Effect of Alpinia officinarum Rhizome extract on experimentally induced lung fibrosis: The pertinent role of Sirt1 and Nrf2 antioxidant pathways.

Background: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a frequently reported COVID-19 sequela. It is a progressive disorder characterized by respiratory failure and death. The properties of Alpinia officinarum Rhizomes (AO) make it a highly potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antifibrotic agent.

Diacerein and myo-inositol alleviate letrozole-induced PCOS via modulation of HMGB1, SIRT1, and NF-kB: A comparative study.

Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is the most prevalent cause of anovulatory infertility in women. Myo-inositol supplementation has displayed effectiveness in curing PCOS patients. Diacerein, an anti-inflammatory medication, has not been extensively studied in the context of reproductive disorders.

Pirfenidone mitigates demyelination and electrophysiological alterations in multiple sclerosis: Targeting NF-κB, sirt1, and neurotrophic genes.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a demyelinating disease affecting the central nervous system associated with progressive neurodegeneration. Pirfenidone (Pir) is a well-known antifibrotic agent; however, Pir's function in MS is little explored. We evaluated the neuroprotective effects of Pir in MS and its possible underlying mechanisms.

Therapeutic Drug Monitoring of Olanzapine: Effects of Clinical Factors on Plasma Concentrations in Psychiatric Patients.

Background: Therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is strongly recommended for olanzapine due to its high pharmacokinetic variability. This study aimed to investigate the impact of various clinical factors on olanzapine plasma concentrations in patients with psychiatric disorders.

Methods: The study used TDM data from the PsyMetab cohort, including 547 daily dose-normalized, steady-state, olanzapine plasma concentrations (C:D ratios) from 248 patients.

Sage () alleviates trazadone induced rat cardiotoxicity mediated via modulation of autophagy and oxidative stress.

The antidepressant drug trazodone (TRZ) is commonly used for treating depression, anxiety, and insomnia, however, it causes cardiotoxicity, which is one of its limitations. The objective of this work was to investigate the impact of sage () in rats against cardiotoxicity induced by TRZ and to investigate the mechanisms involved in its cardio-protective properties through autophagy and oxidative stress. Fifty male albino rats were split randomly into five experimental groups: control group, sage oil group (100 mg/kg), TRZ group (20 mg/kg), protective group, and curative group.

Risk factors for mood disorders among offspring of parents with bipolar disorder: Findings from a discordant-sibling study.

The purpose of this naturalistic, prospective study was to identify risk factors for mood disorders in offspring of parents with bipolar disorder (BPD) using the discordant-sibling design by comparing premorbid psychopathology or symptoms, temperament, personality traits and coping style as well as the perception of family-related characteristics among affected and unaffected siblings within the same family. This approach controls for confounding by unmeasured genetic and environmental factors shared within families. Our sample comprised 24 families of a parent with BPD with at least one child that developed BPD or major depressive disorder (n = 31), and at least one child who did not.

Plant sterols and cholesterol metabolism are associated with five-year cognitive decline in the elderly population.

Dysregulations in cholesterol metabolism are associated with neurodegenerative and vascular pathologies, and dementia. Diet-derived plant sterols (phytosterols) have cholesterol-lowering, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties and may interfere with neurodegeneration and cognitive decline. Here we performed multivariate analysis in 720 individuals enrolled in a population-based prospective study to determine whether circulating cholesterol precursors and metabolites, triglycerides, and phytosterols, are associated with cognitive impairment and decline in the older population.

Metformin Alleviates Diabetes-Associated Hypertension by Attenuating the Renal Epithelial Sodium Channel.

Diabetic nephropathy is the primary cause of morbidity in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients. New data indicate that hypertension, a common comorbidity in T2DM, can worsen outcomes of diabetic nephropathy. While metformin is a commonly prescribed drug for treating type 2 diabetes, its blood pressure regulating ability is not well documented.

Human Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Attenuates ENaC and MARCKS and Lowers Blood Pressure in Hypertensive Diabetic db/db Mice.

Hypertension may develop before or after the onset of diabetes and it is known to increase the risk of developing diabetic nephropathy. Alpha-1 antitrypsin (AAT) is a multi-functional protein with beneficial effects in various diseases but its role in reducing blood pressure in the diabetic kidney has not been thoroughly studied. Like blood pressure, epithelial sodium channels (ENaC) and its adaptor protein myristoylated alanine-rich C-kinase substrate (MARCKS) are regulated by circadian rhythms.

Psychotic features, particularly mood incongruence, as a hallmark of severity of bipolar I disorder.

Background: The occurrence of psychotic features within mood episodes in patients with bipolar I disorder (BD I) has been associated in some studies with a more severe clinical and socio-professional profile. In contrast, other studies establishing the associations of psychotic features in BD I, and in particular of mood-congruent (MC) and mood-incongruent (MI) features, with clinical characteristics have yielded contradictory results. However, many pre-existing studies have been affected by serious methodological limitations.

Calling situated: a survey among medical students supplemented by a qualitative study and a comparison with a surveyed sample of physicians.

Background: Calling within the medical context receives growing academic attention and empirical research has started to demonstrate its beneficial effects. The purpose of this study is to investigate what motivates students to enter medical school and what role calling may play (i), to evaluate if calling influences the way in which they experience their studies (ii), and to compare medical students' experience of calling with those of physicians.

Methods: A questionnaire survey was distributed among medical students (N = 1048; response rate above 60%) of the University of Lausanne in Switzerland.

Daily Dose Effects of Risperidone on Weight and Other Metabolic Parameters: A Prospective Cohort Study.

Atypical antipsychotics can induce metabolic side effects, but whether they are dose-dependent remains unclear. To assess the effect of risperidone and/or paliperidone dosing on weight gain and blood lipids, glucose, and blood pressure alterations. Data for 438 patients taking risperidone and/or its metabolite (paliperidone) for up to 1 year were obtained between 2007 and 2018 from a longitudinal study monitoring metabolic parameters.

Environmental factors in offspring of parents with mood disorders and their role in parent-child transmission: findings from a 14-year prospective high-risk study.

Background: The factors involved in the transmission of mood disorders are only partially elucidated. Aside from genes, the family environment might play a crucial role in parent-child transmission. Our goals were to (1) assess the associations of parental bipolar disorder (BPD) and Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) with individual or shared family environmental factors, including traumatic events in offspring, parental separation, family cohesion and parental attitudes; and 2) test whether these factors were mediators of the association between exposure to parental mood disorders and the onset of these disorders in offspring.

Evolution of impulsivity levels in relation to early cannabis use in violent patients in the early phase of psychosis.

Background: Prevention of violent behaviors (VB) in the early phase of psychosis (EPP) is a real challenge. Impulsivity was shown to be strongly related to VB, and different evolutions of impulsivity were noticed along treatments. One possible variable involved in the relationship between VB and the evolution of impulsivity is cannabis use (CU).

Iron Inhibits the Translation and Activity of the Renal Epithelial Sodium Channel.

Hypertension is associated with an increased renal expression and activity of the epithelial sodium channel (ENaC) and iron deficiency. Distal tubules absorb iron, causing perturbations that may influence local responses. In this observational study, we investigated the relationship between iron content and ENaC expression and activity using two cell lines and hepcidin knockout mice (a murine model of iron overload).

The Pharmacological Inhibition of CaMKII Regulates Sodium Chloride Cotransporter Activity in mDCT15 Cells.

The thiazide-sensitive sodium chloride cotransporter (NCC) in the distal convoluted tubule is responsible for reabsorbing up to one-tenth of the total filtered load of sodium in the kidney. The actin cytoskeleton is thought to regulate various transport proteins in the kidney but the regulation of the NCC by the actin cytoskeleton is largely unknown. Here, we identify a direct interaction between the NCC and the cytoskeletal protein filamin A in mouse distal convoluted tubule (mDCT15) cells and in the native kidney.

Short-term and long-term effects of major depressive disorder subtypes on obesity markers and impact of sex on these associations.

Background: Only a few studies with conflicting results have examined the effects of sex on the prospective association between depression and subsequent obesity.

Objective: (1) To simultaneously assess the associations of the subtypes (atypical, melancholic, unspecified) of major depressive disorder (MDD) measured at baseline and subtypes of major depressive episodes (MDE) that emerged during a 5.5-year follow-up with changes in obesity markers (body mass index, waist circumference, fat mass) during this follow-up, and (2) to test the effect of sex on these associations.

Transgenic Mice Overexpressing Human Alpha-1 Antitrypsin Exhibit Low Blood Pressure and Altered Epithelial Transport Mechanisms in the Inactive and Active Cycles.

Human alpha-1 antitrypsin (hAAT) is a versatile protease inhibitor, but little is known about its targets in the aldosterone-sensitive distal nephron and its role in electrolyte balance and blood pressure control. We analyzed urinary electrolytes, osmolality, and blood pressure from hAAT transgenic (hAAT-Tg) mice and C57B/6 wild-type control mice maintained on either a normal salt or high salt diet. Urinary sodium, potassium, and chloride concentrations as well as urinary osmolality were lower in hAAT-Tg mice maintained on a high salt diet during both the active and inactive cycles.

Effect of Quetiapine, from Low to High Dose, on Weight and Metabolic Traits: Results from a Prospective Cohort Study.

Introduction: The atypical antipsychotic quetiapine is known to induce weight gain and other metabolic complications. The underlying mechanisms are multifactorial and poorly understood with almost no information on the effect of dosage. Concerns were thus raised with the rise in low-dose quetiapine off-label prescription (i.

Metabolomic alteration induced by psychotropic drugs: Short-term metabolite profile as a predictor of weight gain evolution.

Psychotropic drugs can induce strong metabolic adverse effects, potentially increasing morbidity and/or mortality of patients. Metabolomic profiling, by studying the levels of numerous metabolic intermediates and products in the blood, allows a more detailed examination of metabolism dysfunctions. We aimed to identify blood metabolomic markers associated with weight gain in psychiatric patients.