High levels of sTNFR1 and sTNFR2 in euthymic patients showed that it may support that proinflammatory process continues in euthymic period. This is the first study which showed increased sTNFR2 levels in euthymic period, which could be interpreted as a compensatory mechanism and again the first which deals with verbal memory.

No abstract

Despite the effectiveness of clomipramine and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) in the treatment of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), 40% to 60% of patients who receive an adequate treatment with these agents have significant persisting symptoms. Newer atypical antipsychotic drugs showed efficacy as augmenting agents in patients with OCD resistant to serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SRIs). The objective of this study was to evaluate the efficacy and safety of amisulpiride augmentation in treatment resistant OCD. A total of 20 patients diagnosed with OCD according to DSM-IV criteria and having a history of resistance to treatment with SRIs were included in the study. Amisulpiride 200 mg/day was added to ongoing SRI treatment and titrated up to 600 mg/day in flexible doses. The mean amisulpiride dose was 325 +/- 106 mg/day. The patients were assessed with the Yale-Brown obsessive-compulsive scale (Y-BOCS) at baseline and at week 12 of amisulpiride treatment. Side effects were monitored by the UKU side effect rating scale. The reduction in Y-BOCS scores between the baseline (26.7 +/- 6.3) and the end of the treatment (12.5 +/- 2.8) was statistically significant (p=0.0001). The most commonly observed side effects included weight gain (14 patients, 70%), mild sedation (13 patients, 65%) and asthenia (7 patients, 35%). This study has several limitations and, hence, the results are preliminary and require confirmation in a randomized controlled trial. In conclusion, this study suggests that amisulpiride may be a promising option as an augmentation strategy in treatment resistant OCD.

The -1438 G/A and T102C polymorphisms of the 5-HT2A receptor gene are not associated with an increased risk of OCD. Our data suggest that the TT genotype of T102C and the AA genotype of -1438 G/A polymorphism might be a factor in clinical severity of OCD.

The relationship between homocysteine (HCY) levels and cognitive impairments, particularly executive functions in bipolar disorder (BD), has recently been investigated. However, conflicting results were reported. The aim of the present study is to investigate changes in serum HCY, methionine, vitamine B12 and levels in BD patients are relative to controls and to investigate the relationship between HCY, methionine, vitamin B12, and folate levels and clinical features, cognitive functions and psychosocial functioning in euthymic BD patients and controls. Methods: Sixty BD type I euthymic patients and twenty controls were assessed with Global Assessment of Functioning and a battery of neuropsychological tests including the Wisconsin card sorting test, the Rey's auditory verbal learning test, the Cancellation test, Trail making test A, Trail making test B, and the Stroop test. HCY, vitamin B12, methionine and folate levels were measured together after collecting blood samples from both patient and controls. Results: Mean serum methionine concentration was different between groups. Low serum methionine was found to be a predictor of BD. However, a statistically significant difference was not detected between groups for mean serum values of HCY, folate, or vitamin B12. HCY levels showed a positive correlation with illness duration, the number of total episodes, and the number of manic episodes. A significant correlation was not found between HCY, methionine, folate, B12 levels with cognitive functions and functioning in the BD group. Conclusion: Low serum methionine was found to be a predictor of BD, a condition which can lead to a decrease in SAM synthesis and thus to a variety of complications in methylation reactions. Additional studies are needed to clarify the impact of single carbon metabolism on BD.