64 research outputs found
Different cytokine patterns associate with melancholia severity among inpatients with major depressive disorder
Background: Six melancholic features (MFs) of the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D6) represent the construct of melancholia along a continuum of severity (from least to most severe: depressed mood, work and activities, somatic symptoms, psychic anxiety, guilty feelings, psychomotor retardation). We aimed to evaluate the association between these MFs and inflammatory cytokines (IC) in the blood. Methods: Each IC [interferon gamma (IFN-Îł), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin 2 (IL-2), IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17] was associated with the HAM-D6 MFs of 139 severely depressed inpatients, using multiple linear regressions adjusted for covariates. Levels were compared with those of 100 healthy controls. Results: Depressed mood was associated with higher levels of IL-4 (ÎČ = 0.167; p = 0.041). Psychic anxiety: lower IL-17 levels (ÎČ = â0.173; p = 0.039). Guilt feelings: lower IL-2 levels (ÎČ = â0.168; p = 0.041) Psychomotor retardation: higher IL-6 levels (ÎČ = 0.195; p = 0.017). Depressed patientsâ TNF-α, INF-Îł, and IL-4 levels were not significantly different from controls. Depressed patientsâ IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17 levels were higher than those of controls (p <0.001). Conclusion: Less severe MFs (depressed mood, psychic anxiety, and guilt feelings) were associated with an anti-inflammatory pattern (higher IL-4, lower IL-17 and lower IL-2, respectively). The presence of the most severe MF, psychomotor retardation, was associated with a higher pro-inflammatory response (higher IL-6)
Serum cytokine variations among inpatients with major depression, bipolar disorder, and schizophrenia versus healthy controls : a prospective âtrue-to-lifeâ study
Background: There is increasing evidence of the association between chronic low-grade inflammation and severe mental illness (SMI). The objective of our study was to assess serum cytokine levels (SCLs) at admission and discharge in a true-to-life-setting population of inpatients with major depression (MD), bipolar disorder (BD), and schizophrenia (Sz), as well as of healthy controls. Methods: We considered MD, BD, and Sz to be SMIs. We evaluated 206 inpatients [MD, N=92; BD, N=26; mania (Ma), N=44; Sz, N=44). Generalized estimating equations were used to analyze variations in SCL [interferon gamma (IFN-Îł), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), interleukin (IL)-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-17] at hospital admission and discharge. Results of 100 healthy controls were compared with those of SMI patients at both time points. We evaluated patientsâ improvement during in-hospital treatment in terms of general psychiatric symptoms, global clinical impression, functionality, and manic and depressive symptoms with validated scales. Results: In all, 68.9% of patients completed the study. Overall, SMI inpatients had higher SCL when compared with controls regardless of diagnosis. There was a significant decrease in Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and Clinical Global ImpressionâSeverity Scale (CGI-S) scores, and an increase in Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF) scores for all disorders evaluated (p<0.001), as well as a significant decrease in HDRS-17 scores among MD inpatients (p<0.001) and in YMRS scores among Ma inpatients (p<0.001). IL-2 and IL-6 levels decreased significantly between admission and discharge only among MD inpatients (p=0.002 and p=0.03, respectively). We found no further statistically significant changes in SCL among the remaining disorders (BD, Ma, and Sz). There was no significant decrease in IFN-Îł (p=0.64), TNF-α (p=0.87), IL-4 (p=0.21), IL-10 (p=0.88), and IL-17 (p=0.71) levels in any of the evaluated diagnoses. Conclusion: MD inpatients had a decrease in IL-2 and IL-6 levels during hospitalization, which was accompanied by clinical improvement. No associations were found for the remaining SMIs (BD, Ma, and Sz)
A naturalistic study of high-dose unilateral ECT among severely depressed inpatients : how does it work in the clinical practice?
Background: Naturalistic studies can be useful tools to understand how an intervention works in the real clinical practice. This study aims to investigate the outcomes in a naturalistically treated depressed inpatients cohort, who were referred, or not, to unilateral ECT. Methods: Depressed adults according to MINI admitted in a psychiatric unit were divided in unilateral ECT treated and non-ECT treated. Main outcomes were: depression improvement in Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS-17) scores; response (HDRS-17 improvement â„50 %); remission (HDRS-17 score â€7); length of hospitalization. Results: Forty-three patients were included in unilateral ECT group and 104 in non-ECT group. No differences of psychotic symptoms, melancholic features or past maniac episode were found between groups. Unilateral ECT group had a mean HDRS-17 score higher than non-ECT group at admission (ECT: 25.05 ± 1.03; non-ECT: 21.61 ± 0.69; p = 0.001), but no significant difference was found at discharge (ECT: 7.70 ± 0.81; non-ECT: 7.40 ± 0.51; p = 0.75). Unilateral ECT group had a larger HDRS-17 score reduction during treatment (ECT: 18.24 ± 1.18; non-ECT:14.20 ± 0.76; p = 0.004). There were no significant differences in response and remission rates between groups. Unilateral ECT group had longer mean duration of hospitalization in days (ECT: 35.48 ± 2.48; non-ECT: 24.57 ± 1.50; p < 0.001), but there were no difference in mean time of treatment (ECT group:27.66 ± 1.95; non-ECT: 24.57 ± 1.50; p = 0.25). Conclusions: Unilateral high-dose ECT is still a useful treatment option, in the real world clinical practice, to reduce the intensity of depressive symptoms in highly depressed inpatients
Measurement of the cosmic ray spectrum above eV using inclined events detected with the Pierre Auger Observatory
A measurement of the cosmic-ray spectrum for energies exceeding
eV is presented, which is based on the analysis of showers
with zenith angles greater than detected with the Pierre Auger
Observatory between 1 January 2004 and 31 December 2013. The measured spectrum
confirms a flux suppression at the highest energies. Above
eV, the "ankle", the flux can be described by a power law with
index followed by
a smooth suppression region. For the energy () at which the
spectral flux has fallen to one-half of its extrapolated value in the absence
of suppression, we find
eV.Comment: Replaced with published version. Added journal reference and DO
- âŠ