Will the war for the Croatian Homeland War veterans ever end?

The aim of this paper is to show the psychological consequences of participation in the Homeland War and experienced trauma which can indirectly be seen through drawing even after more than 15 years after the war had ended. The research was conducted on a sample of 125 patients of both genders treated in the Daily Hospital program of University Hospital Dubrava, Psychiatry Clinics. All the tested had trauma in their medical history and all of them met the PTSD diagnostic criteria, 75 examinees participated in the Homeland War and they represent the veteran group, and 50 examinees went through a stressful situation during peacetime and they represent the civilian group. All the examinees had to make two individual drawings, and the task was to portray feelings of term "love" (first drawing) and term "hate" (second drawing). They could choose motifs and colors freely. When portraying the term love, choice of motifs between the civilian and the veteran group wasn't considerably different, and only a small number of male veteran population (6.6%) drawings hinted at the connection with the Homeland War. The results between two groups are completely different in portraying the term hate. As much as 76% examinees from the veteran group have unequivocally and directly decided to portray wartime motifs, unlike the civilian group whose use of wartime motifs was just 10%. When choosing color, nearly 90% of the veteran group used neutral and cool colors to portray the term hate.

Toxicity by NSAIDs. Counteraction by stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157.

Stable gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 is an anti-ulcer peptidergic agent, proven in clinical trials to be both safe in inflammatory bowel disease (PL-10, PLD-116, PL 14736) and wound healing, stable in human gastric juice, with no toxicity being reported. Recently, we claim that BPC 157 may be used as an antidote against NSAIDs. We focused on BPC 157 beneficial effects on stomach, duodenum, intestine, liver and brain injuries, adjuvant arthritis, pain, hyper/hypothermia, obstructive thrombus formation and thrombolysis, blood vessel function, counteraction of prolonged bleeding and thrombocytopenia after application of various anticoagulants and antiplatelet agents and wound healing improvement. The arguments for BPC 157 antidote activity (i.e., the role of BPC 157 in cytoprotection, being a novel mediator of Robert's cytoprotection and BPC 157 beneficial effects on NSAIDs mediated lesions in the gastrointestinal tract, liver and brain and finally, counteraction of aspirin-induced prolonged bleeding and thrombocytopenia) obviously have a counteracting effect on several established side-effects of NSAIDs use. The mentioned variety of the beneficial effects portrayed by BPC 157 may well be a foundation for establishing BPC 157 as a NSAIDs antidote since no other single agent has portrayed a similar array of effects. Unlike NSAIDs, a very high safety (no reported toxicity (LD1 could be not achieved)) profile is reported for BPC 157. Also, unlike the different dosage levels of aspirin, as a NSAIDs prototype, which differ by a factor of about ten, all these beneficial and counteracting effects of BPC 157 were obtained using the equipotent dosage (µg, ng/kg) in parenteral or peroral regimens.

Determination of leucocyte subsets in human saliva by flow cytometry.

OBJECTIVE: Validation of a flow cytometry-based method for the determination of major leucocyte subsets [polymorphonuclear (PMN) cells, monocytes, T cells and B cells] in paraffin-stimulated whole human saliva. DESIGN: Salivary leucocyte subsets were determined by four-colour flow cytometry in eight healthy volunteers on three consecutive days. Comparison of leucocyte subsets between saliva and whole blood was also performed. Day-to-day variability and intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) were determined as indicators of assay reliability. RESULTS: It was observed that PMN cells were the predominant cells in the saliva. Percentages of mononuclear cells ranged from 0.3% to 7.2%, with monocytes composing the highest percentage, followed by T cells and B cells. Regardless of high intra-individual day-to-day variability, proportions of leucocyte subsets did not significantly change over three measurements, and high ICCs were calculated for T cells and monocytes. CONCLUSION: Flow cytometry can be used as non-invasive and reproducible method for the analysis of leucocyte subsets in human saliva. Further investigation of pathological and other conditions that have the potential to influence salivary leucocyte subsets is warranted.

Psychiatric heredity and posttraumatic stress disorder: survey study of war veterans.

AIM: To explore the prevalence of psychiatric heredity (family history of psychiatric illness, alcohol dependence disorder, and suicidality) and its association with the diagnosis of stress-related disorders in Croatian war veterans established during psychiatric examination. METHODS: The study included 415 war veterans who were psychiatrically assessed and diagnosed by the same psychiatrist during an expert examination conducted for the purposes of compensation seeking. Data were collected by a structured diagnostic procedure. RESULTS: There was no significant correlation between psychiatric heredity of psychiatric illness, alcohol dependence, or suicidality and diagnosis of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) or PTSD with psychiatric comorbidity. Diagnoses of psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity significantly correlated with psychiatric heredity (Phi=0.111; P=0.023). There was a statistically significant correlation between maternal psychiatric illness and the patients' diagnoses of partial PTSD or partial PTSD with comorbidity (Phi=0.104; P=0.035) and psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.113; P=0.022); paternal psychiatric illness and the patients' diagnoses of psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.130; P=0.008), alcohol dependence or alcohol dependence with comorbidity (Phi=0.166; P=0.001); psychiatric illness in the primary family with the patients' psychosis or psychosis with comorbidity (Phi=0.115; P=0.019); alcohol dependence in the primary family with the patients' personality disorder or personality disorder with comorbidity (Phi=0.099; P=0.044); and suicidality in the primary family and a diagnosis of personality disorder or personality disorder with comorbidity (Phi=0.128; P=0.009). CONCLUSION: The study confirmed that parental and familial positive history of psychiatric disorders puts the individual at higher risk for developing psychiatric illness or alcohol or drug dependence disorder. Psychiatric heredity might not be necessary for the individual who was exposed to severe combat-related events to develop symptoms of PTSD.

Monoamine oxidase (MAO) intron 13 polymorphism and platelet MAO-B activity in combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder.

BACKGROUND: The neurobiology of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) involves alterations in multiple neuroendocrine and neurotransmitter systems. Platelet monoamine oxidase (MAO-B) has been associated with susceptibility to various psychiatric disorders, personality traits and behaviors. METHODS: Platelet MAO-B activity and MAO-B intron 13 polymorphism (a G/A substitution) were determined in male war veterans (n=106) with DSM-IV diagnosed current and chronic PTSD, divided into subgroups of PTSD patients with (n=28) or without (n=78) psychotic features, combat exposed veterans (n=41) who did not develop PTSD, and healthy control men (n=242). RESULTS: Two-way ANOVAs revealed a significant effect of diagnosis and smoking, a significant effect of smoking, no significant effect of genotype, and no significant interaction between genotype, smoking or diagnosis, on platelet MAO-B activity. One-way ANOVAs showed significantly lower platelet MAO-B activity in smokers than in nonsmokers. After controlling for smoking, veterans with psychotic PTSD had significantly higher platelet MAO-B activity than veterans with or without PTSD, or healthy subjects. LIMITATIONS: The results were obtained on peripheral biochemical marker, i.e. platelet MAO activity. CONCLUSIONS: The MAO-B intron 13 polymorphism was not functional, and did not affect platelet MAO-B activity. The allele frequencies of the MAO-B genotype were similarly distributed among healthy controls and veterans with or without PTSD and/or psychotic symptoms. The results suggest that platelet MAO-B activity, controlled for smoking status, might be used as a peripheral marker of the psychotic symptoms in PTSD.

Dietary habits and folate status in women of childbearing age in Croatia.

Folic acid and folates have an important role in prevention of neural tube defect that appears in the first weeks of pregnancy, when women are still not aware of their pregnancy, especially when pregnancy is not planned. Since ensuring sufficient quantities of folates and folic acid in this period is essential, dietary habits of childbearing age women are very important. In line with that the intake of folates and folic acid in nutrition of women age group 20-30 years is examined, as well as the frequency of consumption of foodstuffs rich in vitamins and folic acid supplements. Values of folates in serum are presented, dependent on their nutritional habits. Obtained results indicate that in spite of inadequate intake of folates and folic acid from foodstuffs, clinical deficit is not recorded, which is the result of frequent consumption of dietary supplements. In accordance with these dietary habits, differences in the folates status of examinees were observed.

Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 attenuates chronic amphetamine-induced behavior disturbances.

AIM: To investigate the effect of pentadecapeptide BPC 157 on chronic exposure to amphetamine in rats, particularly the changes commonly referred in chronic amphetamine studies as tolerance (lesser grade of stereotyped behavior, without increased excitability) and reverse tolerance (ie, prominent stereotyped behavior and heightened startle response upon late amphetamine challenges). METHODS: After initial application (initial single dose-regimen), amphetamine (10 mg/kg,ip) was given once daily till d 5 (continuous administration-regimen), and thereafter on d 8, 16, and 46 (intermittent administration regimen). Fo r stereotyped behavior and heightened startle response the observation period was 120 min after amphetamine application, and each animal was observed for 10 s in 5 min intervals. Pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (10 microg/kg or 10 ng/k g, ip) or saline (5.0 mL/kg, ip) were given only at the beginning of the experiment, simultaneously with the initial dose of amphetamine. RESULTS: In relation to applied initial-single/continuous/intermittent amphetamine applications regimen, the control amphetamine rats throughout the experiment showed the changes in stereotyped behavior and heightened startle response, increment or decrement, commonly explained in chronic amphetamine studies as tolerance and reverse tolerance. After t he initial application of the amphetamine, the higher BPC 157 dosage apparently attenuated the stereotyped behavior, while the lower dosage of BPC 157 did not reach a statistical significance. Considering the forthcoming amphetamine challenges, in the rats initially treated with pentadecapeptide BPC 157, either 10 microg- or 10 ng-dose, at the time of the first application of amphetamine, the stereotyped behavior remains to be attenuated after all additional amphetamine challenges (on d 2-5, 8, 16, and 46). This attenuation was not limited to stereotyped behavior only. After the initial application of the amphetamine the heighten ed startle response was also apparently mitigated in rats receiving the BPC 157 dosage, either higher or lower. Later, confronted with the forthcoming amphetamine challenges, they showed apparently less abnormal excitability at all tested points. CONCLUSION: In summary, gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 (ie, both microg- and ng-BPC 157 regimens) attenuated chronic amphetamine disturbances. This effect was present throughout the observation period at a statistically significant level. Therefore, it seems that this gastric pentadecapeptide BPC 157 has a modulatory effect on dopamine system, and it could be used in chronic amphetamine disturbances.