Self-rated Depression Scores Research Articles

Static and temporal dynamic alterations of local functional connectivity in chronic insomnia.

Several studies have revealed altered intrinsic neural activity in chronic insomnia (CI). However, the temporal variability of intrinsic neural activity in CI is rarely mentioned. This study aimed to explore static and temporal dynamic alterations of regional homogeneity (ReHo) in CI and excavate the potential associations between these changes and clinical characteristics.Eighty-seven patients with CI and seventy-eight healthy controls (HCs) were included. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging was performed on all subjects and both static and dynamic ReHo were used to detect local functional connectivity. We then tested the relationship between altered brain regions, disease duration, and clinical scales. The receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was used to reveal the potential capability of these indicators to screen CI patients from HCs.CI showed increased dynamic ReHo in the right precuneus and decreased static ReHo in the right cerebellum_6. The dynamic ReHo values of the right precuneus were negatively correlated with the self-rating depression score and the static ReHo values of the right cerebellum_6 were positively correlated with the Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Naming score. In addition, the combination of the two metrics showed a potential capacity to distinguish CI patients from HCs, which was better than a single metric alone.The present study has revealed the altered local functional connectivity under static and temporal dynamic conditions in patients with CI, and found the relationships between these changes, mood-related scales, and cognitive-related scales. These may be useful in elucidating the neurological mechanisms of CI and accompanying symptoms.

Multimodal Mental Health Digital Biomarker Analysis From Remote Interviews Using Facial, Vocal, Linguistic, and Cardiovascular Patterns.

Psychiatric evaluation suffers from subjectivity and bias, and is hard to scale due to intensive professional training requirements. In this work, we investigated whether behavioral and physiological signals, extracted from tele-video interviews, differ in individuals with psychiatric disorders. Temporal variations in facial expression, vocal expression, linguistic expression, and cardiovascular modulation were extracted from simultaneously recorded audio and video of remote interviews. Averages, standard deviations, and Markovian process-derived statistics of these features were computed from 73 subjects. Four binary classification tasks were defined: detecting 1) any clinically-diagnosed psychiatric disorder, 2) major depressive disorder, 3) self-rated depression, and 4) self-rated anxiety. Each modality was evaluated individually and in combination. Statistically significant feature differences were found between psychiatric and control subjects. Correlations were found between features and self-rated depression and anxiety scores. Heart rate dynamics provided the best unimodal performance with areas under the receiver-operator curve (AUROCs) of 0.68-0.75 (depending on the classification task). Combining multiple modalities provided AUROCs of 0.72-0.82. Multimodal features extracted from remote interviews revealed informative characteristics of clinically diagnosed and self-rated mental health status. The proposed multimodal approach has the potential to facilitate scalable, remote, and low-cost assessment for low-burden automated mental health services.

Perceived balance and self-reported falls: A retrospective cross-sectional study using the National Health and Aging Trend Study.

To examine how perceived balance problems are associated with self-reported falls in the past month after controlling for known correlates of falls among older adults. Approximately 30% of adults age 65 and older fall each year. Most accidental falls are preventable, and older adults' engagement in fall prevention is imperative. Limited research suggest that older adults do not use the term 'fall risk' to describe their risk for falls. Instead, they commonly use the term 'balance problems'. Yet, commonly used fall risk assessment tools in both primary and acute care do not assess older adults' perceived balance. The Health Belief Model and the concept of perceived susceptibility served as the theoretical framework. A retrospective, cross-sectional secondary analysis using data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study from year 2015 was conducted. The outcome variable was self-reported falls in the last month. A subsample of independently living participants (N = 7499) was selected, and 10.3% of the sample reported a fall. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of reporting a fall in the past month was 3.4 times (p < .001) greater for participants who self-reported having a balance problem compared to those who did not. In contrast, fear of falling and perceived memory problems were not uniquely associated with falls. Using a mobility device, reporting pain, poor self-rated health status, depression and anxiety scores were also associated with falling. Older adults' perceived balance problem is strongly associated with their fall risk. Perceived balance may be important to discuss with older adults to increase identification of fall risk. Older adults' perceived balance should be included in nursing fall risk assessments and fall prevention interventions. A focus on balance may increase older adults' engagement in fall prevention.

PERCEIVED BALANCE IS ASSOCIATED WITH SELF-REPORTED FALLS IN COMMUNITY-DWELLING OLDER ADULTS

Abstract Accidental falls are a significant health threat among older adults. Approximately 30% of adults age 65 and older suffer one or more falls each year. Most accidental falls are preventable, and older adults’ engagement in fall prevention is imperative. Limited research suggest that older adults do not use the term “fall risk” to describe their risk for falls. Instead, they commonly use the term “balance problems.” The aim of this study was to examine how perceived balance problems is associated with self-reported falls in the past month after controlling for known predictors of falls among older adults. The Health Belief Model and the concept of perceived susceptibility served as the theoretical framework. A cross-sectional secondary analysis using data from a subsample of independently living participants (N = 7499) from the National Health and Aging Trends Study from year 2015 was conducted, with 10.3% of the sample reporting a fall. Multiple logistic regression analysis revealed that the odds of reporting a fall in the past month were 3.4 times (p &amp;lt; .001) greater for participants who reported having a balance problem compared to those who did not. In contrast, fear of falling and perceived memory problems were not uniquely associated with falls. Using a mobility device, reporting pain, poor self-rated health status, depression, and anxiety scores were also associated with falling. Older adults’ perceived balance problem is strongly associated with their fall risk. A focus on balance instead of fall risk may improve older adults’ engagement in fall prevention.

The Effects of A Self-Prepared Medicinal Solution of Huangbai and Kushen Combined with Psychological Care on Postpartum Perineal Incisions

Medicinal solution steam washing is a common clinical treatment for the management of various skin diseases and wound infections. According to traditional Chinese medicine, the lack of healing of infected incisions is often attributed to excessive intraoperative blood loss, resulting in an imbalance of Qi and Blood, meridian obstruction, blood stasis, and the accumulation of dryness, heat, and turbid Qi at the affected area. Therefore, detoxification washing of the affected area with medicinal solutions promotes healing and is clinically recommended. Based on this premise, a self-prepared medicinal solution using cold-natured Chinese medicinal herbs, such as Huangbai, Kushen, and Pugongying, was used to promote the healing of postpartum perineal incisions in women. The aim of this study was to determine the effects of a self-prepared medicinal solution combined with psychological care on the healing of postpartum perineal incisions. Eighty parturient women who underwent spontaneous delivery with a mediolateral episiotomy at our hospital from August 2020 to August 2021 were enrolled in the study. The parturient women were divided into control and observation groups using a random number table, with 40 patients per group. The control group received conventional treatment and nursing intervention. The observation group received intervention with self-prepared medicinal liquid fumigation using Huangbai and Kushen, combined with psychological care. Pain perception, incision healing time, and the psychological status of the two groups were compared. After 3 days of nursing, the visual analog scale (VAS) scores in the observation group were significantly lower than the scores in the control group (P &lt;0.05). The VAS scores in the observation group were also significantly lower than the scores in the control group after nursing (P &lt;0.05). The healing time of the incision in the observation group was significantly shorter than the healing time in the control group (P &lt;0.05). After nursing, the self-rating anxiety scores and self-rating depression scores in the observation group were significantly lower than the scores in the control group (P &lt;0.05). Compared to routine treatment and nursing interventions, the combined application of self-prepared medicinal solution steam washing and psychological care promotes the healing of postpartum perineal incisions, alleviates pain in the incision area, and improves negative emotional states in parturient women.

Analysis of the effect of art design combined with drug therapy on college students’ depression

BackgroundWith the increasing social employment pressure, the psychological pressure of college students in their daily study and life is also increasing. Because students’ physical and mental growth is not sound, it is difficult for them to carry out targeted self-intervention and adjustment against psychological pressure, which leads to long-term accumulation of negative psychology and eventually forms depressive symptoms. In recent years, the number of depression patients in colleges and universities has been increasing. It is necessary to form a daily treatment strategy system that is in line with students’ psychological characteristics.Subjects and Methods90 students diagnosed with depression were selected and divided into three groups. The first group was a single drug intervention group, which only used the common form of depression drug intervention. The second group was a single art design appreciation intervention, which used professional art design and appreciation psychological intervention strategies to intervene students’ depression. The third group is the design appreciation and drug combined intervention group. The students in this group participated in professional art design and appreciation psychological intervention while taking antidepressant drug treatment. The study collected the depression psychological status of the three groups of patients before and after treatment, and used the collected data for quantitative analysis.ResultsThe research results showed that before the start of treatment, the Self-Rating Depression (SDS) scores of the three groups of students with depression were 63.21 points in the single drug intervention group, 64.32 points in the single art design appreciation intervention group and 63.54 points in the art design appreciation and drug combined intervention group. It showed that the levels of depression symptoms of the three groups of students before the intervention were similar. After intervention, the SDS score of the single drug intervention group decreased to 45.22 points, the SDS score of the single art design appreciation intervention group decreased to 46.51 points, and the SDS score of art design appreciation and drug combined intervention decreased to 40.13 points. It can be seen that the intervention effect of art design appreciation and drug intervention is the most obvious. Compared with the other two methods, this method is more conducive to the depression intervention for students.ConclusionsFrom the comparison of the patients’ condition in the single drug intervention group, the single art design appreciation intervention group, and the art design appreciation and drug combination intervention group before and after the intervention, it can be seen that the art design appreciation and drug combination intervention strategy designed by the research is more conducive to forming a better intervention effect in the student group, helping them to establish a psychological reaction mechanism in life with antidepressant drugs and reduce the severity of self-depression.Table 1.Group intervention effectGroupNumber of group membersSDS score before treatmentSDS score after treatmentSingle drug intervention3063.2145.22Single art design appreciation intervention3064.3246.51Art design appreciation and drug joint intervention3063.5440.13

Examining the feasibility and effectiveness of case manager delivered problem-solving therapy on late-life depression in a real-world setting: a mixed design pilot study

To optimize outcomes in Late-Life Depression (LLD), there remains a need for innovative augmentation treatments. Problem-Solving Therapy (PST) is demonstrated as an effective augmentation psychotherapy for LLD in a one-to-one setting. This study investigated the feasibility of implementing Case Manager delivered group PST for LLD in a community setting. The design was a mixed-methods pilot one-group pre-test post-test quasi-experimental feasibility study in adults aged 60+ years meeting criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD). Feasibility measures were inclusion, attendance, and attrition rate. PST was delivered in groups of 6–9 participants over 8 weeks. Participants completed a weekly self-rated depression scale from weeks 1–8, and pre-and post-intervention rater assessed depression and self-rated assessments of quality of life, insomnia, disability, and anxiety. Focus group interviews took place at week 8 for the first and last study cohort. Twenty-nine participants (inclusion rate of 91%) were enrolled, a recruitment rate of 2.2 participants/month. Of these, 26 (90%) completed week 8 assessments and 25 (96%) attended 5 or more PST sessions, while 15 (58%) attended all sessions. Self-rated depression, anxiety, and insomnia scores decreased significantly with medium-to-large effect sizes, while there was non-significant improvement in rater-assessed depression and self-rated disability and quality of life. Qualitative data showed participants found PST an easy-to-use technique and felt empowered and hopeful in recovering from depression. The results justify a replication of the study in a large RCT exploring the efficacy of offering a group-based Case Manager facilitated PST to older adults with LLD, in a community setting. Clinical Trial Registration Number: NCT03408821

Association Between Self-rating Depression Scores and Total Ghrelin and Adipokine Serum Levels in a Large Population-Based Sample.

BackgroundGhrelin and the adipokines leptin and adiponectin have been suggested to be involved in mood and anxiety regulation and to be altered in affective disorders. However, studies investigating the association between ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin and depressive symptomatology are scarce but might contribute to a better understanding of their involvement in mood regulation. We thus aimed investigating the association between depressive symptomatology and total ghrelin as well as leptin and adiponectin serum levels in a large population-based sample.MethodsTotal serum ghrelin, adiponectin and leptin levels were determined in 1666 subjects of a population-based cross-sectional study (“LIFE”). The Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D) and the Inventory of Depressive Symptoms – Self Rating (IDS-SR) were administered. Multiple linear regression analyses were conducted to examine the association between total serum ghrelin, leptin and adiponectin and the intensity of depressive symptoms.ResultsIn the total sample (n = 1,092), neither ghrelin nor leptin or adiponectin serum levels showed a significant association with CES-D or IDS-SR sum scores (N = 1,092) or in depressed/non-depressed subjects. Leptin serum levels showed a significantly positive association with IDS-SR sum scores in elderly men (≥60 years; β = 0.122, 95% CI: 0.009; 0.236; p = 0.035).ConclusionOur study suggests that peripheral levels of ghrelin and adipokines in a cross-sectional study design might not be sufficient to measure their involvement in depression, suggesting that associations are more complex and multi-layered.

The impact of watching real-time videos of flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy on anxiety and depression in patients.

This study examines the effect of intraoperative doctor-patient communication with real-time videos in flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy on patients' anxiety and depression. Patients with upper urinary tract calculi were randomised into four groups. Group A (n = 29) watched the real-time operation video, but did not accept the relevant explanation during the operation; Group B (n = 31) received an explanation about the operation process during the operation alone. Patients in Group C (n = 33) watched the real-time operation video and received an explanation about the operation process during the operation. Group D (n = 31) neither watched the operation video nor received an explanation about the operation process. The self-rated anxiety and depression scores of the patients were evaluated using the self-rating anxiety scale (SAS) and the self-rating depression scale (SDS) before and after the operation. The clinical and demographic profiles (average age, gender distribution, educational level, body mass index, stone size, the position of stones in each groups, the length of stayand the numbers of severe postoperative complications) of the for groups showed no preoperation difference (P > 0.05). The preoperative anxiety scores and the preoperative depression scores showed no significant difference in the four groups (P > 0.05). The scores of postoperative anxiety and depression in groups A (n = 29), B (n = 31), and C (n = 33) were significantly lower than those in Group D (n = 31), (P < 0. 05). Compared to groups A and B, the scores of anxiety and depression in Group C were significantly decreased (P < 0.05). During flexible ureteroscopic lithotripsy, doctor-patient communication combined with real-time video can significantly reduce patients' postoperative anxiety and depression, and contribute to their physical and mental health recovery.

Influence of rheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus on quality of life of female patients

IntroductionRheumatoid arthritis and systemic lupus erythematosus are chronic autoimmune diseases affecting quality of life. Patients and methodsTwo hundred patients diagnosed with RA and SLE were enrolled in this study. Four questionnaires (SF36, The Hamilton anxiety scale, The Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, The Female Sexual Function Index) were administered. ResultsIn this cross-sectional study, all domains of SF36 had significant negative correlations with DAS 28. Patients with no flare and those with mild to moderate SLEDAI had significantly higher SF36 domains as compared to patients with severe SLEDAI (P<0.05). DAS 28 score had a positive moderate significant correlation with HAM-A (P=0.01, r=0.46). SLE patients with severe activity had higher HAM-A in contrast to other patients (17.75±7.65, P=0.02). DAS 28 score had positive significant correlation with Zung self-rating depression score (P=0.01, r=0.46). SLE patients with severe activity had significantly higher Zung depression score as compared to other patients (51.60±17.99, P=0.03). DAS 28 has significant strong negative correlation with female sexual index (r=−0.80, P=0.00). The female sexual index mean value was insignificantly lower in those with severe disease activity (14.60±9.50). ConclusionThis study confirms that RA and SLE impair all aspects of quality of life. In RA patients disease activity negatively correlates with quality of life and sexual function, while there is a positive correlation with depression and anxiety. In SLE patients disease activity negatively correlates with quality of life and sexual dysfunction.

Influence of Integrated Traditional Chinese and Western Medicine Nursing on the Living Quality of Patients with Angina Pectoris under the Concept of Evidence Based Nursing

To analyze the effect of integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing on the living quality of patients with angina pectoris under the concept of evidence based nursing. A total of 85 patients with angina pectoris in our hospital from July 2018 to December 2019 were selected as the research objects. They were divided into two groups according to the order of admission. The 42 cases in the control group were given routine nursing and 43 cases in the study group were given integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing under the concept of evidence based nursing. The living quality, self-rating anxiety scale score, self-rating depression scale score, complications and nursing satisfaction were compared between the two groups. Compared with those before intervention, the scores of each dimension of Seattle Angina Questionnaire of the two groups after intervention were significantly improved (p<0.05) and the scores of each dimension of Seattle Angina Questionnaire of the study group were higher than those of the control group (p<0.05). Compared with those before the intervention, the self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scale scores of the two groups after intervention were significantly decreased (p<0.05) and the study group had lower self-rating anxiety scale and self-rating depression scores (p<0.05). Compared with the control group, the study group had lower incidences of insomnia, irritability, abdominal distention, urinary retention and low back pain (p<0.05). Compared with the control group, the study group had higher nursing satisfaction (p<0.05). The integrated traditional Chinese and Western medicine nursing under the concept of evidence based nursing was helpful to improve the living quality and nursing satisfaction of patients with angina pectoris and reduce their adverse emotions and complications.

Later-life depressive symptoms and anxiety attacks in displaced and nondisplaced populations

• Forced displacement is associated with higher rates of anxiety in later life. • Depending on the socio-political context, forced displacement is associated with increased depressive symptomatology. • The socio-political context is a potential predisposing factor for later-life anxiety or depression after forced displacement. Forced displacement has been suggested as a potential cause for depression and anxiety in later life. Little research has been done on the influence of the host country's socio-political system. Here we examine whether the later-life effects of displacement on mental health (i.e. depressive symptoms and anxiety attacks) differ between socio-political contexts. We hypothesized that between-group differences (displaced vs. nondisplaced) in self-rated depression scores and frequencies of anxiety attacks are more pronounced in East versus West German populations. Datasets from three representative nationwide surveys (2002, 2003, 2007) were analyzed; study participants born 1946 and earlier were included. The final sample comprised 2239 participants, including 1235 women. The depression and anxiety modules of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-D) were used to assess current anxiety and depression. Of the total sample, 15.4% reported WW2 displacement, 18.9% ( n = 129) in the East and 13.9% ( n = 216) in the West German sample. Concerning depression, we found significant between-group differences (displaced vs. nondisplaced) in the East (but not West) German sample. Concerning anxiety, both displaced East and West Germans reported a significantly higher frequency of anxiety attacks, as compared to nondisplaced individuals. Differences between effect sizes (East vs. West) were significant for depression, and anxiety after controlling for age and sex. Limitations include the self-rated assessment, not controlling for the confounding impact of the German reunification, and the cross-sectional study design. Results corroborate the assumption of an unsupportive socio-political context as a potential predisposing factor for later-life anxiety or depression after forced displacement.

Depression in young adults is associated with increased carotid atherosclerotic burden: insights from the Corinthia study

Abstract Introduction Depression appears to have a detrimental effect not only on mental health but also in the progression of various diseases. Purpose The examination of a potential association between depression and atherosclerosis progression in a rural population. Methods In the context of the cross-sectional Corinthia study, volunteers fulfilled a questionnaire concerning emotional health. The Geriatric Depression Scale was used for individuals aged 60 or more while the Zung self-rating depression score was preferred in younger adults. Carotid ultrasonography examination was performed to evaluate the mean carotid intima-media thickness (cIMT). Thickness of cIMT&amp;gt;1.5 mm or protrusion &amp;gt;50% compared to adjacent segments was considered as atherosclerotic plaque. Results Young adults with significant depression were usually female and did not differ significantly on other risk factors of atherosclerosis compared to those with mild or no depressive disorder. Importantly, those with moderate-severe depression appeared to have increased mean cIMT (Mild-No depression: 0.85±0.30mm, Moderate-severe depression: 0.91±0.42mm, p=0.04) and a higher carotid plaque burden (Mild-No depression: 12.8%, Moderate-severe depression: 20.3%, p=0.04). With regards to the elderly, those with moderate-severe depression were usually smokers (Mild-No depression: 13.9%, Moderate-severe depression: 24.2%, p=0.01). However, mean cIMT (Mild-No depression: 1.11±0.47mm, Moderate-severe depression: 1.09±0.39mm, p=0.69) and carotid plaques (Mild-No depression: 31.1%, Moderate-severe depression: 36.1%, p=0.36) did not differ according to depression status in this subgroup. Conclusion Significant depressive disorder is associated with accelerated carotid atherosclerosis in young individuals. Funding Acknowledgement Type of funding source: None

Relationship between depression, the family environment, and the coping styles of military recruits: A cross-section study.

To understand the self-rated depression scores of military recruits and to analyze the relationship between depression, the family environment, and coping styles.Multistage stratified cluster random sampling was used to study participants who, in September 2014, had enrolled as military personnel in the Xinjiang military. The participants were requested to complete the Chinese versions of the Self-rated Depression Scale (SDS), the Family Environment Scale (FES-CV), and the Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). Between-groups comparisons were performed using a t test and Mann–Whitney U test. Correlations were determined utilizing Spearman rank correlation coefficient, and the influencing factors of the SDS scores were analyzed using logistic regression.The average score of the SDS among the 323 participants was 42.53 ± 8.51. Specifically, the score of the “high school and below” group was higher than that of the “college and above” group [i.e., (43.98 ± 8.30)] vs [(40.43.98 ± 8.30) vs (37.94 ± 5.50), P < .05]. The SDS score of the “nonstudent” (i.e., social status before enlistment) group was higher than that of the “student” group [(i.e., 45.00 ± 7.60) vs (40.42 ± 8.02), P < .05] and the SDS score of the “smoking” group was higher than that of the “nonsmoking” group [i.e., (45.33 ± 7.74 vs 40.34 ± 7.58, P < .05)]. In addition, the scores related to the entertainment, organization, and controllability of the SDS≥50 group were lower than those observed for the SDS < 50 group, (i.e., Ps < .05). The SDS score was positively correlated with the SCSQ (r = 0.30) negative copying style score (r = 0.30), positively correlated with the FES-CV contradiction score (r = 0.32), and negatively correlated with the FES-CV knowledge score (r = −0.43), entertainment score (r = −0.42), organization score (r = −0.37), and controllability score (r = −0.28), respectively, (Ps < .05). The results of the logistic regression analysis showed that entertainment was contained in the final regression equation (P < .001) with odds radio (95% confidence interval) of 0.512 (0.319–0.824).A correlation was found between depression among military personnel and their family environment, and entertainment may be a potential protective factor against depression.

The impact of intense nursing care in improving anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with liver cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Background:Liver resection is a major, serious, and very delicate operation that should be done only by specialized, well-skilled, and experienced surgeons. However, the role of nurses, which has often been under-estimated, is also crucial for the success of the intervention or surgery. Intensive nursing care involves high quality nursing modes to achieve the expected goals of treatment smoothly and with less complications. In this analysis, we aimed to show the impact of intense nursing care in improving anxiety, depression, and quality of life in patients with intervention for liver cancers.Methods:Data sources included EMBASE, MEDLINE, Web of Science, the Cochrane central, Google scholar, and http://www.ClinicalTrials.gov. Three authors independently extracted data from the selected original studies. The statistical analysis was carried out by the Cochrane based RevMan software. For dichotomous data, the number of events and the total number of participants were required and for the continuous data, mean, standard deviation as well as the total number of participants were required in the input for analysis. Odds ratios (OR) with 95% confidence intervals (CI) were used to represent the data following assessment.Results:A total of 1205 participants with liver cancer enrolled between the years 2010 to 2018 were included in this analysis whereby 667 participants were assigned to an intensive nursing care. Our current analysis showed that most of the patients who were assigned to an intense nursing intervention were significantly very satisfied with their quality of life (OR: 4.07, 95% CI: 1.45 – 11.45; P = .008). However, a minor number of patients with liver cancer who were not assigned to intense nursing care were significantly dissatisfied with their quality of life with OR: 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04 – 0.77; P = .02. This analysis also showed that self-rating anxiety score (SAS) and self-rating depression score (SDS) were significantly in favor of the participants with intense nursing care with OR: − 7.66, 95% CI: [(−9.66) – (−5.66)]; P = .00001 and OR: −7.87, 95% CI: [(−8.43) – (−7.26)]; P = .00001 respectively. In addition, physical function (OR: 13.56, 95% CI: 12.39 – 14.74; P = .00001), and total activity score (OR: 16.58, 95% CI: 13.51 – 19.65; P = .00001) were also significantly in favor of an intense nursing care.Conclusions:Our current analysis showed that intense nursing care significantly improved anxiety, depression, and quality of life following interventions in patients with liver cancers. Most of the patients with liver cancers who were assigned to an intense nursing care were very satisfied with their quality of life. However, this hypothesis should further be confirmed in larger nursing related studies based on patients with liver cancers.

Characterization of kynurenine pathway in patients with diarrhea-predominant irritable bowel syndrome.

Our objectives are to demonstrate whether the kynurenine pathway is activated in diarrhea-type irritable bowel syndrome (IBS-D) patients, and whether the neurotoxic metabolite quinolinic acid (QUIN) is out of balance with the neuroprotective metabolite kynurenic acid (KYNA), and further explore whether this can lead to increased expression of N-methyl D-aspartate receptor 2B (NMDAR2B) in the enteric nervous system and in turn leads to intestinal symptoms and mood disorders. All enrolled healthy controls and patients accepted IBS Symptom Severity Scale (IBS-SSS) score, Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS) and Self-rating Anxiety Scale (SAS) anxiety and depression scores, and also underwent colonoscopy to collect ileum and colonic mucosa specimens. The expression of NMDAR2B in intestinal mucosa was detected by immunofluorescence, and fasting serum was collected to detect the tryptophan, kynurenine (KYN), KYNA and QUIN by high performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). Our results showed that the KYN pathway of IBS-D patients was activated. The production of QUIN and KYNA was imbalanced and resulting in an increased NMDAR2B for patients with IBS-D, which may be involved in intestinal symptoms and mood disorders of IBS-D.

Impact of rheumatoid arthritis on the quality of life and its relation to disease activity

BackgroundQuality of life (QOL) is a multidimensional concept that is used to describe the individuals’ perceptions, satisfaction, and evaluation of different areas of their own lives, such as physical health and functioning, psychological and emotional well-being, social roles, and relationships. Few studies have addressed the effect of rheumatoid disease on the QOL in the Egyptian community.ResultsFunctional disability based on health assessment questionnaire disability index was significantly increased with the increase in disease activity based on disease activity score-28, where all patients on remission and 56% of those with low disease activity had mild functional disability. Approximately 89% of patients with low disease activity had mild anxiety based on Hamilton anxiety scale, and the majority (75%) of those patients with moderate disease activity and 83.3% of patients on remission had mild anxiety. The majority (85.7%) of those with high disease activity were depressed based on Zung self-rating depression score. Disease activity score-28 score had a positive significant correlation with health assessment questionnaire disability index (P=0.01, r=0.40), Hamilton anxiety scale-A (P=0.01, r=0.46), Zung score (P=0.01, r=0.46), and rheumatoid arthritis QOL (r=0.70, P=0.00), and negative correlation with female sexual index (r=-0.80, P=0.00), all domains of SF-36, and all five domains of WHOQOL.ConclusionThis study confirms that rheumatoid arthritis causes impairment of all aspects of QOL (limitation of physical function, physical disability, and pain), mental health disorders (anxiety and depression), and social, environmental, and also sexual dysfunction.

Stress-related genetic polymorphisms in association with peripartum depression symptoms and stress hormones: A longitudinal population-based study

Individual differences in the response of the stress system to hormonal changes during pregnancy and the postpartum period render some women susceptible to developing depression. The present study sought to investigate peripartum depression and stress hormones in relation to stress-related genotypes. The Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale was used to assess peripartum depressive symptoms in a sample of 1629 women, followed from pregnancy week seventeen to six months postpartum. Genotypes of ninety-four haplotype-tag single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in sixteen genes of the hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal axis pathway were analyzed and data on psychosocial and demographic factors was collected. In sub-studies, salivary cortisol awakening response in gestational week 35–39, salivary evening cortisol levels in gestational week 36 and postpartum week 6, and blood cortisol and cortisone levels in gestational week 35–39 were analyzed. SNP-set kernel association tests were performed at the gene-level, considering psychosocial and demographic factors, followed by post-hoc analyses of SNPs of significant genes. Statistically significant findings at the 0.05 p-level included SNPs in the hydroxysteroid 11-beta dehydrogenase 1 (HSD11B1) gene in relation to self-rated depression scores in postpartum week six among all participants, and serpin family A member 6 (SERPINA6) gene at the same time-point among women with de novo onset of postpartum depression. SNPs in these genes also associated with stress hormone levels during pregnancy. The present study adds knowledge to the neurobiological basis of peripartum depression by systematically assessing SNPs in stress-regulatory genes and stress-hormone levels in a population-based sample of women.

Clinical Efficacy and Safety of Electroacupuncture in Migraine Treatment: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-Analysis.

Considering the heavy burden of migraine, it is essential to update insufficient and/or outdated clinical evidence supporting electroacupuncture (EA) in migraine therapy. In this study, a literature search of seven medical databases was performed. After data extraction and quality evaluation, 13 randomized controlled trials, including 1559 patients, were assessed in this analysis. Results demonstrated that EA was superior to control treatment (Western medicine, sham-EA, blank control, acupuncture, and acupoint catgut embedding) according to the visual analog scale (VAS) score, frequency of headache attack (Western medicine, sham-EA, blank control), self-rating anxiety scale (SAS [blank control]), self-rating depression score (SDS [Western medicine and blank control]), and clinical efficiency (Western medicine and sham-EA) after treatment (). Results of network meta-analysis (for VAS, SAS, and SDS) demonstrated statistically significant differences in VAS scores for EA compared with sham-EA, acupuncture with sham-EA, acupoint catgut embedding with sham-EA, and acupoint catgut embedding with blank control. Rank probability analysis of VAS, SAS, and SDS scores all demonstrated that EA ranked first. Most studies were symmetrically distributed on both sides of the midline in funnel plots for VAS, SAS, and SDS, which indicated a low likelihood of small sample effects. Sensitivity analysis confirmed the stability of the studies included in this research. EA is one of several effective treatments for migraine pain symptoms, and, to some extent, anxiety and depression. Nevertheless, multi-center studies with large sample sizes and/or well-designed randomized controlled trials (RCTs) will be needed in the future.

Quality of life among post-menopausal women due to oxidative stress boosted by dysthymia and anxiety

BackgroundMenopause is the onset of aging in women. During this process, some women experience physical changes that may impact upon their psychological and social status, also affecting their quality of life. Furthermore, several psychological changes following menopause have been shown to act as pro-oxidant, but the association between the psychological status that modify the quality of life and oxidative stress in postmenopausal women is still unclear. The aim of this study was to determinate the relationship between oxidative stress with psychological disturbances, low self-esteem, depressive mood and anxiety, and quality of life in the postmenopausal women.MethodsWe carried out a cross-sectional study with101 premenopausal and 101 postmenopausal women from Mexico City. As markers of oxidative stress we measured plasma lipoperoxide levels, erythrocyte superoxide dismutase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and total antioxidant status. We calculate a stress score as global oxidative stress status, with cut-off values for each parameter; this score range from 0 to 6, representing the severity of markers modifications. All the women were rated using the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory, the Zung Self-Rating Anxiety and the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scales, and the WHO Quality of Life-brief.ResultsThe postmenopausal women with low quality of life in the WHO Quality of Life-brief and their subscales had higher stress score compared with premenopausal women with high quality of life (p < 0.05). We found a positive correlation among lipoperoxide levels and Zung Self-Rating Anxiety and Zung Self-Rating Depression score (r = 0.226 and r = 0.173, respectively, p < 0.05), and a negative correlation with WHO Quality of Life-brief scores (r = −0.266, p < 0.01) in postmenopausal women. Multiple linear regression analysis revealed that average lipoperoxide levels increase by 0.0007 μmol/L for every 1-point increase in the Coopersmith Self-Esteem Inventory and by 0.001 μmol/L for every 1-point decrease in the WHO Quality of Life-brief, after adjusted for pro-oxidant factors. Zung Self-Rating Anxiety and Zung Self-Rating Depression Scales scores also contribute to increase lipoperoxides levels, but not significant.ConclusionOur findings suggest that oxidative stress is increased in postmenopausal women with psychological disturbances and low quality of life.