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

Frontoparietal connectivity, Sensory Features, and Anxiety in Children and Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Objectives Because atypical global neural connectivity has been documented in autistic youth, but only limited data are available regarding the association between generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), sensory features (SF), and neural connectivity between frontal and parietal brain regions, these links were investigated in a sample of male autistic children and adolescents.
 Methods Forty-one autistic males aged between 6 and 18 years and their mothers were recruited as volunteer participants from Queensland, Australia. Participants underwent 3 min of eyes-closed and 3 min of eyes-opened electroencephalography (EEG) under resting conditions. EEG connectivity was investigated using Granger causality between frontal and parietal regions in alpha (8–13 Hz) and beta (13–30 Hz) bands.
 Results There was a significant (p 
 Conclusions Reduced frontoparietal connectivity in association with higher anxiety and SF may demonstrate reduced relaxation due to greater sensitivity to sensory input

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

Deterioration in Sleep Quality Affects Cognitive Depression in Prostate Cancer Patients

Men who suffer from prostate cancer (PCa) need to make important decisions regarding their treatment options. There is some evidence that these men may suffer from sleep difficulties due to their cancer or its diagnosis and treatment. Although sleep difficulties have been associated with cognitive depression in other samples of men, they have not been examined in PCa patients, despite the importance of decision-making for these men. This study was designed to investigate the association between sleep difficulties and cognitive depression in PCa patients. A sample of 96 PCa patients completed a background questionnaire, the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Comparison was made between sleep difficulty scores from before the patients received their diagnosis of PCa to the time of survey, allowing use of a “retrospective pretest” methodology. Just over 61% of the sample reported a deterioration in sleep quality, and this was significantly associated with cognitive depression (r = .346, p = .007). At the specific symptom level, having a clear mind significantly contributed to the variance in difficulty falling asleep (R2 change = .140, F for change = 9.298, p = .003). Sleeping difficulties, particularly falling asleep, are common and associated with depression-related to ability to think clearly in PCa patients. This has potentially adverse effects upon the ability of men with PCa to understand their treatment options and make decisions about them

Nonpoint pollution of surface waters with phosphorus and nitrogen

Agriculture and urban activities are major sources of phosphorus and nitrogen to aquatic ecosystems. Atmospheric deposition further contributes as a source of N. These nonpoint inputs of nutrients are difficult to measure and regulate because they derive from activities dispersed over wide areas of land and are variable in time due to effects of weather. In aquatic ecosystems, these nutrients cause diverse problems such as toxic algal blooms, loss of oxygen, fish kills, loss of biodiversity (including species important for commerce and recreation), loss of aquatic plant beds and coral reefs, and other problems. Nutrient enrichment seriously degrades aquatic ecosystems and impairs the use of water for drinking, industry, agriculture, recreation, and other purposes. Based on our review of the scientific literature, we are certain that (1) eutrophication is a widespread problem in rivers, lakes, estuaries, and coastal oceans, caused by overenrichment with P and N; (2) nonpoint pollution, a major source of P and N to surface waters of the United States, results primarily from agriculture and urban activity, including industry; (3) inputs of P and N to agriculture in the form of fertilizers exceed outputs in produce in the United States and many other nations; (4) nutrient flows to aquatic ecosystems are directly related to animal stocking densities, and under high livestock densities, manure production exceeds the needs of crops to which the manure is applied; (5) excess fertilization and manure production cause a P surplus to accumulate in soil, some of which is transported to aquatic ecosystems; and (6) excess fertilization and manure production on agricultural lands create surplus N, which is mobile in many soils and often leaches to downstream aquatic ecosystems, and which can also volatilize to the atmosphere, redepositing elsewhere and eventually reaching aquatic ecosystems. If current practices continue, nonpoint pollution of surface waters is virtually certain to increase in the future. Such an outcome is not inevitable, however, because a number of technologies, land use practices, and conservation measures are capable of decreasing the flow of nonpoint P and N into surface waters. From our review of the available scientific information, we are confident that: (1) nonpoint pollution of surface waters with P and N could be reduced by reducing surplus nutrient flows in agricultural systems and processes, reducing agricultural and urban runoff by diverse methods, and reducing N emissions from fossil fuel burning; and (2) eutrophication can be reversed by decreasing input rates of P and N to aquatic ecosystems, but rates of recovery are highly variable among water bodies. Often, the eutrophic state is persistent, and recovery is slow

Application of Simplified Phosphorus Transport Models to Pasture Fields in Northwest Arkansas

Runoff transport of phosphorus (P) is often predicted from simple equations with parameters determined from data applicable primarily to row-cropped and fallow cover conditions. The applicability, accuracy, and precision of such P transport prediction equations under pasture situations are less well defined. The objectives of this study were to determine parameters of simplified runoff P transport equations for pasture fields and to assess the accuracy and precision of the equations. Runoff, sediment yield, soluble P transport, and particulate P transport data were collected from four pasture fields in northwestern Arkansas. Runoff event enrichment ratios and extraction coefficients were computed, and confidence limits on respective predicted particulate and soluble P transport were determined. An inverse linear relationship between the natural logarithms of enrichment ratio and sediment yield was found significant for all fields, but the slopes were lower than values reported earlier for general use. Runoff event extraction coefficients were considerably higher than those typically used and were highest for runoff occurring shortly following animal manure application. The 95% confidence limits on predicted soluble and particulate P transport varied in some cases by more than an order of magnitude, indicating that significant imprecision was associated with those predictions. The data suggested that the simplified model of soluble P transport might be a reasonable description of the processes for the fields, but that modification to the particulate P transport prediction method might be necessary to improve the prediction accuracy for low event sediment yields (\u3c 10 kg/ha)

Which Aspects of Psychological Resilience Moderate the Association between Deterioration in Sleep and Depression in Patients with Prostate Cancer?

This study aimed to investigate the moderating effect of psychological resilience on sleep-deterioration-related depression among patients with prostate cancer, in terms of the total score and individual symptoms. From a survey of 96 patients with prostate cancer, 55 who reported a deterioration in their sleep quality since diagnosis and treatment completed the Zung Self-Rating Depression Scale, Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale, and the Insomnia Severity Index. Moderation analysis was conducted for the scale total scores and for the 'core' symptoms of each scale within this sample, based on data analysis. Interaction analysis was used to identify key associations. The moderation analysis suggested that psychological resilience moderated the depressive effect of sleep deterioration that patients reported occurred after their diagnosis and treatment and did so at the total and 'core' symptom levels of being able to see the humorous side of things and to think clearly when under pressure, but there was an interaction between this moderating effect, the strength of psychological resilience, and severity of sleep deterioration. Although it appears to be a successful moderator of depression arising from sleep deterioration that was reported by patients with prostate cancer, the effectiveness of psychological resilience is conditional upon the severity of patients' sleep difficulties and the strength of their psychological resilience. Implications for the application of resilience training and concomitant therapies for patients with prostate cancer with sleep difficulties and depression are discussed