On the common of descent of neurology, psychiatry and anthropology.

It is little appreciated not only how closely linked are the disciplines of neurology, psychiatry, and anthropology but even more so the degree to which they share a "common ancestry". This paper briefly reviews the definition and historical origins of each area of study to then begin to illustrate how their "genealogies" overlap. This illustration is by way of a sampling of the many key figures who contributed to the rise of not just neurology, psychiatry or anthropology but of all three disciplines.

Oncostatin M, Serpins, and Oxidative Stress in Extracellular Matrix Remodeling and Arteriovenous Fistula Maturation.

End-stage renal disease is a crippling diagnosis that generally requires dialysis to prolong life. To facilitate filtration of patient's blood in dialysis, surgical formation of an arteriovenous fistula (AVF) is commonly performed. Maturation of the AVF is required to allow for successful dialysis.

Therapeutic Potential of "Smart" Exosomes in Peripheral Nerve Regeneration.

Peripheral nerve injury results in severe loss of motor and sensory function in the affected limb. The gold standard for peripheral nerve repair is autologous nerve grafts, but their inherent drawbacks limit their use. Satisfactory clinical data are yet to be obtained using tissue engineered nerve grafts with neurotrophic factors introduced in these grafts for nerve repair.

Long COVID: Complications, Underlying Mechanisms, and Treatment Strategies.

Long Covid is one of the most prevalent and puzzling conditions that arose with the Covid pandemic. Covid-19 infection generally resolves within several weeks but some experience new or lingering symptoms. Though there is no formal definition for such lingering symptoms the CDC boadly describes long Covid as persons having a wide range of new, recurring or sustained health issues four or more weeks after first being infected with SARS-CoV2.

Longitudinal study of inflammation and relapse in schizophrenia.

Introduction: The clinical course of schizophrenia is often characterized by recurrent relapses. Blood inflammatory markers are altered in acute psychosis, and may be state markers for illness relapse in schizophrenia. Few studies have investigated longitudinal, intra-individual changes in inflammatory markers as a predictor of relapse.

Ocular transmissibility of COVID-19: possibilities and perspectives.

Since the initial outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), extensive research has emerged from across the globe to understand the pathophysiology of this novel coronavirus. Transmission of this virus is a subject of particular interest as researchers work to understand which protective and preventative measures are most effective. Despite the well understood model of aerosol-respiratory mediated transmission, the exact mechanism underlying the inoculation, infection and spread of COVID-19 is currently unknown.

From BIS to binge: The role of negative affect in the pathway between personality and binge eating.

Recent research has highlighted the utility of using revised Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory (RST) to further understand the individual differences that influence binge eating behaviours. The current study draws on both RST and theoretical models that implicate negative affect in binge eating, with the aim of identifying indirect pathways between individual differences in RST systems and binge eating as mediated through negative affect. Undergraduate students (n = 229, M = 22.

The influence of depositional environment on the abundance of microplastic pollution on beaches in the Bristol Channel, UK.

Microplastic is a ubiquitous environmental contaminant, but large gaps still exist in our knowledge of its distribution. We conducted a detailed assessment of the extent and variability of microplastic pollution in the Bristol Channel, UK. Sand samples were collected between the 5th and 30th August 2017, with microplastic recovered from 15 of the 16 beaches sampled along a coastal extent of ~230 km.

Evolutionary perspectives on human behavior during the coronavirus pandemic: Insights from game theory.

The coronavirus pandemic constitutes a global challenge to society and medicine. Here, we review evolutionary insights that are relevant for the understanding of how people respond to the pandemic and what to expect in the aftermath of the crisis. Specifically, we argue that the behavioral immune system (BIS) and sickness behavior (SB) comprise two adaptive responses to impending and actual infection, respectively, and that individuals activating their BIS differ from those showing SB in important ways that may have implications for the prevention and treatment of COVID-19.

Similarities and differences in revised reinforcement sensitivities across eating disorder subtypes.

Reinforcement Sensitivity Theory has been used to investigate personality in the development and maintenance of disordered eating. However, the vast majority of research from this perspective has been limited by the use of measures developed to assess the original theory, rather than the significantly revised theory, potentially overlooking key personality differences in eating disorder subtypes. The current study aimed to overcome limitations when using measures based on the original theory by investigating differences and similarities in reinforcement sensitivity across eating disorder subtypes and healthy controls.

Predicting relapse in schizophrenia: Is BDNF a plausible biological marker?

Understanding the biological processes that underlie why patients relapse is an issue of fundamental importance to the detection and prevention of relapse in schizophrenia. Brain Derived Neurotrophic Factor (BDNF), a facilitator of brain plasticity, is reduced in patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, we examined whether decreases in plasma BDNF levels could be used as a biological predictor of relapse in schizophrenia.

Comparison of Injectable and Oral Antipsychotics in Relapse Rates in a Pragmatic 30-Month Schizophrenia Relapse Prevention Study.

Objective: In a pragmatic clinical trial, this study sought to compare relapses among patients receiving either long-acting injectable or oral second-generation antipsychotics.

Methods: PROACTIVE (Preventing Relapse Oral Antipsychotics Compared to Injectables Evaluating Efficacy), a prior 30-month relapse prevention study, compared use of a long-acting injectable second-generation antipsychotic with use of an oral second-generation antipsychotic by 305 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and found similar rates of first relapse between groups (42% with injectable medication, 32% with oral medication). This study examined subsequent relapses among patients who had relapsed in PROACTIVE and who continued in treatment, follow-up, or both.

Should MD-PhD programs encourage graduate training in disciplines beyond conventional biomedical or clinical sciences?

The goal of MD-PhD training programs is to produce physician-scientists with unique capacities to lead the future biomedical research workforce. The current dearth of physician-scientists with expertise outside conventional biomedical or clinical sciences raises the question of whether MD-PhD training programs should allow or even encourage scholars to pursue doctoral studies in disciplines that are deemed nontraditional, yet are intrinsically germane to major influences on health. This question is especially relevant because the central value and ultimate goal of the academic medicine community is to help attain the highest level of health and health equity for all people.

Comparison of SGA oral medications and a long-acting injectable SGA: the PROACTIVE study.

Until relatively recently, long-acting injectable (LAI) formulations were only available for first-generation antipsychotics and their utilization decreased as use of oral second-generation antipsychotics (SGA) increased. Although registry-based naturalistic studies show LAIs reduce rehospitalization more than oral medications in clinical practice, this is not seen in recent randomized clinical trials. PROACTIVE (Preventing Relapse Oral Antipsychotics Compared to Injectables Evaluating Efficacy) relapse prevention study incorporated efficacy and effectiveness features.

Influence of patient race and ethnicity on clinical assessment in patients with affective disorders.

Context: Rates of clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia in African American individuals appear to be elevated compared with other ethnic groups in the United States, contradicting population rates derived from epidemiologic surveys.

Objective: To determine whether African American individuals would continue to exhibit significantly higher rates of clinical diagnoses of schizophrenia, even after controlling for age, sex, income, site, and education, as well as the presence or absence of serious affective disorder, as determined by experts blinded to race and ethnicity. A secondary objective was to determine if a similar pattern occurred in Latino subjects.

Schizophrenia, cancer and obstetric complications in an evolutionary perspective-an empirically based hypothesis.

Objective: Patients diagnosed with schizophrenia have reduced fecundity and premature mortality (both accidental and violent) with no obvious compensatory advantages among kin. The prevalence of the disorder is around 0.7/1%, higher than the expected prevalence of spontaneous mutations.

The role of complex emotions in inconsistent diagnoses of schizophrenia.

In the case of large-scale epidemiological studies, there is evidence of substantial disagreement when lay diagnoses of schizophrenia based on structured interviews are compared with expert diagnoses of the same patients. Reasons for this level of disagreement are investigated in the current study, which made use of advances in text-mining techniques and associated structural representations of language expressions. Specifically, the current study examined whether content analyses of transcribed diagnostic interviews obtained from 150 persons with serious psychiatric disorders yielded any discernable patterns that correlated with diagnostic inconsistencies of schizophrenia.

Inconsistencies in diagnosis and symptoms among bilingual and English-speaking Latinos and Euro-Americans.

Objective: Little information is available about accuracy of diagnoses in clinical care for affective and other major mental disorders experienced by Latino patients. This study addressed two central research questions: Do Latinos have disproportionate rates of clinical diagnoses of major depression based on structured diagnostic interviews? Are diagnostic patterns consistent with patient profiles and medical record information?

Methods: A total of 259 bilingual Latino, monolingual English-speaking Latino, and Euro-American patients aged 18 to 45 years with a history of severe depression or psychotic symptoms were compared across three clinical sites by using structured interviews.

Results: Compared with Euro-Americans, bilingual Latinos had significantly higher rates of major depression and significantly lower levels of mania.

Neuropeptides: relevance in treatment of depression and anxiety disorders.

The etiology and pathophysiology of both depression and anxiety remain unclear, but involve dysfunctional monoaminergic neurotransmission and function. The currently available antidepressant medications that work through optimizing the monoaminergic system are often limited by their lack of efficacy or their adverse effects. There is increasing evidence that some neuropeptides, including substance P, corticotropin-releasing factor, neuropeptide Y, vasopressin and galanin, may have relevance in both depression and anxiety.

Child and adolescent schizophrenia: pharmacological approaches.

Background: Childhood-onset schizophrenia is a serious, chronic and disabling illness that can significantly affect the quality of life of the affected individuals and their families. The affected children commonly show significant premorbid developmental impairment and social abnormalities that may provide an early clinical clue to pursue treatment. Until recent times, treatment approaches for childhood schizophrenia were derived from the adult population.