Causal association between atopic dermatitis and Parkinson's disease: A bidirectional Mendelian randomization study

BACKGROUND

Atopic dermatitis is one of the most common skin disorders. Evidence has suggested an association between skin disorders, such as atopic dermatitis, and Parkinson's disease (PD). However, whether atopic dermatitis has a causal effect on PD remains unknown.

METHODS

The study aimed to determine whether their association between atopic dermatitis and PD is causal, using a bidirectional two-sample Mendelian randomization method. Genetic variants from the public genome-wide association studies for atopic dermatitis (n = 10788 cases and 30047 controls) were selected to evaluate their causal effects on the risk of PD (33,674 cases and 449,056 controls). The inverse variance weighted (IVW) method was used as the primary analysis.

RESULTS

The IVW results indicated that atopic dermatitis was associated with decreased risk of PD {fixed effects: odds ratio [OR] [95% confidence interval (CI)]: .905 [.832-.986], p = .022; OR [95% CI]: .905 [.827-.991], p = .032}. However, we failed to detect the causal effects of PD on risk of atopic dermatitis in the reverse causation analysis.

CONCLUSION

This study indicated causal association of genetically proxied atopic dermatitis with the risk of PD. Future studies are warranted to explore the underlying mechanism and investigate the targeting effect of atopic dermatitis on PD.

Prevalence and Risk Factors of Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD) in Non-Obese Patients with Schizophrenia: A Retrospective Study

Background

To assess the prevalence and risk factors of NAFLD in non-obese patients with schizophrenia in a public psychiatric hospital in China.

Methods

A total of 1,305 adult inpatients with schizophrenia in 2019 were included in this retrospective study. Body mass index (BMI) ≥ 25 kg/m2 was considered obese, and BMI < 25 kg/m2 was considered non-obese. We obtained the data from electronic records of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University.

Results

A total of 1,045 non-obese patients and 260 obese patients were included in this study. The prevalence of NAFLD in non-obese patients was 25.0%, and it was much lower that in the obese patients (25.0% vs 64.6%, p < 0.001). Among the non-obese patients, there were significant differences in age, BMI, alanine aminotransferase (ALT), metabolic indices, and the prevalence of diabetes and hypertension between patients with NAFLD and patients without NAFLD. According to the results of binary logistic regression analysis, age, BMI, ALT, triglyceride (TG) and diabetes were significantly related to NAFLD among non-obese patients with schizophrenia. In contrast, HDL-C was was negatively associated with NAFLD among non-obese patients.

Conclusion

This study suggested that NAFLD was common in patients with schizophrenia, even in non-obese patients with schizophrenia. In non-obese patients with schizophrenia, age, BMI, ALT, TG and diabetes are significantly associated with NAFLD. Moreover, HDL-C level was an independent protective factor against NAFLD. Given the adverse outcomes of NAFLD, it is necessary to increase awareness of NAFLD in patients with schizophrenia, especially in non-obese patients with schizophrenia.

Factors influencing concentrations of risperidone and 9-hydroxyrisperidone in psychiatric outpatients taking immediate-release formulations of risperidone

OBJECTIVES

To analyze the factors affecting the concentrations of the active moiety of risperidone (RIS) and its active metabolite 9-hydroxyrisperidone (9-OH-RIS) in psychiatric outpatients taking immediate-release formulations.

METHODS

This is a retrospective study on the therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) data regarding RIS and 9-OH-RIS in adult psychiatric outpatients. TDM data with simultaneous RIS and 9-OH-RIS monitoring from March 2018 to February 2020 and relevant medical records (including dosage, dosage form, sex, age, diagnosis, combined medication, and comorbid disease) from 399 adult psychiatric outpatients (223 males and 176 females) were included in this study.

RESULTS

The daily dose of RIS was 5.56 ± 2.05 mg, the concentration of total active moiety was 42.35 ± 25.46 ng/mL, and the dose-adjusted plasma concentration (C/D) of active moiety was 7.83 ± 3.87 (ng/ml)/(mg/day). Dose, sex, and age were identified as important factors influencing concentrations of RIS and 9-OH-RIS in adult psychiatric outpatients.

CONCLUSIONS

Individualized medication adjustments should be made according to the specific conditions of psychiatric outpatients. The findings strongly support the use of TDM to guide dosing decisions in psychiatric outpatients taking RIS.