Investigating Estrogen as a Biomarker for Depressive and Anxious Behavior in an Emotional Stroop Task

Sex differences have shown to have a profound effect on the increased prevalence of the development of depression and anxiety disorders within women. Women are two times more likely to suffer from major depression than men (Shors & Leuner, 2003). This suggests that gender-specific biological factors, specifically hormones, may be responsible. Women are known to have fluctuating levels of estrogen throughout their menstrual cycles. Furthermore, estrogen is also known to act as a protective mechanism against symptoms of both depression and anxiety. In order to examine any potential correlations between levels of estrogen and symptoms pertaining to Major Depressive Disorder or Generalized Anxiety Disorder, participants were recruited to partake in responding to a Qualtrics survey containing items from the Beck’s Hopelessness Inventory and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Afterwards, participants were guided to complete an Emotional Stroop Task measuring accuracy and response time in reference to emotionally positive or negative words. To test the estrogen concentration levels of each participant, saliva samples will be collected and identified through conducting ELISA saliva tests. We hypothesize that there will be better performance on the Emotional Stroop task and decreased risk of depressive and anxious behavior based on a Beck’s Hopelessness Inventory and State-Trait Anxiety Inventory screening in participants with higher levels of estrogen. The results of this study further the discussion on how biological factors, such as estrogen, play a role in the mental health of women

Effect of Chemotherapy on Visuospatial N-back Task Performance: an fMRI Study in Breast Cancer Patients

Chemotherapy-related cognitive impairments (CRCIs) are commonly self-reported among cancer patients, including breast cancer (BC) patients, after chemotherapy treatments. Reported deficits include challenges in working memory and visuospatial abilities (Deprez, 2011). While the exact mechanisms are not fully understood, CRCIs may be a consequence of increased neurotoxicity, blood brain barrier disruption, white matter abnormalities, and decreased hippocampal neurogenesis (Mounier, 2020). The current study recruited twenty-three BC female patients through the Ottawa Hospital Regional Cancer Centre, and individually matched each to healthy non-cancer controls on sex, age, education and menopausal status. Participants completed a series of structural and functional MRI assessments, including a high anatomical T1 scan and a T2* scan while completing a visuospatial n-back task. These assessments were completed at baseline (t1) and immediately after completion of chemotherapy treatment (t2; or matched in time for controls). In addition to imaging outcomes, behavioral markers of n-back task performance were also extracted, including error rates and reaction times. We hypothesize that there will be no functional and behavioral differences between groups at t1. However, we expect patients to show higher activity in the inferior frontal gyrus, insula, thalamus, and midbrain during the functional task compared to controls at t2. Meanwhile we expect similar accuracy on the task, but slower reaction times in the post-chemotherapy BC patients compared to controls. Last, we hypothesize that only BC patients (not controls) will show changes in neural activation and behavioral patterns from t1 to t2 on the visuospatial n-back task. While the data is currently being processed, we expect our results to clarify the impact of chemotherapy treatments on visuospatial ability and associated brain activation patterns in breast cancer patients

The Toxicological Effects of Duloxetine as a Polymeric Nanoparticle Drug Delivery System in Rats

Duloxetine (Cymbalta), a serotonin-norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor (SNRI) is an antidepressant which has previously shown relatively low negative toxicological effects and promising depressive symptom management. However, Duloxetine (DLX) encounters an issue in its drug delivery performance due to its high metabolic dissolution rate which can influence both potency and efficacy. Nanoparticles, in particular, Solid Lipid Nanoparticles (SLNs) can be used as an effective drug carrier system for DLX. If DLX is paired with a SLN (SLN-DLX) for depression treatment, it could provide a relatively low toxicity effect while increasing the concentration of the drug’s potency in particular to the brainstem and 5-HT terminal areas. While using nano-template engineering techniques, SLN-DLX solutions were fabricated to be further analyzed for toxicological analysis in a rodent model. Equal numbers of 3-month-old male and female Long-Evans Rats received daily 10 mL/kg intraperitoneal (IP) injections of either 5 mg/kg DLX, 5 mg/kg SLN-DLX, SLN, or saline vehicle on four consecutive days. General physical appearance and daily weights were recorded during treatment. Rats were euthanized and brains collected and post-fixed in paraformaldehyde on the fifth experimental day for further histological analysis. We hypothesized that rats with SLN injections and SLN-DLX injections will exhibit no toxicological differences when compared to the saline group. There was no significant effect on weight in any treatment group, p \u3e .05. Histological analyses are forthcoming, but we hypothesize that there will be no significant toxicological difference between treatment groups. For future directions, we hope to conduct a study looking into behavioral differences in chronic stress induced rodent models from the same administration of treatments

Families needs in emergency departments: instument development

Background. Families who accompany critically ill relatives in emergency departments (EDs) are an integral part of the care unit. However, there are few empirical data on their needs during this phase of care. In order to guide quality care, general and specific needs of families accompanying these critically ill relatives should be systematically examined.Aim. The aim of this pilot project was to test the tool, methods and analysis plan for a study to examine the perceived needs of family members accompanying critically ill patients in EDs and their perceptions of ED staff\u27s ability to meet these needs.Method. Over a 6-week period in 1996, 84 relatives who met the inclusion criteria were recruited to the study. A postal questionnaire, to uncover the needs of family members, was pilot tested. The questionnaire consisted of 40 need statements reflecting five major themes: meaning, proximity, communication, comfort and support. Of the 84 relatives selected for the study, 73% returned completed questionnaires.Results. The findings of this pilot study suggest that the questionnaire is a valid and reliable tool for researchers wishing to examine and rank the needs of family members who accompany critically ill people in EDs. In addition, the analysis plan was found to be appropriate.Conclusions. This pilot study provides both a method and a tool for further research into family needs. Examination of the pilot data supported the reliability and validity of the tool and produced findings that challenge nurses to move beyond traditional practice that has excluded families from being an integral part of caring for critically ill patients in EDs.<br /