The Plasma Concentration of Copper and Prevalence of Depression Were Positively Correlated in Shift Nurses.

The Plasma Concentration of Copper and Prevalence of Depression Were Positively Correlated in Shift Nurses.

Biol Res Nurs. 2013 Mar 3;
Chang MY, Tseng CH, Chiou YL

Several studies have reported the prevalence of depression in shift nurses to be 15%, and in some cases it may even be as high as 23%. Depression is a major cause of poor sleep quality and can impede efforts to overcome the chronic fatigue that commonly affects shift nurses. Adverse mental health issues have been confirmed in shift nurses, but few studies have investigated the underlying cause of poor mental health in different shift-nurse populations. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate the relationship of serum trace element levels to mental health and the tendency toward depression in shift nurses. We collected blood samples from 90 shift nurses (day, evening, and night shift) who worked in intensive care units and asked them to complete a general data questionnaire as well as the Chinese version of the Beck Depression Inventory, second edition. The night-shift nurses showed mild-to-moderate depression levels, which were significantly higher than those of the control group and other shift nurses. Night-shift nurses also had higher levels of plasma copper, ferritin, interleukin (IL)-6, and alanine aminotransferase (p < .05) than the control group and other nurses. Elevated concentrations of ferritin and IL-6 are considered important markers for the onset of depression. The results of this study suggest that plasma copper concentrations in nurses should be monitored. HubMed – depression

Predictive value of health-related quality of life in progression of disability and depression in persons with multiple sclerosis: a 3-year study.

Acta Neurol Belg. 2013 Mar 5;
Tepavcevic DK, Pekmezovic T, Stojsavljevic N, Kostic J, Basuroski ID, Mesaros S, Drulovic J

In our study, we examined whether health-related quality of life (HRQoL) could predict changes in disability, depression, and fatigue in patients with multiple sclerosis (MS) over a 3-year follow-up period. A group of 109 consecutive MS patients (McDonald’s criteria) referring to the Institute of Neurology, Belgrade were enrolled in the study. At two time points during the study (baseline, and after a 3-year period) an HRQoL (measured by MSQoL-54), EDSS, Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HDRS) and Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS) were assessed. At the end of a 3-year follow-up, 12 out of 109 patients (11 %) had dropped out. Multiple linear regression analysis showed that Physical Health scale of MSQoL-54 is significant independent predictor of change in EDSS after 3 years (p = 0.035). Mental health composite score of MSQoL-54 was predictor of change in HDRS score (p = 0.049). In separate regression analysis, only social function was independent predictor of the development of depression (p = 0.041). None of the HRQoL domains had predictive effect on the change of FSS. Our study suggests that baseline HRQoL scores, measured by MSQoL-54, could be applied as a prognostic marker for progression of both, disability, and severity of depressive symptoms in MS. HubMed – depression

New information on the modifications of the neandertal suprainiac fossa during growth and development and on its etiology.

Am J Phys Anthropol. 2013 Mar 4;
Balzeau A, Rougier H

The question of whether suprainiac depressions observed on Neandertals and in other human samples are homologous is widely discussed. Recently (Balzeau and Rougier, 2010), we ascertained the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa as a depression showing specific external bone features together with a thinning of the diploic layer with no substantial remodeling nor variation in the external table thickness. A suprainiac fossa with these characteristics is systematically present on Neandertals from the earliest developmental stages on, and since the beginning of the differentiation of the Neandertal lineage. Here, we present a detailed analysis of the micro-CT dataset (resolution of 50 ?m) of the occipital bone of the La Ferrassie 8 Neandertal child, whose proposed age-at-death is around 2 years, and we compare it to the adult condition as represented by La Chapelle-aux-Saints 1 (resolution of 122 ?m). We describe and quantify the boundaries between the different structural layers of the occipital bone, namely the external and internal tables and the diploic layer. We also describe very fine details of the diploic layer structure that had never before been observed on fossil hominins. This study illustrates for the first time that the internal particularities that make the suprainiac fossa a Neandertal autapomorphy are evident early during growth and development. Moreover, we demonstrate that the developmental pattern and causes of expression for the features observed in modern humans and Neandertals are certainly different, indicating that these features are not homologous traits from evolutionary and functional perspectives. Consequently, we confirm the autapomorphic status of the Neandertal suprainiac fossa. Am J Phys Anthropol, 2013. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. HubMed – depression

Associations between community characteristics and psychiatric admissions in an urban area.

Soc Psychiatry Psychiatr Epidemiol. 2013 Mar 5;
Simone C, Carolin L, Max S, Reinhold K

PURPOSE: Neighbourhood characteristics are known to be associated with higher rates of hospital admission for psychiatric disorders. METHODS: An ecological study with aggregated data was carried out. All cases for schizophrenia and depression in the 42 city districts of Augsburg were identified over a 4-year-period (2006-2009) and neighbourhood variables were obtained. Negative binomial regression adjusted the effects for year of admission and accommodation in inpatient centres. RESULTS: There was significant association of high unemployment rate, low proportion of working population and high population density with higher rates of admission for schizophrenia. An increase of 1 % in unemployment rate [incidence rate ration (IRR) 1.0451, 95 % CI 1.0175-1.0734] was associated with 5 % raise of admission rates for schizophrenia and an increase of 1 % in working population (IRR 0.9793, 95 % CI 0.9605-0.9985) with a decrease of admission rates by 2 %. High proportion of single households and high percentage of persons eligible for social security increased admission rate for depression. Thus 1 % increase in the proportion of single households (IRR 1.0095, 95 % CI 1.0030-1.0162) and of the proportion of persons eligible for social security (IRR 1.0148, 95 % CI 1.0002-1.0297) both independently were associated with an increased rate of admission for depression of 1 %. CONCLUSION: Our analysis demonstrated that measures of social isolation in neighbourhoods and social contacts at work influenced admission for schizophrenia and depression: in neighbourhoods with less social contacts and with a higher proportion of persons not working the admission rates increased. The problem of confounding in ecological studies need to be considered. HubMed – depression