2005]. Furthermore, there is evidence for the LPA Receptor antagonist stability of BDNF levels in platelets or serum [Trajkovska et al. 2007], whereas in plasma, it circulates for less than 1 h [Kishino et al. 2001; Poduslo and Curran, 1996]. Another limitation of the study is that we did not consider the phases of menstrual cycle

in female subjects. We know that leptin and BDNF levels especially differ according to hormonal changes. Another limitation is that we measured leptin only once so that we could not observe changes in its diurnal rhythm Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical and pulsatility in depressive patients. Further studies with larger samples are required to investigate biological markers in homogeneous MDD groups. This study showed that there are no significant differences in BDNF, VEGF and leptin levels in MDD patients with melancholic features compared with those of healthy controls. We think that this

finding is significant as we studied with a diagnostically Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical homogeneous group of patients. BDNF may be related to the recurrence of depressive episodes as its level decreased with remitting depression. VEGF may be a determinant of the severity of depression as its levels decreased Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical with the increasing HDRS. Further investigations aiming to identify the role and putative function of neurotrophins in the pathogenesis of depressive disorders and their peripheral indicators in the blood are necessary for new diagnostic and therapeutic options. Neurotrophic factor levels may be a guide in the assessment of suicidality, severity and recurrence of depression and, accordingly, in the development of therapeutic interventions. Furthermore, treatment Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical regimens with the direct or adjunctive addition of these neurotrophins may be indicated in the future. Footnotes The study was supported by the foundation of Uludag University (2008/37). This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not- for-profit sectors. The authors declare no conflicts of interest in preparing Inhibitors,research,lifescience,medical this article.
Despite pharmacological advances, the treatment of schizophrenia remains a challenge, and suboptimal outcomes are still

all-too frequent. Although treatment goals to of response, remission, and recovery have been defined more uniformly, a good ‘effectiveness’ measure mapping onto functional outcomes is still lacking. Whereas the acute response to appropriately dosed first-generation antipsychotics may not differ much from second-generation antipsychotics, the advantages of lower rates of extrapyramidal side effects, tardive dyskinesia and, possibly, relapse may favor second-generation antipsychotics. However, when considering individual adverse effect profiles, the differentiation into first- and second-generation antipsychotics as unified classes cannot be upheld, and a more differentiated view and treatment selection is required [Kane and Correll, 2010].