Biomedical subjects

Maryam Noroozian

Publications and source records attributed to Maryam Noroozian.

6 recordsLinked to original sources

PubMed2006

C677T methylentetrahydrofulate reductase and angiotensin converting enzyme gene polymorphisms in patients with Alzheimer's disease in Iranian population.

In recent years numerous data suggest that vascular risk factors may be play a role in Alzheimer's disease (AD). To determine the association of AD with methylentetrahydrofulate reductase (MTHFR) and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) as two main vascular risk factors, we examined MTHFR C677T and ACE insertion/deletion (I/D) gene polymorphism in 117 late-onset AD cases and 125 controls. We found no difference in ACE I/D genotype distribution between AD cases and control (P > 0.05) but there was a significant association between AD and the common MTHFR polymorphism C677T. The T allele conferred an increased risk of AD compared to carrying a C allele (P = 0.001, OR = 1.97, 95% CI: 1.3-2.09). Our result suggests a significant increase in risk of AD in cases with the MTHFR T allele, atleast in the Iranian population.

Aged↗

PubMed2006

Psychiatric morbidity among sentenced prisoners: prevalence study in Iran.

BACKGROUND: Information on psychiatric morbidity of prisoners has almost entirely been based on research in Western countries and it is uncertain whether these research findings are applicable to other settings. AIMS: The primary objective was to investigate the prevalence of psychiatric disorders in Iranian prisoners. METHOD: Through stratified random sampling, 351 prisoners were interviewed using the clinical version of the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders and the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version. RESULTS: The majority (88%) of prisoners met DSM-IV criteria for lifetime diagnosis of at least one Axis I disorder and 57% were diagnosed with current Axis I disorders. Opioid dependence (73%) had the highest prevalence among lifetime diagnoses, whereas major depressive disorder (29%) was the most common current diagnosis. Psychopathy was recorded in 23%. Prevalence rates of psychiatric disorders were significantly different among offence categories. CONCLUSIONS: The results suggest that a substantial burden of psychiatric morbidity exists in the prison population of Iran, with treatment challenges that appear to be different from those observed in inmates in Western countries.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2005

Brain complexity increases in mania.

An important challenge in measuring whole brain activation is to develop a measure that could distinguish between normal and abnormal mood states. The application of chaos theory and non-linear dynamics to problems in biological sciences has resulted in a growing body of advancements and the notion of brain as a complex, non-linear system has attracted physicists, mathematicians, biologists and psychologists alike. To search for a correlation between alterations in chaotic brain states and mood disorders, we compared the fractal dimension of the electroencephalographic (EEG) signal in patients going through a manic episode of bipolar mood disorder (BMD) type I to a control group of healthy adults and showed that the EEG fractal dimension is significantly augmented in our patients. Thus, for the first time, we draw a clear objective distinction between normal and abnormal mood and associated brain states.

Adult↗

PubMed2002

Academic achievement and learning abilities in left-handers: guilt or gift?

The main purpose of this cross-sectional study was to compare the acceptance rate (AR) of left-handers (LHs) with that of right-handers (RHs) in the college entrance examination (CEE) for the national universities in Iran. During 5 successive years, fifty thousand participants in this exam were randomly sampled. We evaluated the relationships between AR and hand preference, sex, college admission (CA), entrance exam score (EES) and study areas: Mathematics, Natural Sciences, Humanities and Art. The acceptance rate of the LHs over the entire study period was significantly higher than that of the RHs (27.3% versus 24.3%, p < 0.0001). The mean score attained on examination by LHs was significantly higher than that of RHs in all study areas (p < 0.002). The acceptance rate of LHs in all study areas was higher but the difference reached statistical significance in the Art area only (p < 0.01). It is concluded that left-handers may be regarded as a heterogeneous large group consisting of different subgroups. Those who are able to compete for the college entrance examination score are even more successful than right-handers in terms of average EES and the rate of CA.

Adolescent↗

PubMed2002

Alzheimer's disease: pathophysiology and pharmacotherapy.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is the leading cause of dementia in mid-to-late life, and is estimated to afflict approximately 20 million people worldwide. There are considerable financial, social and emotional costs associated with the burden of caring for patients with AD. Clinically, AD is characterized by an insidious loss of memory, associated functional decline and behavioral disturbances. Many neurotransmitter systems are also affected; however, degeneration in the cholinergic system occurs earlier and more consistently than in other systems. As cholinergic function is required for short-term memory function, it is believed that the cholinergic deficit in AD is also responsible for much of the short-term memory deficit. The cholinergic hypothesis of AD has led to the development of a number of strategies to enhance the failing cholinergic neurons and thus the neurotransmitter acetylcholine (ACh). In general, appropriate management of AD patients with antioxidants, acetylcholinesterase inhibitors (AChEIs) and psychotropic agents can slow the progression of the disease, improve cognition, and reduce behavioral disturbances, which may enhance patient and caregiver quality-of-life and delay nursing home residence.

Journal Article↗

PubMedDate not supplied

Evaluation of insomnia and daytime napping in Iranian Alzheimer disease patients: relationship with severity of dementia and comparison with normal adults.

OBJECTIVE: Alzheimer disease (AD) is among the most common and disabling diseases in adulthood, and it has been largely neglected in traditional societies like Iran. Exacerbation of AD symptoms creates many severe problems, especially in traditional Iranian extended families. One of these problems is insomnia, which can very significantly affect patients' family members because of disturbing insomnia-related behaviors. METHODS: The authors studied 53 patients with probable AD who had been interviewed for dementia and depression in the Neurology Clinic of Roozbeh Psychiatric Hospital (Tehran University of Medical Sciences). Excluding patients with overlapping multi-infarct dementia, 35 AD patients (22 men, 13 women) and 21 adults without dementia were studied as a comparison group (11 men, 10 women). RESULTS: There was a significant relationship between duration of informant-reported symptoms and severity of dementia with daytime napping and more daytime napping among AD patients than in the comparison group. There was also a significant relationship between cognitive decline and daytime napping in the comparison group. Our study showed a relationship between insomnia and aggression, between daytime napping and paranoid delusions; and between onset of insomnia and anxiety. The comparison group showed a significant relationship between depression and daytime napping. CONCLUSIONS: Daytime napping and insomnia are very common among Iranian AD patients, much more so than in normal adults. There is also a significant relationship among psychiatric symptoms, daytime napping, and insomnia, but it seems that daytime napping and insomnia in depressed AD patients are caused more by the progress of AD than by depression.

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