Neurochemical and genetic factors in panic disorder: a systematic review.

This systematic review addresses the complex nature of Panic Disorder (PD), characterized by recurrent episodes of acute fear, with a focus on updating and consolidating knowledge regarding neurochemical, genetic, and epigenetic factors associated with PD. Utilizing the PRISMA methodology, 33 original peer-reviewed studies were identified, comprising 6 studies related to human neurochemicals, 10 related to human genetic or epigenetic alterations, and 17 animal studies. The review reveals patterns of altered expression in various biological systems, including neurotransmission, the Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal (HPA) axis, neuroplasticity, and genetic and epigenetic factors leading to neuroanatomical modifications. Noteworthy findings include lower receptor binding of GABAA and serotonin neurotransmitters in the amygdala. The involvement of orexin (ORX) neurons in the dorsomedial/perifornical region in triggering panic reactions is highlighted, with systemic ORX-1 receptor antagonists blocking panic responses. Elevated Interleukin 6 and leptin levels in PD patients suggest potential connections between stress-induced inflammatory changes and PD. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling are implicated in panic-like responses, particularly in the dorsal periaqueductal gray (dPAG), where BDNF's panicolytic-like effects operate through GABAA-dependent mechanisms. GABAergic neurons' inhibitory influence on dorsomedial and posterior hypothalamus nuclei is identified, potentially reducing the excitability of neurons involved in panic-like responses. The dorsomedial hypothalamus (DMH) is highlighted as a specific hypothalamic nucleus relevant to the genesis and maintenance of panic disorder. Altered brain lactate and glutamate concentrations, along with identified genetic polymorphisms linked to PD, further contribute to the intricate neurochemical landscape associated with the disorder. The review underscores the potential impact of neurochemical, genetic, and epigenetic factors on the development and expression of PD. The comprehensive insights provided by this systematic review contribute to advancing our understanding of the multifaceted nature of Panic Disorder and pave the way for targeted therapeutic strategies.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to Brazilian Portuguese and its psychometric properties-A multicenter cross-sectional study.

OBJECTIVE: To adapt the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to the Brazilian language and culture and to assess its psychometric properties. RESULTS: The scale was evaluated by 15 experts, and 239 patients from three tertiary hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. All participants signed a consent form. Data have shown adequacy of the model (KMO=0.839, Bartlett's test of sphericity: χ2(171) = 2241.3, p = 0.000010), good adjusted content validity (CVCa ≥ 0.90), internal consistency and reliability, such as α = 0.927. DISCUSSION: CuPDPH is a rating scale on observable professional attitudes. Illnesses change lives and impose adaptation to a new situation, perceived as depersonalization, leading patients to try to regain control of their lives. Patients expressed "ill will" to fill out the scale. Psychiatric patients' scale filling time was higher than others. A sample from three Rio de Janeiro third-level hospitals may not reflect the country's population; also, this adaptation may not comprise all linguistic variations of Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese-speaking countries. CONCLUSION: The Portuguese version of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH), a 19-item, six-component version is a reliable instrument to measure the perception of internal medicine, surgical, and psychiatric patients on the maintenance of their dignity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This knowledge could be used in advancing research on patients' perception of dignity, as well as professional ethical competencies, staff-patient relationship skills, and leadership development in medical and other healthcare professional education.

Cross-cultural adaptation of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to Brazilian Portuguese and its psychometric properties—A multicenter cross-sectional study

Abstract Objective To adapt the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH) to the Brazilian language and culture and to assess its psychometric properties. Results The scale was evaluated by 15 experts, and 239 patients from three tertiary hospitals in Rio de Janeiro. All participants signed a consent form. Data have shown adequacy of the model (KMO=0.839, Bartlett's test of sphericity: χ2(171) = 2241.3, p = 0.000010), good adjusted content validity (CVCa ≥ 0.90), internal consistency and reliability, such as α = 0.927. Discussion CuPDPH is a rating scale on observable professional attitudes. Illnesses change lives and impose adaptation to a new situation, perceived as depersonalization, leading patients to try to regain control of their lives. Patients expressed "ill will" to fill out the scale. Psychiatric patients' scale filling time was higher than others. A sample from three Rio de Janeiro third-level hospitals may not reflect the country's population; also, this adaptation may not comprise all linguistic variations of Brazilian Portuguese and Portuguese-speaking countries. Conclusion The Portuguese version of the Scale of Perception of Respect for and Maintenance of the Dignity of the Inpatient (CuPDPH), a 19-item, six-component version is a reliable instrument to measure the perception of internal medicine, surgical, and psychiatric patients on the maintenance of their dignity in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. This knowledge could be used in advancing research on patients' perception of dignity, as well as professional ethical competencies, staff-patient relationship skills, and leadership development in medical and other healthcare professional education.

Prediction of declarative memory profile in panic disorder patients: a machine learning-based approach

Objective: To develop a classification framework based on random forest (RF) modeling to outline the declarative memory profile of patients with panic disorder (PD) compared to a healthy control sample. Methods: We developed RF models to classify the declarative memory profile of PD patients in comparison to a healthy control sample using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). For this study, a total of 299 patients with PD living in the city of Rio de Janeiro (70.9% females, age 39.9 ± 7.3 years old) were recruited through clinician referrals or self/family referrals. Results: Our RF models successfully predicted declarative memory profiles in patients with PD based on RAVLT scores (lowest area under the curve [AUC] of 0.979, for classification; highest root mean squared percentage [RMSPE] of 17.2%, for regression) using relatively bias-free clinical data, such as sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). Conclusions: Our findings also suggested that BMI, used as a proxy for diet and exercises habits, plays an important role in declarative memory. Our framework can be extended and used as a prospective tool to classify and examine associations between clinical features and declarative memory in PD patients.

Home care for the elderly with dementia: a systematic review.

Objetive: With the global population aging, there is a growing need for home-based care to meet the health needs of the elderly. However, the quality of care provided to the aged population is now arguably a significant challenge for most healthcare systems worldwide. Methods: The present review included 13 original studies on home care and its effects on dementia patients, describing how patient care and adequate treatment can be collaborative for their improvement, for case management, and optimizing pain control and specificities. Results: Among the findings, it was evidenced that the environment impacts the form of care, once being at home can improve communication and global monitoring of dementia patients. Conclusion: In addition to the results analyzed in this review, there is a need for future, well-designed studies on the different aspects of home care, highlighting the importance of evaluating the type of care for each patient in the quest to optimize the care.

Objetivo: Com o envelhecimento da população mundial, há uma necessidade crescente de cuidados domiciliares para atender às necessidades de saúde dos idosos. No entanto, a qualidade dos cuidados prestados à população idosa é hoje indiscutivelmente um grande desafio para a maioria dos sistemas de saúde em todo o mundo. Métodos: A presente revisão incluiu 13 estudos originais sobre cuidados domiciliares e seus efeitos em pacientes com demência, descrevendo como o cuidado e o tratamento adequado do paciente podem ser colaborativos para sua melhora, para o gerenciamento de casos e a otimização do controle de sua dor e especificidades. Resultados: Entre os achados, evidenciou-se que o ambiente impacta a forma de atendimento, pois estar em casa pode melhorar a comunicação e o acompanhamento global dos pacientes em quadro demencial. Conclusão: Além dos resultados analisados nesta revisão, há a necessidade de futuros estudos bem elaborados sobre os diferentes aspectos da atenção domiciliar, destacando a importância de avaliar o tipo de cuidado de cada paciente na busca de otimizar o cuidado.

Prediction of declarative memory profile in panic disorder patients: a machine learning-based approach.

OBJECTIVE: To develop a classification framework based on random forest (RF) modeling to outline the declarative memory profile of patients with panic disorder (PD) compared to a healthy control sample. METHODS: We developed RF models to classify the declarative memory profile of PD patients in comparison to a healthy control sample using the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT). For this study, a total of 299 patients with PD living in the city of Rio de Janeiro (70.9% females, age 39.9 ± 7.3 years old) were recruited through clinician referrals or self/family referrals. RESULTS: Our RF models successfully predicted declarative memory profiles in patients with PD based on RAVLT scores (lowest area under the curve [AUC] of 0.979, for classification; highest root mean squared percentage [RMSPE] of 17.2%, for regression) using relatively bias-free clinical data, such as sex, age, and body mass index (BMI). CONCLUSIONS: Our findings also suggested that BMI, used as a proxy for diet and exercises habits, plays an important role in declarative memory. Our framework can be extended and used as a prospective tool to classify and examine associations between clinical features and declarative memory in PD patients.

Home care for the elderly with dementia: a systematic review / Atenção domiciliar ao idoso com demência: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract Objetive: With the global population aging, there is a growing need for home-based care to meet the health needs of the elderly. However, the quality of care provided to the aged population is now arguably a significant challenge for most healthcare systems worldwide. Methods: The present review included 13 original studies on home care and its effects on dementia patients, describing how patient care and adequate treatment can be collaborative for their improvement, for case management, and optimizing pain control and specificities. Results: Among the findings, it was evidenced that the environment impacts the form of care, once being at home can improve communication and global monitoring of dementia patients. Conclusion: In addition to the results analyzed in this review, there is a need for future, well-designed studies on the different aspects of home care, highlighting the importance of evaluating the type of care for each patient in the quest to optimize the care.

RESUMO Objetivo: Com o envelhecimento da população mundial, há uma necessidade crescente de cuidados domiciliares para atender às necessidades de saúde dos idosos. No entanto, a qualidade dos cuidados prestados à população idosa é hoje indiscutivelmente um grande desafio para a maioria dos sistemas de saúde em todo o mundo. Métodos: A presente revisão incluiu 13 estudos originais sobre cuidados domiciliares e seus efeitos em pacientes com demência, descrevendo como o cuidado e o tratamento adequado do paciente podem ser colaborativos para sua melhora, para o gerenciamento de casos e a otimização do controle de sua dor e especificidades. Resultados: Entre os achados, evidenciou-se que o ambiente impacta a forma de atendimento, pois estar em casa pode melhorar a comunicação e o acompanhamento global dos pacientes em quadro demencial. Conclusão: Além dos resultados analisados nesta revisão, há a necessidade de futuros estudos bem elaborados sobre os diferentes aspectos da atenção domiciliar, destacando a importância de avaliar o tipo de cuidado de cada paciente na busca de otimizar o cuidado.

Improving the perception of respect for and the dignity of inpatients: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of this systematic review is to find evidence to determine which strategies are effective for improving hospitalised patients' perception of respect and dignity. METHODS: A systematic review of the literature was conducted in accordance with Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 guidelines. The MEDLINE/PubMed, PsycINFO and Cochrane Library databases were searched on 9 March 2021. Observational studies, prospective studies, retrospective studies, controlled trials and randomised controlled trials with interventions focused on improving respect for patients and maintaining their dignity were included. Case reports, editorials, opinion articles, studies <10 subjects, responses/replies to authors, responses/replies to editors and review articles were excluded. The study population included inpatients at any health facility. Two evaluators assessed risk of bias according to the Cochrane Handbook of Systematic Reviews of Interventions criteria: allocation, randomisation, blinding and internal validity. The reviewers were blinded during the selection of studies as well as during the quality appraisal. Disagreements were resolved by consensus. RESULTS: 2515 articles were retrieved from databases and 44 articles were included in this review. We conducted a quality appraisal of the studies (27 qualitative studies, 14 cross-sectional studies, 1 cohort study, 1 quali-quantitative study and 1 convergent parallel mixed-method study). DISCUSSION: A limitation of this study is that it may not be generalisable to all cultures. Most of the included studies are of good quality according to the quality appraisal. To improve medical and hospital care in most countries, it is necessary to improve the training of doctors and other health professionals. CONCLUSION: Many strategies could improve the perception of respect for and the dignity of the inpatient. The lack of interventional studies in this field has led to a gap in knowledge to be filled with better designed studies and effect measurements. PROSPERO REGISTRATION NUMBER: CRD42021241805.

A Brazilian Case of Treatment-Resistant Generalized Anxiety Disorder Successfully Treated with Monoamine Oxidase Inhibitor (MAOI).

In this brief report we present the case of a 53 year old man with a very debilitating Generalized Anxiety Disorder successfully treated with tranylcypromine. After several failed treatment attempts following international guidelines recommendations over the course of one year and a half, tranylcypromine was prescribed which led to effective and sustained remission of anxiety symptoms for this patient. We also briefly explore treatment options for resistant cases of generalized anxiety disorder, given the major negative impacts of untreated GAD in a person's daily functioning and quality of life.

Cytokine alterations in panic disorder: A systematic review.

BACKGROUND: Panic disorder (PD) occurs in 3.4-4.7% of the general population. Although accumulating evidence suggests that some inflammatory processes play a role in the pathophysiology of mental disorders, very few studies have evaluated cytokine levels in patients with PD. The aim of the present study was to systematically review the characteristic cytokine profile of PD patients and discuss some possibilities for future trials on this common and disabling disorder. METHODS: A comprehensive literature search was carried out in PubMed and Web of Science databases (search terms: "panic disorder" or "panic attacks" and IL-1, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-8, IL-10, IL-12, IL-13, TNF-alpha and INF-gamma). RESULTS: Eleven studies involving measurements of cytokines in PD patients were included in this review article. Increased serum levels of some inflammatory markers such as IL-6, IL-1ß and IL-5 were reported in PD patients compared with control subjects. There are some conflicting results regarding IL-2, IL-12, and INF-γ in association with PD. LIMITATIONS: There are discrepant findings in the existing literature regarding PD and cytokines. A significant portion of the recognized heterogeneity may be attributable to variability in assay procedures. The discrepant findings may also have been due to differences in the study populations. CONCLUSIONS: Cytokines induce the production of acute-phase proteins and are linked to neurogenesis, modification of the HPA axis, microglial activation, tryptophan metabolism and an imbalance in excitatory and inhibitory neurotransmission. Investigation of inflammatory biomarkers in PD could contribute to understanding the pathophysiological mechanisms in this debilitating disorder.