Pentoxifylline as adjunctive therapy in cognitive deficits and symptoms of schizophrenia: A randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial.

BACKGROUND: Due to the inflammatory factors in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, Pentoxifylline, as anti-inflammatory medication, seems to improve the symptoms of schizophrenia. This study aims to evaluate the efficacy of Pentoxifylline as an adjunctive therapy on cognitive deficits and symptoms of schizophrenia. METHODS: This randomized double-blind placebo-controlled clinical trial was conducted on 52 patients diagnosed with chronic schizophrenia. All patients were divided into two, treatment and control groups. They received a 400 mg dose of Pentoxifylline and the placebo in the treatment and control groups, respectively, twice a day for 8 weeks. Then, they were tested with the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), digit span, Stroop test, and Rey Auditory and Verbal Learning Test at baseline and the end of the weeks 4 and 8. Data analysis was done by Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, t-test, Mann-Whitney test, chi-square test, and generalized estimating equation model. RESULTS: After analyzing the data, it was revealed that the positive symptoms of PANSS, the number of errors in the incongruent Stroop test, and reaction time in the congruent Stroop test were significantly lower in the treatment group (p < 0.05). Moreover, the number of categories of WCST was significantly higher in the treatment group (p < 0.05). There was no statistically significant difference in other parameters between the control and treatment groups (p > 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: As evidenced by the results of this study, Pentoxifylline can help alleviate schizophrenia cognitive deficits and can reduce psychotic symptoms. Therefore, it can potentially be useful for schizophrenia treatment.

Investigating the psychological effects of home quarantine during the early peaks of the COVID-19 pandemic: a survey from Iran.

We assessed psychological symptoms among individuals who were quarantined during early coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) peaks. This cross-sectional study was performed during April-October 2020 in Iran. We surveyed 100 individuals with COVID-19 patients in their families and 100 others with health conditions associated with a higher risk of developing critical forms of COVID-19 infection, who have completed at least 14 days of home quarantine. Validated Persian versions of the 21-item Depression, Anxiety, and Stress and 22-item Impact of Event Scale-Revised were used to measure the symptoms of depression, anxiety, stress and distress. The rates of stress, anxiety, depression and quarantine-related distress were 46.5, 48.5, 57.0 and 80.5%, respectively; however, they were not significantly different between the contact and no-contact groups. Female sex and being unemployed were significantly associated with quarantine-related distress, P = 0.007 and P = 0.018, respectively. Independent risk factors for anxiety were a history of medical comorbidity ( P = 0.025) and contact with COVID-19 patients ( P = 0.007). Findings show high prevalence rates of psychological symptoms among quarantined individuals, regardless of whether they had contact with COVID-19 patients or not. Female sex and unemployment were risk factors for quarantine-related distress.

Mental Health Outcomes and Sleep Status among Patients with Coronavirus Disease 2019.

Objective: The immediate impacts of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) on mental health of affected patients and psychiatric morbidities of these patients has been neglected by researchers. We assessed mental health outcomes and sleep status among inpatients and outpatients with COVID-19 who were initially referred to our COVID-19 clinic in Mashhad, Iran during April-October 2020. Method : In this ethically approved cross-sectional study, 130 patients with confirmed COVID-19 who were referred to outpatient clinics and wards of a referral hospital in Mashhad, Iran were surveyed during April-October 2020. Demographic data were collected after obtaining informed written consent. Validated Persian versions of insomnia severity index (ISI), 9-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9), and 7-item generalized anxiety disorder (GAD-7) and revised impact of event scale (IES-R) were used as main outcome measures (i.e. status of anxiety, depression, insomnia, and event-related distress). Analysis was performed with SPSS using binary logistic regression. P-values < 0.05 were considered significant. Results: Overall, 65 inpatients and 65 outpatients were surveyed. The two groups did not significantly defer in terms of insomnia and depression severity, but the outpatients showed higher levels of anxiety (52.3% vs. 24.6%, P = 0.005) and distress compared to inpatients (80.0% vs. 64.6%, P < 0.001). Male sex (OR = 0.017, 95%CI = 0.000-0.708, P = 0.032) exhibited independent and inverse association with depression in COVID-19 patients. Being married (OR = 0.102, 95% CI = 0.018-0.567, P = 0.009) was independently and inversely associated with anxiety. Insomnia was independently associated with event-related distress (OR = 7.286, 95%CI = 2.017-26.321, P = 0.002). Only depression was independently associated with insomnia (OR = 49.655, 95%CI = 2.870-859.127, P = 0.007). Conclusion: We found symptoms of psychological distress and anxiety to be more prevalent among outpatients with COVD-19 than inpatients. Insomnia can be a potential risk factor for adverse mental health outcomes in these patients.