抑郁症的睡眠脑电图与人脑兴奋守恒假说

目的　探索抑郁症状与睡眠脑电图参数的相关性。方法　对 18例抑郁症和 10例正常人评定汉密尔顿抑郁评定量表 (HAMD)和检测睡眠脑电图。结果　HAMD总分与觉醒次数及REM密度分别呈显著正相关 (r分别等于 0 .4 0 8和 0 .4 4 5 ,P均 <0 .0 5 )。结论　抑郁症和正常人的白天中枢抑制与夜间中枢兴奋相关 ,从而支持人脑兴奋守恒假说。     

广泛性焦虑症与抑郁症患者免疫、内分泌及单胺递质的对照研究

目的探讨广泛性焦虑症(GAD)与抑郁症(MD)患者在免疫、内分泌和单胺递质方面的差异。方法 对30例GAD患者(焦虑症组)、38例MD患者(抑郁症组)在治疗(5-羟色胺再摄取抑制剂治疗6~8周)前后分别检测血清白细胞介素2(IL-2)、白细胞介素6(IL-6)、白细胞介素1β(IL-1β)、白细胞介素8(IL-8)、可溶性白细胞介素6受体(SIL-6R)、肿瘤坏死因子α(TNF-α)、皮质醇(CS)、促肾上腺皮质激素(ACTH)、肾上腺素(EPH)和去甲肾上腺素(NE)水平。选择30名年龄和性别与患者组相匹配的健康人为对照组。结果 (1)焦虑症组治疗前IL-8[(122±76)ng／L]、SIL-6R[(2 065±790)ng／L]水平均高于对照组(99±68)ng／L]、[(294±48)ng／L,IL-6水平为(1.6±0.7)ng／L,低于对照组[(5.3±2.7)ng／L],差异均有显著性意义(P<0.05);抑郁症组治疗前IL-2[(7.7±6.7)ng／L]、IL-8[(119±67)ng／L]、SIL-6R[(1308±371)ng／L]水平均高于对照组,差异均有显著性意义(均P<0.05)。经治疗后,焦虑症组IL-6[(4.3±1.2)ng／L]水平较治疗前升高,IL-8[(39±9)ng／L]水平较治疗前降低(P<0.05);抑郁症组IL-2[(2.4±1.2)ng／L]、IL-8[(47±15)ng／L]水平较治疗前降低(P<0.05);均接近于对照组水平(均P>0.05)。(2)焦虑症组治疗前ACIH[(49±28)ng／L]、EPH[(67±45)ng／     

Chronic Fatigue: A Survey, Outcome Study and Proposals

Background:  Sample sizes in studies of childhood chronic fatigue remain small and there is a need to integrate research findings and establish common criteria.
Method:  This is a detailed report of 20 children with medically unexplained fatigue, referred to as Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (CFS). It includes an uncontrolled outcome study of treatment based on a pragmatic cognitive-behavioural model adapted for children at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children.
Results:  The data revealed psychological distress at 30 times the prevalence found in the normal child population, with specific high-ranking symptoms, including headache, social withdrawal and decreased appetite. Onset tended to occur at 11 years of age with some earlier problems at school age, suggesting it might be possible to identify those most at risk. Follow-up demonstrated improvement in 87% of the sample (parental report), a significant increase in school attendance and a significant decrease in symptom severity. Factors associated with good outcome were short duration of fatigue (less than a year) and behaviours that tended to combat the cycle of avoidance, such as carefully planned home-tuition.
Conclusions:  Recording a comprehensive range of symptoms and factors facilitates comparisons within and between child studies. It is proposed that symptom severity is a particularly relevant measure for Chronic Fatigue Syndrome which is characterised by persisting symptoms.     

Depressive symptoms during buprenorphine vs. methadone maintenance: findings from a randomised, controlled trial in opioid dependence

Research suggests that buprenorphine may possess antidepressant activity. The Beck Depression Inventory was completed at baseline and 3 months by heroin dependent subjects receiving either buprenorphine or methadone maintenance as part of a larger, pre-existing, double blind trial conducted by NDARC (Australia). Depressive symptoms improved in all subjects, with no difference between methadone and buprenorphine groups, suggesting no differential benefit on depressive symptoms for buprenorphine compared to methadone.     

Predictors of mortality in an aging community-based cohort in Korea

Background: Multiple factors related to specific dimensions of health – general, physical and mental – contribute to mortality in the elderly, but their relative contributions to mortality risk is not well‐known. The objectives of this prospective population‐based cohort study were to measure mortality rates and to identify predictors of mortality in community‐dwelling men and women aged 65 years or older in Korea by examining self assessments of general health, objective medical burden, and measurement of cognition, mood and function. Methods: A total of 1245 elderly (529 men; 716 women) were followed up longitudinally for 3.5 years. Fixed predictor variables observed at baseline examined in Cox proportional hazards models were age, sex, education, chronic medical illnesses, self‐rated health, basic activities of daily living, depression measured by the Geriatric Depression Scale, and cognition measured by the Mini‐Mental State Examination. Results: Mortality rates were similar to those of the 2001 Korean population. Older age, male sex, poor self‐rated health and presence of cerebrovascular disease were significant predictors of mortality. Presence of ischemic heart disease and cerebrovascular disease at baseline predicted mortality in men, but not in women. Depression predicted mortality only when chronic medical illnesses were excluded from the model. Conclusions: Subjective self‐rated health and objective medical burden are strong independent predictors of mortality in this elderly community population, in addition to age and sex.     

Depression and immune function

Clinical studies have demonstrated that measures of cell-mediated immune function are altered in bereaved persons and depressed patients. This review article focuses on our recent observations of changes in T cell subpopulations and natural killer cytotoxicity in women undergoing adverse life events including conjugal bereavement. A reduction in natural cytotoxicity has also been found in depressed patients. The mechanism by which psychologic states might influence immune function is discussed.     

DSM-III symptom disorders (Axis I) and personality disorders (Axis II) in an outpatient population

Type and prevalence of Axis I and Axis II disorders (DSM-III) were assessed in a sample of 298 consecutive psychiatric outpatients. The instruments used were SCID and SIDP. About half of the Axis I diagnoses consisted of different subgroups of depression. Most patients had more than one diagnosis, anxiety being the second most common disorder. Eighty one percent of the subjects met the criteria for a personality disorder diagnosis; half of them obtained more than one Axis II diagnosis. Personality disorder was more common among men than among women. Avoidant and dependent personality disorders constituted the most frequent diagnoses.     

地段医院中抑郁性疾病的诊断和预后

为了解在地段医院中就诊的抑郁性疾病患者的诊断稳定性和预后，进行了一次随访研究。９０例患者，按当年的精神科诊断，３８例为抑郁性疾病（抑郁症１６例和抑郁性神经症２２例），５２例为非抑郁作神经症。８年后，应用和当年同样的评定工具和诊断标准进行再诊断。结果发现抑郁性疾病的诊断稳定性良好，Ｋａｐｐａ检验显示抑郁症的诊断预测效度为０．７３，抑郁性神经症为０．８４。比较抑郁症和抑郁性神经症的临床特征、预后和结局，两者大同小异。     

Initial lithium augmentation improves the antidepressant effects of standard TCA treatment in non-resistant depressed patients

The hypothesis was tested that an initial lithium-tricyclic antidepressant (TCA) combination has a better antidepressant effect than standard TCA treatment in non-refractory depression at the beginning of an episode. Twenty bipolar melancholic type depressed inpatients under lithium-TCA treatment were compared with 20 patients with the same diagnosis and TCA-placebo treatment for 5 weeks under double-blind conditions. All patients were male. Initial lithium-TCA treatment reduced depressive symptoms significantly more than antidepressant treatment with TCA and placebo after 5 weeks, but not in weeks 1 or 2. It can be concluded that lithium augmentation of TCA treatment should be started even at the beginning of antidepressant TCA treatment to provide a better treatment response in those patients who will profit from long-term lithium prophylaxis, e.g. bipolar patients with melancholic type depression.