Review
Neurosciences
Lukasz P. Szalach, Katarzyna A. Lisowska, Wieslaw J. Cubala, Margherita Barbuti, Giulio Perugi
Summary: Bipolar disorder is a chronic mental disorder characterized by alternating episodes of mania, depression, and periods of stability. The pathogenesis of BD is not fully understood, but inflammatory mediators and immune dysregulation have been implicated. The first-line treatment for BD is mood-stabilizing agents, including lithium salts, which have robust immunomodulatory properties. However, the connection between immune system changes and the therapeutic action of lithium in BD is still unclear, and further research is needed to elucidate this relationship.
FRONTIERS IN NEUROSCIENCE
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Noor Mustafa, Jone Mitxelena, Arantza Infante, Olatz Zenarruzabeitia, Ainhoa Eriz, Ainhoa Iglesias-Ara, Ana M. Zubiaga
Summary: Disruption of E2f2 in mice leads to T-cell hyperactivation and disproportionate cell cycle entry. However, E2f2(-/-) mice do not develop lymphoproliferative condition. We find that E2f2 plays an anti-apoptotic role through the Fas pathway in vitro and in vivo. Knockout of E2f2 in TCR-stimulated T cells results in overexpression of proapoptotic genes, enhanced apoptosis, and activated p53 pathway. However, E2f2-Fas/FasL signaling is p53-independent. E2f2 is recruited to Fas and FasL gene promoters to repress their expression. E2f2(-/-) mice are prone to immune-mediated liver injury due to aberrant lymphoid Fas/FasL activation.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2022)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Monica Macellaro, Nicolaja Girone, Laura Cremaschi, Monica Bosi, Bruno Mario Cesana, Federico Ambrogi, Valentina Caricasole, Federica Giorgetti, Terence A. Ketter, Bernardo Dell'Osso
Summary: This study retrospectively evaluated the applicability and progression of four staging models in a sample of 100 bipolar disorder patients. The results showed a pattern of stage worsening for each model, with a significant increase at each time point. Patients with lower education level, younger age at first episode, shorter illness duration, and shorter duration of untreated illness showed greater stage increases. Lower stage values were associated with certain characteristics, such as BD II, no psychiatric hospitalization, depressive onset, and few lifetime episodes.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Psychiatry
Leonid Braverman, Camil Fuchs, Abraham Weizman, Michael Poyurovsky
Summary: Evidence suggests a higher comorbidity rate of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in bipolar disorder (BD) patients, particularly in those experiencing bipolar depression (BP-D). A study found 26% of BD patients with their first depressive episode also had OCD, while 23.2% met criteria for subthreshold OCD. No differences in demographic and clinical variables were observed between BD patients with and without OCD. Further research is needed to explore the longitudinal course, treatment approaches, and outcomes of comorbid BP-D/OCD.
PSYCHIATRY RESEARCH
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Kimie Stefanie Ormstrup Sletved, Niels Henrik Falck Villemoes, Klara Coello, Sharleny Stanislaus, Hanne Lie Kjaerstad, Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Kamilla Miskowiak, Jens Drachmann Bukh, Maj Vinberg, Lars Vedel Kessing
Summary: This study investigated the prevalence of comorbid personality disorders in patients with newly diagnosed BD and their unaffected first-degree relatives compared with healthy control individuals. The results showed that 25.5% of patients with newly diagnosed BD and 6.4% of their relatives fulfilled the criteria for comorbid personality disorders. Subthreshold personality disorders were also more prevalent in BD patients and their relatives. Comorbid personality disorders were associated with impaired functioning in BD patients.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Immunology
Grace L. Burns, Jessica K. Bruce, Kyra Minahan, Andrea Mathe, Thomas Fairlie, Raquel Cameron, Crystal Naudin, Prema M. Nair, Michael D. E. Potter, Mudar Zand Irani, Steven Bollipo, Robert Foster, Lay T. T. Gan, Ayesha Shah, Natasha A. Koloski, Paul S. Foster, Jay C. Horvat, Martin Veysey, Gerald Holtmann, Nick Powell, Marjorie M. Walker, Nicholas J. Talley, Simon Keely
Summary: This study found that patients with functional dyspepsia have increased Th2 and Th17 lymphocyte populations in the duodenal mucosa, and these cells are of effector and memory phenotype, indicating that the microinflammation in functional dyspepsia may be antigen-driven.
FRONTIERS IN IMMUNOLOGY
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Mao-Hsiu Hua, Mu-Hong Chen, Ju-Wei Hsu, Kai-Lin Huang, Shih-Jen Tsai, Cheng-Ta Li, Ya-Mei Bai
Summary: The study found that euthymic patients with bipolar I and bipolar II disorders showed similar levels of proinflammatory cytokines and cognitive function deficits (especially in working memory), with no significant differences between the two disorders. Further research is needed to explore whether there may be a common pathophysiology contributing to the shared inflammatory and cognitive alterations in bipolar I and bipolar II disorders.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2021)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ji Yoon Park, Chan Woo Lee, Yoonjeong Jang, Wonyun Lee, Hyeona Yu, Joohyun Yoon, Sunghee Oh, Yun Seong Park, Hyun A. Ryoo, Jangwon Lee, Nayoung Cho, Chong Hun Lee, Yeong Chan Lee, Hong-Hee Won, Hyo Shin Kang, Tae Hyon Ha, Woojae Myung
Summary: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between childhood trauma and resilience. The results showed a significantly negative association between childhood trauma and resilience, particularly among individuals who experienced emotional abuse and emotional neglect. The negative relationship was more prominent in the comparison group than in the major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar II disorder (BD II) patient groups. However, the generalizability of the results may be limited due to unequal patient sample size, and the causal relationship between childhood trauma and resilience could not be examined. Therefore, it is recommended to provide close support for individuals who have experienced emotional abuse and emotional neglect to help them develop resilience. Interventions that promote resilience should be provided to individuals predisposed to psychological risks as a result of childhood trauma.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Maria Faurholt-Jepsen, Jonas Busk, Darius Adam Rohani, Mads Frost, Morten Lindberg Tonning, Jakob Eyvind Bardram, Lars Vedel Kessing
Summary: This study found that analyzing mobile location data can differentiate between patients with BD and UD, and mobility patterns can serve as a promising digital diagnostic marker.
JOURNAL OF AFFECTIVE DISORDERS
(2022)
Article
Psychology, Clinical
Mark Zimmerman, Caroline Balling, Iwona Chelminski, Kristy Dalrymple
Summary: Patients with both bipolar disorder and BPD exhibit more severe psychosocial morbidity compared to those with only one of these disorders.
PSYCHOLOGICAL MEDICINE
(2021)
Article
Oncology
Aakash P. Desai, Farhad Kosari, Maria Disselhorst, Jun Yin, Alireza Agahi, Tobias Peikert, Julia Udell, Sarah H. Johnson, James Smadbeck, Stephen Murphy, Giannoula Karagouga, Alexa McCune, Janet Schaefer-Klein, Mitesh J. Borad, John Cheville, George Vasmatzis, Paul Baas, Aaron Mansfield
Summary: Two unique TCR clusters associated with survival were identified in patients with pleural mesothelioma treated with ICI. These clusters may provide insights for antigen discovery and the design of adoptive T cell therapies.
JOURNAL FOR IMMUNOTHERAPY OF CANCER
(2023)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Ying-Jay Liou, Mu-Hong Chen, Ju-Wei Hsu, Kai-Lin Huang, Po-Hsun Huang, Ya-Mei Bai
Summary: This study found that dysfunction in circulating endothelial progenitor cells (cEPCs) is associated with manic symptom severity and cognitive deficits in patients with bipolar disorder (BPD).
EUROPEAN ARCHIVES OF PSYCHIATRY AND CLINICAL NEUROSCIENCE
(2022)
Article
Neurosciences
Himanshu K. Mishra, Atulya D. Mandyam, Wulfran Trenet, Heather Wei, Caroline M. Nievergelt, Adam X. Maihofer, Paul D. Shilling, Martin Alda, Elliot Gershon, John R. Kelsoe, Michael J. McCarthy, Melvin G. McInnis
Summary: Bipolar disorder (BD) is a psychiatric illness characterized by manic and depressive episodes. Lithium is commonly used as a treatment, but only a subset of patients respond to it. This study examined the effects of METH on neuronal cells derived from lithium responder (Li-R) and nonresponder (Li-NR) BD patients, as well as healthy controls. The results showed that Li-R cells were less vulnerable to METH-induced cell death compared to Li-NR cells and controls. Additionally, pre-treatment with a dopamine receptor antagonist reversed the neurotoxic effects of METH. These findings suggest that dopamine signaling and lithium response may play a role in the pathophysiology of BD.
Article
Oncology
Mu-Hong Chen, Shih-Jen Tsai, Tung-Ping Su, Cheng-Ta Li, Wei-Chen Lin, Chih-Ming Cheng, Tzeng-Ji Chen, Ya-Mei Bai
Summary: Increasing evidence suggests that patients with bipolar disorder, as well as their unaffected siblings, have a higher risk of developing malignant cancer compared to the general population. This risk is more pronounced in patients under the age of 50.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF CANCER
(2022)
Article
Psychiatry
Jae Kyung Chung, Yong Min Ahn, Soon Ae Kim, Eun-Jeong Joo
Summary: Mitochondrial dysfunction may explain the pathophysiology of bipolar disorder, with BD1 patients having lower mtDNA copy numbers and BD2 patients having higher mtDNA copy numbers compared to controls. Changes in mitochondrial function may influence the pathophysiology of BD, and the opposite directions of the association with mtDNA copy number in BD1 and BD2 patients suggest a potential link between pathophysiological differences and mitochondrial function.
JOURNAL OF PSYCHIATRIC RESEARCH
(2022)
Review
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Justyna Luty, Katarzyna Ruckemann-Dziurdzinska, Jacek M. Witkowski, Ewa Bryl
Editorial Material
Geriatrics & Gerontology
Tamas Fulop, Anis Larbi, Jacek M. Witkowski
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
T. A. Jarzembowski, A. E. Daca, J. M. Witkowski, E. D. Bryl
LETTERS IN APPLIED MICROBIOLOGY
(2019)
Article
Biotechnology & Applied Microbiology
Parker L. Andersen, Patrick Vermette, Abdelouahed Khalil, Jacek M. Witkowski, Tamas Fulop
BIOTECHNOLOGY PROGRESS
(2020)
Article
Clinical Neurology
Tamas Fulop, Usma Munawara, Anis Larbi, Mathieu Desroches, Serafim Rodrigues, Michele Catanzaro, Andrea Guidolin, Abdelouahed Khalil, Francois Bernier, Annelise E. Barron, Katsuiku Hirokawa, Pascale B. Beauregard, David Dumoulin, Jean-Philippe Bellenger, Jacek M. Witkowski, Eric Frost
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Anna Wardowska, Zaneta Smolenska, Katarzyna A. Lisowska, Zbigniew Zdrojewski, Michal Pikula
ACTA BIOCHIMICA POLONICA
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Anna Wardowska, Michal Komorniczak, Aneta Skoniecka, Barbara Bullo-Piontecka, Katarzyna A. Lisowska, M. Alicja Debska-Slizien, Michal Pikula
INTERNATIONAL IMMUNOPHARMACOLOGY
(2020)
Article
Immunology
Klaudia Ciesielska-Figlon, Katarzyna A. Lisowska, Anna Mikosik-Roczynska, Jacek M. Witkowski
Summary: The study demonstrated the inhibitory effects of Nigella sativa oil on human lymphocytes in vitro, with the lowest dilutions showing the most pronounced impact on cell proliferation and apoptosis.
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Jaroslaw Dulski, Piotr Waz, Agnieszka Konkel, Karol Grabowski, Witold Libionka, Michal Schinwelski, Emilia J. Sitek, Jaroslaw Slawek
Summary: The study evaluated the effect of subthalamic deep brain stimulation (DBS-STN) on restless legs syndrome (RLS) in Parkinson's disease (PD) patients. DBS-STN provided relief of symptoms in most patients with PD and RLS, and RLS was associated with worse subjective sleep quality, more severe nonmotor symptoms, and complications of levodopa therapy. The findings suggest that DBS-STN may have a direct impact on RLS rather than indirectly through post-surgery changes in medications.
Article
Cell Biology
Karolina Wojciechowicz, Marta Spodzieja, Katarzyna A. Lisowska, Anna Wardowska
Summary: Autoimmune diseases involve the loss of immune tolerance towards autoantigens. Understanding the pathogenesis and developing effective treatments are still ongoing areas of research. Immune checkpoints, particularly the BTLA-HVEM complex, have shown potential as important regulators in various immune contexts, including autoimmunity. The complex has mainly been studied in the context of cancer but may also be a target for treating autoimmune diseases.
CELLULAR IMMUNOLOGY
(2022)
Article
Medicine, Research & Experimental
Klaudia Ciesielska-Figlon, Agnieszka Daca, Adam Kokotkiewicz, Maria Luczkiewicz, Bozena Zabiegala, Jacek M. Witkowski, Katarzyna A. Lisowska
Summary: This study examined the immunomodulatory properties of essential oil and its constituents from Nigella sativa seeds. The results showed that the essential oil and thymoquinone inhibited lymphocyte proliferation and induced cell death, while p-cymene induced cell necrosis. These findings suggest that the essential oil from Nigella sativa has potent immunomodulatory properties, primarily attributed to thymoquinone.
BIOMEDICINE & PHARMACOTHERAPY
(2022)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Lukasz Piotr Szalach, Wieslaw Jerzy Cubala, Katarzyna Aleksandra Lisowska
Summary: The study compared T-cell subpopulations and serum cytokine levels in treatment-resistant depression (TRD) patients and found relationships between their immunological profiles, clinical presentation, and episode severity. TRD patients had lower percentages of CD3(+)CD4(+)CD25(+) and CD3(+)CD8(+)CD95(+) cells than healthy people. They also had lower serum levels of IL-12p70 and TNF-alpha, while IL-8 levels were significantly higher.
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MOLECULAR SCIENCES
(2023)
Article
Biochemistry & Molecular Biology
Klaudia Ciesielska-Figlon, Karolina Wojciechowicz, Agnieszka Daca, Adam Kokotkiewicz, Maria Luczkiewicz, Jacek Maciej Witkowski, Katarzyna Aleksandra Lisowska
Summary: The study examines the effects of black seed oil on T cells in patients with Hashimoto's thyroiditis (HT). The results show that black seed oil can inhibit the proliferation of CD4(+) and CD8(+) T cells and induce cell death in HT patients and healthy women. It also reduces the concentration of certain cytokines.
Article
Immunology
Katarzyna A. Lisowska, Hanna Storoniak, Alicja Debska-Slizien
Summary: Patients with chronic kidney disease undergoing hemodialysis show impaired adaptive immune responses, with changes in T cell subpopulations and cytokine levels. Patients with diabetic or ischemic nephropathy exhibit alterations in T cell activation, while those with glomerulonephritis do not show significant changes. Hemodialysis duration may also impact T cell activation status and cytokine levels in these patients.
Meeting Abstract
Clinical Neurology
J. Dulski, M. Schinwelski, A. Konkel, K. Grabowski, W. Libionka, P. Waz, E. Sitek, J. Slawek
EUROPEAN JOURNAL OF NEUROLOGY
(2020)