Comparison of Urinary Levels of 8-Hydroxy-2’-deoxyguanosine between Young Females with and without Depressive Symptoms during Different Menstrual Phases

This study aimed to clarify the association between depressive symptoms and a marker of oxidative stress-induced DNA damage in young females. Since the menstrual cycle may confound or modify this association, depressive symptoms and urinary levels of 8-hydroxy-2ʼ deoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) were evaluated during each menstrual phase. A total of 57 female fourth-year students (aged 21.6±0.8) from a Japanese health science university were studied. The menstrual cycle was divided into 3 phases:menstrual (days 1 to 3 after the onset of menses);proliferative (days 13 to 15);and secretory (days 24 to 26). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the self-rating depression scale (SDS). Positive depressive symptoms were defined as a score of 53 or more during 2 different menstrual phases. The association between the presence of depressive symptoms and 8-OHdG levels adjusting for the menstrual cycle was examined by two-way analysis of variance with the menstrual cycle (menstrual, proliferative, and secretory phases) as the within-individual factor. The menstrual cycle did not show a significant correlation with urinary 8-OHdG levels. On the other hand, the menstrual cycle-adjusted 8-OHdG level was significantly higher in those with depressive symptoms (7.01ng/mL) than in those without them (3.98ng/mL). The ROC curve analysis showed that urinary 8-OHdG levels had reasonably high discriminative performance throughout all the menstrual cycles (0.73-0.81;all p＜0.05). These results indicated the presence of oxidative stress in subjects with depressive symptoms independent of the menstrual cycle

Factors Predicting Bone Mineral Density (BMD) Changes in Young Women over A One-year Study:Changes in Body Weight and Bone Metabolic Markers during the Menstrual Cycle and Their Effects on BMD

Currently, 26% of Japanese women in their twenties are under weight, and therefore at risk of developing various metabolic abnormalities due to an inadequate nutrient intake, which in turn affects the acquisition of a peak bone mineral density (BMD). In this study, we aimed to clarify the effects of menstrual cycle-related changes in body weight and bone metabolic marker levels on the BMD changes. The subjects were 42 women (19.6±0.8 years). The levels of osteocalcin (OC), BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD, and E2 in the menstrual and ovulatory phases were measured. The associations between dependent variables (BMD changes/year in the lumbar spine, femur, femoral neck) and explanatory variables (body weight changes/year, the levels of OC, BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD) were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Analysis of the correlations between the changes in bone metabolic markers and changes in BMD showed a correlation between the OC level in the menstrual phase and changes in the BMD of the entire femur, suggesting that a high OC level protects against BMD reduction, probably by promoting osteoblast activity, and that bone formation activity suppresses the decrease in BMD. These results suggest that, to predict BMD changes from bone metabolic markers in young women, it is necessary to measure OC levels in the menstrual phase

Age-Dependent Contributions of Neck Circumference to Indices of Obesity Among Female College Students Aged 18 to 20 Years

Measurement of neck circumference (NC) is an easy method to assess obesity. Our investigation to estimate risks for metabolic disease in Japanese postmenopausal women indicated that NC is significantly associated with whole-body obesity indices and visceral fat accumulation. To clarify the early stage of metabolic changes and confirm NC validity as a predictor of metabolic syndrome, NC’s association to the four obesity indices, namely, weight, body mass index (BMI), body fat, and waist circumference (WC), was examined in a college student group of 60 females aged 18.7±0.3 years. NC was mainly correlated with weight, followed by BMI, WC, and body fat. It was also significantly associated with weight and BMI, but not with body fat. The participants were divided into two subgroups: “sports-experienced” and “not-sports-experienced,” who had moderate and strong correlation coefficients with NC and WC, respectively. WC value was possibly predicted by NC values using linear functions for the group and its subgroups. The correlation between NC and WC, NC’s association to weight, and substitution of NC to WC were confirmed by the same analyses in another student group composed with 18 females aged 19.7±0.6 years. Our study showed that the distribution of body fat in college students is difficult to assess based on NC alone. Nevertheless, NC measurement is an easy, inexpensive, and reproducible method to assess obesity and a possible predictor to identify the risk for future metabolic diseases in Japanese college students with the four obesity indices, weight, BMI, body fat, and WC

The Relationship between Stress Levels and Biological Responses in a Clinical Nursing Practicum

We evaluated the association between the stress levels and biological responses of nursing students in a clinical practicum. The subjects consisted of 28 third-year nursing students at the nursing department of College A. The degree of stress was evaluated using the Japanese version of the State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). As parameters of biological responses, serum estrogen, salivary cortisol, and salivary IgA were measured. These measurements were performed twice (before and during the clinical practicum). Before and during the practicum, the STAI state anxiety score increased from 46.3 ± 8.1 to 52.3 ± 8.9 indicating the nursing students' practicum-associated stress. No changes were observed in the salivary cortisol or IgA level, but the serum estrogen level decreased during the practicum from 36.7 ± 14.7 to 27.0 ± 9.2 suggesting the inhibition of estrogen secretion

Relationships among stress, coping, and personality in nursing clinical training

本研究は, 看護学生の臨床実習におけるストレスとコーピングおよび性格との関連について検討した. 対象はA大学看護学科3年生の女性28名である. 方法は, ストレスの程度の評価には日本版State Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI)を, また, コーピングの測定にはコーピング特性簡易尺度(BSCP)を用い, それぞれ実習前と実習中の計2回実施した. 性格の評価は, 矢田部・ギルフォード検査(YG検査)を用いて, 臨床実習のない春期休暇中に実施した. その結果, STAIの状態不安は, 実習前に比べ実習中で高値を示し, 臨床実習で看護学生がストレスを感じていると考えられた. 特に「社会的不適応」, 「劣等感」, 「非協調的」などの性格傾向では, 実習中の状態不安の増強を認めた. また, それらの性格傾向では「他者を巻き込んだ情動発散」などの消極的コーピングスタイルを多用する特徴を認め, 実習ストレスの感じ方やコーピングには, 個々の性格が深く関与することが示唆された.We investigated the relationships among stress, coping, and personality in nursing students during clinical training in a hospital. The subjects were 28 female nursing school students. The State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI) test was used for evaluation of the psychological response to the stress of clinical training. The Brief Scales for Coping Profile (BSCP) test was used for evaluation of coping. These two tests were given before and during clinical training. The Yatabe/Guilford (YG) test was given to students during the spring vacation for assessment of personality. The students experienced stress before and during clinical training, and the state-anxiety levels in the STAI were significantly higher during clinical training. Anxiety level was higher in students with personality traits of "social maladjustment", "feeling of inferiority" and "nonconformism". Furthermore, students with such personality traits tended to have a passive style of coping. The results suggest that there is a close relationship between personality and coping style for nursing students under the stressful conditions of clinical training

Usefulness of the Touch Panel-type Dementia Assessment Scale (TDAS) and Evaluation of Correlation between Hemoglobin A1c and TDAS in Middle-Aged and Older Women

There is a suspected relationship between glycometabolism and cognitive function in nondiabetic women. In this study, we aimed to give further evidence of a correlation between glycometabolism and cognitive function with the use of a new computer-based rating scale for Alzheimer's disease, TDAS. The subjects were 174 non-diabetic, middle-aged, older women. The levels of hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c, the Japan Diabetes Society (JDS)), TDAS and Revised Hasegawa's Dementia Rating Scale (HDS-R) were measured. Mean value of HbA1c, score of TDAS, time of TDAS and HDS-R were 5.2 ± 0.3 (n = 169), 0.9 ± 1.4 n = 173), 13.0 ± 1.4 min (n = 173) and 29.4 ± 1.0 (n = 174), respectively. The coefficient of the correlation (r) between age and HbA1c was 0.31, that between age and HDS-R was -0.21, that between age and score of TDAS was 0.33, and that between age and time of TDAS was 0.43. The correlations were significant. There was no correlation between HbA1c and HDS-R. The coefficient of the correlation (r) between HbA1c and score of TDAS was 0.16 (p = 0.042), and that between HbA1c and time of TDAS was 0.17 (p =0.027). The correlations between HbA1c and score of TDAS and between HbA1c and time of TDAS were significant. These results suggest that TDAS is very useful for evaluation of cognitive function and that there is a correlation between glycometabolism and cognitive function in non-diabetic middleaged and older women, even if their cognitive function is within normal limits

Changes in Bone Mineral Density and Metabolism in Women : Evaluation of bodily characteristics, bone metabolic markers and bone mineral density

The relationship of bone mineral density (BMD) and bone metabolic markers in women is an interesting field of research. In this study, we aimed to clarify the relationship of body weight, bone metabolic markers and BMD. The subjects were 72 women. The levels of serum bone-specific alkaline phosphatase (BAP), serum type I collagen-cross-linked peptide (s-NTx) and urinary deoxypyridinoline (u-DPD) were measured. The associations between dependent variables (BMD changes/1 or 4 years in the lumbar spine and femoral neck) and explanatory variables (body weight changes/1 or 4 years, the levels of BAP, s-NTx, u-DPD) were evaluated using multiple regression analysis. Changes in the lumbar spine BMD were significantly correlated with changes in height over a year, and those of the femoral neck were significantly correlated with changes in weight over a year. Changes in the lumbar spine BMD over 4 years were significantly correlated with age, BAP and the changes of weight over 4 years. Changes in the femoral neck BMD over 4 years were significantly correlated with the changes in weight for 4 years. These results suggest that BMD changes of different bones correlate with different explanatory variables and that, to predict BMD changes from bone metabolic markers in women, it is necessary to measure BAP levels

Relationships Among Blood Leptin and Adiponectin Levels, Fat Mass, and Bone Mineral Density in Japanese Pre- and Postmenopausal Women

We conducted a survey of 111 healthy middle-aged and older women, aged 40 to 80 years, to elucidate the relationships between blood leptin and adiponectin levels and bone mineral density (BMD) in September 2008. We examined the associations between the blood levels of these adipocytokines and the lumbar spine (L2-L4), left femoral, and distal forearm BMD after adjustment for the age and body fat percentage. No correlation was observed between leptin and the BMD. This is presumably due to the fact that the influence of menopause, age, duration of postmenopausal period, and body fat percentage on the BMD is greater than that of leptin levels in healthy women. The adiponectin levels were significantly correlated negatively with the lumbar spine and femoral BMD in premenopausal women, and with forearm BMD in postmenopausal women, regardless of adjustment for age and body fat percentage. It seems likely that adiponectin influences the BMD at different skeletal sites in pre- and postmenopausal women