Correlation between Prolactin and Symptom Profile in Acute Admitted Women with Recurrent Schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The prevalence of hyperprolactinemia among psychiatric patients receiving antipsychotic medications was estimated to be between 30% and 70%. A review of the literature on prolactin and schizophrenia symptoms suggests that the correlation between them is complex and not limited to the adverse effects of antipsychotics. Relations with specific symptom dimensions have not been found consistently across studies. The association between increased prolactin and recurrent episodes of schizophrenia needs to be replicated in larger samples and in a population of female patients. The aim of this study was to find out whether elevated prolactin is related to specific symptoms or dimensions of schizophrenia, which is a heterogenic entity. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: The sample consisted of 119 consecutively acute admitted women, aged 18 to 45 years with recurrent schizophrenia diagnosed on bases of DSM-5 criteria. Assessment for all the enrolled subjects comprised a psychiatric evaluation and blood draw to determine the prolactin level. Symptoms of schizophrenia were determined using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Data were analyzed by regression analysis and the Independent Samples t Test. Values are given as means ±SD. RESULTS: Hyperprolactinemia was detected in 74.79% patients (n=89), whereas the group without hyperprolactinemia comprised 25.21% of the sample. When plasma prolactin levels and clinical features between groups were compared, there was a statistically significant difference in the negative subscale scores of the PANSS (p=0.0011), positive subscale scores of the PANNS (p=0.0043), general subscale scores of the PANSS (p=0.0226) and total scores of the PANNS (p=0.0003). CONCLUSION: There were statistically significant differences in the clinical symptoms between two compared groups in total score and in the positive, negative and general subscores.

Salivary Hormones and Quality of Life in Female Postmenopausal Burning Mouth Patients-A Pilot Case-Control Study.

The objective of our study was to investigate salivary levels of estradiol, progesterone and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), and quality of life, in female postmenopausal women with burning mouth syndrome. The study included new patients diagnosed with burning mouth syndrome and excluded local and systemic causes. Unstimulated saliva samples were taken in the morning from 9 AM and 11 AM and immediately frozen for hormone analysis. The patients filled out a self-perceived quality of life questionnaire Oral Health Impact Profile-14 and determined the intensity of mucosal symptoms according to the visual-analog scale grading 0 to 10. A total of 40 patients were included. The study group had significantly lower levels of salivary estradiol. No difference was observed in levels of progesterone and DHEA between the groups. The levels of salivary hormones did not exhibit a significant correlation according to the Spearman correlation test with a self-perceived quality of life questionnaire (OHIP-14) in the study group or in the control group. Further research on a larger number of patients is needed to verify these results. This information might help to enable more precise and efficient treatment.

Trace elements concentrations association with schizophrenia symptoms; A cross-sectional study in Croatia.

BACKGROUND: Significant inconsistencies exist in findings on association of bio-elements (BE) concentrations and schizophrenia. Hypothesis of this research was that different concentrations of BE are associated with different psychopathological schizophrenia symptoms. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study was performed from 2014 to 2016 at Psychiatric Hospital "Sveti Ivan" and University Psychiatric Hospital "Vrapce", Zagreb, Croatia, on the consecutive sample of 67 patients diagnosed with schizophrenia. BE concentrations were measured by Inductively Coupled Plasma Mass Spectrometry (ICP-MS) at the Institute for Medical Research and Occupational Health in Zagreb. Severity of schizophrenia symptoms was assessed on Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS). RESULTS: After adjustment for all preplanned possible confounding variables, the first canonical correlation between BE and BPRS dimensions variates were statistically significant (Rc2=0.73; P=0.006). The first pair of canonical variates is defined by BPRS negative dimension (and marginally by positive symptoms and lack of resistance), and copper (Cu), lead (Pb), lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co) (marginally by cadmium (Cd) and nickel (Ni)). CONCLUSIONS: Concentrations of different BE are associated with different schizophrenia symptoms. Maximal correlation between BPRS and BE may be achieved with the weighted linear composite of negative schizophrenia symptoms and copper (Cu), lead (Pb), lithium (Li) and cobalt (Co).