Adolescents' perceived weight associated with depression in young adulthood: a longitudinal study

Objective: The objective of this study is to examine whether adolescents’ measured BMI and self‐ or mother's perception of weight status at age 14 are associated with depression at age 21. Research Methods and Procedures: The study participants were a subsample of 2017 participants of the Mater–University of Queensland Study of Pregnancy and Its Outcomes, a population‐based birth cohort study, which commenced in 1981 in Brisbane, Australia, for whom measured BMI at ages 14 and 21 and information on self‐reported mental health problems were available at the age 21 follow‐up. A total of 1802 individuals had measured BMI and reported weight perception in a supplementary questionnaire at 14 years, and their self‐reported mental health problems were reported at 21 years. Mental health was measured using Center for Epidemiology Studies Depression Scale and Young Adults Self‐Reported depression/anxiety at 21 years of age. Results: We found that both young adult males and females who perceived themselves as overweight at age 14 had more mental health problems compared with those who perceived themselves as the right weight. When we combined adolescents’ weight perception with their measured BMI categories, weight perception but not measured overweight was associated with mental health problems for males and females at age 21. This association remained after adjusting for potential confounders, including adolescents’ behavioral problems, family meals, diet, physical activity, and television watching. Conclusions: This study suggests that the perception of being overweight during adolescence is a significant risk factor for depression in young adult men and women. The perception of being overweight during adolescence should be considered a possible target for a prevention intervention.     

Serotonergic genes modulate amygdala activity in major depression

Serotonergic genes have been implicated in the pathogenesis of depression probably via their influence on neural activity during emotion processing. This study used an imaging genomics approach to investigate amygdala activity in major depression as a function of common functional polymorphisms in the serotonin transporter gene (5-HTTLPR) and the serotonin receptor 1A gene (5-HT(1A)-1019C/G). In 27 medicated patients with major depression, amygdala responses to happy, sad and angry faces were assessed using functional magnetic resonance imaging at 3 Tesla. Patients were genotyped for the 5-HT(1A)-1019C/G and the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism, including the newly described 5-HTT-rs25531 single nucleotide polymorphism. Risk allele carriers for either gene showed significantly increased bilateral amygdala activation in response to emotional stimuli, implicating an additive effect of both genotypes. Our data suggest that the genetic susceptibility for major depression might be transported via dysfunctional neural activity in brain regions critical for emotion processing.     

Behavioural phenotyping of sodium-myo-inositol cotransporter heterozygous knockout mice with reduced brain inositol

Inositol plays a key role in dopamine, serotonin, noradrenaline and acetylcholine neurotransmission, and inositol treatment is reported to have beneficial effects in depression and anxiety. Therefore, a reduction in brain intracellular inositol levels could be a cause of some psychiatric disorders, such as depression or anxiety. To determine the behavioural consequences of inositol depletion, we studied the behaviour of sodium-dependent myo-inositol cotransporter-1 heterozygous knockout mice. In heterozygous mice, free inositol levels were reduced by 15% in the frontal cortex and by 25% in the hippocampus, but they did not differ from their wild-type littermates in cholinergic-mediated lithium-pilocarpine seizures, in the apomorphine-induced stereotypic climbing model of dopaminergic system function, in the Porsolt forced-swimming test model of depression, in amphetamine-induced hyperactivity, or in the elevated plus-maze model of anxiety. Reduction of brain inositol by more than 25% may be required to elicit neurobehavioural effects.     

When invasive ants meet: effects of outbreeding on queen performance in the tramp ant Cardiocondyla itsukii

Most disturbed habitats in the tropics and subtropics harbor numerous species of invasive ants, and occasionally the same species has been introduced repeatedly from multiple geographical sources. We examined how experimental crossbreeding between sexuals from different populations affects the fitness of queens of the tramp ant Cardiocondyla itsukii, which is widely distributed in Asia and the Pacific Islands. Eggs laid by queens that mated with nestmate males had a higher hatchi ng rate than eggs laid by queens mated to males from neighboring (Hawaii x Kauai) or distant introduced populations (Hawaii/Kauai x Okinawa). Furthermore, inbreeding queens had a Ion ger lifespan and produced a less female-biased offspring sex ratio than queens from allopatric mating. This suggests that the genetic divergence between different source populations may already be so large that in case of multiple invasions eventual crossbreeding might negatively affect the fitness of tramp ants.     

Breeding systems in Cyrtanthus (Amaryllidaceae): variation in self‐sterility and potential for ovule discounting

• Breeding systems of plants determine their reliance on pollinators and ability to produce seeds following self‐pollination. Self‐sterility, where ovules that are penetrated by self‐pollen tubes that do not develop into seeds, is usually considered to represent either a system of late‐acting self‐incompatibility or strong early inbreeding depression. Importantly, it can lead to impaired female function through ovule or seed discounting when stigmas receive mixtures of self and cross pollen, unless cross pollen is able to reach the ovary ahead of self pollen (‘prepotency’). Self‐sterility associated with ovule penetration by self‐pollen tubes appears to be widespread among the Amaryllidaceae.
• We tested for self‐sterility in three Cyrtanthus species – C. contractus, C. ventricosus and C. mackenii – by means of controlled hand‐pollination experiments. To determine the growth rates and frequency of ovule penetration by self‐ versus cross‐pollen tubes, we used fluorescence microscopy to examine flowers of C. contractus harvested 24, 48 and 72 h after pollination, in conjunction with a novel method of processing these images digitally. To test the potential for ovule discounting (loss of cross‐fertilisation opportunities when ovules are disabled by self‐pollination), we pollinated flowers of C. contractus and C. mackenii with mixtures of self‐ and cross pollen.
• We recorded full self‐sterility for C. contractus and C. ventricosus, and partial self‐sterility for C. mackenii. In C. contractus, we found no differences in the growth rates of self‐ and cross‐pollen tubes, nor in the proportions of ovules penetrated by self‐ and cross‐pollen tubes. In this species, seed set was depressed (relative to cross‐pollinated controls) when flowers received a mixture of self and cross pollen, but this was not the case for C. mackenii.
• These results reveal variation in breeding systems among Cyrtanthus species and highlight the potential for gender conflict in self‐sterile species in which ovules are penetrated and disabled by pollen tubes from self pollen.

     

Down-expressed GLT-1 in PSD astrocytes inhibits synaptic formation of NSC-derived neurons in vitro

Little is known about the effect of astroglial GLT-1 of post-stroke depression (PSD) rat model on the function of neural stem cells (NSCs). This study aimed to investigate whether astroglial GLT-1 of PSD rats affect differentiation of NSCs from neonatal rat hippocampus and synaptic formation of NSC-derived neurons. Astrocytes were isolated from the left hippocampus of normal adult SD rats and PSD rats. A lentiviral vector was used to silence the expression of GLT-1 in astrocytes of PSD rats. NSCs were respectively co-cultured with normal (control), PSD, and GLT-1 silenced astrocytes for 7 days. GLT-1, GFAP, MAP2, Synaptophysin (SYN), glutamate (Glu) and glutamine (Gln) were respectively measured by qRT-PCR, western blot, immunofluorescence and efficient mass spectrometry (MS). PSD astrocytes increased the number of NSC-derived astrocytes, but inhibited the expression of GLT-1 of NSC-derived astrocytes and synapses of NSC-derived neurons. On the basis of the low expression of GLT-1 in PSD astrocytes, we further silenced GLT-1 in PSD astrocytes. Interestingly, GLT-1 silenced PSD astrocytes more obviously inhibited synapses of NSC-derived neurons, but increased the number of NSC-derived neurons and reversed the expression of GLT-1 in NSC-derived astrocytes. At the same time, concentration of glutamate in the medium elevated, and glutamine in the medium gradually reduced. In NSC-derived neurons and astrocytes, glutamate metabolism was also affected by changed GLT-1. Down-expressed GLT-1 in PSD astrocytes stimulated NSCs differentiating into astrocytes, but inhibiting the formation of functional synapses by influencing glutamate metabolism in vitro.     

脑卒中后抑郁的发生率与危险因素的研究

目的:调查脑卒中患者抑郁的发生率,分析影响脑卒中后抑郁(post-stroke depression,PSD)发生率的相关因素。方法:随机调查400例符合纳入标准的脑卒中后的患者,采用自行设计的基本资料调查表收集患者的一般资料,采用抑郁自评量表(SDS)和汉密尔顿抑郁量表(HAMD)17项版本评定患者的抑郁情况,采用Barthel生活能力指数(B1)对患者日常生活能力评分,采用改良的爱丁堡斯堪的那维亚神经功能缺损评分表(SSS)对神经功能缺损评分(NFA)。结果:PSD总发生率为49.5%,其中轻度抑郁为26.5%,中度抑郁为16.0%,重度抑郁为7.0%,影响脑卒中后抑郁发生的相关因素有既往抑郁病史(P=0.000)、性别(P=0.046)、社会交往(P=0.000)、家庭关系(P=0.000)、照料人(P=0.000)、既往患病(P=0.000)、合并疾病种类(P=0.000)、卒中后病程(P=0.000)、日常生活能力(P=0.000)和神经功能缺损(P=0.000)。结论:脑卒中后抑郁的发生可能是多种因素共同作用的结果。     

文拉法辛与舍曲林治疗老年性抑郁症的效果及对认知功能的影响

目的:探讨文拉法辛与舍曲林治疗老年性抑郁症的效果及对认知功能的影响。方法:收集我院2012年6月到2014年1月收治的老年性抑郁症患者80例,按照随机数字表法分为观察组和对照组,每组40例,观察组给予盐酸文拉法辛胶囊、对照组给予舍曲林治疗。应用相应量表评价两组患者抑郁症和认知功能变化情况,并记录不良事件发生率。结果:观察组治疗有效率为90.0%,对照组为82.5%,差异无统计学意义(P0.05),治疗后观察组HAMD评分优于对照组,差异具有统计学意义(P0.05),两组治疗后与治疗前相比差异均具有显著统计学意义(P0.05)。治疗前Ra、Cc、Rc、Re、Rf、Rpe、n Rpe指标在两组间差异无统计学意义(P0.05),治疗后观察组优于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P0.05);治疗后两组不良事件发生率差异无统计学意义(P0.05),且经过对症处理均好转。结论:文拉法辛与舍曲林对老年患者抑郁症症状和认知功能改善均有一定的效果,但文拉法辛的治疗效果较舍曲林好,并且安全可靠,临床可以优先选择文拉法辛治疗。     

Comparative efficacy and acceptability of psychotherapies for depression in children and adolescents: A systematic review and network meta‐analysis

Previous meta-analyses of psychotherapies for child and adolescent depression were limited because of the small number of trials with direct comparisons between two treatments. A network meta-analysis, a novel approach that integrates direct and indirect evidence from randomized controlled studies, was undertaken to investigate the comparative efficacy and acceptability of psychotherapies for depression in children and adolescents. Systematic searches resulted in 52 studies (total N=3805) of nine psychotherapies and four control conditions. We assessed the efficacy at post-treatment and at follow-up, as well as the acceptability (all-cause discontinuation) of psychotherapies and control conditions. At post-treatment, only interpersonal therapy (IPT) and cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT) were significantly more effective than most control conditions (standardized mean differences, SMDs ranged from −0.47 to −0.96). Also, IPT and CBT were more beneficial than play therapy. Only psychodynamic therapy and play therapy were not significantly superior to waitlist. At follow-up, IPT and CBT were significantly more effective than most control conditions (SMDs ranged from −0.26 to −1.05), although only IPT retained this superiority at both short-term and long-term follow-up. In addition, IPT and CBT were more beneficial than problem-solving therapy. Waitlist was significantly inferior to other control conditions. With regard to acceptability, IPT and problem-solving therapy had significantly fewer all-cause discontinuations than cognitive therapy and CBT (ORs ranged from 0.06 to 0.33). These data suggest that IPT and CBT should be considered as the best available psychotherapies for depression in children and adolescents. However, several alternative psychotherapies are understudied in this age group. Waitlist may inflate the effect of psychotherapies, so that psychological placebo or treatment-as-usual may be preferable as a control condition in psychotherapy trials.