Alterations in Skeletal Muscle Insulin Signaling DNA Methylation: A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Olanzapine in Healthy Volunteers.

Antipsychotics are associated with severe metabolic side effects including insulin resistance; however, the mechanisms underlying this side effect are not fully understood. The skeletal muscle plays a critical role in insulin-stimulated glucose uptake, and changes in skeletal muscle DNA methylation by antipsychotics may play a role in the development of insulin resistance. A double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of olanzapine was performed in healthy volunteers.

Metabolomics, Lipidomics, and Antipsychotics: A Systematic Review.

Antipsychotics are an important pharmacotherapy option for the treatment of many mental illnesses. Unfortunately, selecting antipsychotics is often a trial-and-error process due to a lack of understanding as to which medications an individual patient will find most effective and best tolerated. Metabolomics, or the study of small molecules in a biosample, is an increasingly used omics platform that has the potential to identify biomarkers for medication efficacy and toxicity.

Sex-specific and sex-independent steroid-related biomarkers in early second trimester maternal serum associated with autism.

Background: Prenatal exposure to maternal metabolic conditions associated with inflammation and steroid dysregulation has previously been linked to increased autism risk. Steroid-related maternal serum biomarkers have also provided insight into the in utero steroid environment for offspring who develop autism.

Objective: This study examines the link between autism among offspring and early second trimester maternal steroid-related serum biomarkers from pregnancies enriched for prenatal metabolic syndrome (PNMS) exposure.

Association Between Inflammatory Biomarkers and Mental Health Symptoms in Middle Eastern Refugees in the US.

Introduction: Refugees are at increased risk for trauma-related mental health disorders, including anxiety, depression, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The underlying biological mechanisms linking trauma to mental disorders need additional study, and the possible pathophysiological role of the immune system is attracting increasing interest. In this study, we investigated whether two well-known pro-inflammatory cytokines (interleukin (IL-8) and IL-6) are associated with mental health symptoms in Middle Eastern refugees displaced to the United States.