scholarly journals mRNA Levels of MAOA and 5-HT2A Receptor in Patients With Pathological Internet Use: Correlations With Comorbid Symptoms

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mimi Qiu ◽  
Chenchen Zhang ◽  
Yu Dai ◽  
Lingrui Zhang ◽  
Yang Wang ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Internet Use ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Substance Addiction ◽  
Relative Expression ◽  
Pathological Internet Use

Objective: Uncontrolled internet use may lead to the emergence of pathological internet use (PIU). PIU has become a global public health concern that can cause a range of psychotic symptoms, including anxiety, depression, and impulse control disorder. To date, we know very little about the principal biological factors related to PIU. Monoamine oxidase type A (MAOA) and serotonin (5-HT) 5-HT2A receptor (5-HT2AR) play critical roles in the development of behavioural and drug addictions. Thus, the aim of this study was to measure the relative expression of mRNA of MAOA and 5-HT2AR in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) of patients with PIU and to determine the correlations between these biological indicators and the comorbid symptoms of patients with PIU.Methods: In this study, the mRNA of MAOA and 5-HT2AR was detected using real-time PCR in PBMCs of the patients with PIU (n = 24) and healthy controls (HCs, n = 25). The relationship between the mRNA levels of MAOA and 5-HT2AR and clinical symptoms in patients with PIU was further investigated.Results: MAOA mRNA in PBMCs was significantly upregulated in patients with PIU compared with that in HCs. mRNA levels of 5-HT2AR were not found to differ significantly between HCs and patients with PIU. Correlation analyses further revealed a significant positive correlation between the relative expression of MAOA mRNA in PBMCs of patients with PIU and the Young's Internet Addiction Test and Self-Rating Depression Scale scores.Conclusion: The present study revealed upregulated expression of MAOA mRNA in patients with PIU and an association between the expression of MAOA mRNA and clinical symptoms of PIU, suggesting that the neurobiological changes may be similar between PIU and substance addiction. Additionally, this study demonstrated a potential association between comorbid symptoms and mRNA levels of MAOA.

scholarly journals Relationship Between Big Five Personality and Pathological Internet Use: Mediating Effects of Loneliness and Depression

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yong Zhou ◽  
Hui Li ◽  
Lei Han ◽  
Suyue Yin
Keyword(s):  
College Students ◽  
Personality Traits ◽  
Big Five ◽  
Internet Use ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Big Five Personality ◽  
Targeted Interventions ◽  
Mediating Role ◽  
Pathological Internet Use ◽  
The Relationship

Pathological Internet use will have a serious impact on normal individual study and work and has become one of the most important factors hindering the growth and development of contemporary college students. The purpose of this study was to examine the mechanisms of loneliness and depression in the relationship between the Big Five personality traits and pathological Internet use (PIU). A total of 1,179 college students were studied using the Chinese version of the Big Five Personality Scale, Loneliness Scale, Depression Scale, and Pathological Internet Use Scale. The results showed that loneliness partially mediated the relationship between extraversion and PIU and completely mediated the relationship between agreeableness and PIU and neuroticism and PIU. Depression completely mediated the relationship between agreeableness and PIU, neuroticism completely mediated the relationship with PIU, and sense of responsibility partially mediated the relationship with PIU. This study revealed the relationship between different personality traits and PIU and the mediating role of loneliness and depression, suggesting that we should carry out targeted interventions on PIU for college students with different personality traits.

Managing Febrile Illness in Malaria-endemic Areas: Developing Novel Diagnostics Using Host Immunological Signatures as Surrogate Markers of Infection

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 202-206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Olaitan O. Omitola ◽  
Hammed O. Mogaji ◽  
Andrew W. Taylor-Robinson
Keyword(s):  
Clinical Symptoms ◽  
Transcriptional Profiling ◽  
Febrile Illness ◽  
Molecular Techniques ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Illness Management ◽  
Presumptive Treatment ◽  
Disease Diagnostics ◽  
Proteomics Technology ◽  
Tools And Methods

Recent research has highlighted the growing public health concern arising from mismanagement of malarial and non-malarial febrile illnesses that present with similar clinical symptoms. A retrospective examination of patient records suggests that a syndrome-based diagnosis results in over-diagnosis of malaria. Consequently, interventions to mitigate the frequency of presumptive treatment of fever in malaria-endemic settings have been sought, especially for resourcelimited areas. Guidelines that promote the use of microbiological tests and modern diagnostic kits have demonstrated laudable progress in the ongoing challenge of febrile illness management. However, this has brought attention to other factors like the complication of mixed infections. These issues, which remain significant limitations to current tools and methods in the accurate diagnosis and subsequent therapy of febrile illnesses, call for innovative diagnostic interventions. Advancements in biomedical research over the last decade have led to the introduction of state-of-the-art molecular techniques of omics origin that provide the possibility of diverse applications in disease diagnostics. Here, we present notable challenges in febrile illness management, describe currently available tools and methods for diagnosis, and discuss the opportunities for future progress, including harnessing cuttingedge transcriptional profiling and proteomics technology to detect host immunological signatures during infection.

scholarly journals Genome-wide gene expression changes in postpartum depression point towards an altered immune landscape

2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Divya Mehta ◽  
Karen Grewen ◽  
Brenda Pearson ◽  
Shivangi Wani ◽  
Leanne Wallace ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Gene Expression ◽  
Depressive Symptoms ◽  
Postpartum Depression ◽  
Expression Profiles ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Well Being ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Genome Wide ◽  
A Genome ◽  
Genome Wide Gene Expression

AbstractMaternal postpartum depression (PPD) is a significant public health concern due to the severe negative impact on maternal and child health and well-being. In this study, we aimed to identify genes associated with PPD. To do this, we investigated genome-wide gene expression profiles of pregnant women during their third trimester of pregnancy and tested the association of gene expression with perinatal depressive symptoms. A total of 137 women from a cohort from the University of North Carolina, USA were assessed. The main phenotypes analysed were Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS) scores at 2 months postpartum and PPD (binary yes/no) based on an EPDS cutoff of 10. Illumina NextSeq500/550 transcriptomic sequencing from whole blood was analysed using the edgeR package. We identified 71 genes significantly associated with postpartum depression scores at 2 months, after correction for multiple testing at 5% FDR. These included several interesting candidates including TNFRSF17, previously reported to be significantly upregulated in women with PPD and MMP8, a matrix metalloproteinase gene, associated with depression in a genome-wide association study. Functional annotation of differentially expressed genes revealed an enrichment of immune response-related biological processes. Additional analysis of genes associated with changes in depressive symptoms from recruitment to 2 months postpartum identified 66 genes significant at an FDR of 5%. Of these genes, 33 genes were also associated with depressive symptoms at 2 months postpartum. Comparing the results with previous studies, we observed that 15.4% of genes associated with PPD in this study overlapped with 700 core maternal genes that showed significant gene expression changes across multiple brain regions (P = 7.9e-05) and 29–53% of the genes were also associated with estradiol changes in a pharmacological model of depression (P values range = 1.2e-4–2.1e-14). In conclusion, we identified novel genes and validated genes previously associated with oestrogen sensitivity in PPD. These results point towards the role of an altered immune transcriptomic landscape as a vulnerability factor for PPD.

scholarly journals Ex vivo mRNA expression of toll-like receptors during latent tuberculosis infection

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Birhan Alemnew ◽  
Soren T. Hoff ◽  
Tamrat Abebe ◽  
Markos Abebe ◽  
Abraham Aseffa ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Expression Patterns ◽  
Fold Change ◽  
Mrna Levels ◽  
Healthy Children ◽  
Toll Like Receptors ◽  
Relative Expression ◽  
Latently Infected ◽  
Latent Tb ◽  
Latent Tb Infection

Abstract Background Understanding immune mechanisms, particularly the role of innate immune markers during latent TB infection remains elusive. The main objective of this study was to evaluate mRNA gene expression patterns of toll-like receptors (TLRs) as correlates of immunity during latent TB infection and further infer their roles as potential diagnostic biomarkers. Methods Messenger RNA (mRNA) levels were analysed in a total of 64 samples collected from apparently healthy children and adolescents latently infected with tuberculosis (n = 32) or non-infected (n = 32). Relative expression in peripheral blood of selected genes encoding TLRs (TLR-1, TLR-2, TLR-4, TLR-6 and TLR-9) was determined with a quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) using specific primers and florescent labelled probes and a comparative threshold cycle method to define fold change. Data were analysed using Graph-Pad Prism 7.01 for Windows and a p-value less than 0.05 was considered statistically significant. Results An increased mean fold change in the relative expression of TLR-2 and TLR-6 mRNA was observed in LTBI groups relative to non-LTBI groups (p < 0.05), whereas a slight fold decrease was observed for TLR-1 gene. Conclusions An increased mRNA expression of TLR-2 and TLR-6 was observed in latently infected individuals relative to those non-infected, possibly indicating the roles these biomarkers play in sustenance of the steady state interaction between the dormant TB bacilli and host immunity.

scholarly journals Air Pollution, Neonatal Immune Responses, and Potential Joint Effects of Maternal Depression

2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (10) ◽  
pp. 5062
Author(s):  
Jill Hahn ◽  
Diane R. Gold ◽  
Brent A. Coull ◽  
Marie C. McCormick ◽  
Patricia W. Finn ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Air Pollution ◽  
Immune Responses ◽  
Cord Blood ◽  
Maternal Depression ◽  
Mononuclear Cells ◽  
Fine Particulate Matter ◽  
Depression Scale ◽  
Traffic Density ◽  
Tobit Regression ◽  
Adverse Health Effects

Prenatal maternal exposure to air pollution may cause adverse health effects in offspring, potentially through altered immune responses. Maternal psychosocial distress can also alter immune function and may increase gestational vulnerability to air pollution exposure. We investigated whether prenatal exposure to air pollution is associated with altered immune responses in cord blood mononuclear cells (CBMCs) and potential modification by maternal depression in 463 women recruited in early pregnancy (1999–2001) into the Project Viva longitudinal cohort. We estimated black carbon (BC), fine particulate matter (PM2.5), residential proximity to major roadways, and near-residence traffic density, averaged over pregnancy. Women reported depressive symptoms in mid-pregnancy (Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale) and depression history by questionnaire. Immune responses were assayed by concentrations of three cytokines (IL-6, IL-10, and TNF-α), in unstimulated or stimulated (phytohemagglutinin (PHA), cockroach extract (Bla g 2), house dust mite extract (Der f 1)) CBMCs. Using multivariable linear or Tobit regression analyses, we found that CBMCs production of IL-6, TNF-a, and IL-10 were all lower in mothers exposed to higher levels of PM2.5 during pregnancy. A suggestive but not statistically significant pattern of lower cord blood cytokine concentrations from ever (versus never) depressed women exposed to PM2.5, BC, or traffic was also observed and warrants further study.

Psychotic symptoms in mass shootings v. mass murders not involving firearms: findings from the Columbia mass murder database

2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Gary Brucato ◽  
Paul S. Appelbaum ◽  
Hannah Hesson ◽  
Eileen A. Shea ◽  
Gabriella Dishy ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Mental Illness ◽  
Drug Use ◽  
Legal History ◽  
Alcohol Misuse ◽  
Mass Murder ◽  
Health Concern ◽  
Psychotic Symptoms ◽  
Mass Shootings ◽  
Fully Automatic ◽  
Mass Murders

Abstract Background Mass shootings account for a small fraction of annual worldwide murders, yet disproportionately affect society and influence policy. Evidence suggesting a link between mass shootings and severe mental illness (i.e. involving psychosis) is often misrepresented, generating stigma. Thus, the actual prevalence constitutes a key public health concern. Methods We examined global personal-cause mass murders from 1900 to 2019, amassed by review of 14 785 murders publicly described in English in print or online, and collected information regarding perpetrator, demographics, legal history, drug use and alcohol misuse, and history of symptoms of psychiatric or neurologic illness using standardized methods. We distinguished whether firearms were or were not used, and, if so, the type (non-automatic v. semi- or fully-automatic). Results We identified 1315 mass murders, 65% of which involved firearms. Lifetime psychotic symptoms were noted among 11% of perpetrators, consistent with previous reports, including 18% of mass murderers who did not use firearms and 8% of those who did (χ2 = 28.0, p < 0.01). US-based mass shooters were more likely to have legal histories, use recreational drugs or misuse alcohol, or have histories of non-psychotic psychiatric or neurologic symptoms. US-based mass shooters with symptoms of any psychiatric or neurologic illness more frequently used semi-or fully-automatic firearms. Conclusions These results suggest that policies aimed at preventing mass shootings by focusing on serious mental illness, characterized by psychotic symptoms, may have limited impact. Policies such as those targeting firearm access, recreational drug use and alcohol misuse, legal history, and non-psychotic psychopathology might yield more substantial results.

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