Effects of Oxytocin on Glutamate Mediated Neurotoxicity in Neuroblastoma Cell Culture.

Introduction: We aimed to investigate the effects of oxytocin on neurite growth, cell viability, cell proliferation and apoptosis to demonstrate its neuroprotective effect on glutamate induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell culture. Method: The effect of oxytocin on the toxic effects of glutamate in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line with the Neurotoxicity Screening Test (NTT), apoptotic effects by Terminal Transferase dUTP Nick End Labeling (TUNEL) method and cell viability test by 3-(4.5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2.5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) method. In the NTT test; Neurotoxicity was induced by adding glutamate at a concentration of 32 µM to the cell culture. Oxytocin was added at 1, 3, 10, 30 and 100 µM concentrations and its effect on neurite elongation was investigated. It was demonstrated by TUNEL method that application of glutamate caused apoptosis. Afterwards, when glutamate and different doses of oxytocin were given, antiapoptotic effect was evaluated with the apoptotic index. Results: Glutamate was found to have a dose-dependent neurotoxic effect and reduced neurite elongation by 50% at a concentration of 32 µM. It was shown that the inhibition of neurite elongation caused by glutamate decreased in a dose-dependent manner by applying oxytocin. Especially oxytocin was found to significantly reduce neurite inhibition and show a neuroprotective effect starting from 10 µM concentrations. The concentration at which glutamate reduces cell proliferation by 50% was determined as 54 µM in MTT. Subsequently, it was observed that the adverse effect of glutamate on cell proliferation significantly decreased with oxytocin administration, depending on the dose. Conclusion: It was found that different concentrations of glutamate have a significant toxic effect on cell proliferation and viability, glutamate inhibits neurite elongation in a dose-dependent manner; oxytocin reduces neurite inhibition caused by glutamate, has a neuroprotective effect, increases cell viability and has antiapoptotic effects.

Factors affecting quality of life of caregivers of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder.

CONTEXT: Since autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a lifelong disease and because of its nature, the negative effects of the disease on the quality of life (QoL) of caregivers as well as patients are incontrovertible. AIMS: It was aimed to evaluate the effect of the variables related to both parents and children on the QoL scores of the parents of the children with ASD. SETTINGS AND DESIGN: This is a causality analysis study. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Questionnaire on sociodemographic/disease-related variables, QoL in Autism Questionnaire-Parent Version (QoLA-P), autism behavior checklist and Clinical Global Impression scale were assessed of 162 patients with ASD. STATISTICAL ANALYSIS USED: Unpaired t- test, Mann-Whitney U test, Kruskal-Wallis test, and one-way ANOVA test were used for comparing groups. The parameters found to be statistically significant for QoLA-P in different analyses were included as the independent variable in the logistic regression analysis. The backward (variable elimination) model was selected as the model in the analysis. RESULTS: The causality has been established may be stated as the severity of autism, the presence of psychiatric disorder in the mother/father, attendance of the child at school, duration since the diagnosis of autism, and the child's medication use. CONCLUSIONS: Autism affects the QoL of caregivers. The intervention of treatment by considering the factors that affect the QoL positively or negatively may increase the QoL of caregivers.

A Retrospective Study of Long Acting Risperidone Use to Support Treatment Adherence in Youth with Conduct Disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Risperidone has been widely used to control aggression and conduct disorder (CD) in youth; however, treatment compliance is a major problem in CD. Our aim is to evaluate the effectiveness and tolerability of long-acting risperidone (LAR) in treating nonadherent cases. METHODS: The medical records of children and adolescents who had CD and were nonadherent to conventional drugs and psychosocial interventions (and therefore taking LAR) were reviewed. Informed consent on offlabel use of LAR was obtained from the parents. Clinical Global Impression (CGI) Severity (CGI-S) and CGI-Improvement scales were used and baseline and end points were compared. RESULTS: The study comprised 14 children and adolescents (5 girls, 9 boys). All had comorbid disorders: substance use disorder (n=8), attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (n=6), and major depression (n=2). Mean duration of LAR use was 3.1 months (1.5-8 months). We observed significant improvements in the baseline and endpoint CGI-S scores for CD in all but one patient (Z=-3.198; p＜0.001). Only mild adverse effects were observed: weight gain (n=2), sedation (n=1), leg cramps (n=1), and increased appetite with no weight gain (n=1). CONCLUSION: LAR is effective and tolerable for patients with CD who can't be medicated with oral preparations due to nonadherence to treatment. Even short-term LAR use is effective to get compliance. As CD predicts numerous problems in adulthood, appropriate treatment is crucial. To our knowledge, this is the first study on LAR use in youth with CD. The use of LAR deserves careful consideration and further controlled studies are needed to confirm our findings.

Effects of adenoidectomy/adenotonsillectomy on ADHD symptoms and behavioral problems in children.

OBJECTIVES: In children, the most common reason of upper airway obstruction (UAO) is adenotonsillar hypertrophy. In literature, the adverse effects of UAO and obstructive sleep apnea syndrome on behavior and attention in children have been reported in several articles. However, the methods used for the evaluation of behavioral disorders have not been standardized in those studies. The aim of this study was to investigate the behavioral and attention characteristics of children before and after adenoidectomy/adenotonsillectomy using an internationally valid method. METHODS: A total of 41 patients, between 6 and 11 years of age and having a medical history of UAO for at least one year for which adenotonsillectomy procedure was indicated, were enrolled in the study. The patients were evaluated for signs of attention/behavioral disorders by a child-adolescent psychiatrist and Kiddie-Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia for School-Age Children: Present and Lifetime Version (K-SADS-PL) and The Turgay DSM-IV-Based Child and Adolescent Disruptive Behavioral Disorders Screening and Rating Scale (T-DSM-IV-S), before and at the 6th month following the operation. RESULTS: In the preoperative period, a psychiatric disorder was identified by K-SADS-PL in 41.4% (n =1 7) of patients. Of these, 11 patients had attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), 6 had enuresis nocturna, and 2 had separation anxiety disorder. Pre- and postoperative mean scores in T-DSM-IV-S parent scale were 31.3 ± 8.5 and 20.2 ± 10.3, respectively, and this difference was statistically significant (p < 0.001). CONCLUSION: The relationship of UAO and attention/behavioral disorders should be taken into consideration by child-adolescent psychiatrists together with ENT specialists and a multidisciplinary approach is important for the treatment team.