Evidence for increased immune mobilization in First Episode Psychosis compared with the prodromal stage in males

The aim of the study was to gauge both the immune and neuroendocrine function in Ultra High Risk for psychosis (UHR) subjects and compare them with a cohort presenting with First Episode Psychosis (FEP). We recruited two groups, the first group consisted of 12 UHR males and the second of 25 males with FEP. We measured serum cortisol levels at 08:00, 12:00, 18:00 with their Area Under Curve with respect to the ground (AUCg) and the increase (AUCi) and we measured serum cytokines levels, Interleukin-1a, IL-1a, IL-2, IL-4,IL-5,IL-6,IL-8, IL-10,IL-12, IL-17a, Tumor Necrosis Factor-a (TNF-a), Interferon-γ (IFN-γ). Dexamethasone Suppression Test (DST) was also performed. The results suggest higher levels of both pro-inflammatory (TNF-a, IL-2, IL-12, IFN-γ) and anti-inflammatory (IL-10) cytokines in the FEP group compared with the UHR counterparts. Regarding the HPA axis function, the prodromal subjects showed a trend for higher AUCg and AUCi change/decrease cortisol levels. On the contrary, the DST results did not differ between the groups. No significant associations were demonstrated within each group among cytokines, cortisol and psychopathology. The findings favor a hypothesis of a relatively increased mobilization of both the pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokine networks, in FEP compared with that of UHR subjects

Venlafaxine’s effect on human genetic material: in vitro study

Introduction: Venlafaxine is a prescription drug approved for the treatment of major depressive disorder, generalized anxiety disorder, panic disorder and social anxiety disorder.  It is a serotonin and norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor and a weak dopamine reuptake inhibitor. The aim of the present study is to investigate the in vitro effect of venlafaxine on human genetic material, by estimating sensitive cytogenetic indices.Methods: Five venlafaxine solutions (A=15μg/ml, B=30μg/ml, C=45μg/ml, D=60μg/ml, E=75μg/ml) were added to cultures of peripheral blood lymphocytes of six healthy donors. After 72 hours of incubation, the cultured lymphocytes were plated on glass slides, stained with the Fluorescence plus Giemsa method and Sister Chromatid Exchanges (SCEs), a sensitive marker of genotoxicity, Proliferation Rate Index (PRI), a reliable marker of cytostatic activity and Mitotic Index (MI), a marker which shows precisely the ability of a cell to proliferate were measured with the optical microscope.Results: Result analysis revealed t: a) a statistically significant (p=0.001) dose-dependent increase of SCEs and b) a statistically significant (p=0.001) reduction of PRI and MI in all concentrations. Furthermore, a correlation was observed between a) SCE and PRI index variations, b) MI and SCE index variations and c) PRI and MI index variations. Conclusions: Venlafaxine exhibited dose-dependent cytogenetic activity in vitro, increasing SCE frequencies and diminishing PRI and MI levels in healthy human cultured lymphocytes. Venlafaxine as other antidepressants seems to affect human T lymphocytes by modifying epigenetic and DNA replication procedures. This may provide additional information about the mechanism of action of the drug. Considering that the use of venlafaxine has rapidly increased with many off label indications, further studies in other cell lines and in vivo experimental settings are needed in order to evaluate its potential effects on human genetic material

The impact of cultural and religious beliefs on the phenomenology of mental illness in light of the involuntary psychiatric commitment of an East Asian and a West African woman

Religious and cultural issues have become increasingly important in the field of psychiatry. We present two cases which demonstrate the impact of diverse religious beliefs and cultural background on the presentation of mental illness. Clinicians must remain vigilant for the early detection of culturally sanctioned idioms of mental disorders

Evidence for hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis and immune alterations at prodrome of psychosis in males

We aimed to investigate the inflammatory substrate in psychosis by evaluating both the Hypothalamus-Pituitary-Adrenal axis function and immune state at prodrome. This involved the recruitment of Ultra High Risk (UHR) of Psychosis subjects, Healthy Controls (HC) and patients with established Schizophrenia (CHRON). Serum cortisol at 3 different times throughout the day was measured. The Dexamethasone Suppression Test was performed plus 12 circulating cytokines were measured. The UHR subjects presented increased IL-4 levels compared with both the HC and CHRON patients. In contrast the UHR differed only from the CHRON group regarding the endocrine parameters. In conclusion, IL-4 appears to play a key role at prodrome

Social cognition in the course of psychosis and its correlation with biomarkers in a male cohort

Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia display deficits in Theory of Mind (ToM) and Emotion Perception (EP) even before the appearance of full-blown symptomatology.; We evaluated ToM and EP in a male cohort consisting of 25 First Episode Psychosis (FEP) and 16 relapsed schizophrenic patients (CHRON) compared to 12 subjects in Ultra-high Risk (UHR) and 23 healthy controls (CTR). Furthermore, we measured the levels of Cortisol, Insulin like Growth Factor (IGF-1), TNF-a, TNF-b and several interleukins as potential biomarkers.; Deficits in EP and ToM were found in FEP, CHRON patients and UHR subjects compared to CTR. The impairments in these two domains seem to follow different patterns in the course of psychosis. EP was more impaired in subjects with a longer history of symptomatology whereas there was no statistically significant difference regarding ToM. On the other hand IL-4 was the only biomarker correlated to ToM and EP scores in two different samples of our study.; Social Cognition (SC) domains are impaired in patients with psychosis as well as in UHR subjects compared to healthy controls. There are differences in the progress of ToM and EP deficits in the course of psychosis. Interleukins as IL-4 could correlate to SC

A Spatial Decision Support System Framework for the Evaluation of Biomass Energy Production Locations: Case Study in the Regional Unit of Drama, Greece

Renewable Energy Sources are expected to play a very important role in energy production in the following years. They constitute an energy production methodology which, if properly enabled, can ensure energy sufficiency as well as the protection of the environment. Energy production from biomass in particular is a very common method, which exploits a variety of resources (wood and wood waste, agricultural crops and their by-products after cultivation, animal wastes, Municipal Solid Waste (MSW) and food processing wastes) for the production of energy. This paper presents a Spatial Decision Support System, which enables managers to locate the most suitable areas for biomass power plant installation. For doing this, fuzzy logic and fuzzy membership functions are used for the creation of criteria layers and suitability maps. In this paper, we use a Multicriteria Decision Analysis methodology (Analytical Hierarchy Process) combined with fuzzy system elements for the determination of the weight coefficients of the participating criteria. Then, based on the combination of fuzzy logic and theAnalytic Hierarchy Process (AHP), a final proposal is created thatdivides the area into four categories regarding their suitability forsupporting a biomass energy production power plant. For the two optimal locations, the biomass is also calculated.The framework is applied to theRegional Unit of Drama, which is situated in Northern Greece and is very well known for the area’s forest and agricultural production

Administration and management effectiveness of protected areas: stakeholders’ views of Dadia National Park, Greece. eco.mont (Journal on Protected Mountain Areas Research)|eco.mont Vol. 5 No. 2 5 2|

The management effectiveness of protected areas is linked to the type and form of administration structures applied in each country within the framework of its environmental policy implementation. The administration structure gives citizens the opportunity to take part in decision-making processes concerning the environment and includes partnerships with regional authorities, management bodies, competent ministries, academic institutions and non-governmental organizations. The main principles pertaining to the administration of protected areas are based on international conventions aimed at protecting biodiversity and the natural environment. The present study was conducted at Dadia National Park (NP), in the Evros Prefecture. The stakeholders involved in the administration and management of the NP, namely the park management, the municipality of Soufli and the regional authorities of Evros Prefecture, as well as locals and visitors, were asked their opinion about the effectiveness of administration and management of the park. The results of the study indicate that there are weaknesses affecting the collaboration of the administrative bodies, the locals are not satisfied with the local authorities’ operations, and the visitors are not being adequately informed about the relevant bodies and type of administration and management of the NP

Conceptualizing Forest Operations Planning and Management Using Principles of Functional Complex Systems Science to Increase the Forest’s Ability to Withstand Climate Change

The sustainable management of forest resources is greatly influenced by forest operations (FO). Interactions between humans and nature describe how people engage with and are impacted by the natural world. As we enter the Anthropocene epoch, we are being compelled to reevaluate our past and present methods of managing and planning our forest operations in order to find new ones that are more adaptable and successful at addressing the growing unpredictability resulting from accelerating global change. We briefly discuss the goals and constraints of the prior and current management and planning principles for forest operations in this study, focusing on how these principles have evolved on a worldwide scale. We then propose a promising idea, such as managing forest operations as complex adaptive systems and approaches based on resilience and sustainable use of forest resources, in order to achieve the necessary economic, social, and ecological goals. An in-depth understanding of the ecological, economic, and social factors that influence forest resilience is necessary for planning and managing forest operations efficiently. The proposed strategy combines the effectiveness of forest operations with a functional, complex network approach in order to manage forests for the Anthropocene