Anxiety and depression symptoms in women with and without binge eating disorder enrolled in weight loss programs

OBJECTIVES: 1) To investigate the association between binge eating scores, anxiety and depression symptoms, and body mass index (BMI), and 2) to assess the presence of differences in severity of anxiety symptoms, severity of depression symptoms, and BMI in women with and without binge eating disorder. METHOD: The sample comprised 113 women aged between 22 and 60 years (39.35±10.85) enrolled in weight loss programs in Porto Alegre, southern Brazil. The following instruments were used: structured interview, Brazilian Economic Classification Criteria, Beck Anxiety Inventory, Beck Depression Inventory, and Binge Eating Scale. Data were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. RESULTS: A positive association was found between binge eating scores and the severity of anxiety symptoms (p OBJETIVOS: 1) Investigar a associação entre escores de compulsão alimentar, sintomas de ansiedade e de depressão e índice de massa corporal (IMC); e 2) verificar se existe diferença na intensidade dos sintomas de ansiedade, dos sintomas depressivos e no IMC em mulheres com e sem compulsão alimentar. MÉTODO: A amostra foi composta de 113 mulheres com idade entre 22 e 60 anos (39,35±10,85), participantes de programas de redução de peso na cidade de Porto Alegre, sul do Brasil. Foram aplicados os seguintes instrumentos: entrevista estruturada, Critérios de Classificação Econômica Brasil, Inventário de Ansiedade de Beck, Inventário de Depressão de Beck e Escala de Compulsão Alimentar Periódica. Os dados foram analisados utilizando-se estatística descritiva e inferencial. RESULTADOS: Houve associação positiva entre os escores de compulsão alimentar e a intensidade dos sintomas de ansiedade (p < 0,001) e de depressão (p < 0,001). Não foi observada associação significativa (p = 0,341) entre IMC e escores de compulsão alimentar. Houve diferença significativa entre mulheres com e sem compulsão alimentar com relação à intensidade dos sintomas de ansiedade (p < 0,001) e depressão (p < 0,001). Não foi encontrada diferença significativa entre os grupos com relação ao IMC (p = 0,103). CONCLUSÃO: Os achados deste estudo mostraram que a compulsão alimentar está associada a sintomas de ansiedade e de depressão, porém não está associada ao IMC

Translational models for vascular cognitive impairment: a review including larger species.

BACKGROUND: Disease models are useful for prospective studies of pathology, identification of molecular and cellular mechanisms, pre-clinical testing of interventions, and validation of clinical biomarkers. Here, we review animal models relevant to vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). A synopsis of each model was initially presented by expert practitioners. Synopses were refined by the authors, and subsequently by the scientific committee of a recent conference (International Conference on Vascular Dementia 2015). Only peer-reviewed sources were cited. METHODS: We included models that mimic VCI-related brain lesions (white matter hypoperfusion injury, focal ischaemia, cerebral amyloid angiopathy) or reproduce VCI risk factors (old age, hypertension, hyperhomocysteinemia, high-salt/high-fat diet) or reproduce genetic causes of VCI (CADASIL-causing Notch3 mutations). CONCLUSIONS: We concluded that (1) translational models may reflect a VCI-relevant pathological process, while not fully replicating a human disease spectrum; (2) rodent models of VCI are limited by paucity of white matter; and (3) further translational models, and improved cognitive testing instruments, are required

Distortion in formalin-fixed brains: Using geometric morphometrics to quantify the worst-case scenario in mice

Although morphometric studies of fixed mammalian brains are an integral part of neuroscience, the nature of fixation-related morphometric artifacts is not well understood beyond assessments of size changes over fixation time. This study is the first to quantitatively co-evaluate the effects of the most common brain tissue fixative-formalin-on brain shape, size, and weight, using two-dimensional landmark analysis of mouse brains fixed in unbuffered, non-saline formalin from fresh specimens up to 213 days of preservation. The brains show a typical swelling reaction with subsequent decline in size and weight. Weight initially under- and later over-estimates size, so that the practice of using weight to estimate volume can be problematic. Time to recovery of original size resembled that of much larger brained mammals, suggesting that the slow reaction of formalin with tissue components mainly determines recovery times. Non-size related (anisotropic) distortion of different brain areas accounted for around a quarter of overall change suggesting that the use of "all-brain" fixation correction factors can introduce considerable error. Distortion occurs mostly after the first day of fixation, and extended fixation times impact mostly on size, not shape. Fixation effects relatively wider and stouter brain dimensions, except the cerebellum whose shape changes less. Evidence from the literature suggests that this pattern may be common to mammals due to structural commonalities