PHYSICAL ACTIVITY IN THE TREATMENT OF DEPRESSION IN COLLEGE STUDENTS

ABSTRACT Introduction: The mental health of college students is getting more and more attention from society. Physical exercise as a means of psychotherapy and mental health has become common at home and abroad. Objective: We explore the effect of prescribing physical exercise in the treatment of depression in college students. Methods: College students who had been diagnosed with depression were randomly divided into an observation group and a control group, each with 18 patients. The control group received drug treatment. The observation group received sports therapy in addition to drug therapy. Results: There was a statistically significant difference in HAMD scores between the observation and control groups in the first week (P<0.01). Conclusions: Exercise can play a role in treating depression patients rapidly, safely, and efficiently. Level of evidence II; Therapeutic studies - investigation of treatment results.

Effectiveness and Safety of Electroacupuncture for Depression: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Review question / Objective: Is electroacupuncture a safe therapy for the treatment of depression? Is electroacupuncture effective for the treatment of depression, as compared with sham control, or conventional drugs？ Condition being studied: Depression is a mood disorder that causes sufferers to feel sadness, decreased interest, guilt, self-blame, loss of energy, and experience sleep disorders such as insomnia. People suffering from depression even feel they have no way out and have suicidal thoughts. In the United States, the prevalence of a major depressive disorder is 16.2%1-3. The 2010 Global Burden of Disease Study identified major depression as the second leading cause of disability worldwide and a leading cause of the burden of suicide and ischaemic heart disease. At present, depression patients are mainly treated with antidepressants, but the efficacy is extremely unstable. Studies have shown that acupuncture can help improve symptoms in patients with depression, but these clinical studies have not been systematically evaluated, and further confirmation is needed to confirm the efficacy of electroacupuncture in treating depression.

An Islamic Form of Logotherapy in the Treatment of Depression, Anxiety and Stress Symptoms in University Students in Iran

Previous research demonstrated that spiritually sensitive psychotherapy is an effective treatment for clients with depression or anxiety, with outcomes equivalent to secular control interventions. The goal of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of spiritually sensitive logotherapy intervention in the treatment of depression, anxiety, and stress symptoms in university students in Iran. Sixty students with elevated depression symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory II, BDI-II, 22 or greater) were randomly assigned to either a twelve-session group logotherapy programme or a control group. Results showed that spiritually sensitive logotherapy significantly reduced depression, anxiety, and stress, and significantly more so than in the control group (e.g. interaction effect for BDI-II: F = 56.8, p < 0.001, with a large effect size).

The role of nutrients and probiotics in treatment of depression

Currently, a growing amount of data is emerging on the role of various environmental factors (nutrients, gut microbiota, etc.) on formation of depression. The impact on these factors can be effective not only in treatment of major depressive disorder, but also in its early prevention. Therefore, a more detailed study of environmental factors in depression can lead both to a better understanding of the etiology and pathogenesis of the disorder and to optimization of approaches to its treatment. The aim of the review was to assess the potential role of a number of environmental factors associated with nutritional aspects and characteristics of individual microflora, as well as to review the prospects of a strategy for affecting these factors in treatment and prevention of depression.

Identification of Potential Biomarkers of Depression and Network Pharmacology Approach to Investigate the Mechanism of Key Genes and Therapeutic Traditional Chinese Medicine in the Treatment of Depression

Background. To explore the potential target of depression and the mechanism of related traditional Chinese medicine in the treatment of depression. Method. Differential gene expression in depression patients and controls was analyzed in the GEO database. Key genes for depression were obtained by searching the disease databases. The COREMINE Medical database was used to search for Chinese medicines corresponding to the key genes in the treatment of depression, and the network pharmacological analysis was performed on these Chinese medicines. Then, protein-protein interaction analysis was conducted. Prediction of gene phenotypes was based on Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway enrichment scores. Results. The total number of differentially expressed genes in the GEO database was 147. Combined with the GEO dataset and disease database, a total of 3533 depression-related genes were analyzed. After screening in COREMINE Medical, it was found that the top 4 traditional Chinese medicines with the highest frequency for depression were Paeonia lactiflora Pall., Crocus sativus L., Bupleurum chinense DC., and Cannabis sativa L. The compound target network consisted of 24 compounds and 138 corresponding targets, and the key targets involved PRKACA, NCOA2, PPARA, and so on. GO and KEGG analysis revealed that the most commonly used Chinese medicine could regulate multiple aspects of depression through these targets, related to metabolism, neuroendocrine function, and neuroimmunity. Prediction and analysis of protein-protein interactions resulted in the selection of nine hub genes (ESR1, HSP90AA1, JUN, MAPK1, MAPK14, MAPK8, RB1, RELA, and TP53). In addition, a total of four ingredients (petunidin, isorhamnetin, quercetin, and luteolin) from this Chinese medicine could act on these hub genes. Conclusions. Our research revealed the complicated antidepressant mechanism of the most commonly used Chinese medicines and also provided a rational strategy for revealing the complex composition and function of Chinese herbal formulas.

Anti-depressant Activity of Hydroalcoholic Extract of Asperula odorata L. in Mice

Background: The relationship between the treatment of depression and plant-derived substances (e.g., flavonoids, coumarin, and scopoletin) has been demonstrated through interference with the monoamine system. The present study was planned to evaluate the anti-depressant effects of Asperula odorata L. plant through behavioral tests in mice. Material and Methods: In this experimental study, 35 male Syrian mice weighing 30-40 g were examined in five groups (n=7) as follow: received oral distilled water gavage (control), 10 mg/kg of fluoxetine solution gavage (reference standard), 10, 5, and 2.5 mg/kg of A. odorata L. extract gavage (treatment groups). After one week, all behavioral tests, including tail suspension test (TST), forced swimming test (FST), open field test (OFT), elevated plus maze test (EPMT), and fractionation tests were performed each morning for 4-6 h within five days. Results: The hydroalcoholic extract of A. odorata contained phenolic and flavonoid substances (Shinoda test confirmed flavonoid family). Administration of extract (10 and 5 mg/kg doses) versus fluoxetine (10 mg/kg dose) reduced the immobility of animals in both FST and TST (P<0.05). At the OFT, the administered extract increased the number of central square entries of animals with higher mobility (P<0.05). At a 10 mg/kg dose, the active flavonoid ingredients increased the mice's incline to entre and spent more time within no wall parts of EPMT (P<0.05). Conclusion: Our study suggests that the hydroalcoholic extract of A. odorata L. could have significant anti-depressant activity. [GMJ.2021;10:e2206]