Adverse Childhood Experiences and the Risk of Diabetes: Examining the Roles of Depressive Symptoms and Cardiometabolic Dysregulations in the Whitehall II Cohort Study

OBJECTIVE: Adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) are associated with an increased risk of diabetes in adulthood. However, the potential mediating roles of depression and cardiometabolic dysregulations in this association are not clear. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: Prospective data were from the Whitehall II cohort study, with the phase 5 assessment (1997–1999) serving as baseline (n = 5,093, age range = 44–68 years, 27.3% female). ACEs were retrospectively reported at phase 5. Depressive symptoms (Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale) and cardiometabolic dysregulations (inflammation, central obesity, HDL cholesterol, triglycerides, impaired fasting glucose, and hypertension) were examined at phase 7 (2002–2004). Incident diabetes was examined at phases 8–11 (2006–2013) via self-report and blood samples. Participants reporting diabetes prior to phase 8 were excluded. Statistical mediation was examined with path analysis using structural equation modeling. ACEs were modeled as an observed continuous variable, whereas depressive symptoms and cardiometabolic dysregulations were modeled as latent variables. Unstandardized probit regression coefficients with 95% CI are reported for mediation analysis. RESULTS: ACEs were associated with an increased likelihood of diabetes, with every addition of ACE associated with an ∼11% increase in odds of diabetes (odds ratio 1.11 [95% CI 1.00, 1.24], P = 0.048). In mediation analysis, ACEs were indirectly associated with diabetes via depressive symptoms (indirect effect 0.03 [95% CI 0.02, 0.04], P < 0.001) and cardiometabolic dysregulations (indirect effect 0.03 [95% CI 0.01, 0.05], P = 0.03). CONCLUSIONS: This study provides further evidence of the detrimental psychological and physiological effects of ACEs and suggests that depression and cardiometabolic dysregulations may be pathways linking ACEs with diabetes in adulthood

Cardiometabolic dysregulation and cognitive decline: potential role of depressive symptoms

INTRODUCTION: BACKGROUND: Previous studies have examined associations of cardiometabolic factors with depression and cognition separately. AIMS: To determine if depressive symptoms mediate the association between cardiometabolic factors and cognitive decline in two community studies. METHOD: Data for the analyses were drawn from the Rotterdam Study, the Netherlands (n = 2940) and the Whitehall II study, UK (n = 4469). RESULTS: Mediation analyses suggested a direct association between cardiometabolic factors and cognitive decline and an indirect association through depression: poorer cardiometabolic status at time 1 was associated with a higher level of depressive symptoms at time 2 (standardised regression coefficient 0.07 and 0.06, respectively), which, in turn, was associated with greater cognitive decline between time 2 and time 3 (standardised regression coefficient of −0.15 and −0.41, respectively). CONCLUSIONS: Evidence from two independent cohort studies suggest an association between cardiometabolic dysregulation and cognitive decline and that depressive symptoms tend to precede this declin

SOSORT 2012 consensus paper: reducing x-ray exposure in pediatric patients with scoliosis

This 2012 Consensus paper reviews the literature on side effects of x-ray exposure in the pediatric population as it relates to scoliosis evaluation and treatment. Alternative methods of spinal assessment and imaging are reviewed, and strategies for reducing the number of radiographs are developed. Using the Delphi technique, SOSORT members developed consensus statements that describe how often radiographs should be taken in each of the pediatric and adolescent sub-populations

Higher temperatures increase suicide rates in the United States and Mexico

Linkages between climate and mental health are often theorized but remain poorly quantified. In particular, it is unknown whether the rate of suicide, a leading cause of death globally, is systematically affected by climatic conditions. Using comprehensive data from multiple decades for both the United States and Mexico, we find that suicide rates rise 0.7% in US counties and 2.1% in Mexican municipalities for a 1 °C increase in monthly average temperature. This effect is similar in hotter versus cooler regions and has not diminished over time, indicating limited historical adaptation. Analysis of depressive language in >600 million social media updates further suggests that mental well-being deteriorates during warmer periods. We project that unmitigated climate change (RCP8.5) could result in a combined 9–40 thousand additional suicides (95% confidence interval) across the United States and Mexico by 2050, representing a change in suicide rates comparable to the estimated impact of economic recessions, suicide prevention programmes or gun restriction laws

Depression and risk of Type 2 diabetes: The potential role of metabolic factors

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the interaction between depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulations as risk factors for type 2 diabetes. The sample was comprised of 2525 adults who participated in a baseline and a follow-up assessment over a 4.5 year period in the Emotional Health and Wellbeing Study (EMHS) in Quebec, Canada. A two-way stratified sampling design was employed, based on the presence of depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation (obesity, elevated blood sugar, high blood pressure, high levels of triglycerides, and decreased high-density lipoprotein). A total of 87 (3.5%) individuals developed diabetes. Participants with both depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation had the highest risk of diabetes (adjusted odds ratio=6.61, 95% CI: 4.86-9.01), compared to those without depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation (reference group). The risk of diabetes in individuals with depressive symptoms and without metabolic dysregulation did not differ from the reference group (adjusted odds ratio=1.28, 95% CI: 0.81-2.03), whereas the adjusted odds ratio for those with metabolic dysregulation and without depressive symptoms was 4.40 (95% CI: 3.42-5.67). The Synergy Index (SI=1.52; 95% CI: 1.07-2.17) suggested that the combined effect of depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation was greater than the sum of individual effects. An interaction between depression and metabolic dysregulation was also suggested by a structural equation model. Our study highlights the interaction between depressive symptoms and metabolic dysregulation as a risk factor for type 2 diabetes. Early identification, monitoring, and a comprehensive management approach of both conditions might be an important diabetes prevention strategy

Detection and Differentiation of Threonine- and Tyrosine-Monophosphorylated Forms of ERK1/2 by Capillary Isoelectric Focusing-Immunoassay.

The extracellular signal regulated kinases ERK1/2 play important roles in the regulation of diverse cellular functions and have been implicated in several human diseases. In addition to the fully activated, diphosphorylated ERK1/2 protein, monophosphorylated forms of ERK1/2 have been observed, which may have distinct biological functions. We report here on the highly sensitive detection and differentiation of unphosphorylated, threonine-phosphorylated (pT), tyrosine-phosphorylated (pY) and diphosphorylated ERK1 and ERK2 by capillary isoelectric focusing followed by immunological detection (CIEF-immunoassay). Eight different phosphorylated and unphosphorylated forms of ERK1/2 were resolved according to charge. The unequivocal identification and differentiation of ERK1 and ERK2 forms monophosphorylated at either threonine or tyrosine was achieved by competitive blocking with specific phospho-peptides and different phosphorylation-sensitive antibodies. The suitability of the additional pT-ERK1/2 and pY-ERK1/2 differentiation for the time-resolved in-depth study of phospho-form distribution in response to specific stimuli is demonstrated in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y and monocytic THP-1 cell lines, and in human peripheral blood mononuclear cells.Open-Access Publikationsfonds 2015peerReviewe