The Relationship between Traumatic Life Events and Polysubstance Use: Examining the Mediating Role of DSM-5 Level of Personality Functioning and Maladaptive Personality Traits.

The experience of traumatic events in childhood is an important risk factor for the initiation and continuation of polysubstance use. This study aimed to examine the mediating role of DSM-5 level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits in the relationship between traumatic life events and polysubstance use. We used a mixed sample (N = 290; Mage = 40; SDage = 12.26; 75.2% males) of patients with substance use disorder (SUD; including 90 mono-drug users and 113 polysubstance users) and non-users (including 87 university students) recruited using convenience sampling method from harm reduction-oriented drug treatment centers and universities respectively in Tehran, Iran. Participants completed the Level of Personality Functioning Scale-Brief Form, the Personality Inventory for DSM 5-Brief Form, and the Life Events Checklist-Revised. The results of structural equation modeling showed that DSM-5 level of personality functioning and maladaptive personality traits partially mediated the relationship between traumatic life events and polysubstance use. Experiencing traumatic events may contribute to the risk of polysubstance use through the effect of global personality dysfunction and specific personality traits. This proposed mediational model must be replicated using a longitudinal design across different populations.

The pleiotropic benefits of statins include the ability to reduce CD47 and amplify the effect of pro-efferocytic therapies in atherosclerosis.

The pleiotropic benefits of statins may result from their impact on vascular inflammation. The molecular process underlying this phenomenon is not fully elucidated. Here, RNA sequencing designed to investigate gene expression patterns following CD47-SIRPα inhibition identifies a link between statins, efferocytosis, and vascular inflammation. In vivo and in vitro studies provide evidence that statins augment programmed cell removal by inhibiting the nuclear translocation of NFκB1 p50 and suppressing the expression of the critical 'don't eat me' molecule, CD47. Statins amplify the phagocytic capacity of macrophages, and thus the anti-atherosclerotic effects of CD47-SIRPα blockade, in an additive manner. Analyses of clinical biobank specimens suggest a similar link between statins and CD47 expression in humans, highlighting the potential translational implications. Taken together, our findings identify efferocytosis and CD47 as pivotal mediators of statin pleiotropy. In turn, statins amplify the anti-atherosclerotic effects of pro-phagocytic therapies independently of any lipid-lowering effect.

18F-Fluorodeoxyglucose-Positron Emission Tomography Imaging Detects Response to Therapeutic Intervention and Plaque Vulnerability in a Murine Model of Advanced Atherosclerotic Disease-Brief Report.

OBJECTIVE: This study sought to determine whether 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography could be applied to a murine model of advanced atherosclerotic plaque vulnerability to detect response to therapeutic intervention and changes in lesion stability. Approach and Results: To analyze plaques susceptible to rupture, we fed ApoE-/- mice a high-fat diet and induced vulnerable lesions by cast placement over the carotid artery. After 9 weeks of treatment with orthogonal therapeutic agents (including lipid-lowering and proefferocytic therapies), we assessed vascular inflammation and several features of plaque vulnerability by 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography and histopathology, respectively. We observed that 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography had the capacity to resolve histopathologically proven changes in plaque stability after treatment. Moreover, mean target-to-background ratios correlated with multiple characteristics of lesion instability, including the corrected vulnerability index. CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that the application of noninvasive 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose-positron emission tomography/computed tomography to a murine model can allow for the identification of vulnerable atherosclerotic plaques and their response to therapeutic intervention. This approach may prove useful as a drug discovery and prioritization method.

Pro-efferocytic nanoparticles are specifically taken up by lesional macrophages and prevent atherosclerosis.

Atherosclerosis is the process that underlies heart attack and stroke. A characteristic feature of the atherosclerotic plaque is the accumulation of apoptotic cells in the necrotic core. Prophagocytic antibody-based therapies are currently being explored to stimulate the phagocytic clearance of apoptotic cells; however, these therapies can cause off-target clearance of healthy tissues, which leads to toxicities such as anaemia. Here we developed a macrophage-specific nanotherapy based on single-walled carbon nanotubes loaded with a chemical inhibitor of the antiphagocytic CD47-SIRPα signalling axis. We demonstrate that these single-walled carbon nanotubes accumulate within the atherosclerotic plaque, reactivate lesional phagocytosis and reduce the plaque burden in atheroprone apolipoprotein-E-deficient mice without compromising safety, and thereby overcome a key translational barrier for this class of drugs. Single-cell RNA sequencing analysis reveals that prophagocytic single-walled carbon nanotubes decrease the expression of inflammatory genes linked to cytokine and chemokine pathways in lesional macrophages, which demonstrates the potential of 'Trojan horse' nanoparticles to prevent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease.

Studying the predictive factors of suicide attempts in patients with type 1 bipolar disorder.

Bipolar disorder has the highest suicide attempt rate among psychiatric disorders. Many factors are associated with the risk of suicide attempt in patients with type 1 bipolar disorder, but the relation between them has still not been explicitly stated. This study aimed to examine the predictability of suicide attempt risk in BID patients based on quality of life, stressful life events, comorbidity of axis I disorders and medication compliance. We selected 140 inpatients with type 1 bipolar disorder by convenient sampling. Then they completed the WHOQOL-BREF questionnaire, Paykel's stressful life events scale and the medication adherence report scale (MARS). Logistic regression analysis showed that bipolar patients with axis I comorbidity are 40 times more likely to attempt suicide than those without axis I comorbidity. The higher the patients' quality of life, the lower the chance of attempt of suicide. Higher medication compliance reduces the likelihood of suicidal attempt in these patients. And, the increase of stressful life events would raise the risk of suicide attempts, but the relationship wasn't significant. So it can be concluded that quality of life, stressful life events and axis I comorbidity can predict the risk of suicide attempts in patients with type 1 bipolar disorder.

Structure of DSM-5 and ICD-11 personality domains in Iranian community sample.

AIM: Personality disorders (PD) have been deemed the most problematic diagnostic grouping in terms of validity and utility, which particularly applies to non-Western societies. The current study evaluated the structural validity of PD trait domains in the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-5 (DSM-5) Section III and the proposed International Classification of Diseases-11 (ICD-11) in the Iranian population. METHODS: Community-dwelling adults (n = 285; 66% women) were administered the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, whereas the proposed ICD-11 trait domains were delineated using an algorithm for Personality Inventory for DSM-5 trait facets. The five-factor organization and higher-order hierarchical structure of both models were examined using exploratory structural equation modelling analyses. RESULTS: The five-factor exploratory structural equation modelling loadings overall resembled international findings on DSM-5 Section III traits (including Psychoticism), whereas the ICD-11 five-factor structure aligned with the proposed ICD-11 domain features (including Anankastia). Additionally, we identified a hierarchical structure from one to five factors for both models that conceptually aligned with established models of personality and psychopathology. CONCLUSIONS: This study provided initial support for the structural validity of DSM-5 and ICD-11 PD trait models in Iranian culture. Future research warrants replication in larger samples and clinical populations. Copyright © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.

The relationship between five-factor model and diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-fifth edition personality traits on patients with antisocial personality disorder.

BACKGROUND: Despite the fact that new criteria of antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) in diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorders-fifth edition (DSM-5) were resulted from five-factor model (FFM), there is a small amount of studies that investigate the relations between proposed personality traits and FFM. Also, cross-cultural study in this field continuously would be needed. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relation between the FFM and DSM-5 ASPD pathological traits. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a cross-sectional study design. The participants consisted of 122 individuals with ASPD that selected from prisoners (73.0%), outpatients (18.0%), and inpatients (9.0%). They were recruited from Tehran Prisoners, and Clinical Psychology and Psychiatry Clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospitals, Tehran, Iran, since 2013-2014. The Sample was selected based on judgmental sampling. The structured clinical interview for DSM-IV axis II disorders-Personality Questionnaire, NEO-Personality Inventory-Revised, and DSM-5 personality trait rating form were used to diagnosis and assessment of personality disorder. Pearson correlation has been used for data analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 16 software. RESULTS: The results indicate that neuroticism (N) has positive significant relationship with hostility (r = 0.33, P < 0.01), manipulativeness (r = 0.25, P < 0.01), deceitfulness (r =.23, P < 0.01), impulsivity (r = 0.20, P < 0.05), and negative relation with risk taking (r = -0.23, P < 0.01). Also, there was significant relationship between extraversion (E) with manipulativeness (r = 0.28, P < 0.01) and deceitfulness (r = 0.32, P < 0.01). Agreeableness and conscientiousness have negative significant relation with DSM-5 traits. In addition, results showed that there is positive significant relationship between FFM and DSM-5 personality traits with DSM-fourth edition-text revision (DSM-IV-TR) ASPD symptoms (P < 0.01). CONCLUSION: Except manipulativeness, deceitfulness, and callousness, there is positively significant relationship between DSM-5 ASPD traits and DSM-IV-TR ASPD symptoms. The present study helps to understand the adequacy of dimensional approach to evaluation of ASPD pathology, specifically on Iranian sample.

The DSM-5 Levels of Personality Functioning and Severity of Iranian Patients With Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders.

BACKGROUND: Fundamental problems with Personality Disorders (PD) diagnostic system in the previous version of DSM, led to the revision of DSM. Therefore, a multidimensional system has been proposed for diagnosis of personality disorder features in DSM-5. In the dimensional approach of DSM-5, personality disorders diagnosis is based on levels of personality functioning (Criteria A) and personality trait domains (Criteria B). OBJECTIVES: The purpose of this study was firstly, to examine the DSM-5 levels of personality functioning in antisocial and borderline personality disorders, and second, to explore which levels of personality functioning in patients with antisocial and borderline personality disorders can better predicted severity than others. PATIENTS AND METHODS: This study had a cross sectional design. The participants consisted of 252 individuals with antisocial (n = 122) and borderline personality disorders (n = 130). They were recruited from Tehran prisoners, and clinical psychology and psychiatry centers of Razi and Taleghani Hospitals, Tehran, Iran. The sample was selected based on judgmental sampling. The SCID-II-PQ, SCID-II and DSM-5 levels of personality functioning were used to diagnose and assess personality disorders. The data were analyzed by correlation and multiple regression analysis. All statistical analyses were performed using the SPSS 16 software. RESULTS: Firstly, it was found that DSM-5 levels of personality functioning have a strong correlation with antisocial and borderline personality symptoms, specially intimacy and self-directedness (P < 0.001). Secondly, the findings showed that identity, intimacy and self-directedness significantly predicted antisocial personality disorder severity (P < 0.0001). The results showed that intimacy and empathy were good predictors of borderline personality disorder severity, as well (P < 0.0001). CONCLUSIONS: Overall, our findings showed that levels of personality functioning are a significant predictor of personality disorders severity. The results partially confirm existing studies.

The Investigation of Construct Validity of Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorder-5 Personality Traits on Iranian sample with Antisocial and Borderline Personality Disorders.

BACKGROUND: The goal of this study was to examine the construct validity of the diagnostic and statistical manual of mental disorder-5 (DSM-5) conceptual model of antisocial and borderline personality disorders (PDs). More specifically, the aim was to determine whether the DSM-5 five-factor structure of pathological personality trait domains replicated in an independently collected sample that differs culturally from the derivation sample. METHODS: This study was on a sample of 346 individuals with antisocial (n = 122) and borderline PD (n = 130), and nonclinical subjects (n = 94). Participants randomly selected from prisoners, out-patient, and in-patient clients. Participants were recruited from Tehran prisoners, and clinical psychology and psychiatry clinics of Razi and Taleghani Hospital, Tehran, Iran. The SCID-II-PQ, SCID-II, DSM-5 Personality Trait Rating Form (Clinician's PTRF) were used to diagnosis of PD and to assessment of pathological traits. The data were analyzed by exploratory factor analysis. RESULTS: Factor analysis revealed a 5-factor solution for DSM-5 personality traits. Results showed that DSM-5 has adequate construct validity in Iranian sample with antisocial and borderline PDs. Factors similar in number with the other studies, but different in the content. CONCLUSIONS: Exploratory factor analysis revealed five homogeneous components of antisocial and borderline PDs. That may represent personality, behavioral, and affective features central to the disorder. Furthermore, the present study helps understand the adequacy of DSM-5 dimensional approach to evaluation of personality pathology, specifically on Iranian sample.