Metabolic syndrome resolution in children and adolescents after 10 weeks of weight loss.

Without aggressive intervention, childhood obesity and the metabolic syndrome may result in lifelong physical consequences. Interventions that emphasize healthy eating and regular exercise are crucial to stop this epidemic and its ramifications. This paper discusses the incidence of the metabolic syndrome and cardiovascular risk factors before and after a weight loss program.

Folic acid and the treatment of depression.

Reduced plasma, serum, or red blood cell folate is commonly found in major depressive illnesses. Supplementing antidepressant medication with folic acid enhances the therapeutic effect. Although more work is required to confirm these beneficial results, it is suggested that, meanwhile, 2 mg of folic acid should be given during the acute, continuation, and maintenance treatment of depression.

Treatment of depression: time to consider folic acid and vitamin B12.

We review the findings in major depression of a low plasma and particularly red cell folate, but also of low vitamin B12 status. Both low folate and low vitamin B12 status have been found in studies of depressive patients, and an association between depression and low levels of the two vitamins is found in studies of the general population. Low plasma or serum folate has also been found in patients with recurrent mood disorders treated by lithium.

Enhancement of the antidepressant action of fluoxetine by folic acid: a randomised, placebo controlled trial.

Background: A consistent finding in major depression has been a low plasma and red cell folate which has also been linked to poor response to antidepressants. The present investigation was designed to investigate whether the co-administration of folic acid would enhance the antidepressant action of fluoxetine.

Methods: 127 patients were randomly assigned to receive either 500 microg folic acid or an identical looking placebo in addition to 20 mg fluoxetine daily.

Depression as a lethal disease: prevention strategies.

In 1971, my colleagues and I published the first prospective double-blind trial of the prophylactic effect of lithium in patients suffering from both unipolar and bipolar illness. In this trial we found that patients who received lithium experienced significantly less morbidity and required significantly less additional antidepressant and antimanic medication, as well as inpatient treatment and electroconvulsive therapy, compared with the patients who received placebo lithium. Subsequent to this trial we established a lithium clinic in which patients, both unipolar and bipolar, were given longterm lithium treatment.

Serum and red blood cell folate in depression.

Serum folate concentrations were estimated in patients with major depressive disorders, lithium-treated patients, detoxified alcoholic patients and normal controls. Red blood cell (RBC) folate concentrations were also estimated in subgroups of patients with major depressive disorder and normal controls. Results showed significantly lower serum and RBC folate concentrations in patients with major depressive disorder than in normal controls.

Depression and tetrahydrobiopterin: the folate connection.

Total biopterin, neopterin and creatinine were measured in spot urine samples from affective disorder patients on lithium therapy and control subjects. Folic acid was also measured in plasma in a sample of the patients. The mean neopterin: biopterin ratio was significantly higher in the 76 patients (3.

The efficacy of low-dose lithium: clinical, psychological and biological correlates.

The relationships between lithium dosage, affective morbidity, side-effects, thyroid and renal function and biological markers for depression were examined in the context of a prospective double-blind lithium reduction study in patients receiving prophylactic lithium. Unipolar and bipolar patients on such treatment were randomly allocated to two groups over a period of one year, either continuing with their usual dosage of lithium or reducing their lithium dosage by up to 50%. Biological markers investigated included dexamethasone suppression test (DST) and 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) transport into platelets (Vmax).

Lithium therapy: from clinical trials to practical management.

Controlled trials have shown that lithium significantly reduces the morbidity of recurrent affective disorders. We describe here the ongoing affective morbidity in unipolar, bipolar and schizoaffective illness treated primarily by low dosage, once daily lithium, supplemented as necessary by antidepressant or neuroleptic medication. Seventy-eight percent of unipolar patients and 73% of bipolar and schizoaffective patients had no or only slight morbidity during the study year.

Serotonin and its place in the pathogenesis of depression.

The authors review the literature in an attempt to evaluate the relationship between serotonin and depression. Animal studies show that the administration of tryptophan (the precursor of serotonin) increased serotonin synthesis and influenced behavior. Low plasma tryptophan levels have been found in patients with endogeneous depression.

Seasonal variations in the dexamethasone suppression test.

One hundred and fifty-six patients from Epsom (U.K.) and Brussels, all suffering from major depressive disorder, were tested on the dexamethasone suppression test.