Relationships among endocrine and signaling-related responses to antidepressants in human monocytic U-937 blood cells: analysis of factors and response patterns

OBJECTIVE: Antidepressants (AD) (desipramine, imipramine, maprotiline, mirtazapine) and corticosteroid (CS) were examined for their effects on gene expression in human monocytic U-937 blood cells. Endocrine and signaling-related response patterns were determined by expression analysis of different factors, comprising endocrine (glucocorticoid receptor [GR], GR-alpha/beta/gamma; mineralocorticoid receptor [MR]) and signaling-related pathways (p105, STAT3, c-jun, c-fos, JNK1, GAPDH, TNF-alpha). METHODS: A semiquantitative RT-PCR for factor responses after 24 h of treatment was conducted and exploratory multivariate statistical procedures were applied for further analysis. RESULTS: Compared to controls, significant reduction of mRNA levels of GR-beta under imipramine and of c-jun under desipramine treatment were found. CS treatment significantly reduced mRNA levels of GR-alpha/beta, TNF-alpha, p105 and c-jun compared to controls. Compared to CS treatment, significantly increased mRNA levels were found for JNK1 under imipramine treatment and for GR-alpha after treatment with all AD examined. DISCUSSION: The multivariate approach meets the requirements of the complex situation of metabolic reactions induced by AD or CS treatment. Our data show that AD affect both, endocrine and signaling-related factors in human monocytic U-937 blood cells, although clearly not in a uniform manner. Hereby, GR is obviously playing a comparably central role. Overall, AD treatment might indeed normalize deviations of cellular endocrine and signaling-related pathways in major depressive disorder via the mechanisms examined.     

Facial emotion triggered cerebral potentials in treatment-resistant depression and borderline personality disorder patients of both genders

Background

Processing facial expressions of emotion is deteriorated in depression, which might be more pronounced in treatment-resistant depression (TRD), especially when the latter is comorbid with borderline personality disorder (BPD). Neurophysiologically, both early perceptual and late cognitive cerebral processes of facial emotions can be illustrated by event-related potentials (ERPs).

Methods

We therefore tried the ERPs to facial expressions of Neutral, Anger, Happiness, and Sadness in 25 patients with TRD, 15 with BPD, 22 with their comorbidity (TRD + BPD), as well as in 37 healthy volunteers. The depression levels of participants were measured with the Plutchik–van Praag Depressive Inventory (PVP).

Results

There was no group difference regarding either N1 (N170), P2, N2, P3a or P3b latency or amplitude to the four facial emotions. Reaction times (RTs) to Anger (p < .01), Happiness (p < .01), and Sadness (p < .001) in TRD, and those to Anger (p < .01) and Happiness (p < .01) in TRD + BPD patients were longer than those in the healthy volunteers. RTs to the four facial expressions were positively correlated (p < .01) with their depressive moods in all participants. In addition, PVP was positively correlated with the P2 latency to Anger in TRD + BPD patients (Fz, p < .01; Cz, p < .01; Pz, p < .01).

Conclusions

BPD contributed little to TRD or TRD + BPD regarding cerebral processing of facial emotions, however, other cognitive and behavioral data suggest a generalized impairment when responding to facial emotions in TRD and TRD + BPD patients, and a deteriorated perceptual processing of Anger in TRD + BPD patients.     

Clinical evaluation of the NS1 antigen‐capture ELISA for early diagnosis of dengue virus infection in Brazil

The fact that the diagnosis of infection with dengue virus is usually made by detecting IgM antibodies during the convalescent phase of the disease interferes with disease management and, consequently, with reducing mortality rates. This study evaluated the sensitivity and specificity of detection of NS1 in samples of patients suspected of acute dengue virus infection in Brazil. The results were used to institute treatment and the sensitivity and specificity of detection of NS1 were compared to the results of detection of IgM, virus isolation, and RT‐PCR. Detection of NS1 yielded better results than RT‐PCR and virus isolation. When considering IgM detection and RT‐PCR positive results as “gold standards,” the sensitivity and specificity of the NS1 assay were 95.9% and 81.1%, respectively. All patients enrolled in the study were treated promptly and had an uneventful course of the disease. The detection of NS1 provided better results than the diagnostic techniques used currently during the acute phase of disease (RT‐PCR and virus isolation). Detection of NS1 is an important tool for the diagnosis of acute dengue infection, particularly in highly endemic areas, allowing for rapid treatment of patients and reduction of disease burden. J. Med. Virol. 82:1400–1405, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.     

Calpain10基因在脂肪及胎盘组织中的表达与妊娠糖尿病的相关研究

目的检测钙蛋白酶10(Calpain10)mRNA在妊娠糖尿病患者脂肪及胎盘组织中的表达,以探求Calpain10在妊娠糖尿病发病机制中的意义。方法用半定量逆转录聚合酶链反应(RT-PCR)技术检测正常妊娠(60例),妊娠糖尿病患者(60例)剖宫产后脂肪及胎盘中Calpain10基因在转录水平的表达。结果妊娠糖尿病组脂肪组织中Calpain10mRNA表达量较正常妊娠组显著下降(P0.01),并与妊娠糖尿病胰岛素抵抗指标相关(P0.01);而胎盘组织中Calpain10mRNA表达则无差异。结论脂肪组织Calpain10表达的减少可能是GDM患者胰岛素抵抗的重要原因。胎盘Calpain10的表达与GDM及其胰岛素抵抗的关系不明显。