Antibody levels of COVID-19 vaccine: A comparison between healthy subjects and psychiatric patients on antidepressants

This study compares the serological antibody level post-COVID-19 vaccine among healthy subjects and psychiatric patients on antidepressant therapy. It also examines the difference in antidepressants' side effects experienced by psychiatric patients following the completion of two vaccine doses. A comparative posttest quasi-experimental study was conducted among healthy subjects and psychiatric patients on antidepressant medication in a teaching hospital in Malaysia. Elecsys Anti-SARS-CoV-2 assay was used to detect the antibody titre between weeks 4 and 12 post vaccination. The antidepressant side-effect checklist (ASEC) was used to monitor the occurrence of antidepressant-related side effects pre-and post-vaccination. 24 psychiatric patients and 26 healthy subjects were included. There was no significant difference in the antibody level between the patients (median = 1509 u/ml) and the healthy subjects (median = 995 u/ml). There was no significant worsening in the antidepressant-related side effects. The antibody level post-COVID-19 vaccine did not differ significantly between patients on antidepressant therapy and healthy subjects. Additionally, there was no change in the antidepressant side effects experienced by the patients following the completion of the vaccine.Copyright © 2022, Research Trends (P) LTD.. All rights reserved.

Depression in patients with cerebral microangiopathy.

Cerebral microangiopathy (CMA) is one of the significant causes of depression in the elderly. Close associations of the risk of developing depression with white matter hyperintensity, the presence of lacunar infarcts, and other markers of vascular disease are shown. The available data suggest that various vascular mechanisms, in particular, involvement of small vessels of the brain, generalized microvascular and endothelial dysfunction, metabolic risk factors, - are risk factors for the development of depression. Pathogenetic mechanisms include cerebral hypoperfusion and immune dysregulation. Depression is also a common complication of coronavirus infection, occurring both in the acute and post-COVID periods. The same mechanisms as in vascular depression are involved in the pathogenesis of the development of post-COVID depressive disorders. Given the complexity of the mechanisms of development of depressive disorders in patients with CMA, the presence of severe comorbid vascular pathology, antidepressants with an optimal ratio of efficacy and safety should be preferred. Agomelatine (Valdoxan) is one of such drugs.Copyright © 2023 Ima-Press Publishing House. All rights reserved.

ON THE POSSIBLE ROLE OF SOME PSYCHOTROPIC MEDICATIONS IN THE THERAPY OF COVID-19 INFECTION (BRIEF LITERATURE REVIEW)

The COVID-19 pandemic that is currently raging in the world caused, together with quarantine restrictions and other measures to combat it, significant distress in the human population. This distress has led to a sharp increase in the incidence of mental disorders in the population, especially of depressive, anxiety and stress-related disorders. This increase in psychiatric morbidity, in turn, significantly increased the number of people needing to take certain psychotropic drugs. On the other hand, the current lack of effective specific agents for the treatment of COVID-19 infection also posed the task of finding potential candidates for repositioning of a new indication (treatment of this new infection) among already registered drugs. Among the drugs screened for potential efficacy against the new SARS-CoV-2 virus, thousands of drugs which are currently registered in the world, of course, there are many psychotropic drugs. Some of them actually turned out to be promising candidates for such repositioning. In this brief review, we show that several classes of psychotropic drugs can be potential candidates for repositioning for the treatment of COVID-19: ligands of sigma-1 and sigma-2 receptors (primarily fluvoxamine, but possibly others, including the innovative Russian anxiolytic fabomotizole (Afobazole), melatonergic agonists (exogenous melatonin and possibly also agomelatine (Valdoxan) and, again, fabomotizole (Afobazole)), as well as peptide bioregulators with nootropic, antidepressant, anti-anxiety, anti-stress and immunomodulatory properties (Noopept, Selang). Copyright © 2021 Izdatel'stvo Meditsina. All rights reserved.

Therapeutic potential of melatonin and melatonergic drugs on K18-hACE2 mice infected with SARS-CoV-2.

As the COVID-19 pandemic grows, several therapeutic candidates are being tested or undergoing clinical trials. Although prophylactic vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 infection has been shown to be effective, no definitive treatment exists to date in the event of infection. The rapid spread of infection by SARS-CoV-2 and its variants fully warrants the continued evaluation of drug treatments for COVID-19, especially in the context of repurposing of already available and safe drugs. Here, we explored the therapeutic potential of melatonin and melatonergic compounds in attenuating COVID-19 pathogenesis in mice expressing human ACE2 receptor (K18-hACE2), strongly susceptible to SARS-CoV-2 infection. Daily administration of melatonin, agomelatine, or ramelteon delays the occurrence of severe clinical outcome with improvement of survival, especially with high melatonin dose. Although no changes in most lung inflammatory cytokines are observed, treatment with melatonergic compounds limits the exacerbated local lung production of type I and type III interferons, which is likely associated with the observed improved symptoms in treated mice. The promising results from this preclinical study should encourage studies examining the benefits of repurposing melatonergic drugs to treat COVID-19 and related diseases in humans.

[About the causes and therapy of depressive disorders in COVID-19]. / O prichinakh vozniknoveniya i lechenii depressivnykh narushenii pri COVID-19.

Brief information about the causes of depressive disorders in COVID-19 and general strategies of their treatment is presented. According to the biopsychosocial model of the development of mental diseases, depressive disorders in COVID-19 develop due to the toxic effect of the coronavirus on nervous system and other organism systems, possible side-effects of COVID-19 therapy, the psychogenic effect of excessive and inaccurate information about the coronavirus infection and the consequences of its spread, adverse social changes during the pandemic. If infection with the SARS-CoV-2 did not develop, depressive disorders may arise due to psychogenic information and negative social influences. If coronavirus infection is present, depressive disorders can manifest during the acute period of COVID-19 and after recovery from COVID-19. Depressive disorders may occur for the first time in a patient with COVID-19 or infection can aggravate depression that has been in remission. Care should consistently include psychosocial activities, psychocorrection and psychopharmacotherapy. For the prevention of onset of depressive disorders, it is better to implement social-hygienic and psychological-pedagogical measures. Psychotherapy and psychopharmacotherapy become more important in the development of clinically expressed depressive disorders.