Emotional control in selected somatic and psychiatric diseases.

THE AIM: was to assess the level of subjective control of emotional states among patients treated for dermatological and gastrointestinal somatic diseases compared to those with depressive and anxiety disorders. The results were related to the analyzed dimensions of emotion regulation in healthy subjects. MATERIALS AND METHODS: The reports of the conducted studies were compiled for a total of 310 people, including 120 patients diagnosed with a somatic disease (psoriasis, rosacea, irritable bowel syndrome, and gastroesophageal reflux), as well as 96 patients diagnosed with depressive disorders and 30 patients with anxiety disorders. The control group consisted of healthy subjects (64 individuals). To assess the psychological variables analyzed, the subjects completed the Emotion Regulation Questionnaire developed by J. Brzezinski. RESULTS: The study showed that the patients suffering from a chronic somatic symptom disorder, similarly to those treated for depression and anxiety disorders, differed from the healthy individuals in most aspects of emotional control. The patients with dermatological and gastrointestinal diseases differed statistically significantly from the patients with depression and the patients with anxiety disorders in relation to three dimensions of emotional control. Patients with a somatic disease are characterized by higher emotional and rational motivation, lower emotional resilience and lower emotional arousal. CONCLUSIONS: A chronic disease co-occurs with the emotional sphere of a person's daily functioning. Regardless of the diagnosis in terms of somatic disorders and mental illnesses, the way in which emotional states are controlled can be an important factor in the onset of the disease, coping with it as well as the treatment process.

Single-Nucleotide Polymorphisms of Genes Involved in Repair of Oxidative DNA Damage and the Risk of Recurrent Depressive Disorder.

BACKGROUND Depressive disorder, including recurrent type (rDD), is accompanied by increased oxidative stress and activation of inflammatory pathways, which may induce DNA damage. This thesis is supported by the presence of increased levels of DNA damage in depressed patients. Such DNA damage is repaired by the base excision repair (BER) pathway. BER efficiency may be influenced by polymorphisms in BER-related genes. Therefore, we genotyped nine single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in six genes encoding BER proteins. MATERIAL AND METHODS Using TaqMan, we selected and genotyped the following SNPs: c.-441G>A (rs174538) of FEN1, c.2285T>C (rs1136410) of PARP1, c.580C>T (rs1799782) and c.1196A>G (rs25487) of XRCC1, c.*83A>C (rs4796030) and c.*50C>T (rs1052536) of LIG3, c.-7C>T (rs20579) of LIG1, and c.-468T>G (rs1760944) and c.444T>G (rs1130409) of APEX1 in 599 samples (288 rDD patients and 311 controls). RESULTS We found a strong correlation between rDD and both SNPs of LIG3, their haplotypes, as well as a weaker association with the c.-468T>G of APEXI which diminished after Nyholt correction. Polymorphisms of LIG3 were also associated with early onset versus late onset depression, whereas the c.-468T>G polymorphism showed the opposite association. CONCLUSIONS The SNPs of genes involved in the repair of oxidative DNA damage may modulate rDD risk. Since this is an exploratory study, the results should to be treated with caution and further work needs to be done to elucidate the exact involvement of DNA damage and repair mechanisms in the development of this disease.

Variants of Base Excision Repair Genes MUTYH , PARP1 and XRCC1 in Alzheimer's Disease Risk.

BACKGROUND: Many clinical studies have shown that oxidative stress pathways and the efficiency of the oxidative DNA damage base excision repair (BER) system are associated with the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease (AD). Reduced BER efficiency may result from polymorphisms of BER-related genes. In the present study, we examine whether single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of BER genes are associated with increased risk of AD. METHODS: SNP genotyping was carried out on DNA isolated from peripheral blood mononuclear cells obtained from 120 patients with AD and 110 healthy volunteers. Samples were genotyped for the presence of BER-related SNPs, i.e. XRCC1-rs1799782, rs25487; MUTYH-rs3219489, and PARP1-rs1136410. RESULTS: We found a positive association between AD risk and the presence of G/A genotype variant of the XRCC1 rs25487 polymorphism [odds ratio (OR) = 3.762, 95% CI: 1.793-7.891]. The presence of the A/A genotype of this polymorphism reduced the risk of AD (OR = 0.485, 95% CI: 0.271-0.870). In cases of the PARP1 gene rs1136410 polymorphism, we observed that the T/C variant increases (OR = 4.159, 95% CI: 1.978-8.745) while the T/T variant reduces risk (OR = 0.240, 95% CI: 0.114-0.556) of AD. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that BER gene polymorphisms may play an important role in the etiology of AD. Diagnosing the presence or absence of particular genetic variants may be an important marker of AD. Further research on a larger population is needed. There is also a need to examine polymorphisms of other BER in the context of AD risk.

Influence of Pharmacotherapy on Cognitive Functions in Depression: A Review of the Literature.

In addition to irregularities relating to the emotional sphere, the cognitive impairment in depression is a part of the clinical picture of this affective disorder. Some of the cognitive deficits may be associated with the severity of psychopathological symptoms of depression, while others are more established and can also occur during periods of remission. The participation in cognitive functioning of people with depression have a number of factors: the severity of symptoms, concurrent anxiety disorders, gender, age, education, duration of the disease, and number of previous episodes, as well as general somatic health or medication used. The pharmacological treatment may have varying impact on the different areas of cognition. Research on pharmacotherapy for depression and its impact on cognitive functioning continue and are very popular among clinicians and researchers. The relationship between antidepressants and cognitive abilities is always modulated by the type of depressive disorder, neurobiological factors, and demographic variables. This article presents a review of the studies relating to assessment of the effects of various antidepressants on cognitive abilities among patients with depression.

Elevated level of DNA damage and impaired repair of oxidative DNA damage in patients with recurrent depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Depressive disorder (DD), including recurrent DD (rDD), is a severe psychological disease, which affects a large percentage of the world population. Although pathogenesis of the disease is not known, a growing body of evidence shows that inflammation together with oxidative stress may contribute to development of DD. Since reactive oxygen species produced during stress may damage DNA, we wanted to evaluate the extent of DNA damage and efficiency of DNA repair in patients with depression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: We measured and compared the extent of endogenous DNA damage--single- and double-strand breaks, alkali-labile sites, and oxidative damage of the pyrimidines and purines--in peripheral blood mononuclear cells isolated from rDD patients (n=40) and healthy controls (n=46) using comet assay. We also measured DNA damage evoked by hydrogen peroxide and monitored changes in DNA damage during repair incubation. RESULTS: We found an increased number DNA breaks, alkali-labile sites, and oxidative modification of DNA bases in the patients compared to the controls. Exposure to hydrogen peroxide evoked the same increased damage in both groups. Examination of the repair kinetics of both groups revealed that the lesions were more efficiently repaired in the controls than in the patients. CONCLUSIONS: For the first time we showed that patients with depression, compared with non-depresses individuals, had more DNA breaks, alkali-labile sites, and oxidative DNA damage, and that those lesions may be accumulated by impairments of the DNA repair systems. More studies must be conducted to elucidate the role of DNA damage and repair in depression.

Evaluation of changes in the width of gingiva in children and youth. Review of literature.

Comprehensive health care in children and youth includes periodic oral examinations. The mucogingival complex undergoes significant changes during development. The factors that impact the width of attached and keratinized gingiva during this period of life are: tooth eruption phase, the position in the arch, the type of frena attachment and oral hygiene. Along with the child's development the width of attached and keratinized gingiva increases, except for the period of tooth replacement, when a temporary narrowing of attached gingiva of erupting permanent teeth is observed. The understanding of physiological processes of the mucogingival complex is prerequisite for diagnostics and treatment of gingival abnormalities in children and youth. Therefore close cooperation between paediatrician and dental specialists: paedodontist, orthodontist and periodontologist is essential.

[The use of psychotropic drugs during breast-feeding]. / Stosowanie leków psychotropowych u kobiet karmiacych piersia.

Breast milk is the best source of nutrients and provides much better protection than immune modified milk. In the United States around 500 000 cases of mental disorders affecting pregnant women are diagnosed each year. It is estimated that approximately 1/3 of these women need psychotropic drugs in a period of breast-feeding. Despite the serious consequences of depression and its well-known effect on a newborn, the women are still reluctant to begin pharmacological treatment. The fear of side effects unfortunately still plays an important role in making such a decision. It has been proved that all psychiatric drugs can transfer into breast milk, but their levels are very low or even negligible for the newborn. Most laboratory tests do not reveal an adequate sensitivity to detect these low concentrations. One have to remember that in case of any disturbing symptoms which may result from the use of these drugs, the only procedure is to discontinue breastfeeding immediately. The knowledge of these effects of particular groups of psychotropic drugs in breast-feeding mothers is essential for every practitioner. This knowledge should also be available not only to psychiatrists, but gynecologists and pediatricians as well. For this reason, it seems to be reasonable to summarize the results of previously published studies dealing with the topic.

Manganese superoxide dismutase gene expression and cognitive functions in recurrent depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Recent studies have revealed that recurrent depressive disorders (rDD) are linked with dysregulation of the immune system. Previous studies have found that manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD, SOD2) may be a key inflammatory enzyme involved in this disorder. The purpose of this study was to determine the mRNA and protein levels of MnSOD in patients with rDD and to define the relationship between serum MnSOD levels and cognitive performance. METHODS: The study comprised 236 subjects, which included patients with rDD (n = 131) and healthy subjects (n = 105, healthy control group, HC). Assessment of cognitive function was based on performance on the Trail Making test (TMT), the Stroop test, the Verbal Fluency test (VFT) and the Auditory Verbal Learning test (AVLT). RESULTS: MnSOD gene expression at mRNA and protein level was significantly lower in rDD patients than in the HC group (p < 0.01). In the rDD and HC groups separately, there were no statistically significant associations between mRNA and protein expression levels of the MnSOD and psychological tests. In the total study group (n = 236), there was a statistically significant correlation between both MnSOD gene levels and the following tests (p < 0.01): the TMT parts A and B (negative correlation), the Stroop test parts RCNb (reading color names in black) and NCWd (naming color of word - different; negative correlation), the VFT (positive correlation) and the AVLT (positive correlation). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides evidence that the MnSOD enzyme-coding gene and MnSOD expression are important for the regulation of cognitive functioning.

Thyroid hormones association with depression severity and clinical outcome in patients with major depressive disorder.

The clinical implications of thyroid hormones in depression have been studied extensively and still remains disputable. Supplementation of thyroid hormones is considered to augment and accelerate antidepressant treatment. Studies on the role of thyroid hormones in depression deliver contradictory results. Here we assess theirs impact on depression severity and final clinical outcome in patients with major depression. Thyrotropin, free thyroxine (FT4), and free triiodothyronine (FT3) concentrations were measured with automated quantitative enzyme immunoassay. Depression severity and final clinical outcome were rated with 17-itemic Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HDRS(17)] and Clinical Global Impression Scales for severity and for improvement (CGIs, CGIi). FT3 and FT4 concentrations were significantly positively correlated with clinical improvement evaluated with CGIi (R = 0.38, P = 0.012; R = 0.33, P = 0.034, respectively). There was a significant correlation between FT4 concentrations and depression severity assessed in HDRS(17) (R = 0.31, P = 0.047). Male patients presented significantly higher FT3 serum levels (Z = 2.34, P = 0.018) and significantly greater clinical improvement (Z = 2.36, P = 0.018) when compared to female patients. We conclude that free thyroid hormones concentrations are associated with depression severity and have an impact on final clinical outcome. It can be more efficient to augment and accelerate the treatment of major depressive disorder with triiodothyronine instead of levothyroxine because of individual differences in thyroid hormones metabolism.

[Alexithymia--definition, causes and participation in the etiology of diseases]. / Aleksytymia--definicja, przyczyny i udzlal w etiologii chorób.

Alexithymia leads to an inability to recognize and identity feelings, use of language to describe the feelings and the inability to distinguish between emotions and bodily symptoms. Is treated as a stable personality trait, which along with other personality factors predispose to presence a variety of mental and physical diseases. Alexithymia is considered to be a personality trait which together with other environmental factors predispose to worsening of somatic diseases and may contribute to the emergence of mental disorders. The direction of this dependence is not exactly known for heterogeneity alexythymia etiology, and therefore requires further studies.

[Comparison of increase in depressive disorders in dependence of BMI value]. / Porównanie nasilenia zaburzen depresyjnych w zaleznosci od wartosci wskaznika BMI.

UNLABELLED: In recent years, the research for the relation between depression and obesity is the basis of many studies. Interest in this subject results from the continuous increase in the incidence of both diseases and complications thereof, which constitute a serious social and economic problem. The aim of the study is to establish the dependence between depressive disorders and BMI. MATERIAL AND METHODS: One hundred twenty three patients aged 18-67 years with a diagnosis of depressive episode (F32) and recurrent depressive disorder (F33.0-F33.8) were used in the study. 21 items Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS21) was used to evaluate intensification of depressive disorders. Appraisal of psychiatric conditions with HDRS21 was performed twice: at the beginning of the study and after receiving the response on pharmacotherapy (averagely after 8 weeks). RESULTS: No relation between depressive disorders and BMI has been observed. CONCLUSIONS: Study did not demonstrated explicit link between BMI value and increase in depressive disorders. Considering the complexity of this problem, another studies should be carried out.

Depression and ways of coping with stress: a preliminary study.

BACKGROUND: Coping with stress is defined as all activities undertaken by a human in a stressful situation. The effect of stress on depression, its role in triggering the subsequent phases of the disease, and the factors that mediate the stress-depression relationship become more and more often subjects of research in psychiatry and psychology. Factors important for the formation of depressive symptoms and disease progression are significantly associated with coping strategies used in the face of stress. The main aim of the study was to evaluate the most popular strategies of coping with stress in people with depression in comparison to healthy subjects. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Initial research was carried on 80 patients aged from 20 to 66 years with a diagnosis of depression. The control group consisted of 30 healthy subjects aged 22 to 57 years. Analysis of the most popular strategies of coping with stress was performed with the Multiphasic Inventory for Measuring Coping (COPE) by Carver, Scheier, and Weintraub. RESULTS: In contrast with healthy people, patients with depression in stressful situations more often use strategies based on avoidance and denial and have more difficulties in finding positive aspects of stressful events. CONCLUSIONS: Depression may be an important factor in the negative assessment of one's own ability to cope with difficult situations and can aggravate a tendency to perceive stressful events as overwhelming.

[The prevalence of suicide attempts among children and adolescents]. / Rozpowszechnienie prób samobójczych wsród dzieci i mlodziezy.

UNLABELLED: Suicide is the act of a fatal outcome. People who think about suicide perceive death as a way to avoid problems. Suicide attempts by children and young people likely to arise from the fact that the identified single or co-occurring mental disorders. THE AIM OF STUDY: was to illustrate the suicide problem, which is increasingly frequent attempts to take their own life for children and youth. Its main objective is to determine the prevalence and determinants of suicide attempts made by young people. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study group consisted of patients Babinski Hospital in Lodz. The study included 18 patients, 9 boys and 9 girls. Research methodology is based on the stories of young patients diseases. In order to verify the prevalence of trial and / or thoughts, suicidal tendencies among children and adolescents, was used as a research,tool - a survey of its own design. The survey consists of 21 questions about basic information on the state of social, physical and mental patients. RESULTS: Subjective verification made disseminate ideas, trends and / or suicide attempts among children and adolescents in most reflects the actual collection of information gathered by various authors. CONCLUSIONS: Children coming from families reconstructed and largely incomplete exhibit suicidal behavior. The main risk factors indicating the attempt on his own life are mental disorders: depression and behavioral disorders. Family situation of young people: conflicts between the father and the mother, violence, physical / mental, has a significant effect on the risk of an attempt on his own life. Superficial self-mutilation, is the main way to make a suicide bombing.

[Subjective evaluation of symptoms and effects of treatment and the intensity of the stress and anxiety levels among patients with selected diseases of the skin and gastrointestinal tract]. / Subiektywna ocena objawów i efektów leczenia a natezenie stresu i poziomu leku wsród pacjentów z wybranymi chorobami skóry i ukladu pokarmowego.

AIM: Aim of this study was to evaluate the relationship between subjective evaluation of disease (the intensity of symptoms, complaints and nuisance effects of treatment) in selected skin diseases and digestive system and investigated psychological factors: the level of stress and severity of state anxiety and trait anxiety. METHOD: Verification of the research hypothesis was made using the following test methods: medical survey prepared by the authors and standardized psychological tests, such as Medical Questionnaire, Perceived Stress Scale (PSS) by S. Cohen, State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) by C.D. Spielberger. The study was conducted among 120 patients, including patients with psoriasis, rosacea, gastroesophageal reflux disease and irritable bowel syndrome. RESULTS: Patients received average results in the level of stress and anxiety. The highest degree of severity of the disease and its nuisance reported patients with gastrointestinal disease. All invited to the study patients evaluated effects of treatment of their disease as relatively low. In patients with psoriasissignificant relationships conserned the largest number of tested variables, as compared to other groups. CONCLUSIONS: In all groups of patients partial correlation between the examined determinants of psychological and subjective assessment of symptoms and effects of its treatment was shown. The higher rating of the variables was most associated with a higher intensity of stress and anxiety.

Exploring the Heart-Mind Connection: Unraveling the Shared Pathways between Depression and Cardiovascular Diseases.

Civilization diseases are defined as non-communicable diseases that affect a large part of the population. Examples of such diseases are depression and cardiovascular disease. Importantly, the World Health Organization warns against an increase in both of these. This narrative review aims to summarize the available information on measurable risk factors for CVD and depression based on the existing literature. The paper reviews the epidemiology and main risk factors for the coexistence of depression and cardiovascular disease. The authors emphasize that there is evidence of a link between depression and cardiovascular disease. Here, we highlight common risk factors for depression and cardiovascular disease, including obesity, diabetes, and physical inactivity, as well as the importance of the prevention and treatment of CVD in preventing depression and other mental disorders. Conversely, effective treatment of CVD can also help prevent depression and improve mental health outcomes. It seems advisable to introduce screening tests for depression in patients treated for cardiac reasons. Importantly, in patients treated for mood disorders, it is worth controlling CVD risk factors, for example, by checking blood pressure and pulse during routine visits. It is also worth paying attention to the mental condition of patients with CVD. This study underlines the importance of interdisciplinary co-operation.

Malondialdehyde plasma concentration correlates with declarative and working memory in patients with recurrent depressive disorder.

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the cognitive decline, especially in memory impairment. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of malondialdehyde (MDA) in patients with recurrent depressive disorders (rDD) and to define relationship between plasma levels of MDA and the cognitive performance. The study comprised 46 patients meeting criteria for rDD. Cognitive function assessment was based on: The Trail Making Test , The Stroop Test, Verbal Fluency Test and Auditory-Verbal Learning Test. The severity of depression symptoms was assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). Statistically significant differences were found in the intensity of depression symptoms, measured by the HDRS on therapy onset versus the examination results after 8 weeks of treatment (P < 0.001). Considering the 8-week pharmacotherapy period, rDD patients presented better outcomes in cognitive function tests. There was no statistically significant correlation between plasma MDA levels, and the age, disease duration, number of previous depressive episodes and the results in HDRS applied on admission and on discharge. Elevated levels of MDA adversely affected the efficiency of visual-spatial and auditory-verbal working memory, short-term declarative memory and the delayed recall declarative memory. 1. Higher concentration of plasma MDA in rDD patients is associated with the severity of depressive symptoms, both at the beginning of antidepressants pharmacotherapy, and after 8 weeks of its duration. 2. Elevated levels of plasma MDA are related to the impairment of visual-spatial and auditory-verbal working memory and short-term and delayed declarative memory.

[The use of RHLB battery for the evaluation of the lingual and social skills among psychiatric patients--case study]. / Zastosowanie baterii RHLB do oceny funkcji jezykowych i komunikacyjnych pacjentów psychiatrycznych--opis przypadku.

Prosody plays an important role in the process of verbal communication, complementing and emphasising the linguistic and emotional aspects of language. Disturbances of speech prosody are rarely recognised, although aprosodia occurs frequently in patients with schizophrenia. Prosodic disturbance of speech can significantly impair verbal communication and social functioning of patients with schizophrenia. Right-hemisphere is connected with emotional prosody deficits and left-hemisphere with linguistic prosody. The aim of the study is to describe. The Right Hemisphere Language Battery by Karen L. Bryan in the examination of patients with schizophrenia.

[Assessment of psychosocial attitudes among homosexual men]. / Ocena postaw psychospolecznych mezczyzn o orientacji homoseksualnej.

UNLABELLED: Homosexuality, though more than 20 years no longer exists in the classification of diseases as a deviation, it is still by many people seen as such behavior. The aim of the study was to assess the situation and psychosocial attitudes in the group of homosexual men. MATERIAL AND METHODS: The study involved a group of 187 men aged 20-54 years. The study population was characterized by hiding homosexual orientation, lack of a permanent partner for more than half of them and the tendency to avoid safe sex and taking a passive role in intimate contact. In the study a questionnaire prepared by the authors was used. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Most respondents hid his homosexuality from others, and over half of them do not have a permanent partner. Representatives of the study group, in most cases do not prefer safe sex and in intimate contact acted as passive.

Specificity of quality of life assessment in people with mental disorders. / Specyfika oceny jakosci zycia u osób z zaburzeniami psychicznymi.

Quality of life is an integral element of a new perspective on health. Even though the definition and structure of the concept of quality of life are still being debated, researchers exploring the topic agree that it has both objective and subjective dimensions. When the quality of life of patients is examined somatically, the objectives formulated in the study procedure are usually easily achieved, particularly when the basic hypothesis is that good physical health generates a high quality of life. However, where mental diseases and dysfunctions are investigated, and the analysis involves a large number of variables constituting quality of life, the relationship is not so clear-cut. Consequently, in addition to methodological accuracy the researcher must put a major focus on the patients and their manifestations. The thesis stating that it is impossible to measure quality of life in this population, or worse still, that there is no need for such measurements, is indefensible, considering that people with mental disorders have the same right to a good life as healthy individuals, and achieving an improvement in their quality of life becomes an increasingly common target among anticipated therapeutic benefits. Looking at the issue from the perspective of findings obtained in multiple studies, it is evident that quality-of-life measurements are not easy, but a successful attempt may provide researchers with a source of valuable non-clinical data and even enhance their personal satisfaction.

Assessing the Mental Condition of Paramedics and Nurses during the SARS-CoV-2 Pandemic.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly affected many aspects of life. The aim of this study was to assess the mental state of medical personnel most involved with patients affected by SARS-CoV-2. METHODS: The survey research was conducted between October 2021 and March 2022. The study group included 46 paramedics, 48 nurses, and 6 individuals from both professions, ranging in age from 21 to 67 years. Data were collected using paper questionnaires that contained 44 questions. RESULTS: During the pandemic, respondents maintained good contact with their colleagues and were competent enough to help their patients. The main factors that influenced their stress or dissatisfaction were the number of patients and the number of tasks. The nurses and paramedics most frequently reported symptoms related to tension, insomnia, and problems with intellectual performance. The pandemic situation led to the abandonment of hobbies and deterioration of relationships with friends and family. CONCLUSION: As a result of high stress levels, paramedics and nurses frequently suffered from tension and insomnia. The factors described were associated with poorer well-being of the subjects in various functional areas, even before the pandemic period. This was mainly related to the large number of patients and the tasks. However, this work, as well as studies by other authors, come to alarming conclusions that should draw attention to the mental state of medical staff, as this is the group that is highly responsible for the medical care of patients, especially in such a difficult time as a pandemic.