Ultradian Cycles of Mood in Normal and Depressed Subjects

Objective: To study ultradian cycles of mood in four inpatient groups. Method: We assessed the mood of depressed and nondepressed subjects, on an hourly basis, between 7:00 a.m. and 10:00 p.m. for two consecutive days using a visual analog scale of mood. Hourly mood scores for each group were plotted against time. Results: We found ultradian cycles with mean lengths of 3-4 hours in all groups. The major depressive episode and adjustment disorder depression groups, however, had ultradian cycles of significantly greater amplitude than ward staff. Conclusions: Depressed patients demonstrate greater amplitude in ultradian cycles of mood than nondepressed subjects

Comparison of Postoperative Pain in Children with Two Intracapsular Tonsillotomy Techniques and a Standard Tonsillectomy : Microdebrider and radiofrequency tonsillotomies versus standard tonsillectomies

Objectives: The aim of this study was to compare the duration and severity of postoperative pain for two different tonsillotomy techniques (radiofrequency [RF] and microdebrider [MD]) with the standard tonsillectomy. Methods: This non-randomised retrospective study, carried out from February 2011 to September 2012, investigated 128 children in two independent centres: Heim Pál Children’s Hospital in Budapest, Hungary, and Muscat Private Hospital in Muscat, Oman. Those undergoing conventional tonsillectomies acted as the control group. One centre tested the MD technique (n = 28) while the other centre tested the RF technique (n = 31). Results: The pain-free period after the tonsillotomies was similar between the two techniques and ranged up to three days. Other indicators of pain resolution, like the use of a single analgesic, reduced night-time waking and the time taken to resume a normal diet, were also similar for the two groups. However, patients benefited significantly from having a tonsillotomy rather than a tonsillectomy. Conclusion: The partial resectioning of tonsillar tissue using the MD and RF techniques showed promising outcomes for a better postoperative quality of life when compared to a traditional tonsillectomy. In this study, the results of both the MD and RF tonsillotomy methods were almost identical in terms of the duration of postoperative pain and recovery time

Startle response related genes

The startle reaction (also known as the startle response, the startle reflex, or the alarm reaction) is the psychological and physiological response to a sudden unexpected stimulus, such as a flash of light, a loud noise (acoustic startle reflex), or a quick movement near the face. Abnormalities of startle response have been observed in many stress-related mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the molecular mechanisms of startle in stress-associated conditions – for example, whether the startle reaction is associated with any gene variance – is still unknown. In this paper, we will carry out a systematic review by retrieving, assessing, and combining, when applicable, individual studies investigating association of the molecular variation of candidate gene with the startle response. The systematic review is based on the search for numerous publications using the keywords ‘‘startle gene’’ on September 15, 2010 using PubMed, which comprises more than 20 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE and life science journals. A total of 486 publications regarding genes associated with startle have been obtained and reviewed here. There are fewer than 20 publications associating genes with the startle response between 1979, when the first valuable paper was published, and 1999. However, publications have dramatically increase from 2001 and reaches over 70 in 2009. We have characterized them into three categories: startle-associated gene studies in humans, in animals, as well as in both human and animals. This review of research strategy may provide the information for identifying a biomarker for startle response, with the objective of translating research into clinical utility: diagnosis and treatment of stress-induced mental disorders

Startle response related genes

The startle reaction (also known as the startle response, the startle reflex, or the alarm reaction) is the psychological and physiological response to a sudden unexpected stimulus, such as a flash of light, a loud noise (acoustic startle reflex), or a quick movement near the face. Abnormalities of startle response have been observed in many stress-related mental disorders, such as schizophrenia and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). However, the molecular mechanisms of startle in stress-associated conditions – for example, whether the startle reaction is associated with any gene variance – is still unknown. In this paper, we will carry out a systematic review by retrieving, assessing, and combining, when applicable, individual studies investigating association of the molecular variation of candidate gene with the startle response. The systematic review is based on the search for numerous publications using the keywords ‘‘startle gene’’ on September 15, 2010 using PubMed, which comprises more than 20 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE and life science journals. A total of 486 publications regarding genes associated with startle have been obtained and reviewed here. There are fewer than 20 publications associating genes with the startle response between 1979, when the first valuable paper was published, and 1999. However, publications have dramatically increase from 2001 and reaches over 70 in 2009. We have characterized them into three categories: startle-associated gene studies in humans, in animals, as well as in both human and animals. This review of research strategy may provide the information for identifying a biomarker for startle response, with the objective of translating research into clinical utility: diagnosis and treatment of stress-induced mental disorders

Hepatic but not intestinal CYP3A4 displays dose‐dependent induction by efavirenz in humans

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/110078/1/cptclpt200260.pd

Exposure to War as a Risk Factor for Mental Disorders

The authors discuss a new study on the prevalence of mental disorders in Lebanon

Diverse therapeutic developments for post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) indicate common mechanisms of memory modulation

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), characterized by abnormally persistent and distressing memories, is a chronic debilitating condition in need of new treatment options. Current treatment guidelines recommend psychotherapy as first line management with only two drugs, sertraline and paroxetine, approved by U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for treatment of PTSD. These drugs have limited efficacy as they only reduce symptoms related to depression and anxietywithout producing permanent remission. PTSD remains a significant public health problem with high morbidity and mortality requiring major advances in therapeutics. Early evidence has emerged for the beneficial effects of psychedelics particularly in combination with psychotherapy for management of PTSD, including psilocybin,MDMA, LSD, cannabinoids, ayahuasca and ketamine. MDMA and psilocybin reduce barrier to therapy by increasing trust between therapist and patient, thus allowing for modification of trauma related memories. Furthermore, research into the memory reconsolidation mechanisms has allowed for identification of various pharmacological targets to disrupt abnormally persistent memories. A number of preclinical and clinical studies have investigated novel and re-purposed pharmacological agents to disrupt fear memory in PTSD. Novel therapeutic approaches like neuropeptide Y, oxytocin, cannabinoids and neuroactive steroids have also shown potential for PTSD treatment. Here,we focus on the role of fear memory in the pathophysiology of PTSD and propose that many of these newtherapeutic strategies produce benefits through the effect on fear memory. Evaluation of recent research findings suggests that while a number of drugs have shown promising results in preclinical studies and pilot clinical trials, the evidence from large scale clinical trials would be needed for these drugs to be incorporated in clinical practice

Dynamic causal modeling of spontaneous fluctuations in skin conductance

Spontaneous fluctuations (SF) in skin conductance are often used to index sympathetic arousal and emotional states. SF are caused by sudomotor nerve activity (SNA), which is a direct indicator of sympathetic arousal. Here, we describe a dynamic causal model (DCM) of how SNA causes SF, and apply variational Bayesian model inversion to infer SNA, given empirically observed SF. The estimated SNA bears a relationship to the number of SF as derived from conventional (semi-visual) analysis. Crucially, we show that, during public speaking induced anxiety, the estimated number of SNA bursts is a better predictor of the (known) psychological state than the number of SF. We suggest dynamic causal modeling of SF potentially allows a more precise and informed inference about arousal than purely descriptive methods