BackgroundThe aim of this study was to determine whether dysfunctional beliefs might predict treatment-resistance and to examine the relationship between fractional anisotropy (FA) in diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and cognitive biases for optimal treatment choice.Material/MethodsWe recruited 11 non-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) patients, 11 resistant OCD patients, and 11 healthy subjects.ResultsOCD patients had higher Obsessive Beliefs Questionnaire (OBQ-87) subscale scores than subjects in non-resistant and resistant groups. A significant difference was found between non-resistant and resistant OCD patients in R-Scale and I-Scale. A significant decrease in FA was found in left dorsal frontal gyrus and left inferior parietal lobule in the non-resistant group as compared to the control group. FA also decreased significantly in left anterior cingulate cortex, putamen, and nucleus accumbens in the resistant group as compared to the control group. There was a significant decrease in FA in nucleus accumbens in the resistant group as compared to the non-resistant group. Reduced FA in left nucleus accumbens was negatively associated with OBQ-87 factor R and I and the total Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS).ConclusionsAbnormalities in cortical-striatal white matter networks may contribute to the dysfunctional beliefs in patients with treatment-resistant OCD, and the left nucleus accumbens may be an important and promising target for the treatment of OCD.
Intercellular gap junction (GJ) plays a pivotal role in the proliferation and transformation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). This study was designed to test the hypothesis that expressions of the component proteins of gap junctions, connexins40 and 43 (Cx40 and Cx43), are up-regulated in arteries subjected to balloon injury and that this up-regulation can be suppressed by statin therapy. Transmission electron microscopy (TEM) revealed that there were abundant GJ between neointimal SMCs but fewer and smaller GJ after losartan and ramipril treatment. Reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction and Western blot analysis showed the messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) and protein expressions of Cx40 and Cx43 were elevated after injury, and these elevations were suppressed by losartan and ramipril. Immunostaining showed the Cx40 and Cx43 expressions were consistently enhanced in the neointimal area after injury, which was decreased by losartan and ramipril treatment. Balloon injury causes up-regulation of Cx40 and Cx43 in neointimal SMCs. angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) and AT 1 antagonist losartan can reduce the proliferation of SMCs, suggesting the rennin-angiotensin system (RAS) system plays an important role in the remodeling of GJ in the VSMCs under pathological conditions.
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