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Growing interest exists in the association of the immune system and its role in the development and maintenance of eating disorders (ED). Current evidence suggests that serum cytokine levels seem to be elevated in females with anorexia nervosa (AN). However, less is known in bulimia nervosa (BN) and other specified feeding and eating disorders (OSFED), specially in males. We aimed to perform a case-control study in a sample of forty eight young patients (38 females and 10 males) with early diagnosis of AN, BN or OSFED and without any previous treatment, compared with twenty nine healthy controls (19 females and 10 males) matched by age, sex and socioeconomic status. We evaluated eating-related psychopathology and depressive symptoms and measured serum concentration of proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α and anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10. Contrary to expectations, levels of IL-1β and IL-6 were significantly lower in ED patients, compared with healthy controls. Comparing the different groups of females, we found elevated levels of IL-10 among ED patients therefore supporting the idea of an immunosuppressive status in the early stages. This could indicate that early onset patients without any previous treatment could remain in a reward-dependent state with a lower immune response., (Copyright © 2022. Published by Elsevier B.V.)

Objective: This study examined the longitudinal reciprocal associations between resilience factors, quality of life (QoL) domains, and symptoms of eating disorders (EDs). Hypotheses included predictive paths from resilience factors of "acceptance of self and life" and "personal competence" to increased QoL and predictive paths from previous levels of QoL to resilience., Method: A total of 184 patients with EDs (mean age = 29.55, SD = 9.17, 94.8% women) completed measures of resilience, QoL, and EDs symptoms over three waves spaced six month apart. Hypotheses were tested by path analysis., Results: Resilience factors predicted improvements in psychological health and social relationship domains of QoL and a reduction of ED symptoms over time. In addition, psychological health increased acceptance of self and life consistently over time, whereas physical health increased the competence component of resilience., Discussion: The relationships between resilience factors and QoL are reciprocal, with several mediational paths. A spiral of recursive influences between resilience factors and QoL can take place in people with EDs. This possibility offers new perspectives to understanding the process of recovery in patients with ED., (Copyright © 2017 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.)

The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Spanish version of the Eating Disorders Symptom Impact Scale (EDSIS-S), which is designed to evaluate an eating disorders-specific caregiving experience. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 187 Spanish caregivers of relatives with an eating disorder. Measures included the Experience of Caregiving Inventory (ECI) and General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). Socio-demographic variables of the carers and clinical variables of the patients were collected. Results supported the factorial structure, reliability and convergent validity of the instrument and the instrument was acceptable for assessing the eating disorders-specific experience of caregiving in Spain. Almost all of the factor loadings were >0.40. Cronbach's alpha coefficients were mostly superior to 0.70. The EDSIS-S instrument has good psychometric properties and is similar to the original in terms of validity and reliability. Further examination of the factor structure of this instrument among adult samples is indicated. From a clinical perspective, the EDSIS allows for tailoring caregiver interventions to address the specific impact of symptoms on individual carers., (Copyright © 2013 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.)