The Comparison of Salivary Alpha Amylase Enzym Level Between Anxiety Patients and Depression Patients

Salivary α-amylase (sAA) serves as a marker of sympathoadrenal medullary system (SAM) activity. Research on the comparison of salivary α-amylase levels between anxiety disorder and depression disorder had not been widely reported. In the current study, 30 anxiety patients, 30 depression patients and 30 healthy volunteers were assessed with Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HARS) for anxiety patients and Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) for depression patients. The measurement of the salivary α-amylase (sAA) was performed before the anxiety patients and the depressed patients received treatment. Salivary α-amylase (sAA) of the anxiety and depression patients group increased significantly compared to the control group (healthy people). There was a significant correlation between the scores of HARS and of HDRS to the level of sAA enzyme. Regression analysis indicated a potential increase of the sAA level in the amount of 5.673 kU/L per one score of HARS and one additional  score of HDRS also potentially increased in the amount of 0.925 kU/L of  the sAA enzyme level. Additionally, R2 obtained from linear regression for anxiety patients group was 0.442 which meant that the effect of HARS score on sAA was 44.2% and 55.8% sAA rate was influenced by other variables. R2 for depression patients group was 0.457 which meant that the effect of HDRS score to the level of sAA enzyme was 45.7 %  and 54.3 % was influenced by other variables

Morphological features of microglial cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus of Gunn rat: a possible schizophrenia animal model

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Schizophrenia is a debilitating and complex mental disorder whose exact etiology remains unknown. There is growing amount of evidence of a relationship between neuroinflammation, as demonstrated by microglial activation, and schizophrenia. Our previous studies have proposed that hyperbilirubinemia plays a role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Furthermore, we suggested the Gunn rat, an animal model of bilirubin encephalopathy, as a possible animal model of schizophrenia. However, the effects of unconjugated bilirubin on microglia, the resident immune cell of the CNS, in Gunn rats have never been investigated. In the present study, we examined how microglial cells respond to bilirubin toxicity in adult Gunn rats.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Using immunohistochemical techniques, we compared the distribution, morphology, and ultrastructural features of microglial cells in Gunn rats with Wistar rats as a normal control. We also determined the ratio of activated and resting microglia and observed microglia-neuron interactions. We characterized the microglial cells in the hippocampal dentate gyrus.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>We found that microglial cells showed activated morphology in the hilus, subgranular zone, and granular layer of the Gunn rat hippocampal dentate gyrus. There was no significant difference between cell numbers between in Gunn rats and controls. However, there was significant difference in the area of CD11b expression in the hippocampal dentate gyrus. Ultrastructurally, microglial cells often contained rich enlarged rich organelles in the cytoplasm and showed some phagocytic function.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We propose that activation of microglia could be an important causal factor of the behavioral abnormalities and neuropathological changes in Gunn rats. These findings may provide basic information for further assessment of the Gunn rat as an animal model of schizophrenia.</p

Socio-economic-demographic determinants of depression in Indonesia: A hospital-based study.

The association of socio-economic-demographic (SED; e.g., income-related) factors with depression is widely confirmed in the literature. We conducted a hospital-based case-control study of 160 patients with psychiatrist-diagnosed clinical depression. The control group comprised 160 participants recruited from local communities. We used a questionnaire to collect SED data from all participants. We replaced missing values using multiple imputation analyses and further analyzed the pooled data of five imputations. We also recorded the results from the original analysis and each imputation. Univariate analyses showed income was associated with depression. Multiple logistic regression analyses revealed that, among all SED variables, high income (odds ratio = 2.088 [95% confidence interval = 1.178-3.700]; p = 0.012), middle-level (completed junior or senior high school) education (1.688 [1.042-2.734]; p = 0.033) and cohabitating with four or more family members (1.632 [1.025-2.597]; p = 0.039) were significant predictors for the case group. We conclude that cash income is a determinant of depression in hospital outpatients in Indonesia. This study suggests health policy implications toward better hospital access and service for people with depression in middle- or low-income households, and recommends considering high income as correlated with a high risk of depression, owing to socio-cultural changes

Establishing the Cut-off Score for Aggression on the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale-Excited Component (BPRS-EC) in Schizophrenia Patients

10.1080/24750573.2019.1626067Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology2904407-41

Establishing the Cut-off Scores for the Severity Ranges of Schizophrenia on the BPRS-6 Scale: Findings from the REAP-AP

10.1080/24750573.2019.1695994Psychiatry and Clinical Psychopharmacology2904895-89