Evaluation of Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 levels in patients with bipolar disorder: Is Galectin-3 associated with treatment response?

INTRODUCTION: Galectins (Gal) were linked with inflammatory responses in the central nervous system, may play an important role in the pathogenesis of BD.In this study,we aimed to investigate whether serum Gal-1 and Gal-3 levels are related to BD. METHODS: 36 patients diagnosed with BD were included.C-Reactive Protein(CRP),Gal-1,Gal-3 blood levels were evaluated on the first day of hospitalization and the third week of treatment and compared with 41 healthy controls.The severity of the illness was evaluated with the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). RESULTS: CRP levels of BD patients at hospitalization were significantly higher than the third week of treatment and healthy controls.Gal-1 levels on the first day of hospitalization and the third week of treatment were found higher than the healthy controls.There was no significant difference in Gal-3 levels of the patients on the day of hospitalization compared to healthy controls;at the end of the 3rd week of treatment,Gal-3 was statistically significantly higher than the first day of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Our study is valuable in that it is the first study to show the change in Gal levels after treatment and to evaluate the role of Gal in BD.Gal-1 may play roles in the pathophysiology of BD.Gal-3 may be a biomarker candidate for the evaluation of the treatment response.

Profile of psychotropic agents used in autism spectrum disorder according to comorbidities in Turkey: A 4-year evaluation.

It is known that the use of psychotropic pharmaceuticals is common in comorbidities seen in autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We have very limited knowledge about which psychotropic drugs are prescribed when comorbidities are diagnosed in patients with ASD. It is aimed to determine the profile of psychotropic agents in patients diagnosed with ASD associated with comorbidities between the ages of 0-24 in Turkey over 4 years. Data belonging to ASD in Prescription Information System (PIS) was obtained from the 'Turkish Medicines and Medical Devices Agency'. A total of 34 066 prescriptions including 45 624 psychotropic drugs were analyzed. A total of psychotropic drugs prescribed for patients with ASD was 75.4%. The following psychotropic drugs were prescribed for the patients with ASD and its comorbidities; risperidone (28.6%), aripiprazole (13.7%), and valproic acid (11.3%) are the most preferred psychotropics. The percentage of pharmaceuticals containing psychotropic active substances in prescriptions with ASD and its comorbidities is 7.5%. This study is the first research in which psychotropics used in ASD were evaluated over a wide period and nationwide. Antipsychotics were most commonly prescribed with the diagnosis of ASD. In the presence of ASD and its comorbidities, risperidone was most frequently prescribed.

What do psychiatrists think about renaming schizophrenia in Turkey?

In this study, it was aimed to evaluate the opinions of psychiatrists in Turkey on whether to change the name of schizophrenia in order to reduce stigma. This cross-sectional survey was conducted with psychiatrists (resident in psychiatry, specialist, and lecturer) in Turkey. An online survey was created via the Google Forms public web address. Online questionnaires were delivered through Google Forms by emailing and messaging on WhatsApp, Telegram, Google and Yahoo groups and asking them to pass the questionnaire to other possible participants in their network. The study was performed between June 20, 2021 and July 10, 2021. 460 psychiatrists participated in the study. Forty-five-point 2 % of psychiatrists think that the name of schizophrenia should be renamed to reduce stigma. Forty-two-point 8 % of those who support the name change state that this change should be done as soon as possible. While 64.1 % of psychiatrists stated that naming the disease with another (new) name instead of schizophrenia could increase the hopes of patients and their relatives for recovery, 12.6 % stated that renaming would not cause any positive or negative changes. There is no statistical difference between psychiatrists who have a relative diagnosed with schizophrenia and psychiatrists who do not, in terms of thinking that the name of schizophrenia should be renamed to reduce stigma. In order to remove the stigma on schizophrenia, many interventions are required in social, cultural, economic and political fields. Renaming schizophrenia may be a good start for interventions.

Do Anxiety and Depression Levels Affect the Inflammation Response in Patients Hospitalized for COVID-19.

OBJECTIVE: The whole world is still struggling with the COVID-19 pandemic. Inflammation response, thought to be associated with severe illness and death, is an important research topic in COVID-19. Inflammation is also an essential condition explored in psychiatric illnesses. Our knowledge about the relationship between the inflammation response and psychiatric comorbidities in patients with COVID-19 is very limited. In this study, the relationship between anxiety and depression levels and inflammation response of patients with COVID-19 hospitalized in the hospital was examined. METHODS: 175 patients were included in the study. Sociodemographic Data Form, Beck Depression Inventory and Beck Anxiety Inventory were applied to the patients. To evaluate the inflammation responses, blood sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein (CRP), procalcitonin, ferritin, neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and IL-6 levels were examined. RESULTS: In our study, no relationship was found between anxiety and depression levels and inflammatory responses in patients hospitalized with a diagnosis of COVID-19. Anxiety and depression levels of women were higher than men, and NLR, ferritin, IL-6 levels were found to be lower than men. Anxiety levels increase with age. There is a positive correlation between NLR and ferritin levels and duration of hospitalization. CONCLUSION: Our study examining the relationship of psychiatric comorbidities with the inflammation response and our increasing literature knowledge, together with studies evaluating the mental effects of COVID-19, suggest that determining the relationship between inflammation responses and psychiatric comorbidities in COVID-19, whose pathophysiology has not been clarified yet, maybe an essential step in interventions on the course of the disease.

Anxiety and hopelessness levels in COVID-19 pandemic: A comparative study of healthcare professionals and other community sample in Turkey.

COVID-19 affected our mental health as well as our physical health. In this study, the anxiety and hopelessness levels of healthcare workers and non-healthcare workers and the factors affecting them were evaluated in Turkey. Beck Hopelessness Scale and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) was applied online to participants. Totally 2156 individuals were included in the study and 52.0% (n:1121) of them are healthcare workers. The hopelessness and state anxiety levels of healthcare workers were higher than non-healthcare workers. Nurses' hopelessness levels are higher than doctors, and state anxiety levels are higher than both doctors and other healthcare workers. Anxiety and hopelessness levels were higher in women, those living with a high-risk individual at home during the pandemic, those who had difficulty in caring for their children, and those whose income decreased. Anxiety levels are an important predictor of hopelessness. The increase in anxiety levels explained 28.9% of the increase in hopelessness levels. Increased working hours is one of the important factors affecting anxiety. As a conclusion, healthcare workers were more affected psychologically in the COVID-19 pandemic compared to the society. Nurses were affected more than other healthcare workers. It is important to identify the factors affecting anxiety, hopelessness, and individuals who may be more psychologically affected during the pandemic. An important contribution can be made to the protection of public health by ensuring that psychosocial interventions for high-risk groups are planned in advance.

Correction to: Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia and their Unaffected Siblings.

The original version of this article unfortunately contained a mistake. The name of the 5th author was incorrectly listed as Çigdem Yüksel, when it is actually Çigdem Yücel. The correct information is as shown above.

Galectin-1 and Galectin-3 Levels in Patients with Schizophrenia and their Unaffected Siblings.

Many hypothesis suggest that inflammation plays an important role in schizophrenia. Galectins can regulate inflammatory response in central nervous system. The relation between galectins and neuropsyhchiatric diseases and schizophrenia is unclear. The present study compared levels of Gal-1 and Gal-3 of patients with schizophrenia to that of first-degree relatives without the disease and healthy controls in order to evaluate any possible association. Sixty-two patients with schizophrenia, fifty-five unaffected siblings and fifty-eight age- and sex-matched healthy controls enrolled. Serum Gal-1, Gal-3 and CRP levels were measured. PANNS and CGI-S were used to evaluate the severity of disease. There was a statistically significant difference in serum Gal-1 levels among the patient, sibling, and control groups. There were no statistically significant correlations between serum CRP ​​and serum Gal-1 or Gal-3 levels. Gal-1 values were significantly higher in the unaffected siblings compared to both the patient group and the healthy control group. Gal-3 levels were elevated in the sibling group relative to the patient group. In the literature, the relationship between galectins and schizophrenia is very limited and appears to be a new field of study. Future studies are needed to evaluate the protective roles of galectins.