The clinical presentation, course and treatment of methamphetamine (METH)-associated psychosis (MAP) are similar to that observed in schizophrenia (SCZ) and subsequently MAP has been hypothesized as a pharmacological and environmental model of SCZ. However, several challenges currently exist in diagnosing MAP accurately at the molecular and neurocognitive level before the MAP model can contribute to the discovery of SCZ biomarkers. We directly assessed subcortical brain structural volumes and clinical parameters of MAP within the framework of an integrative genome-wide RNA-Seq blood transcriptome analysis of subjects diagnosed with MAP (N=10), METH dependency without psychosis (MA; N=10) and healthy controls (N=10). First, we identified discrete groups of co-expressed genes (that is, modules) and tested them for functional annotation and phenotypic relationships to brain structure volumes, life events and psychometric measurements. We discovered one MAP-associated module involved in ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis downregulation, enriched with 61 genes previously found implicated in psychosis and SCZ across independent blood and post-mortem brain studies using convergent functional genomic (CFG) evidence. This module demonstrated significant relationships with brain structure volumes including the anterior corpus callosum (CC) and the nucleus accumbens. Furthermore, a second MAP and psychoticism-associated module involved in circadian clock upregulation was also enriched with 39 CFG genes, further associated with the CC. Subsequently, a machine-learning analysis of differentially expressed genes identified single blood-based biomarkers able to differentiate controls from methamphetamine dependents with 87% accuracy and MAP from MA subjects with 95% accuracy. CFG evidence validated a significant proportion of these putative MAP biomarkers in independent studies including CLN3, FBP1, TBC1D2 and ZNF821 (RNA degradation), ELK3 and SINA3 (circadian clock) and PIGF and UHMK1 (ubiquitin-mediated proteolysis). Finally, focusing analysis on brain structure volumes revealed significantly lower bilateral hippocampal volumes in MAP subjects. Overall, these results suggest similar molecular and neurocognitive mechanisms underlying the pathophysiology of psychosis and SCZ regardless of substance abuse and provide preliminary evidence supporting the MAP paradigm as an exemplar for SCZ biomarker discovery.
Early life lower respiratory tract illness impairs lung function at 1 year, independent of baseline lung function. Preventing early life lower respiratory tract illness is important to optimize lung function and promote respiratory health in childhood.
Read moreIntroduction: Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) patients have been found to have high rates of psychiatric disorders, however there is paucity of population-based studies on the true impact of IBD on depression in US population. We sought to study the impact of depression on IBD patients and also identify independent predictors of depression in IBD population using NHANES database. Methods: We used data from 2009-2010 NHANES which is a cross-sectional study representative of US population. All adults of 20-69 years old were included. We first compared IBD and non-IBD population and sought to see if IBD is an independent risk factor for depression in US population. Then we tried to elicit the independent predictors of depression in IBD population. Results: After weighing for national estimate, our study included 190,269,933 US adults without IBD and 2,325,226 with IBD. Depression was present in 49% of IBD population verses 23% in non-IBD population (unadjusted OR: 3.1, 95% CI 1.6-6.1, p=51 vs 20-50: adjusted OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.01-9.70, p=0.05) and divorced/separated/widowed status (vs married/living together: adjusted OR 33, 95% CI 4-378, p=0.005). Ulcerative colitis had higher prevalence of depression than Crohn's disease on univariate analysis (53% vs 23%, unadjusted OR: 3.8, 95 % CI 1.9-7.5, p < 0.0001), but the difference in prevalence was non-significant on multivariate analysis (adjusted OR: 3.3,95 % CI 0.6-18.1, p=0.1). There was trend toward increased risk of suicide in depressed IBD population verses depressed non-IBD population (27% vs 12%, p=0.08).Figure 1Figure 2Figure 3Conclusion: Our study, based on the NHANES database, showed IBD patients to be at increased risk of depression over the general population. Contrary to the general population, we found that older age and divorced/separated/widowed status to be independent predictors of depression in IBD population. Our study also found a non-significant increase in suicide risk in depressed IBD population than that in depressed non-IBD population, which implies increased severity of depression in IBD patients.
Read moreA knowledge of risk factors for suicidality is important when assessing and counseling individuals who have PG, and may be a useful tool in preventing suicidal behaviors. This study provides additional evidence that treatment of PG should include a focus on comorbid psychiatric illnesses.
Read moreAbstract Obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) and obsessive–compulsive related disorders (OCRDs) are common lifespan illnesses that cause substantial suffering. Patients may hide symptoms, and OCD and OCRDs are frequently overlooked by health professionals. Factor analyses consistently identify particular symptom clusters in OCD. Direct enquiry about OCD and OCRDs can help accurately identify these conditions. Measures for screening, diagnosis, and assessing OCD and OCRDs symptom severity are available.
Read moreWill man sich einen Überblick über die Geschichte und aktuellen Entwicklungen der Comictheorie sowie über wirkmächtige Forschungspositionen innerhalb dieses Feldes der Wissensproduktion verschaffen, dann kommt man nicht umhin, eine Meta-Perspektive (Ecke 2011) einzunehmen, die sich keiner spezifschen Forschungstradition verschreibt und zumindest prinzipiell alle Zugriffe auf den Comic berücksichtigt. Daher kann es im Folgenden auch nicht darum gehen, die Comictheorie vorzustellen oder einzelne Forschungspositionen gegenüber anderen zu privilegieren. Ziel wird vielmehr sein, den Bereich der Comicforschung in seiner historischen Tiefe, diskursiven Komplexität und methodologischen Vielfalt möglichst differenziert darzustellen. Es geht also um eine vorläufige Bestandsaufnahme, deren Blick nicht — oder zumindest nicht entscheidend — durch die eigene(n) Forschungsposition(en) geprägt ist.
Read moreThe classification of sexual behaviour as disordered is necessarily theory-dependent and value-laden. Nevertheless, reasoned debate about the relevant data and values is possible, and will hopefully further improve the diagnostic validity and clinical utility of psychiatric nosology.
Read moreThe application of the third Universal 2012 definition of MI instead of the Universal 2007 definition resulted in a 1% reduction of the total number of MIs. For a practical clinical purpose, the reduction was confined to patients with Type 4a MI. The change of definition had no impact on all-cause mortality.
Read moreStudy Institutional Review Boards and Consent Features across WMH Survey Initiative. Names of study Institutional Review Boards and features of consent across the WMH Survey Initiative. (XLS 24 kb)
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