Background: PCOS is a common gynecologic disorder and recent studies have found that they are more prone in developing depression and anxiety compared to the general population. The Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) is a popular and simple self-administered instrument reliable for detecting states of anxiety and depression. Using this simple screening tool, it may lead to the identification of such mental disorders that may warrant timely psychiatric referral. Objectives: We aim to determine the prevalence of anxiety and depression among PCOS patients using the HADS-P questionnaire. We also aim to determine association between depression & anxiety and disease characteristics. Methods: This is a cross-sectional study using convenience sampling of PCOS patients >18 years old in Philippine General Hospital. The HADS-P, a self-administered rating scale with independent subscales for anxiety and depression, was administered to the participants after securing consent. A cut–off score of >8 points on either of the depression and anxiety subscale was used to determine their respective prevalence. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine the association of clinical variables with anxiety or depression. Results: A total of 253 patients with PCOS were recruited. On the basis of a HADS-P score of >8.0 per category, the prevalence of PCOS patients who were suggestive to have anxiety was 46.25% (n: 117, 95% CI: 39.98-52.60%), while 9.09% (n: 23, 95% CI: 5.85-13.33%) of them were suggestive to have depression. Crude logistic regression identified presence of depression, infertility, impaired glucose tolerance and prominent acne as predictors of anxiety; whereas low parity, hirsutism and presence of anxiety were predictors of depression. Adjusted logistic regression identified only presence of depression and infertility were significant predictors of anxiety (n: 116, LR χ2 (5): 15.46, p<0.01); while presence of anxiety increase the odds of depression by 2 to 13 fold, it was not statistically significant (n: 116, LR χ2 (5): 9.79, p: 0.08). Conclusion There is a high prevalence of anxiety and depression among PCOS patients. The factors that were seen to be significantly associated with the development of anxiety were the presence of depression, impaired glucose tolerance, infertility and prominent acne, while for the development of depression were the presence of anxiety, hirsutism and low parity. Screening for anxiety and depression is of paramount importance and physicians should be vigilant for the need of possible psychiatric intervention.
Anxiety ; Depression ; Hads ; 4-amino-4' ; -hydroxylaminodiphenylsulfone ; Polycystic Ovary Syndrome

OBJECTIVES: This study evaluated the prevalence of anxiety, depression, and posttraumatic growth (positive psychological change as a result of the struggle with highly challenging life circumstances) among patients with HIV/AIDS as well as determine the correlation between these variables alongside select sociodemographic variables.
METHODOLOGY: Fifty eight patients enrolled in an HIV/AIDS clinic at a tertiary hospital were selected via convenience sampling and asked to complete a sociodemographic questionnaire, the Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI) and the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) from July to October 2015.
RESULTS: Ninety three percent of the participants reported moderate to high levels of posttraumatic growth, with a mean score of 4.70 (SD = 0.86). 20.7% (11.2 - 33.4, CL=95%) of patients screened positive for depression while 55.2% (41.5 - 68.3, CL=95%) of patients screened positive for anxiety. A statistically significant negative corellation was demonstrated between posttraumatic growth and depression (r=-0.29, p-value= 0.027) but not for anxiety (r=.027, p-value= 0.118).
CONCLUSION: There is a high prevalence of patients in the sample that exhibit depression and anxiety symptoms. Despite this, most patients report a capacity to experience positive changes in the aftermath of a life-threatening, chronic, and stigmatizing illness, correlating with a decrease in depressive symptomatology. As such, initiatives promoting posttraumatic growth are valuable in the comprehensive care for patients afflicted with HIV/AIDS.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Depression ; Prevalence ; Tertiary Care Centers ; Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome ; 4-amino-4'-hydroxylaminodiphenylsulfone ; Anxiety ; Depressive Disorder ; Anxiety Disorders

The underdiagnosis of depression and anxiety in the medical complications, improve compliance to treatment, and facilitate the "appropriate" use of health care resources.

OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of depression and/or anxiety in the in-patient medically ill and to validate the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) for Filipinos.

METHODS: To aid clinicians, the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), a 14-item self-report questionnaire was validated in this cross-sectional study of 710 medically ill in-patients, to be able to determine how well it identified depression and anxiety against the criterion of a diagnostic psychiatric interview and to determine the optimal cut-off score of the HADS for Filipinos with the use of the Receiver Operating Characteristics (ROC).

RESULTS: The prevalence of depression was 26.9% anxiety was 14.3%, and the 'mixed diagnosis' of both was 13.7% among the medically-ill. The overall prevalence was 54.9%. The results showed that the optimal cut-off score for the HADS/ HADS-P is a score of 11, with a sensitivity of 75%, specificity of 70% and PPV of 75%.

CONCLUSION: The HADS/ HADS-P will provide clinicians with a reliable, valid and practical screening tool for identifying the two most common clinical problems in the medically ill, depression and anxiety. The HADS/ HADS-P can serve as a guide for clinicians towards the diagnosis of depression and anxiety, but it cannot be the sole basis for diagnosis.

Human ; Male ; Female ; Aged ; Middle Aged ; Adult ; Depression ; Self Report ; 4-amino-4'-hydroxylaminodiphenylsulfone ; Anxiety ; Anxiety Disorders ; Depressive Disorder ; Sensitivity And Specificity

BACKGROUND: Interleukin (IL)-4 is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays an important role in the pathogenesis of the allergic inflammation and asthma. Upon IL-4 receptor (IL-4R) engagement, a variety of signaling mediators, such as JAK kinases and STAT-6 are activated, leading to induction of IL-4 target gene expression including CD23 and germline C epsilon transcription. The function of a membrane-proximal domain of IL-4Ra, termed ID-1, remains to be characterized to date. OBJECTIVE: To assess whether the ID-1 domain mediates the induction of IL-4 target gene expression in a STAT-6-dependent manner. METHODS: The intracellular region of IL-4Ralpha was translationally fused to the extracellular region of IL-2Rbeta to provide ligand specificity to IL-2. Acidic amino acids and serine residues in the ID-1 domain of the chimeric receptor were substituted by site-directed mutagenesis. These receptor cDNAs were stably transfected to M12.4.1 murine B lymphoma cells. Following IL-2 stimulation, wild type and mutant clones for the ID-1 motif were subjected to FACS. RNA blotting and elecroporetic mobility shift assays to address the levels of CD23, germline C epsilon and STAT-6 inductions, respectively. RESULTS: ID-1 mutant clones were defective in gene induction of CD23 and germline C epsilon in response to IL-2 stimulation, as compared with wildtype clones. Moreover, IL-2-mediated STAT-6 activation was abolished in ID-1 mutant clones. CONCLUSION: These results demonstrate that the ID-1 domain of IL-4Ra is essential to induce IL-4 target gene expression through a STAT-6-dependent pathway.
Amino Acids, Acidic ; Asthma ; Clone Cells ; DNA, Complementary ; Electrophoretic Mobility Shift Assay ; Gene Expression ; Inflammation ; Interleukin-2 ; Interleukin-4 Receptor alpha Subunit* ; Interleukin-4* ; Interleukins ; Janus Kinases ; Lymphoma ; Mutagenesis, Site-Directed ; Receptors, Interleukin-4 ; RNA ; Sensitivity and Specificity ; Serine

Long-term potentiation (LTP) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses is often associated with increases in quantal size, traditionally attributed to enhanced availability or efficacy of postsynaptic glutamate receptors. However, augmented quantal size might also reflect increases in neurotransmitter concentration within the synaptic cleft since AMPA-type glutamate receptors are not generally saturated during basal transmission. Here we report evidence that peak cleft glutamate concentration ([glu]cleft) increases during LTP, as indicated by a lessening of the blocking effects of rapidly unbinding antagonists of AMPA. The efficacy of slowly equilibrating antagonists remained unchanged. The elevated [glu]cleft helps support the increased quantal amplitude of AMPA-type EPSCs (excitatory postsynaptic currents) during LTP.
alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid ; Glutamic Acid* ; Long-Term Potentiation ; Neurotransmitter Agents ; Receptors, Glutamate ; Synapses

PURPOSE: The goal of the present study was to find out whether blockade of GABAergic synaptic transmission by bicuculline (BIC) in the presence of 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) would lead to expression or suppression of epileptiform activity in the immature brain and to observe the effect of commonly used anticonvulsants (valproic acid (VPA), carbamazepine (CBZP)) and 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxalinedione (CNQX) on that epileptiform activity. METHODS: The visual cortex slices were obtained from 14-18 day-old Sprague-Dawley rats. Extracellular cellular recording was performed to observe the induction of epileptiform activity perfused by artificial CSF (ACSF) with combined application of BIC and 4-AP and the effect of VPA, CBZP and CNQX on that epileptiform activity for at least 1 hour. RESULTS: Epileptiform activity perfused by ACSF with combined application of BIC and 4-AP was insensitive to commonly used anticonvulsants (VPA, CBZP) and sensitive to CNQX. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that the epileptiform activity induced by combined application of BIC and 4-AP is present even in immature visual cortex slices. And, the blockade of GABAergic inhibition by BIC under 4-AP showed the increase of immature brain excitability as mature brain. The attenuation of that epileptiform activity by a-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) antagonist (CNQX) showed that AMPA receptor had relevance to the induction of that epileptiform activity.
4-Aminopyridine ; 6-Cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione ; alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid* ; Animals ; Anticonvulsants* ; Bicuculline* ; Brain ; Carbamazepine ; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid ; Rats* ; Rats, Sprague-Dawley ; Receptors, AMPA ; Seizures ; Synaptic Transmission ; Visual Cortex*

Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) is a major component of the outer membrane of Gram-negative bacteria. Minute amounts of LPS released from infecting pathogens can initiate potent innate immune responses that prime the immune system against further infection. However, when the LPS response is not properly controlled it can lead to fatal septic shock syndrome. The common structural pattern of LPS in diverse bacterial species is recognized by a cascade of LPS receptors and accessory proteins, LPS binding protein (LBP), CD14 and the Toll-like receptor4 (TLR4)-MD-2 complex. The structures of these proteins account for how our immune system differentiates LPS molecules from structurally similar host molecules. They also provide insights useful for discovery of anti-sepsis drugs. In this review, we summarize these structures and describe the structural basis of LPS recognition by LPS receptors and accessory proteins.
Amino Acid Sequence ; Animals ; Binding Sites ; Carbohydrate Sequence ; Humans ; Immunity, Innate ; Lipopolysaccharides/*chemistry/immunology/pharmacology ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/*chemistry/immunology/metabolism

PURPOSE: Activation of the innate immune system and chronic low-grade inflammation are thought to be involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and also thought to be associated with type 2 diabetes and its complications. As a receptor for bacterial lipopolysaccharide and heat-shock proteins, Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) is one of the central regulators of the immune response. Recent studies have reported an association between TLR4 polymorphisms and diabetes and its complications in Caucasian populations. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this study, we analyzed the association between TLR4 gene polymorphisms in patients with features of type 2 diabetes and healthy controls in Korea. Two polymorphisms of the TLR4 gene (Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile) were examined in 225 diabetic patients and 153 healthy controls using polymerase chain reaction-restriction fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) and single-strand conformation polymorphism (SSCP). RESULTS: No Asp299Gly or Thr399Ile mutations were detected in any of the 378 subjects. Seven subjects from each group who had slightly different SSCP patterns were selected for sequencing, but we found no TLR4 polymorphisms on Exon3. The Asp299Gly and Thr399Ile TLR4 gene polymorphisms were absent in both groups, which was similar to the results for Japanese and Chinese Han subjects. CONCLUSION: Our data and other Asian data suggest that a racial difference can be found in the frequency of the TLR4 polymorphism.
Adult ; Amino Acids/genetics ; Base Sequence ; Female ; Humans ; Korea ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Molecular Sequence Data ; Mutation/genetics ; Polymorphism, Genetic/*genetics ; Toll-Like Receptor 4/*genetics

Acute hypotension induced excitation of electrical activities and expression of c-Fos protein and pERK in the vestibular nuclei. In this study, to investigate the excitatory signaling pathway in the vestibular nuclei following acute hypotension, expression of NR2A and NR2B subunits of glutamate NMDA receptor and GluR1 subunit of glutamate AMPA receptor was determined by RT-PCR and Western blotting in the medial vestibular nucleus 30 min after acute hypotension in rats. Acute hypotension increased expression of NR2A, NR2B, and pGluR1 in the medial vestibular nuclei. These results suggest that both of NMDA and AMPA glutamate receptors take part in transmission of excitatory afferent signals following acute hypotension.
alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid ; Animals ; Blotting, Western ; Glutamic Acid* ; Hypotension* ; N-Methylaspartate ; Rats ; Receptors, AMPA ; Receptors, Glutamate* ; Vestibular Nuclei*

We investigated the comparative effects of electroacupuncture (EA) with different frequency on the spinal c-fos and inotropic glutamate receptor expression in carrageenan-injected rats. Bilateral EA stimulation with 2, 15 and 120 Hz were delivered at those acupoints corresponding to Zusanli and Sanyinjiao in man via the needles. The inhibitory effects of the EA on the inflammatory process were investigated in the central nociceptive sites by immunohistochemical analysis. Three hours after carrageenan injection, the number of c-fos-like immunoreactive (LI) neurons was significantly increased in all layers of the ipsilateral spinal cord at L4-5 segment. But these immunoreactive neurons were markedly reduced in the spinal gray matter, especially in the superficial laminae, by all kinds of EA stimulation. The number of NMDA (NR-1 and NR-2A) and AMPA receptors (GluR-1, GluR-2/3) -LI neurons was also increased by carrageenan injection. But NR-2A-LI neuron was significantly reduced in superficial laminae of dorsal horn by 2 Hz EA stimulation. While GluR-1-LI neuron of 15 Hz and 120 Hz EA was increased in the nucleus proprius compared with carrageenan-injected group, GluR-2/3-LI neuron of these EA stimulated groups significantly reduced in superficial laminae of dorsal horn. In conclusion, EA treatment can attenuate spinal c-fos expression in carrageenan injected rats and regulates spinal inotropic glutamate receptor expression.
Acupuncture Points ; alpha-Amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic Acid ; Animals ; Carrageenan ; Electroacupuncture* ; Glutamic Acid* ; Horns ; N-Methylaspartate ; Needles ; Neurons ; Rats* ; Receptors, AMPA ; Receptors, Glutamate* ; Spinal Cord