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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 474-480 PubMed PMID: 25433850 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Cross-Sectional Studies, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Negativism, Neurotic Disorders:diagnosis, Personality Inventory, Psychiatric Status Rating Scales, Self Concept, Stereotyping, Suicidal Ideation, Surveys and Questionnaires,.   

BACKGROUND: Self-stigmatization is a step-by-step process during which the person uncritically accepts the societal negative evaluation and applies it to himself. Relation between self-stigma and suicidality in neurotic disorders is not known. The aim of our study was to find connection between self-stigma and the level of suicidality in neurotic spectrum disorders.r />r /> METHOD: It was a cross-sectional study of 198 inpatients with pharmacoresistant neurotic spectrum disorders hospitalized at the psychotherapeutic ward of the Department of Psychiatry, University Hospital Olomouc. Patients were diagnosed using the ICD-10 research diagnostic criteria. The assessments included Internalized Stigma Of Mental Illness (ISMI), Beck Depression Inventory-second edition (BDI-II), objective and subjective Clinical Global Impression (CGI), Morin sleep scale, Dissociative Experience Scale (DES) and Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale, item 10 Suicidal Thoughts (MADRS item 10 suicidality) for the assessment.r />r /> RESULTS: The subjective rate of suicidality and also the objective rate of suicidality were strongly positively correlated with the total score of ISMI. There were also significant correlations with all subscores except for the correlation between the BDI 9 and the sub score Resistance against stigma, which barely missed the level of statistical significance.r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: More attention should be paid to self-stigma in neurotic patients, especially in those with suicidal thoughts and tendencies....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 454-462 PubMed PMID: 25433849 Citation  Keywords:  Acetylglucosaminidase:metabolism, Alzheimer Disease:drug therapy, Animals, Antioxidants:pharmacology, CA1 Region, Hippocampal:drug effects, Cognition Disorders:drug therapy, Disease Models, Animal, Indoles:pharmacology, Male, Malondialdehyde:metabolism, M.   

BACKGROUND: The idea of antioxidant therapy attenuating Alzheimer disease (AD) neuropathology starts to be attractive. Animal models are often used in these studies. An AD-like model of trimethyltin (TMT)-induced neurodegeneration, targeting the hippocampus, involves neuronal cell death and cognitive impairment.r />r /> OBJECTIVES: Effect of the pyridoindole SMe1EC2 (3×50 mg/kg) and vitamin C (3×50mg/kg) was analyzed in the model of TMT-induced (8 mg/kg) neurodegeneration.r />r /> METHODS: The study was focused on the effect of the antioxidants tested on learning performance in the Morris water maze (MWM) on days 21-25 after TMT administration, on biochemical variables - malondyaldehyde (MDA) and lysosomal enzyme NAGA in brain cortex and blood serum, and on pyramidal cell number in the CA1 area of the hippocampus on day 31 after TMT administration in adult male Wistar rats (n=32).r />r /> RESULTS: Critical deterioration of learning performance was observed due to the TMT administration in the MWM. Further, apparent reduction of pyramidal cell number to 21% in the CA1 area of the hippocampus, increased MDA and NAGA activity in serum and increased NAGA activity in the cortex were determined contrary to controls. In serum, an increase of MDA level was prevented by both antioxidants tested without any effect on NAGA activity. SMe1EC2 apparently preserved pyramidal cell viability in the CA1 area. Both substances tested failed to ameliorate the detrimental effect of TMT on spatial memory.r />r /> CONCLUSION: The biochemical and morphometrical findings suggest that reduction of oxidative stress may play a role in AD-like neurodegeneration. Different doses and timing of SMe1EC2 administration might bring improvement in next learning performance....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 429-439 PubMed PMID: 25433848 Citation  Keywords:  Animals, Anxiety Disorders:physiopathology, Corticotropin-Releasing Hormone:physiology, Depressive Disorder:physiopathology, Female, Hypoxia:physiopathology, Male, Pregnancy, Prenatal Exposure Delayed Effects:physiopathology, Rats, Receptors, Corticotropi.   

: Prenatal stress (PNS) is associated with increased biological risk for mental disorders such as anxiety and depression later in life, and stress appear to be additive to the PNS influences. Among the most widely cited and accepted alternative hypotheses of anxiety and depression is dysfunction of the HPA axis, a system that is central in orchestrating the stress response. Therefore, understanding how PNS exerts profound effects on the HPA axis and stress-sensitive brain functions including anxiety and depression has significant clinical importance. In this mini-review, we will focus on novel and evolving concepts regarding the potential mechanisms underlying the short and long-term effects of PNS involving CRH peptide family. We present evidence demonstrating prenatal hypoxia exposure induced anxiety-like behavior in adult male rat offspring and CRHR1 in PVN of the hypothalamus is involved....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 497-502 PubMed PMID: 25433847 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Emotions, Face, Female, Humans, Male, Patient Preference:psychology, Pattern Recognition, Visual, Photic Stimulation:methods, Prosopagnosia:psychology, Recognition (Psychology), Schizophrenic Psychology,.   

OBJECTIVES: Self-face recognition is one of the most distinctive features in human beings. Disturbances of self-face recognition in people with schizophrenia may reflect the underlying neurobiological and psychological factors of the disorder. Our aim was to establish whether differences in preference for the similarity to the true self-face appearance could be found between patients with schizophrenia and a matched control group.r />r /> SUBJECTS AND METHODS: 14 right-handed patients with schizophrenia and 14 control subjects were enrolled. Subjects were photographed, the pictures were converted to black and white, halved vertically, and four faces were used: normal face (NF), mirrored face (MF), face composed from two left halves of the face (LLF) and from two right halves of face (RRF). Four pairs of faces were exposed to subjects and they chose which they felt was closest to their true appearance.r />r /> RESULTS: No significant differences for preference were found between the patients and control subjects. Post-hoc analysis of the pooled groups showed a significant difference for preference of NF vs. RRF (20 vs. 8 probands; χ2=5.14, df=1, p<0.05). 18 subjects from the two groups did not change the right-left visual field focus through all four exposures.r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: The absence of significant differences for preference for true self-image between schizophrenia patients and control subjects might show that self-face recognition is of little importance from the evolutionary perspective. Additional measurements such as eye-tracking control and random multiple projections of the same pairs of faces would contribute to a more thorough interpretation of the findings in future studies of similar design....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 503-509 PubMed PMID: 25433846 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Biomarkers, Cardiovascular Diseases:epidemiology, Case-Control Studies, Endothelium, Vascular:physiology, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Predictive Value of Tests, Prevalence, Psychotic Disorders:epidemiology, Risk Factors, Schizoph.   

OBJECTIVES: Our aim was to assess endothelial function in physically healthy patients with schizophrenia and related psychoses and to compare the results with healthy controls. Endothelial dysfunction was shown to predict future cardiovascular events in general population so we assumed to find a higher prevalence of endothelial dysfunction in patients with psychosis, as their cardiovascular morbidity is markedly higher than in general population, and to confirm the referred correlation with the traditional cardiovascular (CV) risk factors.r />r /> DESIGN: We assessed the traditional CV risk factors and endothelial function using non-invasive peripheral arterial tonometry (EndoPAT2000) in 50 stabilized and medicated schizophrenic patients (aged between 18 and 50 years) without any history of cardiovascular diseases and compared the results with 50 age-matched healthy controls.r />r /> SETTING: Psychiatric Clinic, University Hospital, Hradec Kralove and 2nd Department of Internal Medicine, General University Hospital, Prague, Czech Republicr />r /> RESULTS: There was no difference in relative hyperaemia index as an endothelial function measure between patients and controls (2.19±0.68 vs. 1.98±0.57, p=NS) and there were also no correlations between reactive hyperaemia index and the traditional CV risk factors, illness duration or psychotic symptoms. On the other hand, the two study groups differed significantly in almost all traditional CV risk factors....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 510-517 PubMed PMID: 25433845 Citation  Keywords:  Adolescent, Adult, Antisocial Personality Disorder:diagnosis, Choice Behavior, Female, Gambling:psychology, Games, Experimental, Humans, Impulsive Behavior, Male, Models, Psychological, Predictive Value of Tests, Probability, Risk-Taking, Young Adult,.   

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationships between psychopathy and impulsive and risky decision making, by utilizing intertemporal and probabilistic choices for both gain and loss, in addition to the Iowa gambling task.r />r /> METHODS: The Psychopathic Personality Inventory-Revised - a 154-item measure that assesses psychopathic traits by self-report - was used with a 4-point response scale to assess 113 undergraduate students from three Japanese universities. Participants' performance on the Iowa Gambling Task and four behavioral neuroeconomic tasks of discounting - delayed gain, delayed loss, uncertain gain, and uncertain loss - were estimated.r />r /> RESULTS: Risky decisions in probability discounting of gain and loss were associated with psychopathy. Psychopathic traits had no relationship with performance on the Iowa Gambling and were not significantly related to delay discounting.r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: Psychopathy is predicted by risky decision in probability discounting of gain and loss, but not strongly associated with future myopia. Implications of the present findings for neuroeconomics and neurolaw are discussed....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 531-535 PubMed PMID: 25433844 Citation  Keywords:  Aged, Atherosclerosis:metabolism, Cross-Sectional Studies, Diabetes Mellitus, Electrophoresis:methods, Female, Humans, Lipoproteins, HDL2:blood, Lipoproteins, HDL3:blood, Male, Middle Aged, Peripheral Arterial Disease:metabolism, Predictive Value of Tests.   

OBJECTIVE: To assess the relationship of high density lipoprotein subfractions to newly-diagnosed lower extremity artery disease (LEAD) in individuals without diabetes mellitus and without hypolipidemic therapy.r />r /> METHODS: This cross-sectional study involves 106 subjects: 51 had newly diagnosed LEAD and no diabetes anamnesis and were not on hypolipidemic therapy; and 55 controls were without clinical presentation of LEAD and were normolipidemic. Analysis of HDL subclasses was performed by an innovative electrophoresis method on polyacrylamide gel (PAG), the Lipoprint HDL System.r />r /> RESULTS: In LEAD subjects, total HDL-C levels as well as HDL2 (intermediate-to-large particles) subfraction levels were decreased (p<0.0001 and p<0.019 respectively). Interestingly the HDL3 (small particles) subfraction was significantly higher and lost its proportional relationship within the HDL cholesterol fraction (p<0.025, p<0.01 respectively).r />r /> CONCLUSION: These findings pointed out that: (i) the reduction of HDL-C and especially HDL2 subpopulation opposite to the increase of small HDL3 subclass may be considered as important predictors of cardiovascular diseases. (ii) there are undisputable advantages of using Lipoprint HDL to identify HDL subfractions; the presence of high concentration of small HDL in patients with PAD/LEAD emphasizes that the potentially proatherogenic subclass of HDL family is linked to small HDL....

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Journal Article 2014; 35(6): 445-453 PubMed PMID: 25433843 Citation  Keywords:  Adult, Antibodies, Bacterial:blood, Bacterial Translocation:immunology, Cluster Analysis, Fatigue Syndrome, Chronic:complications, Female, Humans, Immunoglobulin A:blood, Immunoglobulin M:blood, Irritable Bowel Syndrome:complications, Lipopolysaccharides:.   

BACKGROUND: There is evidence that Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is accompanied by gastro-intestinal symptoms; and IgA and IgM responses directed against lipopolysaccharides (LPS) of commensal bacteria, indicating bacterial translocation.r />r /> METHODS: This study was carried out to examine gastro-intestinal symptoms in subjects with ME/CFS versus those with chronic fatigue (CF). The two groups were dissected by dichotomizing those fulfilling and not fulfilling Fukuda's critera. In these groups, we examined the association between gastro-intestinal symptoms and the IgA and IgM responses directed against commensal bacteria.r />r /> RESULTS: Using cluster analysis performed on gastro-intestinal symptoms we delineated that the cluster analysis-generated diagnosis of abdominal discomfort syndrome (ADS) was significantly higher in subjects with ME/CFS (59.6%) than in those with CF (17.7%). The diagnosis of ADS was strongly associated with the diagnosis of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). There is evidence that ME/CFS consists of two subgroups, i.e. ME/CFS with and without ADS. Factor analysis showed four factors, i.e. 1) inflammation-hyperalgesia; 2) fatigue-malaise; 3) gastro-intestinal symptoms/ADS; and 4) neurocognitive symptoms. The IgA and IgM responses to LPS of commensal bacteria were significantly higher in ME/CFS patients with ADS than in those without ADS.r />r /> CONCLUSIONS: The findings show that ADS is a characteristic of a subset of patients with ME/CFS and that increased bacterial translocation (leaky gut) is associated with ADS symptoms. This study has defined a pathway phenotype, i.e bacterial translocation, that is related to ME/CFS and ADS/IBS and that may drive systemic inflammatory processes....

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