Evaluation Expression of the Caspase-3 and Caspase-9 Apoptotic Genes in Schizophrenia Patients

Ebubekir Dirican(Ebubekir Dirican ),Halil Özcan(Halil Özcan ),Sevgi Karabulut Uzunçakmak(Sevgi Karabulut Uzunçakmak ),Uğur Takım(Uğur Takım ) 대한정신약물학회 2023 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.21 No.1

Objective: Apoptosis is programmed cell death that occurs by several pathways. Caspase-3 is induced by active caspase-9 via the intrinsic pathway. The aim of this research was to explore the expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 in schizophrenia patients and healthy samples. Methods: RNA was isolated from the peripheral blood of 39 schizophrenia patients’ and healthy samples. After cDNA synthesis, real time PCR (RT-PCR) was used to analyse caspase-3 and caspase-9 gene expression. The severity of psychopathological symptoms of schizophrenia was evaluated using the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale for schizophrenia (PANSS) and Clinical Global Impressions (CGI). Results: The expression of caspase-3 and caspase-9 genes was higher in schizophrenia patients than in healthy samples (p = 0.012, p = 0.002, respectively). The increase in caspase-3 gene expression was significant with being male, smoking and with a duration of less than 6 years (p = 0.047, p = 0.049, p = 0.034, respectively). On the other hand, the increase in caspase-9 gene expression was significant in patients who is smoke, have children, and are under 33 years old (p = 0.040, p = 0.043, p = 0.045, respectively). A significant positive correlation was detected between the caspase-3 and caspase-9 gene expression (r = 0.3218, p = 0.049). Conclusion: Our findings indicate that caspase-3 and caspase-9 gene expression may activate cell death mechanisms by intrinsic apoptotic genes. Furthermore, caspase-3 and caspase-9 may play essential roles in different ways in schizophrenia. Hence there is a need to further study the apoptotic mechanism with expanded patient populations.

Changes in Pre- and Post-Electroconvulsive Therapy Serum Myostatin Levels in Patients with Treatment Resistant Depression

Cemil Çelik,Abdullah Bolu,Taner Öznur,Mehmet Sinan Aydın,Yusuf Tokgöz,Özcan Uzun 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.1

Objective: Myostatin is a growth factor which is investigated regarding musculoskeletal system. Albeit its effect on muscle mass is known, it is considered likely having other unknown effects as well, particularly on central nervous system. With this study, it is aimed to find out that what type of effect electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) does on myostatin in patients with treatment resistant depression. Methods: Twenty-nine patients with treatment resistant major depression and thirty healthy volunteers were included in the study. Pre- and post-ECT levels of myostatine were compared; also this results were compared to healthy controls. Results: For 29 patients with treatment-resistant major depression, the pre-treatment mean myostatin level was 0.95±0.32 ng/ml and post-therapy myostatin level was 11.05±6.97 ng/ml. As a result of this study, it is found that ECT affects serum myostatin levels to a significant degree (t=4.17, p<0.05). It is also found that there was a significant relation between serum myostatin levels and depression scores (r=0.392, p<0.05). Conclusion: With the present study and similar ones, it can be understood that how ECT achieves its effectiveness biologically.

Serum Levels of High Sensitivity C-reactive Protein in Drug-naïve First-episode Psychosis and Acute Exacerbation of Schizophrenia

Abdullah Bolu,Mehmet Sinan Aydın,Abdullah Akgün,Ali Coşkun,Beyazıt Garip,Taner Öznur,Cemil Çelik,Özcan Uzun 대한정신약물학회 2019 CLINICAL PSYCHOPHARMACOLOGY AND NEUROSCIENCE Vol.17 No.2

Objective: Findings about inflammatory processes in schizophrenia are increasing day by day. Inflammatory processes in schizophrenia are associated with both its etiology and clinical symptoms. Serum high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) is also one of these inflammatory processes. Particularly, it is thought to be closely related to clinical findings of patients with schizophrenia. Methods: In this study, the relationship between clinical findings of hsCRP levels of patients with drug-naïve first-episode psychosis (FEP) and patients with schizophrenia in acute exacerbation phase is investigated. Clinical findings, psychometric properties (the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms, the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms, Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale), and hsCRP levels of patients were compared. Results: Forty-eight patients with FEP, 74 patients with schizophrenia in acute exacerbation phase and 54 healthy controlled volunteers are included in the study. The most substantial finding in the study is that there is a positive correlation between hsCRP levels and severity of positive symptoms of both patient groups, with FEP and with schizophrenia. The second most substantial finding is there is no significant difference between patients with FEP and schizophrenia, in terms of hsCRP. Conclusion: The relationship between hsCRP and positive symptom severity in two groups of patients supports the inflammatory hypothesis in the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia. This finding is supportive of close relation between inflammatory processes and clinical findings of patient with schizophrenia.

Retinal Nerve Fiber Layer Thickness and Its Relationship With Executive Functions in Adult Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder Patients

Derya Kaymak,I˙brahim Gü,ndog˘mus¸,Mihriban Dalkıran,Murat Kü,ç,ü,kevciliog˘ lu,Ö,zcan Uzun 대한신경정신의학회 2021 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.18 No.12

Objective The aim of this study was to compare the thickness of the retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) with controls in individuals with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and to examine the relationship between RNFL thickness and the level of performance in disease severity and executive function tests in ADHD cases.Methods The study included 38 volunteer patients diagnosed with ADHD and 30 healthy volunteers. Adult ADHD self-report scale was used for ADHD symptom severity. Executive functions were evaluated by Digit Span Test, Verbal Fluency Test, Stroop Test, and Trail Making Test. RNFL thickness of all participants was evaluated using optical coherence tomography (OCT).Results In the comparison of RNFL values, it was found that right mean, right temporal, right temporal inferior, left mean, left nasal, and left nasal inferior quadrant values were statistically thinner in ADHD cases compared to the control group (p<0.05). There was no statistically significant correlation between the mean RNFL thickness values of the right and left eyes of ADHD cases and the symptom severity and performance levels in executive function tests.Conclusion This study is a guide in terms of being the first study investigating the relationship between RNFL thickness, symptom severity, and various neuropsychological tests in adults with ADHD.

The Relationship between the Number of Manic Episodes and Oxidative Stress Indicators in Bipolar Disorder

Sü,leyman Akarsu,Abdullah Bolu,Emre Aydemir,Selma Bozkurt Zincir,Yasemin Gü,lcan Kurt,Serkan Zincir,Murat Erdem,Ö,zcan Uzun 대한신경정신의학회 2018 PSYCHIATRY INVESTIGATION Vol.15 No.5

Objective Bipolar disorder (BD) is a chronic mood disorder characterized by recurrent episodes that has a lifetime prevalence of 0.4– 5.5%. The neurochemical mechanism of BD is not fully understood. Oxidative stress in neurons causes lipid peroxidation in proteins associated with neuronal membranes and intracellular enzymes and it may lead to dysfunction in neurotransmitter reuptake and enzyme activities. These pathological processes are thought to occur in brain regions associated with affective functions and emotions in BD. The relationship between the number of manic episodes and total oxidant-antioxidant capacity was investigated in this study. Methods Eighty-two BD patients hospitalized due to manic symptoms and with no episodes of depression were enrolled in the study. Thirty of the 82 patients had had their first episode of mania, and the other 52 patients had had two or more manic episodes. The control group included 45 socio-demographically matched healthy individuals. Serum total antioxidant capacity (TAC) and total oxidant capacity (TOC) measurements of the participants were performed. The oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated by TOC/TAC. Results There were no significant differences in OSI scores between BD patients with first-episode mania and BD patients with more than one manic episode. However, OSI scores in both groups were significantly higher than in the control group. TOC levels of BD patients with first-episode mania were found to be significantly higher than TOC levels of BD patients with more than one manic episode and healthy controls. There were no significant differences in TAC levels between BD patients with first-episode mania and BD patients with more than one manic episode. TAC levels in both groups were significantly higher than in the control group. Conclusion Significant changes in oxidative stress indicators were observed in this study, confirming previous studies. Increased levels of oxidants were shown with increased disease severity rather than with the number of manic episodes. Systematic studies, including of each period of the disorder, are needed for using the findings indicating deterioration of oxidative parameters.