HERV-W upregulation expression in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia: unraveling potential links to systemic immune/inflammation status Sara Coelho Rangel, Michelly Damasceno da Silva, Décio Gilberto Natrielli Filho, Samuel Nascimento Santos, Jonatas Bussador do Amaral, Jefferson Russo Victor, Kevin Cezar Nascimento Silva, Izabela Dorota Tuleta, Carolina Nunes França, Marina Tiemi Shio, Lucas Melo Neves, André Luis Lacerda Bachi, Luiz Henrique da Silva Nali Retrovirology, 2024 Background Bipolar disorder (BD) and schizophrenia (SZ) are the two main mental disorders with unknown etiology that significantly impact individuals’ quality of life. The potential pro-inflammatory role in their pathogenesis is postulated and Human Endogenous Retrovirus W (HERV-W) is an emerging candidate to modulate this pathogenic finding. HERVs, ancient retroviruses in the human genome, may play roles in inflammation and disease pathogenesis. Despite HERVs’ involvement in autoimmune diseases, their influence on mental disorders remains underexplored. Therefore, the aim of this study was to assess the level of HERV-W-env expression and the systemic inflammatory profile through the concentration of IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, IL-10, TNF-α and INF-γ cytokines in BD and SZ patients. Results All participants showed HERV-W-env expression, but its expression was higher in mental disorder patients (p < 0.01) than in control. When separated, SZ individuals exhibited higher HERV-W expression than the control group (p < 0.01). Higher serum levels of TNF-α and IL-10 were found in BD (p = 0.0001 and p = 0.001, respectively) and SZ (p = 0.01) and p = 0.01, respectively) than in the control group, while SZ showed decreased levels IFN-γ and IL-2 as compared to controls (p = 0.05) and BD patients (p = 0.05), respectively. Higher TNF-α/IL-4 and TNF-α/IL-10 ratios, and lower IFN-γ/IL-10 were observed in BD and SZ patients than controls. Significant negative correlation between HERV-W-env expression and IL-10 (r=-0.47 p < 0.05), as well as positive correlations between HERV-W-env expression and TNF-α/IL-10 or IFN-γ/IL-10 ratios (r = 0.48 p < 0.05 and r = 0.46 p < 0.05, respectively) were found in BD patients. Conclusion These findings suggest not only a potential link between HERV-W-env expression both in BD and SZ, but also a possible involvement of systemic inflammatory status in BD patients.
Poor Agreement between Responses to the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and Objective ActiGraph® Data among Persons with Major Depressive or Bipolar Disorders Rafael Bonfim do Nascimento, Rafael Pereira Guimarães Santos, Tabatah Hellen Santos Gomes, Carolina Nunes França, Fabricio Eduardo Rossi, Decio Gilberto Natrielli-Filho, José Claudio Jambassi-Filho, Saulo Gil, Brendon Stubbs, Beny Lafer, Lucas Melo Neves International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 2022 The purpose of this research was to investigate the degree of agreement between data from the International Physical Activity Questionnaire—Short Form (IPAQ) and accelerometer (ActiGraph®) readings for physical activity (PA), classified as moderate, vigorous, and moderate–vigorous PA, and sedentary behavior (SB) in participants with major depressive or bipolar disorder. Following a cross-sectional observational design (n = 30), participants used an accelerometer for 4 to 7 days (minimum of 10 h per day) and answered the IPAQ (for the same period as accelerometer use). Our results suggest significant differences (p < 0.05) when comparing the ActiGraph® and IPAQ data: for moderate PA, 155 min vs. 25 min per week; for moderate–vigorous PA, 157 min vs. 50 min per week; and for SB, 8 h vs. 3 h per day. Spearman’s correlation coefficients (ActiGraph® and IPAQ) were low for moderate PA, vigorous PA, and moderate–vigorous PA (rho = 0.03 to 0.13). The Bland–Altman plot showed a bias of −75 min for moderate PA, 9 min for vigorous PA, −66 min for moderate–vigorous PA, and −5 h for SB. Considering the differences observed and the objectivity of the ActiGraph® measurements, whenever possible, we recommend ActiGraph® measurements of PA and SB for these clinical groups.
Medicine and creativity in medical psychology Decio Gilberto Natrielli Filho, Mailu Enokibara Silva, Decio Gilberto Natrielli Sao Paulo Medical Journal, 2013 The art of medicine is related to a precise decision-making process, which has evolved from strict scientific research towards the current practice of evidence-based medicine.Guided by
