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Biomedical subjects

O Elwan

Publications and source records attributed to O Elwan.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1997

Brain aging in a sample of normal Egyptians cognition, education, addiction and smoking.

The impact of duration of education, cannabis addiction and smoking on cognition and brain aging is studied in 211 normal Egyptian volunteers with mean age 46.4+/-3.6 years (range: 20-76 years). Subjects were classified into two groups: Gr I (non-addicts) with 174 subjects, mean age 49.9+/-3.8 years (range 20-76 years), smokers and non-smokers, educated and non-educated and Gr II (cannabis addicts) with 37 subjects, mean age 43.6+/-2.6 years (range 20-72 years) all smokers, educated and non-educated. Outcome measures included the Paced Auditory Serial Addition test (PASAT) for testing attention and the Trailmaking test A, and B (TMa and TMb) for testing psychomotor performance. Age correlated positively with score of Trailmaking test (TMb) in the non-addict group and in the addict group (TMa and TMb). Years of education correlated negatively with scores of Trialmaking test (TMb) in the non-addict group (Gr I) but not the addict group (Gr II). However, in both groups mean scores of the Trailmaking test (TMa) were significantly lower in subjects with a primary level of education than those with higher levels of education. No significant difference was detected between male smokers and nonsmokers of Gr I (non-addicts) regarding any of the neuropsychological tests. Yet, smokers and the non-educated group had poorer attention compared to non-smokers of the same group. Cannabis addicts (Gr II) had significantly poorer attention than non-addict normal volunteers (Gr I). It is concluded that impairment of psychomotor performance is age related whether in normal non-addicts or in cannabis addicts. A decline in attention was detected in cannabis addicts and has been considered a feature of pathological aging. Education in early life as well as the duration of education are neuroprotectors for brain aging more so in the non-addict than addict group. Though cigarette smoking per se has no effect on cognitive abilities in normal aging, it becomes evident that its association with lack of education impairs attention.

Adult↗
PubMed1996

Brain aging in normal Egyptians: neuropsychological, electrophysiological and cranial tomographic assessment.

Eighty-eight normal Egyptian volunteers above the age of 40 years were studied for brain aging and subjected to neuropsychological (the Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test; the Trailmaking test A, B; the Digit Symbol Substitution Test; sensory and secondary memory tests), electrophysiological (computerized EEG, P300 and reaction time measures), and Computerized Cranial Tomography (CCT) assessment. A significant correlation was found between age and both perception (Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DDST) and psychomotor performance (Trailmaking B test (TMb)), reaction time (RT) and the size of the third ventricle. Whereas females were worse in attention (Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT)), males had worse performance in secondary memory test. Elderly subjects with vascular risk factors did worse in psychomotor performance (TMa) than subjects with no risk factors. Non-educated subjects showed worse perception (DSST) than educated subjects. A significant decrease in upper and lower limit percent power of the alpha band was found in subjects above 60 years, males, and non-educated subjects. A significant increase in theta activity was found only in non-educated subjects. It is concluded that decline in specific cognitive functions occurs with advancing age. Vascular risk factors and lack of education early in life enhance these changes. Moreover, the EEG slowing in the elderly was linked to lack of education early in life.

Adult↗
PubMed1994

Cognitive deficits in ischemic strokes: psychometric, electrophysiological and cranial tomographic assessment.

Global and specific cognitive functions were assessed in 57 patients with ischemic strokes subjected to clinical neuropsychiatric, psychometric, electrophysiological and cranial tomographic evaluation. Patients did significantly worse than normal controls in the Blessed dementia scale, Sandoz clinical assessment geriatric scale but not the Folstein mini-mental state examination. Of the specific cognitive functions, attention and psychomotor performance were significantly impaired in stroke patients when compared to normal controls. The impairment in global cognitive functions, attention and psychomotor performance was more evident in chronic than acute cases. Increasing age correlated positively to the deterioration in psychomotor performance and perception. Cranial tomographic size of infarction was significantly related to global cognitive as well as intentional (sensory) memory impairment. The more marked the conventional electroencephalographic abnormalities, the more impaired were the global cognitive functions. High limit of the theta percent power correlated positively to deterioration in psychomotor performance. All P300 parameters except amplitude correlated significantly with impairment of global cognitive function and psychomotor performance in stroke patients.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Transient ischemic attacks: electrophysiological (conventional and topographic EEG) and radiological (CCT) evaluation.

The value of electrophysiological tests: conventional electroencephalography (EEG), topographic EEG analysis as well as computerized tomography (CT) in the diagnosis and evaluation of 25 patients with manifestations of transient ischemic attacks (TIA) in the domain of the carotid system was assessed. Normal CT was the rule in TIA patients except in 8% of the cases, where nonspecific changes of brain atrophy were described. Conventional EEG, topographic EEG and spectral analysis could detect abnormalities in 48%, 80% and 64% of TIA cases respectively. None of the abnormal EEG records could be missed by topographic EEG analysis. 32% of the records were diagnosed as abnormal by topographic EEG, while conventional EEG failed to detect abnormalities. Spectral analysis of the EEG results revealed a significant decrease regarding mean high limit alpha percent power, and a significant increase regarding mean low and high limit theta percent power, as well as a significant increase of the mean high limit of the slow activities (delta + theta)/fast activities (alpha + beta) percent power ratio in the TIA group as compared to the normal control group.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Hemorheology, stroke and the elderly.

Whole blood filterability was measured in 53 stroke patients (28 patients 40-60 yr and 25 patients greater than 60 yr) to study the hemorheologic parameters, stressing the changes occurring in the elderly. A negative linear correlation was found between whole blood filterability and the hematocrit, plasma viscosity and the serum level of macroproteins (alpha 2-globulin, gamma-globulin and fibrinogen), indicating that whole blood filterability is a collective measure of the different hemorheologic parameters. Whole blood filterability was significantly reduced in stroke patients as compared to normal control values. This reduction could not be attributed to a difference in hematocrit or plasma viscosity, which emphasizes the role of red cell deformability in the filterability of blood of stroke patients. Moreover, whole blood filterability was significantly lower in stroke patients more than 60 yr old than in stroke patients less than 60 yr old. Both plasmatic and red cell factors were contributing factors in the reduction of filterability in the elderly.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Hormonal changes in headache patients.

Seventy-three patients with headache underwent serum and cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) radioimmunoassays of follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), luteinizing hormone (LH), cortisol and prolactin. Serum FSH showed significant increases in all headache patients while serum LH increased only in females. Such a rise of serum FSH and LH is attributed to disturbances of the sleep-wake cycle. On the other hand, serum cortisol was significantly decreased in the male headache patients, probably due to altered circadian rhythm. Serum prolactin remained within normal limits. CSF prolactin, FSH and LH showed detectable levels in all headache sufferers compared to undetectable levels in control subjects, while CSF cortisol was significantly reduced.

Chronic Disease↗
PubMed1990

Hormonal changes in cerebral infarction in the young and elderly.

Fifty-one patients with CCT verified cerebral infarction were submitted to serum and CSF radioimmunoassay of FSH, LH, estradiol (E2), progesterone, testosterone, cortisol and T4. The results were compared to those of 82 matched controls. Our findings suggest that (1) high serum E2 is a risk factor of stroke in males; (2) low serum T4 is a risk factor in males; (3) serum testosterone is reduced in acute stroke in males confirming that it is stress sensitive; (4) serum LH was higher in hypertensive thrombotic males when compared to normotensive ones, and (5) FSH, LH, E2 and T4 are undetectable in CSF of patients and controls.

Adult↗
PubMed1985

Effect of the standardized Ginseng Extract G115 on the metabolism and electrical activity of the rabbit's brain.

The objective of this original investigation was to study the effect of the standardized Ginseng Extract G115 on the metabolic activity and ECoG of the rabbit's brain. The results showed significant increase of the glucose uptake with simultaneous significant reduction of the lactate, pyruvate and lactate/pyruvate ratio. These findings indicate shift of glucose utilization by the drug from anaerobic to the more economical pathway. G115 was also shown to produce a desynchronizing effect on the electrocorticogram (ECoG) which correlated well with the biochemical findings.

Animals↗
PubMed1980

Relationship between blood and cerebrospinal levels of the antidepressant agent viloxazine.

Viloxazine levels in blood and CSF have been measured following acute and chronic dosing in depressed patients. Blood profiles confirm previous findings that viloxazine is rapidly absorbed and eliminated with a half-life of 4.5 h. Viloxazine crosses the blood-brain barrier and concentrations in CSF remain virtually unchanged over a ten hour period post administration. Viloxazine does not accumulate in CSF on chronic administration. The fact that CSF levels do not reflect concentrations in blood has significant implications on any attempt to correlate the clinical efficacy and the pharmacokinetic behaviour of an antidepressant agent.

Adult↗
PubMed1976

Psychometric assessment of the therapeutic efficiency of antidepressant agents.

A clinical trial of four weeks duration was conducted involving a total of thirty depressed patients, of both sexes, aged between twenty and thirty-four years. The total number of patients was divided into three groups of ten patients each. One group received amitriptyline, the second group was administered noxiptyline and the third group was given dibenzepine. All drugs were administered orally. Patients were submitted to psychometric testing before and after drug administration. The tests used included the 'Hamilton Rating Scale for depression', the 'Hildreth Feeling Scale' and the 'D Scale' and the 'Trail Making Test' for the evaluation of psychomotor retardation. It was concluded that the Hamilton Rating Scale was the most relatively sensitive test utilized in assessing the depressive state and its improvement. Amitriptyline was found to be mostly anxiolytic; noxiptyline controlled both depression and anxiety to approximately the same extent; and dibenzepine was found to be a mood-elevating drug with an energizing action.

Adult↗