Immune and oxidative stress biomarkers in pediatric psychosis and psychosis-risk: Meta-analyses and systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: While genetic and cohort studies suggest immune and reduction/oxidation (redox) alterations occur in psychosis, less is known about potential alterations in children and adolescents. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review to identify immune and redox biomarker studies in children and adolescents (mean age ≤ 18 years old) across the psychosis spectrum: from psychotic like experiences, which are common in children, to threshold psychotic disorders like schizophrenia. We conducted meta-analyses when at least three studies measured the same biomarker. RESULTS: The systematic review includes 38 pediatric psychosis studies. The meta-analyses found that youth with threshold psychotic disorders had higher neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (Hedge's g = 0.40, 95 % CI 0.17 - 0.64), tumor necrosis factor (Hedge's g = 0.38, 95 % CI 0.06 - 0.69), C-reactive protein (Hedge's g = 0.38, 95 % CI 0.05 - 0.70), interleukin-6 (Hedge's g = 0.35; 95 % CI 0.11 - 0.64), and total white blood cell count (Hedge's g = 0.29, 95 % CI 0.12 - 0.46) compared to youth without psychosis. Other immune and oxidative stress meta-analytic findings were very heterogeneous. CONCLUSION: Results from several studies are consistent with the hypothesis that signals often classified as "proinflammatory" are elevated in threshold pediatric psychotic disorders. Data are less clear for immune markers in subthreshold psychosis and redox markers across the subthreshold and threshold psychosis spectrum. Immune and redox biomarker intervention studies are lacking, and research investigating interventions targeting the immune system in threshold pediatric psychosis is especially warranted.

After a disaster: Validation of PTSD checklist for DSM-5 and the four- and eight-item abbreviated versions in mental health service users.

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common and disabling condition developing in one of four survivors after an earthquake. Brief and self-reported validated measures for assessing PTSD symptom severity are necessary to improve care access and assess disorder progress and treatment response. Therefore, we evaluated the psychometric properties of the PTSD-Checklist for the DSM-5 (PCL-5) of 20-, 8- and 4-item in patients that sought specialized mental health services after a catastrophic earthquake that stroke Mexico on September 19th, 2017. The internal consistency of 20-, 8- and 4-item PCL-5 was adequate (≥.7). Using the Clinician-Administered PTSD Scale for DSM-5 (CAPS-5) as a reference, signal detection analyses revealed a PCL-5 score of 27 as optimal (sensitivity = .96, specificity = .73) for identifying probable PTSD cases. The shortened versions highly correlated with the full PCL-5 and had comparable diagnostic utility. Our results indicate that the 20-item PCL-5 and the abridged versions can effectively identify possible PTSD cases. The 8-item version has better psychometric properties and more consistent diagnostic utility across time and civil populations. These measures must be evaluated in independent samples to corroborate their utility in different populations and regarding diverse traumatic events.

[Relation of red cell distribution width and mean platelet volume with the severity of preeclampsia]. / Severidad de la preeclampsia y su relacion con volumen plaquetario y ancho de distribucion eritrocitaria.

BACKGROUND: It has been established a strong association between the red cell distribution width (RDW) and mean platelet volume (MPV) with hypertension in non-pregnant patients. However, few studies have been performed in patients with preeclampsia, yielding inconsistent results. Our aim is to evaluate the relationship between RDW and MPV with the severity of preeclampsia. METHODS: Analytic cross-sectional study. We include 64 patients with preeclampsia (26 mild, 38 severe) and 70 patients with normotensive pregnancy. Clinical data, sociodemographic characteristics and laboratory measures, including RDW and MPV, were recorded for each patient. RESULTS: Hemoglobin and platelet count measures were similar between groups. Preeclamptic patients had levels of RDW (14.7 ± 1.4 vs. 13.4 ± 0.7, p = 0.0001) and MPV (11.8 ± 2.4 vs. 11.0 ± 1.4, p = 0.03) more elevated than control group. Moreover, severe preeclamptic subgroup had more elevated levels of RDW (15.0 ± 1.6 vs. 14.0 ± 0.6, p = 0.001) and MPV (12.7 ± 2.8 vs. 10.8 ± 1.8, p = 0.01) in comparison with mild preeclamptic patients. CONCLUSIONS: We demonstrate that RDW and MPV are accessible and inexpensive measures associated with the severity of preeclampsia.

Introducción: se ha establecido fuertemente la asociación entre el ancho de distribución eritrocitario (ADE) y el volumen plaquetario medio (VPM) con la hipertensión arterial sistémica. Sin embargo, se han realizado pocos estudios en pacientes con preeclampsia, obteniéndose resultados inconsistentes. Nuestro objetivo es evaluar la relación entre el ADE y el VPM con la severidad de la preeclampsia. Métodos: incluimos 64 pacientes con preeclampsia (26 leve, 38 severa) y 70 pacientes con embarazo normotenso. Los datos clínicos, características sociodemográficas y valores de laboratorio, incluyendo ADE y VPM, fueron registrados en cada paciente. Resultados: las medidas de hemoglobina y conteo plaquetario fueron similares entre ambos grupos. Las pacientes con preeclampsia tuvieron niveles de ADE (14.7 ± 1.4 frente a 13.4 ± 0.7, p = 0.0001) y VPM (11.8 ± 2.4 frente a 11.0 ± 1.4, p = 0.03) más elevados que el grupo control. El subgrupo de preeclampsia severa tuvo niveles más elevados de ADE (15.0 ± 1.6 frente a 14.0 ± 0.6, p = 0.001) y VPM (12.7 ± 2.8 frente a 10.8 ± 1.8, p = 0.01) que las pacientes con preeclampsia leve. Conclusiones: se demuestra que el ADE y el VPM son medidas accesibles asociadas a la severidad de la preeclampsia.