69 research outputs found
The LAGEOS Lense-Thirring precession and the LAGEOS non-gravitational nodal perturbations.
No full textAfter a brief description of the experiment to detect the gravitomagnetic field using high altitude laser ranged artificial satellites, the author studies several non-gravitational perturbations that affect the LAGEOS nodal longitude. It is shown that the error in the calculated value of the secular nodal precession or the value of the secular nodal precession itself is, for each perturbation, less than 1% of the gravitomagnetic drag
118.1 Effect of the Interaction Between Childhood Abuse and FKBP5 Gene Polymorphism on Cortisol Awakening Response and Diurnal Cortisol Levels in First-Episode Psychosis
No full textThe grade of systemic inflammation, immune inhibition, and gut dysbiosis as prognostic factors for bladder cancer recurrence: a metabolomics approach
No full textbackground: the risk of recurrence for non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) is high, and the current methods of predicting it rely on clinical and histopathological markers. personalized risk assessment can be improved by including new prognostic biomarkers. our research explores the potential of urinary metabolomics to predict cancer recurrence in NMIBC patients within three years. methods: fifty NMIBC patients were included in the study. urine samples were collected at diagnosis and before TUR-BT. after three years, patients were classified as relapsed or non-relapsed. an NMR-based metabolomics approach was used to measure the concentration of 44 metabolites in the urine of these patients at the time of their diagnosis. this method provides a comprehensive view of many urinary compounds potentially valuable for discriminating relapsing from non-relapsing patients. the measured metabolic profiles were analyzed through multivariate analysis, probability ROC curves, and mann-whitney tests. results: seven metabolites were involved in NMIBC recurrence prediction. We interpret their alteration as the consequence of three main events: gut dysbiosis, systemic inflammation, and immune inhibition. since these compounds have already been proposed for BC diagnosis, what distinguishes their role as prognostic or diagnostic is the grade of their alteration. limitations: small sample size; further research to confirm urinary compounds' correlation with physiological processes. conclusions: this study exploits urinary metabolic profiles to predict NMIBC recurrence. specific metabolites are found to be significantly related to cancer relapse. the study highlights the grade of inflammation, immune suppression, and gut dysbiosis in predicting cancer recurrence
Cortisol and Inflammatory Biomarkers Predict Poor Treatment Response in First Episode Psychosis
No full textBACKGROUND: Cortisol and inflammatory markers have been increasingly reported as abnormal at psychosis onset. The main aim of our study was to investigate the ability of these biomarkers to predict treatment response at 12 weeks follow-up in first episode psychosis. METHODS: In a longitudinal study, we collected saliva and blood samples in 68 first episode psychosis patients (and 57 controls) at baseline and assessed response to clinician-led antipsychotic treatment after 12 weeks. Moreover, we repeated biological measurements in 39 patients at the same time we assessed the response. Saliva samples were collected at multiple time points during the day to measure diurnal cortisol levels and cortisol awakening response (CAR); interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, tumor necrosis factor-α, and interferon-γ (IFN-γ) levels were analyzed from serum samples. Patients were divided into Non-Responders (n = 38) and Responders (n = 30) according to the Remission symptom criteria of the Schizophrenia Working Group Consensus. RESULTS: At first onset, Non-Responders had markedly lower CAR (d = 0.6, P = .03) and higher IL-6 and IFN-γ levels (respectively, d = 1.0, P = .003 and d = 0.9, P = .02) when compared with Responders. After 12 weeks, Non-Responders show persistent lower CAR (P = .01), and higher IL-6 (P = .04) and IFN-γ (P = .05) when compared with Responders. Comparison with controls show that these abnormalities are present in both patients groups, but are more evident in Non-Responders. CONCLUSIONS: Cortisol and inflammatory biomarkers at the onset of psychosis should be considered as possible predictors of treatment response, as well as potential targets for the development of novel therapeutic agents
On the high accuracy to test dragging of inertial frames with the LARES 2 space experiment
No full textIn this paper we treat some aspects of the LARES 2 space experiment to test the general relativistic phenomenon of dragging of inertial frames, or frame-dragging, in particular we discuss some aspects of its relative accuracy which can approach one part in a thousand. We then, once again respond to the criticisms of the author of a recent paper about the accuracy in the measurement of frame-dragging with LARES 2. The claims of such a paper are not reproducible in any independent analyses. Indeed, it claims that the accuracy in the test of frame-dragging, which can be reached by the LARES 2 space experiment, is several orders of magnitude larger than previously estimated in a number of papers. Here we show that such a paper is based on a number of significant misunderstandings and conceptual mistakes. Furthermore, it is puzzling to observe that previous papers by the same author contained completely opposite statements about the accuracy which can be reached using two satellites with supplementary inclinations, such as in the LARES 2 space experiment, and in general with laser-ranged satellites
Effects of psychotropic drugs on inflammation: consequence or mediator of therapeutic effects in psychiatric treatment?
No full textRationaleCurrent psychotropic medications have been shown to modulate immune activation. However, the effects of individual psychotropic agents on the immune system and how these might contribute to their efficacy remain largely unclear.ObjectiveThis paper aims to review previous literature on the effects of antidepressants and antipsychotics on the immune system, with a systematic review of in vitro findings, and discuss the relevance of these effects for the response to treatment and future drug development.ResultsInflammatory markers have been associated with fluctuations in clinical status and with treatment response both in depression and psychosis. The in vitro literature on antidepressants shows that some antidepressants, such as clomipramine and fluoxetine, more consistently decrease pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL)-6, interferon (IFN)-γ, tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α), whilst others (mirtazapine and venlafaxine) tend to increase their levels. However, any overall conclusion is challenged by several inconsistent findings, which appear partly dependent on different methodological approaches used. The in vitro studies on antipsychotics are even less clear-cut showing pro- and anti-inflammatory activity for the same antipsychotic agent (haloperidol, clozapine, risperidone) across different studies. We also noted inconsistencies between in vivo and in vitro literature, which could partly be attributed to the interaction in vivo with various biological systems or lifestyle factors that can modulate the immune system.ConclusionsInflammatory markers seem to hold potential for developing more individualised treatment strategies in the future. In this context, further research disentangling the differential immunomodulatory effects of different drugs could be used for tailoring treatment to specific individuals, according to their immune endophenotypes.<br/
M167. MACHINE LEARNING CLASSIFICATION OF FIRST-EPISODE PSYCHOSIS USING CORTICAL THICKNESS IN A LARGE MULTICENTER MRI STUDY
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HPA axis response to social stress is attenuated in schizophrenia but normal in depression:Evidence from a meta-analysis of existing studies
No full textWe conducted a meta-analysis to investigate the HPA axis response to social stress in studies that used the Trier Social Stress Test (TSST), or comparable distressing paradigms, in individuals with either depression or schizophrenia. Sample size-adjusted effect sizes (Hedge's g statistic) were calculated to estimate the HPA axis stress response to social stress. We used a meta-regression model to take into account the moderating effect of the baseline cortisol level. Participants with depression show an activation pattern to social stress similar to that of healthy controls. Despite a normal cortisol production rate, individuals with schizophrenia have lower cortisol levels than controls both in anticipation and after exposure to social stress. Participants with depression and higher cortisol levels before the task have an increased cortisol production and reached higher cortisol levels during the task. This may be explained by the presence of an impaired negative feedback. The activation pattern present in schizophrenia may explain the reduced ability to appropriately contextualize past experiences shown by individuals with psychosis in social stressful situation
Childhood trauma and adulthood inflammation: a meta-analysis of peripheral C-reactive protein, interleukin-6 and tumour necrosis factor-α
No full textChildhood trauma confers higher risk of adulthood physical and mental illness; however, the biological mechanism mediating this association remains largely unknown. Recent research has suggested dysregulation of the immune system as a possible biological mediator. The present paper conducted a meta-analysis to establish whether early-life adversity contributes to potentially pathogenic pro-inflammatory phenotypes in adult individuals. A systematic search of Pubmed, PsycINFO, EMBASE, Scopus and Medline identified 25 articles for the meta-analysis, including 18 studies encompassing a sample of 16 870 individuals for C-reactive protein (CRP), 15 studies including 3751 individuals for interleukin-6 (IL-6) and 10 studies including 881 individuals for tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α). Random-effects meta-analysis showed that individuals exposed to childhood trauma had significantly elevated baseline peripheral levels of CRP (Fisher's z=0.10, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.05-0.14), IL-6 (z=0.08, 95% CI=0.03-0.14) and TNF-α (z=0.23, 95% CI=0.14-0.32). Subgroup analyses for specific types of trauma (sexual, physical or emotional abuse) revealed that these impact differentially the single inflammatory markers. Moreover, meta-regression revealed greater effect sizes in clinical samples for the association between childhood trauma and CRP but not for IL-6 or TNF-α. Age, body mass index (BMI) and gender had no moderating effects. The analysis demonstrates that childhood trauma contributes to a pro-inflammatory state in adulthood, with specific inflammatory profiles depending on the specific type of trauma.</p
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