Subjective well-being mediates the effects of resilience and mastery on depression and anxiety in a large community sample of young and middle-aged adults

Objective: The tripartite model of depression and anxiety hypothesizes that positive and negative affect is related to depression and anxiety. However, the specific role of cognitive or psychological well-being constructs like resilience and mastery within a tripartite context and throughout adulthood is unclear. Method: Data was drawn from two longitudinal population-based cohorts, aged 20-24 and 40-44 based in Canberra, Australia (N == 3989). We sought to determine the interrelatedness of two affective measures of subjective well-being, positive and negative affect, with two cognitive measures of psychological well-being, resilience and mastery. We then tested their independent effects on depression and anxiety, and hypothesized, following the tripartite model, that subjective well-being would mediate the effects of the psychological well-being variables on mental health and that the psychological well-being variables would be more strongly related to positive subjective well-being. Results: Principal axis factoring delineated four affective and cognitive dimensions of well-being comprising positive and negative affect, resilience and mastery. Structural equation models identified the psychological well-being variables as significantly related to subjective well-being, which fully mediated the effects of resilience and partially mediated the effect of mastery on depression and anxiety. These findings were consistent throughout both young and middle adulthood. Conclusions: Psychological well-being components are significant predictors of subjective well-being affect states that increase vulnerability to depression and anxiety

Deriving prevalence estimates of depressive symptoms throughout middle and old age in those living in the community

BACKGROUND: There is considerable debate about the prevalence of depression in old age. Epidemiological surveys and clinical studies indicate mixed evidence for the association between depression and increasing age. We examined the prevalence of probable depression in the middle aged to the oldest old in a project designed specifically to investigate the aging process. METHODS: Community-living participants were drawn from several Australian longitudinal studies of aging that contributed to the Dynamic Analyses to Optimise Ageing (DYNOPTA) project. Different depression scales from the contributing studies were harmonized to create a binary variable that reflected "probable depression" based on existing cut-points for each harmonized scale. Weighted prevalence was benchmarked to the Australian population which could be compared with findings from the 1997 and 2007 National Surveys of Mental Health and Well-Being (NSMHWB). RESULTS: In the DYNOPTA project, females were more likely to report probable depression. This was consistent across age levels. Both NSMHWB surveys and DYNOPTA did not report a decline in the likelihood of reporting probable depression for the oldest old in comparison with mid-life. CONCLUSIONS: Inconsistency in the reports of late-life depression prevalence in previous epidemiological studies may be explained by either the exclusion and/or limited sampling of the oldest old. DYNOPTA addresses these limitations and the results indicated no change in the likelihood of reporting depression with increasing age. Further research should extend these findings to examine within-person change in a longitudinal context and control for health covariates.NHMRC (National Health and Medical Research Council of Australia

INTERACTIONS OF HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS WITH TOBACCO TREATED STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

poster abstractStreptococcus mutans and tobacco are risk factors for atherosclerosis. The objective of this study was to determine the ability that a spaP isogenic defective mutant of S. mutans UA 159 has on binding to Human Umbilical Vein Endothelial Cells (HUVEC) when treated with tobacco products and what second messenger signals are involved. The study was conducted to examine the effects that various concentrations of cigarette smoke condensate (CSC)- and nicotine have on S. mutans cell cytotoxicity and expression of cytokines and growth factors from HUVECs. S. mutans was grown at 37°C and planktonic and biofilm cells were separated from the culture supernatant. The supernatant was discarded the cells were washed, sterilized with formaldehyde and washed again to remove the formaldehyde. The concentrations of the various S. mutans cells were standardized to the same concentration (absorbance of 0.50 ± 0.01) by spectroscopy at a wavelength of 600 nm. The lowest non-toxic levels of the sterilized bacterial cells were used to treat HUVECs for 72 hours and cytotoxicity was determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. The cytokine/growth factor expression will be determined by antibody protein arrays. The results are expected to indicate an increase in cytotoxicity with increasing cell concentrations, along with increased pro-inflammatory cytokine/growth factors expression by the HUVECs treated with tobacco treated S. mutans compared to S. mutans that was not treated with tobacco products. Second messenger signaling pathways will be analyzed with ERK and JNK inhibitors and specific antibodies to ERK and phospho-JNK. Immunoblots using HUVECs will be done to determine expression of ERK/JNK. A better understanding of the detrimental effects that tobacco has on the underlining causes of atherosclerosis can advance the quest of controlling the disease

EFFECTS OF PORPHYROMONAS GINGIVALIS TREATED WITH VARIOUS CIGARETTE CONSTITUENTS ON HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS

poster abstractTobacco use affects the cardiovascular system and increases the rate of cardiovascular disease among smokers. However, the effects of tobacco on the endothelial cells that line blood vessels are not yet fully understood. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine some of the effects that a periodontal pathogen such as Porphyromonas gingivalis (P. gingivalis) treated with cigarette smoke condensate (CSC), nicotine, and dissolvable tobacco strips (DST) have on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). P.gingivalis was grown in an anaerobic environment at 37oC with and without CSC, DST, and nicotine. The cells and supernatants were harvested 96 hours later. A Bradford protein assay was conducted to determine the protein amounts of the cells and in the supernatant. The HUVEC will be cultured in Endothelial Basal Medium-2 and plated in 6 well plates and exposed to the P. gingivalis cells and supernatants and after 72 hours, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays will be used to cytotoxicity. Non-toxic amounts of the cells and supernatants will then be used to treat HUVEC cells for 72 hours before the media is collected and analyzed for cytokine/growth factor expression by protein arrays. It is believed that the treated bacteria will increase the levels of the pro-inflammatory cytokines and growth factors expressed by the HUVECs, which could play roles in vascular diseases. The protein assays showed that only the protein amount in the supernatant from the CSC treated bacteria was decreased

Evaluating the Effect of Fulvic Acid on Oral Bacteria and Cancerous Oral Cells

poster abstractShilajit is a homeopathic treatment used by local inhabitants of India and Pakistan. It may have specific components that inhibit the formation of cavities and the growth of cancer cells. This experiment analyzed the effects of fulvic acid, an active component of shilajit, on the growth of oral bacteria and squamous cell carcinoma. The effect of fulvic acid was evaluated on early Streptococcus mutans (S. mutans) biofilm formation and established S. mutans biofilm by treating each group with different concentrations of fulvic acid for 24 hours in sterile 96-well flat-bottom microtiter plates. S. mutans was used because it is a common cause of dental caries. The optical density (OD) of the S. mutans biofilm was measured after crystal violet staining using a SpectraMax190; greater growth correlated to greater OD. It was determined that fulvic acid inhibits the growth of newly forming S. mutans biofilm at fulvic acid concentrations greater than 1.25% (vol. %) and established S. mutans biofilm at fulvic acid concentrations greater than 5% (vol. %). To evaluate the effect of fulvic acid on squamous cell carcinoma (SCC-25) cells, six-well plates seeded with SCC-25 cells (1*105 cells/well) were exposed to different concentrations of fulvic acid (buffered to a pH of 7.5) for 72 hours. The cytotoxicity and cell proliferation were measured using a cytotoxicity detection kit and a water soluble tetrazolium kit (Roche Applied Science), respectively. It was determined that fulvic acid inhibits the growth of SCC-25 cells at concentrations of fulvic acid above 2% (volume %). The effects of fulvic acid (0.5%) on matrix metalloproteinase expression and collagen degradation ability of SCC-25 cells is being analyzed. The suppressive mechanisms observed by fulvic acid on both S. mutans and SCC-25 cells could improve overall oral health

The Effects of Fulvic Acid on Established Streptococcus mutans Biofilm Formation and Human Gingival Fibroblast Cells

poster abstractShilajit is a traditional medicine used in Asian countries for centuries to treat numerous health conditions, including bone/cartilage repair and regeneration. Prior research suggests that a major active component of shilajit- fulvic acid- may reduce bacteria in the oral cavity, as in a mouth wash. Because shilajit stimulates connective tissue repair and fulvic acid may inhibit bacteria, the effect of fulvic acid on the caries-forming biofilm bacterium, Streptococcus mutans, and on gingival fibroblast cells, which mediate connective tissue in repair/regeneration in periodontal disease, was examined. The goal of this research was to determine whether repeated short-term applications of fulvic acid to S. mutans biofilm reduced the amount of established bacteria and to find the concentration of fulvic acid that may inhibit gingival fibroblast cell growth. In the bacterial study, S. mutans biofilm was grown, and 8 different dilutions of fulvic acid were applied to the same biofilm groups for 10 minutes each day over a 3-day period. Upon crystal violet staining, the optical density (OD) of the wells was obtained using a spectrophotometer. Higher concentrations of fulvic acid demonstrated stronger inhibition on S. mutans biofilm formation. 0.04% repeated applications of fulvic acid resulted in a 2-fold decrease in S. mutans biofilm formation, which is not observed with a single application. In the gingival fibroblast cell study, cell toxicity and proliferation were examined utilizing LDH and WST-1 assays, respectively. It was determined that an 0.5% solution of fulvic acid had no effects on cell variability and proliferation. This concentration will be used to examine the effect of fulvic acid on the expression of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) from gingival fibroblasts, since the MMPs are involved in tissue degradation and repair. This study demonstrates that fulvic acid has significant antibacterial effects and may be safe for oral use up to a certain concentration

INTERACTIONS OF HUMAN UMBILICAL VEIN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS WITH TOBACCO TREATED STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

poster abstractStreptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is a major contributor to dental caries. Previous research has shown that there is a positive relationship between smoking and dental carries, however the pathway of S. mutans growth is not yet understood. Tobacco use affects the cardiovascular system and increases the rate of cardiovascular disease among smokers. However, the effects of tobacco on the endothelial cells that line blood vessels are not yet fully understood. Thus, the objective of this study was to examine some of the effects that a periodontal pathogen such as S. mutans treated with cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) and nicotine have on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC’s). The S. mutans was grown at 37°C and then the planktonic cells were harvested, washed with saline, and then killed with formaldehyde. To standardize the samples, they were diluted to the same OD at 600nm wavelength using a spectroscope. The HUVEC were cultured in Endothelial Basal Medium-2 and plated in 12 well plates and exposed to the P. gingivalis cells and supernatants and after 72 hours, lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays will be used to cytotoxicity. Non-toxic amounts of the cells and supernatants will then be used to treat HUVEC cells for 72 hours before the media is collected and analyzed for cytokine/growth factor expression by protein arrays. Second messenger signaling pathways will be analyzed with ERK and JNK antagonists and agonists to determine the pathway of up regulation of S. mutans. A better understanding of the detrimental effects that tobacco has on the underlining causes of periodontal disease can advance the quest of controlling the disease

Effects of Tobacco Components on Streptococcus mutans and the Role of S. mutans in Apoptotic Cell Death through Macrophage Interactions

poster abstractCigarettes have thousands of components aside from tobacco and nicotine that are harmful to the smoker’s body. Smoking is considered a significant risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD) and periodontal disease. One of the aims of this study is to determine the effect of different tobacco components on the growth of S. mutans. S. mutans is an oral bacteria found in most humans that is considered to be the causative agent for dental caries. S. mutans can potentially lead to the inflammation of the heart and arteries which can turn to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is a complex inflammatory disease and is the leading cause of death in the United States. Inflammation is the main concern as it has a key role in the development of atherosclerosis. Irritation can be caused by the relationship of bacteria like S. mutans with macrophages and other white blood cells defending against foreign pathogens. The main focus of the research in this specific project is to establish how macrophage interactions with S. mutans are causing apoptosis in the endothelial cells lining the arteries and veins. Apoptosis is programmed, energy-dependent cell death that causes cells to shrink with no loss of the membrane integrity. The long term goal of this study is to determine if smokers are at higher risk of being diagnosed with atherosclerosis in correlation to S. mutans and tobacco components. Apoptosis is studied by the determination of apoptotic mediator levels. Apoptotic mediators allow for the measurement of cell death. This allows for the configuration of the data presented

INTERACTIONS OF HUMAN ENDOTHELIAL CELLS WITH STREPTOCOCCUS MUTANS

poster abstractStreptococcus mutans (S. mutans) is the major etiological agent for den-tal caries. Nicotine is the addictive ingredient present in tobacco and has been shown to affect the growth and metabolism of oral bacteria, specifically S. mutans. Cigarette smoke condensate (CSC) contains all the chemicals present in cigarette smoke. Dissolvable tobacco products are new tobacco products that do not require one to light up, but may still harm oral tissues. This project examines the effects of S. mutans exposed to these chemicals on human endothelial cells in terms of cytotoxicity and cytokine/growth fac-tor expression. S. mutans treated with these tobacco components are hy-pothesized to increase the expression of pro-inflammatory cytokines/growth factors from endothelial as compared to the controls. S. mutans was grown with each of the reagents for eight hours and then the bacterial cells and su-pernatants separated. Protein assays were used to determine the protein amounts of the cells and in the supernatant. The cytotoxicity of each will be determined by lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) assays. Non-toxic amounts of the bacterial cells and supernatants will then be used to treat endothelial cells for three days before the conditioned media collected and analyzed by cytokine/growth factor protein arrays. The protein assays showed that the protein levels were lower in tobacco treated cells, while the supernatants showed similar protein concentrations throughout. It is hypothesized that the treated bacteria cell will increase cy-tokines/growth factors that increase inflammation and lead to vascular issues

Study of Fulvic Acid: A Natural Dietary Supplement

poster abstractShilajit is a substance found in parts of Asia. Although there have been no clinical studies, it is used by the locals and is marketed because it is thought to have antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and pain suppressing effects. Fulvic acid (F-A) is a major constituent of shilajit and was used in the analysis of the anti-pathogenic tendencies of shilajit and cytotoxic effects on human cells of the oral cavity. The bacterial study was performed on Streptococcus mutans, a normal flora of the oral cavity. The idea was to test the metabolic activity of the bacteria in F-A-containing media. Menadione-XTT reagent was used for this. The bacterial biofilm was allowed to grow in TSBS in a microtiter plate of 96 wells. The F-A solution of different concentration were introduced into each well in a gradually decreasing amount and the last control wells had a zero concentration. The XTT reagent was introduced and after incubation the biofilm of S. mutans reduced the XTT to an orange color, the change in color was detected by measuring the absorbance at 490nm. Between 2.5% to 5.0% of F-A the wells showed signs of decreased activity. The numbers indicated that absorbance of the wells with concentrated F-A was lower compared to the wells with more diluted F-A solutions. From this it can be concluded that F-A had a negative effect on the growth and metabolic activity of S. mutans. For human testing, pulp and fibroblast cells were subjected to different concentrations of F-A. The cytotoxicity was measured by the amount of Lactate Dehydrogenase released from the treated cells (sign of damage). Overall, the experiment validates the potency of F.A as an effective antibacterial. Further testing is needed but the compound shows promise and can be employed as an effective ingredient of mouthwash and other such antiseptic products