Well-being in adolescents: the 11-year follow-up of the 1993 Pelotas (Brazil) birth cohort study

Studies on well-being and its possible determinants are rare in the international literature, and almost non-existent in Brazil, particularly among youth. The present study focused on the epidemiology of well-being among adolescents belonging to a birth cohort. Well-being was measured using face-to-face interviews, with a question whose answer was based on a graphic scale of faces. 4,452 adolescents were interviewed. Approximately half (49.4%) classified themselves as very happy (face 1); this proportion was higher among girls than boys. Poorer adolescents were more likely than their wealthier peers to identify with the happiest face (number 1), but were also more likely to report moderate to low levels of well-being (faces 3-7). Body mass index was inversely associated with well-being. Among girls, physical activity was directly associated with well-being.Estudos sobre os níveis de bem-estar e seus possíveis determinantes são escassos na literatura mundial e quase inexistentes no Brasil, principalmente entre jovens. O objetivo do presente estudo foi conhecer a epidemiologia do bem-estar em adolescentes pertencentes a uma coorte de nascimentos. O nível de bem-estar foi coletado mediante entrevistas domiciliares, utilizando uma pergunta, cuja resposta era baseada em uma escala gráfica de faces. Foram entrevistados 4.452 adolescentes. Aproximadamente a metade (49,4%) identificou-se com a face 1 (muito felizes), sendo esta proporção maior nas meninas do que nos meninos. Os adolescentes mais pobres apresentaram maior prevalência de nível muito elevado de bem-estar (face 1) do que os mais ricos, mas também foram os que apresentaram maior prevalência de bem-estar moderado ou baixo (faces 3 a 7). Quanto maior a categoria de índice de massa corporal menor a proporção de jovens com elevado bem-estar (face 1). As meninas fisicamente ativas apresentaram maior percentual de elevado bem-estar em comparação às sedentárias

The renin-angiotensin system: a possible new target for depression

Depression remains a debilitating condition with an uncertain aetiology. Recently, attention has been given to the renin-angiotensin system. In the central nervous system, angiotensin II may be important in multiple pathways related to neurodevelopment and regulation of the stress response. Studies of drugs targeting the renin-angiotensin system have yielded promising results. Here, we review the potential beneficial effects of angiotensin blockers in depression and their mechanisms of action. Drugs blocking the angiotensin system have efficacy in several animal models of depression. While no randomised clinical trials were found, case reports and observational studies showed that angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers had positive effects on depression, whereas other antihypertensive agents did not. Drugs targeting the renin-angiotensin system act on inflammatory pathways implicated in depression. Both preclinical and clinical data suggest that these drugs possess antidepressant properties. In light of these results, angiotensin system-blocking agents offer new horizons in mood disorder treatment