Sex differences in the relationship between prolactin levels and impaired processing speed in early psychosis

2017 ◽  
Vol 52 (6) ◽  
pp. 585-595 ◽  
Author(s):  
Itziar Montalvo ◽  
Roser Nadal ◽  
Antonio Armario ◽  
Alfonso Gutiérrez-Zotes ◽  
Marta Creus ◽  
...  

Introduction: Hyperprolactinaemia is commonly observed in people with psychotic disorders due to D2 receptor blockade by antipsychotic drugs, although it may also exist in drug-naïve patients with first-episode psychosis. Recent studies suggest that hyperprolactinaemia may have a negative impact on cognitive function in people with early psychosis. We aimed to explore whether there are sex differences in the association between prolactin levels and cognitive performance in early psychosis patients. Methods: We studied 60 young patients with early psychosis (aged 18–35 years, 35% females) and a sex- and age-matched control group of 50 healthy subjects. Cognitive assessment was performed with the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery. Prolactin, total cortisol, follicular-stimulating hormone, luteal hormone and sex steroids (testosterone in men, oestradiol and progesterone in women) were measured in plasma. Salivary cortisol was measured at different sampling times (awakening response, 10:00 and 23:00). Psychopathological status was assessed, and antipsychotic treatment was registered. Multiple linear regression analyses were used to explore the relationship between prolactin and cognitive tasks while adjusting for covariates. Results: Prolactin levels were associated with impaired processing speed in men, and this association was independent of cortisol and testosterone. In women, prolactin levels were not associated with processing speed tasks, although we observed a negative effect of prolactin on verbal learning and spatial working memory in female healthy subjects. The male-dependent effect maintained its significance after adjusting for education status, antipsychotic treatment and negative symptoms. Conclusion: Our study demonstrates that the previously reported association between high prolactin levels and impaired cognitive processes in early psychosis is restricted to men.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yuan-jing Leng ◽  
Hai-bin Zhou ◽  
Jiang-ling Fu ◽  
Wen-juan Wang

Abstract PURPOSECarbonic anhydrase-2 (CA-2) plays a role in mineralization and calcification in organism. Strong evidence suggests that CA-2 is associated with urolithiasis. However, the relationship between CA-2 and urinary stone remains unclear. The study aimed to assess the association of urine CA-2 (uCA-2) level and the potential risk of urinary stone.METHODSFrom March 2017 to November 2019, a prospective cohort study was conducted on patients with urinary stones and healthy subjects to determine the pretreatment uCA-2 level detection by Enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The difference of uCA-2 level between patients with urinary stones and healthy subjects was compared. Then comparison between stone patients with complications and without complications was carried out as well as correlation analysis to detect factors associated with biomarker expression.RESULTS118 patients with urinary stones were into urinary stones group and 42 healthy subjects were into healthy control group. The mean pretreatment uCA-2 level was significantly higher in patients with urinary stones group than healthy controls group (P=0.028). Furthermore, The uCA-2 level was positive correlation with urinary stones complications (R=0.379, P=0.000), especially pain complications (R=0.524, P=0.000) and hematuria complications (R=0.374, P=0.000). Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analysis that a uCA-2 level threshold of 10.94 ng/mL had 83.67% sensitivity and 68.12% specificity for predicting urinary stones complications. CONCLUSIONSExcessive uCA-2 excretion is a major risk factor for urinary stone. Our findings suggested that uCA-2 may be used as an unappreciated biomarker for the diagnosis urinary stone in patients and to predict its complications.


2018 ◽  
Vol 46 (3) ◽  
pp. 940-950 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mehmet Ali Derya ◽  
Vahit Demir ◽  
Huseyin Ede

Objective Epicardial fat tissue thickness (EFT) and the neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR) are associated with atherosclerosis. Few studies have focused on the relationship between these parameters in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension. In this study, we examined the relationship between EFT and the NLR in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension detected by 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). Methods Eighty consecutive patients without chronic illness who were diagnosed with hypertension according to ABPM results and 80 otherwise healthy subjects were enrolled in the study. EFT of each participant was measured echocardiographically. The C-reactive protein (CRP) concentration and NLR were measured from venous blood samples. Results The 24-hour average systolic blood pressure was significantly higher in the hypertension group than in the control group (143±17 vs. 117±7 mmHg, respectively). There were no significant differences in age, sex, or body mass index between the two groups. EFT, the NLR, and the CRP concentration were significantly higher in the hypertension group than control group. Additionally, a significantly positive correlation between EFT and the NLR was found in both the control group and hypertension group. Conclusion A higher EFT and NLR were detected in patients with newly diagnosed hypertension than in healthy subjects.


2016 ◽  
Vol 33 (S1) ◽  
pp. S78-S79
Author(s):  
P. Stefanatou ◽  
C.S. Karatosidi ◽  
E. Kattoulas ◽  
N. Stefanis ◽  
N. Smyrnis

IntroductionPremorbid adjustment (PA) is one of the main prognostic indicators of schizophrenia. Both social and cognitive deficits observed during the premorbid period hold a predictive value for the onset of schizophrenia.ObjectivesTo investigate how cognitive functions are related to aspects of PA.AimsTo examine the relationship of each PA domain (academic and social) at each of the three developmental stages (childhood, early adolescence and late adolescence), as well as their course with the cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients.MethodsPA, intellectual quotient (IQ), verbal learning, memory, processing speed, executive functions and verbal fluency were assessed using PAS, WAIS, RAVLT, TMT, WCST and COWAT measures respectively in a sample of 85 clinically stabilized male schizophrenia inpatients.ResultsNegative correlations emerged between academic PA during adolescence and both verbal IQ and processing speed, while positive correlations were found with working memory. Negative correlations emerged between deterioration in academic PA during adolescence and both processing speed and immediate auditory verbal recall, while correlations with verbal learning were positive. There was no relationship between cognitive functions and either social PA or its deterioration.ConclusionOur findings revealed significant associations between both academic PA and its course with cognitive functions in schizophrenia patients. In summary, deficits in several fields of cognitive functions seem to follow a different path long before and after the onset of the disease, but further investigation is necessary.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.


2014 ◽  
Vol 45 (1) ◽  
pp. 109-120 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Karbasforoushan ◽  
B. Duffy ◽  
J. U. Blackford ◽  
N. D. Woodward

BackgroundProcessing speed predicts functional outcome and is a potential endophenotype for schizophrenia. Establishing the neural basis of processing speed impairment may inform the treatment and etiology of schizophrenia. Neuroimaging investigations in healthy subjects have linked processing speed to brain anatomical connectivity. However, the relationship between processing speed impairment and white matter (WM) integrity in schizophrenia is unclear.MethodIndividuals with schizophrenia and healthy subjects underwent diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) and completed a brief neuropsychological assessment that included measures of processing speed, verbal learning, working memory and executive functioning. Group differences in WM integrity, inferred from fractional anisotropy (FA), were examined throughout the brain and the hypothesis that processing speed impairment in schizophrenia is mediated by diminished WM integrity was tested.ResultsWM integrity of the corpus callosum, cingulum, superior and inferior frontal gyri, and precuneus was reduced in schizophrenia. Average FA in these regions mediated group differences in processing speed but not in other cognitive domains. Diminished WM integrity in schizophrenia was accounted for, in large part, by individual differences in processing speed.ConclusionsCognitive impairment in schizophrenia was mediated by reduced WM integrity. This relationship was strongest for processing speed because deficits in working memory, verbal learning and executive functioning were not mediated by WM integrity. Larger sample sizes may be required to detect more subtle mediation effects in these domains. Interventions that preserve WM integrity or ameliorate WM disruption may enhance processing speed and functional outcome in schizophrenia.


2013 ◽  
Vol 44 (8) ◽  
pp. 1591-1604 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Roiz-Santiáñez ◽  
R. Ayesa-Arriola ◽  
D. Tordesillas-Gutiérrez ◽  
V. Ortiz-García de la Foz ◽  
R. Pérez-Iglesias ◽  
...  

BackgroundSchizophrenia is a chronic brain disorder associated with structural brain abnormalities already present at the onset of the illness. Whether these brain abnormalities might progress over time is still under debate.MethodThe aim of this study was to investigate likely progressive brain volume changes in schizophrenia during the first 3 years after initiating antipsychotic treatment. The study included 109 patients with a schizophrenia spectrum disorder and a control group of 76 healthy subjects. Subjects received detailed clinical and cognitive assessment and structural magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) at regular time points during a 3-year follow-up period. The effects of brain changes on cognitive and clinical variables were examined along with the impact of potential confounding factors.ResultsOverall, patients and healthy controls exhibited a similar pattern of brain volume changes. However, patients showed a significant lower progressive decrease in the volume of the caudate nucleus than control subjects (F1,307.2 = 2.12, p = 0.035), with healthy subjects showing a greater reduction than patients during the follow-up period. Clinical and cognitive outcomes were not associated with progressive brain volume changes during the early years of the illness.ConclusionsBrain volume abnormalities that have been consistently observed at the onset of non-affective psychosis may not inevitably progress, at least over the first years of the illness. Taking together with clinical and cognitive longitudinal data, our findings, showing a lack of brain deterioration in a substantial number of individuals, suggest a less pessimistic and more reassuring perception of the illness.


2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (3) ◽  
pp. 255-262
Author(s):  
V. G. Sosnina ◽  
D. M. Saraykin ◽  
L. V. Lipatova

Aim: to study the relationship between sexuality and temperament in patients with epilepsy.Materials and methods. The study included 102 participants: 52 patients with epilepsy and 50 healthy individuals aged from 19 to 45 years. The psychological examination was based on the I-structural test of Ammon (ISTA), the Structure of temperament questionnaire (STQ) of Rusalov, and a clinical interview.Results. Using the correlation analysis we were able to reveal 9 correlations between the types of sexuality and the temperament characteristics in patients with epilepsy; in subjects of the control group – 4 correlations were found. Thus, in patients with epilepsy, constructive sexuality positively correlated with plasticity, social erginess, and pace, whereas in healthy subjects – with social erginess. In patients with epilepsy, destructive sexuality positively correlated with plasticity, social erginess, and social plasticity; in healthy subjects, destructive sexuality negatively correlated with social erginess. In patients with epilepsy, deficient sexuality negatively correlated with pace, plasticity, and social erginess, whereas in healthy subjects – with plasticity and social plasticity.Conclusion. The study shows that the sexuality in patients with epilepsy is more deterministic than that in the comparison group. In addition, all types of sexuality in these patients correlate with plasticity and social erginess, which suggests that patients with epilepsy can be satisfied with sexual relations, show flexibility and strive for diversity while being flexible and socially active. These correlations can be read vice versa, i.e., striving for diversity and social activity in patients with epilepsy is accompanied by satisfaction with their sexual relations and inclination to experiment. 


2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-5 ◽  
Author(s):  
Batool Zamani ◽  
Hossein Akbari ◽  
Mehrdad Mahdian ◽  
Ehsan Dadgostar

Background and aims: : Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is an autoimmune disease which involves various organs. Vitamin D is an essential ingredient in regulating the immune system. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between vitamin D and the severity of lupus activity. Materials and Methods: This case-control study was carried out on 38 patients with lupus on the basis of the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) criteria and 44 healthy subjects with no history of rheumatologic disease. To measure the level of 25-hydroxy vitamin D, venous blood samples (5 cc) were taken from each participant and the activity of the lupus disease was measured by the Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI) scale. Finally, the chi-square test, independent sample t test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple linear regression analysis were used to measure multivariate effects. The level of significance was set to be P<0.05. Results: Thirty-five lupus patients and 40 healthy subjects were females (P=0.847). Vitamin D deficiency was observed in the case (42.1%) and control (11.4%) groups. The mean value of serum vitamin D3 level was 35.3 ng/mL in the control group, as well as 24.6 ng/mL and 21.3 ng/mL in patients with mild and severe SLE, respectively (P=0.024). Conclusion: In this study, high levels of 25-hydroxy vitamin D were observed among the healthy subjects compared to patients with SLE. Eventually, the level of vitamin D significantly decreased by increasing the severity of SLE activity.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (44) ◽  
pp. 167-173
Author(s):  
Ziya Şencan ◽  
Nuray Bayar Muluk ◽  
Mikail Inal ◽  
Selmin Perihan Kömürcü Erkmen ◽  
Ela Cömert

Abstract OBJECTIVE. We investigated the relationship between Lund-Mackay scale, olfactory bulb depth and width, and Keros classification in patients with chronic rhinosinusitis with nasal polyps (CRSwNP). MATERIAL AND METHODS. In this retrospective study, paranasal sinus computed tomography (PNSCT) images of 47 patients with CRSwNP and 47 healthy subjects (control) were evaluated. In the CRSwNP group, PNSCT scans were assessed based on Lund-Mackay scale. In both groups, olfactory fossae (OF) depth and width, and Keros classification were evaluated. RESULTS. The total Lund-Mackay score was 17.1±5.9. There were no significant differences between OF depth and width values of the nasal polyps group and control group. For both groups, Type II Keros was the most detected type; secondly, Keros type I and rarely Keros type III were detected. There was no significant correlation between Lund-Mackay score (All items and total score) and OF depth and width, and Keros type. There were negative correlations between ipsilateral OF depth and width (p<0.05), whereas there were positive correlations between contralateral OF depth and width (p>0.05). Keros type was positively correlated between ipsilateral and contralateral OF depth and Keros type (p<0.05). In older patients, left OF depth and Keros type decreased (p<0.05). CONCLUSION. As a conclusion, there was no correlation between Lund-Mackay score and olfactory fossa dimensions (depth and width). When considering age, one could notice that Keros type decreased in older patients.


2018 ◽  
Vol 14 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward J. Gorzelańczyk ◽  
Dorota Ackermann-Szulgit ◽  
Marek Kunc ◽  
Marek Harat ◽  
Piotr Walecki

Abstract Thalamotomy is a neurosurgical procedure used in the treatment of advanced Parkinson’s disease (PD). The aim of our research is to evaluate the early impact of a lesion in the ventrointermedial nucleus (VIM) of the thalamus on cognitive and motor function in people with PD. Sixty patients who qualified for right- or left-sided VIM thalamotomy were involved in the study. The cognitive and motor functions of each patient were assessed both prior to and following the surgical procedure. Twenty-nine PD patients without ablative treatment were qualified for the comparison group, and 57 neurologically healthy individuals were assigned to the control group. The following tests were carried out: Mini Mental State Examination, Benton Visual Retention Test, Stroop Color and Word Test, Trail Making Test A&B, and Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test. Statistically significant differences were found in reaction time, visual-spatial working memory, auditory-verbal memory, and overall level of cognitive function when comparing the results of tests carried out before and after thalamotomy and when comparing patients who had undergone surgery with untreated or healthy individuals. In patients with right-sided and left-sided thalamotomy differences were also found in the mean number of perseverative errors and recalled words.


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