Neuroticism but not omega-3 fatty acid levels correlate with early responsiveness to escitalopram.

BACKGROUND: Omega-3 fatty acid (O3FA) levels and dimensional personality measures have been associated with major depression and the course of depressive illness. We sought to study the utility of O3FA levels and dimensional personality measures as predictors of early improvement with escitalopram. METHODS: Twenty-four participants were enrolled in an open-label trial of escitalopram 10 mg/d for 4 weeks. Baseline erythrocyte O3 levels and dimensional personality assessments were obtained. RESULTS: Using a conservative, intention-to-treat analysis, baseline neuroticism (r = -0.57; P = .007), as measured by the Revised NEO Personality Inventory but not erythrocyte O3 levels, was correlated with improvements on escitalopram. A facet analysis of the neuroticism domain showed the relationship with antidepressant response to be focused on trait anxiety (r = -0.65; P = .002). CONCLUSIONS: Anxiety may have important prognostic implications on subsequent response to selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, such as escitalopram.

Suicidal behavior in borderline personality disorder: prevalence, risk factors, prediction, and prevention.

Suicidal behavior is frequent in patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD); at least three-quarters of these patients attempt suicide and approximately 10% eventually complete suicide. Borderline patients at greatest risk for suicidal behavior include those with prior attempts, comorbid major depressive disorder, or a substance use disorder. Comorbidity with major depression serves to increase both the number and seriousness of the suicide attempts. Hopelessness and impulsivity independently increase the risk of suicidal behavior, as does a turbulent early life and the presence of antisocial traits. In summary, because BPD is frequently complicated by suicidal behavior, clinicians must avoid the mistake of thinking that a pattern of repeated attempts indicates little desire to die. Clinicians have an important role in preventing suicide attempts and completed suicides by understanding the risk factors.

Use of the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) as a screening tool in prisons: results of a preliminary study.

The authors describe a pilot study in which the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI) was used to assess a random sample of offenders newly committed to the Iowa Department of Corrections. Following sessions in which correctional personnel were trained to administer the MINI, the instrument was administered to 67 offenders. The interview took from 20 to 105 minutes (mean, 41 minutes) to administer, and all but 13 (19%) offenders were positive for a lifetime MINI disorder. Twenty-six (39%) subjects had a lifetime mood disorder, 20 (30%) a lifetime anxiety disorder, 12 (18%) a lifetime psychotic disorder, and 53 (79%) a substance use disorder. Seven (10%) subjects met criteria for a lifetime attention deficit hyperactivity disorder, while 13 (19%) had a lifetime antisocial personality disorder. Subjects had a mean of 2.8 disorders. The potential use of the MINI as a screening tool in prison settings is discussed.

High 5 for Kids: the impact of a home visiting program on fruit and vegetable intake of parents and their preschool children.

OBJECTIVE: The High 5 for Preschool Kids (H5-KIDS) program tested the effectiveness of a home based intervention to teach parents how to ensure a positive fruit-vegetable (FV) environment for their preschool child, and to examine whether changes in parent behavior were associated with improvements in child intake. METHODS: A group randomized nested cohort design was conducted (2001 to 2006) in rural, southeast Missouri with 1306 parents and their children participating in Parents As Teachers, a national parent education program. RESULTS: When compared to control parents, H5-KIDS parents reported an increase in FV servings (MN=0.20, p=0.05), knowledge and availability of FV within the home (p=0.01), and decreased their use of noncoercive feeding practices (p=0.02). Among preschoolers, FV servings increased in normal weight (MN=0.35, p=0.02) but not overweight children (MN=-0.10, p=0.48), relative to controls. The parent's change in FV servings was a significant predictor of child's change in FV in the H5-KIDS group (p=0.001). CONCLUSION: H5-KIDS suggests the need for, and promise of, early home intervention for childhood obesity prevention. It demonstrates the importance of participatory approaches in developing externally valid interventions, with the potential for dissemination across national parent education programs as a means for improving the intake of parents and young children.

Genomewide linkage scan of 409 European-ancestry and African American families with schizophrenia: suggestive evidence of linkage at 8p23.3-p21.2 and 11p13.1-q14.1 in the combined sample.

We report the clinical characteristics of a schizophrenia sample of 409 pedigrees--263 of European ancestry (EA) and 146 of African American ancestry (AA)--together with the results of a genome scan (with a simple tandem repeat polymorphism interval of 9 cM) and follow-up fine mapping. A family was required to have a proband with schizophrenia (SZ) and one or more siblings of the proband with SZ or schizoaffective disorder. Linkage analyses included 403 independent full-sibling affected sibling pairs (ASPs) (279 EA and 124 AA) and 100 all-possible half-sibling ASPs (15 EA and 85 AA). Nonparametric multipoint linkage analysis of all families detected two regions with suggestive evidence of linkage at 8p23.3-q12 and 11p11.2-q22.3 (empirical Z likelihood-ratio score [Z(lr)] threshold >/=2.65) and, in exploratory analyses, two other regions at 4p16.1-p15.32 in AA families and at 5p14.3-q11.2 in EA families. The most significant linkage peak was in chromosome 8p; its signal was mainly driven by the EA families. Z(lr) scores >2.0 in 8p were observed from 30.7 cM to 61.7 cM (Center for Inherited Disease Research map locations). The maximum evidence in the full sample was a multipoint Z(lr) of 3.25 (equivalent Kong-Cox LOD of 2.30) near D8S1771 (at 52 cM); there appeared to be two peaks, both telomeric to neuregulin 1 (NRG1). There is a paracentric inversion common in EA individuals within this region, the effect of which on the linkage evidence remains unknown in this and in other previously analyzed samples. Fine mapping of 8p did not significantly alter the significance or length of the peak. We also performed fine mapping of 4p16.3-p15.2, 5p15.2-q13.3, 10p15.3-p14, 10q25.3-q26.3, and 11p13-q23.3. The highest increase in Z(lr) scores was observed for 5p14.1-q12.1, where the maximum Z(lr) increased from 2.77 initially to 3.80 after fine mapping in the EA families.