Rapid Buildup of Brain White Matter Hyperintensities Over 4 Years Linked to Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Mobility, Cognition, and Depression in Old Persons.
Rapid Buildup of Brain White Matter Hyperintensities Over 4 Years Linked to Ambulatory Blood Pressure, Mobility, Cognition, and Depression in Old Persons.
J Gerontol A Biol Sci Med Sci. 2013 Jun 13;
Wolfson L, Wakefield DB, Moscufo N, Kaplan RF, Hall CB, Schmidt JA, Guttmann CR, White WB
BACKGROUND: Brain white matter hyperintensities (WMH) are associated with functional decline in older people. We performed a 4-year cohort study examining progression of WMH, its effects on mobility, cognition, and depression with the role of clinic and 24-hour ambulatory systolic blood pressure as a predisposing factor. METHODS: Ninety-nine subjects, 75-89 years were stratified by age and mobility, with the 67 completing 4-years comprising the cohort. Mobility, cognition, depressive symptoms, and ambulatory blood pressure were assessed, and WMH volumes were determined by quantitative analysis of magnetic resonance images. RESULTS: WMH increased from 0.99±0.98% of intracranial cavity volume at baseline to 1.47±1.2% at 2 years and 1.74±1.30% after 4 years. Baseline WMH was associated with 4-year WMH (p < .0001), explaining 83% of variability. Small, but consistent mobility decrements and some evidence of cognitive decline were noted over 4 years. Regression analyses using baseline and 4-year WMHs were associated with three of five mobility measures, two of four cognitive measures and the depression scale, all performed at 4 years. Increases in ambulatory systolic blood pressure but not clinic systolic blood pressure during the initial 2 years were associated with greater WMH accrual during those years, while ambulatory systolic blood pressure was related to WMH at 4 years. CONCLUSION: Declines in mobility, cognition, and depressive symptoms were related to WMH accrual over 4 years, and WMH was related to out-of-office blood pressure. This suggests that prevention of microvascular disease, even in asymptomatic older persons, is fundamental for preserving function. There may be value in tighter 24-hour blood pressure control in older persons although this requires further investigation. HubMed – depression
Can a multimodal mind-body program enhance the treatment effects of physical activity in breast cancer survivors with chronic tumor-associated fatigue? A randomized controlled trial.
Integr Cancer Ther. 2013 Jul; 12(4): 291-300
Spahn G, Choi KE, Kennemann C, Lüdtke R, Franken U, Langhorst J, Paul A, Dobos GJ
Background. Chronic fatigue is one of the most restricting symptoms following primary breast cancer treatment, but clinical studies on symptom management are rare. The objective was to evaluate the impact of a multimodal mind-body program (MMMT), including moderate physical activity as compared with a walking intervention alone, on chronic fatigue symptoms of women with stage I to IIIA breast cancer. Patients andSixty-four women (mean age = 56.7 years) suffering from chronic fatigue after active tumor treatment were randomly assigned to either an experimental or a control (n = 32 each) intervention (10 weeks). Fatigue, quality of life (QoL), functional well-being, anxiety, and depression were measured with standard questionnaires at baseline, after 10 weeks, and after 3 months.Compared with baseline, both groups had reduced fatigue scores after treatment without any significant difference between groups (posttreatment, ? = -0.3, confidence interval = -1.6 to 1.0, P = .678; follow-up, ? = -0.4, confidence interval = -1.8 to 0.9, P = .510). All patients also improved regarding QoL and general functional well-being.Since both interventions reduced fatigue symptoms and enhanced QoL to a similar extent, we observed no verifiable add-on effect of the MMMT regarding fatigue symptoms. Considering the higher costs with additional expenditure related to MMMT, home-based walking intervention is recommended. HubMed – depression
Association Between Promoter Methylation of Serotonin Transporter Gene and Depressive Symptoms: A Monozygotic Twin Study.
Psychosom Med. 2013 Jun 13;
Zhao J, Goldberg J, Bremner JD, Vaccarino V
ObjectiveEpigenetic mechanisms have been implicated in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. The serotonin transporter gene (SLC6A4) is a key candidate gene for depression. We examined the association between SLC6A4 promoter methylation variation and depressive symptoms using 84 monozygotic twin pairs.MethodsDNA methylation level in the SLC6A4 promoter region was quantified by bisulfite pyrosequencing using genomic DNA isolated from peripheral blood leukocytes. The number of current depressive symptoms was assessed using the Beck Depressive Inventory II (BDI-II). The association between methylation variation and depressive symptoms was examined using matched twin-pair analyses, adjusting for body mass index, smoking, physical activity, and alcohol consumption. Multiple testing was controlled by adjusted false discovery rate (q value).ResultsIntrapair difference in DNA methylation variation at 10 of the 20 studied CpG sites is significantly correlated with intrapair difference in BDI scores. Linear regression using intrapair differences demonstrates that intrapair difference in BDI score was significantly associated with intrapair differences in DNA methylation variation after adjusting for potential confounders and correction for multiple testing. On average, a 10% increase in the difference in mean DNA methylation level was associated with 4.4 increase in the difference in BDI score (95% confidence interval = 0.9-7.9, p = .01).ConclusionsThis study provides evidence that variation in methylation level within the promoter region of the serotonin transporter gene is associated with variation in depressive symptoms in a large sample of monozygotic twin pairs. This relationship is not confounded by genetic and shared environment. The 5-HTTLPR genotype also does not modulate this association. HubMed – depression