Serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRIs) against atherosclerosis

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are a class of drug widely used for treatment of mood disorders, including depression and cardiovascular disease. A search for related articles in the PubMed database was attempted. It covered studies, reports, reviews and editorials of the last 5 years. Pro-inflammatory cytokines, such as TNF-alpha, IL-I and IL-6, stimulate central serotonin (5-HT) neurotransmission and are over-expressed in depression, which has been linked with hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) hyperactivity. They have also been implicated in the pathogenesis and progression of other stress-induced disorders, like myocardial infarction (MI) and coronary heart disease (CHD), as they seem to modulate cardiovascular function by a variety of mechanisms. Biological mechanisms like these may explain the link between depression and CHD. There are a variety of environmental factors as well as genetic factors that might influence the pharmacogenetics of antidepressant drugs. New generation selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor antidepressants (SSRIs) causing a reduced cardiovascular morbidity and mortality may be related to serotonin platelet abnormalities in depressed patients that are effectively treated by SSRIs. SSRIs such as fluoxetine, paroxetine, sertraline and citalopram are not only considered to be free from the cardiotoxicity of their predecessors but also to function as safe and efficacious agents against depression, platelet activation, atherosclerosis and development and prognosis of coronary heart disease. However, there is a need for more studies in order to establish the exact biochemical mechanisms that are responsible for these diseases and the immunoregulatory effects of chronic use of SSRI medications

A familial concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease

Background: Gaucher's disease (GD) is the most frequently encountered lysosomal storage disease. Here, we describe and discuss the observed concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in two siblings. Methods: Presentation of a family with two siblings with Gaucher's disease. Results: In a six-member family, the first son suffers from schizophrenia, while the third and fourth sons suffer from the Gaucher's disease (type 1 non-neuronopathic). The parents and the second son do not suffer from either illness. Conclusion: The concurrence of schizophrenia and Gaucher's disease in the same family is an unusual phenomenon. The literature regarding this coincidence is limited, despite the fact that patients with Gaucher's disease have one or two mutated alleles, considered to be a risk factor leading to conditions such as Dementia, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. © 2007 Mouzas et al; licensee BioMed Central Ltd

Does long-term group psychoeducation of parents of individuals with schizophrenia help the family as a system? A quasi-experimental study

A chronic illness like schizophrenia seriously disrupts family functioning in various ways that can be addressed through family psychoeducational interventions in routine clinical services, an approach that has not received proper research attention. We pre- and post-tested four sets of parents of individuals with schizophrenia who participated in a long-term group psychoeducational intervention (treatment group) and four sets of parents of individuals with schizophrenia who received standard outpatient services (clinical control group), using three self-reported questionnaires to measure family functioning (Family Assessment Device), family atmosphere (Family Rituals Scale), and family burden (Family Burden Scale). At pre-test, there were no systematic differences between the two groups in any of the parameters assessed. At post-test, within and across groups, comparisons revealed significant improvements (under cut-off scores) in the mean scores of the treatment group (p < 0.05) in all three parameters under study. Our findings provide pilot evidence that intensive group parent psychoeducation is an efficient and efficacious treatment intervention for improvement of systemic properties of families, such as family functioning, family atmosphere, and family burden. © 2015 Copyright © Taylor & Francis Group, LLC

The relationship of parental bonding to depression in patients with chronic pain

Attachment theory is a theory of normal development as well as a theory of psychopathology. Attachment theory and research suggests that different types of parental bonding can be important determinants of illness behaviour, depression, pain perception and treatment response in individuals with chronic pain. Different types of parental bonding have been shown to be associated with specific personality characteristics and a variety of psychiatric disorders. We assessed 65 patients with chronic pain who visited the pain management unit of Larissa University Hospital in Greece. All patients completed the Parental Bonding Instrument, the Beck Depression Inventory and the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) for pain. Results demonstrated that patients who reported an affectionless bonding (overprotective and insensitive) with their parents, and especially their mother, reported significantly greater depression and higher VAS scores. Conversely, chronic pain patients with an optimal parental bonding reported lower depression and VAS scores. These findings suggest that parental bonding style could be a useful construct for examining factors affecting psychiatric disorders and pain perception in patients with chronic pain. © 2010 by Walter de Gruyter Berlin New York