disorder: a case control study

Background: Alterations in ceruloplasmin are currently assumed as one of the mechanisms underlying the development of a number of neurodegenerative disorders. Several studies indicate that elevated serum ceruloplasmin levels may play a role in schizophrenia by exacerbating or perpetuating dopaminergic dysregulation. No study investigating the relationship between ceruloplasmin and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) has been published to date. Nowadays OCD is increasingly speculated to be a different disorder than other anxiety disorders, and rather is considered to be more similar to psychotic disorders. The objective of this study to explore whether there is an association of ceruloplasmin with OCD as in schizophrenia.Method: 26 pure OCD and 9 co-morbid OCD patients from Gaziantep University Sahinbey Research Hospital, Psychiatry Clinics, diagnosed according to the DSM IV and 40 healthy controls were included in the study. Blood samples were collected; ceruloplasmin levels were measured.Results: The mean ceruloplasmin level in pure OCD patients, co-morbid OCD patients, and control group persons were 544.46 +/- 26.53, 424.43 +/- 31.50 and 222.35 +/- 8.88 U/L respectively. Results of all 3 groups differ significantly. Positive predictive value of ceruloplasmin for that cut-off point is 31/31 (100%) and negative predictive value is 40/44 (91%) in our group.Conclusion: Although the nature of relationship is not clear there was an association between ceruloplasmin levels and OCD in our study

Increased Plasma Ceruloplasmin Levels in Schizophrenia

Objective: Ceruloplasmin is a protein in the human serum that is synthesized by hepatocytes, but extrahepatic gene expression in the brain, lung, spleen, and testis has also been reported. Ceruloplasmin contains approximately 95% of serum copper and it carries copper from liver to numerous tissues. Ceruloplasmin level reflects largely the copper concentration of the serum. However, ceruloplasmin has also an antioxidant function that is known as the acute phase reactant. Additionally, ceruloplasmin has a role in the oxidation of serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Abnormalities in ceruloplasmin levels have been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, the alteration of plasma ceruloplasmin levels has been linked to schizophrenia and its some clinical characteristics including acute or chronic phase, the length of the disease or whether the patients on treatment or not. However, there exists a controversy on relationship between the plasma level of ceruloplasmin and schizophrenia. There are number of reports on the increased or decreased and/or normal level of plasma ceruloplasmin in association with schizophrenia, These differences may have been originated from the usage of different measurement methods, clinical situations, and ethnobiological differences. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between plasma ceruloplasmin level and schizophrenic in Turkish patients.Methods: 60 patients (36 women and 24 men, mean of age 31.93 +/- 9.37 years, range 19-55) that were diagnosed as schizophrenia according to DSM-IV were induced for this study at the Psychotic Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey. The control group consisted of 40 healthy subjects in similar age and gender (23 women, 17 men). Venous blood samples were collected from the left forearm into heparinized tubes The blood samples were centrifuged and the plasma was removed, Erel's ceruloplasmin measurement method that is based on the enzymatic oxidation of ferrous ions to ferric ions was used. SPSS Windows program 13.0 was applied for statistical analysis.Results: Plasma ceruloplasmin levels of schizophrenic patients were significantly higher than the healthy controls (p < 0.001), In addition, female patients had higher ceruloplasmin levels than male patients (p < 0.001), while there was no statistically significant difference between women and men in the control group. There was no association between the ceruloplasmin levels and the age, the duration of illness, smoking, schizophrenia subtypes, symptom severity, and antipsychotic therapy.Conclusions: The study suggests that ceruloplasmin may play a role in pathophysiology of schizophrenic, Moreover, female patients having a higher level of ceruloplasmin than those of male patients that is first time reported in the literature. However, further studies are needed to clarify the higher level of ceruloplasmin in schizophrenia and to reveal the importance of the gender differences in ceruloplasmin levels in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia and angiotensin converting enzyme gene association in Turkish patients

Background: Although there is an increasing number of publications about the involvement of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in mood disorders, none of them has been able to show any linkage between allele or genotypic distributions and schizophrenia. However, there are number of reports associating brain and cerebrospinal fluid ACE levels with schizophrenia. Aim: We investigated the possibility of an association between ACE I/D polymorphism and schizophrenia. Method: Our study comprised 155 unrelated subjects who strictly met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, and 174 healthy unrelated controls, all were of Turkish origin. The analysis of ACE polymorphism was performed using an established polymerase chain reaction method. Results: The I/I genotype of ACE significantly less frequent and I/D genotype was more frequent in schizophrenic patients compared to the controls (p=0.015). This difference was mostly due to the significant difference in men but not in women. The ACE genotypes did not differ between clinical subgroups of schizophrenia (p=0.10). Conclusion: The results of our study suggests that ACE I/I polymorphism is associated with schizophrenia at least in this group of Turkish patients. © Universitätsverlag Ulm GmbH 2004

Increased plasma ceruloplasmin levels in schizophrenia

Objective: Ceruloplasmin is a protein in the human serum that is synthesized by hepatocytes, but extrahepatic gene expression in the brain, lung, spleen, and testis has also been reported. Ceruloplasmin contains approximately 95% of serum copper and it carries copper from liver to numerous tissues. Ceruloplasmin level reflects largely the copper concentration of the serum. However, ceruloplasmin has also an antioxidant function that is known as the acute phase reactant. Additionally, ceruloplasmin has a role in the oxidation of serotonin, epinephrine, and norepinephrine. Abnormalities in ceruloplasmin levels have been associated with several neurodegenerative diseases. Moreover, the alteration of plasma ceruloplasmin levels has been linked to schizophrenia and its some clinical characteristics including acute or chronic phase, the length of the disease or whether the patients on treatment or not. However, there exists a controversy on relationship between the plasma level of ceruloplasmin and schizophrenia. There are number of reports on the increased or decreased and/or normal level of plasma ceruloplasmin in association with schizophrenia. These differences may have been originated from the usage of different measurement methods, clinical situations, and ethnobiological differences. In the present study, we aimed to investigate the association between plasma ceruloplasmin level and schizophrenia in Turkish patients. Methods: 60 patients (36 women and 24 men, mean of age 31.93±9.37 years, range 19-55) that were diagnosed as schizophrenia according to DSM-IV were included for this study at the Psychotic Disorders Unit, Department of Psychiatry, Faculty of Medicine, Gaziantep University, Gaziantep, Turkey. The control group consisted of 40 healthy subjects in similar age and gender (23 women, 17 men). Venous blood samples were collected from the left forearm into heparinized tubes. The blood samples were centrifuged and the plasma was removed. Erel's ceruloplasmin measurement method that is based on the enzymatic oxidation of ferrous ions to ferric ions was used. SPSS Windows program 13.0 was applied for statistical analysis. Results: Plasma ceruloplasmin levels of schizophrenic patients were significantly higher than the healthy controls (p<0.001). In addition, female patients had higher ceruloplasmin levels than male patients (p<0.001), while there was no statistically significant difference between women and men in the control group. There was no association between the ceruloplasmin levels and the age, the duration of illness, smoking, schizophrenia subtypes, symptom severity, and antipsychotic therapy. Conclusions: The study suggests that ceruloplasmin may play a role in pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Moreover, female patients having a higher level of ceruloplasmin than those of male patients that is first time reported in the literature. However, further studies are needed to clarify the higher level of ceruloplasmin in schizophrenia and to reveal the importance of the gender differences in ceruloplasmin levels in schizophrenia

Anxiety and depression levels in interferon using and non using hepatitis C patients

Objective: This study aims to compare the depression and anxiety levels in interferon using and non-using groups of patients with hepatitis C. Method: In this case control study, 55 Hepatitis C patients of 40 using interferon and 15 nonuser were applied Hamilton Depression Rating (HAM-D) Scale and Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A) Scale at first crosss sectional psychiatric evaluation. Results: Frequencey of anxiety disorders and depression was found significantly higher in interferon using group than nonuser group. When compared scale scores; HAM-A and HAM-D scores were signicantly higher in interferon using group than nonuser group. Discussion: In this study, significantly higher depressive and anxiety symptoms were found in interferon using patient group than nonuser group. Physicians should be aware of psychiatric complications during interferon treatment

A Defect in the Antioxidant Defense System in Schizophrenia

Objectives: Several oxidants and antioxidants have been evaluated in schizophrenia. However, previous studies frequently focused on individual parameters. Determination of the total oxidant and antioxidant status may be more useful. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate both plasma total oxidant status (TOS) and total antioxidant status (TAS) together with the oxidative stress index (OSI) in schizophrenia patients for the first time in the literature. Methods: A total of 60 schizophrenia patients and 40 healthy volunteers were included in the study. The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Clinical Global Impression-severity scale (CGI-S) were used to evaluate the severity of schizophrenia in the patients. TOS and TAS were measured in plasma and the OSI was calculated for patients and controls. Results: There was no difference between patients and controls with regard to TOS, but the patients' TAS and OSI were significantly lower and higher, respectively, than those of the controls. No difference was detected between the schizophrenia subtypes or between the patients on typical or atypical antipsychotic medications or a combination of the two with regard to oxidative parameters. There was a weak to moderately significant negative correlation between TAS and total, positive and general psychopathology PANSS scores. Finally, we found a weak to moderately significant negative correlation between the CGI-S score and TOS and between the CGI-S score and TAS. Conclusions: There is a defect in the antioxidant defense system in schizophrenia. Known oxidative stress that causes oxidative cell damage and thus contributes to the pathophysiology of schizophrenia may be mainly related to this defensive defect. Copyright (C) 2009 S. Karger AG, Base

Turkish patients

Background: Although there is an increasing number of publications about the involvement of angiotensin convening enzyme (ACE) insertion/deletion (I/D) polymorphism in mood disorders, none of them has been able to show any linkage between allele or genotypic distributions and schizophrenia. However, there are number of reports associating brain and cerebrospinal fluid ACE levels with schizophrenia.Aim: We investigated the possibility of an association between ACE I/D polymorphism and schizophrenia.Method: Our study comprised 155 unrelated subjects who strictly met DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, and 174 healthy unrelated controls, all were of Turkish origin. The analysis of ACE polymorphism was performed using an established polymerase chain reaction method.Results: The I/I genotype of ACE significantly less frequent and I/D genotype was more frequent in schizophrenic patients compared to the controls (p=0.015). This difference was mostly due to the significant difference in men but not in women. The ACE genotypes did not differ between clinical subgroups of schizophrenia (p=0.10).Conclusion: The results of our study suggests that ACE I/I polymorphism is associated with schizophrenia at least in this group of Turkish patients.C1 Pamukkale Univ, Fac Med, Dept Psychiat, TR-20100 Denizli, Turkey.State Mental Healthy Hosp, Elazig, Turkey

Catechol-O-methyltransferase gene Val108/158Met polymorphism in bipolar disorder

Backgrounds: Although several studies have tested the association between bipolar disorder (BD) and the Val108 (H, high-activity allele)/158Met (L, low-activity allele) polymorphism of the catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) gene, most of the results showed no significant association. However, an association between the H or L allele and bipolar disorder (BD), particularly, between L allele and rapid-cycling form has been reported; it has also been suggested that the variation in the COMT gene modifies the course of BD and there is a tendency for the L allele amongst the female patients. In this study, the researchers aimed to evaluate the association between BD and COMT gene H/L polymorphism considering the influence of gender in a group of Turkish patients. Method: One hundred and thirty-five BD patients (71 male and 64 female) and 171 controls were included. Polymerase chain reaction-based endonuclease digestion method was used. Results: Genotypic distribution in patients and controls were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. No significant difference was found in genotypic and allelic frequencies between patients and controls. However, female patients had H allele more frequently than male patients and female healthy controls. Females had more depressive and less manic episodes than males. Number of total episodes was associated with H allele in all patients. Conclusion: Distribution of COMT genetic polymorphism was not significantly different between the patients and controls. However, it has been found an association of H allele with female patients and number of episodes among all patients. © 2011 Elsevier GmbH. All rights reserved