Eicosapentaenoic Acid Intake Associated with Reduced Risk of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder after the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) is a debilitating condition characterized by intrusion, avoidance, hyperarousal symptoms after exposure to traumatic events. Since polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) have been implicated, we examined the possible association of PTSD with plasma PUFA level and dietary fish intake in 563 women who was struck by the Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. The impact event scale-revised (IES-R) was used to assess PTSD symptoms. Dietary intake was estimated by a self-report questionnaire. Multivariate analysis controlling for age, body mass index, and stress revealed that PTSD status (IES-R ≥ 25) was associated with plasma eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) level (P = 0.039). In the high-stress group, there were significantly inverse correlations of plasma EPA with IES-R total (r = −0.389, P = 0.031), intrusion (r = −0.370, P = 0.04), and hyperarousal scores (r = −0.480, P = 0.006), although such correlations were not found in the moderate-stress group. Fish intake that increased plasma EPA showed similar correlations with IES-R scores in the severely stressed group. Our results suggest that higher plasma EPA level and EPA-increasing fish intake are associated with a lower risk for PTSD in individuals who have suffered severe stress in a natural disaster

乳幼児をもつ勤労女性の夜間の育児による睡眠中断の状況

本研究は,乳幼児を持つ勤労女性の夜間の育児による睡眠中断の状況を,携帯用活動量測定器アクチウォッチを用いて計測した活動量および睡眠日誌から検討した。その結果,以下のことが明らかになった。1.睡眠とみなされる時間は著しく少なくはなかったが,睡眠中断が頻回にみられ睡眠効率が悪い。2.育児による睡眠中断の際,彼女らはほとんど無意識でこれらを行っている。3.就労日・休日を問わず,睡眠中断があることによって,十分な休息をとることが困難である。The purpose of this study was to investigate the quality of sleep who have to take care of infants. The subjects were two women who are working in daytime and taking care of infants during nights. Sleep logs and actiwatch activities were evaluated during 3 consecutive nights. The results were as follows 1. Altough time in bed was enough, there are many waking times with low sleep efficiency. 2. They took care of children several times during nights, but they could not remenber all of them in the next morning. 3. Even if in the weekend, they could not take enough sleep time, because of their interrupted sleep

遠赤外線素材のソックスにおける保温効果の検討 : ポリエステル素材ソックスとの比較において

本研究は,手軽で低温やけどの危険性がない遠赤外線素材のソックスの保温効果を明らかにし,臨床での活用の有無の検討の基礎資料とすることを目的とした。対象は,健康な成人女性32名で,ポリエステル素材のソックスおよびポリエステル素材にセラミックスを練り込ませた遠赤外線素材のソックスの着用の前・後の足底部の皮膚温度をサーモグラフィーで測定した。分析は,サーモグラフィーで記録された右足足底部の4点とし,それぞれの平均値の差をみた。以下の結果が得られた。1.ソックス着用により,足底部の皮膚温度は上昇する。2.ポリエステル素材ソックスと遠赤外線素材ソックス30分間着用の比較では,指先において温度上昇の有意な差をみた。The purpose of this study is to explain the effect of far infrared radiation materials easily and without low temperature burn risk. We investigated the possibility of using this socks for clinical use. Tested group were consisted of normal controled 32 adult women. We measured the temperature of the planter by the thermography. The temperature between before and after the using testing socks were compared. The temperature at the four points on the surface of the planter were serected for the comparison. Average value of the deference between before and after using these socks are tested by t-test. The results are 1. The temperrature of planter increased by the using both socks, 2. The increase of the temperature at the toe by the using after thirty minutes, far infrared radiation socks was higher than by the using polyesters socks

Neural basis of impaired cognitive flexibility in patients with anorexia nervosa.

Impaired cognitive flexibility in anorexia nervosa (AN) causes clinical problems and makes the disease hard to treat, but its neural basis has yet to be fully elucidated. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the brain activity of individuals with AN while performing a task requiring cognitive flexibility on the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST), which is one of the most frequently used neurocognitive measures of cognitive flexibility and problem-solving ability.Participants were 15 female AN patients and 15 age- and intelligence quotient-matched healthy control women. Participants completed the WCST while their brain activity was measured by functional magnetic resonance imaging during the task. Brain activation in response to set shifting error feedback and the correlation between such brain activity and set shifting performance were analyzed.The correct rate on the WCST was significantly poorer for AN patients than for controls. Patients showed poorer activity in the right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and bilateral parahippocampal cortex on set shifting than controls. Controls showed a positive correlation between correct rate and ventrolateral prefrontal activity in response to set shifting whereas patients did not.These findings suggest dysfunction of the ventrolateral prefrontal cortex and parahippocampal cortex as a cause of impaired cognitive flexibility in AN patients

Corticotropin-releasing hormone receptor 1 gene variants in irritable bowel syndrome.

BACKGROUND: Corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) acts mainly via the CRH receptor 1 (CRH-R1) and plays a crucial role in the stress-induced pathophysiology of irritable bowel syndrome (IBS). Several studies have demonstrated that variants of the CRH-R1 gene carry a potential risk for depression, but evidence for an association between CRH-R1 genotypes and IBS is lacking. We tested the hypothesis that genetic polymorphisms and haplotypes of CRH-R1 moderate the IBS phenotype and negative emotion in IBS patients. METHODS: A total of 103 patients with IBS and 142 healthy controls participated in the study. Three single-nucleotide polymorphisms of the CRH-R1 gene (rs7209436, rs242924, and rs110402) were genotyped. Subjects' emotional states were evaluated using the Perceived-Stress Scale, the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, and the Self-rating Depression Scale. RESULTS: The TT genotype of rs7209436 (P = 0.01) and rs242924 (P = 0.02) was significantly more common in patients with IBS than in controls. Total sample analysis showed significant association between bowel pattern (normal, diarrhea, constipation, or mixed symptoms) and the T allele of rs7209436 (P = 0.008), T allele of rs242924 (P = 0.019), A allele of rs110402 (P = 0.047), and TAT haplocopies (P = 0.048). Negative emotion was not associated with the examined CRH-R1 SNPs. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that genetic polymorphisms and the CRH-R1 haplotypes moderate IBS and related bowel patterns. There was no clear association between CRH-R1 genotypes and negative emotion accompanying IBS. Further studies on the CRH system are therefore warranted

Scatter plots for correlation between brain activity and the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST) performance or demographic data.

<p>A. Correlation between right ventrolateral prefrontal cortex (VLPFC) activity and correct rate of WCST. B. Correlation between body mass index (BMI) and right VLPFC activity. C. Correlation between age and left parahippocampal cortex (PHC) activity. Brain activity: mean contrast value on set shifting feedback vs. 1^st correct feedback. AN: anorexia nervosa patients, HC: healthy controls. r: coefficient of correlation, * p<0.05.</p

Brain Activity of Restrictive Anorexia Nervosa Patients (n = 9) on Set Shifting Error Feedback vs. Activity on First Correct Feedback of Five Consecutive Corrects.

<p>L/R: Left/Right, BA: Brodmann area, x, y, z: Talairach coordinates of the peak voxel. 1 voxel = 2 mm×2 mm×2 mm. p: cluster-wise corrected p value. Significance levels were voxel-wise p<0.001 (uncorrected) and cluster-wise p<0.05 (corrected), one sample t-test.</p

Task Performance of the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test.

<p>AN: all anorexia nervosa patients, ANR: restrictive anorexia nervosa patients, ANBP: binge-purge anorexia nervosa patients,HC: healthy controls. Mean ± SD,</p>*<p>p<0.05, two sample t-test between all AN patients and HC.</p