The aim of this study is to investigate differences in thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) level in patients with acute schizophrenia, unipolar depression, bipolar depression and bipolar mania. Serum level of TSH was measured in 1,685 Caucasian patients (1,064 women, 63.1 %; mean age 46.4). Mean serum TSH concentration was: schizophrenia (n = 769) 1.71 μIU/mL, unipolar depression (n = 651) 1.63 μIU/mL, bipolar disorder (n = 264) 1.86 μIU/mL, bipolar depression (n = 203) 2.00 μIU/mL, bipolar mania (n = 61) 1.38 μIU/mL (H = 11.58, p = 0.009). Depending on the normal range used, the overall rate of being above or below the normal range was 7.9–22.3 % for schizophrenia, 13.9–26.0 % for unipolar depression, 10.8–27.6 % for bipolar disorder, 12.2–28.5 % for bipolar depression, and 11.4–24.5 % for bipolar mania. We have also found differences in TSH levels between the age groups (≤20, >20 years and ≤40, >40 years and ≤60 years and >60 years). TSH level was negatively correlated with age (r = − 0.23, p < 0.001). Weak correlations with age have been found in the schizophrenia (r = − 0.21, p < 0.001), unipolar depression (r = − 0.23, p < 0.001), bipolar depression (r = − 0.25, p = 0.002) and bipolar disorder (r = − 0.21, p = 0.005) groups. Our results confirm that there may be a higher prevalence of thyroid dysfunctions in patients with mood disorders (both unipolar and bipolar) and that these two diagnostic groups differ in terms of direction and frequency of thyroid dysfunctions.

We tested the hypothesis that homocysteine levels are higher in blood of schizophrenic subjects on clozapine monotherapy than in healthy controls and they correlate with anthropometric measurements, laboratory tests and results of bioimpedance analysis of body composition. Data for 24 subjects with schizophrenia treated with clozapine and 24 age- and sex-matched healthy volunteers was analyzed. Regarding the whole group, homocysteine levels were significantly higher in men (17.0 ± 3.4 vs. 12.1 ± 4.0 μmol/L, p = 0.009). Homocysteine levels correlated with waist circumference (R = 0.58, p = 0.003), waist-to-hip ratio (R = 0.57, p = 0.003), basal metabolic rate (R = 0.48, p = 0.01), lean body mass [kg] (R = 0.53, p = 0.008), body water [L] (R = 0.53, p = 0.008) and triglycerides (R = 0.57, p = 0.003). There were no significant differences of homocysteine levels for impaired fasting glucose, abdominal obesity, obesity/overweight, and dyslipidemia. Homocysteine levels did not correlate with age, treatment duration, clozapine dose, weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, blood pressure, total body fat, cholesterol, high density lipoproteins, low density lipoproteins, uric acid, calcium, glucose, insulin, homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance 1, and homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance 2. We did not find significant differences in blood homocysteine levels between subjects with schizophrenia and controls. Association with waist circumference may support homocysteine role as an important cardiovascular risk factor. Association with lean weight may explain why men have higher levels of homocysteine than women.

IntroductionVerbal fluency is the ability to form and express words compatible with required criteria. Verbal fluency is necessary for optimal communication and for normal social and occupational functioning. The Verbal Fluency Test is a good indicator of frontal lobe dysfunction, particularly of the left frontal cortex.Material and methodsThe aim of the study was to compare verbal fluency in healthy subjects (n = 50), patients with paranoid schizophrenia (n = 36), patients with organic lesions of the central nervous system (CNS) (n = 33), and patients with diabetes (n = 62) – type 1 diabetes (n = 31) and type 2 diabetes (n = 31).ResultsHealthy subjects and patients with diabetes achieved the highest results in all categories of the Verbal Fluency Test. Patients with paranoid schizophrenia achieved significantly lower results. Sten norms of the Verbal Fluency Test were developed for the general population. Using these norms it was found that subjects with schizophrenia or with organic lesions of the CNS had very poor results more often and very high results less frequently compared to healthy subjects and also to patients with diabetes.ConclusionsThis observation is consistent with the neurodevelopmental hypothesis of schizophrenia, in which cognitive functions of the frontal lobe (e.g. verbal fluency) play a major role in the psychopathological picture. We have also demonstrated that in patients with type 1 and 2 diabetes verbal fluency is comparable with healthy subjects.

Aim: Desacyl ghrelin is a hormone that might be a functional inhibitor of ghrelin, a potent hungerstimulating peptide. Methods:We determined fasting serum desacyl ghrelin levels in 24 subjects with schizophrenia on clozapine monotherapy and 24 healthy, age-and sex-matched controls. Biochemical and anthropometric measurements were combined with body composition determined using bioelectric impedance analysis.Results: There were no differences in desacyl ghrelin levels between patients taking clozapine and the control group (272.09 ± 137.96 vs 259.62 ± 140.91 pg/mL, z = 0.17, P = 0.87). In the clozapine group, there were no differences between men and women for ghrelin levels (246.66 ± 123.17 vs 295.39 ± 151.77 pg/mL, z = −0.98, P = 0.32). In the clozapine group, fasting serum levels of ghrelin negatively correlated with waist-to-hip ratio (WHR) (r = −0.45, P = 0.03) and ionized calcium (r = −0.45, P = 0.03). Levels of ghrelin were lower in patients with WHR above World Health Organization-defined cut-off points (246.84 ± 114.34 [Q1 = 152.18, Q2 = 220.92, Q3 = 327.85] vs 400.30 ± 123.36 [Q1 = 283.73, Q2 = 414.03, Q3 = 485.8] pg/mL, z = 2.52, P = 0.01). In the clozapine group, there were no correlation with age, height, weight, body mass index, abdominal circumference, waist circumference, hip circumference, WHR, blood pressure, total cholesterol, high-density lipoproteins, low-density lipoproteins, triglycerides, uric acid, homocysteine, glucose, insulin, clozapine dose, duration of treatment with antipsychotics, duration of treatment with clozapine, total fat, target fat, basal metabolic rate, target weight, lean weight, body water, homoeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA) 1-IR, HOMA2-IR and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index. Conclusion:Based on our results, we cannot conclude that treatment with clozapine affects levels of desacyl ghrelin. Also, in our study population we did not confirm previously described associations between desacyl ghrelin and various metabolic parameters.

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