tauT offers significant additional information over that of clinical criteria of AD, for the discrimination of AD from normal aging, depression, synucleinopathy, and possibly vascular dementia. However, for the differential diagnosis from frontotemporal dementia, corticobasal ganglionic degeneration, and secondary dementia, the diagnostic value is inadequate.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Neuropsychological correlates of Greek alcoholic patients who report memory disturbances.

We studied 40 male and 37 female (M age=63 yr.) Greek alcoholic patients and an equal number of control subjects. Both groups were evaluated with the Mini-Mental State Examination, the Syndrome Short Test, the Verbal Fluency Test (Category & Letter), the Clock Test, and the Digit Span (Forward and Backward from the Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised). Alcoholic patients had statistically significant lower scores on MMSE, Verbal Fluency Test, and Digit Span, and higher scores on the Syndrome Short Test, while positive correlations were found among MMSE, Verbal Fluency Test, Clock Test, Digit Span-Backward, and age. These findings point to frontal lobe dysfunction in Greek alcoholic patients which is not different from that shown in patients from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds.

Adult↗

PubMed2003

Do obsessive-compulsive patients and abstinent heroin addicts share a common psychophysiological mechanism?

BACKGROUND/AIM: Working memory (WM) and attentional deficits have been implicated in the pathophysiology of both obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and opioid addiction. The P300 component of event-related potentials (ERPs) is considered as an index of on-line updating of WM and/or attentional operations involved in this function. The present study aimed at comparing the P300 elicited during a WM test in patients with prolonged heroin abstinence, those with OCD and healthy controls, in order to demonstrate possibly common underlying psychophysiological mechanisms. METHODS: The P300 component was evaluated during the anticipatory period of a WM test in 20 patients characterized by a past history of opioid dependence (6 months abstinence), in 18 OCD patients, and 20 healthy subjects matched for age, sex and educational level. RESULTS: The two patient groups showed a considerable reduction of the P300 amplitudes, located at the right frontal area as compared with healthy controls. The abstinent heroin addicts exhibited a significantly lower P300 amplitude at central frontal areas and a significantly higher P300 amplitude at the left occipital region relative to the other two groups. Furthermore, the abstinent group showed a notable delay of P300 latency relative to controls and OCD patients at the right occipital region. Moreover, the OCD patients manifested a significant prolongation of P300 located at the central prefrontal area, relative to addicts and healthy controls. CONCLUSIONS: These findings point to considerable WM and/or attentional deficits in the long-term abstinent syndrome of heroin misuse and OCD associated with distributed and prefrontal cortical circuits, respectively. Furthermore, the present findings suggest that both OCD and long-term abstinent heroin addicts may share a common impairment of WM and/or attention involving or affecting the right prefrontal areas.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Interrelationship of hepatic function, thyroid activity and mood status in alcohol-dependent individuals.

BACKGROUND: Alcohol-induced changes in thyroid function may contribute to the development of mood disorders such as depression and anxiety that almost invariably coexist in alcohol-dependent individuals. The aim of the present study was to investigate the severity of liver dysfunction and thyroid activity in correlation with anxiety and depressive-like symptomatology before and after a detoxification period. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a sample of 100 alcohol-abusing/dependent subjects treated on an in-patient basis according to a standard detoxification protocol, measurements of the serum levels of hepatic enzymes (ASAT, ALAT, gammaGT) and thyroid hormones (T3, T4, TSH) as well as measures of anxiety, depression and global functioning were obtained at baseline and at weekly intervals over the period of 4-5 weeks. RESULTS: After completion of the alcohol detoxification, most measurements returned to normal levels and correlations were observed between the levels of hepatic enzymes and thyroid hormones. Additionally, a significant correlation was obtained between the levels of thyroid hormones and the mood status scales. CONCLUSION: Our results indicated a dysfunction of the hypothalamic-pituitary-thyroid axis in alcohol dependence with possible implications in the diagnosis and treatment of mood disorders associated with alcohol abuse.

Adult↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Effect of alcohol detoxification on serum S-100B levels of alcohol-dependent individuals.

BACKGROUND: Chronic alcohol consumption has been associated with both liver dysregulation and neurotoxic effects in the central nervous system of human beings and experimental animals. Serum levels of S100B protein have been extensively studied in several conditions of neural tissue injury but not in alcohol abuse. The aim of this study was to evaluate the serum levels of S100B in alcohol-dependent individuals and to further investigate the effect of alcohol detoxification on the levels of S100B. PATIENTS AND METHODS: Our study included 20 alcohol dependent/abusing subjects, diagnosed based on the DSM-IV criteria and treated on an inpatient basis according to a standard detoxification protocol. The serum concentration of hepatic enzymes (ASAT, ALAT, gammaGT), as well as measurements of anxiety, depression and global functioning were obtained at baseline and at weekly intervals over the period of 4-5 weeks, while S100B levels were measured on admission and discharge. RESULTS: Upon admission, hepatic enzyme levels were found increased compared to normal levels and correlated positively with the degree of alcohol consumption of the last year. Interestingly, the ALAT levels correlated positively with S100B levels upon admission. After completion of alcohol detoxification, the hepatic enzyme levels returned to normal. The S100 B levels decreased in 10 patients with a moderate alcohol-consumption over the last year, but increased in 10 patients with high alcohol consumption over the last year. Additionally, a significant correlation was found between the levels of S100B and the global functioning scale at the end of detoxification treatment. CONCLUSION: S100B protein levels are affected differently in alcohol-dependent individuals with either mild or high alcohol consumption during the period of up to one year before assessment. A good correlation between the release pattern of S100B and global functioning scale was found. Although this is a preliminary study, the present data suggest a possible use of S100B protein measurements in detecting alcohol-dependent individuals with high alcohol consumption and in further monitoring the alcohol detoxification treatment.

Adult↗