Creative Psychopharmacotherapy in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina.

INTRODUCTION: Paediatric psychopharmacology involves the application of psychotropic agents to the treatment of children and adolescents with mental disorders and gathered knowledge from child and adolescent psychiatry (CAP), neurology, paediatrics and pharmacology. Defining elements of this discipline are: the metabolism of drugs is different in children than in adults (pharmacokinetics), the developing brain reacts specifically to the drug (pharmaco dynamics), and psychopathology itself is not differentiated yet. To make and overview of specifics in psychopharmacological use in CAP and emphasize some experiences from Bosnia and Herzegovina in that field. METHODS: Through insight in current literature, we presented comprehensive findings and compare it with situation in Bosnia and Herzegovina. RESULTS: The most common conditions in which psycho pharmaceuticals are used in CAP were attention deficit hyperactivity disorders (ADHD), depressive and bipolar disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder and the treatment of early psychosis. Psycho pharmaceuticals were also used to treat agitated conditions in various causes. We made an overview of psycho pharmaceuticals use in Bosnia and Herzegovina CAP and emphasized the fact that psycho stimulants are not approved for the use yet, although they are mostly prescribed medicament in CAP over the world. That limits us in the effectiveness of the treatment in ADHD and put us in the situations to use other medicaments instead (anxiolytics, antipsychotics, mood stabilizers) which are not approved for that condition. CONCLUSION: The use of psycho pharmacotherapy in CAP is justified in cases where it is necessary to reduce the suffering of children and to improve their functionality at the time when cognitive, social and emotional advancement is most pronounced. Further research and clinical monitoring of efficacy and safety in the use of psycho pharmaceuticals in youngsters are necessary.

Differentiation of acute pyelonephritis from other febrile states in children using urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL).

BACKGROUND: Acute pyelonephritis is a severe disease which is sometimes difficult to recognize based on clinical symptoms and routinely available diagnostic tests, especially in young children. The aim of this study was to assess the diagnostic value of urinary neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (uNGAL) as a biomarker of acute pyelonephritis. METHODS: In this case-control study we analyzed 134 children (median age 2.5 years) who were admitted to the Pediatric Clinic of University Hospital Centre Osijek, Croatia. Eighty of them had acute pyelonephritis, while 54 children had febrile state of different etiology including cystitis and they represented the control group. uNGAL, white blood cells, C-reactive protein, urinanalysis, urine culture, kidney ultrasound and a dimercaptosuccinic acid scintigraphic scan were done for each child. uNGAL was measured using chemiluminiscent microparticle immunoassay on ARHITECT i1000SR (Abbott Diagnostics, IL, USA). RESULTS: uNGAL values were significantly higher in children with acute pyelonephritis compared to the control groups (113.6 ng/mL vs. 10.2 ng/mL, p<0.001). A receiver operating characteristic curve comparison was done for tested parameters and encouraging results were obtained for uNGAL (AUC=0.952). A cut-off value of 29.4 ng/mL had 92.5% sensitivity and 90.7% specificity. We showed that uNGAL can also serve in differentiating acute pyelonephritis from cystitis (cut-off 38.5 ng/mL), and for differentiation of cystitis from febrile states with etiology other than urinary tract infection (UTI) (cut-off 20.4 ng/mL). CONCLUSIONS: uNGAL can be a useful diagnostic biomarker in acute pyelonephritis in children, but also in differentiating cystitis from febrile states other than UTI.

Association of IL-1ß and IL-10 Polymorphisms with Prostate Cancer Risk and Grade of Disease in Eastern Croatian Population.

Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promotor regions of cytokine genes included in angiogenesis may influence prostate cancer (PCa) development via regulation of the pathways of tumor angiogenesis. The aim of the present study was to investigate the association of IL-1 female +3954 (rs1143634) and IL-10-1082 (rs1800896) polymorphisms with PCa risk and aggressiveness in eastern Croatian patients. One hundred twenty PCa patients and 120 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) controls were genotyped using real-time PCR (LightCycler Instrument, Roche Diagnostics) and the melting curve analysis method. There was no significant difference in the frequency of genotypes for the two polymorphisms between PCa patients and controls (Χ2 = 0.857, p = 0.355 for IL-female 1; Χ2 = 0.026, p = 0.872 for IL-10). Carriers of the IL-10-1082A>G variant were found to be associated with the Gleason score (GS) > 7 (AA versus GA+GG, OR = 3.47, 95% CI 1.11-10.88, p = 0.033). There was no significant difference in the frequency of genotypes for the two polymorphisms and the presence of metastatic disease in PCa patients. These results suggest that tested SNPs associated with differential production of IL-1 female and IL-10 are not risk factors for PCa and do not correlate with the presence of distant metastasis in eastern Croatians. We found that IL-10-1082 GA+/or GG carriers have a higher risk of developing PCa with GS > 7 in eastern Croatians.

Association study of cytochrome P450 1A1*2A polymorphism with prostate cancer risk and aggressiveness in Croatians.

Cytochrome P450 1A1 (CYP1A1) is an enzyme participating in the bioactivation of various endogenous and environmental reactive compounds that can bind to DNA and thus induce cancerogenesis. Gene encoding the enzyme is expressed in the prostate tissue and is polymorphic. CYP1A1*2A gene polymorphism is associated with elevated enzyme activity and/or inducibility which can lead to accumulation of genotoxic compounds and consequently to cancerogenesis. We examined the association of this polymorphism with prostate cancer (PCa) risk and aggressiveness. The case-control study consisted of 120 PCa patients and 120 benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) controls, in Croatian population. Regarding aggressiveness, PCa patients were grouped according to the Gleason score (GS), tumor stage (T) and existence of distant metastasis (M). The polymorphism was analyzed using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). We did not observe association of mutated allele with PCa risk, neither with PCa aggressiveness. Furthermore, frequency of polymorphic genotype was slightly higher in BPH group (16.6% vs. 14.2%, respectively) and also in less aggressive form of PCa (20.4% vs. 9.6% for GS < 7; 15.6% vs. 9.1% for T < 3; 16.7% vs. 10.0% for no distant metastasis). Comparing our findings with other published results, we can assume that the ethnicity influence the genotype distribution and thus may affect the etiology of PCa, even possibly in the way to cause an opposite effect among different ethnic groups. Given the small number of participants, results should be validated on the larger sample size.

Comparison between clinical significance of serum proinflammatory protein interleukin-6 and classic tumor markers total PSA, free PSA and free/total PSA prior to prostate biopsy.

The aim of the study was to clarify whether serum levels of proinflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) could be a useful marker in prostate diseases. Serum IL-6 was determined prior to prostate biopsy procedure in 82 patients with prostate adenocarcinoma (PCa), 25 patients with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH), 24 patients with high-grade prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) and 17 patients with chronic prostatitis. Serum IL-6 levels were compared with total PSA (tPSA), free PSA (fPSA) and the free/total ratio (f/tPSA) serum levels. Statistically significant difference was not found in serum IL-6 levels among the four groups (p = 0.088). However, the patients with poorly differentiated PCa with Gleason score (GS) 4 + 3 = 7 and > 7 had significantly higher serum IL-6 levels than the patients with moderately differentiated PCa with GS 3 + 4 = 7 and < 7 (p = 0.007). The findings suggest that serum IL-6 level might be a potentially useful marker for poorly differentiated PCa.

Vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 (VKORC1) gene polymorphisms in population of Eastern Croatia.

Vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKOR) is a key enzyme in the y-carboxylation of proteins associated with important bodily functions (coagulation, bone metabolism, etc.). This feature is particularly used in warfarin therapy, which blocks the VKOR enzyme and leads to production of dysfunctional coagulation proteins. Genetic factors, particularly vitamin K epoxide reductase complex 1 (VKORC1) gene, have greatest influence on warfarin therapy. The aim of this study was to determine the distribution of VKORC1 1173C > T and VKORC1 -1639G > A polymorphisms, which are most important for warfarin therapy. We investigated 420 unrelated healthy individuals, mostly blood donors, from region of the Eastern Croatia. Both investigated polymorphisms were in perfect linkage disequilibrium (LD) and showed identical results. 151 patients (36%) were homozygous for the wild-type (C/C and G/G), 196 (47%) were heterozygous (C/T and G/A) and 73 (17%) were homozygous for the variant allele (T/T and A/A). Number of normal alleles among individuals was 498 (59.3%), and number of variant alleles was 342 (40.7%). The data obtained are in good agreement with the results of studies in other European populations.

Interleukin-6 polymorphism and prostate cancer risk in population of Eastern Croatia.

Recent studies suggest that chronic inflammation is crucial in the development and progression of prostate cancer (CaP). Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a proinflammatory cytokine that plays an important role in intraprostatic inflammation and thus carcinogenesis. The -174G > C polymorphism of IL-6 gene has been associated with high IL-6 producer phenotype and an increased risk for CaP. The aim of this study was to evaluate the association between the mentioned IL-6 polymorphism and CaP risk, as well as to compare the genotype frequency between the different tumour grades of CaP, in population of Eastern Croatia. We analyzed the IL-6 polymorphism in 120 CaP patients and 120 controls with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH). CaP patients and BPH controls did not statistically differ in studied IL-6 polymorphism. Furthermore, high IL-6 producer genotypes (GG or GC) were more frequent in controls than in CaP group (86.7% vs 80.8%, respectively, p = 0.147). Also, no statistically significant difference in IL-6 high and low producer genotype frequency was noticed between well, moderately and poorly differentiated tumours. Our results, taken together with other studies on the subject, suggest that IL-6 - 174 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) distribution may differ between various ethnic groups and that a single cytokine gene polymorphism has probably just a minor effect on CaP susceptibility. Further studies should be performed to clarify the link between SNPs of different cytokines and the risk for CaP.

Lack of association between TNF-alpha promoter polymorphism and prostate carcinoma susceptibility in eastern Croatian population.

A single nuclear polymorphisms (SNPs) in the promoter region of the tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) gene are involved in regulation of expression levels of TNF-alpha and therefore are associated with oncogenesis of several cancers. Aim of our study was to investigate the effect of G--->A polymorphism at -308 position in the promoter region of the TNF-alpha gene on prostate cancer (CalphaP) susceptibility in a subset of patients from Eastern Croatia. Study population consisted of 240 patients (120 with CalphaP, 120 controls). They were genotyped for TNF-alpha G-308A polymorphism using real-time PCR (LightCycler Instrument, Roche Diagnostics) and melting curve analysis method. X(2) test was used to compare distribution of TNF-alpha polymorphism genotypes between patients and control group. Relative risk was estimated by the odds ratio (OR). There was no significant statistical difference (X(2)=0.000, DF=1, p=1, OR=1, 95%CI=0.5537-1.8059) between patients and control group. Besides, data of CalphaP patients were stratified according to pathohistological diagnosis (PHD) by Gleason score and groups were compared according to TNF-alpha genotypes. Also, all patients and CalphaP patients were grouped according to prostate volume (V) into three groups: V<50 mL, V50-100 mL, V>100 mL. These groups were also compared according to TNF-alpha genotypes. There were no significant statistical differences between any of groups. Our findings suggest that TNF-alpha -308 SNP is not associated with CalphaP in Eastern Croatia population.

Test results comparison and sample stability study: is the BD Barricor tube a suitable replacement for the BD RST tube?

INTRODUCTION: The aim was to evaluate the BD Barricor tubes by comparison with the BD Rapid Serum Tubes (RST) through measuring 25 analytes and monitoring sample stability after 24 hours and 7 days. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Samples of 52 patients from different hospital departments were examined. Blood was collected in BD RST and BD Barricor tubes (Becton, Dickinson and Company, Franklin Lakes, USA). Analytes were measured by Beckman Coulter AU 480 (Beckman Coulter, Brea, USA), Dimension EXL (Siemens Healthcare Diagnostics, Newark, USA) and ARCHITECT i2000SR (Abbott Diagnostics, Lake Forest, USA). Between-tube comparison for each analyte was performed, along with testing analyte stability after storing samples at 4 °C. RESULTS: BD Barricor tubes showed unacceptable bias compared to BD RST tubes for potassium (K) (- 4.5%) and total protein (4.4%). Analyte stability after 24 hours was acceptable in both tested tubes for most of analytes, except for glucose, aspartate aminotransferase (AST) and lactate dehydrogenase (LD) in BD Barricor and free triiodothyronine in BD RST sample tubes. Analyte stability after 7 days was unacceptable for sodium, K, calcium, creatine kinase isoenzyme MB, AST, LD and troponin I in both samples; additionally for glucose, alkaline phosphatase and albumin in BD Barricor. CONCLUSION: All analytes, except K and total protein, can be measured interchangeably in BD RST and BD Barricor tubes, applying the same reference intervals. For most of the analytes, sample re-analysis can be performed in both tubes after 24 hours and 7 days, although BD RST tubes show better 7-day analytes stability over BD Barricor tubes.

Analytical bias of automated immunoassays for six serum steroid hormones assessed by LC-MS/MS.

INTRODUCTION: There is a growing amount of evidence showing the significant analytical bias of steroid hormone immunoassays, but large number of available immunoassays makes conduction of a single comprehensive study of this issue hardly feasible. Aim of this study was to assess the analytical bias of six heterogeneous immunoassays for serum aldosterone, cortisol, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEAS), testosterone, 17-hydroxyprogesterone (OHP) and progesterone using the liquid chromatography coupled to the tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). MATERIALS AND METHODS: This method comparison study included 49 serum samples. Testosterone, DHEAS, progesterone and cortisol immunoassays were performed on the Abbott Architect i2000SR or Alinity i analysers (Abbott Diagnostics, Chicago, USA). DiaSorin's Liaison (DiaSorin, Saluggia, Italy) and DIAsource's ETI-Max 3000 analysers (DIAsource ImmunoAssays, Louvain-La-Neuve, Belgium) were chosen for aldosterone and OHP immunoassay testing, respectively. All immunoassays were evaluated against the LC-MS/MS assay relying on the commercial kit (Chromsystems, Gräfelfing, Germany) and LCMS-8050 analyser (Shimadzu, Kyoto, Japan). Analytical biases were calculated and method comparison was conducted using weighted Deming regression analysis. RESULTS: Depending on the analyte and specific immunoassay, mean relative biases ranged from -31 to + 137%. Except for the cortisol, immunoassays were positively biased. For none of the selected steroids slope and intercept 95% confidence intervals simultaneously contained 0 and 1, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Evaluated immunoassays failed to satisfy requirements for methods' comparability and produced significant analytical biases in respect to the LC-MS/MS assay, especially at low concentrations.

The soluble fms-like tyrosin kinase-1 (sFLT-1) to placental growth factor (PIGF) ratio as a possible indicator for the severity of preeclampsia - single institution experience.

Aim To investigate a potential of the clinical use of the soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFLT-1) to placental growth factor (PlGF) ratio from the perspective of a small hospital centre. Methods Maternal serum samples were analysed at 241/7-28 0/7, and 281/7-320/7 weeks of gestation. The level of sFLT-1 and PIGF was determined by immunoassay platform and used to calculate the sFLT-1/PIGF ratio in 35 pregnant women, and divided into subgroups according to preeclampsia occurrence at the time of delivery: preterm (≤37 weeks) or term (37-42 weeks'), and matched a control group. Results Patients in the preterm delivery group had a significantly higher incidence of intrauterine growth restriction, lower gestational age at the time of delivery, and lower infant birth weight compared to the other two groups. There was a negative correlation between the sFLT-1/PlGF ratio and GA and between the sFLT-1/ PlGF ratio and birth weight at the time of delivery. The value of the sFLT-1/PlGF ratio was significantly higher in the preterm delivery PE group. All the PE group pregnancies ended with caesarean delivery compared to 25% in the control group. However, none of the patients from the PE group had any of the possible complications of preeclampsia nor did they require additional therapy such as blood transfusion or additional non-standard hypertensive therapy. Conclusion The sFLT-1/PlGF ratio could be used as an indicator for the development and estimation of the severity of PE to provide objective evidence for the management of preeclampsia patients, and as a predictive marker of preeclampsia at low cost.

Influence of postoperative analgesia on systemic inflammatory response and postoperative cognitive dysfunction after femoral fractures surgery: a randomized controlled trial.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: To investigate the possible effect of postoperatively applied analgesics-epidurally applied levobupivacaine or intravenously applied morphine-on systemic inflammatory response and plasma concentration of interleukin (IL)-6 and to determine whether the intensity of inflammatory response is related to postoperative cognitive dysfunction (POCD). METHODS: This is a randomized, prospective, controlled study in an academic hospital. Patients were 65 years and older scheduled for femoral fracture fixation from July 2016 to September 2017. Inflammatory response was assessed by leukocytes, neutrophils, C reactive protein (CRP) and fibrinogen levels in four blood samples (before anesthesia, 24 hours, 72 hours and 120 hours postoperatively) and IL-6 concentration from three blood samples (before anesthesia, 24 hours and 72 hours postoperatively). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mini-Mental State Examination preoperatively, from the first to the fifth postoperative day and on the day of discharge. RESULTS: The study population included 70 patients, 35 in each group. The incidence of POCD was significantly lower in the levobupivacaine group (9%) than in the morphine group (31%) (p=0.03). CRP was significantly lower in the levobupivacaine group 72 hours (p=0.03) and 120 hours (p=0.04) after surgery. IL-6 values were significantly lower in the levobupivacaine group 72 hours after surgery (p=0.02). The only predictor of POCD in all patients was the level of IL-6 72 hours after surgery (p=0.03). CONCLUSIONS: There is a statistically significant association between use of epidural levobupivacaine and a reduction in some inflammatory markers. Postoperative patient-controlled epidural analgesia reduces the incidence of POCD compared with intravenous morphine analgesia in the studied population. TRIAL REGISTRATION NUMBER: NCT02848599.

Falsely elevated serum oestradiol due to exemestane therapy.

In this study, we present a case of falsely elevated oestradiol (E2) concentration, determined by two immunoassays, in a breast cancer patient receiving exemestane therapy. The positive bias of immunochemical measurements was revealed using liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry which showed undetectable E2 concentration. The discrepancy is expected to be a consequence of the structural resemblance of E2 and exemestane sharing the same steroidal backbone. Inaccurate laboratory findings in therapy monitoring, as in this case, may lead to unnecessary changes of therapy.

Child psychiatry service organization in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This paper provides a review of the organization of mental health care for children and adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The number of institutions that provide this form of health protection is insufficient. Such institutions exist only in the two largest cities in the country. Government measures and the Plan for responding to most urgent needs are also presented. The accent is put on the need to attain territorial coverage with services, both for health and social protection of children and adolescents.

Psychological consequences of war stress in the developing population in Bosnia and Herzegovina.

This paper has been conceptualised as an overview of the clinically verified psychological consequences of war-stress exposure in children and adolescents in Bosnia and Herzegovina. The presented data are related to the city of Sarajevo, as this sample is in a particular way very specific in comparison with other areas. In effect, all types of stressors affecting the population can be found here, and it has particular significance in the light of the status of the city of Sarajevo as a war target. The delivered data are presented as a comparison of the clinical phenomena during the war and those several years afterwards. It is evident from the data that the war has left psychological consequences in the developing population, primarily in quantitative terms, i.e., in the increase of prevalence of psychological disorders by approximately 15% compared to the pre-war circumstances.

Pathologic patterns of interleukin 10 expression--a review.

Interleukin 10 (IL-10) is important pleiotropic immunoregulatory cytokine which gene is located on chromosome 1 at 1q31-32. There are many genetic variants of IL-10 gene. However, the most studied are two dinucleotide repeats (microsatellites), IL10.G and IL10.R, located 1.2 kb and 4 kb upstream of the transcription start site and three single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) -1082(G/A), -819(C/T) and -592(C/A). A large number of studies have shown that IL-10 gene polymorphisms are associated with different diseases and play an important role in pathophysiology and clinical course of these diseases. This review summarizes published literature knowledge about the association of IL-10 polymorphisms and expression patterns with asthma, systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, inflammatory bowel disease, rheumatoid arthritis, tuberculosis and some neoplasms.