Effectiveness of olanzapine in the treatment of anorexia nervosa: A systematic review and meta‐analysis

Abstract Objective Anorexia nervosa (AN) is a severe psychiatric disorder characterized by starvation and malnutrition, a high incidence of coexisting psychiatric conditions, and treatment resistance. The effect of pharmacotherapy has been controversial. Method A systematic review was conducted for evidence of an effect of olanzapine versus placebo in adults or its effect as adjuvant treatment of AN in adolescents. Results A total of seven articles (304 patients with AN) were identified. There were four double‐blind, randomized studies examining the effect of olanzapine in the treatment of AN. The mean difference in body mass index (BMI) at the end of treatment between olanzapine and placebo was 0.67 kg/m2 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.15–1.18 kg/m2; p = 0.01; I2 = 0%, p for heterogeneity < 0.79). The olanzapine groups showed a significant increase in BMI of 0.68 kg/m2 (95% CI 0.22–1.13 kg/m2; p < 0.001; I2 = 0%, p for heterogeneity = 0.74) compared to the placebo groups. Only two studies examined the effect of olanzapine as adjuvant treatment in adolescents and showed an increase in BMI of 0.66 kg/m2 (95% CI −0.36 to 1.67 kg/m2; p = 0.21; I2 = 11%, p for heterogeneity = 0.32). Discussion Olanzapine showed efficacy in the treatment of AN with an increased BMI at the end of treatment in adults. The effect of olanzapine as adjuvant treatment in adolescents remains unclear

Integrative functional transcriptomic analyses implicate specific molecular pathways in pulmonary toxicity from exposure to aluminum oxide nanoparticles

<p>Gene expression profiling has developed rapidly in recent years and it can predict and define mechanisms underlying chemical toxicity. Here, RNA microarray and computational technology were used to show that aluminum oxide nanoparticles (Al₂O₃ NPs) were capable of triggering up-regulation of genes related to the cell cycle and cell death in a human A549 lung adenocarcinoma cell line. Gene expression levels were validated in Al₂O₃ NPs exposed A549 cells and mice lung tissues, most of which showed consistent trends in regulation. Gene-transcription factor network analysis coupled with cell- and animal-based assays demonstrated that the genes encoding <i>PTPN6, RTN4, BAX</i> and <i>IER</i> play a role in the biological responses induced by the nanoparticle exposure, which caused cell death and cell cycle arrest in the G2/S phase. Further, down-regulated <i>PTPN6</i> expression demonstrated a core role in the network, thus expression level of <i>PTPN6</i> was rescued by plasmid transfection, which showed ameliorative effects of A549 cells against cell death and cell cycle arrest. These results demonstrate the feasibility of using gene expression profiling to predict cellular responses induced by nanomaterials, which could be used to develop a comprehensive knowledge of nanotoxicity.</p