HOMOCYSTEINE, PYRIDOXINE, FOLATE AND VITAMIN B12 LEVELS IN CHILDREN WITH ATTENTION DEFICIT HYPERACTIVITY DISORDER

Background: In our study, we aimed to evaluate the serum homocysteine levels, pyridoxine, folate and vitamin B12 levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD). Subjects and methods: This study included 30 newly diagnosed drug-naive children with ADHD (23 males and 7 female, mean age 9.3±1.8 years) and 30 sex-and age matched healthy controls. The diagnosis of ADHD was made according to DSM-V criteria. Children and adolescents were administered the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School Aged Children, Present and Lifetime Version, the Conners\u27 Parent Rating Scale-Revised, Long Form, the Conners\u27 Teacher Rating Scale and the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children Revised (WISC-R) for all participants. Homocysteine, pyridoxine, folate and vitamin B12 levels were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Results: Homocysteine, pyridoxine, folate and vitamin B12 levels were significantly lower in children with ADHD compared with their controls (p<0.05). A positive significant correlation was observed between the all WISC-R scores and vitamin B12 level in patients (r=0.408, p=0.025). Conclusions: The results obtained in this study showed that reduced homocysteine, pyridoxine, folate and vitamin B12 levels could be a risk factor in the etiology of ADHD

Assessment of anxiety-depression levels and perceptions of quality of life in adolescents with dysmenorrhea

Abstract Background This study aimed to assess the anxiety-depression levels and the perceptions of quality of life, as well as the factors affecting these variables, in adolescents with dysmenorrhea. Methods The participants included 60 adolescents with dysmenorrhea and 41 healthy adolescents between the ages of 12 and 18. This study used the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) for assessing the perceptions of quality of life, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) for measuring anxiety levels, and the Children’s Depression Inventory (CDI) for measuring depression levels. Results It was determined that compared to healthy controls, the depression and anxiety scores were higher and the quality of life was impaired in adolescents with dysmenorrhea. In addition, it was shown that the depression and anxiety levels increased and the psychosocial health subscale scores of quality of life decreased with increasing dysmenorrhea severity. However, the likelihood of dysmenorrhea was found to be higher with increasing depression scores, while the anxiety levels had no effect on dysmenorrhea. Conclusion In dysmenorrhea management, it is important to enhance awareness among pediatric clinicians and gynecologists regarding the associations between dysmenorrhea and mental problems

Evaluation of estrogen and G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) levels in drug-naïve patients with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD)

Estrogen has a crucial role in the regulation of reproductive and neuroendocrine function and exerts its effects through two classes of receptors, nuclear and membrane estrogen receptors (mERs). G protein-coupled estrogen receptor 1 (GPER) is a member of mERs, and despite limited research on the levels of GPER in patients with psychiatric diseases, a role of GPER in such conditions has been suggested. Here we evaluated serum estrogen and GPER levels in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in relation to their age- and gender-matched healthy controls. A total of 82 children were included in the study, 47 drug- naïve patients with ADHD (age: 6–12 years; male/female: 34/13) and 35 healthy controls (age: 6–12 years; male/female: 19/16). The subgroups according to ADHD types were inattentive, hyperactive/impulsive, and combined. Serum estrogen was measured using an immunoassay system, while serum GPER was determined using a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Estrogen levels in children with ADHD were similar as in control group, while GPER levels were significantly lower in ADHD group compared to controls (p 0.05). No significant differences were found in GPER and estrogen levels between ADHD subgroups (p > 0.05). To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to investigate estrogen and GPER levels in ADHD. Our preliminary findings suggest a relationship between serum GPER levels and ADHD, and this should be further investigated

The relationship between attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and reelin gene polymorphisms in Turkish population

PURPOSE Although attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most frequently seen psychiatric disorders in childhood, its etiology and pathophysiology are not fully elucidated. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association between ADHD and RELN gene in Turkish children. METHOD DNA samples were harvested from 102 patients with ADHD and 94 healthy controls. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms of reelin gene (rs1270519, rs362691, and rs734147) were genotyped using real-time polymerase chain reaction. RESULTS A significant difference was detected between ADHD and control groups regarding rs1270519 polymorphism while no significant difference was detected between the groups regarding reelin rs362691 and rs734147 polymorphisms. CONCLUSION It was found that reelin rs12705169 gene polymorphism could play a role in ADHD etiology, indicating the need for further studies to investigate the relationship between ADHD and reelin gene polymorphism

A preliminary study of the genes related to aggression and insensitivity to pain in autism spectrum disorders

Objective: Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is a heterogeneous neuropsychiatric disorder with widespread abnormalities of social interaction and communication, showing severely restricted interests and extreme repetitive behavior. The relationship between aggressive behavior, insensitivity to pain, and ASDs could not be explained completely. Therefore, we aimed to contribute to the etiology by examining the gene expressions of OPRL1, TACR1, and HTR1E in patients with ASDs. Methods: This study was held in the Genome and Stem Cell Research Center of Erciyes University. In this present study, the expressions of OPRL1, TACR1, and HTR1E genes were studied in 22 ASD patients and 14 healthy controls. Quantitative Real-time Polymerase Chain Reaction (qRT-PCR) was used for gene expression studies. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in terms of the expression of the three genes, which we examined between the ASD patient and control groups. Positive and strong correlations were obtained between the three gene expressions in the ASD group and this finding was found to be statistically significant. Conclusions: Considering all these findings, large-scale and new researches are needed for revealing the roles of genes and their pathways which are related to aggression and insensitivity to pain in ASDs. Our results will lead to new research studies in this field

Diagnostic Performance of Erythropoietin and Erythropoietin Receptors Levels in Children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder

Objective: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a heterogeneous, highly heritable, a common childhood neurobehavioural disorder resulting from complex gene-gene and gene-environment interactions. The erythropoietin (Epo)/erythropoietin receptors (EpoR) system turned out to have additional important functions in nonhematopoietic tissue. In this study, we aimed to investigate the levels of Epo and and EpoR, and also their diagnostic values in children with ADHD. Methods: A total of 70 children were included in the study, 35 drug-naive patients with ADHD (age: 6−12 years; male/female: 20/15) and 35 healthy controls (age: 6−12 years; male/female: 22/13). Serum Epo and EpoR levels was determined using a commercial sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay kit. Results: The results indicated that the levels of Epo decreased in patients with ADHD compared to control (p < 0.05). On the other hand, EpoR levels increased in these patients (p < 0.05). Furthermore, the ratio of Epo/EpoR was significantly lower in ADHD patients than controls (p < 0.05). Receiver operator characteristic curve analysis showed high diagnostic performance for Epo and EpoR, areas under curve were 0.980 and 1.000, respectively. Conclusion: This is the first report to investigate the association between serum Epo and EpoR levels in ADHD patients. Our results indicated that Epo may play a role in the etiology of ADHD, and Epo therapy may be beneficial in these disorders if given in addition to the routine treatment of children with ADHD. Furthermore, our results reveal possible diagnostic value of Epo and EpoR

functional outcome in late adolescence/early adulthood of patients with autism spectrum disorder and its relationships with parental burnout and depression: A preliminary multi-center, cross-sectional study.

The aim of this study is to determine the functioning of adults with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) diagnosed in childhood and depression and burnout levels among their parents. A total of 261 adults with ASDs and their parents were recruited for the study. Both parents completed the Beck Depression and Maslach Burnout Inventories and reported the functioning of their adult offspring with ASDs. Only 5.4 % of our sample reported “good” or “very good” outcomes. The most common psychiatric comorbidities were intellectual disabilities and attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. Maternal burnout and depression scores were significantly elevated compared to those of fathers. There is an undeniable urgent need for more research to identify the needs of adults and families suffering from ASD. Modifications for those with ASD may have to be made for support in workplaces, achieving driving licenses, using public transportation and attendance at tertiary education

Effect of Impairment on the Prevalence and Comorbidities of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in a National Survey: Nation-Wide Prevalence and Comorbidities of ADHD

Objective: This study aimed to determine the prevalence and comorbidities of attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) by evaluating a large-scale nation-wide sample of children. Method: The inclusion criterion was being enrolled as a 2nd, 3rd, or 4th-grade student. A semi-structured diagnostic interview (K-SADS-PL), DSM-IV-Based Screening Scale for Disruptive Behavior Disorders, and assessment of impairment (by both parents and teachers) were applied to 5,842 participants. Results: The prevalence of ADHD was 19.5% without impairment and 12.4% with impairment. Both ADHD with and without impairment groups had similar psychiatric comorbidity rates except for oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) and conduct disorder (CD) diagnoses. Impairment in the ADHD group resulted in significantly higher ODD and CD diagnoses. Conclusion: Even when impairment is not described, other psychiatric disorders accompany the diagnosis of ADHD and may cause impairment in the future. Impairment in the diagnosis of ADHD significantly increases the likelihood of ODD and CD