Birth Month and Course of Recurrent Depressive Disorders in a Polish Population.

BACKGROUND The aim of this study was to determine whether the specific season of the year during which the first trimester of pregnancy takes place is significantly associated with the course (intensification and frequency of occurrence) of an episode of recurrent depressive disorder in adult life. MATERIAL AND METHODS We enrolled 184 patients treated for recurrent depressive disorders. RESULTS An analysis of the results obtained indicates that the greatest number of people suffering from a major depressive episode were born in the spring and summer (from April to September), meaning that the first trimester of pregnancy occurred between October and March. However, our results were not statistically significant, perhaps due to the small size of the examined group. CONCLUSIONS The results obtained indicate that birth month may be significantly associated with the course of recurrent depressive disorders. In patients from Central Europe, the first trimester of pregnancy falling in autumn and winter seems to be significant. These results need to be interpreted with caution due to the small size of the examined group.

Long-lasting extreme anemia during the therapy of acute lymphoblastic leukemia in a Jehovah's Witness patient.

BACKGROUND: The treatment of patients with acute leukemia, who due to their religious beliefs refuse to accept blood transfusion, is a great challenge for hematologists. CASE REPORT: We present a case of acute pre-T-lymphoblastic leukemia in a Jehovah's Witness who did not accept blood transfusion during chemotherapy. Standard induction and consolidation chemotherapy was used (according to the PALG ALL-6 regiment). RESULTS: During consolidation cycles, darbepoietin alfa, intravenous iron, and total parenteral nutrition was administered. Extreme (Hb < 5 g/dL), long-lasting (41 days) anemia was observed with the lowest Hb concentration amounting to 1.3 g/dL (lasting 7 days). CONCLUSION: We believe this to be the lowest Hb value observed, particularly one that persisted for such a long period of time and resulted in the patient surviving without consequences. The patient remains in complete remission for more than 2 years after diagnosis.

Morphological study of linea aspera variations - proposal of classification and sexual dimorphism.

The linea aspera is a roughened, longitudinally-oriented irregular crest composed of two lips located on the posterior surface of the femoral shaft. The purpose of this research was to investigate the morphological variations of the linea aspera in humans. The study was carried out on 90 femurs. Osteometric measurements of the bones were taken using two complementary methods: classical osteometry and a new one based on the analysis of digital photographic documentation of the femur using MultiScanBase v.18.03 software. The analysis allowed four types of the linea aspera to be determined: parallel (type I - 27.2%), concave (type II - 25.7%), convex (type III - 5.7%) and variform (type IV - 41.4%). The frequency of the each type in female and male was also described. Better knowledge of the anatomical variations of the linea aspera may be helpful in Orthopaedy and Radiology to distinguish pathological from normal anatomical variations.

An immune gate of depression - Early neuroimmune development in the formation of the underlying depressive disorder.

The prevalence of depression worldwide is increasing from year to year and constitutes a serious medical, economic and social problem. Currently, despite multifactorial risk factors and pathways contributing to depression development, a significant aspect is attributed to the inflammatory process. Cytokines are considered a factor activating the kynurenine pathway, which leads to the exhaustion of tryptophan in the tryptophan catabolite (TRYCAT) pathway. This results in the activation of potentially neuroprogressive processes and also affects the metabolism of many neurotransmitters. The immune system plays a coordinating role in mediating inflammatory process. Beginning from foetal life, dendritic cells have the ability to react to bacterial and viral antigens, stimulating T lymphocytes in a similar way to adult cells. Cytotoxicity in the prenatal period shapes the predisposition to the development of depression in adult life. Allostasis, i.e. the ability to maintain the body's balance in the face of environmental adversity through changes in its behaviour or physiology, allows the organism to survive but its consequences may be unfavourable if it lasts too long. As a result, Th lymphocytes, in particular T helper 17 cells, which play a central role in the immunity of the whole body, contribute to the development of both autoimmune diseases and psychiatric disorders including depression, as well as have an impact on the differentiation of T CD4+ cells into Th17 cells in the later development of the child's organism, which confirms the importance of the foetal period for the progression of depressive disorders.