Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and suicidal behavior

Studies of the neurobiology of suicidal behavior have become an important and integral part of psychiatric research. Over the past several years, studies of the role of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of suicidality have attracted significant interest of researchers. Multiple lines of evidence including studies of levels of BDNF in blood cells and plasma of suicidal patients, postmortem brain studies in suicidal subjects with or without depression, and genetic association studies linking BDNF to suicide suggest that suicidal behavior may be associated with a decrease in BDNF functioning. Studies of the BDNF function are important for suicide research and prevention because of the multiple reasons including the following: (i) BDNF plays a role in the pathophysiology of depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, substance use disorders and other conditions associated with suicidal behavior. Treatment-induced enhancements of BDNF can facilitate neural integrity and recovery of function in psychiatric disorders, and consequently prevent suicidal behavior; (ii) abnormal BDNF function may be associated with elevated suicidality independently of psychiatric diagnoses. It is possible that treatment-induced improvement in the BDNF function prevents suicidal behavior independently of improvement in psychiatric disorders; (iii) BDNF may be a biological marker of suicidal behavior in certain patient populations. It is to be hoped that the studies of the neurobiology of suicidal behavior will lead to the development of new methods of suicide prevention.

Mortality among individuals with cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA, and opioid use disorders: a nationwide follow-up study of danish substance users in treatment

Introduction

Little is known about the excess mortality associated with use of some illicit substances. In particular, this concerns the risks associated with injection drug use and psychiatric disorders.

Aims

This study estimated mortality following substance abuse treatment among primary users of cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, MDMA, and opioids. The risks associated with injection drug use and psychiatric comorbidity were assessed.

Methods

A register of individuals in treatment for illicit substance disorders was linked with registers on psychiatric treatment and mortality. The study population consisted of 20581 individuals who received treatment in Denmark between 1996 and 2006. There were 1441 deaths recorded over 111445 person-years of follow-up.

Results

Standardized Mortality Ratios (SMRs) for primary users of specific substances were: Cannabis: 4.9, cocaine: 6.4, amphetamine: 6.0, heroin: 9.1, and other opioids 7.7. For MDMA the crude mortality rate was 1.75/1000 person-years, and the SMR was not significantly elevated. Sharing of syringes was associated with increased mortality in both primary users of opioids (hazard ratio (HR): 1.58 [95% CI 1.22–1.99], p < .001) and cocaine/amphetamine (HR: 9.52 (95% CI 3.94–23.02, p < .001). Overall, psychiatric comorbidity was associated with modestly increased mortality (HR: 1.15 [95% CI 1.03–1.29], p = .012) and in particular for primary users of cocaine/amphetamine (HR: 2.74 [95% CI 1.56–4.80], p < .001).

Conclusions

High SMRs were found among individuals who had received treatment for cannabis, cocaine, amphetamine, and opioid use disorders. Injection drug use was clearly associated with excess mortality, while the impact of psychiatric comorbidity was generally modest.

Suicidal behavior in adolescents with post-traumatic stress disorder

Recently, the prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in adolescence is higher than the prevalence of PTSD in adult populations. PTSD and suicidality are often found in populations of adolescents presenting with other emotional disorders (particularly mood disorders), traumatic grief, childhood abuse, and/or a family or peer history of suicide. The reasons and developments of the association between PTSD and suicidality in adolescence, however, remain unclear. Core psychobiological changes contributing to PTSD affect emotion, arousal, perception of the self and the world, irritability, impulsivity, anger, aggression and depression. There is evidence that the aforementioned factors, as well as alcohol and other drug use may act to moderate the influence of stressful life events and lead to eventual suicidality. Both PTSD and suicidality in adolescents have also been hypothesized to be a result of exposure to violence and negative coping styles. There are many treatment challenges for these populations, yet the most promising prevention and treatments include suicide risk screenings, suicide education, Dialectical Behavioral Therapy, addressing associated coping mechanisms and prescribing anti-depressant and anti-anxiety medications. However, when prescribing medications, physicians do need to be careful to consider the weaknesses and strengths of each of the pharmacological options as they apply to adolescents presenting with PTSD and suicidality.

Counting the cost of surgical training: perspective from a school of surgery

It has long been acknowledged that hospital doctors train their juniors with only limited extra time or support and little formal training for their role. The introduction of job planning was intended to recognise formally the additional time needed for this and other activities and the new Postgraduate Medical Education and Training Board (PMETB) standards for trainers are intended to address the need for faculty development. If these Standards for trainers are to be achieved, regulators may need to provide clearer guidance to trusts about the time required in job plans to deliver the expected standard of educational and clinical supervision and other deanery and royal college educational roles.

Suicidal behavior in adolescents with comorbid depression and alcohol abuse

Depression, alcohol abuse and suicidality each continue to threaten adolescent populations throughout the world. The comorbidity between these diseases has been found to be up to 73% with consistent positive correlations between adolescent drinking, depression and suicidality. Alcohol abuse, depression and suicidal behavior in adolescents have also been found to have biochemical and genetic correlates. This article explores the contributing and causative factors and directional models underlying such prevalent comorbidities. Alcohol use is shown to be both a distal and proximal cause of suicide attempts in adolescent populations. Individuals with both alcoholism and depression who attempt or complete suicide often present with significantly high levels of aggression and impulsivity. These factors may be caused or nuanced by poor or underdeveloped coping skills as well as other comorbid psychiatric conditions. Such behaviors, alone or in comorbidity, may be a consequence of childhood abuse, social pressures, low self-esteem and/or delinquency- all of which may be particularly salient among adolescent populations. Such adolescent stressors are implicated as the cause for the self-medication model. Some studies suggest that depression encourages alcohol use as self-medication and then leads to suicidality, while others imply that the initial alcohol consumption is responsible for increasing depressive and suicidal symptoms in adolescents. This article discusses the social stigma associated with alcoholism, depression and suicidality, and how that may serve to enhance these disorders in adolescent populations. Many directional models are presented based on past research and as suggestions for future research. There is a lot that can be done by clinicians, legal and educational professionals and society at large that may help to prevent and treat such problems.

Association between familial suicidal behavior and frequency of attempts among depressed suicide attempters

OBJECTIVE

Only a few studies have examined whether a family history of suicide influences the severity of suicidal acts and the results have been inconsistent. The current study aimed to examine whether a family history of suicidal acts predicts severity of suicide attempts.

METHOD

190 suicide attempters aged 18-75 years with a lifetime history of major depression were assessed for first-degree family history of suicidality and severity of suicide attempts (number and lethality of prior suicide attempts and age at first attempt).

RESULTS

Regression analyses indicate that a positive family history of suicidal behaviors predicts a greater number of suicide attempts. Reasons for living predict number and lethality of prior attempts.

CONCLUSION

It is critical to assess for family history of suicidal behavior when treating depressed suicide attempters as it may serve as an indicator of the risk of repeat suicide attempt and as a guide for treatment.

The concept of post-traumatic mood disorder and its implications for adolescent suicidal behavior

Post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a common psychiatric disorder which is frequently comorbid with major depressive disorder (MDD). It has been suggested that some or all individuals diagnosed with comorbid PTSD and MDD have a separate psychobiological condition that can be termed ''post-traumatic mood disorder'' (PTMD). The idea was based on the fact that a significant number of studies suggested that patients suffering from comorbid PTSD and MDD differed clinically and biologically from individuals with PTSD alone or MDD alone. Individuals with comorbid PTSD and MDD are characterized by greater severity of symptoms and the higher level of impairment in social and occupational functioning compared to individuals with PTSD alone or MDD alone. Neurobiological evidence supporting the concept of PTMD includes the findings from neuroendocrine challenge, cerebrospinal fluid, neuroimaging, sleep and other studies. It has been demonstrated that child abuse increases the risk for PTSD, MDD, and suicidal behavior in adolescents and adults. Many victims of childhood abuse develop comorbid PTSD and depression, i.e., they develop PTMD. PTMD is associated with suicidal behavior. The link between childhood abuse, suicidal behavior in adolescents and PTMD indicates that it is important to develop interventions to prevent PTMD in victims of child abuse; to develop measures to prevent suicidal behavior in adolescents with PTMD; and to study psychobiology of PTMD in order to develop treatments for PTMD. Priorities for intervening to reduce adolescent suicidal behavior lie with interventions focused upon the improved recognition, treatment and management of adolescents with psychiatric disorders including PTMD.

Depression and suicidal behavior in alcohol abusing adolescents: possible role of selenium deficiency

Depression and suicidal behavior in adolescents are frequently comorbid with alcohol and drug abuse. Alcohol abuse may lead to the deficiency of micronutrients including selenium, an essential trace element. In addition, dietary intake of selenium in some geographic areas is low. The combination of these two factors may result in significant selenium deficiency. Selenium plays an important role in brain function. Selenium is a potent protective agent for neurons through the expression of selenoproteins. Studies suggest that low selenium status is associated with depressed mood, anxiety, and cognitive decline. A tremendous amount of structural and functional brain development takes place during the teenage years. Many of the changes that take place during the second decade of life are novel and do not simply represent the remnants of childhood plasticity. Considerable evidence suggests that alcohol affects brain function and behavior differently during adolescence than during adulthood. Adolescents are more vulnerable to the long-term effects of alcohol abuse. The adolescent brain may be especially sensitive to a harmful combination of alcohol abuse and selenium deficiency. This combination may contribute to depression and suicidal behavior in adolescents. Recent research opens new avenues for the potential development of selenium containing compounds as preventive or therapeutic agents in psychiatric and neurological conditions. Healthy nutrition and possibly mineral supplementations should be a part of the treatment plan of adolescents with alcohol use disorders especially when alcohol misuse is comorbid with depression.

Pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of gatifloxacin in children with recurrent otitis media: application of sparse sampling in clinical development

Gatifloxacin is a 4th-generation fluoroquinolone previously under investigation for the treatment of otitis media in infants and children. These analyses were designed to evaluate the extent of drug exposure relative to adult populations and to examine the relationship between drug exposure and response to therapy in children with recurrent otitis media or early treatment failures of acute otitis media. The patient population included 187 patients from an open-label, multicenter, noncomparative study using gatifloxacin 10 mg/kg once daily. Gatifloxacin exposure was estimated using a single steady-state blood sample in conjunction with a pharmacostatistical model developed using a separate pediatric data set. Gatifloxacin exposure was equivalent to that in adults given 400 mg daily. Of the 41 patients who had Streptococcus pneumoniae from middle ear culture, there were only 3 bacteriologic failures; there was no relationship between plasma fu AUC(0-24):MIC ratio and outcome. In conclusion, population pharmacokinetic/pharmacodynamic methods allowed estimation of drug exposure using one sample per patient.

Childhood abuse, adult alcohol use disorders and suicidal behaviour

Childhood abuse is linked to a variety of maladaptive outcomes that can extend far into adulthood. Two of the most significant are alcohol use disorders and suicidal ideation/behaviour. This article explores the pathway from childhood abuse to suicidal behaviour through the development of alcohol use disorders, and examines the significance of a familial history of alcohol misuse in exacerbating suicidal behaviour in adults who were abused as children. It discusses the implications of this pathway, and describes areas of focus for those who work with child abuse victims and/or patients experiencing alcohol use disorders. Practitioners working with children or adolescents who have experienced or are experiencing abuse should take a preventative approach, identifying and treating those at risk for alcohol misuse and/or suicide. Practitioners working with adults who are already abusing alcohol and/or are suicidal should work with the adult to identify and examine life events such as abuse that may be responsible. By identifying factors that have led to the misuse of alcohol and/or suicidal ideation, adults can obtain appropriate psychotherapy and deal in a more productive and beneficial manner with the pain that underlies their self-destructive impulses.

Alcohol and suicidal behavior in adolescents

This review describes epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, treatment and prevention of suicidal behavior in adolescents. As one of the leading causes of death of young adults, adolescent suicide has become a public health problem and an increase in the adolescent suicide rate has been observed over the past several decades. One important risk factor thought to contribute to the recent rise in suicidal behavior among young adults is increasing alcohol abuse among adolescents. The link between alcohol and suicide in adolescents is complicated and multiple risk factors are important in explaining and understanding suicidal behavior among adolescents. Comorbid psychopathology, which is common among adolescent alcohol abusers, substantially increases the risk for suicide behavior. Availability of alcohol and guns at home may also contribute to suicide risk in adolescents. Studies of stress hormones, brain neurotransmitters, hereditary factors, behavioral measures and gender differences shed light in understanding this complex phenomenon. Ideally, treatment of adolescents who receive a diagnosis of an alcohol use disorder and co-occurring suicidality should follow an integrated protocol that addresses both conditions. Future studies of psychological and neurobiological mechanisms of suicidality in adolescents with alcohol and/or substance abuse are merited.

Expanding the donor kidney pool: utility of renal allografts procured in a setting of uncontrolled cardiac death

The chronic shortage of deceased kidney donors has led to increased utilization of donation after cardiac death (DCD) kidneys, the majority of which are procured in a controlled setting. The objective of this study is to evaluate transplantation outcomes from uncontrolled DCD (uDCD) donors and evaluate their utility as a source of donor kidneys. From January 1995 to December 2004, 75,865 kidney-alone transplants from donation after brain death (DBD) donors and 2136 transplants from DCD donors were reported to the United Network for Organ Sharing. Among the DCD transplants, 1814 were from controlled and 216 from uncontrolled DCD donors. The log-rank test was used to compare survival curves. The incidence of delayed graft function in controlled DCD (cDCD) was 42% and in uDCD kidneys was 51%, compared to only 24% in kidneys from DBD donors (p < 0.001). The overall graft and patient survival of DCD donors was similar to that of DBD donor kidneys (p = 0.66; p = 0.88). Despite longer donor warm and cold ischemic times, overall graft and patient survival of uDCD donors was comparable to that of cDCD donors (p = 0.65, p = 0.99). Concerted efforts should be focused on procurement of uDCD donors, which can provide another source of quality deceased donor kidneys.

Recognizing alcohol and drug abuse in patients with eating disorders

Eating disorders and alcohol/drug abuse are frequently comorbid. Eating-disordered patients are already at an increased risk for morbidity and mortality, so alcohol and drug use pose additional dangers for these patients. Restricting anorexics, binge eaters, and bulimics appear to be distinct subgroups within the eating-disordered population, with binge eaters and bulimics more prone to alcohol and drug use. Personality traits such as impulsivity have been linked to both bulimia nervosa and substance abuse. Many researchers have proposed that an addictive personality is an underlying trait that predisposes individuals to both eating disorders and alcohol abuse. Interviewing is generally the most useful tool in diagnosing alcohol and substance abuse disorders in individuals with eating disorders. It is essential for the physician to be non-judgmental when assessing for substance abuse disorders in this population. We discuss interviewing techniques, screening instruments, physical examination, and biological tests that can be used in evaluating patients with comorbid eating disorders and substance abuse. More studies are needed to understand psychobiological mechanisms of this comorbidity, and to develop treatments for individuals with comorbid eating disorders and substance misuse.

Risk factors for graft survival after liver transplantation from donation after cardiac death donors: an analysis of OPTN/UNOS data

Due to increasing use of allografts from donation after cardiac death (DCD) donors, we evaluated DCD liver transplants and impact of recipient and donor factors on graft survival. Liver transplants from DCD donors reported to UNOS were analyzed against donation after brain death (DBD) donor liver transplants performed between 1996 and 2003. We defined a recipient cumulative relative risk (RCRR) using significant risk factors identified from a Cox regression analysis: age; medical condition at transplantation; regraft status; dialysis received and serum creatinine. Graft survival from DCD donors (71% at 1 year and 60% at 3 years) were significantly inferior to DBD donors (80% at 1 year and 72% at 3 years, p < 0.001). Low-risk recipients (RCRR < or = 1.5) with low-risk DCD livers (DWIT < 30 min and CIT < 10 h, n = 226) achieved graft survival rates (81% and 67% at 1 and 3 years, respectively) not significantly different from recipients with DBD allografts (80% and 72% at 1 and 3 years, respectively, log-rank p = 0.23). Liver allografts from DCD donors may be used to increase the cadaveric donor pool, with favorable graft survival rates achieved when low-risk grafts are transplanted in a low-risk setting. Whether transplantation of these organs in low-risk recipients provides a survival benefit compared to the waiting list is unknown.

Iatrogenic pseudoaneurysms of the extrahepatic arterial vasculature: management and outcome

BACKGROUND

Pseudoaneurysms of the extrahepatic arterial vasculature are relatively uncommon lesions following surgery and trauma. In this report we analyze the presentation, management and outcomes of these vascular lesions. Of the related surgical procedures, the reported incidence is highest following laparoscopic cholecystectomy. We hereby analyze the literature on this subject and report our experience, specifically with extrahepatic pseudoaneurysms, drawing an important distinction from intrahepatic pseudoaneurysms.

METHODS

From September 1995 until July 2004, six patients, including three males and three females with a mean age of 67 years, were treated for seven extrahepatic arterial pseudoaneurysms. Patients were evaluated by endoscopy, ultrasound, computerized tomography, and angiography. Management included coil embolization or arterial ligation and/or hepatic resection.

RESULTS

The mean pseudoaneurysm size was 4.9-cm (range 1.0-11.0-cm) and the locations included the right hepatic artery (n = 5), inferior pancreaticoduodenal artery (n = 1), and gastroduodenal artery (n = 1). All six patients had prior surgical or percutaneous procedures. Median latency period between the original procedure and treatment of pseudoaneurysm was 17 weeks (range one month-16 years). Clinical features ranged from the dramatic presentation of hypotension secondary to intraperitoneal aneurysmal rupture to the subtle presentation of obstructive jaundice secondary to pseudoaneurysm mass effect. The range of patient presentations created diagnostic challenges, proving that accurate diagnosis is made only by early consideration of pseudoaneurysm. Management was ligation of the right hepatic artery (n = 4) and embolization of the pseudoaneurysms (n = 2). Post-treatment sequelae included liver failure requiring liver transplant (n = 1), intrahepatic biloma requiring percutaneous drainage (n = 1) and cholangitis with right hepatic duct strictures requiring right lobectomy and biliary reconstruction (n = 1). These complications followed arterial ligation, with no complications resulting from embolization. All six patients are alive and well after a mean follow-up of 53 months.

CONCLUSIONS

Our six patients demonstrate the diversity and unpredictability with which a pseudoaneurysm of the extrahepatic arterial vasculature may present in terms of initial symptoms, prior procedures, and the latency period between presentation and prior procedure. Through our experience and an analysis of the literature, we recommend a diagnostic and management approach for these patients.

Alcoholism and suicidal behavior: a clinical overview

OBJECTIVE

The purpose of this paper was to provide a clinical review of the literature on the relation of alcoholism to suicidal behavior.

METHOD

Studies of alcoholism and suicidal behavior available in MEDLINE, Institute for Scientific Information Databases (Science Citation Index Expanded, Social Sciences Citation Index, and Arts & Humanities Citation Index), EMBASE, and Cochrane Library were identified and reviewed.

RESULTS

Alcoholism is associated with a considerable risk of suicidal behavior. Individuals with alcoholism who attempt or complete suicide are characterized by major depressive episodes, stressful life events, particularly interpersonal difficulties, poor social support, living alone, high aggression/impulsivity, negative affect, hopelessness, severe alcoholism, comorbid substance, especially cocaine abuse, serious medical illness, suicidal communication, and prior suicidal behavior. Partner-relationship disruptions are strongly associated with suicidal behavior in individuals with alcoholism.

CONCLUSION

All individuals with alcoholism should receive a suicide risk assessment based on known risk factors.