Does perturbation in the mitochondrial protein folding pave the way for neurodegeneration diseases?

Mitochondria, which are cell compartments that are widely present in eukaryotic cells, have been shown to be involved in a variety of synthetic, metabolic, and signaling processes, thereby playing a vital role in cells. The mitochondrial unfolded protein response (mtUPR) is a response in which mitochondria reverse the signal to the nucleus and maintain mitochondrial protein homeostasis when unfolded and misfolded proteins continue to accumulate. Multiple neurodegeneration diseases, including Alzheimer's disease (AD), Parkinson’s disease (PD), and familial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (fALS), are public health challenges. Every year, countless efforts are expended trying to clarify the pathogenesis and treatment of neurological disorders, which are associated with mitochondrial dysfunction to some extent. Numerous studies have shown that mtUPR is involved in and plays an important role in the pathogenesis of neurological disorders, but the exact mechanism of the disorders is still unclear. Further study of the process of mtUPR in neurological disorders can help us more accurately understand their pathogenesis in order to provide new therapeutic targets. In this paper, we briefly review mtUPR signaling in Caenorhabditis elegans (C. elegans) and mammals and summarize the role of mtUPR in neurodegeneration diseases, including AD, PD and fALS.     

Mise à jour des croyances et congruence à l'humeur dans le trouble dépressif

Depressive disorder is characterized by a polymorphic symptomatology associating emotional, cognitive and behavioral disturbances. One of the most specific symptoms is negative beliefs, called congruent to mood. Despite the importance of these beliefs in the development, the maintenance, and the recurrence of depressive episodes, little is known about the processes underlying the generation of depressive beliefs. In this paper, we detail the link between belief updating mechanisms and the genesis of depressive beliefs. We show how depression alters information processing, generating cognitive immunization when processing positive information, affective updating bias related to the valence of belief and prediction error, and difficultie to disengage from negative information. We suggest that disruption of belief-updating mechanisms forms the basis of belief-mood congruence in depression.     

湖北农村女性打麻将和看手机行为与抑郁状况的相关性

  目的   分析湖北农村女性打麻将和看手机行为与抑郁状况的关系, 为改善农村女性身心健康提供建议。   方法   采用分层整群抽样方法调查湖北7个县/市8个行政村1 367例成年妇女, 抑郁状况的测量采用流调中心抑郁自评量表(Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale-10, CESD-10), 并进行百分数转化。分值越高, 抑郁程度越低, 心理健康状况越好。   结果   15~44岁的妇女的CESD-10得分(77.63±13.95)高于45-64岁(73.17±17.01)和≥65岁(69.25±18.16)的得分(P < 0.001)。多元线性回归结果显示, 每天看手机时间与农村妇女抑郁状况之间的相关有统计学意义(均有P < 0.05), 尤其对45-64岁女性抑郁状况的影响具有显著统计学意义(均有P < 0.05), 看手机时间越长, 抑郁程度越高; 打麻将对各年龄段妇女抑郁状况影响均没有统计学意义(均有P > 0.05)。   结论   看手机行为与湖北农村女性抑郁状况之间存在相关性, 减少农村女性特别是中年妇女的手机使用是今后健康教育与妇联工作中值得重视的。     

“一带一路”倡议布局下培养高等中医药专业人才的对策

培养中医药创新人才是实现中医药传承和国际化的重要条件。但目前中医药专业人才短缺,尤其紧缺精通中医药翻译和国际贸易服务的人才。因此,在"一带一路"倡议指导下,高等中医药院校应积极合理地开设课程,选择教材,建立科学合理的教学模式,完善考试制度,从而更好地培养中医药人才。     

Insomnia symptoms increase during pregnancy,but no increase in sleepiness - Associations with symptoms of depression and anxiety

ObjectiveTo evaluate alteration in insomnia and sleepiness symptoms during pregnancy and assess early pregnancy risk factors for these symptoms, especially depressive and anxiety symptoms.MethodsA cohort of 1858 women was enrolled from the FinnBrain Birth Cohort Study. Insomnia and sleepiness symptoms were measured in early, mid- and late pregnancy with the Basic Nordic Sleep Questionnaire. Depressive symptoms were measured using the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale and anxiety symptoms with the Symptom Checklist-90/Anxiety Scale. General linear models for repeated measures were conducted.ResultsGeneral sleep quality decreased (p < 0.001) and all insomnia types (p < 0.001) and sleep latencies (p < 0.001) increased as pregnancy proceeded. Snoring increased, but witnessed apneas remained rare. Nevertheless, morning (p = 0.019) and daytime (p < 0.001) sleepiness decreased from early to both mid-pregnancy and late pregnancy (p = 0.006 and p = 0.039). Women took more naps in early and late pregnancy compared to mid-pregnancy (both p < 0.001). Women with higher baseline anxiety symptoms had greater increase in sleep latency. At each pregnancy point, higher depressive and anxiety symptoms were associated with higher insomnia (p < 0.001) and sleepiness scores (p < 0.001) and higher depressive symptoms with longer sleep latencies (p < 0.001).ConclusionWe found a marked increase in insomnia symptoms throughout pregnancy. However, sleepiness symptoms did not increase correspondingly. Both depressive and anxiety symptoms in early pregnancy were associated with higher insomnia and sleepiness symptoms in later stages of pregnancy which emphasizes the importance of their assessment in early pregnancy.     

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in secondary school children in Dhaka city,Bangladesh

ABSTRACT

Objectives: Depression is a leading contributor to the global burden of disease, and often starts at a young age. Depression in young people can increase the risk of unhealthy lifestyle behaviour and can lead to substantial disability, social problems, poor health, and suicide. Other research has examined depressive symptoms among adult populations in Bangladesh, but little is known about other age groups. The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of depressive symptoms among secondary school children of Dhaka city, Bangladesh.

Design: A self-completed questionnaire was administered to 898 students from eight secondary schools of Dhaka, the capital City of Bangladesh. Of the respondents, 755 (372 males, 383 females; average age 14.26 years; SD 1.15) completed the 10-item Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CESD-10). A score of 10 or more was used to indicate depressive symptoms. Parents completed a separate questionnaire to provide individual and household/family-level data. Generalized Estimating Equations (GEE) was used to assess sociodemographic and lifestyle factors associated with adolescent depressive symptoms.

Results: Among the responding adolescents, 25% reported depressive symptoms with prevalence more common among females than males (30% vs. 19%). Factors significantly associated with symptoms of depression included being female, aged 15–16 years, self-perception of non-normal weight, feeling unsafe at school, sleep disturbance, low life satisfaction, high intake of sugary drinks, and regularly skipping breakfast.

Conclusion: Depressive symptoms are prevalent among secondary school children in urban Bangladesh. Interventions for adolescents with depressive symptoms could focus on lifestyle practices such as weight management, personal safety, sleep hygiene and healthy eating.     

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor and inflammation in depression: Pathogenic partners in crime?

Major depressive disorder is a debilitating disorder affecting millions of people each year. Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and inflammation are two prominent biologic risk factors in the pathogenesis of depression that have received considerable attention. Many clinical and animal studies have highlighted associations between low levels of BDNF or high levels of inflammatory markers and the development of behavioral symptoms of depression. However, less is known about potential interaction between BDNF and inflammation, particularly within the central nervous system. Emerging evidence suggests that there is bidirectional regulation between these factors with important implications for the development of depressive symptoms and anti-depressant response. Elevated levels of inflammatory mediators have been shown to reduce expression of BDNF, and BDNF may play an important negative regulatory role on inflammation within the brain. Understanding this interaction more fully within the context of neuropsychiatric disease is important for both developing a fuller understanding of biological pathogenesis of depression and for identifying novel therapeutic opportunities. Here we review these two prominent risk factors for depression with a particular focus on pathogenic implications of their interaction.     

大柴胡汤加味联合西药治疗肥胖型2型糖尿病的临床疗效及对患者胰岛素抵抗的影响

目的:观察大柴胡汤加味联合西药治疗肥胖型2型糖尿病(type 2 diabetes mellitus,T2DM)的临床疗效及对患者胰岛素抵抗的影响。方法:选取2018年3月至2019年3月本院治疗的肥胖型T2DM患者104例,依据随机对照原则分为对照组和试验组,每组52例。对照组给予常规西药治疗,试验组在对照组治疗的基础上加用大柴胡汤加味治疗。结果:试验组总改善率为88.46%,对照组总改善率为73.08%,试验组高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);试验组治疗后胃脘胀满、胸肋胀闷、心烦易怒、口干口苦、体型肥胖、大便秘结等中医证候积分均显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);试验组患者治疗后空腹血糖、餐后2 h血糖、糖化血红蛋白、体质量指数均显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05);试验组治疗后胰岛素抵抗指数低于对照组,胰岛素敏感指数、β-细胞功能指数均高于对照组,差异有统计学意义(P<0.05)。结论:大柴胡汤加味联合西药治疗肥胖型T2DM,可明显改善患者血糖控制效果和胰岛功能。