Dopaminergic Epistases in Schizophrenia.

The dopaminergic theory, the oldest and most comprehensively analyzed neurotransmitter theory of schizophrenia, remains a focal point of research. This systematic review examines the association between combinations of 14 dopaminergic genes and the risk of schizophrenia. The selected genes include dopamine receptors (DRD1-5), metabolizing enzymes (COMT, MAOA, MAOB, DBH), synthesizing enzymes (TH, DDC), and dopamine transporters (DAT, VMAT1, and VMAT2).

Evaluating the Impact of Obsessive-Compulsive Symptoms and Personality Types on Perinatal Depressive Symptoms.

Perinatal depression (PPD) presents a significant public health concern, often influenced by psychological and personality factors. This study investigated the impact of personality traits, particularly neuroticism, and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) symptoms on the severity of PPD. The primary aim was to quantify the contributions of these factors to the risk and severity of PPD to enhance early intervention strategies.

Association between Chronic Misophonia-Induced Stress and Gastrointestinal Pathology in Children-A Hypothesis.

Misophonia is a neurophysiological disorder with behavioral implications, is complex and multifactorial in origin, and is characterized by an atypical and disproportionate emotional response to specific sounds or associated visual stimuli. Triggers include human-generated sounds, mainly sounds related to feeding and breathing processes, and repetitive mechanical sounds. In response to the triggering stimulus, the patient experiences immediate, high-intensity, disproportionate physical and emotional reactions that affect their quality of life and social functioning.

The Contribution of Genetic Testing in Optimizing Therapy for Patients with Recurrent Depressive Disorder.

(1) Background: The aim of this study was to analyze the impact of pharmacogenetic-guided antidepressant therapy on the 12-month evolution of the intensity of depressive symptoms in patients with recurrent depressive disorder (RDD) in comparison to a control group of depressive subjects who were treated conventionally. (2) Methods: This prospective longitudinal study was conducted between 2019 and 2022, and the patients were evaluated by employing the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A) and the Clinical Global Impressions Scale: Severity and Improvement. We followed them up at 1, 3, 6, and 12 months.

The Influence of Personality Traits on Postpartum Depression: A Systematic Review Based on the NEO-FFI Scale.

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant global health concern with profound implications for mothers, families, and societies. This systematic review aims to synthesize current research findings to understand better how personality traits, as assessed by the NEO Five-Factor Inventory (NEO-FFI), contribute to the development and progression of PPD. Conducted in January 2024, this review searched major databases like PubMed, PsycINFO, and Scopus up to December 2023, focusing on the NEO-FFI's role in evaluating PPD.

Involvement of the Expression of G Protein-Coupled Receptors in Schizophrenia.

The expression of GPCRs has been associated with schizophrenia, and their expression may induce morphological changes in brain regions responsible for schizophrenia and disease-specific behavioral changes. The articles included in this review were selected using keywords and databases of scientific research websites. The expressions of GPRs have different involvements in schizophrenia, some increase the risk while others provide protection, and they may also be potential targets for new treatments.

The Impact of the COVID-19 Pandemic on Depressive Disorder with Postpartum Onset: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: COVID-19 has led to a global health crisis that is defining for our times and one of the greatest challenges to emerge since World War II. The potential impact of the pandemic on mental health should not be overlooked, especially among vulnerable populations such as women who gave birth during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Materials And Methods: The study is a cross-sectional survey conducted from 1 March 2020 to 1 March 2023, during the period of the SARS-CoV-2 (COVID-19) pandemic, based on a retrospective evaluation of 860 postpartum women.

Distribution of microRNAs associated with major depressive disorder among blood compartments.

Objective: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a recurrent disorder with an increasing incidence. Alterations in key signaling pathways of the nervous system, such as the Wnt and MAPK pathways, mediated through microRNAs (miRNAs) provide crucial information regarding the etiopathology of MDD. We aimed to analyze whether the heterogeneity of literature findings regarding differential expression of miRNAs in the blood could arise from their different distributions among blood compartments.

The Relationship Between Type D Personality and the Complexity of Coronary Artery Disease.

Purpose: The relationship between personality traits and cardiovascular disease has gathered sustained interest over the last years, type -D personality (TDP) being significantly associated with coronary artery disease (CAD). However, data regarding the connection between the TDP and the severity of CAD disease is scarce. The aim of our study was to assess the relationship between TDP and the complexity of CAD, and to compare it with other sociodemographic and clinical features.

Evolution of Heart Rate Variability and Heart Rate Turbulence in Patients with Depressive Illness Treated with Selective Serotonin Reuptake Inhibitors.

: Major depressive disorder (MDD) and cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) represent serious and prevalent medical conditions. Autonomic nervous system (ANS) dysfunctions, expressed by parameters of heart rate variability (HRV) and heart rate turbulence (HRT), have been repeatedly associated with depression. The aim of our study was to identify potential HRV and HRT alterations in patients with MDD, before and after selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (SSRI) therapy, and to observe any correlations between these parameters and the severity of depressive symptoms.

Left heart hypoplasia operated using double pulmonary arterial banding with double arterial duct stenting: A case report.

Hypoplastic left heart syndrome is a heterogeneous group of congenital cardiac malformations which associates hypoplastic/aplastic left ventricle, mitral and aortic valve, hypoplastic/atresia and severe aortic artery coarctation, and represents a medical-surgical emergency. We present a case of a newborn hospitalised in three clinics (two clinics from Timisoara and one from Vienna), and operated for hypoplastic left heart syndrome, without aortic coarctation, using a mixed technique cardiovascular repair surgery. The initial therapeutic conduct included maintaining the permeability of the arterial canal with prostaglandin E1.

Comparative Spectrographic Analysis of the Newborns' Cry in the Presence of Tight Intrapartum Nuchal Cord vs. Normal using the Neonat App. Preliminary Results.

: The objective of this study was to contribute to the evaluation of the newborn (NB) cry as a means of communication and diagnosis. : The study implied the recording of the spontaneous cry of 101 NBs with no intrapartum events (control sample), and of 72 NBs with nuchal cord (study sample) from the "Bega" University Clinic of Obstetrics-Gynecology and Neonatology of Timisoara, Romania. The sound analysis was based upon: Imagistic highlighting methods, descriptive statistics, and data mining techniques.

Profiling undergraduate students from a Romanian medical university.

Purpose: Medical students' personality traits, emotion regulation strategies, and empathic behavior are considered powerful predictors for their future achievements, professional adjustment, and mental strength. Coping strategies such as "self-blame," "rumination," "catastrophizing," "blaming others," lack of empathy, decreased emotion recognition abilities, and neuroticism are maladaptive and, thus, less desirable traits in medical professionals. The purpose of the study was to comparatively assess and find potential correlations between personality traits, empathy levels, emotion recognition abilities, and cognitive emotion regulation strategies of three medical student samples: general medicine (GM), dental medicine (DM), and general nursing (GN) students.

Modern molecular study of weight gain related to antidepressant treatment: clinical implications of the pharmacogenetic testing.

Antidepressant medication influences cellular lipogenesis, being associated with metabolic side effects including weight gain. Due to the increasing use of antidepressants in children and adolescents, their metabolic and endocrine adverse effects are of particular concern, especially within this pediatric population that appears to be at greater risk. Genetic factors with a possible influence on antidepressant's adverse effects include CYP [cytochrome P450 (CYP450)] polymorphisms.

Neurobiological arguments for a pathogenic multifactorial disconnective model of cognitive disorders from Alzheimer's disease in elderly people.

Incidence of Alzheimer's disease (AD) in people over 75 years is much higher, and the progression of cognitive deficit become faster, leading to a decrease of quality of life for patients and their families. In this context, it is proposed a multifactorial pathogenic model of disconnected cognitive circuits, which is combined with genetic and vascular-cerebral vulnerability elements, allowing an aggressive progression of neurodegenerative factors, favoring onset of dementia. Data from research studies on animal model (rat) highlighted central role of cerebral cholinergic deficit (which is amplified by cerebral ischemia) on the background of apolipoprotein E4 (ApoE4) genotype, favoring multifactorial disconnected mechanisms, by excess of beta-amyloid (β-A) or increase of vascular dysfunction.

Circulating Plasma Micro RNAs in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder Treated with Antidepressants: A Pilot Study.

Objective: Significant progress was made in the understanding etiopathogenic factors related to MDD, including through research on the role of micro RNAs (miRs). We investigated plasma miRs as potential markers for MDD in patients treated with antidepressants.

Methods: At the initiation and at the end of twelve weeks of treatment, blood samples were collected and a structured diagnostic interview and a standardized depression rating scale for the presence and severity of major depression were done.

Perinatal characteristics and mother's personality profile associated with increased likelihood of postpartum depression occurrence in a Romanian outpatient sample.

Background: Postpartum depression represents an increasingly recognized psychiatric condition in new mothers, and even more so in recent years as its detection has improved.

Aims: This study aimed to reveal those maternal and perinatal parameters that are significantly associated with increased likelihood of postpartum depression in delivering mothers from our region.

Methods: A cross-sectional survey was conducted in 163 women between 6 and 8 weeks after delivery.

State and trait anxiety as a psychopathological phenomenon correlated with postpartum depression in a Romanian sample: a pilot study.

The current study aimed to investigate the rate of postpartum depression and its correlation with both state and trait anxiety. A cross-sectional study was performed on 80 mothers monitored in the Ambulatory of "Bega" Obstetrics Clinic from Timisoara. The presence of depression was assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale, using a cut-off ≥ 10.