Genetic variation of the 5-HT1A rs6295, 5-HT2A rs6311, and CNR1 rs1049353 and an altered endocannabinoid system in depressed patients.

Background: The reasons for developing depression are not fully understood. However, it is known that the serotonergic system plays a role in the etiology, but the endocannabinoid system receives attention.

Method: In this study, 161 patients with a depressive disorder and 161 healthy participants were examined for the distribution of the CNR1 rs4940353, 5-HT2A rs6311, and 5-HT1A rs6295 by high-resolution melting genotyping.

l-Arginine/nitric oxide pathway and oxidative stress in adults with ADHD: Effects of methylphenidate treatment.

Introduction: Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a mental disorder that was once thought to occur only in children. Meanwhile, it is known that adults can also be affected. The first-line drug in children and adults to treat symptoms of inattention, impulsivity, lack of self-regulation, and hyperactivity is methylphenidate (MPH).

Endocannabinergic modulation of central serotonergic activity in healthy human volunteers.

Background: The serotonergic and the endocannabinoid system are involved in the etiology of depression. Depressive patients exhibit low serotonergic activity and decreased level of the endocannabinoids anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonylglycerol (2AG). Since the cannabinoid (CB) 1 receptor is activated by endogenous ligands such as AEA and 2AG, whose concentration are controlled by the fatty acid amide hydrolase (FAAH) and monoacylglycerol lipase, respectively, we investigated the effects on serotonergic utilization.

Telemedicine for outpatient treatment of depressive disorders.

Background: The newly developed app TellUs is a digital offering for psychiatric outpatient treatment that includes diagnostic and therapeutic tools. The aim of this study was to test the clinical efficiency and patient satisfaction of TellUs.

Methods: Sixty-four patients with depressive disorder took part in the study for 3 months.

Investigation of the Serotonergic Activity and the Serotonin Content in Serum and Platelet, and the Possible Role of the Serotonin Transporter in Patients with Depression.

According to the monoamine hypothesis, the development of depression is associated with dysfunctions of the serotonergic system. Alterations in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR), the serotonergic activity in the brain, and the content of serotonin (5-HT) have been related to depression and were examined separately by previous studies. This study investigates these parameters in 89 depressed patients and 89 healthy participants.

Analysis of cytokine levels, T regulatory cells and serotonin content in patients with depression.

Alterations in peripheral serotonin concentrations and an imbalanced immune system have been reported in patients with depression. Cytokines and T regulatory (Treg) cells may play an important role in the development of depression. This study investigates the levels of cytokines and Treg cells, as well as the concentration of serotonin (5-HT) in the blood of 89 patients suffering from depression and 89 healthy participants between two acquisitions.

The somatic care situation of people with mental illness.

Background And Aims: People with mental illness have worse physical health and reduced life expectancy compared to the general population. Nevertheless, their medical care is often insufficient. The present study aimed to investigate the somatic status of people with mental illness with a focus on somatic diagnoses, metabolic risk factors, regular somatic care, and routine check-ups.

An Investigation of Psychosis Subgroups With Prognostic Validation and Exploration of Genetic Underpinnings: The PsyCourse Study.

Importance: Identifying psychosis subgroups could improve clinical and research precision. Research has focused on symptom subgroups, but there is a need to consider a broader clinical spectrum, disentangle illness trajectories, and investigate genetic associations.

Objective: To detect psychosis subgroups using data-driven methods and examine their illness courses over 1.

Enhanced Nitric Oxide (NO) and Decreased ADMA Synthesis in Pediatric ADHD and Selective Potentiation of NO Synthesis by Methylphenidate.

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a common pediatric psychiatric disorder, frequently treated with methylphenidate (MPH). Recently, MPH's cardiovascular safety has been questioned by observational studies describing an increased cardiovascular risk in adults and blood pressure alterations in children. We considered members of the L-arginine (Arg)/nitric oxide (NO) pathway as possible early cardiovascular risk factors in pediatric ADHD children.

The Role of Dietary Supplements in Depression and Anxiety - A Narrative Review.

Introduction: Dietary supplements are very widely used in the general population and there is a growing market for them, which is against the recommendations of the German Society for Nutrition. There is some evidence that dietary supplements are useful additions in the treatment of psychiatric disorders. This review is an overview of available practical knowledge regarding the use of supplements in psychiatric treatment.

A longitudinal approach to biological psychiatric research: The PsyCourse study.

In current diagnostic systems, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder are still conceptualized as distinct categorical entities. Recently, both clinical and genomic evidence have challenged this Kraepelinian dichotomy. There are only few longitudinal studies addressing potential overlaps between these conditions.

Antidepressive response of inpatients with major depression to adjuvant occupational therapy: a case-control study.

Background: Despite marked costs and limited evidence regarding effectiveness, occupational therapy (OT) is widely applied in psychiatric settings and financed by health insurance companies in European countries. This pilot study investigated the antidepressive effects of adjuvant OT for patients with major depression in a 6-week inpatient setting, stratified for females and males.

Methods: A total of 114 inpatients with major depression were assigned to either a standard OT group (using basic handcraft) or an active control group that played board games (2 h daily, 5 days a week).

Impact of social-psychiatric services and psychiatric clinics on involuntary admissions.

Background: Germany provides a wide range of highly developed mental health care to its citizens. The aim of this study was to identify factors influencing the voluntariness of admissions to psychiatric hospitals. Especially the impact of demographic factors of the region, characteristics of the psychiatric hospitals and characteristics of the psychosocial services was analyzed.

Voluntary versus involuntary hospital admission in child and adolescent psychiatry: a German sample.

Involuntary psychiatric admission is a central issue in mental health care, especially in the treatment of children and adolescents. Its legal regulations do not only differ between European countries, but also on a federal level. Only few studies so far dealt with rates of involuntary admission (RIA), mainly focusing on adults, rather than children and adolescents.

[Negative emotions and understanding - patients' perspective on coercion].

Objective: This study evaluated involuntarily admitted psychiatric patients' and their perception of coercive measures (i. e. involuntary admission and physical or pharmacological restraint) by asking retrospectively which emotions were induced during the process of coercion.

Efficacy of recombinant adeno-associated viral vectors serotypes 1, 2, and 5 for the transduction of pancreatic and colon carcinoma cells.

Background: The development of efficient and specific vector systems remains a central issue in gene therapy. Several different adeno-associated virus (AAV) serotypes have so far been characterized so far which show different tissue tropisms.

Materials And Methods: The vectors used here contained AAV2 transgene cassette containing green fluorescent protein (GFP) in AAV1, AAV2, or AAV5 capsids, producing the recombinant pseudotypes rAAV2/1, rAAV2/2, and rAAV2/5.

Apoptosis is associated with CD36/fatty acid translocase upregulation in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis.

Background & Aims: Hepatocyte apoptosis is a key event in non-alcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH). We studied the effect of obesity on free fatty acid (FFA) levels, fatty acid transport proteins (FATPs) and on extrinsic and intrinsic activation of apoptosis in the liver.

Methods: Liver biopsies were harvested from 52 morbidly obese patients [body mass index (BMI): 53.

Down-regulation of retroviral transgene expression during differentiation of progenitor-derived dendritic cells.

Objective: Hematopoietic progenitor cells are a promising source for generation of genetically modified dendritic cells. A prerequisite for using these cells in therapeutic approaches is stable vector-mediated transgene expression during and after cell maturation. We investigated the expression of enhanced green fluorescence protein (EGFP) mediated by retroviral vectors in dendritic cells and other hematopoietic cells differentiated in vitro.