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3.12.2007 - ISI Web of Knowledge & PubMed Search Alert |
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Direct contact in inviting high-risk members of hereditary colon
cancer families to genetic counselling and DNA testing
Aktan-Collan, K., Haukkala, A., Pylvanainen, K., Jarvinen, H. J., Aaltonen, L. A., Peltomaki, P., Rantanen, E., Kaariainen, H. and Mecklin, J. P. Journal of Medical Genetics. 2007; 44(11): 732-738. Article. IF 5.087 Background: Identification of hereditary predisposition to
cancer has limited significance if not followed by efficient cancer
prevention in the family. Probands are traditionally left to inform
their relatives about the increased risk, but distant relatives may
remain uninformed. An approach to contacting directly at-risk
persons assumed to be unaware of their increased cancer risk was
taken. With cancer prevention as the ultimate goal, the study was
aimed at investigating attitudes towards and psychosocial
consequences of this novel strategy. Methods: In families with hereditary non-polyposis colorectal
cancer (Lynch syndrome), 286 healthy adult relatives with a 50%
risk of a predisposing mutation were contacted by letter. Of these,
112 participated in counselling and predictive testing. Baseline
information and information obtained 1 month after the test for 73
respondents were compared with 299 corresponding subjects,
approached via the proband (family-mediated approach in our
previous study) in these families. Results: After the contact letter, 51% consented to the study. Of these, 92% approved of the direct contact and 33% had tried to seek information. In 34% of the mutation carriers, neoplasia was identified in the first post-test colonoscopy. Although post-test fear of cancer increased among the mutation carriers and decreased among noncarriers, almost all participants were satisfied with their decision to participate, independently of their test results, parallel to the family-mediated approach. Conclusion: In this large-scale study, relatives in cancer families were actively contacted to inform them of the condition and genetic counselling. Their attitudes were encouraging, and the psychosocial consequences were similar to the family-mediated approach. Our results suggest the appropriateness of direct contact as an alternative method of contact in cases of life-threatening treatable disease. Badeau, R. M., Metso, J., Tikkanen, M. J. and Jauhiainen, M. Biochimica Et Biophysica Acta-Molecular and Cell Biology of Lipids. 2007; 1771(10): 1329-1334. Article. IF 3.117 17 beta-Estradiol (E-2) fatty acyl esters naturally incorporate into high-density lipoprotein (HDL). The objective was to elucidate mechanisms involved in HDL-associated E-2 cellular uptake and to determine the intracellular distribution of E2 and its fatty acyl esters (E-2-FAE) after uptake. [3 H]E2 or [3 H] cholesterol was incubated with human serum for 24 h to allow for fatty acyl esterification. Total-HDL containing [3 H]E2-FAE or [3 H]cholesterol esters was isolated by sequential density ultracentrifugation and then incubated with Fu5AH rat hepatoma cells for various time points. Cellular uptake was determined by intracellular radioactivity as a percentage of total radioactivity. Chemical inhibition of scavenger receptor class B, type I and low-density lipoprotein (LDL) receptor competition assays were performed to determine cellular uptake mechanisms. Compared to HDL- [H-3]cholesterol, cellular uptake of HDL-[H-3]E-2 occurred at an initially rapid rate. SR-BI inhibition resulted in a decrease in HDL-E-2 uptake and LDL impaired this uptake in a concentration-dependent manner. Accordingly, pretreatment of cells with BLT-1 combined with LDL addition significantly attenuated HDL-E2 uptake. HDL-E-2-FAE was hydrolyzed into free E2 With the maximum at 24 h. Fu5AH cells facilitate HDL-E2 uptake by at least SR-B1 and LDL receptor pathways and intracellular hydrolysis of E2-FAE into free E2 ensues. (c) 2007 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved. Castro, F. A., Haimila, K., Pasanen, K., Kaasila, M., Patama, T., Partanen, J., Surcel, H. M., Pukkala, E. and Lehtinen, M. International Journal of Std & Aids. 2007; 18(10): 672-679. Article. IF 1.274 Cervical cancer (CxCa) is a long-term sequelae caused by persistent human papillonnavirus (HPV) infection. Genetic susceptibility to the persistent infection and CxCa is associated with certain human leucocyte antigen (HLA) types. The same susceptibility genes may also determine whether a woman will be protected against the persistent infection and against CxCa by HPV vaccination or not. A systematic review of literature identified following HLAs to be associated with CxCa: All 1 (odds ratio [OR] = 1.4, 95% confidence interval [Cl] 1.1-2.0); B7 (1.5, 1.1-2.0); B1 5 (0.6, 0.4-0.8); DR2 (1.2, 1.1-1.4) and DR6 (0.6, 0.5-0.8). In the Caucasian population, HLA-B7 and DR6, and DR2 and B15 antigens showed at least borderline associations. In view of a bone marrow donor registry at the Finnish Red Cross and the Finnish Cancer Registry, we created geographic distribution maps of index HLA frequencies and CxCa incidence in the fertile-aged Finnish population. Increased incidence of CxCa was found in a region of western coastal Finland, where frequency of two CxCa susceptibility genes (HLADR2 and 137) was increased, and frequency of one CxCa resistance gene (HLA-B15 5) was decreased. Whether or not HLA type determines also regional susceptibility to persistent HPV infection, and the success of HPV vaccination in preventing both the persistent infection and CxCa warrants further investigation. Fogelholm, M., Kronholm, E., Kukkonen-Harjula, K., Partonen, T., Partinen, M. and Harma, M. International Journal of Obesity. 2007; 31(11): 1713-1721. Article. IF 4.055 Objective: To study relationships between obesity, physical inactivity and sleep-related disturbances (obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), sleep duration, sleep disturbances concomitant with daytime tiredness) in adults (>= 30 years). Design: Cross-sectional study with a random population sample. Participants: A total of 3377 men (mean age 52.3, s.d. 14.8, years) and 4264 women (56.4, s.d. 17.2, years). Main outcome measures: Dependent variables, measured: Waist circumference (WC) and body mass index (BMI). Independent variables, from a detailed interview/questionnaire: probable OSA, other sleep-related disturbances, sleep duration, type and frequency of leisure physical activity. Age, mental health, smoking and education were included in analyses as potential confounders. Results: In men, OSA and physical inactivity increased likelihood for abdominal obesity (WC >= 102 cm). Physical inactivity also increased, but long (>= 9 h/day) sleep decreased likelihood for abdominal overweight (WC: 94-101 cm) in men. In women, abdominal obesity (WC >= 88 cm) was associated positively with OSA, moderate sleep-related disturbances, and physical inactivity. Education modulated the influence of age on abdominal obesity in both genders. Using BMI as the dependent variable did not change the general information obtained by the model. In addition, abdominal obesity was found to be an independent risk factor also in multivariable models predicting categories of a combined sleep duration and sleep disturbances. Conclusions: Sleep duration and sleep-related disturbances are associated with obesity, even after controlling for OSA and physical inactivity. The results support the hypothesis of vicious circle between sleep and obesity. Hu, G., Jousilahti, P., Antikainen, R. and Tuomilehto, J. Am J Hypertens. 2007; 20(12): 1242-50. IF 3.116 BACKGROUND: The association between different types of physical activity and cardiovascular risk among hypertensive subjects is not fully understood. The purpose of this study was to determine the association of occupational, commuting, and leisure-time physical activity on cardiovascular mortality among hypertensive patients. METHODS: Study cohorts included 26,643 hypertensive Finnish men and women who were aged 25 to 64 years and free of coronary heart disease, stroke, and Type 1 diabetes. RESULTS: During a mean follow-up of 19.9 years (range, 6.6 to 31.7 years), 3743 subjects died because of cardiovascular disease. The multivariate-adjusted (age, study year, education, alcohol consumption, smoking, body mass index, systolic blood pressure, total cholesterol, use of antihypertensive drugs, and diabetes at baseline or during follow-up, and the other two kinds of physical activity) hazard ratios of cardiovascular mortality associated with low, moderate, and high occupational physical activity were 1.00, 0.84, and 0.86 (P for trend = .006), respectively, for hypertensive men, and 1.00, 0.85, and 0.84 (P for trend = .014), respectively, for hypertensive women. The multivariate-adjusted hazard ratios of cardiovascular mortality associated with low, moderate, and high leisure-time physical activity were 1.00, 0.84, and 0.73 (P for trend < .001), respectively, for hypertensive men, and 1.00, 0.78, and 0.76 (P for trend < .001), respectively, for hypertensive women. Active commuting to and from work was significantly associated with reduced cardiovascular mortality in hypertensive women. CONCLUSIONS: Moderate or high levels of occupational or leisure-time physical activity reduce cardiovascular mortality among both men and women with hypertension. Walking or cycling to and from work daily reduces cardiovascular mortality among hypertensive women. Living arrangements, heavy drinking and alcohol dependence Joutsenniemi, K., Martelin, T., Kestila, L., Martikainen, P., Pirkola, S. and Koskinen, S. Alcohol and Alcoholism. 2007; 42(5): 480-491. Article. IF 2.061 Aims: To assess the variation in heavy drinking and alcohol dependence by living arrangements, and the contribution of social and behavioural factors to this variation. Design: The Health 2000 survey is a nationally representative cross-sectional survey conducted in Finland in 2000-2001 (N=4589 in the age-range of 3054 years, response rate 81%). Measurements: Living arrangements; married, cohabiting, living with other(s) than a partner, and living alone. Consumption of beer, wine and spirits in the past month was converted into grams of alcohol/week, and heavy drinking was classified as >= 280 (men) and 140 (women) grams/week. Twelve-month prevalence of alcohol dependence was diagnosed by a mental health interview (CIDI). Findings: As compared to the married, cohabiting and living alone associated with heavy drinking (age-adjusted OR; 95% CI: 1.71;1.17-2.49 and OR 2.15;1.55-3.00 in men; OR 1.54;0.96-2.46 and OR 1.67;1.07-2.63 in women) and alcohol dependence (OR 2.29;1.44-3.64 and OR 3.66;2.39-5.59 in men; OR 2.56;1.10-5.94 and OR 4.43;2.03-9.64 in women). Living with other(s) than a partner associated with heavy drinking. Those who cohabited without children or lived alone had the highest odds for alcohol dependence. Among both genders, adjusting for main activity and financial difficulties attenuated the odds for heavy drinking and alcohol dependence by similar to 5-30% each, and additionally among women adjusting for urbanisation attenuated the odds for heavy drinking by similar to 15-45%. Conclusions: Cohabiting and living alone are associated with heavy drinking and alcohol dependence. Unemployment, financial difficulties and low social support, and among women also living in an urban area, seem to contribute to the excess risk. Phosphatase-mediated crosstalk between MAPK signaling pathways in the regulation of cell survival Junttila, M. R., Li, S. P. and Westermarck, J. FASEB J. 2007. IF 6.721 Mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways constitute a large modular network that regulates a variety of physiological processes, such as cell growth, differentiation, and apoptotic cell death. The function of the ERK pathway has been depicted as survival-promoting, in essence by opposing the proapoptotic activity of the stress-activated c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK)/p38 MAPK pathways. However, recently published work suggests that extracellular regulated kinase (ERK) pathway activity is suppressed by JNK/p38 kinases during apoptosis induction. In this review, we will summarize the current knowledge about JNK/p38-mediated mechanisms that negatively regulate the ERK pathway. In particular, we will focus on phosphatases (PP2A, MKPs) as inhibitors of ERK pathway activity in regulating apoptosis. A model proposed in this review places the negative regulation of the ERK pathway in a central position for the cellular decision-making process that determines whether cells will live or die in response to apoptosis-promoting signals. In addition, we will discuss the potential functional relevance of negative regulation of ERK pathway activity, for physiological and pathological conditions (e.g., cellular transformation).-Junttila, M.R., Li, S.-P., Westermarck, J. Phosphatase-mediated crosstalk between MAPK signaling pathways in the regulation of cell survival. Autonomic dysfunction: a link between depression and cardiovascular mortality? The FINE Study Kamphuis, M. H., Geerlings, M. I., Dekker, J. M., Giampaoli, S., Nissinen, A., Grobbee, D. E. and Kromhout, D. Eur J Cardiovasc Prev Rehabil. 2007; 14(6): 796-802. IF 1.979 BACKGROUND: Depression is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases (CVD) in vascular patients as well as in the general population. We investigated whether autonomic dysfunction could explain this relationship. DESIGN: The Finland, Italy and The Netherlands Elderly (FINE) Study is a prospective cohort study. METHODS: Depressive symptoms were measured with the Zung Self-rating Depression Scale in 870 men, aged 70-90 years, free of CVD and diabetes in 1990. Resting heart rate was determined from a 15-30-s resting electrocardiogram in The Netherlands and Italy and as pulse rate in Finland. In addition, in The Netherlands, heart-rate variability (HRV) and QTc interval were determined. RESULTS: At baseline, depressive symptoms were associated with an increase in resting heart rate, and nonsignificantly with low HRV and prolonged QTc interval. After 10 years of follow-up, 233 (27%) men died from CVD. Prospectively, an increase in resting heart rate with 1 SD was associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality [hazard ratio (HR), 1.22; 95% confidence interval (CI), 1.08-1.38]. In addition, low HRV (HR, 0.78; 95% CI, 0.61-1.01) and prolonged QTc interval (HR, 1.28; 95% CI, 1.06-1.53) per SD were associated with cardiovascular mortality. The increased risk of depressive symptoms for cardiovascular mortality (HR, 1.38; 95% CI, 1.21-1.58) did not change after adjustments for several indicators of autonomic dysfunction. CONCLUSION: This study suggests that mild depressive symptoms are associated with autonomic dysfunction in elderly men. The increased risk of cardiovascular mortality with increasing magnitude of depressive symptoms could, however, not be explained by autonomic dysfunction. Laatikainen, T., Dunbar, J. A., Chapman, A., Kilkkinen, A., Vartiainen, E., Heistaro, S., Philpot, B., Absetz, P., Bunker, S., O'Neil, A., Reddy, P., Best, J. D. and Janus, E. D. BMC Public Health. 2007; 7. Article. IF 1.603 Background: Randomised controlled trials demonstrate a 60% reduction in type 2 diabetes incidence through lifestyle modification programmes. The aim of this study is to determine whether such programmes are feasible in primary health care. Methods: An intervention study including 237 individuals 40-75 years of age with moderate or high risk of developing type 2 diabetes. A structured group programme with six 90 minute sessions delivered during an eight month period by trained nurses in Australian primary health care in 2004-2006. Main outcome measures taken at baseline, three, and 12 months included weight, height, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose and lipids, plasma glucose two hours after oral glucose challenge, blood pressure, measures of psychological distress and general health outcomes. To test differences between baseline and follow-up, paired t-tests and Wilcoxon rank sum tests were performed. Results: At twelve months participants' mean weight reduced by 2.52 kg (95% confidence interval 1.85 to 3.19) and waist circumference by 4.17 cm (3.48 to 4.87). Mean fasting glucose reduced by 0.14 mmol/l (0.07 to 0.20), plasma glucose two hours after oral glucose challenge by 0.58 mmol/l (0.36 to 0.79), total cholesterol by 0.29 mmol/l (0.18 to 0.40), low density lipoprotein cholesterol by 0.25 mmol/l (0.16 to 0.34), triglycerides by 0.15 mmol/l (0.05 to 0.24) and diastolic blood pressure by 2.14 mmHg (0.94 to 3.33). Significant improvements were also found in most psychological measures. Conclusion: This study provides evidence that a type 2 diabetes prevention programme using lifestyle intervention is feasible in primary health care settings, with reductions in risk factors approaching those observed in clinical trials. Field trial of timed bright light exposure for jet lag among airline cabin crew Lahti, T., Terttunen, J., Leppamaki, S., Lonnqvist, J. and Partonen, T. International Journal of Circumpolar Health. 2007; 66(4): 365-369. Article. Objectives. Commercial airlines' flight crew members on transmeridian long-haul flights are constantly exposed to rapid changes in external time. Following rapid changes in circadian rhythm may lead to several symptoms known as jet lag. Our aim was to alleviate jet-lag symptoms by timed exposure to bright light (natural sunlight if present, otherwise artificial bright light). Study design. Observational field trial with bright light against jet lag. Methods. Information on the effects of bright lights on health was delivered through corporate level wellness programs. Volunteer study subjects were cabin crew members on long-haul flights. Subjects filled in a 16-Item Columbia Jet Lag Scale (maximum score 64) before the flight (expected symptoms based on previous flights), on the third day at the destination and again on the third day after returning home. Changes in scores were compared relative to the timed exposure to bright light, and to flights eastwards or westwards, and in summer or winter. Results. Out of 75 subjects, 15 returned the questionnaires for a total of 28 flights. The mean estimated effect of bright light was a decrease of 5.3 points on the symptom scale. The difference was not significant (SE=3.4, df=11, t=-1.6, p=0.15). The flight had no influence on the estimate. Conclusions. The results do not give support to the hypothesis that timed exposure to bright light would alleviate jet lag symptoms, although the small sample size was a problem. More field studies are needed to establish the feasibility of bright light for reducing jet lag. Liukkonen, T., Rasanen, P., Ruokonen, A., Laitinen, J., Jokelainen, J., Leinonen, M., Meyer-Rochow, V. B. and Timonen, M. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2007; 69(8): 756-761. Article. IF 3.857 Objective: To investigate whether sleep disturbances are associated with C-reactive protein (CRP) levels at the population level. Elevated CRP levels have been found to accompany sleep disturbances, but evidence so far comes only from limited clinical and experimental studies; epidemiological studies are lacking. Methods: We utilized the Northern Finland 1966 Birth Cohort, whose participants have been followed up to the age of 31 years. The hs-enzyme immunoassay method was used to measure highly sensitive-CRP (hs-CRP) concentrations (4011 participants). Self-reported sleep disturbances were ranked from I (no problem) to 5 (severe disturbances). Results: Multivariate analyses, after adjusting for confounders, revealed that hs-CRP levels in men in the sleep disturbance category "moderate, considerable and severe" (i.e., self-reported sleep disturbances rated 3, 4, or 5), were > 18% (18.2%, 95% Confidence Interval 3.0% to 36.3%) higher than those in men with "no" sleep disturbance. In women, hs-CRP levels did not significantly differ between different sleep disturbance categories. Conclusions: Our results support the hypothesis that moderate-to-severe sleep disturbances in men are associated with slightly increased CRP levels at the epidemiological level. Further investigations are called for to see whether our results can be replicated in other databases. Pesonen, A. K., Raikkonen, K., Heinonen, K., Kajantie, E., Forsen, T. and Eriksson, J. G. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2007; 166(10): 1126-1133. Article. IF 5.241 Despite the significance of childhood trauma for later life, there is little evidence on the long-term consequences of parent-child separation. World War II created a unique natural experiment that allowed the authors to test whether 1) evacuation to temporary foster care unaccompanied by either parent and 2) separation from the father because of his military service predicted depressive symptoms later on. Members of the Helsinki 1934-1944 Birth Cohort (n = 1,658) filled out the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) at the ages of 61.6 (standard deviation: 2.9) and 63.4 (standard deviation: 2.9) years. The mean of the two BDI scores was used as the dependent variable. The data on separation experiences were extracted from the Finnish National Archives and from a survey among the participants. Former evacuees (n = 410) reported 20% (95% confidence interval: 8.7, 33.1) more severe depressive symptoms, and the odds ratio was 1.7 (95% confidence interval: 1.1, 2.6) for having at least mild (BDI score: >= 10) symptoms over time compared with those who were not separated. Those separated from their father because of the father's military assignment (n = 744) did not differ from those who were not separated. Pesonen et al. Respond to "The life course epidemiology of depression" Pesonen, A. K., Raikkonen, K., Heinonen, K., Kajantie, E., Forsen, T. and Eriksson, J. G. American Journal of Epidemiology. 2007; 166(10): 1138-1139. Editorial Material. IF 5.241 IFN-alpha regulates Toll-like receptor-mediated IL-27 gene expression in human macrophages Pirhonen, J., Siren, J., Julkunen, I. and Matikainen, S. Journal of Leukocyte Biology. 2007; 82(5): 1185-1192. Article. IF 4.572 IL-27 is a novel member of the IL-12 cytokine family. IL-27 has pro- and anti-inflammatory properties, and it controls the responses of adaptive immunity. It promotes the differentiation of naive Th cells and suppresses the effector functions of Th 17 cells. Biologically active IL-27 is a heterodimer composed of EBV-induced gene 3 (EBI3) and p28 proteins. We report that TLR-dependent expression of IL-27 in human macrophages is mediated by IFN-alpha. Stimulation of macrophages with agonists for TLR3 {polyinosinic:polycytidylic acid [poly(I:C)]}, TLR4 (LPS), or TLR7/8 (R848) results in concurrent expression of EBI3 and p28. The p28 expression is inhibited with neutralizing anti-IFN-alpha antibodies. Unlike poly(I:C), LPS, and R848, TLR2 agonist (S)-[2,3-bis(palmitoyloxy)-(2RS)-propyl]-N-palmitoyl-(R)-Cys-(S)-Ser(S)- Lys4-OH trihydrochloride does not stimulate macrophages to produce IFN-alpha, and therefore, it is not able to turn on the expression of p28. There is an IFN-stimulated response element (ISRE) in the p28 gene promoter. IFN-alpha enhances the expression of IFN regulatory factor 1 (IRF-1) in macrophages and induces binding of IRF-1 to the p28 ISRE site. The data provide a mechanistic basis for the IFN-alpha-mediated activation of IL-27. The data emphasize a role of IFN-alpha in immune responses, which rely on the recognition of pathogens by TLRs. Spatial variation of particle number and mass over four European cities Puustinen, A., Hameri, K., Pekkanen, J., Kulmala, M., De Hartog, J., Meliefste, K., Ten Brink, H., Kos, G., Katsouyanni, K., Karakatsani, A., Kotronarou, A., Kavouras, I., Meddings, C., Thomas, S., Harrison, R., Ayres, J. G., Van der Zee, S. and Hoek, G. Atmospheric Environment. 2007; 41(31): 6622-6636. Article. IF 2.630 The number of ultratine particles may be a more health relevant characteristic of ambient particulate matter than the conventionally measured mass. Epidemiological time series studies typically use a central site to characterize human exposure to outdoor air pollution. There is currently very limited information how well measurements at a central site reflect temporal and spatial variation across an urban area for particle number concentrations (PNC). The main objective of the study was to assess the spatial variation of PNC compared to the mass concentration of particles with diameter less than 10 or 2.5 mu m (PM10 and PM2.5). Continuous measurements of PM10, PM2.5, PNC and soot concentrations were conducted at a central site during October 2002-March 2004 in four cities spread over Europe (Amsterdam, Athens, Birmingham and Helsinki). The same measurements were conducted directly outside 152 homes spread over the metropolitan areas. Each home was monitored during I week. We assessed the temporal correlation and the variability of absolute concentrations. For all particle indices, including particle number, temporal correlation of 24-h average concentrations was high. The median correlation for PNC per city ranged between 0.67 and 0.76. For PM2.5 median correlation ranged between 0.79 and 0.98. The median correlation for hourly average PNC was lower (range 0.56-0.66). Absolute concentration levels varied substantially more within cities for PNC and coarse particles than for PM2.5. Measurements at the central site reflected the temporal variation of 24-h average concentrations for all particle indices at the selected homes across the urban area. A central site could not assess absolute concentrations across the urban areas for particle number. (c) 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved. Suominen, K., Mantere, O., Valtonen, H., Arvilommi, P., Leppamaki, S., Paunio, T. and Isometsa, E. Bipolar Disorders. 2007; 9(7): 698-705. Article. IF 3.494 Objective: Our aim was to obtain a comprehensive view of differences between bipolar disorder (BD) patients with onset at early versus adult age in a representative study cohort. Methods: In the Jorvi Bipolar Study (JoBS), 1,630 psychiatric in- and outpatients were systematically screened for BD using the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ). A total of 191 bipolar I and II patients with a current DSM-IV episode were interviewed to obtain information about age at onset of mood symptoms, clinical course, treatment, comorbidity, and functional status. The patients were classified as either early onset (< 18 years) or adult onset. Results: One-third of subjects with BD (58/191, 30%) had early onset. This was associated with female gender, more lifetime psychotic symptoms, greater overall comorbidity, and a greater length of time from first episode to treatment. Conclusions: Although BD patients with early age at onset have more severe clinical features and illness course, the delays from first episode to treatment and to correct diagnosis are longer than for those with adult onset disorder. To reduce morbidity rates related to the most severe forms of BD, the recognition and diagnosis of BD during adolescence needs to be improved. Timonen, M., Salmenkaita, I., Jokelainen, J., Laakso, M., Harkonen, P., Koskela, P., Meyer-Rochow, V. B., Peitso, A. and Keinanen-Kiukaanniemi, S. Psychosomatic Medicine. 2007; 69(8): 723-728. Article. IF 3.857 Objective: To investigate whether the association between insulin resistance (IR) and depressive symptoms is present already in young adult males. The association between IR and depression has been poorly studied, although the existence of a connection of Type II diabetes with depression is well established. We previously demonstrated at epidemiological level in two groups of men aged 31 years and 61 to 63 years that IR is linked with depressive symptoms. Methods: In a cross-sectional study, involving 1054 healthy Finnish male military conscripts of about 19 years of age, IR was defined through homeostasis model assessment (HOMA-IR). The severity of the depressive symptoms was evaluated through a Finnish modification of the 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (R-BDI). Moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms were said to be present, if the R-BDI score was :8, and mild depressive symptoms were present if the R-BDI score was 5 to 7. Results: After adjusting for confounders, moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms increased the risk for IR, as defined by the highest decile of the HOMA-IR, up to 2.8-fold (odds ratio = 2.8; 1.2-6.5). Mild depressive symptoms were not significantly associated with IR. Conclusions: In young adult males, co-occurring strictly defined IR seems to be positively associated with current moderate-to-severe depressive symptoms. Key words: depressive symptoms, homeostasis model assessment, insulin resistance, males. |