Catatonia and Cognitive Impairments : A Systematic Review

Catatonia is an underdiagnosed and undertreated neuropsychiatric syndrome characterized by catalepsy, negativism, mutism, muscular rigidity, and mannerism, often accompanied by autonomic instability and fever. Although there is growing interest in studying cognitive impairments before and after catatonia, little is known about the cognitive features of the syndrome. This systematic review was registered at PROSPERO (CRD42022299091). Using a Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) approach, we searched PubMed, ScienceDirect, and PsycArticles using a combination of the terms "Catatonia" and "Cognitive impairment" and "Executive function" and "Frontal lobe" and "Parietal lobe." Studies included original research articles enrolling patients with catatonic syndrome according to specified criteria. Fourteen studies were deemed relevant for inclusion. The abstraction form included age, assessment during acute episode, associated diagnosis, assessment procedure, and cognitive domains. Outcome measures were extracted. Executive functions and visuospatial abilities proved to be the most investigated domains. A great heterogeneity has been observed in the assessment tools used among the 14 evaluated studies. Findings showed that catatonic patients had worse performance than healthy and non-catatonic psychiatric patients in frontal and parietal cortical functions. Because of the small number of studies in such heterogeneous areas and significant methodological limitations, the results should be regarded with caution. Future research assessing cognitive impairments on catatonic patients is needed. [], identifier [CRD42022299091]

Identification of regulatory variants associated with genetic susceptibility to meningococcal disease.

Non-coding genetic variants play an important role in driving susceptibility to complex diseases but their characterization remains challenging. Here, we employed a novel approach to interrogate the genetic risk of such polymorphisms in a more systematic way by targeting specific regulatory regions relevant for the phenotype studied. We applied this method to meningococcal disease susceptibility, using the DNA binding pattern of RELA - a NF-kB subunit, master regulator of the response to infection - under bacterial stimuli in nasopharyngeal epithelial cells. We designed a custom panel to cover these RELA binding sites and used it for targeted sequencing in cases and controls. Variant calling and association analysis were performed followed by validation of candidate polymorphisms by genotyping in three independent cohorts. We identified two new polymorphisms, rs4823231 and rs11913168, showing signs of association with meningococcal disease susceptibility. In addition, using our genomic data as well as publicly available resources, we found evidences for these SNPs to have potential regulatory effects on ATXN10 and LIF genes respectively. The variants and related candidate genes are relevant for infectious diseases and may have important contribution for meningococcal disease pathology. Finally, we described a novel genetic association approach that could be applied to other phenotypes

Plasma lipid profiles discriminate bacterial from viral infection in febrile children

Fever is the most common reason that children present to Emergency Departments. Clinical signs and symptoms suggestive of bacterial infection are often non-specific, and there is no definitive test for the accurate diagnosis of infection. The 'omics' approaches to identifying biomarkers from the host-response to bacterial infection are promising. In this study, lipidomic analysis was carried out with plasma samples obtained from febrile children with confirmed bacterial infection (n = 20) and confirmed viral infection (n = 20). We show for the first time that bacterial and viral infection produces distinct profile in the host lipidome. Some species of glycerophosphoinositol, sphingomyelin, lysophosphatidylcholine and cholesterol sulfate were higher in the confirmed virus infected group, while some species of fatty acids, glycerophosphocholine, glycerophosphoserine, lactosylceramide and bilirubin were lower in the confirmed virus infected group when compared with confirmed bacterial infected group. A combination of three lipids achieved an area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve of 0.911 (95% CI 0.81 to 0.98). This pilot study demonstrates the potential of metabolic biomarkers to assist clinicians in distinguishing bacterial from viral infection in febrile children, to facilitate effective clinical management and to the limit inappropriate use of antibiotics

Association of serum interleukin-6 and C-reactive protein with depressive and adjustment disorders in COVID-19 inpatients

Immune mechanisms are part of the pathophysiology of mental disorders, although their role remains controversial. In depressive disorders a chronic low-grade inflammatory process is observed, with higher interleukin-6 (IL-6) values. Furthermore, in SARS-CoV2 infection, which is closely related to depressive disorders, there is a proinflammatory cascade of cytokines that causes systemic inflammation. The present study evaluates the relationship between IL-6 and C-reactive protein (CRP) serum levels and the presence of depressive and adjustment disorders in a sample of 1851 patients admitted to hospital for SARS-CoV2 infection from March to November 2020. Concentrations of IL-6 and CRP were determined within the first 72 ​h at admission and compared among groups of patients according to previous history and current presence of depression or adjustment disorders. IL-6 serum levels were significantly higher in the group of patients with depression and adjustment disorders compared to patients without such disorders (114.25 ​pg/mL (SD, 225.44) vs. 86.41 (SD, 202.97)), even after adjusting for several confounders. Similar results were obtained for CRP (103.94 ​mg/L (SD, 91.16) vs. 90.14 (SD, 85.73)). The absolute levels of IL-6 and CRP were higher than those of previous depression studies, and differences were only found for the subgroup of De Novo depressive or adjustment disorders. Serum concentrations of IL-6 and CRP are higher in COVID-19 patients with De Novo but not persistent depressive or adjustment disorders. Clinical features such as fatigue, asthenia, anhedonia, or anxiety can be the basis for this finding

Prevalence of clozapine-induced sialorrhea and its effect on quality of life

Rationale: Clozapine has proven to be superior to other antipsychotic drugs in the treatment of schizophrenia but is under-prescribed due to its potentially severe side effects. Clozapine-induced sialorrhea (CIS) is a frequent and extremely uncomfortable side effect, which remains understudied. Objectives: To examine the prevalence of diurnal and nocturnal CIS in a sample of patients treated with clozapine, and to evaluate its impact on quality of life. Methods: We conducted a cross-sectional, observational study of 130 patients with schizophrenia spectrum disorders treated with clozapine. The prevalence of CIS was evaluated via specific sialorrhea scales. None of the patients included in the study was receiving a specific treatment for hypersalivation during the study period. Possible associations between sialorrhea and clinical and quality of life variables were analyzed. Results: Of 130 subjects, 120 (92.3%) suffered from CIS. Eighty-one (62.31%) suffered from diurnal CIS, 115 (88.56%) from nocturnal CIS, and 85 (65.38%) suffered from both. Significant positive associations between quality of life and diurnal CIS (B = 0.417; p = 2.1e - 6, R2 = 0.156) and nocturnal CIS (B = 0.411; p = 7.7e - 6, R2 = 0.139) were detected. Thirty per cent of the subjects reported a moderate to severe negative impact of sialorrhea on their quality of life. Conclusions: The present study suggests that CIS is highly prevalent in patients with schizophrenia and has an important impact on quality of life in one-third of our sample. Therefore, the inclusion of a systematic evaluation and treatment of CIS in standard clinical practice is highly recommended. Trial registration: Clinical Trials ( https://clinicaltrials.gov ) under reference NCT04197037

Paediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome incidence and epidemiology (PARDIE): an international, observational study

BackgroundPaediatric acute respiratory distress syndrome (PARDS) is associated with high mortality in children, but until recently no paediatric-specific diagnostic criteria existed. The Pediatric Acute Lung Injury Consensus Conference (PALICC) definition was developed to overcome limitations of the Berlin definition, which was designed and validated for adults. We aimed to determine the incidence and outcomes of children who meet the PALICC definition of PARDS.MethodsIn this international, prospective, cross-sectional, observational study, 145 paediatric intensive care units (PICUs) from 27 countries were recruited, and over a continuous 5 day period across 10 weeks all patients were screened for enrolment. Patients were included if they had a new diagnosis of PARDS that met PALICC criteria during the study week. Exclusion criteria included meeting PARDS criteria more than 24 h before screening, cyanotic heart disease, active perinatal lung disease, and preparation or recovery from a cardiac intervention. Data were collected on the PICU characteristics, patient demographics, and elements of PARDS (ie, PARDS risk factors, hypoxaemia severity metrics, type of ventilation), comorbidities, chest imaging, arterial blood gas measurements, and pulse oximetry. The primary outcome was PICU mortality. Secondary outcomes included 90 day mortality, duration of invasive mechanical and non-invasive ventilation, and cause of death.FindingsBetween May 9, 2016, and June 16, 2017, during the 10 study weeks, 23 280 patients were admitted to participating PICUs, of whom 744 (3·2%) were identified as having PARDS. 95% (708 of 744) of patients had complete data for analysis, with 17% (121 of 708; 95% CI 14-20) mortality, whereas only 32% (230 of 708) of patients met Berlin criteria with 27% (61 of 230) mortality. Based on hypoxaemia severity at PARDS diagnosis, mortality was similar among those who were non-invasively ventilated and with mild or moderate PARDS (10-15%), but higher for those with severe PARDS (33% [54 of 165; 95% CI 26-41]). 50% (80 of 160) of non-invasively ventilated patients with PARDS were subsequently intubated, with 25% (20 of 80; 95% CI 16-36) mortality. By use of PALICC PARDS definition, severity of PARDS at 6 h after initial diagnosis (area under the curve [AUC] 0·69, 95% CI 0·62-0·76) discriminates PICU mortality better than severity at PARDS diagnosis (AUC 0·64, 0·58-0·71), and outperforms Berlin severity groups at 6 h (0·64, 0·58-0·70; p=0·01).InterpretationThe PALICC definition identified more children as having PARDS than the Berlin definition, and PALICC PARDS severity groupings improved the stratification of mortality risk, particularly when applied 6 h after PARDS diagnosis. The PALICC PARDS framework should be considered for use in future epidemiological and therapeutic research among children with PARDS.FundingUniversity of Southern California Clinical Translational Science Institute, Sainte Justine Children's Hospital, University of Montreal, Canada, Réseau en Santé Respiratoire du Fonds de Recherche Quebec-Santé, and Children's Hospital Los Angeles, Department of Anesthesiology and Critical Care Medicine