GASTRIC BYPASS AND ALCOHOL USE: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: Obesity is public health issue; bariatric surgery is considered as the most efficient treatment. However, the risk of developing an alcohol use disorder could increase after Roux-en-Y bypass. The purpose of this review is to emphasize the further research needed in this area. Methods: Pubmed and Sciencedirect databases were searched. Articles written in another language than French or English as well as abstracts, conference presentations, editorials and expert opinions were excluded. Results: Most of studies included in this review show an increased risk of developing an AUD (alcohol use disorder) after gastric bypass surgery. Male sex, younger age, smoking, regular alcohol consumption, AUD, recreational drug use, lower sense of belonging and undergoing a RYGB (Roux-en-Y gastric bypass) were identified as risk factors. There is an alteration of alcohol metabolism after gastric bypass. Gut hormones could also play a role in the development of AUD. The hypothesis of an addiction transfer is still controversial. Conclusions: The risk of developing an AUD seems to increase after surgery. Long term follow-up, after the second post-surgery year, is needed. Further researches are needed to understand the mechanisms that underlie the development of AUD

THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN TYPUS MELANCHOLICUS AND UNIPOLAR DEPRESSION: A LITERATURE REVIEW

Background: The Typus Melancholicus (TM) is the premorbid personality of endogenous depression defined by Tellenbach and Kraus and characterized by orderliness, conscientiousness, norm orientation and intolerance of ambiguity. Tellenbach’s hypothesis was to find around 50% of TM in the sample of patients with an Unipolar Depression (UD). The present paper aims to make a literature review on the relationship between the Typus Melancholicus (TM) and Unipolar Depression (UD). Methods: Nineteen references were selected through searches on PubMed, Google Scholar and Sciences-Direct with the following MeSH terms in the title: Typus Melancholicus AND Depressive or Depression or Dépression or Depressione. Nine of them were selected for our review. Results: Eight of the nine reviewed articles confirm Tellenbach’s hypothesis. The literature review also shows that, in a population of UD, TM is always constant regardless of age or sex, has no relationship to clinical characteristics and could contribute to the chronicity of depression. The TM with depression have increased levels of “lack of vital drive” and “feelings of guilt” and low scores in irritability and dysphoria compared to Non-Typus Melancholicus (NTM). Due to its characteristics, TM could also be involved in some pathologies such as burnout or postpartum depression. TM does not seem to be linked to a particular Personality Disorder or maladaptive personality, but the two may coexist in certain circumstances. It has been suggested that specific psychotherapeutic methods can be used to treat TM with UD. Conclusions: The TM could be very useful in our clinical practice. Better practical knowledge of TM could lead to more efficient psychiatric care as well as heightened capacity to predict new episodes

Quantification of phosphatidylethanol 16:0/18:1, 18:1/18:1, and 16:0/16:0 in venous blood and venous and capillary dried blood spots from patients in alcohol withdrawal and control volunteers

Phosphatidylethanol species (PEths) are promising biomarkers of alcohol consumption. Here, we report on the set-up, validation, and application of a novel UHPLC-ESI-MS/MS method for the quantification of PEth 16:0/18:1, PEth 18:1/18:1, and PEth 16:0/16:0 in whole blood (30 mu L) and in venous (V, 30 mu L) or capillary (C, 3 punches (3 mm)) dried blood spots (DBS). The methods were linear from 10 (LLOQ) to 2000 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/18:1, from 10 (LLOQ) to 1940 ng/mL for PEth 18:1/18:1, and from 19 (LLOQ) to 3872 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/16:0. Extraction efficiencies were higher than 55 % (RSD < 18 %) and matrix effects compensated for by IS were between 77 and 125 % (RSD < 10 %). Accuracy, repeatability, and intermediate precision fulfilled acceptance criteria (bias and RSD below 13 %). Validity of the procedure for determination of PEth 16:0/18:1 in blood was demonstrated by the successful participation in a proficiency test. The quantification of PEths in C-DBS was not significantly influenced by the hematocrit, punch localization, or spot volume. The stability of PEths in V-DBS stored at room temperature was demonstrated up to 6 months. The method was applied to authentic samples (whole blood, V-DBS, and C-DBS) from 50 inpatients in alcohol withdrawal and 50 control volunteers. Applying a cut-off value to detect inpatients at 221 ng/mL for PEth 16:0/18:1 provided no false positive results and a good sensitivity (86 %). Comparison of quantitative results (Bland-Altman plot, Passing-Bablok regression, and Wilcoxon signed rank test) revealed that V-DBS and C-DBS were valid alternatives to venous blood for the detection of alcohol consumption

Finishing the euchromatic sequence of the human genome

The sequence of the human genome encodes the genetic instructions for human physiology, as well as rich information about human evolution. In 2001, the International Human Genome Sequencing Consortium reported a draft sequence of the euchromatic portion of the human genome. Since then, the international collaboration has worked to convert this draft into a genome sequence with high accuracy and nearly complete coverage. Here, we report the result of this finishing process. The current genome sequence (Build 35) contains 2.85 billion nucleotides interrupted by only 341 gaps. It covers ∼99% of the euchromatic genome and is accurate to an error rate of ∼1 event per 100,000 bases. Many of the remaining euchromatic gaps are associated with segmental duplications and will require focused work with new methods. The near-complete sequence, the first for a vertebrate, greatly improves the precision of biological analyses of the human genome including studies of gene number, birth and death. Notably, the human enome seems to encode only 20,000-25,000 protein-coding genes. The genome sequence reported here should serve as a firm foundation for biomedical research in the decades ahead

TOBACCO USE CESSATION IN THREE PATIENTS SUFFERING FROM PSYCHOTIC DISORDERS: THE IMPACT OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Background: Tobacco use is one of the major causes of morbidity and mortality amoung patients suffering from psychotic disorders. The association between severe COVID-19 and tobacco use is still debated. The aim of this paper is to enhance the importance of providing up to date informations about nicotine and tobacco use in connection with the SARS-CoV-2-related conditions. Methods: We present 3 cases of sudden tobacco use cessation in 3 long-term heavy smokers receiving mental health care for chronic psychotic disorders. Fear of severe form of COVID-19 was their principal motivation. Nicotine replacement therapy and quitline counseling were provided and no major withdrawal symptoms were declared. Results: As mass media later wrongly presented tobacco use as a protective factor regarding COVID-19, all three patients resumed smoking. Rigorous counseling took advantage of psychotic symptoms to correct false informations and finally promote tobacco use cessation. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic might paradoxically represent a great motivational factor to quit smoking, espacially when considering patients suffering from severe mental health disorders. Beyond the terrible suffering it causes, we illustrate with a case serie that this opportunity must be exploited by mental health professionals to improve quality and life expectancy of their patients

Narrating: from Evolutionary to Clinical Advantages.

peer reviewedHuman beings constantly narrate reality. They narrate themselves, to themselves and to others. They narrate each other and narrate humanity. They narrate the world and nature. They narrate meaning, the meaning of life and things. This article aims to explore this phenomenon of "narrating". Through a narrative review, we will attempt to gather elements of reflection on narrative, considered here as the ability to narrate, it means to represent oneself, to put meaning. Firstly, we will focus on how cognition, interpretation, and culture allow Homo Sapiens to narrate reality to himself. Then, we will explore why they do it and discover the evolutionary advantages of language, of sharing experiences between individuals through the phenomenon of cumulative cultural evolution, and how narrative facilitates the species' access to these advantages. Finally, we will delve into the clinical implications of narrative, discussing therapeutic interviews, therapy, and psychopathology. Narratives and pre-linguistic mental representations appear to have driven the Homo genus to develop cognitive abilities that enable the development of language and the sophistication of narratives as a cultural medium. Through language, Homo sapiens share their narratives and develop a cumulative common culture. Each individual's culture seems to be constructed in dialectic with this shared culture through narratives. This dialectic gives rise to psychopathological processes while also producing therapeutic leverage. Understanding the mechanisms of co-construction of these narratives is essential in clinical research in mental health. Furthermore, placing narratives in the perspective of an essential evolutionary strategy in the Homo genus solidifies the significance of the narrative faculty in the biological functioning of Homo sapiens, and so the importance of narratives in mental health

Le "sevrage" ultra-rapide de patients dépendants aux opiacés: un complément à l'article de Fontaine et al. (Encéphale 2001; XXVII: 187-93)

Letterinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

L'alcoolisme avec ou sans tabac: points communs et spécificités

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Response inhibition deficit is involved in poor decision making under risk in nonamnesic individuals with alcoholism.

Individuals with alcoholism exhibit poor decision making as reflected by their continued alcohol use despite encountering problems and by low performance in laboratory tasks of decision making. Here, the authors investigated the relative contribution of several distinct processes of executive functions in performance on the Iowa Gambling Task (IGT; A. Bechara, A. R. Damasio, H. Damasio, & S. W. Anderson, 1994) in recently detoxified individuals with alcoholism. Compared to matched healthy participants, individuals with alcoholism showed below-normal scores in the last 20 trials of the IGT as well as on other tasks of executive functions, specifically those assessing the capacity to manipulate information stored in working memory, detect abstract rules, or inhibit prepotent responses. Prepotent response inhibition best predicted performance in the late trials of the IGT, that is, when participants have likely acquired knowledge about the reward/punishment contingencies of the task. These results underline the important role that response inhibition plays in decision making, especially in risky situations, when knowledge of the probability of a given outcome becomes available (i.e. decisions under risk).Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe