Sexual well-being (SWB) of the older population can be significantly influenced by age (1) and sexual difficulties (2).

Through qualitative research, this study focused on sexual themes that affect the SWB addressed by the older people in person-centered therapy.

Twenty-five older adults, aged between 65 and 82 years and residents on the community participated in this study.

The results revealed eight main themes for these participants: Absence of a partner, family interference, dissatisfaction with the body, cleanliness and body care, problems in sexual function, physical violence, problems in sexual communication and fear of contracting sexually transmitted diseases. The most discussed themes were the absence of a partner, problems with sexual function and dissatisfaction with the body.

This study highlights the importance of exploring the sexual difficulties that the older population feels in relation to their SWB. 1.von Humboldt S et al. Sexual expression in old age: How older adults from different cultures express sexually? Sex Res Social Policy. 2020;1-15. 2.von Humboldt S et al. Are older adults satisfied with their sexuality? Outcomes from a cross-cultural study. Educ Gerontol. 2020;46:284-293.

No significant relationships.

Suicide rates in people diagnosed with a psychotic disorder can be up to 50 times higher than in the general population, with the lethality of attempts being significantly higher in this group, compared to people diagnosed with other psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, it is known that being male is associated with more serious suicide attempts and higher rates of completed suicides.

To reflect on the increased risk of suicide associated with psychotic disorders.

Case report and literature review.

Case report 40-year-old male, recently diagnosed with Schizophreniform Disorder and currently with persistent positive symptoms. He was admitted to our psychiatric hospitalization unit due to a voluntary overdose of almost 100 tablets (antihypertensives, antiarrhythmics, and benzodiazepines) and alcohol. He admits taking the pills with the aim of committing suicide. Literature review: - Around 10% of people diagnosed with schizophrenia commit suicide. - In young patients diagnosed with schizophrenia, suicide is the leading cause of death. - Between 15 and 65% of patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have depressive symptoms such as hopelessness. - Depressive symptoms in these patients seem to be directly proportionally with awareness of the disease (stigma, awareness of its severity and a sudden decrease in quality of life and social integration). - The risk of suicide increases especially in the first 10 years of the disease.

Psychosis is an important risk factor of suicide and active preventive measures should be carried out in these patients.

No significant relationships.

Despite pharmacological advances in the treatment of schizophrenia, significant number of patients are still treatment-resistant. Clozapine is recommended as first-line treatment for treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) in guidelines. Despite the greater efficacy of clozapine over other antipsychotics in the management of TRS, a significant number of patients fail to attain adequate response or develop adverse effects, and more interventions are needed.

To describe a clinical case of treatment-resistant schizophrenia patient with prominent negative symptoms treated with combination of clozapine, cariprazine and fluoxetine, and to review the literature.

Clinical case presentation through review of the clinical file and non-systematic review on PubMed and ResearchGate.

A 41 year old female patient presented to inpatient clinic with low mood, occasional commanding and commenting verbal hallucinations, occasional suicidal thoughts, blunted affect, anhedonia, asociality, she was apathetic, lacked motivation to get up from bed, had night’s sleep disturbance. Patient was diagnosed with Schizophrenia in 2009, she has been hospitalized in Psychiatric wards for 16 times. She has received treatment with combinations of several antipsychotic drugs and antidepressants, had side-effects and have not reached full remission. During treatment with clozapine (up to 175mg per day) in combination with cariprazine (up to 4.5mg per day) and fluoxetine (up to 20mg per day), gradually negative symptoms decreased, patient became more active, showed interest in daily and rehabilitation activities, night’s sleep improved.

Patient with treatment-resistant schizophrenia benefited from combination of clozapine, cariprazine and fluoxetine. Further research is necessary on treatment combination strategies for TRS.

No significant relationships.

During the last decades, the incidence of syphilis is on the rising, particularly in the United States of America and Europe. Neurosyphilis is a disease that has a vast differential diagnostic. With that in mind, clinicians have some difficulties to identify it rapidly. A case of a 57-year-old man is presented, with a brutal change in his behavior, associated with a dementia-like syndrome. He is diagnosed with neurosyphilis.

The main goal is to present his clinical psychiatric symptoms and diagnosis procedure, the treatment that he received and his clinical outcome in the psychogeriatric department.

The treatment was based in an integrated framework of pharmacology and psychotherapy.

The patient was able to slowly recover and to get back home, we a solid structure to make the follow up.

This clinical vignette represents a growing number of adult patients that present themselves for the first time with dementia-like symptoms. It is important to remember, that many diseases are capable of mimicking dementia and their exclusion before admitting a diagnosis of dementia is mandatory.

No significant relationships.

While it is well known that there is an interaction between sleep disorders and substance abuse, it is certainly more complex than was previously thought. The effects on sleep depend on the substance used, but it has been shown that both during use and in withdrawal periods consumers have various sleep problems, and basically more fragmented sleep. We know that sleep problems must be taken into account to prevent addiction relapses.

To explain the different sleep disorders caused by substances such as alcohol and cannabis

As an example of this, two cases are introduced: the first one, a 17-year-old boy, who is diagnosed with ADHD with daily cannabis use since the age of 14. As a result of reducing consumption, he presents an episode of sleep paralysis that he had not previously had. The second one is a 50-year-old man diagnosed with a personality disorder and with dependence on cannabis and alcohol for years. He currently has abstinence from alcohol for months and maintains daily cannabis use. However, he has long-standing sleep pattern disturbances and frequent depersonalization phenomena at night.

Alcohol at low doses has no clear effects on sleep architecture. At higher doses it decreases sleep latency, as well as awakenings. In chronic alcoholic patients, a decrease in deep slow sleep, and more fragmented sleep have been found. Cannabis withdrawal reduces sleep quality, increases latency, and produces strange dreams.

There is a positive relationship both between having a substance use disorder and suffering from a sleep disorder.

No significant relationships.

Since the COVID-19 pandemic start in early 2020, there have been reports of a high prevalence of neuropsychiatric symptoms. Cognitive impairment is being increasingly recognized as an acute and possibly long-term sequel of the disease. According to recent data, limited evidence point to SARS-CoV-2 having a preferential neurotropism for the frontal lobes, as suggested by behavioral and dysexecutive symptoms, frontotemporal hypoperfusion on MRI, EEG slowing in frontal regions, and frontal hypometabolism on 18F-FDG-PET. Nevertheless, there isn’t a specific biomarker.

Brief literature review about the relationship between COVID-19, cognitive impairement onset and risk for dementia.

Non-systematic review through PubMed research using the terms “COVID-19”, “SARS-CoV-2”, “pandemics”, “cognitive impairement”, “dementia” and “risk factor”.

Direct neuronal infection via angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 receptor (ACE2R), hyperinflammation, brain ischemia related to respiratory failure or thromboembolic strokes, and severe psychological stress are the mechanisms more associated with a deleterious effect on cognition. The relation between SARS-CoV-2 infection and neurodegenerative diseases is still unclear. However, the high expression of the ACE2R in the brain, may explain the acute brain damage and could also be the basis for later neurodegenerative changes. The potentially long-term nature of the deficits makes it important to do an early identification, management, rehabilitation and follow-up of the patients exhibiting cognitive symptoms.

Given the reports of brain damage by SARS-CoV-2, there are concerns that this damage may substantially increase the incidence of neurodegenerative diseases and promote dementia. Further long-term studies may be required to identify the relationships between SARS-CoV-2 infection and risk for dementia.

No significant relationships.

Determination of lithium levels in serum has become a standard of care due to its narrow therapeutic rang, thus an immediate test for determination of blood lithium may contribute to minimize toxicit, to avoid relapse and to ensure treatment adherence. This is particularly relevant during pregnancy and early postpartum because pharmaokinetic changes in renal physiology.

The aim of this study is verify Medimate point-of-care method performance and systematically compare it with the routine laboratory measurement of lithium.

This cross-sectional method comparison study was conductec in the Unit of Perinatal Mental Health in the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona. Pearson and Bland-Altman analyses were performed to assess the accuracy, precision and correlation between the capillary electrophoresis technology (Medimate MiniLab) and the ion selective electrode (ISE) potentiometry method (AVL 9180).

Twenty-five women with bipolar disorder in treatment with lithium during perinatal period were enrolled, corresponding to 75 blood specimens for analyses. Correlation (r), mean difference (bias), and 95% limit of agreement (LOA) of the point-of-care method [r=0.917; bias 0.0021 (95% LOA; 0.440, 0.619) mEq/L], showed that difference between ISE method and capillary electrophoresis technology was not statistically significant.

Considering the practicality, the microchip capillary electrophoresis technology provides a simple and highly affordable way of measuring lithium levels in a single drop of blood outside the clinical laboratory. The Medimate point-of-care system (POC) appears well adapted for the rapid and specific detection of lithium as an alternative to the current ISE procedure.

No significant relationships.

Generic psychometric instruments are frequently used in psychiatric practice. When a respondent provides an affirmative reply to two contrasting items in such a questionnaire (e.g. “I am reserved” and “I am outgoing”), serious questions need to be asked about the respondent, the instrument, and the interaction between the two.

The research aims to identify reasons which could explain the contradictory answers provided by respondents to a well-established, and seemingly psychometrically sound instrument.

World Values Survey data, collected in South Africa (N = 3 531), were analysed, focusing on the personality survey, where contrasting response to matching items were identified. Exploratory factor analyses were used to inspect the factorial structure of the instrument across groups, after which measurement invariance tests were done.

The theorised factorial structure of the personality survey did not mirror the structure in the South African sample. This was demonstrated in the inspection-report, as well as in the tests of measurement invariance. However, in some groups, specifically those who were well-versed in English and possessed higher levels of education, the structures were replaceable.

The assumption that well-established instruments are valid in settings different to the one where they were initially developed, should be questioned, and such instruments should not be used unless thoroughly tested. This presentation exposes the extent of measurement non-invariance when using an instrument in a foreign setting and shows how this can be detected and addressed. Those working with foreign individuals or conducting cross-cultural research should be particularly aware of these threats to validity.

No significant relationships.

Appeal to pedagogical abilities, important for the success of the teacher, allows us to highlight some actual requirements for the scientist.

The research is aimed at studying various competencies as a factor of success of the teacher.

The method of work is a bibliographic analysis.

Firstly, they are communicative abilities, by which are meant the ability to communicate, the ability to find an approach to students, to build trustful dialogue.

Secondly, they are didactic abilities that make it possible to intelligently present the knowledge, stimulate interest in the subject, stimulate students ’cognitive activity, the ability to organize students’ independent work, and form their need for independent knowledge acquisition.

Thirdly, the academic pedagogical abilities of scientists, that is, the abilities for the corresponding field of science, the knowledge of the subject taught, not only in the volume of the training course, but much wider and deeper are the aspect of the necessary pedagogical competencies of scientists.

Fourthly, pedagogical abilities are related to the research orientation of the teacher, with his need and ability to conduct his own research work.

Fifth, among the pedagogical abilities, the pedagogical imagination is distinguished, presupposing the ability to project and predict the development of the student’s actions.

It can be concluded that modern education and society as a whole formed a new request to science and scientists, consisting in the development of their respective pedagogical competences.

No significant relationships.

The BFI-2-S assesses the domain level of the Big Five with three prototypical facets of each domain capturing approximately 91% of the total variance in the full BFI-2 domain scales and approximately 89% of the predictive power of the BFI-2 facets in German adaptations and their original American versions.

The study aims to investigate the psychometric properties of the Arabic adaptation of the BFI-2 short form.

The Arabic version of the BFI-2-S a 30-item with 15 and NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO–PI-R) were administered to 1560 (576 males, 984 females) Kuwait University undergraduates with a mean age = 22.75 ± 3.81. The internal consistency reliability, factor structure, and convergent validity of the BFI-2-S with NEO–PI-R were assessed.

Cronbach’s alpha was satisfactory for N (0.79), E (0.73), O (0.73), A (0.76) and C (0.77). Results revealed significant gender differences in O, C & E with a favor for males and in N a favor with females. PCA showed that BFI-2-S five factors explains 64.38% of the total variance. However, the high mean correlations between the BFI-2-S and NEO–PI-R scales, with coefficients of (0.67) for the N, (0.66) for the E, (0.56) for the C, (0.61) for the A, and (0.58) for the C. The convergence between each BFI-2-S domain correlated substantially with the relevant NEO-PI-R domain scales, with the average correlation being .62.

The findings support the psychometric properties of the Arabic adaptations of the BFI-2-S as useful instruments for assessing the Big Five.

No significant relationships.

The medical profession is associated with high requirements and responsibilities, and high rates of burnout have been reported in the medical literature.

The aim of this study was to provide a detailed systematic review, focused on the impact of occupational burnout syndrome among medical students. A detailed perspective of existing instruments which are the psychometric properties and a meta-analysis of the average values of those three subscales of the most commonly applied tool - Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS).

The meta-analysis was performed based on the available data on burnout rates in medical students measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-HSS) method. In order to define the eligibility criteria for finding the relevant literature, the PICO method - the “population-intervention-comparison-result” approach was used.

The sample sizes included ranged from n = 73 to 4050 students. Mean values (M) ranged from 12.94 to 28.26 for emotional exhaustion and from 7.30 to 13.43 for depersonalization. M for personal achievement ranged from 31.3 to 38.07. Weighted averages and standard deviations were M = 22.93 (SD = 10.25) for emotional exhaustion, M = 8.88 (SD = 5.64) for depersonalization, and M = 35.11 (SD = 8.03) for self-accomplishment. The included studies reported different prevalence rates with burnout rates ranging from 7.0% to 75.2%. The prevalence rate of burnout measured by MBI-HSS varied between 10.0% and 63.4%.

The meta-analytical aggregation of eligible studies showed high values of “emotional exhaustion”, “depersonalization” and “self-accomplishment”.

No significant relationships.

Psychiatric services in LEDCs face a tripartite challenge: (i) limited financial capital; (ii) scarcity of professionals; (iii) restrictive health beliefs. Inevitably, services developed for the first-world are ill-suited here. Psychiatric services must be designed from the ground up: inspired by but not a replica of best practices in the developed world. The SOUL project in Larkana, Pakistan provides home based assessment by a psychiatrist and fortnightly treatment by a mobile nursing team for schizophrenic patients. Psychoeducation of carers and the community as well as facilitation of work for patients are core aims. This mixed-methods study evaluates the experiences of primary stakeholders - patients and their carers.

1.Are patients and carers satisfied with the care received? 2.Has SOUL been successful in changing health beliefs? 3.How could the programme be improved?

The principal investigator accompanied the team for 4-weeks. Purposive sampling was employed. Satisfaction was assessed quantitatively using the likert based PSQ-18 questionnaire. Thereafter, qualitative data was gathered using semi-structured interviews and analysed using a grounded theory approach. A total of 27 interviews were conducted before data saturation.

100% of interviewees answered ’Satisfied’ or ’Very’ Satisfied to all elements of the PSQ-18. Above all, stakeholders valued that treatment was free and highly accessible (home visits), promoting treatment adherence. They felt psychoeducation events significantly reduced community stigma and made families more likely to seek psychiatrists over faith healers. Provision of respite care was suggested as a future improvement.

SOUL is highly valued by stakeholders and offers an excellent example of LEDC psychiatric care.

No significant relationships.

The lifetime prevalence of comorbid posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in patients with bipolar disorder (BD) is approximately 20%. Guidelines for BD give adequate pharmacological treatment options when there is a ‘pure’ bipolar disorder but lack of treatment options when there is a comorbid disorder present.

The present study aimed to review the pharmacological treatment options for comorbid PTSD in patients with BD.

Literature research was conducted via PubMed, Embase and the Cochrane Library. Search terms included ‘bipolar disorder’, ‘posttraumatic stress disorder’, ‘PTSD’, ‘pharmacotherapy’ and ‘treatment’. Relevant studies were reviewed.

No randomized controlled trials have been conducted in patients with bipolar disorder and comorbid PTSD. Most studies included open-label studies and case-reports. No convincing scientific evidence for pharmacological treatment of comorbid PTSD in patients with BD was found. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are effective in the treatment of PTSD. However, SSRIs or other antidepressants are complicated due to potential induction of a manic episode or promote rapid cycling. Nevertheless, it is important to treat the bipolar patient with a mood stabilizer first before antidepressants are prescribed.

The findings of this study show that there is no convincing scientific evidence for the pharmacological treatment of comorbid PTSD in patients with bipolar disorder. Therefore, psychotherapy is preferable. When psychotherapy is not effective, pharmacotherapy can be considered. However, randomized controlled trials are needed to obtain scientific evidence for pharmacological treatment options.

No significant relationships.

Pregnancy and the postpartum are generally characterized by positive feelings and expectations but they may also disguise maternal stress and difficulties. These are typical periods for the onset or relapse of psychiatric symptoms and disorders. Even though suicide during pregnancy and postpartum is rare, it is among the leading causes of maternal perinatal mortality.

To provide an overview on the risk of suicide during pregnancy and postpartum.

PubMed database was searched using combinations of the terms “suicide”, combined with “pregnancy” and “depression”.

The major risk factors for suicidal ideation are previous suicide attempts, self-harm, current or past history of psychiatric disorder, young maternal age, being unmarried, an unplanned pregnancy, substance use disorders, lack effective psychosocial support and discontinuation of psychotropic drugs. Pregnant women with suicidality behavior have also an increased risk for various adverse obstetric outcomes, including miscarriage, preterm delivery, maternal hemorrhage, and stillbirth. Furthermore, the postpartum period is often associated with the onset of mood and psychotic disorders with an increased risk of both suicide and infanticide. Women who have suffered from serious psychiatric conditions either after childbirth or in other phases of life should be informed about the possibility of relapse after subsequent pregnancies, thus presenting a higher risk of suicide.

During pregnancy and postpartum, it is fundamental to investigate suicide risk, including suicidal ideation, thoughts, and intent, especially (but not only) in women affected by mental pathology. Moreover, maternal suicide behaviour affects the child’s neuropsychological development and can also increase the infant´s suicide risk.

No significant relationships.

Externalising and internalising problems are common in school-aged children. Few studies have examined the association between comorbid externalising and internalising symptoms and adult-life economic participation.

To investigate associations of childhood externalising, internalising, and comorbid internalising-externalising symptoms with earnings and welfare receipt in adulthood.

We used group-based trajectory modeling to identify profiles of children with externalising, internalising, and comorbid symptoms from age 6-12 years. We estimated associations of the identified profiles with participants’ employment earnings at age 33-37 years and welfare receipt from age 18-35 years obtained from tax return records. The child’s IQ and family socioeconomic background were adjusted for.

Four profiles were identified: no symptoms (45%), externalizing (29%), internalizing (11%) and comorbid symptoms (13%). Relative to the no-symptom profile, participants in the comorbid profile earned US$-18,323 less annually (95%CI=-20,925 to -15700) at age 33-37 years and were significantly more likely to receive welfare across follow-up (RR=6.30, 95%CI=5.4 to 7.2). Similarly, compared to the no-symptom profile, participants in the externalising profile earned US$-7,256 less per year (95%CI=-9,205 to -5,307), while participants in the internalising profile earned US$-9,716 less (95%CI=-12,358 to -7,074). Significant interactions by sex were observed. For participants in the comorbid profile, males were more likely to have lower earnings while females were more likely to receive welfare, relative to the no-symptom profile.

Children exhibiting comorbid externalising and internalising symptoms are at high risk of poor economic outcomes in adulthood. Early detection, prevention and management is crucial to improve the life chances of this vulnerable population.

No significant relationships.

Trichotillomania (TTM), also known as hair pulling disorder, is an obsessive- compulsive disorder characterized by the recurrent, overwhelming urge to repeatedly pull out one’s hair. Hair pulling can occur anywhere on the body but is most common on the scalp, eyebrows, and eyelashes and subsequently results in bald patches. While TTM is a very prevalent, debilitating disorder, there is still no FDA approved treatment that exists.

The main objective of this study is to explore the various forms of available psychotherapy available for the treatment of trichotillomania.

Two independent reviewers conducted title, abstract, full-text searching and data extraction among the PubMed, PsycINFO, and ResearchGate data bases. Of the 79 articles screened, five were included in this review

Habit reversal therapy (HRT) is a form of cognitive behavioral therapy that is considered the first line treatment for management of TTM. Other psychotherapeutic techniques include acceptance and commitment therapy, progressive muscle relaxation, and mindfulness therapy.

This study supports the current data which states that HRT is the first line treatment and there is yet to be a pharmacological treatment of choice for TTM. It is also very important to note that TTM is still underdiagnosed and can be mistaken for a dermatological disorder like alopecia aerata. Furthermore, many people with trichilemmoma have underlying mental health disorders such as anxiety and depression that must first be addressed before treating the hair pulling itself.

No significant relationships.

Bipolar Disorder(BD) is a common,severe and recurrent disease with significant effects on functionality. Residual symptoms such as sleep disturbance and sexual dysfunction are defined as predictors of poor functioning in remission.

The aim of this study was to investigate the correlation between sleep disorder and severity of sexual dysfunction in patients with BD in remission.

The study was conducted with 100 female and 100 male BD patients in remission. The sociodemographic and clinical characteristics were recorded by interview with the patients and the patients were given the Young Mania Rating Scale(YMRS),Hamilton Depression Rating Scale(HAM-D),Pittsburg Sleep Quality Index(PSQI),Epworth Sleepiness Scale(ESS),Female Sexual Function Scale(FSFI) and International Index of Erectile Function(IIFF-15)for the assesment of symptom severity.

The frequency of “sleep disorder” was 45.5% and the frequency of ’’daytime sleepiness’’ was 5.5%.In women the mean FSFI score was 26.06±5.14 and sexual dysfunction frequency was 48%.In men,the mean IIEF score was 59.63±8.34 and erectile dysfunction frequency was 56%. There was a statistically significant negative correlation between total FSFI score with HAM-D(r=-0.592, p <0.001),ESS (r=-0.330, p=0.001)and PSQI(r=-0.557, p<0.001)and between total IIEF score with HAM-D(r=-0.509, p<0.001),ESS(r=-0.361, p<0.001)and PSQI(r=-0.511,p<0.001). Sexual function scores in both women and men with sleep problems were significantly lower than those without sleep problems(23.56±4.71vs.28.56±4.31and53.88±7.10vs.63.80±6.56 respectively). Multiple linear regression analysis also showed that total sleep quality scores were an effective factor on sexual function in women(OR:2.74,%95CI[0,799-0,127];p=0,007) and men(OR:2.45, %95CI[1.577-0.164];p=0,016) with BD.

There was an increased incidence of sexual dysfunction in bipolar patients with sleep disorders.Treatment of sleep disorders is important for improving sexual function in bipolar patients for both genders.

No significant relationships.

Traditional categorical classifications of personality disorders (PD) have been criticized for insufficient structural and cross-cultural validity. In the DSM-5 Section III, alternative model of the PDs (AMPD), the maladaptive personality traits are divided into five domains: negative affect, detachment, antagonism, disinhibition and psychoticism. The Personality Inventory for DSM-5 Brief Form (PID-5-BF) is a 25-item self-report questionnaire that measures the severity of each of these five domains. To date, no questionnaires assessing pathological personality traits following the AMPD have been validated in Russia.

This study aimed to investigate the factor structure of the Russian version of PID-5-BF.

Five hundred and 86 (female - 505 (86,2%), age - 18–77 years (M - 28.2, SD - 11.5)) consecutive inpatients with non-psychotic mental disorders were assessed with the Russian language version of the PID-5-BF. Exploratory structural equation modelling (ESEM) with Robust Diagonally Weighted Least Squares method of extraction and Robust Equamax rotation was performed in Factor v 11.04.02.

The results of the ESEM analysis showed good fit of the five-factor model (CFI - 0.982; TLI - 0.971; RMSEA (95% CI) - 0.036 (0.01-0.05). Most of the items had the highest factor loadings on their mother domains. However, two items showed weak loadings on their designated factors (<0.4), and attention seeking item had a primary load to (low) detachment instead of antagonism.

The PID-5-BF was found to be a valid and reliable tool for the evaluation of the AMPD trait domain

No significant relationships.

A cross-sectional relationship between low-grade inflammation –characterized by increased blood levels of C-reactive protein (CRP) and pro-inflammatory cytokines– and both MDD and anxiety has been reported, but the potential longitudinal symptom-specific relationships has been less well studied.

We aimed to test our hypothesize that inflammation is predictive of the severity and the course of a subset of MDD and anxiety symptoms, especially symptoms that overlap with sickness behavior, such as anhedonia, anorexia, low concentration, low energy, loss of libido, psychomotor slowness, irritability, and malaise.

We tested the association between basal and lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammatory markers with individual MDD symptoms (measured using the Inventory of Depressive Symptomatology Self-Report) and several measures for symptom domains of anxiety over a period of up to 9 years using multivariate-adjusted mixed models in up to 2872 Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety (NESDA) participants.

At baseline, 53.9% of the participants had a current mood or anxiety disorder. We found that basal and LPS-stimulated inflammatory markers were more strongly associated with sickness behavior symptoms at up to 9-year follow up compared to non-sickness behavior symptoms of depression. The associations with anxiety symptoms attenuated by 25%-30% after adjusting for the presence of (comorbid) MDD.

Inflammation was related to the presence and the course of specific MDD symptoms, of which the majority overlaped with sickness behavior. The associations between inflammatory markers and anxiety symptoms were partly driven by co-morbid MDD. Anti-inflammatory strategies should be tested in the subgroup of MDD patients who report depressive symptoms related to sickness behavior.

No significant relationships.

The familiality of intelligence quotient (IQ), understood as its similarity among family members, might be related to different manifestations in first episode of psychosis (FEP) patients.

To estimate the IQ familiality through the intra-family resemblance score (IRS) in FEP patients and their unaffected first-degree relatives; and to analyze if the deviation from the family-IQ is related to the patients’ premorbid, clinical and cognitive characteristics.

Individuals from 129 families participated in this study (129 patients, 143 parents, 97 siblings). For each family, two values were estimated: the family-IQ, obtained by the mean IQ of the patient and his/her relatives (using the WAIS vocabulary subtest); and the IRS, an index previously reported that indicate intra-family heterogeneity (IRS<0) or homogeneity (IRS>0) for a given trait. According to the IRS and the family-IQ, patients were assigned to 6 groups (Figure 1).

FEP patients in families with heterogeneous IQ (IRS<0) had a significantly lower IQ than their relatives (p<0.001). Also, those with low IQ and from heterogeneous families had poorer childhood adjustment (p=0.001). The patients with high IQ belonging to homogenous families showed less positive symptoms at baseline (p=0.009). FEP patients in homogenous families due to low IQ evidenced the lowest neuropsychological performance (Figure 2).

The analysis of the IQ familiality and the concordance/discordance of the patients’ and relatives’ IQ, offers a new approach for the characterization of different premorbid, clinical and cognitive profiles in FEP patients. The relationship between deviation from the family-IQ and poor premorbid childhood adjustment supports the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia.

No significant relationships.