Associations between physical activity and depressive symptoms in women

Background  

The high prevalence of depression in women is an increasing public health concern. Although studies have found associations between physical activity (PA) and depression, little is known about the optimal domain, dose and social context of PA for reducing the risk of depression. This study aimed to investigate associations between specific components of PA (domain, dose and social context) and odds of depressive symptoms in women.     

Effect of Growth Hormone-Releasing Peptide-2 (GHRP-2) and GH-Releasing Hormone (GHRH) on the cAMP Levels and GH Release from Cultured Acromegalic Tumours

There is a difference between the sheep and rat somatotrophs in the response to growth hormone-releasing peptide-2 (GHRP-2), which raises the question of what the response may be in human somatotrophs. In the present study, cells were obtained from seven human acromegalic tumours and the effects of GHRP-2 were studied. Cells were dissociated and kept in primary culture for 1–3 weeks before experimentation. Application of GHRP-2 for 30 min induced a significant increase in GH secretion from the cultured cells from all seven tumours whereas human GH-releasing hormone (hGHRH) at a dose of 10 nM induced a significant GH release in only four of seven tumours. The intracellular levels of cAMP in all seven tumours were significantly increased by both 10 nM GHRP-2 and GHRH, but the response to GHRH was significantly higher than the response to GHRP-2. The adenylyl cyclase inhibitor, MDL 12330A, blocked the effect of GHRH and GHRP-2 on intracellular cAMP levels, whereas the Ca²⁺ channel blocker Co²⁺ (0.5 mM) did not attenuate the cAMP response. For the tumours in which GH secretion was increased by GHRH and GHRP-2, the cAMP antagonist Rp-cAMP blocked the GH response to GHRH but not to GHRP-2. When a protein kinase A (PKA) inhibitor (H₈₉) was applied, GHRH stimulated GH release was blocked, but cAMP accumulation was not affected. The response to GHRP-2 was not altered by H₈₉. Calphostin C [a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor] reduced the effect of GHRP-2 on the secretion of GH but did not affect the response to GHRH. Both GHRH and GHRP-2 increased the intracellular Ca²⁺ concentration in a concentration-dependent manner. We conclude that (1) GHRH increases GH secretion from human GH tumours via the cAMP pathway whereas GHRP-2 increases GH secretion mainly via the PKC pathway; (2) GHRH increases cAMP (without GH release) in a subset of tumours whereas GHRP-2 increases cAMP levels (slightly) and GH secretion in all tumours; and (3) GHRP-2 and GHRH do not act on the same receptor on human somatotrophs derived from acromegalic tumours.     

Identifying the energy gap: magnitude and determinants of 5-year weight gain in midage women

OBJECTIVE: The aims of this study were to estimate average yearly weight gain in midage women and to identify the determinants of weight gain and gaining weight at double the average rate. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: The study sample comprised 8071 participants (45 to 55 years old) in the Australian Longitudinal Study on Women's Health who completed mailed surveys in 1996, 1998, and 2001. RESULTS: On average, the women gained almost 0.5 kg per year [average 2.42 kg (95% confidence interval, 2.29 to 2.54) over 5 years]. In multivariate analyses, variables associated with energy balance (physical activity, sitting time, and energy intake), as well as quitting smoking, menopause/hysterectomy, and baseline BMI category were significantly associated with weight gain, but other behavioral and demographic characteristics were not. After adjustment for all of the other biological and behavioral variables, the odds of gaining weight at about twice the average rate (>5 kg over 5 years) were highest for women who quit smoking (odds ratio = 2.94; 95% confidence interval, 2.17, 3.96). There were also independent relationships between the odds of gaining >5 kg and lower levels of habitual physical activity, more time spent sitting, energy intake (but only in women with BMI > 25 at baseline), menopause transition, and hysterectomy. DISCUSSION: The average weight gain equates with an energy imbalance of only about 10 kcal or 40 kJ per day, which suggests that small sustained changes in the modifiable behavioral variables could prevent further weight gain.     

The effectiveness of a pram-walking exercise programme in reducing depressive symptomatology for postnatal women

The purpose of the research project was to examine the effects of exercise, social support and depression on postnatal women who reported experiencing postnatal depression. A 12-week randomized, controlled trial was conducted investigating the effects of an exercise intervention group (a pram-walking programme for mothers and their babies ) compared to a social support group (non-structured sessions, similar to a playgroup). Participants in both groups had given birth in the past 12 months. Pretest data of physical fitness and structured questionnaires were compared to post-test effects. The primary outcomes were to reduce the depressive symptomatology and improve fitness levels of participants in the pram-walking group. Secondary outcomes were to improve the social support levels of the participants in both groups and explore women's views about the programmes. It was hypothesized that the pram-walking group participants would improve their feelings of depression and fitness levels compared to the social support group, but that both groups would improve their perceived levels of social support. The results showed that mothers in the pram-walking intervention group improved their fitness levels and reduced their level of depressive symptomatology significantly more than the social support group. There were no significant changes to social support levels for both groups. Therefore, a direct association between improvement in fitness was related to improvement in depression for the pram-walking group. However, it is also suggested that other factors in combination with improvements in fitness influenced improvements in depression levels. It is recommended that pram-walking programmes for mothers with postnatal depression be implemented as pilot research into existing available services.     

Longitudinal relationships among overweight, life satisfaction, and aspirations in young women

OBJECTIVE: This study investigated associations of overweight status and changes in overweight status over time with life satisfaction and future aspirations among a community sample of young women. RESEARCH METHODS AND PROCEDURES: A total of 7865 young women, initially 18 to 23 years of age, completed two surveys that were 4 years apart. These women provided data on their future life aspirations in the areas of further education, work/career, marital status, and children, as well as their satisfaction with achievements to date in a number of life domains. Women reported their height and weight and their sociodemographic characteristics, including current socioeconomic status (occupation). RESULTS: Young women's aspirations were cross-sectionally related to BMI category, such that obese women were less likely to aspire to further education, although this relationship seemed explained largely by current occupation. Even after adjusting for current occupation, young women who were obese were more dissatisfied with work/career/study, family relationships, partner relationships, and social activities. Weight status was also longitudinally associated with aspirations and life satisfaction. Women who were overweight or obese at both surveys were more likely than other women to aspire to "other" types of employment (including self-employed and unpaid work in the home) as opposed to full-time employment. They were also less likely to be satisfied with study or partner relationships. Women who resolved their overweight/obesity status were more likely to aspire to being childless than other women. DISCUSSION: These results suggest that being overweight/obese may have a lasting effect on young women's life satisfaction and their future life aspirations.     

I want to work and have a life as well

How one rural general practice retains its workforce.     

Digit representation is more than just hand waving

Lip-reading and interpreting hand gestures help provide nonverbal information that aids speech comprehension in noisy environments and places emphasis on certain key utterances. In this fMRI study, we examined if viewing the similar semantic information presented by either finger movements or lip movements was processed by common or discrete brain regions. Subjects viewed videos of a hand conveying number information via finger movements and a face whose lip movements conveyed the same numerical information. Control stimuli consisted of meaningless finger and lip movements. Lip-reading numbers activated left posterior superior temporal sulcus (STS), while identifying numbers presented by fingers activated the intraparietal region (IPR) bilaterally. Conjunction analysis highlighted common activation in right IPR to numbers presented via fingers and lips. Our data indicate that left hemisphere decodes human movements conveying semantic information, although the specific brain region that is engaged may depend on the body part that is moving.     

Frequency and characteristics of hospital admissions associated with drug-related problems in paediatrics

AIM: To determine the frequency of paediatric hospital admissions associated with drug-related problems (DRPs) at two Australian hospitals. METHODS: The investigator and ward pharmacists prospectively screened eligible patients. A multidisciplinary panel reviewed data and established causality, preventability and clinical significance classifications. RESULTS: Over 22 weeks of data collection, a total of 11,564 patients were admitted, 2933 met eligibility criteria. Of those eligible, 127 [4.3%, 95% confidence interval (CI) 3.6, 5.0] were judged to have hospital admissions associated with DRPs. Direct costs associated with DRPs identified totalled pounds 100,707. Of the 81 cases assessed for preventability, 46.9% were deemed preventable. CONCLUSIONS: This research has provided information on the nature and characteristics of paediatric DRPs associated with hospital admissions.     

Pilot randomized controlled trial of a brief alcohol intervention group for adolescents

The aim of this study was to identify whether a brief motivational interviewing and cognitive - behavioural-based alcohol intervention group (AIG) programme is feasible with young people at risk of developing a problem with alcohol, and to assess the short-term effectiveness of the intervention. Participants were assigned randomly to receive a group intervention of four sessions duration (n = 17; AIG) or no treatment (n = 17, control group). Participants were volunteers recruited from a youth centre on the Central Coast of New South Wales, Australia, comprising youths aged 12 - 19 years who were interested in participating in the study. The Readiness to Change Questionnaire, items from the AUDIT, the DAP Quick Screen and a knowledge questionnaire were administered at pretreatment, post-treatment and at 1- and 2-month follow-ups. Participants in the AIG programme showed an increase in readiness to reduce their alcohol consumption. They also reduced their frequency of drinking at post-treatment and the first follow-up assessment, while the control group reported increases at the second follow-up assessment. The control group also increased their hazardous drinking and frequency of binge drinking compared to the AIG. The intervention appeared to improve the AIG participants' knowledge about alcohol and its effects. The results provide preliminary evidence for the effectiveness of the AIG programme in training young people to set limits on alcohol consumption, increase awareness of safe drinking levels and the effects of alcohol abuse. This pilot study also showed that young people who are identified as being 'at risk' of developing alcohol abuse, and who are also ambivalent about changing drinking behaviours, can be recruited and retained in a treatment programme. [Bailey KA, Baker AL, Webster RA, Lewin TJ. Pilot randomized controlled trial of a brief alcohol intervention group for adolescents. Drug Alcohol Rev 2004;23:157 - 166]     

Mechanisms by which tumor cells and monocytes expressing the angiogenic factor thymidine phosphorylase mediate human endothelial cell migration

The angiogenic factor thymidine phosphorylase (TP) is highly expressed in many human solid tumors, and the level of its expression is associated with tumor neovascularization, invasiveness, and metastasis and with shorter patient survival time. TP promotes endothelial cell (EC) migration in vitro and angiogenesis in vivo, and these have been linked to its enzymatic activity. The mechanism by which TP stimulates EC migration was investigated using human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs). TP induced concentration-dependent HUVEC migration, which required a TP gradient and thymidine and which was abrogated by the TP inhibitor CIMU (5-chloro-6(1-imidazolylmethyl)uracil). The chemotactic actions of TP plus thymidine were duplicated by the TP metabolite, 2-deoxyribose-1-phosphate (dR-1-P), and 10-fold more potently by its subsequent metabolite, 2-deoxyribose (2dR). Migration induced by dR-1-P, but not 2dR, was blocked by an alkaline phosphatase inhibitor, suggesting that the actions of dR-1-P first required its conversion to 2dR. In the migration assay, [5'-3H]dThd was metabolized to dR-1-P (96%) and 2dR (3.8%), and a gradient of both metabolites was maintained between the lower and upper chambers over the entire 5-h assay. TP expression in human solid tumors occurs in both tumor epithelial cells and in tumor-associated macrophages. The migration assay was adapted to use TP-transfected carcinoma cells to stimulate HUVEC migration, and they were found to induce more migration than did control vector-transfected cells. Human monocyte cells U937 and THP1, which constitutively expressed high levels of TP, also strongly induced HUVEC migration in the coculture assay. CIMU inhibited tumor-cell and monocyte-induced migration. In contrast, a neutralizing antibody to TP had no effect on cell-stimulated HUVEC migration, even though it completely blocked the migration mediated by purified TP. Thus, the intracellular actions of TP were sufficient to stimulate HUVEC chemotaxis. In contrast to purified TP, when incubated with [5'-3H]-thymidine, cells expressing TP released up to 20-fold more 2dR into the medium than dR-1-P. These studies demonstrate that TP-expressing cells mediate EC migration via the intracellular metabolism of thymidine and subsequent extracellular release of 2dR, which forms a chemotactic gradient.