PLASMATIC LEVELS OF NEUROPEPTIDES, INCLUDING OXYTOCIN, IN CHILDREN WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER, CORRELATE WITH THE DISORDER SEVERITY.

CONTEXT: Oxytocin has been investigated as a potential medication for psychiatric disorders. OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: This study prospectively investigates correlations between oxytocin and other neuropeptides plasma levels in patients with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) according to severity and treatment, as compared to controls. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Thirty-one children (6 neurotypical as control) participated in this study. The patients were classified into mildly and severely-affected, according to Autism Diagnostic Observation Schedule (ADOS) scores. Oxytocin, orexin A and B, α-MSH, ß-endorphins, neurotensin and substance P were investigated using a quantitative multiplex assay or a competitive-ELISA method. RESULTS: Plasma oxytocin levels differed between the groups (F (2, 24) =6.48, p=0.006, η2=0.35, observed power=86%): patients with the mild ASD had higher values of plasma oxytocin than those with the severe form (average difference=74.56±20.74pg/mL, p=0.004). CONCLUSIONS: These results show a negative correlation between plasma levels of oxytocin and the severity of ASD and support the involvement of oxytocinergic mechanisms in ASD.

PRELIMINARY INSIGHTS IN OXYTOCIN ASSOCIATION WITH THE ONSET OF DIABETIC NEUROPATHY.

Diabetes is one of the most prevalent chronic disorders, associating numerous somatic and behavioral modifications. Oxytocin has been widely studied for its involvement in social behavior and psychiatric disorders. This pilot study presents a series of 3 patients with type 1 diabetes and diabetic neuropathy in which the values of plasma oxytocin, neurotensin, ß-endorphins, α-MSH, substance P and orexin A were measured in comparison to 3 healthy controls with matching ages. In the diabetic patients group, there was a strong negative correlation between the value of plasma glucose and oxytocin (r=-0.99, p=0.04), respectively neurotensin (r=-0.99, p=0.03). These values did not correlate in the control group. The results suggest that oxytocin, in conjunction with neurotensin, could be investigated as a potential early detection marker of diabetic neuropathy and, to our knowledge, this is the first report focusing on plasma oxytocin levels in patients with diabetic neuropathy.

Updated European Consensus Statement on diagnosis and treatment of adult ADHD.

Background Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is among the most common psychiatric disorders of childhood that often persists into adulthood and old age. Yet ADHD is currently underdiagnosed and undertreated in many European countries, leading to chronicity of symptoms and impairment, due to lack of, or ineffective treatment, and higher costs of illness. Methods The European Network Adult ADHD and the Section for Neurodevelopmental Disorders Across the Lifespan (NDAL) of the European Psychiatric Association (EPA), aim to increase awareness and knowledge of adult ADHD in and outside Europe. This Updated European Consensus Statement aims to support clinicians with research evidence and clinical experience from 63 experts of European and other countries in which ADHD in adults is recognized and treated. Results Besides reviewing the latest research on prevalence, persistence, genetics and neurobiology of ADHD, three major questions are addressed: (1) What is the clinical picture of ADHD in adults? (2) How should ADHD be properly diagnosed in adults? (3) How should adult ADHDbe effectively treated? Conclusions ADHD often presents as a lifelong impairing condition. The stigma surrounding ADHD, mainly due to lack of knowledge, increases the suffering of patients. Education on the lifespan perspective, diagnostic assessment, and treatment of ADHD must increase for students of general and mental health, and for psychiatry professionals. Instruments for screening and diagnosis of ADHD in adults are available, as are effective evidence-based treatments for ADHD and its negative outcomes. More research is needed on gender differences, and in older adults with ADHD.

Neurological soft signs in early stage of schizophrenia associated with obsessive-compulsive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Given that the obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) occurs with a much higher frequency in schizophrenia than in the general population, and, both schizophrenia and OCD are presumed to be neurodevelopmental disorders, the hypothesis of a distinct subtype of schizophrenia, the "schizo-obsessive" one, was raised. AIM: Considering the neurological soft signs as neurobiological markers in schizophrenia, the aim of this study was to verify the hypothesis of the existence of this "schizo-obsessive" endophenotype of schizophrenia, by using the Neurological Evaluation Scale (NES) in patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: The study was conducted in a transversal manner and consisted of the assessment of 64 patients with the maximum age of 26 years, who fulfilled the DSM IV-TR criteria of schizophrenia and/ or OCD, the assessment performed both from the social-demographic view, as well as neurologic, by means of the NES scale. RESULTS: Patients with schizophrenia and OCD proved to have, a significant family history from a static point of view, more loaded by affective disorders, but also by schizophrenia and OCD spectrum disorders, compared to pure schizophrenics. They also proved to have a significant higher educational level and a better occupational functioning than those schizophrenic patients without OCD, despite the similarity of the number of hospitalizations episodes or the disease duration to date. Ratings on the NES scale differentiate the group of patients with schizophrenia and OCD as having the highest scores on all subscales, scores much closer to those obtained by the group of patients with schizophrenia only, the only difference with statistical significance being recorded on the sequencing subscale of complex motor acts. The analysis of cluster through linear discriminant analysis allowed the classification of patients in the 3 groups with a probability of 89.06% and 76.56% for cross-validation. DISCUSSION: The results regarding neurological soft signs suggest that the presence of OCD in schizophrenic patients is due to peculiarities in fronto-basal ganglia circuits with possible origins in neurodevelopmental abnormalities. We considered that the early detection of neurological soft signs and their dynamic monitoring could provide useful information on the evolution of schizophrenia. Future research should take into account larger groups of patients to investigate the relationship between neurological soft signs and brain neuroimaging data, as well as the results provided by neuropsychological investigations customed in this subgroup of schizophrenia.

In vitro and ex vivo analyses of co-infections with swine influenza and porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome viruses.

Viral respiratory diseases remain problematic in swine. Among viruses, porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (PRRSV) and swine influenza virus (SIV), alone or in combination, are the two main known contributors to lung infectious diseases. Previous studies demonstrated that experimental dual infections of pigs with PRRSV followed by SIV can cause more severe disease than the single viral infections. However, our understanding of the impact of one virus on the other at the molecular level is still extremely limited. Thus, the aim of the current study was to determine the influence of dual infections, compared to single infections, in porcine alveolar macrophages (PAMs) and precision cut lung slices (PCLS). PAMs were isolated and PCLS were acquired from the lungs of healthy 8-week-old pigs. Then, PRRSV (ATCC VR-2385) and a local SIV strain of H1N1 subtype (A/Sw/Saskatchewan/18789/02) were applied simultaneously or with 3h apart on PAMs and PCLS for a total of 18 h. Immuno-staining for both viruses and beta-tubulin, real-time quantitative PCR and ELISA assays targeting various genes (pathogen recognition receptors, interferons (IFN) type I, cytokines, and IFN-inducible genes) and proteins were performed to analyze the cell and the tissue responses. Interference caused by the first virus on replication of the second virus was observed, though limited. On the host side, a synergistic effect between PRRSV and SIV co-infections was observed for some transcripts such as TLR3, RIG-I, and IFNß in PCLS. The PRRSV infection 3h prior to SIV infection reduced the response to SIV while the SIV infection prior to PRRSV infection had limited impact on the second infection. This study is the first to show an impact of PRRSV/SIV co-infection and superinfections in the cellular and tissue immune response at the molecular level. It opens the door to further research in this exciting and intriguing field.