Exercise Intervention for Late-Life Depression: A Meta-Analysis.

OBJECTIVE: To quantify the association between physical exercise intervention (PEI) and reduction in depressive symptoms in older adults. DATA SOURCES: MEDLINE, PsycINFO, and EMBASE were searched from inception through December 2018 with no language restrictions using keywords related to exercise, depression, elderly adults, and randomized controlled trials. STUDY SELECTION: Randomized controlled trials comparing a sedentary control group, with no physically active intervention, to a supervised, moderate-to-vigorous PEI with participants aged ≥ 60 years and having a primary outcome of depressive symptoms were included. DATA EXTRACTION: Data on pre- and post-intervention scores on scales measuring depressive symptoms were extracted using a standard form. Random-effects models were used to pool standardized mean differences (Hedges g) in depressive symptoms across studies. DATA SYNTHESIS: Nine studies involving 1,308 participants were included; mean participant age was 82 years. Moderate-to-vigorous PEI was associated with a medium effect size of 0.64 (95% CI, 0.27 to 1.01; z = 3.38; P < .001) in reducing depressive symptoms. However, there was considerable heterogeneity (T² = 0.22, Q = 36.34, P < .0001; I² = 78.0%) in the effect of PEI across included studies. Age > 80 years, Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE) score < 23, and no depressive symptoms at baseline contributed to heterogeneity. Fitness metrics and adherence to exercise were inconsistently reported, and 5 of 9 studies were deemed at high risk of bias. CONCLUSIONS: A moderate reduction in depressive symptoms was seen with PEI among older adults. Nevertheless, more work is needed to support PEI for late-life depression in adults over age 80 years or with MMSE scores < 23 suggestive of cognitive decline.

C-reactive protein and cardiovascular risk in bipolar disorder patients: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVES: New research is revealing a strong association between inflammatory markers with bipolar disorder (BD), potentially due to the high prevalence of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors in BD. We aimed to synthesize the literature examining the association between the clinically most relevant inflammatory marker, C-reactive protein (CRP) and cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk factors in patients with BD. METHODS: MEDLINE, Embase and PsychInfo were systematically searched for all relevant English language articles published prior to April 2017. Articles were included if they examined the association between CRP and cardiovascular risk factors/disease in BD. RESULTS: Fifteen relevant articles were retrieved. Studies were mostly cross-sectional and heterogeneous in the cardiovascular risk factors investigated. Overall, elevated CRP was associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, elevated body mass index, higher waist circumference, and obesity. CRP was inconsistently associated with elevated fasting glucose, insulin levels, serum triglycerides, total cholesterol levels, and low high density lipoprotein (HDL) levels. Atypical antipsychotic use may mediate some of these effects. No study examined CRP's association with actual cardiovascular disease (e.g. coronary artery disease) in BD. CONCLUSIONS: In BD, CRP is associated with increases in several cardiovascular risk factors, suggesting that systemic inflammation could be a shared driving force for both outcomes of BD and cardiovascular risk. Further longitudinal research is needed in this area to verify causality, including an examination of actual cardiovascular disease. Non-pharmacological and pharmacological treatments with anti-inflammatory effects should also be investigated, particularly in patients with increased CRP, for their potential to reduce cardiovascular risk in BD.

Molecular mechanisms in lithium-associated renal disease: a systematic review.

PURPOSE: Lithium is an essential treatment in bipolar disorder and treatment-resistant depression; however, its use has been limited by concerns regarding its renal adverse effects. An improved understanding of potential molecular mechanisms can help develop prevention and treatment strategies for lithium-associated renal disease. METHODS: We conducted a systematic literature search using MEDLINE, Embase, and PsychINFO including English-language original research articles published prior to November 2015 that specifically investigated lithium's effects on nephrogenic diabetes insipidus (NDI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD), using molecular markers. RESULTS: From a total of 3510 records, 71 pre-clinical studies and two relevant clinical studies were identified. Molecular alterations were reported in calcium signaling, inositol monophosphate, extracellular-regulated, prostaglandin, sodium/solute transport, G-protein-coupled receptors, nitric oxide, vasopressin/aquaporin, and inflammation-related pathways in lithium-associated renal disease. The majority of studies found that these mechanisms were implicated in NDI, while few studies had examined CKD. DISCUSSION: Future studies will have to focus on (1) validating the present findings in human subjects and (2) examining CKD, which is the most clinically relevant lithium-associated renal effect. This will improve our understanding of lithium's biological effects, as well as inform a personalized medicine approach, which could lead to safer lithium prescribing and less renal adverse events.

Mode of entry to an early intervention service for psychotic disorders: determinants and impact on outcome.

OBJECTIVE: Specialized early intervention services for first-episode psychosis should treat a proportion of patients without using inpatient beds. This study compared such service users by their initial mode of treatment before entry-inpatient (N=157) or outpatient (N=102). METHODS: On entry to a Montreal early intervention service, the groups were compared on baseline clinical and functional variables and on hospitalizations during two years of treatment. RESULTS: Initial presentation at an emergency service, shorter duration of untreated psychosis, lower functioning level, and aggressive and bizarre behavior were associated with the inpatient entry mode to early intervention services. During follow-up, individuals entering as inpatients spent more days hospitalized than those entering as outpatients, and their time to rehospitalization was shorter. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that entry into early intervention services via the hospital emergency department and presentation with behavioral and functional disturbances were more predictive than core psychotic symptoms of hospital inpatient status on referral to an early intervention service.