Neurocognitive Dysfunctions in Adolescents with Chronic HCV infection

Introduction Globally, in 2015, an estimated 71 million people represented 1% of the world’s population including 5 million children, were living with chronic HCV infection, with the highest prevalence in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean region and the European region. Aim Primary objective was to assess the frequency of neurocognitive dysfunctions in children and adolescent with chronic HCV infection. Subject and Methods This prospective case–control study included forty adolescents with HCV recruited from the regular attendants of the Pediatrics Hospital, Ain Shams University and 20 healthy children from outpatient clinic. Psychiatric interviews and assessments were conducted by experienced qualified psychologist. Results Twenty adolescent with chronic HCV infection who fulfilled the inclusion criteria, were treatment naïve were recruited (Group1). They were five girls (25%) and fifteen boys (75%), their mean ages were 13.6 ± 2.37 years, were assessed before receiving Daclatasvir/Sofosbuvir, orally direct antiviral agents. They had statistically significant lower performance IQ and its subsets, verbal IQ and its subsets and total IQ as well as higher level of conduct, socializes aggression, attention problem, psychotic behavior, depression inventory and anxiety scale than control. Conclusion HCV may play a major role in cognition affection and the effect was more pronounced on the untreated HCV patients.

Electrochemical (Bio)Sensing of Maple Syrup Urine Disease Biomarkers Pointing to Early Diagnosis: A Review

Metabolic errors are inherited diseases, where genetic defects prevent a metabolic path, ending up in enzyme malfunction. In correspondence to its remaining or plenitude fall of enzymatic potency, there is an amassment of dangerous metabolites near the metabolic bar and/or a dearth of necessary products, inducing a certain disease. These metabolic errors may include deviations such as point mutations, expunctions or interferences, or further complicated genomic disorders. Based on these facts, maple syrup urine disease (MSUD) is a scarce metabolic disease, generated by huge concentrations of branched-chain amino acids (b AAs), i.e., leucine, isoleucine, and valine. In this situation, these large amounts of b AAs provoke abnormalities such as liver failure, neurocognitive dysfunctions, and probably death. To overpass those problems, it is crucial to implement a timely and agile diagnosis at the early stages of life in view of their immutable consequence on neonates. Thus, this review will describe MSUD and b AAs analysis based on electrochemical (bio)sensing.

Neuropsychiatry of alcohol-related brain damage

Like the liver, the brain is commonly affected by long-term alcohol misuse. While neurocognitive dysfunctions are widely known in their most extreme presentations, such as Korsakoff’s syndrome and Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE), there are other less explicit manifestations of neurocognitive damage which occur more frequently. This chapter explores these conditions under the umbrella term ‘alcohol-related brain damage’ (ARBD), more specifically employing the term Wernicke–Korsakoff’s syndrome (WK) when referring to the acute and chronic effects of thiamine deficiency. The correlation between excessive alcohol consumption and thiamine intake is explored, along with the body’s response of boosting gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)–benzodiazepine and NMDA receptors. In acute and non-acute cases of ARBD, prompt diagnosis and treatment are essential due to the risk of long-term cognitive and intellectual damage it can yield. As such, psychosocial treatment in the aftermath of the clinical phase is equally important, focusing on assessment, therapeutic intervention, adjustment, and social integration.

NEUROPSYCHOLOGICAL PREDICTORS OF POOR SCHOOL PERFORMANCE

Relevance. Underachieving schoolchildren are characterized by underdevelopment of higher mental functions (HMF) as compared to well-performing pupils. At the same time, there is a lack of explicit data on which dysfunctions are the most specific to underachievers. It is unknown how much particular neurocognitive dysfunctions affect school performance and what are the possibilities to compensate for isolated defects. Objectives. To identify the predictors of poor academic performance in school and to evaluate capabilities for children with certain neurocognitive dysfunctions for better progress at school. Method. The neuropsychological examination was used to evaluate the characteristics of neurocognitive development. Four daily routine activities, fourteen HMF, and the overall level of neurocognitive development were assessed. The index of isolation-multiplicity of neurocognitive dysfunctions was calculated. To evaluate academic performance (average grade for all disciplines) interviews with pupils and their parents were conducted, school exercise-books and assignment books were thoroughly studied. The study involved 427 children (292 boys and 135 girls) aged from 6 to 17 years, (11.7 ± 3). Results. The results of neuropsychological diagnostics explain 24% variance in the academic performance in school grades 1–4 and 18% variance in grades 5–11. Underachievement is predominantly related to the reduction in thinking, attention, audio-verbal memory, and overall level of neurocognitive development. Time orientation turns out to be more reduced than other everyday functions in underachievers. Certain mental functions in underperforming elementary school pupils can spontaneously improve through education. Isolated neurocognitive dysfunctions (up to 3) do not result in poor school performance. Conclusion. Thinking, attention, and audio-verbal memory dysfunctions against the background of the low overall level of neurocognitive development are most specific to underachieving schoolchildren. Under-development of attention is the most significant predictor of poor school performance in 1–4 school grades, low level of thinking — in 5–11 grades. Isolated neurocognitive dysfunctions (up to 3) that can be compensated for have no negative impact on educational performance.