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Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a chronic neural psychological condition. Its pathogenesis is not yet completely understood. This current research used fluorine-18 fluorodeoxyglucose (18F-FDG) positron emission tomography (PET) imaging to examine the changes in brain glucose metabolism in patients with OCD during the course of treatment, and analyzed its relationship with clinical efficacy.A total of 23 patients with OCD were enrolled and divided into case group 1, consisting of patients who received no drug treatment or those who recently stopped drug treatment for more than five half-life periods (OCD1 group, N=10), and case group 2, consisting of patients who were receiving drug treatment before enrollment (OCD2 group, N=13). Ten healthy volunteers were selected as controls. All patients and healthy controls were subjected to head PET-computed tomography (CT) examination. Seven patients in case group 2 underwent scanning again after 3 months of drug treatment, namely, case group 3 (OCD3 group, N=7). Statistical Parametric Mapping (SPM) 8 software was used to analyze the PET-CT results.OCD patients had abnormally enhanced glucose metabolism in the medium orbito-frontal region of the brain, and abnormally reduced glucose metabolism in brain areas including the insula, caudate nucleus, and middle temporal gyrus. No changes in brain glucose metabolism related to curative effect was found.In OCD patients, abnormal brain function may not only be limited to the usual cortico-striato-thalamo-cortical (CSTC) loop model, but may involve a wide range of brain regions simultaneously.

This study was designed to explore the relationship between anorexia nervosa and depression and to evaluate the role that endocrine hormones play in anorexia nervosa with functional hypothalamic amenorrhea and comorbid depression. In this study, thyroid hormones and sex hormones were compared between 30 first-episode drug-naive female patients with anorexia nervosa with depression (AND), and 20 female patients with anorexia nervosa with no depression (ANND). There were no differences between anorexia nervosa participants with and without depression in thyroid hormones levels. Patients with AND had significantly lower prolactin serum levels; patients with AND had a median [P25, P75] prolactin level of 213.0 uIU/ml [12.1-268.2] vs. 446.6 uIU/ml [119.1-35.5] for patients with ANND. There were no differences in other sex hormones between the two groups. Our data suggested that a lower prolactin serum level is a characteristic of first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with AND.

Objective: This study aimed to explore the relationship between traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) constitution and mental health levels of nursing staff in a general hospital. Methods: After random selection, 209 nursing staff were included to evaluate TCM constitution and mental health level through a TCM constitution checklist and the SCL-90. Results: 1) There were 102 cases (48.8%) of balanced constitution and 107 cases of biased constitution (51.2%). 2) The mental health status of the nursing staff was distributed as follows: suspected or mild (56.5%), moderate (17.2%), and severe (3.8%). 3) In the correlation analysis between mental health status and TCM constitution, interpersonal sensitivity, phobia, and paranoia were negatively correlated with normal constitution and positively correlated with biased constitution. Conclusion: The mental health status of nursing staff is poor, and biased constitution may be a risk factor for their mental health. Intervention in biased constitutions may therefore improve the mental health of nursing staff.

BACKGROUND: Obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is a severe, chronic, disabling neuropsychiatric disorder, the pathophysiology of which has yet to be fully understood. In this study, we aimed to detect the levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 in the plasma of patients with OCD and to analyze the factors influencing OCD. METHODS: The levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA-134 in peripheral blood of 30 patients with OCD and 32 normal controls were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR). Patients were assessed using clinical scales, including the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD), and Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). RESULTS: The plasma levels of miRNA-132 and miRNA 134 in the OCD group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P

The effect of chronic insomnia carries along a physical and psychological state of dysfunctionality felt by the individual. The purpose of the study was to investigate the effects of hypnotherapeutic intervention applied in the case of patients who present insomnia accompanied by rumination. We performed the study of 42 patients who underwent the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) for the psychiatric evaluation and the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) for sleep quality at baseline, 1 month after the program and follow-up (2 months) after finalizing the program. Our findings revealed that hypnotherapeutic intervention that involves relaxation and positive self-suggestion leads to positive results among the patient who experience insomnia accompanied by rumination.

Here, we report a female patient developing neuroleptic malignant syndrome following the use of a combination of clozapine and haloperidol. Subsequently, the patient presented withdrawal effects after an abrupt discontinuation of clozapine. Psychiatrists not aware of possible clozapine-withdrawal effects may misdiagnose as a part of the primary mental illness or as the initial symptoms worsening, if unrecognized.

To explore the magnetic resonance spectroscopy characteristics of lenticular nucleus in Bipolar II disorder and its relation with cognitive function.Thirty Bipolar II disorder patients in hospital from 2012 September to 2013 April and twenty healthy controls were evaluated with Multi-Voxel 1H-MRS scans on lenticular nucleus to assess the NAA, Cho, Cr and MI. All subjects were assessed for attention using the Stroop Test and executive function by Wisconsin card sorting test.NAA, Cho, Cr in right lenticular nucleus and Cr in left lenticular nucleus were lower than healthy controls (P0.05). The patients showed significant cognitive impairment in all aspects of Stroop Test and Wisconsin card sorting test (P0.05). NAA in right lenticular nucleus was positively correlated with correct number of Stroop-CW.Neural dysfunction in right lenticular nucleus of Bipolar II disorder may influence attention function. Cellular energy metabolism rate was reduced in bilateral lenticular nucleus.

Previous research characterizes obsessive compulsive disorder (OCD) as a complex neurobehavioral disorder that may have multiple etiologies ( den Braber et al., 2008 ). This study analyzed neurocognitive function and change in regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) to characterize OCD. Neurocognitive function and rCBF were examined in medically naive patients with OCD and contrasted with controls. Results of this study indicated that the neurocognitive functions impaired in OCD are memory, attention, and executive function, which are primarily associated with the frontal and occipital lobes. Dysfunction in the basal ganglia and occipital lobes were associated with OCD and may be an etiological factor in the disorder.

This study was designed to explore the relationship between pituitary microadenoma and psychosis and to evaluate the role that prolactin plays in pituitary microadenoma and comorbid psychosis. In this study, the prolactin serum levels were compared between 74 first-episode drug-naive patients with a pituitary microadenoma with psychosis (PMP), and 58 patients with a pituitary microadenoma with no psychosis (PMNP). Patients with PMP had significantly higher prolactin serum levels; male patients with PMP had a mean [S.D.] prolactin level of 705.4 uIU/ml [226.1] vs. 433.1 uIU/ml [58.4] for male patients with PMNP, while female patients with PMP had a mean prolactin level of 1890.1 uIU/ml [1138.7] vs. 978.6 uIU/ml [657.9] for female patients with PMNP. The size of microadenoma in the patients with PMP was larger than those in the patients with PMNP, regardless of sex. Our data suggested that a higher prolactin serum level is a characteristic of first-episode neuroleptic-naive patients with PMP.

Valproate (VPA) is a medication that is widely used in the treatment of neurological and psychiatric disorders, such as epilepsy and bipolar disorder. Valproate-induced hyperammonemic encephalopathy (VHE) is a rare central nervous system adverse effect of this medication that is characterized by impaired consciousness, which can range from drowsiness to coma; increased seizure frequency; acute cognitive symptoms; and gastrointestinal symptoms. In this manuscript, we report a single case and also review previous cases of VHE (n = 20) in Chinese patients to identify risk factors for VHE. Increasing clinicians’ awareness of VHE during concomitant VPA therapy is of utmost importance. Serum ammonia level is a useful and important diagnostic test. The discontinuation of VPA is currently the mainstay of treatment for VHE.

Few studies have shown that topiramate may induce psychiatric symptoms and metabolic disorders, respectively. Here, we reported a 13-year-old female who presented with topiramate-induced hallucinations and comorbid renal tubular acidosis. She had a history of psychiatric illness and had been taking the medication for 3 months without prior side effects. After the discontinuation of topiramate, she was treated with supplementary potassium and sodium bicarbonate. Subsequently, her psychiatric symptoms and biochemical findings improved. Recognition of drug-induced psychotic symptoms and renal tubular acidosis is important during concomitant topiramate therapy in psychiatric clinic.

Background A correct timely diagnosis of bipolar depression remains a big challenge for clinicians. This study aimed to develop a clinical characteristic based model to predict the diagnosis of bipolar disorder among patients with current major depressive episodes. Methods A prospective study was carried out on 344 patients with current major depressive episodes, with 268 completing 1-year follow-up. Data were collected through structured interviews. Univariate binary logistic regression was conducted to select potential predictive variables among 19 initial variables, and then multivariate binary logistic regression was performed to analyze the combination of risk factors and build a predictive model. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was plotted. Results Of 19 initial variables, 13 variables were preliminarily selected, and then forward stepwise exercise produced a final model consisting of 6 variables: age at first onset, maximum duration of depressive episodes, somatalgia, hypersomnia, diurnal variation of mood, irritability. The correct prediction rate of this model was 78% (95%CI: 75%–86%) and the area under the ROC curve was 0.85 (95%CI: 0.80–0.90). The cut-off point for age at first onset was 28.5 years old, while the cut-off point for maximum duration of depressive episode was 7.5 months. Limitations The limitations of this study include small sample size, relatively short follow-up period and lack of treatment information. Conclusion Our predictive models based on six clinical characteristics of major depressive episodes prove to be robust and can help differentiate bipolar depression from unipolar depression.

Concurrence of psychosis and Dandy–Walker complex (DWC) has been reported in some medical literature. Here, we reported four patients with concurrent psychosis and DWC of all four subtypes. Some clinical features found were juvenile or young adult age onset, high frequency of family history of psychosis, atypical psychotic symptoms, and high prevalence of cognitive deficit and refractoriness to treatment, in line with the cases in previous reports. These findings might help further illuminate the role that the cerebellum plays in the etiology of schizophrenia or bipolar disorder.