Melatonin is the main hormone that regulates the sleep cycle, and it is mostly produced by the pineal gland from the amino acid tryptophan. It has cytoprotective, immunomodulatory, and anti-apoptotic effects. Melatonin is also one of the most powerful natural antioxidants, directly acting on free radicals and the intracellular antioxidant enzyme system. Furthermore, it participates in antitumor activity, hypopigmentation processes in hyperpigmentary disorders, anti-inflammatory, and immunomodulating activity in inflammatory dermatoses, maintaining the integrity of the epidermal barrier and thermoregulation of the body. Due predominantly to its positive influence on sleep, melatonin can be used in the treatment of sleep disturbances for those with chronic allergic diseases accompanied by intensive itching (such as atopic dermatitis and chronic spontaneous urticaria). According to the literature data, there are also many proven uses for melatonin in photoprotection and skin aging (due to melatonin’s antioxidant effects and role in preventing damage due to DNA repair mechanisms), hyperpigmentary disorders (e.g., melasma) and scalp diseases (such as androgenic alopecia and telogen effluvium).
SUMMARY – Saliva is a complex body fluid that has various functions in the oral cavity. Central nervous system has the most important role in regulating salivation. Saliva as a sample is suitable for simplicity of sampling and because it contains analytes in the free active form. Stress is a condition in which the internal (psychophysical) balance of the body is disturbed. It activates the hypothalamic-pituitary axis, so salivary cortisol is a free cortisol indicator that correlates well with its serum value and reflects the free fraction that is biologically active. At the same time, stress conditions stimulate the sympathetic neuronal system causing change in the secretion of salivary α-amylase from salivary glands. The hypothesis of this study was that students with daily intensive physical activity are exposed to chronic stress compared to other students who have minimal physical activity. The study included 54 healthy volunteers, students of the University of Zagreb, divided into two groups. One volunteer group consisted of physically active volunteers (n=27) from the Faculty of Kinesiology (FK), and the other group consisted of physically inactive volunteers (n=27) from other faculties (OF). The subjects were first administered a psychological test that consisted of two questionnaires, Quality of Life Questionnaire and Questionnaire of Stressful Styles, and then underwent sampling of saliva. By comparing biochemical and psychological indicators in relation to stress, it was concluded that the two groups of students were equalized and that there was no objective support for either group to be considered exposed to chronic stress. Despite the substantial differences in physical activity, there was no difference between the two student populations.
Objective: Recent-onset schizophrenia (ROS) represents a critical period that can greatly influence the clinical course of schizophrenia. The use of long-acting injectable antipsychotics (LAIs) in this period is increasingly being considered as a first-line treatment option. Aripiprazole LAI (ALAI) is the newest of all LAI's available on the market, with limited data on its effects on hospitalization rates after first episode of schizophrenia. It was our goal to evaluate whether ALAI has an effect on hospitalization rates, number of bed days and clinical improvement in patients with ROS. Methods: This mirror-image study included 138 inpatients suffering from schizophrenia. We collected sociodemographic data on all individuals, number of hospitalization days, hospitalization rates as well as Clinical Global Impression Scale-severity of illness (CGI-S) and Clinician-Rated Dimensions of Psychosis Symptom Severity (CRDPSS) scores at the initiation of ALAI and at the end of a 1 year follow up. Results: Mean number of hospitalizations and hospitalization days in the year after starting ALAI significantly decreased compared to the year before (p ¼ 0.005 and p < 0.001). Mean scores on both CGI and CRDPSS also significantly decreased after initiating ALAI (p < 0.001). Conclusion: Results suggest that ALAI is an important therapeutic option in patients with ROS. It leads to reduced usage of hospital services, potentially reducing the socioeconomic healthcare burden. K E Y W O R D S antipsychotic agents, aripiprazole, pragmatic clinical trials as topic, schizophrenia 1 | INTRODUCTION Severe and often debilitating course of schizophrenia significantly affects society as a whole, especially health care and social services (Karlović, Peitl, & Silić, 2019). Data from some countries attribute up to 3% of total health care expenditures, directly and indirectly to schizophrenia (Chong, et al., 2016). The economic burden of schizophrenia in the United States was estimated at $155.7 billion for 2013 and included excess direct health care costs of $37.7 billion (24%), direct non-health care costs of $9.3 billion (6%), and indirect costs of $117.3 billion (76%) compared to individuals without schizophrenia (Cloutier et al., 2016). A substantial proportion of those health care expenditures is attributable to antipsychotic medication (Mahlich, Olbrich, Wilk, Wimmer, & Wolff-Menzler, 2020). However, nonadherence and partial adherence to antipsychotic medication is very common in patients with schizophrenia and has been linked to therapy resistance (Potkin et al., 2020). Poor treatment adherence has also been associated with repeated relapses and increased
<b><i>Introduction:</i></b> Vitamin D is involved in brain development and functioning, as well as in regulation of neurotrophic factors. Changes in the expression of those factors are possibly responsible for morphologic abnormalities and symptoms in patients suffering from schizophrenia. <b><i>Objective:</i></b> The main goal of this research was to investigate the interrelationship between vitamin D, nerve growth factors (NGF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], and neuregulin-1 [NRG1]), and schizophrenia symptom domains. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> This research included 97 inpatients diagnosed with schizophrenia. Schizophrenia symptoms were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Blood samples were taken in order to analyze concentrations of vitamin D, BDNF, NRG1, and NGF growth factors. The obtained results were used in a multiple regression analysis. <b><i>Results:</i></b> The vitamin D concentration positively affected the concentration of NRG1 (<i>F</i> = 8.583, <i>p</i> = 0.005) but not the concentration of other investigated growth factors (BDNF and NGF). The clinical characteristics and symptom domains of schizophrenia seemed to be unaffected by the concentrations of vitamin D, BDNF, and NGF, while the NRG1 concentration significantly affected positive symptom domains of schizophrenia (<i>F</i> = 4.927, <i>p</i> = 0.030). <b><i>Conclusion:</i></b> The vitamin D concentration positively affected NRG1 levels but not schizophrenia symptomatology as measured by PANSS. The association between the two could be intermediated via NRG1.
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