Low-dose interleukin 2 antidepressant potentiation in unipolar and bipolar depression: Safety, efficacy, and immunological biomarkers

Immune-inflammatory mechanisms are promising targets for antidepressant pharmacology. Immune cell abnormalities have been reported in mood disorders showing a partial T cell defect. Following this line of reasoning we defined an antidepressant potentiation treatment with add-on low-dose interleukin 2 (IL-2). IL-2 is a T-cell growth factor which has proven anti-inflammatory efficacy in autoimmune conditions, increasing thymic production of naïve CD4 + T cells, and possibly correcting the partial T cell defect observed in mood disorders. We performed a single-center, randomised, double-blind, placebo-controlled phase II trial evaluating the safety, clinical efficacy and biological responses of low-dose IL-2 in depressed patients with major depressive (MDD) or bipolar disorder (BD). 36 consecutively recruited inpatients at the Mood Disorder Unit were randomised in a 2:1 ratio to receive either aldesleukin (12 MDD and 12 BD) or placebo (6 MDD and 6 BD). Active treatment significantly potentiated antidepressant response to ongoing SSRI/SNRI treatment in both diagnostic groups, and expanded the population of T regulatory, T helper 2, and percentage of Naive CD4+/CD8 + immune cells. Changes in cell frequences were rapidly induced in the first five days of treatment, and predicted the later improvement of depression severity. No serious adverse effect was observed. This is the first randomised control trial (RCT) evidence supporting the hypothesis that treatment to strengthen the T cell system could be a successful way to correct the immuno-inflammatory abnormalities associated with mood disorders, and potentiate antidepressant response.

Advanced mapping of inorganic treatments on porous carbonate stones by combined synchrotron radiation high lateral μXRPD and μXRF

Understanding the effects of consolidating inorganic mineral treatments on carbonate stones of cultural heritage, and on the nature and distribution of newly formed products within the matrix, poses a significant challenge in Heritage Science and Conservation Science. Existing analytical methods often fail to deliver spatial and compositional insights into the newly formed crystalline phases with the appropriate high lateral resolution. In this study, we explore the capabilities and limitations of synchrotron radiation (SR) micro-X-ray powder diffraction (μXRPD) mapping combined with micro-X-ray fluorescence (μXRF) to give insight into compounds formed following the application of ammonium oxalate (AmOx) and diammonium phosphate-based (DAP) solutions on porous carbonate stone. Ultimately, the integration of μXRPD mapping and μXRF analysis proved itself a powerful asset in providing precise qualitative and quantitative data on the newly formed phases, in the case of both calcium oxalates (CaOxs) and calcium phosphates (CaPs), and their complex stratigraphic distribution, thus opening a new route for applications to a more comprehensive study of inorganic treatments applied to carbonate substrates.

Higher Seasonal Variation of Systemic Inflammation in Bipolar Disorder

Seasonal rhythms affect the immune system. Evidence supports the involvement of immuno-inflammatory mechanisms in bipolar disorder (BD), with the neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio (NLR), and the systemic immune-inflammatory index (SII; platelets × neutrophils/lymphocytes) consistently reported to be higher in patients with BD than in HC, but seasonal rhythms of innate and adaptive immunity have never been studied. We retrospectively studied NLR and SII in 824 participants divided into three groups: 321 consecutively admitted inpatients affected by a major depressive episode in course of BD, and 255 consecutively admitted inpatients affected by obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD; positive psychiatric control), and 248 healthy controls (HC). Patients with BD showed markedly higher markers of systemic inflammation in autumn and winter, but not in spring and summer, in respect to both HC and patients with OCD, thus suggesting a specific effect of season on inflammatory markers in BD, independent of a shared hospital setting and drug treatment. Given that systemic inflammation is emerging as a new marker and as target for treatment in depressive disorders, we suggest that seasonal rhythms should be considered for tailoring antidepressant immuno-modulatory treatments in a precision medicine approach.

How different definition criteria may predict clinical outcome in treatment resistant depression: Results from a prospective real-world study

Management of treatment-resistant depression (TRD) remains a major public health challenge, also due to the lack of a consensus around TRD definition. We investigated the impact of different definitions of TRD on identifying patients with distinct features in terms of baseline characteristics, treatment strategies, and clinical outcome. We conducted a prospective naturalistic study on 538 depressed inpatients. Patients were screened for treatment resistance by two TRD definitions: looser criteria (lTRD) and stricter criteria (sTRD). We compared baseline characteristics, treatment and clinical outcome between the TRD groups and their non-TRD counterparts. 52.97 % of patients were identified as lTRD, only 28.81 % met the criteria for sTRD. sTRD patients showed lower rates of remission and slower symptom reduction compared to non-TRD patients and received more challenging treatments. Surprisingly, patients identified as sTRD also exhibited lower rates of psychiatric comorbidities, including personality disorders, substance abuse, or alcohol misuse. Stricter TRD criteria identify patients with worse clinical outcomes. Looser criteria may lead to overdiagnosis and over treatment. Clinical features known to be possible risk factors for TRD, as psychiatric comorbidities, showed to be more suggestive of a "difficult to manage" depression rather than a proper TRD.

Differential effectiveness between Ketamine and Esketamine: the predictive role of dissociative features. A treatment-resistant depression case

More than 10 years ago, the discovery of the antidepressant effects of Ketamine opened the opportunity to develop a novel class of antidepressants. Ketamine induces dissociative symptoms as a major side effect. This rapid-acting antidepressant is available as an endovenous racemic compound and as an intranasal S-enantiomer: Esketamine; which is four-fold more potent for the NMDA receptor. Here we present the critical case of a patient who took both molecules experiencing remission just with endovenous Ketamine, whose impact in terms of dissociative symptoms was greater. In this short report, we discuss the differences between the two drugs and the possibility of dissociative features to predict their efficacy.

Evaluating the impact of adjunct bright light therapy on subjective sleep quality in major depressive disorder

BACKGROUND

Sleep disturbances are a fundamental feature of depression, with their persistence after remission serving as a key risk factor for recurrence of depressive episodes, suicide, and hypnotics abuse. Though Adjunct Bright Light Therapy (BLT) has shown efficacy in treating depression by improving sleep duration and timing, its impact on subjective sleep quality remains underexplored.

OBJECTIVE

This study investigates the effect of adjunct BLT on the subjective experience of sleep quality of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) inpatients.

METHODS

A randomized controlled trial was undertaken with 100 MDD consecutively admitted inpatients on consistent antidepressant regimens. Participants were divided into two groups; Group A, received pharmacotherapy augmented with BLT, Group B, received pharmacotherapy alone. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale assessed depressive symptoms, while the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) evaluated subjective sleep quality.

RESULTS

While both groups displayed enhanced depressive symptomatology, only Group A manifested significant improvement in perceived sleep quality (PSQI scores: A T0 8.05 ± 5.07 vs. T1 5.64 ± 3.64, p < 0.001; B T0 7.11 ± 3.17 vs. T1 6.50 ± 3.04, p = 0.072).

LIMITATIONS

Study limitations include its single-site design, lack of objective sleep measurement, and exclusive SSRI use, suggesting caution in generalizing findings. Further, the absence of placebo control and unmeasured expectancy effects may influence treatment outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

These findings underscore the criticality of subjective sleep quality in clinical evaluations and highlight the potential of adjunct BLT as an augmentation therapeutic strategy to ameliorate sleep perception in MDD patients, emphasizing its potential role in enhancing therapeutic outcomes.

Choroid plexus volume is increased in mood disorders and associates with circulating inflammatory cytokines

Depressed patients exhibit altered levels of immune-inflammatory markers both in the peripheral blood and in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and inflammatory processes have been widely implicated in the pathophysiology of mood disorders. The Choroid Plexus (ChP), located at the base of each of the four brain ventricles, regulates the exchange of substances between the blood and CSF and several evidence supported a key role for ChP as a neuro-immunological interface between the brain and circulating immune cells. Given the role of ChP as a regulatory gate between periphery, CSF spaces and the brain, we compared ChP volumes in patients with bipolar disorder (BP) or major depressive disorder (MDD) and healthy controls, exploring their association with history of illness and levels of circulating cytokines. Plasma levels of inflammatory markers and MRI scans were acquired for 73 MDD, 79 BD and 72 age- and sex-matched healthy controls (HC). Patients with either BD or MDD had higher ChP volumes than HC. With increasing age, the bilateral ChP volume was larger in patients, an effect driven by the duration of illness; while only minor effects were observed in HC. Right ChP volumes were proportional to higher levels of circulating cytokines in the clinical groups, including IFN-γ, IL-13 and IL-17. Specific effects in the two diagnostic groups were observed when considering the left ChP, with positive association with IL-1ra, IL-13, IL-17, and CCL3 in BD, and negative associations with IL-2, IL-4, IL-1ra, and IFN-γ in MDD. These results suggest that ChP could represent a reliable and easy-to-assess biomarker to evaluate the brain effects of inflammatory status in mood disorders, contributing to personalized diagnosis and tailored treatment strategies.

Circulating cytotoxic immune cell composition, activation status and toxins expression associate with white matter microstructure in bipolar disorder

Patients with bipolar disorder (BD) show higher immuno-inflammatory setpoints, with in vivo alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure and post-mortem infiltration of T cells in the brain. Cytotoxic CD8+ T cells can enter and damage the brain in inflammatory disorders, but little is known in BD. Our study aimed to investigate the relationship between cytotoxic T cells and WM alterations in BD. In a sample of 83 inpatients with BD in an active phase of illness (68 depressive, 15 manic), we performed flow cytometry immunophenotyping to investigate frequencies, activation status, and expression of cytotoxic markers in CD8+ and tested for their association with diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) measures of WM microstructure. Frequencies of naïve and activated CD8+ cell populations expressing Perforin, or both Perforin and Granzyme, negatively associated with WM microstructure. CD8+ Naïve cells negative for Granzyme and Perforin positively associates with indexes of WM integrity, while the frequency of CD8+ memory cells negatively associates with index of WM microstructure, irrespective of toxins expression. The resulting associations involve measures representative of orientational coherence and myelination of the fibers (FA and RD), suggesting disrupted oligodendrocyte-mediated myelination. These findings seems to support the hypothesis that immunosenescence (less naïve, more memory T cells) can detrimentally influence WM microstructure in BD and that peripheral CD8+ T cells may participate in inducing an immune-related WM damage in BD mediated by killer proteins.

Association between NTRK2 Polymorphisms, Hippocampal Volumes and Treatment Resistance in Major Depressive Disorder

Despite the increasing availability of antidepressant drugs, a high rate of patients with major depression (MDD) does not respond to pharmacological treatments. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF)-tyrosine receptor kinase B (TrkB) signaling is thought to influence antidepressant efficacy and hippocampal volumes, robust predictors of treatment resistance. We therefore hypothesized the possible role of BDNF and neurotrophic receptor tyrosine kinase 2 (NTRK2)-related polymorphisms in affecting both hippocampal volumes and treatment resistance in MDD. A total of 121 MDD inpatients underwent 3T structural MRI scanning and blood sampling to obtain genotype information. General linear models and binary logistic regressions were employed to test the effect of genetic variations related to BDNF and NTRK2 on bilateral hippocampal volumes and treatment resistance, respectively. Finally, the possible mediating role of hippocampal volumes on the relationship between genetic markers and treatment response was investigated. A significant association between one NTRK2 polymorphism with hippocampal volumes and antidepressant response was found, with significant indirect effects. Our results highlight a possible mechanistic explanation of antidepressant action, possibly contributing to the understanding of MDD pathophysiology.

Hippocampal and parahippocampal volume and function predict antidepressant response in patients with major depression: A multimodal neuroimaging study

BACKGROUND

For many patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) adequate treatment remains elusive. Neuroimaging techniques received attention for their potential use in guiding and predicting response, but were rarely investigated in real-world psychiatric settings.

AIMS

To identify structural and functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) biomarkers associated with antidepressant response in a real-world clinical sample.

METHODS

We studied 100 MDD inpatients admitted to our psychiatric ward, treated with various antidepressants upon clinical need. Hamilton Depression Rating Scale percentage decrease from admission to discharge was used as a measure of response. All patients underwent 3.0 T MRI scanning. Grey matter (GM) volumes were investigated both in a voxel-based morphometry (VBM), and in a regions of interest (ROI) analysis. In a subsample of patients, functional resting-state connectivity patterns were also explored.

RESULTS

In the VBM analysis, worse response was associated to lower GM volumes in two clusters, encompassing the left hippocampus and parahippocampal gyrus, and the right superior and middle temporal gyrus. Investigating ROIs, lower bilateral hippocampi and amygdalae volumes predicted worse treatment outcomes. Functional connectivity in the right temporal and parahippocampal gyrus was also associated to response.

CONCLUSION

Our results expand existing literature on the relationship between the structure and function of several brain regions and treatment response in MDD. While we are still far from routine use of MRI biomarkers in clinical practice, we confirm a possible role of these techniques in guiding treatment choices and predicting their efficacy.

The effect of bright light therapy on irritability in bipolar depression: a single-blind randomised control trial

OBJECTIVE

The symptom-complex irritability, widely used in descriptions of bipolar patients' manic and mixed states, also represents a common feature in depressive phases. Irritability negatively affects the clinical course of depression, leading to a higher risk of treatment non-adherence, violence, and suicide attempts. Nevertheless, proportional attention from the scientific literature seems to be scarce. We conducted the first randomised controlled trial with the aim of evaluating BLT as a possible therapeutic strategy for irritability in bipolar depression.

METHODS

180 inpatients were randomly assigned to: Group A exposed to bright light therapy (BLT) daily, or Group B treated with pharmacotherapy only. A qualitative assessment of irritability was performed after a 4-week program.

RESULTS

Group A showed about one-third fewer cases of irritability compared to Group B, this reduction was not related to the overall remission of depressive symptoms.

CONCLUSIONS

The present study supports the usefulness of BLT in irritability in bipolar depression.

Neutrophil to lymphocyte ratio and antidepressant treatment response in patients with major depressive disorder: Effect of sex and hippocampal volume

Several factors may affect response to treatment in Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) including immune/inflammatory alterations and regional brain volumes, particularly in hippocampal regions which have shown to be influenced by inflammatory status. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) is an inflammatory marker found to be elevated in depressed women in large population studies. Here we investigate the effect of NLR on treatment response in MDD patients, and the role of sex and hippocampal volume on influencing this relationship. A sample of 124 MDD depressed inpatients (F = 80) underwent MRI acquisition, admission NLR was calculated by dividing absolute neutrophil by absolute lymphocyte counts and depression severity was assessed at admission and discharge via the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS). As a measure of treatment response, delta HDRS was calculated. We found a significant moderation effect of sex on the relationship between NLR and Delta HDRS: a negative relation was found in females and a positive one in males. NLR was found to negatively affect hippocampal volumes in females. Both left and right hippocampal volume positively associated with Delta HDRS. Finally, left hippocampal volume mediated the effect of NLR on Delta HDRS in females. Sex moderated the relation between inflammation and treatment response in line with previous reports linking inflammation to hampered antidepressant effect in females. Further, this effect is partially mediated by hippocampal volume, suggesting that antidepressant response may be hampered by the detrimental effect of inflammation on the brain.

Melatonin secretion patterns are associated with cognitive vulnerability and brain structure in bipolar depression

Circadian rhythm disruption is a core symptom of bipolar disorder (BD), also reflected in altered patterns of melatonin release. Reductions of grey matter (GM) volumes are well documented in BD. We hypothesized that levels and timing of melatonin secretion in bipolar depression could be associated with depressive psychopathology and brain GM integrity. The onset of melatonin secretion under dim light conditions (DLMO) and the amount of time between DLMO and midsleep (i.e. phase angle difference; PAD) were used as circadian rhythm markers. To study the time course of melatonin secretion, an exponential curve fitting the melatonin values was calculated, and the slope coefficients (SLP) were obtained for each participant. Significant differences were found between HC and BD in PAD measures and melatonin profiles. Correlations between PAD and depressive psychopathology were identified. Melatonin secretion patterns were found to be associated with GM volumes in the Striatum and Supramarginal Gyrus in BD. Our findings emphasized the role of melatonin secretion role as a biological marker of circadian synchronization in bipolar depression and provided a novel insight for a link between melatonin release and brain structure.

Reduced corticolimbic habituation to negative stimuli characterizes bipolar depressed suicide attempters

Suicide attempts in Bipolar Disorder are characterized by high levels of lethality and impulsivity. Reduced rates of amygdala and cortico-limbic habituation can identify a fMRI phenotype of suicidality in the disorder related to internal over-arousing states. Hence, we investigated if reduced amygdala and whole-brain habituation may differentiate bipolar suicide attempters (SA, n = 17) from non-suicide attempters (nSA, n = 57), and healthy controls (HC, n = 32). Habituation was assessed during a fMRI task including facial expressions of anger and fear and a control condition. Associations with suicidality and current depressive symptomatology were assessed, including machine learning procedure to estimate the potentiality of habituation as biomarker for suicidality. SA showed lower habituation compared to HC and nSA in several cortico-limbic areas, including amygdalae, cingulate and parietal cortex, insula, hippocampus, para-hippocampus, cerebellar vermis, thalamus, and striatum, while nSA displayed intermediate rates between SA and HC. Lower habituation rates in the amygdalae were also associated with higher depressive and suicidal current symptomatology. Machine learning on whole-brain and amygdala habituation differentiated SA vs. nSA with 94% and 69% of accuracy, respectively. Reduced habituation in cortico-limbic system can identify a candidate biomarker for attempting suicide, helping in detecting at-risk bipolar patients, and in developing new therapeutic interventions.

Add-On Treatment with Passiflora incarnata L., herba, during Benzodiazepine Tapering in Patients with Depression and Anxiety: A Real-World Study

Chronic and inappropriate benzodiazepine intake represents an important health and social concern worldwide. The aim of our study was to investigate the effectiveness of P. incarnata L., herba, in reducing benzodiazepine misuse in a real-world population of depressed and anxious patients in a long-term treatment with benzodiazepines. We conducted a retrospective naturalistic study on 186 patients undergoing benzodiazepine downtitration, 93 with the addition of a dry extract of P. incarnata L., herba (Group A), and 93 without any add-on treatment (Group B). Regarding the benzodiazepine dosage variation in the two groups, a repeated measure ANOVA showed a significant effect of time (p < 0.001), group (p = 0.018), and time x group interaction (p = 0.011). We found a significantly higher rate, i.e., of 50%, reduction in Group A vs. Group B at 1 month (p < 0.001) and at 3 months (p < 0.001) and complete benzodiazepine discontinuation at 1 month (p = 0.002) and at 3 months (p = 0.016). Our findings suggest the role of P. incarnata as an effective add-on treatment during benzodiazepine tapering. These findings highlight the need for further studies to better investigate the promising properties of P. incarnata in the management of such a relevant clinical and social issue.

Insulin resistance disrupts white matter microstructure and amplitude of functional spontaneous activity in bipolar disorder

BACKGROUND

Bipolar disorder (BD) is linked to several structural and functional brain alterations. In addition, BD patients have a three-fold increased risk of developing insulin resistance, which is associated with neural changes and poorer BD outcomes. Therefore, we investigated the effects of insulin and two derived measures (insulin resistance and sensitivity) on white matter (WM) microstructure, resting-state (rs) functional connectivity (FC), and fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF).

METHODS

BD patients (n = 92) underwent DTI acquisition, and a subsample (n = 22) underwent rs-fMRI. Blood samples were collected to determine insulin and glucose levels. The Homeostatic Model Assessment for Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) and quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI) were computed. DTI data were analyzed via tract-based spatial statistics and threshold-free cluster enhancement. From rs-fMRI data, both ROI-to-ROI FC matrices and fALFF maps were extracted.

RESULTS

Insulin showed a widespread negative association with fractional anisotropy (FA) and a positive effect on radial diffusivity (RD) and mean diffusivity (MD). HOMA-IR exerted a significant effect on RD in the right superior longitudinal fasciculus, whereas QUICKI was positively associated with FA and negatively with RD and MD in the left superior longitudinal fasciculus, left anterior corona radiata, and forceps minor. fALFF was negatively modulated by insulin and HOMA-IR and positively associated with QUICKI in the precuneus. No significant results were found in the ROI-to-ROI analysis.

CONCLUSION

Our findings suggest that WM microstructure and functional alterations might underlie the effect of IR on BD pathophysiology, even if the causal mechanisms need to be further investigated.

The role of clinical and Personological features in predicting high lethality suicide attempts: A study among mood disorder patients

Suicidal attempts (SA) represent heterogeneous behaviours ranging in their seriousness from fatal and near-fatal (high-lethality) cases to those that do not require medical attention (low lethality). These considerations stress the need to identify high-risk individuals for high lethality SA in order to target suicide preventive interventions. The present study aims at evaluating the role of sociodemographic and clinical variables and examining personality pathological features in predicting high lethality SA. The sample was composed by 94 patients who were consecutively admitted to the Mood Disorders Unit of the San Raffaele Turro Hospital in Milan. The results of binary logistic regression analyses showed that previous SA and current suicide ideation play a role in predicting serious SA. Considering the DSM-5 personality dysfunctional domains assessed by the Personality Inventory for DSM-5, our logistic regression analyses suggested that high lethality SA was associated with Detachment PID-5 domain. Finally, binary hierarchical regression analysis showed that Detachment domain remained a significant predictor of serious SA over and above the effect of previous SA and suicide ideation. As a whole, our results highlight the importance of a multidimensional approach to develop adequate assessment, effective treatments and prevention of high lethality SA risk.

24h SCAI stage reclassification to predict outcome. Insights from the prospective Altshock-2 registry

Background

Cardiogenic shock (CS) includes several phenotypes of congestion or hypoperfusion with heterogenous hemodynamic features. Timely prognostication with scoring tools is warranted to identify patients requiring escalation to mechanical circulatory support (MCS) and to avoid futility.

Purpose

Accordingly, we explored the role of the updated Society for Cardiovascular Angiography and Interventions (SCAI) stages classification on in-hospital mortality using a prospective national registry.

Methods

The Altshock-2 Registry includes 237 patients with CS of all etiologies enrolled between March 2020 and February 2022 in 11 Italian Centers. Patients were classified according to the admission SCAI stages (assigned prospectively and independently updated according to the most recently released version); 24-hour re-assessment was prospectively performed in 201 patients. In-hospital mortality was evaluated for association with admission and 24 hours SCAI stages adjusted for the most relevant clinical covariates.

Results

Of the 237 patients included, 20 (8.4%) had SCAI shock stage B, 132 (55.8%) SCAI stage C, 60 (25.3) SCAI stage D and 25 (10.5%) SCAI stage E. Patients in stage B had the worst reclassification at 24-hours, with 42% of them showing worsened status and only 8% improving. In-hospital mortality was 38%. The revised SCAI stages at baseline were not independently associated with in-hospital mortality, whereas the SCAI classification at 24-h correctly and independently predicted mortality (the rate of in-hospital death was 18% for patients in SCAI shock stage B, 27% for SCAI shock stage C, 64% for SCAI shock stage D, 100% for SCAI shock stage E). At the multivariate analysis (adjusted for age, gender, eGFR, inotropic score and MCS) only SCAI classification at 24-hour evaluation was an independent predictor of in-hospital mortality (OR and 95% CI were, respectively, 3.32, 0.36–30.63, p=0.290 for SCAI stage C and 13.07, 1.69–146.3 for SCAI stage D, with E perfectly predicting because all patients died).

Conclusions

The revised SCAI stage classification may improve prognostication only at 24-hour evaluation. Aggressive treatment (either pharmacological or with MCS escalation) should be tailored in order to achieve prompt clinical improvement within the first 24-hours; refractory SCAI stage E at 24 hours portends dismal prognosis.

Funding Acknowledgement

Type of funding sources: None.

Sleep architecture modifications after double chronotherapy: A case series of bipolar depressed inpatients

The aim of this study is to objectively evaluate sleep architecture changes of depressed bipolar subjects treated with chronoterapeutics. Eleven depressed bipolar inpatients received 3 cycles of Total Sleep Deprivation, followed by daily light therapy sessions for one week. Polysomnography was performed before and after the treatment. Depressive symptoms significantly reduced, and sleep architecture changed with significant differences in N2% and N3% and REM density. Change in N3% was also positively correlated to depressive symptoms reduction. Although, previous studies reported sleep architecture changes after chronoterapeutics in unipolar depression, this is the first study to demonstrate changes also in bipolar depressed subjects.

Brain spectroscopic measures of glutamatergic and neuronal metabolism and glial activation influence white matter integrity in bipolar depression

Bipolar disorder (BD) is associated with alterations in white matter (WM) microstructure, glutamatergic neurotransmission, and glia activity. Previous studies showed higher concentrations of glutamate (Glu), glutamate+glutamine (Glx), and reduced N-acetyl-aspartate (NAA) in BD. We investigated brain concentrations of Glu, Glx, NAA, mI as indirect marker of microglia activation, and Glx/NAA ratio as index of neuronal damage through 1H-MR, and WM integrity with Tract-Based Spatial Statistics in 93 depressed BD patients and 58 healthy controls (HC). We tested for linear effects of cited spectroscopic metabolites on DTI measures of WM integrity with general linear models for each group, then performing a conjunction analysis of Glx/NAA and mI concentration on the same measures. Statistical analyses (whole sample) revealed higher concentration of Glx/NAA, Glx and mI in BD patients compared to HC, and a positive association between mI and the ratio. DTI analyses (87 BD and 35 HC) showed a significant association of Glx/NAA ratio, and mI with WM microstructure. Conjunction analysis revealed a joint negative association between Glx/NAA and mI with fractional anisotropy. This is the first study showing an association between brain metabolites involved in neuronal damage, and glial activation and the alterations in WM consistently reported in BD.

A blemish on bipolar disorder: aggressive behaviour

Introduction

Many studies have searched for an association between violence and psychiatric diagnoses, without providing a confirmative result.

Objectives

We have sought to deepen this topic, analysing different aspects of aggressivity, focusing on a specific diagnosis and its particular phases of illness, and looking for a correlation between psychiatric co-diagnoses and outpatients’ visits adherence.

Methods

We studied 151 bipolar type I inpatients presenting complaint, past medical and family history; we collected information about lifetime hetero/self-aggressive behaviours, irritability, agitation, suicide attempts, alcohol, or substance abuse.

Results

The overall aggressivity in our sample resulted in 11.92% of cases, while the number of aggressive episodes during euthymia decreased to 2.64%, close to the population without psychiatric disorders. Personality disorders and alcohol abuse appeared to be the main risk factors for irritability [Fig. 1]; substance abuse for both irritability and hetero-aggressive behaviour [Fig. 2]. We observed that subjects who displayed better compliance to follow-up visits exhibited a significant lower aggressive behaviour than less adherent subjects. Moreover, our data disconfirm the common conception that correlates the presence of psychotic features to violence.

Conclusions

Studying aggressive in a bipolar population, we observed that the rare episodes of aggressiveness were condensed in active phases of illness and mainly related to alcohol or substance abuse, while violent acts during long periods of wellbeing appear in line with those of the general population. We are confident our data might be helpful in deconstructing the stigma that a psychiatric diagnosis equals to violent behaviour.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Clinical efficacy and tolerability of Esketamine: a case series

Introduction

Esketamine is a novel antidepressant approved by the FDA in 2019 in the form of an intranasal spray, recommended for Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). The intranasal spray system appears to be more manageable than intravenous ketamine infusion. It contains ketamine’s S- isomer which is four-fold more potent for the NMDA receptor.

Objectives

The aim of this case series is to describe our clinical experience in the use of Esketamine.

Methods

6 TRD patients (3 men; 3 women) were recruited in San Raffaele Turro Hospital from March 2021. All patients (2 bipolar and 4 unipolar) were diagnosed with a Major Depressive Episode according to DSM-5 criteria, resistant to at least two antidepressants. Initially, Esketamine was administrated twice weekly for one month; afterward, it was administrated once weekly for a month; finally, it was administrated once weekly or every two weeks for a month. Clinical scales (HAM-D, YMRS, SSI, HAM-A, MADRS, CADSS) were administrated to assess symptoms and sides effects before and after each administration on a weekly basis.

Results

Three patients out of six showed an improvement in depressive symptoms: two patients had remission (final HAM-D score < 8); one patient had a clinical response (final HAM-D score < 50 % respect baseline value). Three patients withdrew the treatment: two for perceived inefficacy, after 16 and 19 administrations, one for personal reasons.

Conclusions

The use of Esketamine in our TRD patients showed good effectiveness and tolerability but randomized controlled clinical trials are needed to confirm our findings.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Resistance or pseudo-resistance?

Introduction

Treatment-Resistant Depression continues to represent a great challenge for clinicians.

Objectives

We investigated patients with history of resistance, assessing prognostic factors, response to treatments, and remission over time.

Methods

We recruited 202 unipolar and bipolar depressed inpatients. According to anamnestic backgrounds, patients were assigned to: A) Non-resistant : responders, with no characteristics of resistance in the current episode. B) Resistant: resistant to two antidepressant trials of adequate doses and duration. C) Pseudo-resistant : non-responders, not classifiable as Resistant because of inadequate trials. During hospitalization, patients were treated by clinical judgment, following a rehabilitation program.

Results

Table 1 Non-resistant (111) Resistant (54) Pseudo-resistant (35) p-value Age 59.1±11.9 63.0±12.6 57.0±11.3 0.036* Episodes of illness 3.8±2.1 4.0±1.9 3.0±1.8 0.036* Personality disorders 27.0% 18.9% 48.6% 0.009** Therapies: 0.014** SSRI 62.4% 40.4% 69.7% SNRI 19.8% 42.3% 15.1% TCA 17.8% 17.3% 15.1% Augmentation 24.3% 38.9% 17.1% 0.05** Remission 76.5% 59.5% 81.2% CvsB:0.045** CvsA:0.587**

On the day of admission, non-responders were 44.5% of the sample, but 39.3% of them did not meet the Resistant criteria, defining the Pseudo-resistant group. Pseudo-resistant differed from others by younger age, fewer illness episodes, higher rate of personality disorders, and different therapies during hospitalization [Fig.1,2,3]. Pseudo-resistant remission rate, significantly greater than Resistant one, was comparable to Non-resistant [Tab.1]. *Kruskal-Wallis Test **Chi-Squared Test

Conclusions

This study outlines a new group of depressed patients that, apparently drug-resistant, displays the same outcome as responders when treated with first-line drugs during hospitalization, certainly taking benefit from the psychoeducational program. Quick recognition of these patients could be crucial to giving optimal care.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Manic patients and sleep management: the role of polysomnography in clinical practice

Introduction

Sleep plays a key role in the pathogenesis and clinic of mood disorders. However, few studies have investigated electroencephalographic sleep parameters during the manic phases of Bipolar Disorder (BD).

Objectives

Sleep management is a priority objective in the treatment of the manic phases of BD and the polysomnographic investigation can be a valid tool both in the diagnostic phase and in monitoring clinical progress.

Methods

Twenty-one patients affected by BD, manic phase, were subjected to sleep monitoring via PSG in the acute phase (at the entrance to the ward) and in the resolution phase (near discharge). All participants were also clinically evaluated using Young Manic Rating Scale (YMRS) Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Morningness-eveningness Questionnaire (MEQ) at different timepoints.

Results

Over the hospitalization time frame there was an increase in quantity (Total Sleep Time) and an improvement in the quality and effectiveness of sleep (Sleep Efficiency). In addition, from the point of view of the EEG structure, clinical improvement was accompanied by an increase in the percentage of REM sleep.

Conclusions

Sleep monitoring by PSG can be a valuable tool in the clinical setting both in the diagnostic phase, “objectively” ascertaining the amount of sleep, and in the prognostic phase, identifying electroencephalographic characteristics that can predict the patient’s progress and response to drug therapy. The improvement in effectiveness and continuity of sleep and the change in its structure that accompanies the resolution of manic symptoms also testifies how the regularization of the sleep-wake rhythm is to be considered a priority in treating manic phases.

Disclosure

No significant relationships.

Long-term incidence of cardiac device complications with intrathoracic versus extrathoracic venous access: results from the PLACE (Planning Lead Access for Cardiac Electrostimulation) study

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Introduction

Optimal venous access is crucial in successful cardiac device implantation. Most commonly used accesses are subclavian or axillary vein puncture and cephalic vein cutdown. The extrathoracic access has the advantage of reducing the risk of pneumothorax and lead disfunction; thus, this approach is recommended as the first choice approach.

Purpose

The aim of our retrospective registry was to evaluate the incidence of long-term device complications (pneumothorax, lead rupture or displacement, hematoma, infection or bleeding) with different venous approaches in four high-volume centers in Italy.

Methods

We collected data from implantation and device complications during follow up using available electronic records from each center.

Results

We included 4443 patients, mean age 73±11 years. Median follow up was 118 months (IC range 59-198 months). The incidence of any complication was 7.7 %, without difference between intrathoracic and extrathoracic access (7.8% vs 7.7% respectively, p=0.70). However, lead rupture was more frequent in the intrathoracic group (5.3% vs 1.4%, p=0.04).

Conclusion

In experienced, high-volume centers, the use of intrathoracic vein puncture in the case of unsuitable extrathoracic access may represent a safe alternative of venous access in patients undergoing cardiac device implantation, although associated with a higher occurrence of lead rupture.

Neurofilaments light: Possible biomarker of brain modifications in bipolar disorder

INTRODUCTION

Brain white matter (WM) abnormalities are biomarkers that seem to be involved in bipolar disorder (BD) aetiology and maintenance. Evidences suggest a possible association between neurodegeneration, neuroaxonal alterations and BD. A biomarker that is recently drawing attention is neurofilaments light (NfL) chain, a cytoskeletal intermediate filament protein expressed in neurons. To investigate neuroimaging alterations associated with BD, we studied the association between NfL levels and WM microstructure.

METHODS

NfL plasma quantification was performed in a sample of 45 depressed BD patients compared with 29 healthy controls (HC) using Quanterix SIMOA assay. Statistical analysis were conducted to evaluate NfL levels differences between BD patients and controls. Analyses of the diffusion data were performed using Tract Based Spatial Statistics (TBSS) on Diffusion Tensor images acquired using a 3.0 Tesla MR scanner.

RESULTS

Patients had higher NfL levels than HC (9.13 ± 4.78 vs 4.28 ± 2.39 pg/ml; p < 0.001). The separate-slopes analysis of variance showed a significant interaction of age with diagnosis (Likelihood-ratio test: χ2 = 27.52, p < 0.0001) with significant effects only in the BD sample (p = 0.023). The TBSS analysis, performed within the BD sample, showed a significant positive correlation between NfL levels and axial diffusivity (AD) in a wide single cluster encompassing several tracts.

DISCUSSION

Our results suggest that the physiological age-dependent increment of NfL level is augmented in BD, possibly because of increased remodelling and plasticity processes related to an accelerated ageing condition. The positive association between NfL levels and AD, may reflect a condition of remyelination and axonal regeneration.

Subclinical myocardial dysfunction identified with speckle tracking echocardiography in young adults patients recovered from asymptomatic or mildly symptomatic SARS-CoV-2 infection

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Myocardial strain assessed with speckle tracking echocardiography is a sensitive marker of cardiac dysfunction, with long-term prognostic value in many cardiac conditions. Both left ventricular global longitudinal strain (LV-GLS) and right ventricular longitudinal strain (RV-LS) were affected by severe SARS-CoV 2 infection but little is known about cardiac involvement in patients with asymptomatic/mild disease that did not require hospitalization. 

Aim

To assess if subclinical myocardial dysfunction could be identified using LV-GLS and RV-LS in patients with previous asymptomatic/mild SARS-CoV 2 infection.

Methods

40 young adults patients (70% males, mean age 24.4 ± 8.4 years), who had a confirmed diagnosis of SARS-CoV-2 infection and were asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic, without previous known comorbidities/cardiovascular risk factors, were retrospectively included. Patients underwent standard transthoracic echocardiogram and speckle tracking echocardiographic study at least 3 months after diagnosis. A total of 44 age, sex, and body surface area comparable healthy subjects were used as control group. 

Results

LV-GLS was within normal limits but significantly lower in the cases group compared to controls (-22.7 ± 1.6% vs. -25.7 ± 2.3%; p &lt; 0.001). Left ventricular ejection fraction (63.3 ± 4.1% vs 63.9 ± 4.6%; p = 0.5), tricuspid annular plane systolic excursion (24.3 ± 3.7 vs. 23.7 ± 3.3; p = 0.5) and RV-LS (-23.2 ± 3 vs. -23.6 ± 2.7; p = 0.6) were comparable between the two groups.

Moreover, in the infection group, there were 25 subjects (30.1% vs 9.6% in the control group, p &lt; 0.001) with a regional peak systolic strain of the left ventricle below -16% in at least two segments. At multivariable logistic regression corrected for age, gender and body surface area, previous SARS-CoV-2 infection was an independent predictor of reduced LV-GLS values (p &lt; 0.001).

Conclusion

SARS-CoV-2 infection may affect left ventricular deformation in 30% of young adults patients despite an asymptomatic or only mildly symptomatic acute illness. 

Speckle tracking echocardiography could help in early identification of patients with subclinical cardiac involvement. Since long-term complications of COVID-19 are not yet known, myocardial deformation imaging could be important for risk stratification, treatment and planning of long-term follow-up.

Early improvement of cardiac performance after atrial fibrillation direct current cardioversion

Funding Acknowledgements

Type of funding sources: None.

Background

Atrial fibrillation (AF) is the most common arrhythmia and one of the most prevalent cardiac disease. Restoring sinus rhythm improves long-term systolic and diastolic function, quality of life and relieve symptoms in patients with symptomatic AF.

Purpose

The aim of the study was to evaluate the early effects of AF direct current cardioversion on myocardial deformation using speckle-tracking echocardiography.

Methods

51 patients with persistent AF who underwent successful direct current cardioversion were enrolled (age: 70 ± 9 years; men: 72.5%). Patients with ischemic, dilatative, hypertrophic cardiomyopaties, valvular heart disease, previous cardiac interventions were excluded from the study. Left ventricular ejection fraction was 55.2 ± 7.0%. A transthoracic echocardiography was performed one day before the successful cardioversion and 6 hours after, employing 2d standard echocardiography and speckle-tracking technique to evaluate left atrial, left ventricular and free-wall right ventricular longitudinal strain.

Results

Restoration of sinus rhythm led to a reduction of the heart rate (83 ± 14 vs 70 ± 13 bpm, p &lt; 0.001). After about six hours from successful AF direct current cardioversion, we highlighted an increase in left ventricular filling pressure estimated with the ratio E/E’ (8.19 ± 0.29 vs 9.34 ± 0.41, p = 0.0016). A significant increase in left atrial longitudinal strain (10.47 ± 0.64% vs 19.76 ± 1.01%, p &lt; 0.001, Figure A) and in left ventricular longitudinal strain (-13.10 ± 0.60% vs -15.86 ± 0.51%, p &lt; 0.001, Figure C) were noticed; also the free wall right ventricular longitudinal strain increased (-12.06 ± 1.16% vs -15.86 ± 1.29%, p = 0.047, Figure B).

Conclusion

Restoring sinus rhythm improves cardiac performance as evidenced by the increase in either left atrial and bi-ventricular longitudinal strain, suggesting an amelioration even if after early time. Abstract Figure

Selective association of cytokine levels and kynurenine/tryptophan ratio with alterations in white matter microstructure in bipolar but not in unipolar depression

Bipolar (BD) and major depression (MDD) disorders are severe mental illnesses characterised by altered levels of immune/inflammatory markers and disrupted white matter (WM) microstructure. A pro-inflammatory state was suggested to activate indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase which, in turn, increases the amount of tryptophan (Trp) converted into kynurenine (Kyn). We investigated whether plasma levels of Trp, Kyn and Kyn/Trp ratio are associated with peripheral levels of immune/inflammatory markers and whether they are related to WM integrity in 100 MDD and 66 BD patients. Patients also underwent MRI, and fractional anisotropy (FA) was estimated as a measure of WM microstructure. BD patients showed higher Kyn levels and Kyn/Trp ratio than MDD patients, and lower FA in several WM tracts, including the corpus callosum and the inferior fronto-occipital fasciculus (IFO). Lower Trp levels associated with a more severe depressive symptomatology irrespective of diagnosis and with lower FA in the corpus callosum (CC) and external capsule (EC). We found an association of immune/inflammatory markers with Kyn/Trp ratio selectively in BD patients: IL-1β and TNF-α showed a positive relationship and IL-2 and IL-9 a negative relationship; in addition, higher IL-4 correlated with lower Kyn levels; higher Kyn/Trp ratio and IL-1β correlated with lower FA in the CC and IFO. Notably, the detrimental effect of IL-1β on the IFO was moderated by the Kyn/Trp ratio. These data suggest that in BD, cytokines and the conversion of Trp into Kyn may affect WM microstructure and support the idea that distinct mechanisms underlie the pathophysiology of BD and MDD.

Bright light therapy accelerates the antidepressant effect of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation in treatment resistant depression: a pilot study

Objectives: We performed a randomized single-blinded study to assess the superiority of the combination strategy of repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) and Bright Light Therapy (BLT) over rTMS treatment alone in reducing depressive symptoms in treatment-resistant depression (TRD).Methods: We enrolled 80 inpatients with a diagnosis of TRD. All patients were randomly assigned into two groups: group A was treated with rTMS, compared to group B treated with a combination of rTMS and BLT. Depressive symptoms were weekly assessed (T0, T1, T2, T3) through the 17-item Hamilton depression rating scale (HDRS-17).Results: rANOVA (F=2.766, p=0.043) and post-hoc in HDRS-17 showed significant better scores in favour of group B every week (p<0.025, T1: 22.075 vs 17.200; T2: 16.100 vs 12.775; T3: 12.225 vs 8.900).Conclusions: The antidepressant effect of rTMS was enhanced and accelerated by its combination with BLT in treating resistant depression.KEYPOINTSAlmost one third of depressed patients does not respond to antidepressants; emerging neuromodulation and chronobiological techniques are effective antidepressant augmentation treatments.The aim of this study was to assess the superiority of the combination strategy of Light Therapy and TMS over TMS treatment alone in a group of treatment resistant depressed patients.The implication of this study in clinical practice is that a safe, low risk and cost-effective treatment, as Light Therapy, improves and accelerates the antidepressant effect of TMS.

Adiponectin predicts poor response to antidepressant drugs in major depressive disorder

OBJECTIVE

Produced by adipocytes, adiponectin crosses the blood-brain barrier to bind with specific receptors in the hypothalamus, brainstem, hippocampus, and cortex. In patients with major depressive disorder (MDD), circulating levels of adiponectin inversely related with antidepressant response to ketamine, and predicted a better response to multi-target drug combinations than to escitalopram. We investigated the effect of adiponectin on response to antidepressants in a naturalistic setting.

METHODS

We assessed baseline plasma levels of adiponectin in 121 MDD inpatients, treated with antidepressant drug monotherapy based on clinical need (selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, venlafaxine, duloxetine) in a specialized hospital setting. Severity of depression was weekly assessed with Hamilton scale ratings.

RESULTS

Adiponectin plasma levels were higher in patients with MDD compared with healthy controls, and negatively influenced the pattern of antidepressant response (higher baseline levels, worse response) independent of the drug class and of the baseline severity of depression, and of age, sex, and body mass index.

CONCLUSIONS

The identification of adiponectin as a predictor of antidepressant response to drugs of different mechanism of action, such as ketamine, SSRIs, and SNRIs, and both in experimental and in clinical settings, warrants interest for further study of its pathways to search for novel biomarkers and therapeutic targets.

Lumacaftor/ivacaftor in cystic fibrosis: effects on glucose metabolism and insulin secretion

PURPOSE

The question whether the new cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) modulator drugs aimed at restoring CFTR protein function might improve glucose metabolism is gaining attention, but data on the effect of lumacaftor/ivacaftor treatment (LUMA/IVA) on glucose tolerance are limited. We evaluated the variation in glucose metabolism and insulin secretion in CF patients homozygous for Phe508del CFTR mutation after one-year treatment with LUMA/IVA in comparison to patients with the same genotype who did not receive such treatment.

METHODS

We performed a retrospective case-control study on 13 patients with a confirmed diagnosis of CF, homozygous for the Phe508del CFTR mutation, who received LUMA/IVA for one year (cases) and 13 patients with identical genotype who did not receive this treatment (controls). At the beginning and conclusion of the follow-up, all subjects received a modified 3 h OGTT, sampling at baseline, and at 30 min intervals for plasma glucose, serum insulin, and c-peptide concentrations to evaluate glucose tolerance, and quantify by modeling beta-cell insulin secretion responsiveness to glucose, insulin clearance and insulin sensitivity.

RESULTS

LUMA/IVA did not produce differences in glucose tolerance, insulin secretory parameters, clearance and sensitivity with respect to matched controls over one-year follow-up.

CONCLUSION

We found no evidence of improvements in glucose tolerance mechanisms in patients with CF after one-year treatment with LUMA/IVA.

Effective Antidepressant Chronotherapeutics (Sleep Deprivation and Light Therapy) Normalize the IL-1β:IL-1ra Ratio in Bipolar Depression

Background

Mood disorders associate with peripheral markers of low-grade inflammation, among which circulating levels of interleukin-1β (IL-1β) consistently predict diagnosis and poor outcomes. Antidepressant chronotherapeutics (total sleep deprivation and light therapy, TSD+LT) prompts response in drug-resistant bipolar depression, but its effect on peripheral inflammation were never assessed. Here we explored the effects of TSD+LT on IL-1β signaling.

Methods

We studied the ratio between IL-1β and its receptor antagonist (IL-1β:IL1ra) in 33 healthy participants, and in 26 inpatients with a major depressive episode in course of Bipolar Disorder, before and after treatment with three cycles of repeated TSD+LT, interspersed with sleep recovery nights, administered during 1 week. Treatment effects of mood and on IL-1β:IL1ra were analyzed in the context of the Generalized Linear Model (GLM).

Results

At baseline, patients had higher IL-1β, IL1ra, and IL-1β:IL1ra than controls. Treatment significantly decreased IL-1β:IL1ra, by decreasing IL-1β and increasing IL1ra, the effect being proportional to baseline levels and normalizing values. Patients with higher baseline levels showed the highest decrease in IL-1β:IL-1ra, which associated with the immediate antidepressant response at the first cycle; while patients with lower baseline values showed negligible changes in the IL-1β:IL-1ra, unrelated to treatment response.

Conclusion

We observed a parallel change of inflammatory biomarkers and severity of depression after chronotherapeutics, suggesting that a reduction in inflammation associated with depression could contribute to the mechanism of action of TSD+LT, and warranting interest for controlled studies addressing the role of inflammation in the recovery from bipolar depression.

Circulating inflammatory markers impact cognitive functions in bipolar depression

BACKGROUND

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of bipolar disorder, with a prevalence of about 64.4% during episodes and 57.1% in euthymia. Recent evidences suggest that cognitive deficits in BD may follow immune dysfunction and elevated levels of inflammatory cytokines have been reported during periods of depression, mania and euthymia, suggesting the presence of a chronic, low-grade inflammatory state. The aim of the study is to investigate if immune/inflammatory markers and especially chemokines associate to cognitive performances.

METHODS

Seventy-six consecutively admitted inpatients with a depressive episode in course of bipolar disorder performed a neuropsychological evaluation with the Brief Assessment of Cognition in Schizophrenia and plasma blood levels of cytokines, chemokines and growth factors were analyzed with Luminex technology.

RESULTS

Higher levels of IL-1β, IL-6, CCL2, CCL4, CCL5, CXCL10, and bFGF are associated with the likelihood of having a poor cognitive performance.

LIMITATIONS

Limitation include the lack of a group of healthy controls and the lack of information regarding previous psychopharmacological treatments, alcohol and tobacco use.

CONCLUSIONS

Our results confirm the importance of chemokines in bipolar disorder and suggest that inflammatory markers suggestive of a low-grade inflammatory state could contribute to the neurocognitive deficits observed in depressed patients.

Pharmacogenetic-Guided Treatment of Depression: Real-World Clinical Applications, Challenges, and Perspectives

Depression is a leading cause of disability worldwide and, despite the availability of numerous antidepressants, the lack of standardized criteria to apply personalized prescription is still a major issue. Pharmacogenetic (PGx) markers in cytochrome P450 (CYP450) genes are already usable to guide antidepressant choice/titration according to clinical guidelines; they are an important step toward personalized psychiatry as they can reduce the time to identify an effective and tolerated treatment. Clinical application is still limited due to the financial and organizational challenges, but the number of services providing genotyping of pharmacogenes is increasing, with encouraging projections of cost-effectiveness. Critical aspects that emerged from the available studies are the importance of integration of genotyping results in electronic medical records, standardization, and regular updates of decision support systems, training and collaboration of different professionals, need of longer follow-ups to estimate cost-effectiveness, and importance of avoiding inequalities in access to genotyping. Diversities exist among the groups of patients to whom genotyping is offered (pre-emptive or reactive testing) and the type of clinical services (e.g., hospitals and primary care), currently without a consensus on which is the best approach. Future studies should aim to clarify these issues, as well as consider and compare PGx applications among different countries and healthcare systems. Finally, the extension of genotyping outside pharmacokinetic genes should be considered as a key step to improve the clinical impact of PGx, as this could significantly increase the variance explained in treatment outcomes.

Precision psychiatry in clinical practice

The treatment of depression represents a major challenge for healthcare systems and choosing among the many available drugs without objective guidance criteria is an error-prone process. Recently, pharmacogenetic biomarkers entered in prescribing guidelines, giving clinicians the possibility to use this additional tool to guide prescription and improve therapeutic outcomes. This marked an important step towards precision psychiatry, which aim is to integrate biological and environmental information to personalise treatments. Only genetic variants in cytochrome enzymes are endorsed by prescribing guidelines, but in the future polygenic predictors of treatment outcomes may be translated into the clinic. The integration of genetics with other relevant information (e.g., concomitant diseases and treatments, drug plasma levels) could be managed in a standardised way through ad hoc software. The overcoming of the current obstacles (e.g., staff training, genotyping and informatics facilities) can lead to a broad implementation of precision psychiatry and represent a revolution for psychiatric care.Key pointsPrecision psychiatry aims to integrate biological and environmental information to personalise treatments and complement clinical judgementPharmacogenetic biomarkers in cytochrome genes were included in prescribing guidelines and represented an important step towards precision psychiatryTherapeutic drug monitoring is an important and cost-effective tool which should be integrated with genetic testing and clinical evaluation in order to optimise pharmacotherapyOther individual factors relevant to pharmacotherapy response (e.g., individual's symptom profile, concomitant diseases) can be integrated with genetic information through artificial intelligence to provide treatment recommendationsThe creation of pharmacogenetic services within healthcare systems is a challenging and multi-step process, education of health professionals, promotion by institutions and regulatory bodies, economic and ethical barriers are the main issues.

Basal and stimulated calcitonin for the diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer: updated thresholds and safety assessment

PURPOSE

Reliable cut-offs for basal (bCT) and calcium stimulated calcitonin (casCT) are needed for an early and accurate diagnosis of medullary thyroid cancer (MTC).

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Fifty-four new patients with nodular goiter were enrolled and analysed together with those previously published by our group for a total of 135 cases. bCT and casCT were measured by a highly sensitive method and the results compared with histological findings. In a subgroup of patients, cardiac rhythm was recorded before and during the calcium test.

RESULTS

In both females (F) and males (M), there was a significant correlation between tumor size and bCT levels (P < 0.001). The receiver operating characteristic plot analyses showed that, for bCT, the new cut-off points able to separate non-MTC from MTC patients were > 30 (F) and > 34 pg/mL (M), whereas the best casCT thresholds were > 79 (F) and > 466 pg/mL (M). bCT was shown to harbour a high accuracy, though some cases were diagnosed only upon stimulation test. Importantly, combining bCT, below or above the cut-offs, with casCT above the cut-offs, all the MTC cases were correctly identified. A reversible sinus bradycardia was observed in 9% of cases during the test.

CONCLUSIONS

Refined cut-offs for bCT and casCT in patients with nodular goiter are reported. Sensitive bCT was shown to have a high accuracy, but the combination with casCT data was needed to identify all MTC cases. The reliability and safety of calcium test strongly favour the routine use of CT determination in nodular thyroid disease.

Higher baseline interleukin-1β and TNF-α hamper antidepressant response in major depressive disorder

Raised pro-inflammatory immune/inflammatory setpoints, leading to an increased production of peripheral cytokines, have been associated with Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) and with failure to respond to first-line antidepressant drugs. However, the usefulness of these biomarkers in clinical psychopharmacology has been questioned because single findings did not translate into the clinical practice, where patients are prescribed treatments upon clinical need. We studied a panel of 27 inflammatory biomarkers in a sample of 108 inpatients with MDD, treated with antidepressant monotherapy for 4 weeks upon clinical need in a specialized hospital setting, and assessed the predictive effect of baseline peripheral measures of inflammation on antidepressing efficacy (response rates and time-lagged pattern of decrease of depression severity) using a machine-learning approach with elastic net penalized regression, and multivariate analyses in the context of the general linear model. When considering both categorical and continuous measures of response, baseline levels of IL-1β predicted non-response to antidepressants, with the predicted probability to respond being highly dispersed at low levels of IL-1β, and stratifying toward non-response when IL-1β is high. Significant negative effects were also detected for TNF-α, while IL-12 weakly predicted response. These findings support the usefulness of inflammatory biomarkers in the clinical psychopharmacology of depression, and add to ongoing research efforts aiming at defining reliable cutoff values to identify depressed patients in clinical settings with high inflammation, and low probability to respond.