ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this article is to compare differences in metacognitive beliefs between bipolar disorder type I depressed (BPD1) patients with Unipolar Depression (UPD) patients, and a control group; and to discuss the relationship between metacognitive beliefs and depression parameters. Methods: Sixty six consecutive outpatients with a diagnosis of depressed BPD1, 70 patients with UPD and 70 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Following assessment with the Sociodemographic Data Form, Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV (SCID-I), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scales (HAM-A), Young Mania Evaluation Scale, and the Metacognition Questionnaire-30 (MCQ-30). Results: UPD and BPD1 patients included in the study had higher scores in metacognitive beliefs other than positive beliefs compared with healthy controls (p<0.05), but no significant difference was found between the BPD1 and UPD groups (p>0.05). A statistically significant positive correlation was observed between the HAM-A, HAM-D scores and MCQ-30 scores in UPD group (p<0.05) but not in BPD1 group (p>0.05). Discussion: The metacogitive structures of UPD and BPD1, may be helpful in identifying and choosing the right treatment modality. We think that our results may have implications for the metacognitive approaches in the treatment of BPD1.

SUMMARY: Although various neuropsychochemical theories have been established about why breastfeeding mothers feel hedonic sensation, the underlying neural mechanism has not been adequately clarified. We aimed to investigate if there is hedonic sensation-initiated taste-bud like structures stimulated by sugars in the milk-secreting lactiferous ducts of mammary glands of breastfeeding female rats. In this study, twenty-two female rats were chosen which six of the virgin (n=6), six of pregnant (n=6) and ten of breastfeeding (n=10). We examined lactiferous ducts/nipples of mammary glands of all animals. They were sacrificed following intracardiac formalin injection, and their breast tissues were removed with covering tissues and fixed with 10 % of formalin solution. After current histological procedures, the tissues were examined by light microscope to assess taste-bud like structures, and their numerical densities were calculated by using stereological methods. Results were analyzed statistically. Taste-buds like structures with neuron-like appendages at the apical ends were discovered in lactiferous ducts. The taste rosea numbers were estimated as 3±1/mm3 in virgins, 167±27/mm3 in pregnant and 375±63/mm3 in breastfeeding animals. The taste rosea numbers were greater in breastfeeding rats than those of virgins and pregnant rats. They named as taste rosea resembling flower bucket which has not been mentioned in the literature so far.

RESUMEN: Existen varias teorías neuropsicoquímicas, referente a la sensación hedónica que sienten las mujeres al amamantar, y el mecanismo neural subyacente. No obstante, estas aún no se aclaran adecuadamente. El objetivo de este estudio, fue investigar si existen estructuras hedónicas iniciadas por la sensación gustativa estimuladas por los azúcares en los conductos mamarios secretores de leche, de las glándulas mamarias de las ratas durante el período de lactancia. En este estudio, se eligieron 22 ratas hembras, seis de estas no preñadas como grupo control, seis preñadas y diez en período de lactancia. Examinamos los conductos lactíferos / pezones de las glándulas mamarias de los tres grupos. Los animales fueron sacrificados por medio de inyección intracardíaca de formalina. El tejido mamario se fijó en solución de formalina al 10 %. La muestras histólogicas fueron examinadas a través microscopía óptica con la finalidad de evaluar estructuras con características morfológicas similares a las papilas gustativas. Su densidad de número se calculó utilizando métodos estereológicos. Los resultados fueron analizados estadísticamente. En los conductos mamarios se observaron dos estructuras con con características morfológicas tipo papilas gustativas con apéndices neuronales en los extremos apicales. Los números se estimaron en 3±1/mm3 en el grupo control, 167±27/mm3 en gestantes y 375±63/mm3 en animales lactantes. El número de estructuras características morfológicas similares a las papilas gustativas fue mayor en las ratas amamantando que en el grupo control y que en las ratas preñadas. Conocido como sabor rosea debido a que se asemeja a un ramo de flores, lo que hasta ahora no se ha mencionado en la literatura.

Abstract Objectives Schizophrenia (Sch) is a severe and chronic mental illness. Smoking prevalence is higher in patients with Sch than general population. We aimed to investigate the effects of MAOB gene A644G variant on nicotine dependence (ND) and Sch+ND risk in Turkish population and to evaluate by bioinformatic analysis. Methods Present study included 161 individuals with ND, 223 patients with Sch+ND, and 96 non-smoker controls. MAOB A644G variant was analyzed using PCR-RFLP method. As the MAOB gene is located on the X chromosome, each gender was analysed separately. Results The total distributions of AA, AG and GG genotypes of MAOB gene A644G were 44.7%, 22.4% and 32.9% in the ND group, 45.3%, 25.1% and 29.6% in the Sch+ND group and, 44.8, 22.9% and 32.3% in non-smoker controls. No significant differences were observed between groups for the MAOB A644G genotype and allele frequencies when female group compared to male group (p > 0.05). Examination of disease associations of SNPs from each miRNA gene region in GWAS databases yielded results for aging, bipolar disorder, autoimmune, and neurological diseases. Discussion Our results indicate that the MAOB gene A644G variant is not associated with ND and/or Sch susceptibility in the Turkish population.

Abstract Background: Oxidative stress induced DNA damage has been assumed to contribute to the etiopathogenesis of schizophrenia (Sch). Smoking prevalence was more common in patients with Sch. The X-ray repair cross-complementation group 4 (XRCC4) gene plays an important role in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks. Objective: The purpose of this study was to investigate whether XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism has a relationship both in nicotine dependence (ND) and Sch+ND risk. Methods: One hundred and four patients with Sch+ND, 133 subjects with ND only and 70 healthy controls were enrolled in the study. XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism was analyzed using PCR-RFLP assay. Results: The frequency of XRCC4 rs6869366 GG genotype was more common in the ND and Sch+ND group than controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). XRCC4 rs6869366 TT genotype was lower in both ND and Sch+ND group compared to controls (p = 0.001 and p = 0.001, respectively). Also, XRCC4 rs6869366 G allele was higher in Sch+ND group than controls (p = 0.001) while XRCC4 rs6869366 T allele was lower in ND group than healthy controls (p=0.001). XRCC4 rs6869366 GT genotype was lower in ND group than control group (p = 0.003). Discussion: These results suggested that the XRCC4 rs6869366 polymorphism G related genotype/allele was associated with susceptibility to both ND and Sch+ND in a Turkish population.