The role of Melancholia in prostate cancer patients' depression

BACKGROUND: Although it is well established that prostate cancer (PCa) patients are more likely to experience clinical depression than their age-matched non-prostate cancer peers, and that such depression can have negative effects upon survival, little is known about the underlying nature of the depressive symptomatology that these men experience. In particular, the incidence of melancholic symptoms of depression, which are signs of increased risk of suicide and resistance to treatment, has not previously been reported in PCa patients. The present study aimed to measure the incidence and nature of Melancholia in PCa depression. METHOD: A sample of 507 PCa patients in Queensland, Australia, completed anonymous and confidential questionnaires about their background, treatment status, and depression. Data were analysed to select depressive symptoms that were part of the definition of Melancholia vs those which were not. Regression was used to determine the links between Melancholia and overall depressive status, and factor analysis revealed the underlying components of Melancholia, which were mapped over time since diagnosis for 3 years. RESULTS: Psychometric data were satisfactory. Melancholia significantly predicted depressive status for the most depressed subset of patients, but not for the total sample. Melancholia was factored into its components of Anhedonia and Agitation, and the first of these was more powerful in predicting Melancholia. Variability over the 3 years following diagnosis was noted for each of these two components of Melancholia. CONCLUSIONS: The strong presence of Melancholia in the depressive symptomatology of this sample of PCa patients suggests that some forms of treatment for depression may be more likely to succeed than others. The dominance of Anhedonia and Agitation over other symptoms of Melancholia also holds implications for treatment options when assisting these men to cope with their depression

Factor structure of the Gotland Scale of male depression in two samples of men with prostate cancer:Implications for treating male depression

Up to a quarter of all prostate cancer (PCa) patients suffer from clinically significant depression but treatments are inconsistent and short-lived in their efficacy. One possible reason could be that 'male depression' is not adequately diagnosed by the criteria for major depressive disorder (MDD) used in many clinical settings.In response to this limitation, the Gotland Scale of Male Depression (GSMD) was developed to identify the extra symptoms of MDD in men. Although the factor structure of the GSMD has been reported in non-PCa samples, it has not been determined for this group of men. Two samples of PCa patients were recruited, 191 from Australia and 138 from the United Kingdom and all patients received the GSMD individually, plus a background questionnaire. Two-factor solutions were identified for each of the two samples. The Australian sample was characterized by changes in emotional and somatic function, followed by depressed mood. The U.K. sample exhibited the same two-factor solution but in reverse order of weighting. Targeted treatments for depression in PCa patients may benefit from identification of the loadings that individual patients have on these two GSMD factors so that specific clinical profiles and treatment needs may be based on this information about their depression

Human milk bile-salt stimulated lipase Sequence similarity with rat lysophospholipase and homology with the active site region of cholinesterases

AbstractTo determine the active site residue, human milk bile-salt stimulated lipase (BSSL) was labelled with [3H]diisopropyl fluorophosphate (DFP). Partial sequence analysis or cyanogen bromide fragments (a total of 146 residues from 6 peptides) revealed 84% sequence identity with a putative rat lysophospholipase. Sequence analysis of a [3H]DFP-labelled peptide indicated that the active site serine was contained in the sequence Gly-Glu-Scr-Ala-Gly. In addition to similarity with rat lysophospholipase, this sequence showed homology with regions of human butyrylcholinesterase and electric ray acetylcholinesterase (68% identity). It is concluded that these proteins are members of a new supergene family

The structure and segmentation of the Southeast Indian Ridge

The Southeast Indian Ridge (SEIR) spreads at a relatively narrow range of intermediate rates (59–75 km/Ma) but exhibits the full range of slow to fast spreading morphology and segmentation. Satellite gravity data reveal transitions in the structure of the spreading center where it is influenced by the Amsterdam and Kerguelen hotspots and at the Australian– Antarctic Discordance (AAD). Although the spreading rate between the hotspots and the AAD is nearly constant, the ridge exhibits a variety of distinct styles of morphology and segmentation not observed at fast or slow spreading centers. Recently, collected multibeam bathymetry data reveal a transition from East Pacific Rise style overlapping axial highs near 92°E to Mid-Atlantic Ridge style axial valleys with non-transform offsets near 116°E. The intervening segmentation is characterized by propagating offsets coexisting with stationary transforms, which exhibit different degrees of temporal stability. Currently, there are 10 transform offsets between the hotspots and the AAD but only five of these have persisted since seafloor spreading stabilized at 35 Ma. The other five appear to have formed since 35 Ma and several more have disappeared by transform shortening or coalesced by along-axis propagation. There is a transition from monotonic offset propagation near the hotspots to oscillatory propagation approaching the AAD. This change in offset stability corresponds to transitions in depth, axial morphology and offset structure. Through much of the transitional region, higher order segmentation is characterized by en-echelon offsets of a diffuse spreading axis that generally lacks a well-defined neovolcanic zone. Since the spreading rate is nearly constant, the regional variation in axial morphology and segmentation appears to be controlled by an upper mantle thermal gradient - possibly a result of flux of asthenosphere from the hotspots to the AAD. This is consistent with the gradual increase in average ridge flank depths along this part of the plate boundary but segment scale changes in axial depth reveal spatio-temporal variability in the dynamic topography that are not preserved on older lithosphere. Intrasegment transitions in axial morphology and en-echelon offsets within first order segments suggest that local variations in mantle thermal structure introduce short-lived instabilities in higher order segmentation and dominate the short term evolution of the plate boundary

A Bayesian method for microseismic source inversion

Earthquake source inversion is highly dependent on location determination and velocity models. Uncertainties in both the model parameters and the observations need to be rigorously incorporated into an inversion approach. Here, we show a probabilistic Bayesian method that allows formal inclusion of the uncertainties in the moment tensor inversion. This method allows the combination of different sets of far-field observations, such as P-wave and S-wave polarities and amplitude ratios, into one inversion. Additional observations can be included by deriving a suitable likelihood function from the uncertainties. This inversion produces samples from the source posterior probability distribution, including a best-fitting solution for the source mechanism and associated probability. The inversion can be constrained to the double-couple space or allowed to explore the gamut of moment tensor solutions, allowing volumetric and other non-double-couple components. The posterior probability of the double-couple and full moment tensor source models can be evaluated from the Bayesian evidence, using samples from the likelihood distributions for the two source models, producing an estimate of whether or not a source is double-couple. Such an approach is ideally suited to microseismic studies where there are many sources of uncertainty and it is often difficult to produce reliability estimates of the source mechanism, although this can be true of many other cases. Using full-waveform synthetic seismograms, we also show the effects of noise, location, network distribution and velocity model uncertainty on the source probability density function. The noise has the largest effect on the results, especially as it can affect other parts of the event processing. This uncertainty can lead to erroneous non-double-couple source probability distributions, even when no other uncertainties exist. Although including amplitude ratios can improve the constraint on the source probability distribution, the measurements are often systematically affected by noise, leading to deviation from their noise-free true values and consequently adversely affecting the source probability distribution, especially for the full moment tensor model. As an example of the application of this method, four events from the Krafla volcano in Iceland are inverted, which show clear differentiation between non-double-couple and double-couple sources, reflected in the posterior probability distributions for the source models

Automatic Bayesian polarity determination

The polarity of the first motion of a seismic signal from an earthquake is an important constraint in earthquake source inversion. Microseismic events often have low signal-to-noise ratios, which may lead to difficulties estimating the correct first-motion polarities of the arrivals. This paper describes a probabilistic approach to polarity picking that can be both automated and combined with manual picking. This approach includes a quantitative estimate of the uncertainty of the polarity, improving calculation of the polarity probability density function for source inversion. It is sufficiently fast to be incorporated into an automatic processing workflow. When used in source inversion, the results are consistent with those from manual observations. In some cases, they produce a clearer constraint on the range of high-probability source mechanisms, and are better constrained than source mechanisms determined using a uniform probability of an incorrect polarity pick

Family and Personal Predictors of Early Adolescent Eating Patterns

Many early adolescents report consuming less than the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day, and up to one-third report skipping breakfast. Recent research suggests that children consider parents to be the gatekeepers of food choices, and that parents are important role models for children’s eating behaviors. This study examined perceived control over food choices, familial communication regarding healthy eating, and preferred sources of information about healthy eating in relation to eating behaviors. Data were obtained from 959 early adolescents attending health programs in the Midwest. Early adolescents who reported more frequent family discussions were more likely to report eating two or more vegetables per day (AOR=1.4, p<.05), three or more fruits per day (AOR=1.6, p<.05), and five or more vegetables and/or fruits per day (AOR=1.9, p<.05) than early adolescents who reported less family discussions. Those exposed to more frequent family discussions were also more likely to report usually eating breakfast (AOR=1.8, p<.05). Older children were less likely to report eating breakfast (AOR=0.2 for ages 12 and13 compared to age 9, p<.05). Although healthy eating behaviors decline with age, children and adolescents whose families reinforce healthy eating patterns appear more likely to maintain healthy patterns

Extensional Tectonics in the Jeanne d'Arc Basin, Offshore Newfoundland: Implications for the Timing of Break-Up between Grand Banks and Iberia

Using seismic reflection and exploratory well data from the Jeanne d’Arc basin, offshore Newfoundland, we examined the link between unconformity generation and the onset of seafloor spreading between the central Grand Banks and Iberia. A prominent unconformity developed across the entire basin, previously interpreted as a ‘break-up’ unconformity, is reinterpreted as a late Barremian/early Aptian rift-onset unconformity on the basis of the stratal geometry and lithofacies. The rotation and divergence of seismic reflectors above this unconformity attest to differential subsidence documenting an episode of extension and block rotation within the basin at this time. Our seismic sequence analysis suggests that rifting and block rotation continued in the Jeanne d’Arc basin until at least late Aptian/early Albian time. The onset of seafloor spreading between the central Grand Banks and Iberia is uncertain because of limited marine magnetic and drilling data (ODP and DSDP), and the existence of the Cretaceous magnetic quiet zone along the margin. However, recent studies indicate that magnetic anomaly M0 (118 Ma) is not well resolved north of the Newfoundland Seamounts within the Newfoundland basin and is not present north of the Figueiro fracture zone along the conjugate Iberian margin. This suggests that seafloor spreading between the northern portion of the Newfoundland basin and the northern Iberian margin began after the early Aptian. Given that the cessation of rifting marks the onset of seafloor spreading our seismic sequence analysis indicates that the onset of seafloor spreading in the northern Newfoundland basin, north of the Newfoundland Seamounts, began after late Aptian time

How Accurately Can Prostate Gland Imaging Measure the Prostate Gland Volume? Results of a Systematic Review

Aim. The measurement of the volume of the prostate gland can have an influence on many clinical decisions. Various imaging methods have been used to measure it. Our aim was to conduct the first systematic review of their accuracy. Methods. The literature describing the accuracy of imaging methods for measuring the prostate gland volume was systematically reviewed. Articles were included if they compared volume measurements obtained by medical imaging with a reference volume measurement obtained after removal of the gland by radical prostatectomy. Correlation and concordance statistics were summarised. Results.28 articles describing 7768 patients were identified. The imaging methods were ultrasound, computed tomography, and magnetic resonance imaging (US, CT, and MRI). Wide variations were noted but most articles about US and CT provided correlation coefficients that lay between 0.70 and 0.90, while those describing MRI seemed slightly more accurate at 0.80-0.96. When concordance was reported,it was similar; over- and underestimation of the prostate were variably reported. Most studies showed evidence of at least moderate bias and the quality of the studies was highly variable. Discussion. The reported correlations were moderate to high in strength indicating that imaging is sufficiently accurate when quantitative measurements of prostate gland volume are required. MRI was slightly more accurate than the other methods

Microvascular resistance predicts myocardial salvage and infarct characteristics in ST-elevation myocardial infarction

<b>Background:</b> The pathophysiology of myocardial injury and repair in patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction is incompletely understood. We investigated the relationships among culprit artery microvascular resistance, myocardial salvage, and ventricular function.<p></p> <b>Methods and Results:</b> The index of microvascular resistance (IMR) was measured by means of a pressure‐ and temperature‐sensitive coronary guidewire in 108 patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction (83% male) at the end of primary percutaneous coronary intervention. Paired cardiac MRI (cardiac magnetic resonance) scans were performed early (2 days; n=108) and late (3 months; n=96) after myocardial infarction. T2‐weighted‐ and late gadolinium–enhanced cardiac magnetic resonance delineated the ischemic area at risk and infarct size, respectively. Myocardial salvage was calculated by subtracting infarct size from area at risk. Univariable and multivariable models were constructed to determine the impact of IMR on cardiac magnetic resonance–derived surrogate outcomes. The median (interquartile range) IMR was 28 (17–42) mm Hg/s. The median (interquartile range) area at risk was 32% (24%–41%) of left ventricular mass, and the myocardial salvage index was 21% (11%–43%). IMR was a significant multivariable predictor of early myocardial salvage, with a multiplicative effect of 0.87 (95% confidence interval 0.82 to 0.92) per 20% increase in IMR; P<0.001. In patients with anterior myocardial infarction, IMR was a multivariable predictor of early and late myocardial salvage, with multiplicative effects of 0.82 (95% confidence interval 0.75 to 0.90; P<0.001) and 0.92 (95% confidence interval 0.88 to 0.96; P<0.001), respectively. IMR also predicted the presence and extent of microvascular obstruction and myocardial hemorrhage.<p></p> <b>Conclusion:</b> Microvascular resistance measured during primary percutaneous coronary intervention significantly predicts myocardial salvage, infarct characteristics, and left ventricular ejection fraction in patients with ST‐elevation myocardial infarction.<p></p&gt