Comorbilidad y síntomas digestivos asociados a depresión en pacientes mayores de 60 años

Depressive symptoms were associated with an elevated prevalence of gallstones among adults in the United States: A cross-sectional analysis of NHANES 2017-2020

Background

 Gallstone disease is one of the most common gastrointestinal disorders. Despite extensive research exploring the risk factors associated with gallstones, the association between depressive symptoms and gallstones remains inadequately understood. This study aimed to assess the association between depressive symptoms and the prevalence of gallstones among adults in the United States.

Methods

In this study, a cross-sectional design utilized data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) spanning the years 2017 to 2020. The assessment of depressive symptoms was conducted through the utilization of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), which assigns total scores ranging from 0 to 27. Participants with PHQ-9 scores equal to or exceeding 10 were categorized as having clinically relevant depressive symptoms. Multivariable adjusted logistic regression and subgroup analysis were used to assess the association between depressive symptoms and gallstone prevalence.

Results

A total of 7,797 participants aged 20 years or older were enrolled in this study, of whom 835 had a self-reported history of gallstones. After multiple adjustments, each one-point increase in PHQ-9 scores was associated with a 5 % increase in the risk of gallstones (odds ratio [OR], 1.05; 95 % confidence interval [CI], 1.03, 1.07, P < 0.001). Compared to individuals with PHQ-9 scores < 10, participants with PHQ-9 total scores ≥ 10 exhibited a 79 % higher risk of gallstones (OR = 1.79, 95 % CI: 1.43, 2.23, P < 0.001).

Conclusion

Depressive symptoms were associated with an elevated prevalence of gallstones. However, it is important to note that further validation through prospective cohort studies is warranted to confirm this finding.

Green rooibos (Aspalathus linearis) promotes gut health: insight into mechanisms

ETHNOPHARMACOLOGICAL RELEVANCE

Paralleling the increasing incidence of gastrointestinal disorders world-wide, therapeutic investigations of nutraceuticals to promote gastrointestinal health are gaining popularity. Although anecdotally well-known for its gut health promoting potential, sparse scientific evidence supports this action of Aspalathus linearis (Burm.f.) R. Dahlgren - or rooibos - at the gastrointestinal epithelial level.

AIM OF THE STUDY

Traditionally, rooibos is considered to exert antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-nociceptive effects in the gut. However, the direct effect on intestinal epithelium is unknown. Thus, to assess the validity of anecdotal claims, two larval zebrafish models were utilized to evaluate effects of rooibos on intestinal health.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Firstly, a larval zebrafish model of gastrointestinal inflammation (2-day TNBS-exposure) was employed. Co-administration of 6α-methylprednisolone served as an internal treatment control. Assessments included live imaging techniques and post-mortem immunofluorescent staining of epithelial tight junction proteins. In addition, whole body H2O2 and prostaglandin E2 assays were performed. Secondly, a gastrointestinal motility assay was performed, with known pro- and anti-kinetic mediators to assess the effect of rooibos to alter functional outcome in vivo.

RESULTS

Aqueous and ethanol extracts of green rooibos rescued TNBS-induced reductions in neutral red stained length of larval mid-intestines. Subsequent experiments confirmed the rescue capacity of the aqueous green rooibos extract regarding whole body oxidative and inflammatory status. Concerning tight junction proteins, only the aqueous green rooibos extract - and not prednisolone - normalized both zona occludens-1 and occludin expression levels when compared the TNBS group. In terms of gastrointestinal motility, the aqueous green rooibos extract significantly reduced the extent of gut motility dysregulation achieved by kinetic modulators.

CONCLUSIONS

Data indicates the potential of a 2 mg/ml aqueous extract of green rooibos to improve gastrointestinal integrity and functionality in vivo, suggesting beneficial effects of rooibos may already occur at the level of the gut. This provides some evidence to support indigenous knowledge.

Integrated bioinformatics and network pharmacology identifying the mechanisms and molecular targets of Guipi Decoction for treatment of comorbidity with depression and gastrointestinal disorders

BACKGROUND

Guipi decoction (GPD) not only improves gastrointestinal (GI) function, but also depressive mood. The bioinformatics study aimed to reveal potential crosstalk genes and related pathways between depression and GI disorders. A network pharmacology approach was used to explore the molecular mechanisms and potential targets of GPD for the simultaneous treatment of depression comorbid GI disorders.

METHODS

Differentially expressed genes (DEGs) of major depressive disorder (MDD) were identified based on GSE98793 and GSE19738, and GI disorders-related genes were screened from the GeneCards database. Overlapping genes between MDD and GI disorders were obtained to identify potential crosstalk genes. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) network was constructed to screen for hub genes, signature genes were identified by LASSO regression analysis, and single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) was performed to analyze immune cell infiltration. In addition, based on the Traditional Chinese Medicine Systems Pharmacology (TCMSP) database, we screened the active ingredients and targets of GPD and identified the intersection targets of GPD with MDD and GI disorder-related genes, respectively. A "component-target" network was constructed using Cytoscape, the Gene Ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathway analyses were performed.

RESULTS

The MDD-corrected dataset contained 2619 DEGs, and a total of 109 crosstalk genes were obtained. 14 hub genes were screened, namely SOX2, CRP, ACE, LEP, SHH, CDH2, CD34, TNF, EGF, BDNF, FN1, IL10, PPARG, and KIT. These genes were identified by LASSO regression analysis for 3 signature genes, including TNF, EGF, and IL10. Gamma.delta.T.cell was significantly positively correlated with all three signature genes, while Central.memory.CD4.T.cell and Central.memory.CD8.T.cell were significantly negatively correlated with EGF and TNF. GPD contained 134 active ingredients and 248 targets, with 41 and 87 relevant targets for the treatment of depression and GI disorders, respectively. EGF, PPARG, IL10 and CRP overlap with the hub genes of the disease.

CONCLUSION

We found that GPD may regulate inflammatory and oxidative stress responses through EGF, PPARG, IL10 and CRP targets, and then be involved in the treatment of both depression and GI disorders.

Abdominal obesity mediates the causal relationship between depression and the risk of gallstone disease: retrospective cohort study and Mendelian randomization analyses

OBJECTIVE

Our study aimed to explore the causal effect of depression on the risk of gallstone disease, and the mediation effects of metabolic traits.

METHODS

A retrospective cohort study on Chinese elderly from the Dongfeng-Tongji cohort (including 18,141 individuals) was conducted to estimate the adverse effect of probable depression on the risk of gallstone disease. Two-sample Mendelian randomization was performed in European and East-Asian ancestries, to verify the causal relationship between major depression and gallstone disease. We further applied two-step Mendelian randomization to explore the mediation effects of metabolic traits.

RESULTS

In the cohort study, probable depression was associated with an increased risk of gallstone disease within 5 years, with RR (95% CI) of 1.33 (1.12, 1.58) in multivariable regression, and 1.34 (1.11, 1.61) following propensity score weighting. Bidirectional Mendelian randomization in European ancestry revealed a positive causal effect (OR: 1.21; 95% CI: 1.07 to 1.37) of genetically predicted major depression liability on gallstone disease, based on the inverse variance weighted method. Little evidence was presented from other complementary approaches, and the analysis in East-Asian ancestry (IVW estimated OR: 1.03; 95% CI: 0.92 to 1.15). The indirect effect via waist circumference and HDL-C were 1.06 (95% CI: 1.02 to 1.10) and 1.01 (95% CI: 1.00 to 1.01) respectively, which mediated 25.8% and 3.78% of the causal relationship.

CONCLUSIONS

Our study suggested a higher risk of gallstone disease in the population with probable depression, while the two-sample Mendelian randomization provided weak evidence for the causal relationship, which was moderately mediated by abdominal obesity.

Impact of anxiety and depression on the swallowing process among patients with neurological disorders and head and neck neoplasia: systemic review

Background

Dysphagia is associated with depression and anxiety due to the severity, impact of symptoms itself or secondary to the underlying cause. This is more recognizable to brain diseases that has consequences common to the neural supply of the swallowing act and the cognition and behavior. Limited data are available to explore, quantitate and monitor these neurological outcomes. Our aim of this research to review the literature pertinent to depressive disorders, anxiety, and/or the quality of life (QoL) and psychological well-being. Search of Medline and Google Scholar databases for relevant articles had revealed a total of 1568 citations; 30 articles met the inclusion and exclusion criteria.

Results

Data about the direct effect of dysphagia on psychiatric aspects are limited. Studies of the relationship between severity of dysphagia and depressive symptoms demonstrated that several evaluation tools are available for objective and subjective assessment. The severity and progression of dysphagia was significantly associated with increased depressive symptoms.

Conclusion

Dysphagia is associated with and positively correlated to depression and anxiety scores observed in Parkinson disease (PD), multiple sclerosis (MS) and stroke. Similar association is observed in patients with head and neck cancer, tongue cancer and oral cancer. A bidirectional positive correlation exists with a vicious circle that loops between dysphagia and psychological disease. Moreover, the severity of dysphagia shows correlation with depression and/or anxiety scores (Fig. 1, Graphical abstract).

Graphical Abstract

The Potential Impact of Age on Gut Microbiota in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: A Secondary Analysis of the Prospective Observational Study

We aimed to investigate the impact of aging on the relationship among the composition of gut microbiota, gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms, and the course of treatment for major depressive disorder (MDD) by analyzing the datasets from our previous study. Patients with MDD were recruited, and their stools were collected at three time points (baseline, midterm, and endpoint) following the usual antidepressant treatment. Gut microbiota were analyzed using 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Patients were categorized into two groups based on their age: the late-life group over 60 years and the middle-aged group under 60 years. GI symptoms were assessed with scores of item 11 of the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale. One hundred and ninety samples were collected from 32 patients with MDD. Several gut microbes had higher relative abundances in the late-life group than in the middle-aged group. In addition, the late-life group showed significantly higher diversity in the Chao1 index at baseline compared with the middle-aged group. We further found possible microbial taxa related to GI symptoms in patients with late-life depression. The abundance of several bacterial taxa may contribute to GI symptoms in the late-life depression, and our findings suggest that the therapeutic targets for the application of gut microbiota may differ depending on the age group of patients with depression.

A Systematic Review of Persistent Symptoms and Residual Abnormal Functioning following Acute COVID-19: Ongoing Symptomatic Phase vs. Post-COVID-19 Syndrome

Objective: To compare the two phases of long COVID, namely ongoing symptomatic COVID-19 (OSC; signs and symptoms from 4 to 12 weeks from initial infection) and post-COVID-19 syndrome (PCS; signs and symptoms beyond 12 weeks) with respect to symptomatology, abnormal functioning, psychological burden, and quality of life. Design: Systematic review. Data Sources: Electronic search of EMBASE, MEDLINE, ProQuest Coronavirus Research Database, LitCOVID, and Google Scholar between January and April 2021, and manual search for relevant citations from review articles. Eligibility Criteria: Cross-sectional studies, cohort studies, randomised control trials, and case-control studies with participant data concerning long COVID symptomatology or abnormal functioning. Data Extraction: Studies were screened and assessed for risk of bias by two independent reviewers, with conflicts resolved with a third reviewer. The AXIS tool was utilised to appraise the quality of the evidence. Data were extracted and collated using a data extraction tool in Microsoft Excel. Results: Of the 1145 studies screened, 39 were included, all describing adult cohorts with long COVID and sample sizes ranging from 32 to 1733. Studies included data pertaining to symptomatology, pulmonary functioning, chest imaging, cognitive functioning, psychological disorder, and/or quality of life. Fatigue presented as the most prevalent symptom during both OSC and PCS at 43% and 44%, respectively. Sleep disorder (36%; 33%), dyspnoea (31%; 40%), and cough (26%; 22%) followed in prevalence. Abnormal spirometry (FEV₁ < 80% predicted) was observed in 15% and 11%, and abnormal chest imaging was observed in 34% and 28%, respectively. Cognitive impairments were also evident (20%; 15%), as well as anxiety (28%; 34%) and depression (25%; 32%). Decreased quality of life was reported by 40% in those with OSC and 57% with PCS. Conclusions: The prevalence of OSC and PCS were highly variable. Reported symptoms covered a wide range of body systems, with a general overlap in frequencies between the two phases. However, abnormalities in lung function and imaging seemed to be more common in OSC, whilst anxiety, depression, and poor quality of life seemed more frequent in PCS. In general, the quality of the evidence was moderate and further research is needed to understand longitudinal symptomatology trajectories in long COVID. Systematic Review Registration: Registered with PROSPERO with ID #CRD42021247846.

Gastrointestinal Symptoms During Depressive Episodes in 3256 Patients with Major Depressive Disorders: Findings from the NSSD

BACKGROUND

Little is known how often depressive episodes are accompanied by gastrointestinal symptoms in major depressive disorders (MDD). The authors sought to determine the frequency and clinical correlates of gastrointestinal symptoms during episodes of depressive disorder.

METHODS

3,256 MDD patients from the National Survey on Symptomatology of Depression (NSSD), which was designed to investigate the magnitude of symptoms of current major depressive episodes in China, were enrolled and assessed for gastrointestinal symptoms in this study. Illness characteristics were compared in patients with a different frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms. Pearson correlation analysis and multiple linear regression analysis were employed to investigate the associations between gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological characteristics in the patients.

RESULTS

More than 70% of the subjects with depressive episodes had concomitant gastrointestinal symptoms. A higher frequency of gastrointestinal symptoms was associated with an increased risk of suicide ideation, suicide attempts, anxious mood, depressed mood, insomnia, feeling a failure, poor concentration, body pain, hopelessness, anger, and irritability. Pearson correlation analysis indicated moderate but significant associations between gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological characteristics (p<0.001). Multiple linear regression analysis showed that suicide ideation (β=0.161, p<0.001), anxiety mood (β=0.166, p = 0.006), insomnia (β =0.262, p<0.001), anger (β=0.144, p<0.001), feeling a failure (β =0.365, p<0.001), and body pain (β=0.581 p<0.001) were independently associated with gastrointestinal symptoms in MDD patients.

CONCLUSION

Gastrointestinal symptoms were one of the most prevalent clinical presentations of MDD. The associations between gastrointestinal symptoms and psychological characteristics may prove useful in expanding our understanding of how gastrointestinal symptoms contributes to MDD.