1,721,201 research outputs found
NCAM1, TACR1 and NOS Genes and Temperament: A Study on Suicide Attempters and Controls
Full text linkSuicide, one of the leading causes of death among young adults, seems to be plausibly modulated by both genetic and personality factors. The aim of this study was to dissect the potential association between genetics and temperament in a sample of 111 suicide attempters and 289 healthy controls. We focused on 4 genes previously investigated in association with suicide on the same sample: the nitric oxide synthase 1 and 3 (NOS1 and NOS3), the neuronal cell adhesion molecule 1 (NCAM1), and the tachykinin receptor 1 (TACR1) genes. In particular, we investigated whether a set of genetic variants in these genes (NOS1 : rs2682826, rs1353939, rs693534; NOS3 : rs2070744, rs1799983, rs891512; NCAM1 : rs2301228, rs1884, rs1245113, rs1369816, rs2196456, rs584427; TACR1 : rs3771810, rs3771825, rs726506, rs1477157) were associated with temperamental traits at the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI). No strong evidence was found for the association between TCI personality traits and the polymorphisms considered in the 4 genes, with the exception of an association between reward dependence trait and the rs2682826 SNP in NOS1 in the healthy sample. However, this result could be plausibly interpreted as a false-positive finding. In conclusion, our study did not support the thesis of a direct modulation of these genes on temperament; however, further studies on larger samples are clearly required in order to confirm our preliminary findings and to exclude any possible minor influence. Copyright (C) 2011 S. Karger AG, Base
Irritable Mood and Subthreshold Hypomanic Episodes Correlate with More Severe Major Depression
No full textIntroduction: Irritable mood (IM) and subthreshold hypomanic symptoms are reported in half and two-fifths of major depressed subjects respectively, but their clinical and prognostic meanings remain unclear. The aim of this study was to test the clinical usefulness of 2 specifiers in DSM-IV major depressive disorder (MDD): IM occurring during an index episode (IM+) and lifetime episodes of elated mood or IM with at least 2 concurrent hypomanic symptoms (subthreshold hypomanic episodes [SHEs]). Method: We included 482 outpatients with MDD participating in the Combining Medications to Enhance Depression Outcome study (mean age 43.14 ± 12.46 years, 144 males - 30%). The main aim of the original study was to test whether 2 different medications when given in combination as the first treatment step, compared to 1 medication, would improve antidepressant response. Results: IM + subjects (N = 349; 70%) were younger and more often females, with a more severe depression, a more marked social impairment, and more psychiatric comorbidities. The IM + group was also characterized by higher levels of suicidal ideation and more cases of emotional abuse. The combination of IM+ and SHEs was associated with an even more severe clinical picture. Limitations include the post hoc method, incomplete assessment of bipolar validators (e.g., family history of bipolar illness), personality disorders and suicide attempts. Conclusions: The presence of IM and SHEs in MDD correlate with an overall more severe clinical condition
Levosulpiride vs. pimozide in negative symptoms of schizophrenia
No full textThe primary objective of this study was to compare the therapeutic effect of low-dose levosulpiride with pimozide in a representative sample of patients with negative symptoms of schizophrenia. As a secondary objective, possible synergism between haloperidol and levosulpiride was evaluated. The safety of the two drugs in association with haloperidol was also compared. This was a single-masked (the patient), randomized, controlled, clinical study performed on 20 hospitalized patients randomly assigned to one of two groups. The drugs under study were administered orally, during a 60-day period, at the following doses: levosulpiride 200 mg/d or pimozide 4 mg/d. All patients had chronic schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 3rd Edition, Revised, with predominant negative symptoms, following Andreasen's diagnostic criteria, based on rating scales for negative and positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Low-dose levosulpiride showed a definite therapeutic effect on negative symptoms of schizophrenia. The therapeutic activity of levosulpiride was higher than that of pimozide. A particular type of synergism between levosulpiride and haloperidol was also suggested, as negative symptoms of schizophrenia, which are not relieved by haloperidol alone, were significantly ameliorated by adding levosulpiride to the therapeutic schedule. The combination of levosulpiride plus haloperidol did not increase the incidence of side effects; in fact, the incidence of side effects with combination therapy was decreased in comparison with that of haloperidol monotherapy. The total number of side effects was similar during combination therapy with pimozide plus haloperidol and during haloperidol monotherapy
Genes involved in Alzheimer's disease, a survey of possible candidates
No full textAlzheimer's disease (AD) is the major cause of dementia in the elderly. It is characterized by a progressive deterioration in memory and cognitive functions, but also behavioral symptoms are common. Many different genes are possibly involved in Alzheimer's Disease: four genetic factors were confirmed in different studies, while at least 50 additional genes were tested with contrasting results. A major aim both for clinician and researchers would be the identification of the genes involved in AD, to better understand the biological mechanism of this disease and consequently to develop appropriate treatments. The aim of this review is to explore genetics of AD
Suicide risk in obsessive-compulsive disorder and exploration of risk factors: a systematic review
No full textBackground: Historically, OCD has been considered to be associated with a relatively low risk of suicide. Recent studies, on the contrary, revealed a significant association between OCD and suicide attempts and ideation. A huge variation in prevalence rates, however, is reported. Objective: To estimate prevalence rates of suicide attempts and suicidal ideation in individuals with OCD, and to identify predictors of suicide risk among subjects with OCD. Methods: We systematically reviewed the literature on suicide risk (ideation and/or attempts) and OCD. We included studies with appropriate definition of OCD, cross-sectional or prospective design, separating clinical samples from epidemiological studies, that employed a quantitative measure of suicidality and/or reported an outcome measure of the association between suicidality and OCD or examined factors associated with suicidality. Results: In clinical samples, the mean rate of lifetime suicide attempts is 14.2% (31 studies: range 6-51.7%). Suicidal ideation is referred by 26.3-73.5% of individuals (17 studies, mean 44.1%); current suicidal ideation rate ranges between 6.4 and 75% (13 studies, mean 25.9). Epidemiological studies found that OCD increases significantly the odds of having a lifetime suicidal ideation as compared to the general population (OR: 1.9-10.3) and a history of lifetime suicide attempts (OR: 1.6-9.9). Predictors of greater suicide risk are severity of OCD, the symptom dimension of unacceptable thoughts, comorbid Axis I disorders, severity of comorbid depressive and anxiety symptoms, past history of suicidality and some emotion-cognitive factors such as alexithymia and hopelessness. Conclusion: Overall, suicidality appears a relevant phenomenon in OCD
Going Beyond Counting First Authors in Author Co-citation Analysis
Full text linkThe present study examines one of the fundamental aspects of author co-citation analysis (ACA) - the way co-citation
counts are defined. Co-citation counting provides the data on which all subsequent statistical analyses and mappings
are based, and we compare ACA results based on two different types of co-citation counting - the traditional type that
only counts the first one among a cited work's authors on the one hand and a non-traditional type that takes into
account the first 5 authors of a cited work on the other hand. Results indicate that the picture produced through this non-traditional author co-citation counting contains more coherent author groups and is therefore considerably clearer. However, this picture represents fewer specialties in the research field being studied than that produced through the traditional first-author co-citation counting when the same number of top-ranked authors is selected and analyzed. Reasons for these effects are discussed
Variations on the Author
Full text link“Variations on the Author” discusses two of Eduardo Coutinho’s recent films (Um Dia na Vida, from 2010, and Últimas Conversas, posthumously released in 2015) and their contribution to the general question of documentary authorship. The director’s filmography is characterized by a consistent yet self-effacing form of authorial self-inscription: Coutinho often features as an interviewer that rather than express opinions propels discourses; an interviewer that is good at listening. This mode of self-inscription characterizes him as an author who is not expressive but who is nonetheless markedly present on the screen. In Um Dia na Vida, however, Coutinho is completely absent form the image, while Últimas Conversas, on the contrary, includes a confessional prologue that moves the director from the margins to the center of his films. This article examines the ways in which these works stand out in the filmography of a director who offers new insights into the notion of cinematic authorship
Young Women in the “Digital Generation”—New Risks and New Opportunities
No full textAdolescence is a hazardous bridge between childhood and adulthood representing one of the more complex phases of human development. During the “teen years” childhood experiences sediment to become the foundation of the adult identity. In this transitional period brains are particularly sensitive to surrounding influences. Digital natives, especially during adolescence, are in between new risks (hyper-connection and Internet addiction, Web-based unhealthy lifestyle promotion, cyberbullying, grooming) and new opportunities (Web-based professional help). Since the most of mental disorders start by the mid-teens and the mid-20s, and as less than half of adolescents with mental health problems receive an appropriate care, there’s a strong need for developing a proper digital education encompassing families, institutions, media, and therapists
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