We read with interest Dr Duggal’s letter on the combined use of atypical antipsychotics (AAs) and cognitivebehavioural therapy (CBT) in schizophrenia (1). Dr Duggal reports that his patient showed a reduction of 54% in symptom severity as indexed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). His baseline score when unmedicated was 129 and varied from 83 to 102 with medication; when medic...

BACKGROUND Psychotic symptoms may be present in up to 40% of patients with combat-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). In this study, we hypothesized that severity of psychotic symptoms would also reflect severity of PTSD symptoms in patients with well-defined psychotic features. METHODS Forty-five Vietnam combat veterans with PTSD but without a primary psychotic disorder diagnosis u...

BACKGROUND Dysfunction of neuroplasticity due to N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor hypofunction may be a causal factor for memory and executive dysfunctioning in schizophrenia. Deregulation of NMDA transmission in the prefrontal cortex may also explain negative and positive symptoms. Clozapine augmentation with memantine targets altered NMDA receptor-mediated neurotransmission in schizophren...

BACKGROUND Clozapine is the last-line antipsychotic agent for refractory schizophrenia. To date, there is no convincing evidence for augmentation on clozapine. Activation of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors, including inhibition of D-amino acid oxidase that may metabolize D-amino acids, has been reported to be beneficial for patients receiving antipsychotics other than clozapine. This study aimed...

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of Quetiapine versus Risperidone in control of acute psychotic signs and symptoms in hospitalized patients during four weeks. METHODS In this double-blind, randomized controlled study, a total of 90 patients with a confirmed diagnosis acute psychosis and were hospitalized in Zare Hospital, Sari, Iran, and they were treated with...

BACKGROUND Antipsychotic medications facilitate the improvement of psychotic symptoms in patients with first-episode psychosis. Paliperidone extended-release (pali-ER), an atypical antipsychotic, was assessed for efficacy and safety in Chinese patients with first-episode psychosis. METHODS In this 8-week, open-label, single-arm, multicenter study, patients with first-episode psychosis (Diagno...

BACKGROUND Zinc can modulate fast-excitatory transmission, facilitate the release of amino butyric acid and potentiate nicotinic acetylcholine receptors. There are also emerging evidences discussing the implication of these neurotransmitters in pathophysiology of schizophrenia. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of Zn sulfate as an add-on therapy in the treatmen...

Highlights:1. The essence of schizophrenia is the negative symptoms.2. Adding meloxicam can improve symptoms and changes in NLR schizophrenic patients. AbstractIntroduction: Schizophrenia a mental disorder that has symptom domain. Negative are commonly referred to as schizophrenia. Treatment still considered less than optimal. ratio neutrophils lymphocytes one markers inflammation. This study a...

Recently, extensive efforts have been made to understand the rate of energy expenditure and the weight gain associated with atypical antipsychotic treatment, including identification of markers of obesity risk. In recent years, leptin, an adipocyte hormone, has gained significant interest in psychiatric disorders. S100B has been considered as a surrogate marker for astrocyte-specific damage in ...

AIM To determine the relationship between scores on five factors of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Calgary Depression scale for Schizophrenia (CDSS) and scores on the InterSePT Scale for Suicidal Thinking (ISST) in patients with acute schizophrenia. METHODS Data were collected on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics of 180 drug-treated in-patients with acute sch...