Hidden scars in depression? Implicit and explicit self-associations following recurrent depressive episodes

To help explain the recurrent nature of major depressive disorder, we tested the hypothesis that depressive episodes and/or the duration of depressive symptoms may give rise to persistent dysfunctional implicit and/or more explicit self-associations, which in turn may place people at risk for the recurrence of symptoms. We therefore examined, in the context of the Netherlands Study of Depression and Anxiety, whether the strength of self-depressed associations at baseline was related to the number of past episodes (retrospective analysis; n = 666), and whether the duration of symptoms between baseline and follow-up predicted self-depressed associations at 2-year follow-up (prospective analysis; n = 726). The lifetime Composite International Diagnostic Interviews and Life Chart Interview were used to index the number of depressive episodes; the Implicit Association Test and its explicit equivalent were used to index self-associations. Consistent with the hypothesis that self-depressed associations strengthen following prolonged activation of negative self-associations during depressive episodes, individuals' implicit and explicit self-depressed associations correlated positively both with the number of prior depressive episodes at baseline and with the duration of depressive symptoms between baseline and 2-year follow-up. There was evidence that these relationships held, particularly in the prospective study, even when controlling for neuroticism and current depressive symptoms, whereas the retrospective relationship between number of episodes and implicit self-associations fell just short of significance

The First H I-Discovered Galaxy in the Bootes Void

In this paper we present a detailed study of the first H I-discovered galaxy in the Bootes void, at a distance of 145.5 Mpc. We have observed this galaxy both at low and high resolution in the 21 cm line and optically. The galaxy has an irregular, slowly rotating H i disk. The gas is much more extended than the optical disk, extending out as far as 6.4 times R25. The rotation curve of the galaxy is flat: amplitude and shape can be explained by the presence of a dark halo with a mass of 1.6 times the luminous mass

Adaptive mutation using statistics mechanism for genetic algorithms

Copyright @ 2004 Springer-Verla

Gene expression profiling in C57BL/6J and A/J mouse inbred strains reveals gene networks specific for brain regions independent of genetic background

Abstract Background We performed gene expression profiling of the amygdala and hippocampus taken from inbred mouse strains C57BL/6J and A/J. The selected brain areas are implicated in neurobehavioral traits while these mouse strains are known to differ widely in behavior. Consequently, we hypothesized that comparing gene expression profiles for specific brain regions in these strains might provide insight into the molecular mechanisms of human neuropsychiatric traits. We performed a whole-genome gene expression experiment and applied a systems biology approach using weighted gene co-expression network analysis. Results We were able to identify modules of co-expressed genes that distinguish a strain or brain region. Analysis of the networks that are most informative for hippocampus and amygdala revealed enrichment in neurologically, genetically and psychologically related pathways. Close examination of the strain-specific gene expression profiles, however, revealed no functional relevance but a significant enrichment of single nucleotide polymorphisms in the probe sequences used for array hybridization. This artifact was not observed for the modules of co-expressed genes that distinguish amygdala and hippocampus. Conclusions The brain-region specific modules were found to be independent of genetic background and are therefore likely to represent biologically relevant molecular networks that can be studied to complement our knowledge about pathways in neuropsychiatric disease

Serum homocysteine is weakly associated with von Willebrand factor and soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1, but not with C-reactive protein in type 2 diabetic and nondiabetic subjects: the Hoorn Study.

Background: Hyperhomocysteinaemia may constitute an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease, but it is still unclear by which pathophysiological mechanisms homocysteine (tHcy) may promote atherothrombosis. The aim of this study was firstly to examine whether tHcy is associated with endothelial dysfunction, increased adherence of leukocytes, and/or chronic low-grade inflammation, as estimated from plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (vWf), soluble vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (sVCAM-1) and C-reactive protein (CRP), respectively. Secondly we investigated whether the presence of type 2 diabetes modifies these associations. Materials and Methods: Six hundred and ten subjects of a general population of middle-aged and elderly subjects, 170 of whom had type 2 diabetes, participated in this cross-sectional study. Linear regression analyses were used to study whether tHcy was associated with vWf, sVCAM-1 and CRP, and whether the presence of diabetes modified these associations. Results: After adjustment for confounders, tHcy was significantly but weakly associated with vWf (β=0·15, P=0·05) and sVCAM-1 (β=0·082, P=0·04). tHcy was not significantly associated with CRP (β=0·02, P=0·91). The presence of diabetes did not significantly modify these associations. Conclusions: This study provides evidence that tHcy is, at most, weakly associated with endothelial dysfunction as estimated from plasma vWf, and with leukocyte adhesion as estimated from plasma sVCAM-1. tHcy was not significantly associated with chronic low-grade inflammation as estimated from plasma CRP. Our data thus suggest that the link between tHcy and atherothrombosis cannot be explained by associations of tHcy with vWf, sVCAM-1 or CRP

The long-term course of shoulder complaints:a prospective study in general practice

Objective. Assessment of the long-term course of shoulder complaints in patients in general practice with special focus on changes in diagnostic category and fluctuations in the severity of the complaints. Design. Prospective descriptive study. Setting. Four general practices in The Netherlands. Method. All patients (101) with shoulder complaints seen in a 5 month period were included. Assessment took place 26 weeks and 12-18 months after inclusion in the study with a pain questionnaire and a physical examination. Results. A total of 51% of the patients experienced (mostly recurrent) complaints after 26 weeks and 41% after 12-18 months. Diagnostic changes were found over the course of time, mostly from synovial disorders towards functional disorders of the structures of the shoulder girdle, but also the other way round. Although 52 of the 101 patients experienced complaints in week 26, 62% of those patients considered themselves 'cured'. After 12-18 months, 51% of the 39 patients experiencing complaints felt 'cured'. Conclusion. Many patients seen with shoulder complaints in general practice have recurrent complaints. The nature of these complaints varies considerably over the course of time, leading to changes in diagnostic category. Because of the fluctuating severity of the complaints over time, feeling 'cured' or not 'cured' is also subject to change over time