Silent Infections are not So Silent: The Emerging Role of Combined Infections, Inflammation, and Vitamin Levels in OCD.

Objective: Recent evidence highlights that different agents may trigger immune-mediated processes involved in the pathophysiology of different neuropsychiatric conditions. Given the limited information on obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), the present study aimed at assessing current/past infections and plasma levels of vitamin D, vitamin B12, folic acid, homocysteine and common peripheral inflammatory markers in a group of OCD outpatients.

Method: The sample included 217 adult outpatients with an OCD diagnosis according to the DSM-5 criteria.

Relationship between BDNF and oxytocin.

Converging, albeit scattered data mainly gathered in animals indicate that the neurotrophin brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and the nonapeptide oxytocin (OT) interact in a cooperative way. Data in humans are really limited and indirect. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to explore the possible existence of a link between OT and BDNF in humans, by means of two peripheral markers, the platelet-poor-plasmatic-BDNF (PPP-BDNF) and the platelet BDNF (PLT-BDNF) and OT levels.

The Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic on Mental Health Services: A Comparison Between First Psychiatric Consultations Before and After the Pandemic.

Objective: A high rate of onset or exacerbation of several mental disorders has been observed during the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the risk contributing to mental distress during the pandemic remains unclear. The study aims to evaluate the risk of the onset of mental disorders by comparing the number of requests for the first psychiatric consultation before and after the COVID-19 pandemic at the psychiatric outpatient services of Varese, a small town in Northern Italy.

Depression and Pseudodementia: Decoding the Intricate Bonds in an Italian Outpatient Setting.

In spite of the uncertainties of its diagnostic framework, pseudodementia may be conceptualized as a condition characterized by depressive symptoms and cognitive impairment in the absence of dementia. Given the controversies on this topic, the aim of the present study was to assess neurological and cognitive dysfunctions in a sample of elderly depressed subjects, and the eventual relationship between cognitive impairment and depressive symptoms. Fifty-seven elderly depressed outpatients of both sexes were included in the study.

A Case of Delirious Mania Treated with Electroconvulsive Therapy.

(1) Background: Delirious mania is a neuropsychiatric condition characterized by the rapid onset of delirium, psychosis, and mania. Due to the presence of catatonic signs and symptoms, some authors considered this syndrome to be a specific excited catatonia subtype. Usually, delirious mania is responsive to intravenous benzodiazepines (BZDs) or to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT).

Decreased Levels of Vitamin D in Bipolar Patients.

Recently, vitamin D is considered a pleiotropic hormone, and as such, it has also become a topic of renewed interest in neuropsychiatry for its proposed role in the aetiology and pathophysiology of different psychiatric conditions, including mood disorders (MDs). This seems particularly crucial while considering the relatively high and often neglected prevalence of hypovitaminosis D in the general population and in specific groups, such as patients suffering from the most common type of MDs, which are major depression (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BDs). Therefore, in view of the controversial literature and findings on this topic and its potential therapeutic implications, the present study aimed at evaluating vitamin D levels in the plasma of a sample of inpatients fulfilling the DSM-5 criteria for mood episodes within BDs.

Internet Use Amongst Professional Tennis Players.

Objective: Next to its well-known benefits, Internet may trigger harmful consequences due to its abuse, thus delineating clinical pictures that are similar to abuse disorders, such as Problematic Internet Use (PIU). The matter becomes more elusive for sportsmen, as data regarding PIU in this specific group are scarce, particularly for tennis players. Therefore, our aim was to assess the prevalence and the features of PIU in a sample of either in current activity or retired professional tennis players, as compared with healthy controls.

A Critical Review of the Psychomotor Agitation Treatment in Youth.

(1) Background: To systematically review evidence on the safety and efficacy of psychopharmacological treatments available for psychomotor agitation (PA) in children and adolescents. (2) Methods: Studies assessing the safety and efficacy of psychopharmacological treatments for acute PA in children and adolescents that were published between January 1984 and June 2022 on PubMed were systematically reviewed. We included: (i) papers that presented a combination of the search terms specified in the "" sub-paragraph; (ii) manuscripts in English; (iii) original papers; (iv) prospective or retrospective/observational studies and experimental or quasi-experimental reports.

Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus, Platelet Activation and Alzheimer's Disease: A Possible Connection.

Type 2 diabetes mellitus DM (T2DM) is associated with a 70% increased risk for dementia, including Alzheimer's disease (AD). Insulin resistance has been proposed to play a pivotal role in both T2DM and AD and the concept of "brain insulin resistance" has been suggested as an interpretation to the growing literature regarding cognitive impairment and T2DM. Subjects with T2DM present an abnormal platelet reactivity that together with insulin resistance, hyperglycaemia and dyslipidaemia effect the vascular wall by a series of events including endothelial dysfunction, oxidative stress and low-grade inflammation.

Oxytocin: An Old Hormone, a Novel Psychotropic Drug and its Possible Use in Treating Psychiatric Disorders.

Background: Oxytocin is a nonapeptide synthesized in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei of the hypothalamus. Historically, this molecule has been involved as a key factor in the formation of infant attachment, maternal behavior and pair bonding and, more generally, in linking social signals with cognition, behaviors and reward. In the last decades, the whole oxytocin system has gained a growing interest as it was proposed to be implicated in etiopathogenesis of several neurodevelopmental and neuropsychiatric disorders.

Neuropsychiatric Manifestations of Fahr's Disease, Diagnostic and Therapeutic Challenge: A Case Report and a Literature Review.

Objective: Calcifications in basal ganglia could be an incidental finding up to 20% of asymptomatic patients undergoing computed tomography (CT) or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan. The presence of neuropsychiatric symptomatology associated with basal ganglia calcifications identifies a clinical entity defined as Fahr's Disease. This term is used in presence of calcifications secondary to a specific cause, but the variability of etiology, pathogenesis, and clinical picture underlying this condition have raised the question of the real existence of a syndrome.

Psychomotor Symptoms in Chronic Cocaine Users: An Interpretative Model.

According to the latest estimates, there are around 24.6 million cocaine users worldwide, and it is estimated that around a quarter of the population worldwide has used cocaine at some point in their lifetime. It follows that such widespread consumption represents a major risk for public health.

Obsessive-Compulsive and Depressive Symptoms in Professional Tennis Players.

Objective: A moderate sport activity is considered beneficial for both physical and mental health. On the contrary, different studies have shown that professional players may be more vulnerable to suffer from psychological and/or psychiatric disorders. Given the limited information available, the present study aimed to investigate the possible presence of depressive and obsessive-compulsive symptoms or disorders in a group of professional tennis players.

Decreased vitamin D levels in obsessive-compulsive disorder patients.

Objective: The present paper compared vitamin D levels in adult patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and explored possible correlations with patients' characteristics.

Methods: Fifty outpatients with OCD, according to DSM-5 criteria, were included and assessed with the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRDS).

Results: All the patients except one showed lower vitamin D levels than normative values (>30 nm/L).

Neutrophil/Lymphocyte, Platelet/Lymphocyte, and Monocyte/Lymphocyte Ratios in Mood Disorders.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorders (BDs), the most severe types of mood disorders (MDs), are considered as among the most disabling illnesses worldwide. Several studies suggested that inflammatory neuroinflammation might be involved in the pathophysiology of MDs while reporting increasing data on the relationships between these processes and classical neurotransmitters, hypothalamus-pituitaryadrenal axis (HPA), and neurotrophic factors. The assessment of neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR) in peripheral blood represents a simple method to evaluate the inflammatory status.

Different Sides of Depression in the Elderly: An In-depth View on the Role of Aβ Peptides.

Background: Late-onset depression (LOD) is the most common neuropsychiatric disorder associated with Alzheimer's disease (AD), often associated with structural and functional brain changes, neuropsychological impairments and negative family history for affective disorders. LOD could be a risk factor or a prodromal phase of AD; this has led to the investigation of the link between depression and amyloid-β (Aβ) peptides by measuring Aβ levels in plasma, cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and brains of elderly depressed subjects.

Objective: This study aims to clarify the complex relationship between depression, Aβ peptides and AD.

Platelet APP Processing: Is It a Tool to Explore the Pathophysiology of Alzheimer's Disease? A Systematic Review.

The processing of the amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a critical event in the formation of amyloid plaques. Platelets contain most of the enzymatic machinery required for APP processing and correlates of intracerebral abnormalities have been demonstrated in platelets of patients with AD. The goal of the present paper was to analyze studies exploring platelet APP metabolism in Alzheimer's disease patients trying to assess potential reliable peripheral biomarkers, to offer new therapeutic solutions and to understand the pathophysiology of the AD.

Can platelet activation result in increased plasma Aβ levels and contribute to the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease?

One of the central lesions in the brain of subjects with Alzheimer's disease (AD) is represented by aggregates of β-amyloid (Aβ), a peptide of 40-42 amino acids derived from the amyloid precursor protein (APP). The reasons why Aβ accumulates in the brain of individuals with sporadic forms of AD are unknown. Platelets are the primary source of circulating APP and, upon activation, can secrete significant amounts of Aβ into the blood which can be actively transported to the brain across the blood-brain barrier and promote amyloid deposition.

Protracted Hiccups Induced by Aripiprazole and Regressed after Administration of Gabapentin.

Hiccups are sudden, repeated, and involuntary contractions of the diaphragm muscle (myoclonic contraction). It involves a reflex arc that, once activated, causes a strong contraction of the diaphragm immediately followed by the closure of the glottis translating into the classic "hic" sound. Hiccups can be short, persistent, and intractable depending on the duration.

The Importance of a Multi-Disciplinary Approach to the Endometriotic Patients: The Relationship between Endometriosis and Psychic Vulnerability.

Endometriosis is a chronic inflammatory condition, which is distinguished by the presence of the endometrial-like glands and stroma outside the uterine cavity. Pain and infertility are the most commonly expressed symptoms, occurring in 60% and 40% of cases, respectively. Women with endometriosis, especially those with pelvic pain, also have a greater vulnerability to several psychiatric disorders.

Misperceptions and hallucinatory experiences in ultra-trailer, high-altitude runners.

Background: The Mountain Activities Neuro-behavioural Research Programme is a research project born in the 2 nd Unit of Psychiatry, Department of Clinical and Experimental Medicine at the University of Pisa to investigate the effects of altitude on the mental and neuro-behavioural aspects of people performing activities in mountainous areas.

Methods: In this study, after elaborating a standardised data collection form, based on traditional psychopathology notions, to classify the misperceptions reported by the athletes taking part, we investigated the various types of these misperceptions in 21 athletes (including only one female), with a mean age of 44.90 ± 8.