Kus M, Sarsilmaz M, Karaca O, Acar T, Gülcen B, Hismiogullari A, Ogetürk M, Kus I. Effects of melatonin hormone on hippocampus in pinealectomized rats: an immunohistochemical and biochemical study. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(5): 418-425
OBJECTIVE: Despite pharmacological treatment of bipolar affective disorder has many advantages; only drug treatment remains insufficiently beneficial to many patients. The combination of pharmacotherapy and internet psychoeducation seems to be the effective way how to improve remission. Internet-based therapy programs offer an exclusive chance for large underserved parts of the population to make evidence-based treatment without the need of full-time therapist. Our goal was to create a psychoeducational program for patients suffering from bipolar disorder that can be used in Czech Republic.
METHODS: There were identified studies through Web of Science, PUBMED, and Scopus databases as well as existing reviews were used in development of comprehensive internet psychoeducational program for patients with bipolar disorder. The search terms included "bipolar disorder", "psychoeducation", and "internet psychoeducation". The search was performed with no language or time restrictions.
RESULTS: The internet psychoeducational program was developed in accordance to the data from the literature review. The aim of the Internet psychoeducational program of the Department of Psychiatry University Hospital in Olomouc is to familiarize patients with the fundamental nature of bipolar affective disorder, the character and principles of pharmacotherapy, the recognition of the warning signs of relapse, inappropriate and stressful stereotypes in communication within families, and finally the practice of social skills.
CONCLUSION: Information from studies can help to prepare comprehensive psychoeducational program for bipolar patients....
Prasko J, Kamaradova D, Jelenova D, Ociskova M, Sedlackova Z. Development of the internet based psychoeducation for patients with bipolar affective disorder. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(5): 426-435
OBJECTIVES: Benzyl Butyl Phthalate (BBP) is an industrial plasticizer that has an unknown action in the central nervous system. Phthalates have recently been associated with behavioral actions that are linked to their endocrine disrupting properties. The purpose of this study was to investigate the behavioral and molecular effects of BBP treatment in male rats.
DESIGN: Male rats were chronically exposed to BBP in the drinking water (5.0 ppm and 10.0 ppm) throughout adolescence and into the adult phase of life. Their behavior was then assessed in a learning and memory task (fear conditioning), open field exploration and a test of sociability.
RESULTS: BBP treated rats showed decreased freezing in fear conditioning, no changes in open field exploration, and increased aberrant social behavior. Rats were sacrificed at post natal day 140 and blood and brains were harvested and processed. We found increased hormonally active estrogen, 17-β estradiol, in the serum of BBP treated rats. BBP treatment also induced changes in amygdalar proteins related to synaptic plasticity including decreased MeCP2 levels that correlated with tests of sociability with no changes in stress related proteins such as nuclear factor kappa B (NFkB). We also found alterations in physiological responses as measured by body weight without changes in food consumption suggesting disruption of metabolism and body homeostasis.
CONCLUSIONS: We suggest that BBP administration disrupts normal learning and social behavior, and that these effects could be related to alterations of amygdala function....
Betz A, Jayatilaka S, Joshi J, Ramanan S, Debartolo D, Pylypiw H, Franke E. Chronic exposure to benzyl butyl phthalate (BBP) alters social interaction and fear conditioning in male adult rats: alterations in amygdalar MeCP2, ERK1/2 and ERα. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(5): 347-358
OBJECTIVE: Mechanism(s) responsible for VPA-induced effects on reproductive axis activity are not fully recognized. Previously we reported that VPA suppressed only GnRH-stimulated but not the basal LH release from rat anterior pituitary (AP) cells in vitro. Since the inhibitory effect of VPA was exerted only in GnRH-activated cells, potential VPA impact on GnRH-R-coupled IP3/PKC signaling could not be excluded. In this study the effect of VPA on IPs synthesis in non-stimulated and GnRH-treated rat AP cells was examined.
MATERIAL AND METHODS: In the first experiment 5 × 105 cells/ml were incubated for 3h with VPA (10 nM-10 μM), PMA (100 nM), GnRH (100 nM), PMA (100 nM) + VPA (10 nM-10 μM), GnRH (100 nM) + VPA (10 nM-10 μM). In the second experiment cells were preincubated for 24h with 1μCi myo-[23 H]-inositol, then for 30 min with 10 mM LiCl and finally for 3hr with GnRH (100 nM) VPA (1 μM, 10 μM), GnRH (100 nM) + VPA (1 μM, 10 μM). LH concentration was measured by RIA and intracellular IPs accumulation by ion-exchange chromatography analysis.
RESULTS: VPA diminished GnRH-stimulated LH release without affecting PMA-induced LH release at any dose tested. Moreover, VPA-induced increase of IPs accumulation occurred in both non-stimulated and GnRH-treated cells and intensity of cellular response was similar in both groups.
CONCLUSION: VPA affects IP3/PKC pathway activity through its up-regulatory effect on IPs synthesis in AP cells. VPA-induced inhibition of GnRH-stimulated LH release from gonadotrope cells appears to be the result of still unrecognized cellular mechanism....
Wasilewska-Dziubinska E, Gajewska A, Herman A, Wolinska-Witort E, Skrzypska J, Martynska L, Kalisz M, Chmielowska M. The effect of valproate (VPA) treatment on inositol phosphates (IPs) accumulation in non-stimulated and GnRH-treated female rat anterior pituitary cells in vitro. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(4): 302-308
OBJECTIVES: Ketamine and other NMDA (N-methyl-D-aspartate) antagonists produce fast-acting antidepressant-like effects, although the underlying mechanism is unclear. Furthermore, high affinity NMDA antagonists such as ketamine are associated with psychotomimetic effects. To date the link between the antidepressant and psychotomimetic effects of ketamine has not been explored. We examined the relationship between the antidepressant and psychotomimetic effects of a single ketamine infusion in subjects diagnosed with major depressive disorder.
METHODS: In a double-blind, cross-over, placebo-controlled, two weeks clinical trial we studied the effects of ketamine (0.54 mg/kg within 30 min) in a group of 27 hospitalized depressive patients.
RESULTS: Higher intensity of psychotomimetic symptoms, measured using BPRS, during ketamine administration correlated with alleviation in mood ratings during the following week with maximum on day seven. Ketamine was superior to placebo in all visits (day 1, 4, and 7) assessed by MADRS with effect size (Cohen´s d) of 0.62, 0.57, and 0.44 respectively. There was no significant correlation between ketamine and nor-ketamine plasma levels and MADRS score change at any study time point.
CONCLUSION: The substantial relationship between ketamine's antidepressant and psychotomimetic effects was found. This relationship could be mediated by the initial steps of ketamine's action, trough NMDA receptors, shared by both ketamine's clinical effects....
Sos P, Klirova M, Novak T, Kohutova B, Horacek J, Palenicek T. Relationship of ketamine's antidepressant and psychotomimetic effects in unipolar depression. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(4): 287-293
: 56-year old woman was operated of a pancreatic NET in May 2011. Abdominal pain had led to imaging and consecutively the finding of cholecystolithiasis and the tumor. The gall bladder, left hemi-pancreas, regional lymph nodes and the (unintentional injured) spleen were resected. At routine control examination in October 2012 CT presented three contract enhancing intra-abdominal lesions with a diameter of 2-3.5 cm. Consecutively 68Ga-DOTA-NOC PET-CT showed high tracer uptake (SUV 10-12) at these lesions. Therefore a relapse of the neuro-endocrine tumor was suspected. After reoperation in December 2012 histology did not reveal any sign of neuroendocrine tumor but identified spleen tissue most probably caused by splenosis accidentally seeded at the first operation. Physiologically the spleen is highly avid at 68Ga-DOTATOC PET, but splenosis presents with less standard uptake value. In our case the described lesions presented with an SUV quite comparable to that of neuroendocrine tumor tissue....
Reindl O, Loidl A, Franz B, Hofer J, Pichler R. Pitfall in follow-up imaging of pancreatic neuroendocrine tumor by somatostatin receptor PET. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(4): 273-274
OBJECTIVE: Identification of lipoprotein subfractions in lipoprotein profile by Lipoprint LDL system, where a lipoprotein(a), an independent risk factor for the development of cardiovascular disease, migrates with. The concentration of lipoprotein(a) in serum over 0.3 g/l increases the risk of athero-thrombosis and a brain stroke. The persons with increased levels of lipoprotein(a) and contemporarily increased cholesterol level in serum, are at increased risk of the inception of cardiovascular or cerebrovascular event even 3-times.
PATIENTS AND METHODS: In a general group of subjects with increased serum concentration of lipoprotein(a) a lipoprotein profile analysis was performed. The general group of subjects was divided into two groups: subgroup with the lipoprotein(a) concentration in the range between 0.3-0.8 g/l and a subgroup with the lipoprotein(a) concentration over 0.8 g/l, to learn if the lipoprotein(a) particles of different serum concentration and different size do not migrate in different positions of the lipoprotein spectrum. For the analysis of serum lipoproteins an innovated electrophoresis method on polyacrylamide gel (PAG) - Lipoprint LDL system USA, was used. Lipids: a total cholesterol and triglycerides in serum were analysed by an enzymatic method CHOD PAP (Roche Diagnostics, FRG), lipoprotein(a) was analysed by an immuno-nephelometric method (Roche Diagnostics, FRG).
RESULTS: In the Lipoprint LDL system using a polyacrylamide gel (PAG) for the lipoprotein separation, lipoprotein(a) migrates in the position IDL2-IDL3. In the band of IDL2 a high Lp(a) values can be identified, when the increment of IDL2 subfraction is over the value of 0.015 g/l, i.e. 15 mg/dl (reference range for IDL2) and when the increment of IDL3 subfraction is over the value of 25 mg/dl, i.e. 0.025 g/l (reference range for IDL3).
CONCLUSIONS: A clear contribution of new method is: identification of the lipoprotein subpopulations where the lipoprotein(a) migrates with different migration position for the mild increased lipoprotein(a) concentration and high lipoprotein(a) concentration in serum was not confirmed....
Oravec S, Dostal E, Gruber K. Lipoprotein Lp(a) in lipoprotein spectrum indentified by Lipoprint LDL system. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(4): 309-313
OBJECTIVE: Recent studies have suggested that higher insulin levels are associated with better psychopathology profiles in cross-sectional samples of patients with schizophrenia. This study examines whether drug-induced fasting insulin changes between third and eight week of treatment are related to clinical improvement in non-diabetic patients receiving the atypical neuroleptics: risperidone or olanzapine.
METHODS: non-diabetic men with a diagnosis of schizophrenia according to the DSM-IV diagnostic classification were recruited from psychiatric inpatient units. Following a drug-free period, neuroleptic treatment was initiated (risperidone n=36, olanzapine n=35) and doses were adjusted to achieve maximal clinical efficacy. All patients were hospitalized throughout the study. Initial and final evaluations of serum insulin levels and psychopathology (assessed with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, PANSS), were carried out at weeks 3 and 8 after the onset of treatment, respectively.
RESULTS: There were no differences between and within the risperidone and olanzapine groups in changes of serum insulin level between the third and eighth week of treatment. In the olanzapine group, Pearson correlation analysis revealed a significant negative correlation between changes in fasting serum insulin levels and the PANSS-Total, Positive and General Psychopathology subscale scores. Only improvement in the PANSS-Negative Symptom subscale score was not correlated with insulin level change between the third and eighth week of treatment. In the risperidone group, correlations between PANSS subscales scores and the corresponding serum insulin levels change were positive, albeit statistically non-significant. In both groups the improvement in PANSS-Total scores was not correlated with changes in BMI.
CONCLUSION: Olanzapine-related changes in endogenous fasting insulin levels were correlated with clinical improvement in acutely ill non-diabetic schizophrenic patients. Because the interesting linkage between insulin and positive and negative symptoms could be an epiphenomenon, randomized studies are needed to further explore the role of insulin in therapeutic responses in patients with schizophrenia....
Konarzewska B, Waszkiewicz N, Galińska B, Szulc A. Fasting insulin serum levels and psychopathology profiles in male schizophrenic inpatients treated with olanzapine or risperidone. Neuro Endocrinol Lett. 2013 Jan; 34(4): 322-328