IntroductionStress associated with medical education, correlated with symptoms of depression and anxiety, has been involved in generating academic performance problems and thus, long-term consequences, such as poor quality of medical care. If anxiety and depression are proved to influence quality of academic achievement, their prevention could lead to better outcomes also in the quality of medical care.ObjectiveThe objective of the study was to analyze if anxiety and depression decrease academic performance in first and second year medical students.MethodsAs a measure of anxiety and depression symptoms we used Zung Self-rating Anxiety score > 36, respectively Zung Self-rating Depression Scale score > 40, in the periods before the examination session, in the first semester (in no-stress conditions). As a measure of academic performance, we have obtained the average grade at the end of the academic year from 254 of the total population of 356 first and second year medical students. Statistical analyses were carried out with SPSS version 16 (Spearman correlations and logistic regression).ResultsAcademic performance decreases inversely in rapport of anxiety (rho = –0.144, P < 0.05) and depression (rho = –0.192, P < 0.05) scores in the period before the examination session. Also, depression in this period predicts low levels of academic performance with average grade in the inferior quarter (grades lower than 7.52) particularly in first year students, irrespective of gender (χ2 = 8.922, P < 0.01, OR = 0.928; IC 95% = 0.864–0.997).ConclusionThese findings suggest the necessity of coming up with prophylactic methods to prevent anxiety and depression especially in first year medical students, as these prove to be factors that impend academic performance.Disclosure of interestThe authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.

(1) Background: Recent research suggests inflammation as a factor involved in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte (NLR), monocyte-to-lymphocyte (MLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte (PLR), and systemic immune-inflammatory (SII) index ratios have been studied as peripheral markers of inflammation in bipolar and major depressive disorders. The purpose of this study is to comparatively analyze these inflammatory ratios among manic episodes of bipolar disorder, bipolar depression and unipolar depression. (2) Methods: 182 patients were retrospectively included in the study and divided into three groups: 65 manic patients, 34 patients with bipolar depression, and 83 unipolar depressive patients. White blood cells, neutrophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and platelets were retrieved from the patients’ database. NLR, MLR, PLR, and SII index were calculated using these parameters. (3) Results: Patients with manic episodes had elevated NLR (p < 0.001), MLR (p < 0.01), PLR (p < 0.05), and SII index (p < 0.001) compared to unipolar depression and increased NLR (p < 0.05) and SII index (p < 0.05) when compared to bipolar depression. NLR (p < 0.01) and SII index (p < 0.05) were higher in the bipolar depression than unipolar depression. NLR is an independent predictor of the bipolar type of depression in depressive patients. (4) Conclusions: The results confirm the role of inflammation in the pathophysiology of mood disorders and suggest the ability of NLR as a marker for the differentiation of bipolar from unipolar depression.

The increase in the number of users of social networking sites (SNS) has inspired intense efforts to determine intercultural differences between them. The main aim of the study was to investigate the cultural and personal predictors of Facebook intrusion. A total of 2628 Facebook users from eight countries took part in the study. The Facebook Intrusion Questionnaire, the Ten-Item Personality Inventory, and the Singelis Scale were used. We found that two variables related to Country were significantly related to Facebook intrusion: uniqueness (negatively) and low context (positively); of the personality variables, conscientiousness, and emotional stability were negatively related to the dependent variable of Facebook intrusion across different countries, which may indicate the universal pattern of Facebook intrusion. The results of the study will contribute to the international debate on the phenomenon of SNS.

Increasing problems connected with excessive Internet use can be observed all over the world. Internet addiction is defined as excessive involvement in the Internet with negative consequences. The main aim of the study was to investigate economic indicators as correlates of Internet addiction. The study was conducted in nine countries. The number of participants amounted to a total of 3,279 Internet users (54% were female), with a mean age of M = 25.14(SD = 10.03). The authors used Young's Internet Addiction Test. Additionally, some social and economic indicators characterizing the countries were taken into consideration. We found that Internet addiction was positively related to economic well-being, social progress, and human development as well as negatively related to human well-being, health, safety, and security. The results of the study contribute to the international debate on Internet addiction.

In recent years, escitalopram (ESC) has been suggested to have different mechanisms of action beyond its well known selective serotonin reuptake inhibition. The aim of this study is to investigate the effects of escitalopram on oxidative stress, apoptosis, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), Methyl-CpG-binding protein 2 (MeCP2), and oligodendrocytes number in the brain of chronic unpredictable mild stress-induced depressed rats. The animals were randomised in four groups (8 in each group): control, stress, stress + ESC 5 and stress + ESC 5/10. ESC was administered for 42 days in a fixed dose (5 mg/kg b.w.) or in an up-titration regimen (21 days ESC 5 mg/kg b.w. then 21 days ESC 10 mg/kg b.w.). Sucrose preference test (SPT) and elevated plus maze (EPM) were also performed. ESC improved the percentage of sucrose preference, locomotion and anxiety. ESC5/10 reduced the oxidative damage in the hippocampus and improved the antioxidant defence in the hippocampus and frontal lobe. ESC5/10 lowered caspase 3 activity in the hippocampus. Escitalopram had a modulatory effect on BDNF and the number of oligodendrocytes in the hippocampus and frontal lobe and also improved the MeCP2 expressions. The results confirm the multiple pathways implicated in the pathogenesis of depression and suggest that escitalopram exerts an antidepressant effect via different intricate mechanisms.