Upregulation of the platelet Serotonin2A receptor and low blood serotonin in suicidal psychiatric patients

Suicidality has been found to be associated with low pre- and postsynaptic serotonin functioning. The purpose of this study was to examine whether in acutely suicidal psychiatric inpatients, the blood serotonin concentration was related to the underlying psychiatric disorder and whether it was associated with changes in the affinity (dissociation constant, KD) or in the maximal binding capacity (Bmax) of the platelet serotonin2A receptor. We therefore determined the blood serotonin concentrations and the platelet serotonin2A receptor activities of 45 suicidal psychiatric patients and 20 healthy subjects. We found that the blood serotonin concentrations were significantly lower in suicidal patients compared to healthy subjects. In all diagnostic categories (affective disorder, schizophrenia and adjustment disorder) we noted a significantly higher maximal binding capacity of the platelet serotonin2A receptor. These findings support the notion that a reduction in the availability of serotonin and an upregulation of the serotonin2A receptors in psychiatric patients are associated with a loss of control over suicidal impulses

A Substitute Name for Dryobates Minor Heinrichi Von Jordans

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Taxonomy and nomenclature of the Stonechat complex Saxicola torquatus sensu lato in the Caspian region

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The risk of acute suicidality in psychiatric inpatients increases with low plasma cholesterol

Several studies suggest that the reduction of total cholesterol in blood by lipid-lowering agents is accompanied by a decrease in the incidence of coronary heart disease, but not in total mortality. Likewise, epidemiological studies show that low total cholesterol concentrations appear to be associated with an increased risk of death from suicide and injuries. There is little information with respect to acute suicidality and cholesterol in psychiatric inpatients; therefore the aim of the present study was to examine exactly this relation between plasma cholesterol and acute suicidality. The study comprised 45 acutely suicidal psychiatric inpatients, 95 nonsuicidal inpatients with affective disorder, and 20 healthy subjects. Psychopathological measures (Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale, Beck's Suicide Intent Scale) were established in these patients as well as the plasma concentrations of cholesterol in patients and healthy subjects. The most important finding of this study is that the risk of acute suicidality decreases with increasing total cholesterol levels irrespective of age, gender, and nutritional status (i.e., body mass index). Comparison of total cholesterol levels between age- and sex-matched suicidal and nonsuicidal patients with affective disorder supports this observation: Despite the slightly higher body mass index, suicidal patients have significantly lower cholesterol levels than nonsuicidal patients. Our findings support the notion that acute suicidality is associated with low plasma cholesterol; this observation needs to be further studied in the context of a biological marker for suicide risk

Confirmation of the association between bleomycin hydrolase genotype and Alzheimer's disease

Bleomycin hydrolase (BH), a cysteine protease from the papain superfamily, is considered to be a candidate for the beta-secretase, which is presumably involved in the production of beta-amyloid peptide. The G/G genotype of BH was identified as a significant risk factor for the development of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in subjects not carrying the apolipoprotein E epsilon4 allele (apoE-epsilon4). However, this finding was recently challenged. We studied this polymorphism in a homogenous sample of German AD patients and controls. The over-representation of the G/G genotype in AD patients could be confirmed, however it was more pronounced in apoE-epsilon4 carriers. Additional studies should be undertaken to increase the confidence that the BH polymorphism is associated with AD and to explore the relationship between BH and apoE