The efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements in the treatment of mental disorders: a meta‐review of meta‐analyses of randomized controlled trials

The role of nutrition in mental health is becoming increasingly acknowledged. Along with dietary intake, nutrition can also be obtained from “nutrient supplements”, such as polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, amino acids and pre/probiotic supplements. Recently, a large number of meta‐analyses have emerged examining nutrient supplements in the treatment of mental disorders. To produce a meta‐review of this top‐tier evidence, we identified, synthesized and appraised all meta‐analyses of randomized controlled trials (RCTs) reporting on the efficacy and safety of nutrient supplements in common and severe mental disorders. Our systematic search identified 33 meta‐analyses of placebo‐controlled RCTs, with primary analyses including outcome data from 10,951 individuals. The strongest evidence was found for PUFAs (particularly as eicosapentaenoic acid) as an adjunctive treatment for depression. More nascent evidence suggested that PUFAs may also be beneficial for attention‐deficit/hyperactivity disorder, whereas there was no evidence for schizophrenia. Folate‐based supplements were widely researched as adjunctive treatments for depression and schizophrenia, with positive effects from RCTs of high‐dose methylfolate in major depressive disorder. There was emergent evidence for N‐acetylcysteine as a useful adjunctive treatment in mood disorders and schizophrenia. All nutrient supplements had good safety profiles, with no evidence of serious adverse effects or contraindications with psychiatric medications. In conclusion, clinicians should be informed of the nutrient supplements with established efficacy for certain conditions (such as eicosapentaenoic acid in depression), but also made aware of those currently lacking evidentiary support. Future research should aim to determine which individuals may benefit most from evidence‐based supplements, to further elucidate the underlying mechanisms.     

Application of Human‐Induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (hiPSCs) to Study Synaptopathy of Neurodevelopmental Disorders

Synapses are the basic structural and functional units for information processing and storage in the brain. Their diverse properties and functions ultimately underlie the complexity of human behavior. Proper development and maintenance of synapses are essential for normal functioning of the nervous system. Disruption in synaptogenesis and the consequent alteration in synaptic function have been strongly implicated to cause neurodevelopmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and schizophrenia (SCZ). The introduction of human‐induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) provides a new path to elucidate disease mechanisms and potential therapies. In this review, we will discuss the advantages and limitations of using hiPSC‐derived neurons to study synaptic disorders. Many mutations in genes encoding for proteins that regulate synaptogenesis have been identified in patients with ASDs and SCZ. We use Methyl‐CpG binding protein 2 (MECP2), SH3 and multiple ankyrin repeat domains 3 (SHANK3) and Disrupted in schizophrenia 1 (DISC1) as examples to illustrate the promise of using hiPSCs as cellular models to elucidate the mechanisms underlying disease‐related synaptopathy.     

Lysosomal Signaling Licenses Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation via Inactivation of Tfe3

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Trio Haploinsufficiency Causes Neurodevelopmental Disease-Associated Deficits

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Exploring Calbindin-IMPase fusion proteins structure and activity

Calbindin-D28k is a calcium binding protein that is highly expressed in the mammalian central nervous system. It has been reported that calbindin-D28k binds to and increases the activity of inositol Monophosphatase (IMPase). This is an enzyme that is involved in the homeostasis of the Inositol trisphosphate signalling cascade by catalysing the final dephosphorylation of inositol and has been implicated in the therapeutic mechanism of lithium treatment of bipolar disorder. Previously studies have shown that calbindin-D28k can increase IMPase activity by up to 250 hundred-fold. A preliminary in silico model was proposed for the interaction.Here, we aimed at exploring the shape and properties of the calbindin-IMPase complex to gain new insights on this biologically important interaction. We created several fusion constructs of calbindin-D28k and IMPase, connected by flexible amino acid linkers of different lengths and orientations to fuse the termini of the two proteins together. The resulting fusion proteins have activities 200%–400% higher the isolated wild-type IMPase. The constructs were characterized by small angle X-ray scattering to gain information on the overall shape of the complexes and validate the previous model. The fusion proteins form a V-shaped, elongated and less compact complex as compared to the model. Our results shed new light into this protein-protein interaction.     

The concept of mental disorder: diagnostic implications of the harmful dysfunction analysis

What do we mean when we say that a mental condition is a medical disorder rather than a normal form of human suffering or a problem in living? The status of psychiatry as a medical discipline depends on a persuasive answer to this question. The answers tend to range from value accounts that see disorder as a sociopolitical concept, used for social control purposes, to scientific accounts that see the concept as strictly factual. I have proposed a hybrid account, the harmful dysfunction (HD) analysis, that incorporates both value and scientific components as essential elements of the medical concept of disorder, applying to both physical and mental conditions. According to the HD analysis, a condition is a disorder if it is negatively valued ("harmful") and it is in fact due to a failure of some internal mechanism to perform a function for which it was biologically designed (i.e., naturally selected). The implications of this analysis for the validity of symptom-based diagnostic criteria and for challenges in cross-cultural use of diagnostic criteria are explored, using a comparison of the application of DSM diagnostic criteria in the U.S. and Taiwan.     

Liver mtDNA content increases during development: a comparison of methods and the importance of age- and tissue-specific controls for the diagnosis of mtDNA depletion

BACKGROUND: The quantitative loss of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) known as mtDNA depletion, often gives rise to liver disease. The diagnosis of mtDNA depletion syndrome is frequently imprecise, both for technical reasons and because of the lack of established age-adjusted normal ranges. We aimed to refine quantitative methods for diagnosing the hepatic type of mtDNA depletion syndrome, firstly by establishing an age-matched reference range for mitochondrial to nuclear DNA ratio (henceforth "mtDNA content") and secondly by investigating mtDNA in fibroblasts. METHODS: By comparing realtime PCR with an established method for quantifying mtDNA content we established a reference range for young children using biopsy and post-mortem material from patients <15 years. In addition, we investigated the arrangement of mtDNA in nucleoids from fibroblasts using fluorescence microscopy. RESULTS: Both methods showed that the mtDNA content of liver increases rapidly over the perinatal period. In a patient whose liver mtDNA content fell, but remained within the reference range, early investigation and age-matched controls were essential, as we found a progressive increase in muscle mtDNA copy number, respiratory chain activity and muscle power with age. In three further patients, fluorescence microscopy of the fibroblasts proved diagnostic. In one case a movement disorder was an important pointer. CONCLUSIONS: These cases highlight the (i) need for comparing mtDNA copy number data generated from patients to DNA isolated from an age-matched normal range from the tissue of interest and (ii) the utility of mtDNA staining with PicoGreen as a method to detect aberrant nucleoid morphology in mtDNA depletion patient fibroblast lines when affected tissues are not available for measuring mtDNA copy number.     

广泛性焦虑障碍患者人格特征与免疫功能、甲状腺激素和神经内分泌激素的相关性分析

摘要 目的：探讨广泛性焦虑障碍（GAD）患者人格特征与免疫功能、甲状腺激素和神经内分泌激素的相关性。方法：选择2019年1月~2020年12月北部战区空军医院心理科收治的GAD患者80例作为研究组,选择同期于北部战区空军医院体检的健康志愿者80例作为对照组。应用艾森克人格问卷简式量表中国版（EPQ-RSC）对受试者人格特征进行评价,比较两组EPQ-RSC评分结果、血液中CD3⁺、CD4⁺、自然杀伤细胞（NK）比例,血清白细胞介素（IL）-2、IL-6,三碘甲状腺原氨酸（T3）、甲状腺素（T4）、游离三碘甲状腺原氨酸（FT3）、游离甲状腺素（FT4）、促甲状腺激素（TSH）、去甲肾上腺素（NE）、促肾上腺皮质激素（ACTH）、皮质醇（CS）水平,并分析其相关性。结果：研究组精神质（P）、神经质（N）评分及EPQ-RSC总分均显著高于对照组（P<0.05）,研究组CD3⁺、CD4⁺、NK比例显著低于对照组,血清IL-2、IL-6水平显著高于对照组（P<0.05）。研究组血清FT3、FT4水平显著低于对照组（P<0.05）。研究组血清CS水平显著低于对照组,NE、ACTH水平显著高于对照组（P<0.05）。Pearson相关分析显示,GAD患者N、P评分及EPQ-RSC总分与CD3⁺、CD4⁺、NK、FT3、FT4、CS呈负相关（P<0.05）,与IL-2、IL-6、NE、ACTH呈正相关（P<0.05）。结论：GAD患者存在免疫功能损伤、神经内分泌激素和甲状腺激素水平异常,且均与患者P、N倾向的人格特征有关。     

妊娠期高血压疾病患者影响因素分析及对妊娠结局和生命质量的影响

摘要 目的：分析妊娠期高血压疾病(HDCP)患者影响因素,并探讨HDCP对妊娠结局和生命质量的影响。方法：选取2018年1月～2021年1月我院收治的100例HDCP患者为HDCP组,另选取同期于我院产检的健康孕产妇100例为对照组。收集两组临床资料和妊娠结局,采用36项健康调查简表(SF-36)评价两组孕产妇的生命质量。单因素及多因素Logistic回归分析HDCP的影响因素。结果：单因素及多因素Logistics回归分析显示,年龄＞35岁、孕前体质量指数≥28 kg/m²、焦虑/抑郁、高血压家族史为HDCP的独立危险因素,文化程度大专及以上、孕期规律补充钙剂为HDCP的独立保护因素(P＜0.05)。与对照组比较,HDCP组剖宫产、新生儿窒息、产后出血、低体重儿、胎儿窘迫比例增加(P＜0.05)。与对照组比较,HDCP组躯体功能、生理职能、一般健康状况、生命活力、社会功能、情感功能、精神健康评分降低,躯体疼痛评分增加(P＜0.05)。结论：HDCP受多种因素影响,其发病会对患者妊娠结局和生命质量产生不良影响,临床应做好相关预防措施。