Prospective study on the association between harm avoidance and postpartum depressive state in a maternal cohort of Japanese women

Background

Recent studies have displayed increased interest in examining the relationship between personality traits and the onset, treatment response patterns, and relapse of depression. This study aimed to examine whether or not harm avoidance (HA) was a risk factor for postpartum depression measured by the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) and the state dependency of HA.

Methods

Pregnant women (n=460; mean age 31.9±4.2 years) who participated in a prenatal program completed the EPDS as a measure of depressive state and the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) as a measure of HA during three periods: early pregnancy (T1), late pregnancy (around 36 weeks), and 1 month postpartum (T2). Changes in EPDS and HA scores from T1 to T2 were compared between the non depressive (ND) group and the postpartum depressive (PD) group.

Results

There was no significant difference in the level of HA between the ND and PD groups at T1. In the ND group, EPDS and HA scores did not change significantly from T1 to T2. In the PD group, both scores increased significantly from T1 to T2 (EPDS, p<0.0001; HA, p<0.048). In the ND and PD groups, a significant positive correlation was observed in changes in EPDS and HA scores from T1 to T2 (r=0.31, p=0.002).

Conclusions

These results suggest that HA cannot be considered a risk factor for the development of postpartum depression measured by EPDS. Furthermore, HA may be state dependent.     

An evolutionary perspective on the patterning of maternal investment in pregnancy

Pregnancy is thought to be a metabolically very expensive endeavor, yet investigations have produced inconsistent results concerning the responsiveness of human birth weight to maternal nutritional stress or nutritional intervention. These findings have led some researchers to conclude that fetal growth is strongly buffered against fluctuations in maternal energy balance, making the fetus in effect a “nearly perfect parasite.” This buffering would appear to be a reasonable adaptive response given the high risk of morbidity and mortality associated with low birth weight. However, a life-history approach leads to the prediction that maternal investment strategies in pregnancy should be geared toward maximizing lifetime reproductive success rather than simply the success of the current pregnancy, and by extension that maternal investment strategies should vary with reproductive value. The physiology of human pregnancy in fact appears to include a number of mechanisms that protect maternal energy resources from diversion to the fetus and preserve them for future reproductive events. These mechanisms include adjustment of blood flow to the uterus and perhaps minor adjustments in gestation length, although evidence for the latter is scant. Suggestions are made for ways of investigating these maternal options.     

The relationship between mood and preferences among natural landscapes: An evolutionary perspective

The evolutionary approach to aesthetics contends that psychological responses to stimuli evolved because they contributed to survival and reproduction. Thus, psychological reactions to stimuli can be thought of as motivators of appropriate environment-contingent behavior. We explored this idea by examining the relationship between mood and landscape preference across individuals. We predicted that subjects who reported positive moods (e.g., cheerful, energetic, optimistic) would be motivated to explore, and thus, would prefer landscapes rich in “Prospect” (vast expanses and overviews), while subjects who experienced mood dysphoria (e.g., tense, depressed, fatigued) would be motivated to reduce stress, and thus, prefer landscapes rich in “Refuge” (enclosed, protected spaces). While not all of the predictions were confirmed, in general, landscape preferences were found to relate to mood in the manner predicted. These results suggest that mood can affect aesthetic judgment, and that this effect might be the result of a psychological mechanism evolved to facilitate adaptive behavior.     

Phylogenetic perspective on the relationships and evolutionary history of the Acipenseriformes

The Acipenseriformes, as one of the earliest extant vertebrates, plays an important role in the evolution of fishes and even the whole vertebrates. Here we collected and analyzed all complete mitochondrial genomes of Acipenseriformes species. Phylogenetic analyses demonstrated that the polytomous branch included Acipenseridae and Polyodontidae formed five clades. The Polyodontidae clade and the Scaphirhynchus clade both were monophyletic group, whereas the Acipenser species and the Huso species both were polyphyletic group. The Bayesian divergence times showed that the origin time for Acipenseriformes was at 318.0 Mya, which was similar to the some previous results of 312.1 Mya, 346.9 Mya and 389.7 Mya. The result was in good consistent with the paleontological data available and the split time of the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans from the Jurassic to the Cretaceous (Laurasia splits in North America and Eurasia). The dN/dS ratios showed the evolutionary rates gradually slow down in five major Acipenseriformes clades from the Clade A (the Pacific sturgeons species) to Clade C (the genus Scaphirhynchus), which was related to the process of geographical formation.     

Changing time perspective and mental health among Southeast Asian refugees

Little is known about the psychological mechanisms people employ in adapting to extreme circumstances such as becoming refugees. Case studies of refugees making up part of a sample of 1348 persons relocated from Southeast Asia to Vancouver, British Columbia, suggest that altering one's perception of time may be an adaptive strategy. During periods of acute stress, refugees seem to focus on the present to the relative exclusion of past and future. The reemergence of past and future into consciousness brings about a risk for developing depression. Epidemiological data corroborate inferences from case material, demonstrating that refugees are more present-oriented than the indigenous population. A Nostalgic time orientation, preoccupation with the past, is associated with elevated depression scores. Contrasts are drawn between nostalgia, a maladaptive pattern, and memory, which is an inevitable part of the process of personality integration.     

大学生情绪智力与心理健康的关系

目的 了解大学生情绪智力与心理健康状况之间的关系,为大学生心理健康咨询与教育提供科学依据.方法 采用情绪智力量表(EIS)和症状自评量表(SCL-90),对整群随机抽取的太原市312名大学生进行问卷调查.结果 大学生人际敏感因子的城乡差异有统计学意义;SCL-90总分及各因子(除躯体化、焦虑、恐怖)的年级差异有统计学意义.大学生情绪智力总分与SCL-90总分及抑郁、恐怖、偏执、精神病性显著负相关,情绪自控能力与调控他人情绪能力与SCL-90总分及大部分因子显著负相关.除强迫、敌对外,不同情绪智力水平大学生SCL-90总分及各因子差异有统计学意义.情绪自控能力进入了大学生总体心理健康及各因子的回归模型中,情绪自控能力联合运用情绪能力能有效预测大学生总体心理健康及大部分因子.结论 自我调控能力和运用情绪能力是大学生心理健康的重要预测指标.     

The association of sexual interest and sexual behaviors among adolescent women: a daily diary perspective

Theoretical and empirical linkages of adult women's sexual interest and sexual behaviors are relatively well-established, but few data address similar issues in adolescent women. This paper reviews data from published reports of associations of adolescent women's sexual interest and various sexual behaviors. All of the papers reported data collected from a single longitudinal cohort of young women. The primary source of data collection was daily diaries, allowing close temporal pairing of sexual interest with sexual behaviors. Young women's sexual interest on a given day was consistently and independently associated with sexual activity on that day, whether the behavior was first lifetime coitus, coitus, fellatio, cunnilingus, anal intercourse, or coitus during menses. We also found no evidence of influence of hormonal contraceptives on young women's sexual interest. Taken together, these data demonstrate the relevance of sexual interest as a key factor in young women's sexuality and sexual behavior.     

An evolutionary perspective on the systems of adaptive immunity

We propose an evolutionary perspective to classify and characterize the diverse systems of adaptive immunity that have been discovered across all major domains of life. We put forward a new function‐based classification according to the way information is acquired by the immune systems: Darwinian immunity (currently known from, but not necessarily limited to, vertebrates) relies on the Darwinian process of clonal selection to ‘learn’ by cumulative trial‐and‐error feedback; Lamarckian immunity uses templated targeting (guided adaptation) to internalize heritable information on potential threats; finally, shotgun immunity operates through somatic mechanisms of variable targeting without feedback. We argue that the origin of Darwinian (but not Lamarckian or shotgun) immunity represents a radical innovation in the evolution of individuality and complexity, and propose to add it to the list of major evolutionary transitions. While transitions to higher‐level units entail the suppression of selection at lower levels, Darwinian immunity re‐opens cell‐level selection within the multicellular organism, under the control of mechanisms that direct, rather than suppress, cell‐level evolution for the benefit of the individual. From a conceptual point of view, the origin of Darwinian immunity can be regarded as the most radical transition in the history of life, in which evolution by natural selection has literally re‐invented itself. Furthermore, the combination of clonal selection and somatic receptor diversity enabled a transition from limited to practically unlimited capacity to store information about the antigenic environment. The origin of Darwinian immunity therefore comprises both a transition in individuality and the emergence of a new information system – the two hallmarks of major evolutionary transitions. Finally, we present an evolutionary scenario for the origin of Darwinian immunity in vertebrates. We propose a revival of the concept of the ‘Big Bang’ of vertebrate immunity, arguing that its origin involved a ‘difficult’ (i.e. low‐probability) evolutionary transition that might have occurred only once, in a common ancestor of all vertebrates. In contrast to the original concept, we argue that the limiting innovation was not the generation of somatic diversity, but the regulatory circuitry needed for the safe operation of amplifiable immune responses with somatically acquired targeting. Regulatory complexity increased abruptly by genomic duplications at the root of the vertebrate lineage, creating a rare opportunity to establish such circuitry. We discuss the selection forces that might have acted at the origin of the transition, and in the subsequent stepwise evolution leading to the modern immune systems of extant vertebrates.     

An evolutionary perspective on the kinome of malaria parasites

Malaria parasites belong to an ancient lineage that diverged very early from the main branch of eukaryotes. The approximately 90-member plasmodial kinome includes a majority of eukaryotic protein kinases that clearly cluster within the AGC, CMGC, TKL, CaMK and CK1 groups found in yeast, plants and mammals, testifying to the ancient ancestry of these families. However, several hundred millions years of independent evolution, and the specific pressures brought about by first a photosynthetic and then a parasitic lifestyle, led to the emergence of unique features in the plasmodial kinome. These include taxon-restricted kinase families, and unique peculiarities of individual enzymes even when they have homologues in other eukaryotes. Here, we merge essential aspects of all three malaria-related communications that were presented at the Evolution of Protein Phosphorylation meeting, and propose an integrated discussion of the specific features of the parasite's kinome and phosphoproteome.     

An evolutionary perspective on the regulation of carpel development

The carpel, or female reproductive organ enclosing the ovules, is one of the major evolutionary innovations of the flowering plants. The control of carpel development has been intensively studied in the model eudicot species Arabidopsis thaliana. This review traces the evolutionary history of genes involved in carpel development by surveying orthologous genes in taxa whose lineages separated from that of A. thaliana at different levels of the phylogenetic tree of the seed plants. Some aspects of the control of female reproductive development are conserved between the flowering plants and their sister group, the gymnosperms, indicating the presence of these in the common ancestor of the extant seeds plants, some 300 million years ago. Gene duplications that took place in the pre-angiosperm lineage, before the evolution of the first flowering plants, provided novel gene clades of potential importance for the origin of the carpel. Subsequent to the appearance of the first flowering plants, further gene duplications have led to sub-functionalization events, in which pre-existing reproductive functions were shared between paralogous gene clades. In some cases, fluidity in gene function is evident, leading to similar functions in carpel development being controlled by non-orthologous genes in different taxa. In other cases, gene duplication events have created sequences that evolved novel functions by the process of neo-functionalization, thereby generating biodiversity in carpel and fruit structures.     

Neglected tropical diseases and mental health: a perspective on comorbidity

Mental health conditions will be the largest contributor to the global health burden by 2030. Our review suggests that neglected tropical diseases (NTDs) predispose individuals to poor mental health. Factors predisposing to poor mental health include stigma and discrimination, exclusion from participating fully in society, reduced access to health and social services, lack of educational opportunities, exclusion from income-generation and employment opportunities, and restrictions in exercising civil and political rights. These characteristics are all features of NTDs, but the mental health of these sufferers has been ignored. This review raises an issue of concern and highlights the opportunities for research by psychiatrists and psychologists on NTDs.     

An immuno-haematological study among pregnant women of Patiala (India).

The present study has been conducted on 500 pregnant women belonging to Patiala city (Punjab State, India), during various stages of pregnancy, who were investigated for evidence of immunization. Incidence of immunization was found to be 1.20% in total sample and 25.00% in Rh (D) negative pregnant women. All the immunized cases were multiparae. Immunized cases were more in second trimester. Obstetrical histories of immunized cases suggest that five of them were probably immunized due to repeated pregnancies and one case was probably due to previous still births. A greater fertility was observed in the immunized group as compared to other groups. No case of immunization had previous history of blood transfusion. Rh-immunization was also studied in relation to AB0-incompatibility.     

An evolutionary perspective on the 'death hormone'hypothesis in plants

Many plants die after first reproduction, as if committing suicide, a phenomenon known as 'monocarpic senescence'. The process is different from the ageing seen in most animals. A 'death hormone'has been proposed to explain the phenomenon, both for plants and also separately for animals. This paper considers for plants whether and how such a death hormone could have evolved.
Monocarpic senescence has sometimes been attributed to starvation of the vegetative parts for photosynthate or mineral nutrients, by nutrient diversion to developing fruit. In this case, no evolutionary problem arises. In other cases, the phenomenon seems to be one of programmed senescence, since details of the process conflict with an explanation in terms of nutrient diversion, since there is apparently a hormonal senescence signal, and since, e.g., the same type of senescence occurs even in male plants that do not bear fruit.
A range of evolutionary mechanisms are considered, by which a death hormone could have evolved: species selection, kin selection, direct Darwinian selection, pleiotropy, functional correlation, orthogenesis, genetic drift and founder effects. The two most likely are identified as: (1) kin selection, in which the mother plant dies, and thus facilitates establishment of her offspring, and (2) selection for efficiency of assimilate mobilisation. Neither of these explanations seems completely satisfactory.     

The effect of maternal care on child survival: a demographic, genetic, and evolutionary perspective

Models of population dynamics generally assume that child survival is independent of maternal survival. However, in humans, the death of a mother compromises her immature children's survival because children require postnatal care. A child's survival therefore depends on her mother's survival in years following her birth. Here, we provide a model incorporating this relationship and providing the number of children surviving until maturity achieved by females at each age. Using estimates of the effect that a mother's death has on her child's survival until maturity, we explore the effect of the model on population dynamics. Compared to a model that includes a uniform child survival probability, our model slightly raises the finite rate of increase lambda and modifies generation time and the stable age structure. We also provide estimates of selection on alleles that change the survival of females. Selection is higher at all adult ages in our model and remains significant after menopause (at ages for which the usual models predict neutrality of such alleles). Finally, the effect of secondary caregivers who compensate maternal care after the death of a mother is also emphasized. We show that allocare (as an alternative to maternal care) can have a major effect on population dynamics and is likely to have played an important role during human evolution.     

Understanding the association between maternal education and use of health services in ghana: exploring the role of health knowledge

Summary This paper examines the role of health knowledge in the association between mothers' education and use of maternal and child health services in Ghana. The study uses data from a nationally representative sample of female respondents to the 2008 Ghana Demographic and Health Survey. Ordered probit regression models evaluate whether women's health knowledge helps to explain use of three specific maternal and child health services: antenatal care, giving birth with the supervision of a trained professional and complete child vaccination. The analyses reveal that mothers' years of formal education are strongly associated with health knowledge; health knowledge helps explain the association between maternal education and use of health services; and, net of a set of stringent demographic and socioeconomic controls, mothers' health knowledge is a key factor associated with use of health services.     

Measuring and improving the quality of mental health care: a global perspective

Mental disorders are common worldwide, yet the quality of care for these disorders has not increased to the same extent as that for physical conditions. In this paper, we present a framework for promoting quality measurement as a tool for improving quality of mental health care. We identify key barriers to this effort, including lack of standardized information technology‐based data sources, limited scientific evidence for mental health quality measures, lack of provider training and support, and cultural barriers to integrating mental health care within general health environments. We describe several innovations that are underway worldwide which can mitigate these barriers. Based on these experiences, we offer several recommendations for improving quality of mental health care. Health care payers and providers will need a portfolio of validated measures of patient‐centered outcomes across a spectrum of conditions. Common data elements will have to be developed and embedded within existing electronic health records and other information technology tools. Mental health outcomes will need to be assessed more routinely, and measurement‐based care should become part of the overall culture of the mental health care system. Health care systems will need a valid way to stratify quality measures, in order to address potential gaps among subpopulations and identify groups in most need of quality improvement. Much more attention should be devoted to workforce training in and capacity for quality improvement. The field of mental health quality improvement is a team sport, requiring coordination across different providers, involvement of consumer advocates, and leveraging of resources and incentives from health care payers and systems.     

The relationships between oral status, physical and mental health, nutritional status and diet type in elderly Japanese women with dementia

Objectives: To suggest methods for maintaining an adequate nutritional status for elderly patients with dementia by evaluating the relationships between oral status, physical and mental health, and feeding conditions. Background: Feeding difficulties in dementia patients are related to food intake, and failure to eat may be associated with weight loss in long‐term care facilities. The relationship between compromised oral function and diet is still unclear. Materials and methods: A cross‐sectional study of 94 elderly women with dementia (mean age 89.6 ± 5.6 years) from a nursing home was undertaken to investigate their oral, physical and mental and nutritional status. Results: There were significant differences in serum albumin (p = 0.0284), N‐ADL (p = 0.0005), NM scale (p = 0.0004) and HDS‐R (p = 0.0004) between denture wearers and non‐denture wearers. However, there were no significant differences in body mass index between denture wearers and non‐denture wearers. Conclusion: A suitable type of diet and assistance with feeding could maintain the nutritional status of elderly patients with dementia if they are still feeding themselves. The nutritional support team will benefit from the participation of a dentist.