The association of symptomatic vitreous floaters with depression and anxiety.

PURPOSE: To evaluate the levels of anxiety and depression in patients with symptomatic vitreous floaters and to determine the possible correlations of psychological implications with the symptoms duration and possible improvement, the degree of posterior vitreous detachment, and the discomfort severity. METHODS: Ninety patients complaining for floaters and fifty-seven age- and gender-matched healthy-control subjects were recruited. Every participant underwent a complete ophthalmological examination, including funduscopy and optical coherence tomography scans, while clinical and demographic data were also gathered. The Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), the Zung Depression Inventory-Self-Rating Depression Scale (Zung SDS), and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) were completed by everyone. RESULTS: Between the studied groups, no significant differences were detected regarding the clinical and demographic data (p > 0.05). The patients with floaters had significantly higher scores of PHQ-9, Zung SDS, HADS Anxiety, and HADS Depression (p < 0.001). After adjustment for several confounders, PHQ-9 (p = 0.041), Zung SDS (p = 0.003), and HADS Anxiety (p = 0.036) values remained significantly impaired. Among the patients, PHQ-9 and Zung SDS scores were significantly elevated in the patients with floaters duration less than 4 weeks (p < 0.05). Finally, anxiety and depression were significantly correlated with the symptoms duration and intensity, with the floater-associated discomfort, and with the stage of posterior vitreous detachment. CONCLUSION: Vitreous floaters have a negative impact on patients' psychological status, by the terms of enhanced depressive and anxiety levels. To the best of our knowledge, our study is the first in the literature to elaborate the aforementioned association, by assessing three different questionnaires simultaneously.

New­onset neuropsychiatric sequelae and 'long­COVID' syndrome (Review).

The ongoing coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has had a widespread impact on individuals' mental health through indirect psychological and social mechanisms, related to factors such as fear of infection or death, social isolation, lack of social support and financial instability. The severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection has also been associated with the development or recurrence of neuropsychiatric symptoms, both during the acute phase, as well as during the post-acute 'long-COVID' phase. In addition to the COVID-19 survivors with a mental health history that are at a high risk of experiencing a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms following resolution of acute COVID-19, there is accumulating evidence that a diagnosis of COVID-19 may also be associated with new-onset neuropsychiatric morbidity among survivors without pre-existing mental health disorders. In particular, studies investigating the incidence of post-acute neuropsychiatric sequelae, based mostly on retrospective cohort study designs and data from national health registries, have reported the development of new-onset manifestations, including depression, anxiety, psychotic symptoms, sleep disturbances and fatigue. Nevertheless, when COVID-19 survivors were compared with SARS-CoV-2-negative controls and especially survivors of other disorders (such as influenza), the findings regarding the risk of incident neuropsychiatric manifestations varied among studies. While there is evidence of an association between SARS-CoV-2 infection and the subsequent occurrence of new-onset neuropsychiatric symptoms, especially among patients with increased disease severity, further research using methodological approaches less susceptible to confounding bias is required to establish causal relationships.

Gut Microbiome: A Brief Review on Its Role in Schizophrenia and First Episode of Psychosis.

There is a growing body of evidence highlighting the role of gut microbiota as a biological basis of psychiatric disorders. The existing literature suggest that cognitive and emotional activities can be influenced by microbes through the microbiota-gut-brain axis and implies an association between alterations in the gut microbiome and several psychiatric conditions, such as autism, depression, bipolar disorder and psychosis. The aim of this review is to summarise recent findings and provide concise updates on the latest progress of the role of gut microbiota in the development and maintenance of psychiatric symptoms in schizophrenia and the first episode of psychosis. Despite the lack of consistent findings in regard to specific microbiome changes related to psychosis, the emerging literature reports significant differences in the gut microbiome of schizophrenic subjects compared to healthy controls and increasingly outlines the significance of an altered microbiome composition in the pathogenesis, development, symptom severity and prognosis of psychosis. Further human studies are, however, required, which should focus on identifying the drivers of microbiota changes in psychosis and establish the direction of causality between psychosis and microbiome alterations.

Long COVID and neuropsychiatric manifestations (Review).

There is accumulating evidence in the literature indicating that a number of patients with coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may experience a range of neuropsychiatric symptoms, persisting or even presenting following the resolution of acute COVID-19. Among the neuropsychiatric manifestations more frequently associated with 'long COVID' are depression, anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleep disturbances, fatigue and cognitive deficits, that can potentially be debilitating and negatively affect patients' wellbeing, albeit in the majority of cases symptoms tend to improve over time. Despite variations in results obtained from studies using different methodological approaches to define 'long COVID' syndrome, the most widely accepted factors associated with a higher risk of developing neuropsychiatric manifestations include the severity of foregoing COVID-19, the female sex, the presence of comorbidities, a history of mental health disease and an elevation in the levels of inflammatory markers, albeit further research is required to establish causal associations. To date, the pathophysiological mechanisms implicated in neuropsychiatric manifestations of 'long COVID' remain only partially elucidated, while the role of the indirect effects of the COVID-19 pandemic, such as social isolation and uncertainty concerning social, financial and health recovery post-COVID, have also been highlighted. Given the alarming effects of 'long-COVID', interdisciplinary cooperation for the early identification of patients who are at a high risk of persistent neuropsychiatric presentations, beyond COVID-19 recovery, is crucial to ensure that appropriate integrated physical and mental health support is provided, with the aim of mitigating the risks of long-term disability at a societal and individual level.

A longitudinal study of alterations of circulating DJ-1 and miR203a-3p in association to olanzapine medication in a sample of first episode patients with schizophrenia.

Among different proposed pathophysiological mechanisms, redox imbalance has been suggested to be a potential contributor in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. DJ-1 is a redox-sensitive protein that has been shown to have neuroprotective function in the brain in Parkinson's disease and other neurodegenerative diseases. However, a role for DJ-1 in schizophrenia is unknown. Bioinformatic analysis suggested that microRNA (miR)-203a-3p could target the 3' untranslated region (UTR) of DJ-1. In whole blood and blood-derived exosomes of 11 first episode antipsychotic naïve schizophrenia patients, DJ-1 protein and mRNA demonstrated decreased DJ-1 mRNA and protein and increased miR203a-3p levels compared to healthy controls. In whole blood, antipsychotic monotherapy with olanzapine for 6 weeks increased DJ-1 and attenuated miR203a-3p levels, whereas in blood derived exosomes, olanzapine returned DJ-1 and miR203a-3p to levels seen healthy controls. Consistent with this finding, we showed that human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVACs) transfected with a DJ-1-3' UTR luciferase reporter construct displayed reduced gene expression when subjected to the oxidative stressor H2O2. Transfection of a miR203a-3p mimic into HUVACs reduced DJ-1-3 'UTR reporter gene expression, while transfection of an anti miR-203a-3p prevented the H2O2-induced downregulation of the reporter gene. We conclude that miR-203a-3p is an essential mediator of oxidative stress in schizophrenia via its ability to target the 3' UTR of DJ-1 and antipsychotic monotherapy restores DJ-1 antioxidant levels by regulating miR203a-3p expression. miR-203a-3p and DJ-1 might represent attractive targets for the treatment of pathologies such as schizophrenia that has underlying oxidative stress.

COVID-19 and post-traumatic stress disorder: The perfect 'storm' for mental health (Review).

Since its outbreak, in December, 2019, in the Chinese city of Wuhan, coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) has evolved into an ongoing global pandemic. Due to the novel antigenic properties of this virus, the world population could not develop immunity effectively and this led to the subsequent spread of COVID-19. This caused an unprecedented emergency situation with significant negative effects on health and well-being both on an individual and societal level. Apart from health, economic and social consequences, the impact of this pandemic on mental health is increasingly being reported in the scientific literature. The present review aimed to provide a comprehensive discussion of the possible neurological and neuropsychiatric manifestations of SARS-CoV-2, together with the related underlying molecular pathways. In addition, the present review focused on populations which are at a higher risk of developing psychiatric disturbances due to the COVID-19 pandemic and discussed possible routes of clinical management and therapeutics to minimize the burden associated with psychiatric disorders. Moreover, research findings exploring the prevalence of COVID-19-related post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) symptoms across vulnerable groups, including children, adolescents and COVID-19 survivors are presented, with particular emphasis on those with severe disease who required hospitalization and/or intensive care unit admission. Based on the available literature, the identification of potential determinants associated with PTSD across the different populations is underlined. Lessons learnt from the pandemics across the globe together with the ongoing research on COVID-19 and its impact on mental health, highlight the utmost importance for evidence-based, proactive and targeted interventions in high-risk groups aiming to mitigate the risks and manage vulnerabilities.

Association of antipsychotic use with raised eosinophil count.

The current study aimed to assess the possibility of an association between first and second generation antipsychotic medication and raised eosinophil count. A total of 22 in-patients at the psychiatric unit of the University General Hospital 'Attikon', a tertiary hospital, were included in the present study. Patients had received antipsychotic monotherapy and did not have any co-morbidities or require additional treatments. Patients were monitored weekly and their eosinophil count was assessed. One-way ANOVA and summary measures analysis were applied to study the effect of time and medication type on the absolute eosinophil concentration (or relative percentage) for each patient. The differences in mean eosinophil concentrations or relative percentage by patient and time were also assessed. An increase in the absolute concentration and the relative percentage of eosinophils over time was observed in patients receiving Olanzapine, Haloperidol and Aripiprazole. However, there was no difference between individual medications. In conclusion, antipsychotics may be associated with increased eosinophil count over time; however, larger studies involving more patients and a longer follow-up are required to reach a definitive conclusion.

COVID-19 and its consequences on mental health (Review).

As one year is approaching since the beginning of the Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, it is important to acknowledge the detrimental effect that it is having on mental health at the individual, societal and public health levels. The current review presents the direct and indirect psychological impact of COVID-19 on the general public, as well as on vulnerable groups, including the elderly, the young, healthcare professionals, people with pre-existing mental health issues, those infected by COVID-19, homeless people and refugees. Important findings are discussed in the present review, including the social stigma in older people associated with portraying COVID-19 as the disease of the elderly, and the limited psychological impact of COVID-19 in the severely mentally ill, alongside the response of the mental healthcare systems globally to this unparalleled public health crisis. The important lessons to be learnt so far can help formulate individual mental health recommendations, as well as improved intervention and prevention public health strategies.

COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on mental health of healthcare professionals.

In light of the unprecedented public health crisis of the COVID-19 pandemic, it is highly important to acknowledge the psychological impact of this mounting threat on healthcare professionals. Previous experience from smaller scale epidemics and emerging literature around COVID-19 show that the unparalleled amount of stress that healthcare workers are dealing with, is associated with increased psychological morbidities. We have depicted the psychological burden that the COVID-19 pandemic has posed on healthcare professionals in Greece and have reviewed the literature around the effect of previous epidemics on frontline healthcare staff. Moreover, we discuss potential triggers and the need for measures to minimise the psychological pressure on those at the frontline against this biothreat.

From the Classroom to Facebook: A Fresh Approach for Youth Tobacco Prevention.

PURPOSE: The explosive rise in Internet use calls for effective ways to utilize new forms of social media to enhance school smoking prevention programs. We attempted to design and test an educational intervention for youth tobacco prevention. DESIGN: Intervention design and posttest pilot implementation. SETTING: A single high school in Athens, Greece. SUBJECTS: Two hundred twenty-five students (aged 15-18 years). INTERVENTION: A Facebook-integrated educational intervention in six simple steps was designed and tested during an ad hoc smoking prevention lecture to high school students in Greece in order to stimulate social mobilization in online networks. MEASURES: Number of students with an active Facebook account, percentage posting antismoking messages within a 72-hour period, number of Facebook friends reached. ANALYSIS: Descriptive statistics. RESULTS: Assessed 3 days after the lecture, 15.9% of students had posted a smoking-related sentence in their Facebook account, a take-home message that was spread as a note on their wall via news feed to their 20,095 cumulative Facebook friends. CONCLUSION: One smoking-related take-home message can spread virally to a large number of adolescents through their Facebook friends. This intervention provides insight into a novel way of providing health information to youth, a hard-to-reach and vulnerable population.