Special Libraries, January 1930

Volume 21, Issue 1https://scholarworks.sjsu.edu/sla_sl_1930/1000/thumbnail.jp

Investigation of Cigarette Smoking among Male Schizophrenia Patients

<div><p>Male schizophrenia patients are known to have a heavier smoking pattern compared with the general population. However, the mechanism for this association is not known, though hypothesis that smoking could alleviate symptomatology of schizophrenia and reduce side effects of antipsychotics has been suggested. The aims of this study were to validate the heavier smoking pattern among male schizophrenia patients and to investigate the possible mechanisms for the association. To enhance the reliability of the study, we recruited two large independent samples with 604 and 535 male Chinese schizophrenia patients, and compared their smoking pattern with that of 535 healthy male controls recruited from general population. Validated multiple indicators and multiple causes structure equation model and regression models were used to investigate the association of smoking with factors of schizophrenia symptomatology and with the usage of antipsychotics and their extra-pyramidal side effects (EPS). Schizophrenia patients had significantly heavier smoking pattern compared with healthy controls in our sample (42.4% vs. 16.8%, p<0.001 for current smoking prevalence; 23.5% vs. 43.3%, p<0.001 for smoking cessation rate; 24.5% vs. 3.0%, p<0.001 for heavy smoker proportion). Their smoking status was also found to be consistently and significantly associated with reduced negative factor scores for schizophrenia symptomatology (β = −0.123, p = 0.051 for sample-A; β = −0.103, p = 0.035 for sample-B; β = −0.082, p = 0.017 for the combined sample). However, no significant association was found between smoking and antipsychotics usage or risk of EPS. These results support that smoking is associated with improved negative symptoms, which could account for the heavier smoking pattern among schizophrenia patients.</p></div

Association of smoking with antipsychotics dose and EPS in regression analysis.

1<p>Severity of symptoms, total positive symptoms score, total negative symptom score, and total general symptoms score were adjusted as covariates for association study of antipsychotic dose, and duration of illness were adjusted as covariates for association study of EPS.</p>2<p>AIMS and SAS assessments were only performed on patients in Sample-A. Therefore, tardive dyskinesia and drug-induced Parkinsonism status were not available for Sample-B.</p

Descriptive statistics of the three independent study samples.

1<p>Education, living apartment and occupation information were not collected for sample-A.</p>2<p>AIMS and SAS assessments were only performed on patients in Sample-A. Therefore, tardive dyskinesia and drug-induced Parkinsonism status were not available for Sample-B.</p>3<p>Nominal p values were computed based on Sample-B cases and healthy controls.</p>4<p>The group was used as reference group in regression analysis.</p

MIMIC model in assessing the effects of current smoking status on symptomatology of schizophrenia.

<p>MIMIC model in assessing the effects of current smoking status on symptomatology of schizophrenia.</p

Comparison of smoking patterns between schizophrenia male patients and male healthy controls.

1<p>Measures were obtained based on Sample-B cases and healthy controls.</p>2<p>Adjusted p values were computed after controlling for age, education, living apartments and occupation.</p>3<p>Smoking starting age information was not collected for sample-A.</p

Predicting real-world functioning in schizophrenia : the relative contributions of neurocognition, functional capacity, and negative symptoms

Neurocognition and functional capacity are commonly reported predictors of real-world functioning in schizophrenia. However, the additional impact of negative symptoms, specifically its subdomains, i.e., diminished expression (DE) and avolition-apathy (AA), on real-world functioning remains unclear. The current study assessed 58 individuals with schizophrenia. Neurocognition was assessed with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia, functional capacity with the UCSD Performance-based Skills Assessment (UPSA-B), and negative symptoms with the Negative Symptom Assessment-16. Real-world functioning was assessed with the Multnomah Community Ability Scale (MCAS) with employment status as an additional objective outcome. Hierarchical regressions and sequential logistic regressions were used to examine the associations between the variables of interest. The results show that global negative symptoms contribute substantial additional variance in predicting MCAS and employment status above and beyond the variance accounted for by neurocognition and functional capacity. In addition, both AA and DE predict the MCAS after controlling for cognition and functional capacity. Only AA accounts for additional variance in employment status beyond that by UPSA-B. In summary, negative symptoms contribute substantial additional variance in predicting both real-world functioning and employment outcomes after accounting for neurocognition and functional capacity. Our findings emphasize both DE and AA as important treatment targets in functional recovery for people with schizophrenia.Ministry of Health (MOH)National Medical Research Council (NMRC)Published versionThis study was supported by research grants from the Singapore Ministry of Health's National Medical Research Council Center Grant (Grant No. NMRC/CG/004/2013) and Nanyang Institute of Technology in Health and Medicine Seed Fund (Grant No. M4081187.E30)

Can Peripheral Blood-Derived Gene Expressions Characterize Individuals at Ultra-high Risk for Psychosis?

10.1162/CPSY_a_00007Comput Psychiatr10168-18

Progressive Decline in Hippocampal CA1 Volume in Individuals at Ultra-High-Risk for Psychosis Who Do Not Remit: Findings from the Longitudinal Youth at Risk Study

Most individuals identified as ultra-high-risk (UHR) for psychosis do not develop frank psychosis. They continue to exhibit subthreshold symptoms, or go on to fully remit. Prior work has shown that the volume of CA1, a subfield of the hippocampus, is selectively reduced in the early stages of schizophrenia. Here we aimed to determine whether patterns of volume change of CA1 are different in UHR individuals who do or do not achieve symptomatic remission. Structural MRI scans were acquired at baseline and at 1–2 follow-up time points (at 12-month intervals) from 147 UHR and healthy control subjects. An automated method (based on an ex vivo atlas of ultra-high-resolution hippocampal tissue) was used to delineate the hippocampal subfields. Over time, a greater decline in bilateral CA1 subfield volumes was found in the subgroup of UHR subjects whose subthreshold symptoms persisted (n=40) and also those who developed clinical psychosis (n=12), compared with UHR subjects who remitted (n=41) and healthy controls (n=54). No baseline differences in volumes of the overall hippocampus or its subfields were found among the groups. Moreover, the rate of volume decline of CA1, but not of other hippocampal subfields, in the non-remitters was associated with increasing symptom severity over time. Thus, these findings indicate that there is deterioration of CA1 volume in persistently symptomatic UHR individuals in proportion to symptomatic progression