Search

Aim This study sought to characterize the plasma metabolite profiling of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods Psychiatric assessments were made with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. In the exploratory cohort, plasma metabolite profiles of 34 MDD patients and 31 mentally healthy controls were compared using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Among the candidate metabolites, we focused on a metabolite showing the largest difference. The absolute concentrations were measured in two cohorts from a psychiatric primary care clinic to characterize the accuracy of the metabolite biomarker. Results Among 23 metabolites significantly lower in the MDD group than in healthy controls, we focused on phosphoethanolamine (PEA) as a candidate. The reduction of PEA levels in MDD was checked in independent clinical sample sets. An ion-chromatography-fluorescence detection method was developed to measure plasma PEA levels. In the preliminary cohort, we examined 34 MDD and 43 non-MDD subjects. The area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) was 0.92, with sensitivity/specificity greater than 88%, at a cut-off of 1.46 μM. In the checking cohort, with 10 MDD and 13 non-MDD subjects, AUC was 0.89, with sensitivity/specificity of 86% and 100%, respectively, at a cut-off of 1.48 μM. Plasma PEA inversely correlated with MDD severity, depressed mood, loss of interest, and psychomotor retardation. Conclusion These results suggest that plasma PEA level could be a candidate biomarker of MDD in the clinical setting. Further studies comparing MDD and mentally healthy controls are needed to confirm the utility of PEA as a biomarker for depression.

Plasma phosphoethanolamine (PEA) levels are significantly decreased in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients compared to healthy controls: Also, in chronic ACTH treatment mouse model of MDD, plasma and frontal cortex PEA were significantly decreased compared to vehicle treated controls: PEA has thus been proposed as a potential diagnostic biomarker for MDD. However, the neuroendocrine mechanism by which PEA changes in vivo, and its role in the pathobiology of MDD is not yet known. Previous in vitro studies reported that the endogenous LXR agonist 25-hydroxycholesterol, the intermediate precursor for the conversion of cholesterol to steroid hormones in the adrenal gland, caused increased PEA levels in cells. To understand PEA function in the neuroendocrine circuitry of MDD, in vivo effects of 25-hydroxylcholesterol on PEA levels in blood plasma, adrenal gland, and brain nuclei implicated in MDD were studied in mice. Both targeted and untargeted metabolomics analysis using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry were applied to measure PEA and various metabolite levels in the respective tissues. Here we report that while acute LXR agonism with 25-hydroxycholesterol decreased plasma PEA levels, chronic LXR agonism significantly increased plasma PEA levels in both male and female mice. Moreover, in the adrenal gland where LXR agonism mediates the synthesis of glucocorticoids from cholesterol, 25-hydroxycholesterol significantly increased adrenal PEA levels in female mice; with no change in PEA in male mice compared to vehicle treated controls. Furthermore, in the hypothalamus compared to vehicle controls, LXR agonism caused significant PEA level decrease in female mice by 20%; and by 80% increase in male mice. Additionally, metabolomics results showed significant changes in levels of several metabolites in key brain and peripheral tissues of 25-hydroxycholesterol treated mice. These results are suggestive of a neuroendocrine role for PEA in the pathobiology of MDD; and that by way of LXR signaling PEA may impact the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis in the control of stress response. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. Abstracts presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.

Major depression is a chronic illness and a major component of disease burden, with high prevalence in women than in men. Plasma phosphoethanolamine (PEA) levels are significantly decreased in major depressive disorder (MDD) patients compared to healthy controls. Additionally, in the chronic ACTH treatment MDD mouse model, plasma and frontal cortex PEA were significantly decreased compared to vehicle treated controls. However, the reasons behind MDD prevalence in females, the neuroendocrine mechanisms by which PEA changes in vivo, and its role in the pathobiology of MDD is not yet understood. In cells, LXR agonist 25-hydroxycholesterol increased PEA levels: To understand the sexually dimorphic PEA function in the neuroendocrine circuitry of MDD, basal in vivo central and peripheral PEA levels, as well as post 25-hydroxylcholesterol treatment PEA levels in blood plasma, adrenal gland, and brain nuclei implicated in MDD were studied in mice. Both targeted and untargeted metabolomics analysis using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry were applied to measure PEA and various metabolite levels in the respective tissues. Here we report that compared to vehicle control females, vehicle treated male mice had about 50% higher basal plasma PEA levels than females. In the brain areas implicated in MDD, male mice displayed significantly increased basal PEA levels compared to female basal levels by about 3 fold. Specifically, basal PEA levels in males were higher than females in the frontal cortex, striatum, hippocampus, hypothalamus, and the amygdala. Moreover, while acute LXR agonist, 25-hydroxycholesterol decreased plasma PEA levels, chronic LXR agonism significantly increased plasma PEA levels in both male and female mice. Hypothalamic PEA decreased by 20% in females and 80% in males after LXR agonist treatment. Moreover, basal adrenal PEA was 45% significantly higher in females than in males; and 25-hydroxycholesterol significantly increased female adrenal PEA by 35% over basal levels, with no change in males. Metabolomics analysis further revealed significant changes in levels of several metabolites in the plasma, brains, and adrenals of 25-hydroxycholesterol treated mice in a sexually dimorphic manner. These findings underscore the importance of the PEA-LXR system in explaining the sexual dimorphic differential coping strategy of the two sexes to stressful stimuli; and may serve as a novel potential diagnostic and therapeutic target for major depressive disorder. Unless otherwise noted, all abstracts presented at ENDO are embargoed until the date and time of presentation. For oral presentations, the abstracts are embargoed until the session begins. Abstracts presented at a news conference are embargoed until the date and time of the news conference. The Endocrine Society reserves the right to lift the embargo on specific abstracts that are selected for promotion prior to or during ENDO.

Aims Coping strategies may be significantly associated with health outcomes. This is the first study to investigate the association between baseline coping strategies and cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence and mortality in a general population cohort. Methods and results The Japan Public Health Center-based prospective Study asked questions on coping in its third follow-up survey (2000–04). Analyses on CVD incidence and mortality included 57 017 subjects aged 50–79 without a history of CVD and who provided complete answers on approach- and avoidance-oriented coping behaviours and strategies. Cox regression models, adjusted for confounders, were used to determine hazard ratios (HRs) according to coping style. Mean follow-up time was 7.9 years for incidence and 8.0 years for mortality. The premorbid use of an approach-oriented coping strategy was inversely associated with incidence of stroke (HR = 0.85; 95% CI, 0.73–1.00) and CVD mortality (HR = 0.74; 95% CI, 0.55–0.99). Stroke subtype analyses revealed an inverse association between the approach-oriented coping strategy and incidence of ischaemic stroke (HR = 0.79; 95% CI, 0.64–0.98) and a positive association between the combined coping strategy and incidence of intra-parenchymal haemorrhage (HR = 2.03; 95% CI, 1.01–4.10). Utilizing an avoidance coping strategy was associated with increased mortality from ischaemic heart disease (IHD) only in hypertensive individuals (HR = 3.46; 95% CI, 1.07–11.18). The coping behaviours fantasizing and positive reappraisal were associated with increased risk of CVD incidence (HR = 1.24; 95% CI, 1.03–1.50) and reduced risk of IHD mortality (HR = 0.63; 95% CI, 0.40–0.99), respectively. Conclusion An approach-oriented coping strategy, i.e. proactively dealing with sources of stress, may be associated with significantly reduced stroke incidence and CVD mortality in a Japanese population-based cohort.

As an idea to ensure the success of OMICS research, there is Virchow's pathological ideas of physical disease. This idea is that one cell, a group of cells, a substance, and a group of substances are specific for each disease. Based on this idea, it can be inferred that the unity and purity of the sample and the disease used are extremely important factors. In this study, the aim is to show how the difference in trivial centrifugal conditions of whole blood affected the plasma concentration of Phosphoethanolamine (PEA), a biomarker of depression shown in our previous study, It turned out that the value of PEA increases when the rotor is a swing type, or when the temperature at the time of centrifugation is set at 4°C. This increase might be due to platelet contamination in isolated plasma. Therefore, especially when the researchers are looking to discover an unknown marker, special attention should be paid to sample.

Background : Non-participants to psychosocial studies have been shown to have higher mortality, and mortality differs between partial and complete responders to psychosocial questionnaires. Yet, there is very little information available directly linking survey response status with completing suicide. Methods : The study population consisted of the participants of the Japanese Public Health Center-based prospective study. Ninety-nine thousand four hundred thirty-nine subjects who returned the 10-year follow-up questionnaire and 31 754 individuals who did not return the questionnaire were included in our analyses. The risk of dying by suicide according to response status was estimated by Cox regression models. Results : There were 358 suicides during 1 128 831 person-years of follow-up (mean follow-up time: 8.6 years). Of those who returned the questionnaire, 53.9% were full responders, 42.8% were partial non-responders, and 3.3% were complete non-responders. The risk of suicide was increased for both complete non-responders [hazard ratio (HR) = 1.84, 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.51, 6.64] and partial non-responders (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 0.999, 1.84) to the questionnaire as a whole. The adjusting variables explained around 40% of the risk for complete non-responders whereas they did not explain the increased risk of suicide for partial non-responders. The risk of dying by suicide was significantly increased for partial non-responders to the subscale on coping (HR = 1.36, 95% CI, 1.01, 1.85) and for complete non-responders to questions on sleep (HR = 2.07, 95% CI, 1.03, 4.16). Conclusions : Partial and complete non-responders have increased suicide risk compared with complete non-responders. More than one non-responder category should therefore be considered when interpreting data pertaining to psychosocial questionnaires in longitudinal studies.

This chapter outlines several illustrative cases for proposed future rural planning based on the landscape labor accounts. At first, the three case-studies for Asami, Nyu, and Kayumi in Part 3 (see Chaps. 13– 15) are compared, and characteristics or issues of labor accounts in agricultural areas are described. Second, the general characteristics of community management based on the other cases will be shown; finally, appropriate policies, social systems, and initiatives for sustainable management of agriculture and rural areas are discussed.

This study sought to characterize the plasma metabolite profiling of patients with major depressive disorder (MDD).Psychiatric assessments were made with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV Axis I Disorders. In the exploratory cohort, plasma metabolite profiles of 34 MDD patients and 31 mentally healthy controls were compared using capillary electrophoresis-mass spectrometry. Among the candidate metabolites, we focused on a metabolite showing the largest difference. The absolute concentrations were measured in two cohorts from a psychiatric primary care clinic to characterize the accuracy of the metabolite biomarker.Among 23 metabolites significantly lower in the MDD group than in healthy controls, we focused on phosphoethanolamine (PEA) as a candidate. The reduction of PEA levels in MDD was checked in independent clinical sample sets. An ion-chromatography-fluorescence detection method was developed to measure plasma PEA levels. In the preliminary cohort, we examined 34 MDD and 43 non-MDD subjects. The area under the receiver-operator curve (AUC) was 0.92, with sensitivity/specificity greater than 88%, at a cut-off of 1.46 μM. In the checking cohort, with 10 MDD and 13 non-MDD subjects, AUC was 0.89, with sensitivity/specificity of 86% and 100%, respectively, at a cut-off of 1.48 μM. Plasma PEA inversely correlated with MDD severity, depressed mood, loss of interest, and psychomotor retardation.These results suggest that plasma PEA level could be a candidate biomarker of MDD in the clinical setting. Further studies comparing MDD and mentally healthy controls are needed to confirm the utility of PEA as a biomarker for depression.

Background Psychological stress is a modifiable risk factor for health outcomes and can be managed through coping mechanisms. Biological and behavioral hypotheses have been proposed to explain the association between stress coping strategies and cancer outcomes. Methods The Japan Public Health Center-based study asked questions on coping behaviors in its 10-year follow-up survey. 55,130 subjects aged 50–79 without a history of cancer diagnosis and who provided complete answers on coping were included in analyses on cancer incidence and mortality. Hazard Ratios (HR) according to coping style were determined using Cox regression models adjusted for known confounders for cancer. Results Mean follow-up time was 9.5 years for cancer incidence and 9.8 years for cancer mortality. The utilization of the approach-oriented coping strategy (HR = 0.85, 95% CI: 0.72–0.99) and a behavior of positive reappraisal (HR = 0.84, 95% CI: 0.72–0.97) was associated with a reduced risk of cancer mortality. The approach-oriented coping strategy was further associated with localized cancer incidence (HR = 1.13, 95% CI: 1.01–1.27) and screening-detected cancers (HR = 1.35, 95% CI: 1.15–1.58). The avoidance oriented coping strategy was inversely associated with cancer incidence (HR = 0.69, 95% CI: 0.50–0.94) only after excluding events occurring in the first three years of follow-up. Conclusion The results of this study may favor the behavioral hypothesis to explain associations between premorbid coping styles and cancer outcomes.