A pharmacogenetic risk score for the evaluation of major depression severity under treatment with antidepressants

The severity of symptoms as well as efficacy of antidepressants in major depressive disorder (MDD) is modified by single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in different genes, which may contribute in an additive or synergistic fashion. We aimed to investigate depression severity in participants with MDD under treatment with antidepressants in relation to the combinatory effect of selected genetic variants combined using a genetic risk score (GRS). The sample included 150 MDD patients on regular AD therapy from the population-based Swiss PsyCoLaus cohort. We investigated 44 SNPs previously associated with antidepressant response by ranking them with regard to their association to the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Short Depression Scale (CES-D) score using random forest. The three top scoring SNPs (rs12248560, rs878567, rs17710780) were subsequently combined into an unweighted GRS, which was included in linear and logistic regression models using the CES-D score, occurrence of a major depressive episode (MDE) during follow-up and regular antidepressant treatment during the 6 months preceding follow-up assessment as outcomes. The GRS was associated with MDE occurrence (p =.02) and ln CES-D score (p =.001). The HTR1A rs878567 variant was associated with ln CES-D after adjustment for demographic and clinical variables [p =.02, lower scores for minor allele (G) carriers]. Additionally, rs12248560 (CYP2C19) CC homozygotes showed a six-fold higher likelihood of regular AD therapy at follow-up compared to minor allele homozygotes [TT; ultrarapid metabolizers (p =.03)]. Our study suggests that the cumulative consideration of pharmacogenetic risk variants more reliably reflects the impact of the genetic background on depression severity than individual SNPs

Weight loss maintenance in women two to eleven years after participating in a commercial program: a survey

BACKGROUND: After 5 years, most reports show that less than 10% of people maintain a 5% loss from initial body weight. Weight maintenance after 10 years is rarely assessed, especially in commercial programs. The current article reports weight maintenance in individuals who had participated 2 to 11 years earlier in a popular commercial weight loss program based on Canada's Food Guide called Mincavi. METHODS: Randomly picked subjects answered a telephone questionnaire. Participants, 291 adult women from various regions of the province of Quebec, had followed the program 2 to 11 years earlier for at least a month. Body weight at the beginning and at the end of treatment was recorded as well as actual weight, age and height. Existing records allowed partial verification of the sample. RESULTS: Based on corrected weights, percentage of women who maintained at least 5% of their initial weight loss are as following; 2 years = 43.6% (n = 55), 3 years = 33.3% (n = 42), 4 years = 23.8% (n = 42), 5–6 years = 38.2% (n = 55), 7–8 years = 29.4% (n = 51), and 9–11 years; 19.6% (n = 46). Five to eleven years after they had participated in the program 29.1% of all women maintained a weight loss of at least 5%, while 14.3% maintained a loss of at least 10%. CONCLUSIONS: Even though success rate is not as high as could be wished for, results show that participation in the Mincavi program can lead to effective weight maintenance long after individuals have left it. These findings suggest more thorough studies should be conducted on this weight loss program

The effects of low-calorie sweeteners on energy intake and body weight: a systematic review and meta-analyses of sustained intervention studies.

Previous meta-analyses of intervention studies have come to different conclusions about effects of consumption of low-calorie sweeteners (LCS) on body weight. The present review included 60 articles reporting 88 parallel-groups and cross-over studies ≥1 week in duration that reported either body weight (BW), BMI and/or energy intake (EI) outcomes. Studies were analysed according to whether they compared (1) LCS with sugar, (2) LCS with water or nothing, or (3) LCS capsules with placebo capsules. Results showed an effect in favour of LCS vs sugar for BW (29 parallel-groups studies, 2267 participants: BW change, -1.06 kg, 95% CI -1.50 to -0.62, I2 = 51%), BMI and EI. Effect on BW change increased with 'dose' of sugar replaced by LCS, whereas there were no differences in study outcome as a function of duration of the intervention or participant blinding. Overall, results showed no difference in effects of LCS vs water/nothing for BW (11 parallel-groups studies, 1068 participants: BW change, 0.10 kg, 95% CI -0.87 to 1.07, I2 = 82%), BMI and EI; and inconsistent effects for LCS consumed in capsules (BW change: -0.28 kg, 95% CI -0.80 to 0.25, I2 = 0%; BMI change: 0.20 kg/m2, 95% CI 0.04 to 0.36, I2 = 0%). Occurrence of adverse events was not affected by the consumption of LCS. The studies available did not permit robust analysis of effects by LCS type. In summary, outcomes were not clearly affected when the treatments differed in sweetness, nor when LCS were consumed in capsules without tasting; however, when treatments differed in energy value (LCS vs sugar), there were consistent effects in favour of LCS. The evidence from human intervention studies supports the use of LCS in weight management, constrained primarily by the amount of added sugar that LCS can displace in the diet

Avalanche and edge-of-chaos criticality do not necessarily co-occur in neural networks

There are indications that for optimizing neural computation, neural networks may operate at criticality. Previous approaches have used distinct fingerprints of criticality, leaving open the question whether the different notions would necessarily reflect different aspects of one and the same instance of criticality, or whether they could potentially refer to distinct instances of criticality. In this work, we choose avalanche criticality and edge-of-chaos criticality and demonstrate for a recurrent spiking neural network that avalanche criticality does not necessarily entrain dynamical edge-of-chaos criticality. This suggests that the different fingerprints may pertain to distinct phenomena. In biological neural networks, scale-free avalanches of neuronal firing events have suggested that such networks might preferably operate at criticality, in particular, since theoretical studies of artificial neural networks and of cellular automata have highlighted some potential computational benefits of such a state. In these studies, notions of either edge-of-chaos criticality or avalanche criticality were adhered to. Here, using a recurrent neural network of more realistic neurons compared with what has been considered previously, we scrutinize whether these two manifestations of criticality are necessarily co-occurring. Based on a realistic paradigm of neural networks, we show that a positive largest Lyapunov exponent—indicating chaotic dynamics of the network—is conserved as we tune the network from subcritical to critical and to supercritical avalanche behavior. This demonstrates that avalanche criticality does not necessarily co-occur with edge-of-chaos criticality

Das Bild der Schule aus der Sicht von Schuelern und Lehrern II

Available from TIB Hannover: RB 948(14) / FIZ - Fachinformationszzentrum Karlsruhe / TIB - Technische InformationsbibliothekSIGLEBundesministerium fuer Bildung und Forschung (BMBF), Bonn (Germany)DEGerman

The belief in a just world and distress at school

This article investigates the relationship between the belief in a just world (BJW) and distress at school. On the basis of just world theory, the authors argue that strong student BJW should be associated with low school distress. Two questionnaire studies with German secondary school students attending grades 7–13 are reported. Both studies found strong BJW to be associated with less distress at school, better grades, and the evaluation of grades and teachers as more just. Moreover, the relationship between strong BJW and low school distress persisted when controlled for grades, justice of grades, and teacher justice. This relationship held for all students, independently of their school track, grade level, or gender. Overall, the pattern of results reveals school distress to have a unique association with BJW and school-specific justice cognitions