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Background: There are studies that have investigated the association of pro-inflammatory cytokines with depressive disorders, but they often present certain limitations. In this study, two substantial groups of patients were analyzed: 92 patients with major depressive disorder and 76 without depressive disorders. The strict inclusion and exclusion criteria for the analyzed groups significantly increased the value of the obtained results. The research question of this study was whether levels of inflammation, measured by the inflammatory markers IL-6, IL-1α, and TNF-α, could predict the severity of depressive symptoms. This could provide additional evidence supporting the hypothesis that inflammation plays a notable role in the pathogenesis of depression. The data analysis supports the hypothesis that the biological mechanisms of inflammation contribute to the clinical manifestations of depression. Elevated levels of inflammatory markers, especially interleukins (IL-6, IL-1α) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF α), have been identified in patients with major depressive disorder compared to the findings in healthy controls. Materials and Methods: Inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-1α, and TNF-α) were measured in a sample of 92 patients hospitalized at the Socola Institute of Psychiatry in Iasi, Romania, and compared to a control group with no depression or inflammatory conditions (n = 76). Severity of depressive symptoms was assessed using HAM-D scores. Results: The study results indicated that values of plasma inflammatory markers were significantly higher in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) compared to the control group (IL-1α: 1.16 ± 0.44 pg/mL vs. 0.89 ± 0.25 pg/mL, p = 0.0004; IL-6: 9.21 ± 4.82 pg/mL vs. 7.16 ± 4.32 pg/mL, p = 0.0149; and TNF-α: 2.02 ± 0.96 pg/mL vs. 1.67 ± 0.8 pg/mL, p = 0.0286). The differences remained significant after applying logarithmic transformation, which was necessary to adjust for outlier values. An analysis of demographic characteristics showed that the frequency of women (67.4% vs. 36.84%, p < 0.001), cohabiting individuals (28.26% vs. 10.53%, p = 0.0001), and alcohol consumers (67.39% vs. 47.37%, p = 0.0087) was significantly higher in patients with MDD. The level of education was significantly lower in patients with MDD (median (IQR): 12 (2.5) years vs. 14 (8) years, p = 0.0016). The evaluation of confounding variables, including patients' gender, marital status, education level, and alcohol consumption, was performed using multiple linear regression models. The results indicated that these demographic variables did not significantly influence the correlation between the HAM-D score and the values of IL-6, IL-1α, and TNF-α. A significant correlation between the HAM-D score and the logarithmic values of inflammatory markers was observed for log IL-1α in men (r = 0.355, p = 0.0014), log IL-6 in women (r = 0.0313, p = 0.0027), and log TNF-α in women (r = 0.3922, p = 0.0001). The results of the multiple linear regression and predictive analysis indicated that IL-1α (AUC = 0.677, p = 0.0004), IL-6 (AUC = 0.724, p < 0.001), and TNF-α (AUC = 0.861, p < 0.001) demonstrate high accuracy in discriminating patients with MDD. Conclusions: The results highlighted that IL-6 (AUC = 0.724; 95% CI: 0.648–0.801) and TNF-α (AUC = 0.861; 95% CI: 0.797–0.925) are significant predictors for major depressive disorder. The study highlights the potential of cytokines (IL-1α, IL-6 and TNF-α) as diagnostic markers. These findings support the hypothesis that inflammation may play an important role in the development or exacerbation of depressive symptoms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Schizophrenia is a complex psychiatric disorder that has the potential to lead to profound disruptions in social, occupational and interpersonal domains. The management of schizophrenia is frequently challenging as a consequence of poor or lack of insight, low adherence to treatment and comorbid psychiatric and somatic conditions. This case presentation explores the clinical course of a 49-year old male patient with a long-standing diagnosis of paranoid schizophrenia, characterized by multiple emergency hospital admissions due to absence of treatment compliance. Despite receiving antipsychotic therapy, the absence of adequate family support and the patient's limited insight into his condition have significantly contributed to recurrent psychotic relapses and deterioration in social functioning. The case underscores the critical importance of sustained treatment adherence and robust psychosocial support in the management of chronic schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Alcohol dependence remains a significant public health challenge, affecting millions globally and contributing to substantial morbidity and mortality. It is associated with multiple health, social and economic consequences. Taking into consideration the important burden of alcohol dependence, this review aims to provide a comprehensive assessment of the risk factors associated with the development of alcohol dependence. Various risk factors are analysed including age, gender, socioeconomic status, predictive factors from childhood, adolescence and young adulthood and comorbid psychiatric disorders. Understanding the multifaceted nature of alcohol dependence and the complexity of various risk factors' interactions is essential for developing targeted prevention and intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Suicide represents a critical health problem and one of the most challenging complications of psychiatric disorders. People with alcohol use disorder face vulnerability to suicidal ideation, attempts, and completed suicide. Both suicide and alcohol use disorder are complex phenomena influenced by a multitude of factors, including biological, psychological, social, and environmental determinants. The aim of this review is to assess risk factors that are related to suicide in patients with alcohol use disorder, in order to better understand the underlying mechanisms. Elucidating the interplay between alcohol consumption and suicide risk is crucial for developing effective prevention and intervention strategies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although the modern era has brought new ways of diagnosis and treatment to the medical field, and especially to the neurosciences, psychiatric disorders accompanied by aggressive behavior remain a mental health problem, but also an issue that targets society in general. Psychiatric illnesseswhich have an aggressive componentrepresent a source of social disruption and a threat to public health. It is noteworthy to mention that these disorders are among the leading causes of disability worldwide, accounting for a third of all years lost todisability. Around 33% of the world's population will develop a mental health issue at some point in their lives and an important number of them will build up a hostile demeanor, as psychiatric disorders and aggression are often seen as inextricably linked. In order to apply the principles of prophylaxis, i.e., prophylactic, curative and rehabilitative treatment of psychiatric pathology in current practice, it was necessary to collect data targetingcases of psychiatric disordersaccompanied by aggressive behavior, taking into account external and internal factors of the individuals. For a more objective analysis of the observed prevalence, data were collected during thepre-pandemic year, focusing on acute cases of both genders. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]