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Neurochemical Research Oct 2023Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting mainly the elderly population. It is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease is a neurodegenerative disease affecting mainly the elderly population. It is characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons of the substantia nigra pars compacta region. Parkinson's disease patients exhibit motor symptoms like tremors, rigidity, bradykinesia/hypokinesia, and non-motor symptoms like depression, cognitive decline, delusion, and pain. Major pathophysiological factors which contribute to neuron loss include excess/misfolded alpha-synuclein aggregates, microglial cell-mediated neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, oxidative stress, and defective mitochondrial function. Sigma-1 receptors are molecular chaperones located at mitochondria-associated ER membrane. Their activation (by endogenous ligands or agonists) has shown neuroprotective and neurorestorative effects in various diseases. This review discusses the roles of activated Sig-1 receptors in modulating various pathophysiological features of Parkinson's disease like alpha-synuclein aggregates, neuroinflammation, excitotoxicity, and oxidative stress.
Topics: Aged; Humans; Parkinson Disease; alpha-Synuclein; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Neuroinflammatory Diseases; Dopaminergic Neurons; Substantia Nigra; Sigma-1 Receptor
PubMed: 37259012
DOI: 10.1007/s11064-023-03960-6 -
Soins. Psychiatrie 2023When we talk about the clinic of delusional symptoms, we are first and foremost affirming that delusions exist. Professionals working in psychiatry know that delusions...
When we talk about the clinic of delusional symptoms, we are first and foremost affirming that delusions exist. Professionals working in psychiatry know that delusions can be listened to, that they give meaning to suffering and are part of the history of the subject. Taking the time to reflect on this type of symptom allows us to invest in the clinical field specific to psychiatry, and only makes sense if the clinical approach is based on work referring to the patient's individual history. Maintaining and developing these attitudes to care is essential to the survival of psychiatry as a discipline. Focusing on the clinic of delusion is neither a luxury nor a waste of time.
Topics: Humans; Delusions; Psychiatry
PubMed: 37743085
DOI: 10.1016/j.spsy.2023.07.003 -
Neurological Sciences : Official... Jun 2024Morgellons disease is characterized by the persistent delusion of skin infestation, ultimately inflicting wounds and impairing quality of life. There is insufficient and... (Review)
Review
Morgellons disease is characterized by the persistent delusion of skin infestation, ultimately inflicting wounds and impairing quality of life. There is insufficient and conflicting research pertaining to this condition, imposing challenges on clinicians in understanding, diagnosing, and treating it. In this review, we summarize the available literature on Morgellons disease including its historical evolution, epidemiology, proposed pathophysiology, underlying structural and functional brain pathologies, typical and atypical clinical presentations, diagnosis, and treatment. A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted on PubMed, Embase, and Scopus using specified keywords. Selected articles were screened by two independent reviewers based on set inclusion and exclusion criteria. Conflicts were resolved by a third reviewer as needed. No limit to the date of selected articles was set due to the scarce literature available on the subject. Morgellons disease is an underdiagnosed entity, owing mostly to the lack of an established pathophysiology and treatment guidelines. While many authors classify it as a type of delusional infestation (DI), others correlate MD with an underlying spirochetal infection, namely Lyme disease. Neuroimaging studies have revealed abnormalities in the "fronto-striato-thalamo-parietal network", a finding common to patients with DI, in addition to alterations in structures related to the "Itch Processing Pathway". Patients tend to extract fibers from their skin lesions and place them in a match box hence the term "match box sign". The diagnosis is that of exclusion, requiring extensive work up to rule out secondary causes and differential diagnoses. Treatment is largely based on the use of antipsychotics, with or without cognitive behavioral therapy. Despite being a diagnosis of exclusion, clinicians must be aware of this entity and have a profound understanding of the pathogenesis underlying it. Upon clinical suspicion, secondary Morgellons should always be ruled out through a thorough history taking, physical examination, and laboratory exams. Despite the challenges brought by the heterogeneous presentation of the condition and the paucity of research revolving around it, the great impact that Morgellons disease has on patients' quality of life forms a pressing need for its adequate detection, diagnosis, and treatment.
Topics: Humans; Morgellons Disease
PubMed: 38319480
DOI: 10.1007/s10072-024-07361-7 -
Expert Opinion on Pharmacotherapy 2023The severity of positive symptoms in schizophrenia is associated with poor prognosis. About one-third of schizophrenia patients partially respond to treatment with... (Review)
Review
INTRODUCTION
The severity of positive symptoms in schizophrenia is associated with poor prognosis. About one-third of schizophrenia patients partially respond to treatment with available antipsychotics. The purpose of the present manuscript is to provide an updated overview of novel pharmacotherapy targeting positive symptoms in schizophrenia.
AREAS COVERED
A comprehensive research on the main database sources (PubMed, PsychINFO, Isi Web of Knowledge, MEDLINE, and EMBASE) was performed to obtain original articles published till 31 January 2023 about new pharmacological strategies for the treatment of positive symptoms in schizophrenia.
EXPERT OPINION
The most promising compounds include: lamotrigine, pro-cognitive-compounds (donepezil - in the short term, idazoxan and piracetam) and drugs acting partially or totally outside the Central Nervous System (CNS) (anti-inflammatory drugs: celecoxib, methotrexate; cardiovascular compounds: L-theanine, mononitrate isosorbide, propentofylline, sodium nitroprusside; metabolic regulators: diazoxide, allopurinol; others: bexarotene, raloxifene [in women]). The effectiveness of the latter compounds indicates that other biological systems, such as immunity or metabolism can be object of future research to identify pharmacological targets for positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Mirtazapine could be useful for treating negative symptoms without increasing the risk of a worsening of delusions/hallucinations. Nevertheless, the lack of replication of studies prevents to draw definitive conclusions and future studies are needed to confirm the findings presented in this overview.
Topics: Humans; Female; Schizophrenia; Antipsychotic Agents
PubMed: 37401388
DOI: 10.1080/14656566.2023.2231346 -
The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry Aug 2023Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating mental health condition that significantly impacts quality of life and can shorten patients' lifetime by decades. It is...
Schizophrenia is a chronic and debilitating mental health condition that significantly impacts quality of life and can shorten patients' lifetime by decades. It is characterized by symptoms including hallucinations and delusions, apathy, and cognitive impairment, and people with schizophrenia also experience many somatic comorbidities, such as metabolic disturbances, infectious diseases, cardiovascular issues, and respiratory illnesses. For decades, treatment for schizophrenia has focused on antipsychotics (APs) that reduce excess dopamine signaling to the associative striatum, which also blocks dopamine signaling in the dorsal striatum, creating movement disorders. Second-generation APs have a lower propensity to cause drug-induced movement disorders than first-generation APs. Nonetheless, only 1 out of 3 patients respond to any of the available APs; moreover, negative and cognitive symptoms tend to persist, while side effects and long-term risks can contribute to poor outcomes. However, there are new understandings in how to reduce dopamine release both presynaptically and selectively in circuits governing psychotic symptoms. These mechanisms offer a different treatment approach for patients with schizophrenia.
Topics: Humans; Schizophrenia; Dopamine; Quality of Life; Psychotic Disorders; Movement Disorders; Antipsychotic Agents
PubMed: 37555680
DOI: 10.4088/JCP.sunscz3001sho -
Ecology and Evolution Mar 2024During the last 50 years, a group of ecologists has repeatedly used Popper's falsificationism in normative claims concerning how research in ecology should be... (Review)
Review
During the last 50 years, a group of ecologists has repeatedly used Popper's falsificationism in normative claims concerning how research in ecology should be conducted and/or how ecology should be corrected. Other ecologists seem to be dissatisfied with these criticisms. Nevertheless, they have not provided systematic analyses of how and why the Popperian criticisms of ecology fail. I have two aims in this article First, I show how so-called Popperian ecologists have not only failed to use but have misused - if not abused - Popper in their criticisms of ecology. That is, the Popperian criticisms of ecology lack the justification the critics claim it has. Second, I claim that Popper's falsificationism is an unsuitable philosophy of science for ecology. In other words, ecology should not be criticized nor evaluated from the Popperian perspective in the first place.
PubMed: 38435009
DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11106 -
Psychology and Psychotherapy Mar 2024This paper outlines the theoretical and empirical basis for compassion focused therapy (CFT) for psychosis, the gaps in the current knowledge and research, as well as... (Review)
Review
PURPOSE
This paper outlines the theoretical and empirical basis for compassion focused therapy (CFT) for psychosis, the gaps in the current knowledge and research, as well as some of the challenges for addressing gaps. It will guide the direction of future work and the steps needed to develop and advance this approach.
METHOD
This paper reviews evidence of how evolutionary models such as social rank theory and attachment theory have greatly contributed to our understanding of psychosis and provide a clear rationale and evidence base for the mechanisms of change in CFT for psychosis. It reviews the evidence for outcomes of compassion training more generally, and early feasibility evaluations of CFT for psychosis.
RESULTS
The process evidence shows that people with psychosis have highly active social rank and threat systems, and the benefits of switching into attachment and care systems, which can support emotion regulation and integrative mind states. The outcomes evidence shows that compassion training impacts not only psychological outcomes, but also physiological outcomes such as neural circuits, immune system, and the autonomic nervous system. Within the psychosis field, outcomes research is still in the early days, but there are good indications of feasibility and a clear path forward for the next steps.
CONCLUSIONS
CFT for psychosis is an approach that integrates biopsychosocial processes, an integration that's evidenced across each aspect of the model, from theoretical foundations (evolution-informed) to interventions (e.g., body/breath training and relational techniques), to evaluation. Future RCTs are required to understand the effects on biopsychosocial outcomes for people with psychosis.
Topics: Humans; Empathy; Psychotic Disorders; Outcome Assessment, Health Care
PubMed: 37578215
DOI: 10.1111/papt.12490 -
Medical Oncology (Northwood, London,... Jul 2023Cancer treatment is one of the most challenging topics in medical sciences. Different methods such as chemotherapy, tumor surgery, and immune checkpoint inhibitors... (Review)
Review
Cancer treatment is one of the most challenging topics in medical sciences. Different methods such as chemotherapy, tumor surgery, and immune checkpoint inhibitors therapy (ICIs) are potential approaches to treating cancer and killing tumor cells, but clinical studies have shown that they have been successful for a limited group of patients. Using viruses as a treatment can be considered as an effective treatment in the field of medicine. This is considered as a potential treatment, especially in comparison to chemotherapy, which has severe side effects related to the immune system. Most oncolytic viruses (OVs) have the potential to multiply in cancer cells, which are more than normal cells in malignant tissue and can induce immune responses. Therefore, tons of efforts and research have been started on the utilization of OVs as a treatment for cancer and have shown promising in treating cancers with less side effects. In this article, we have gathered studies about oncolytic viruses and their effectiveness in cancer treatment.Please confirm if the author names are presented accurately and in the correct sequence (given name, middle name/initial, family name). Author 1 Given name: [Omid Salahi] Last name [Ardekani], Author 2 Given name: [Mohammad Mehdi] Last name [Fazeli], Author 3 Given name: [Nillofar Asadi] Last name [Jemezghani]. Also, kindly confirm the details in the metadata are correct.Confirmed.
Topics: Humans; Oncolytic Viruses; Oncolytic Virotherapy; Delusions; Neoplasms; Treatment Outcome; Drug-Related Side Effects and Adverse Reactions
PubMed: 37458862
DOI: 10.1007/s12032-023-02106-6