Effect of Electroacupuncture and Counseling on Sub-Threshold Depression: A Study Protocol for a Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial

Quercetin Alleviates Perimenopausal Depression Induced by Ovariectomy Combined with Chronic Unpredictable Mild Stress Through Regulating Serum Elements and Inhibiting Ferroptosis in Prefrontal Cortex of Rats

This study investigated the effects of quercetin on the alterations of serum elements in perimenopausal depression rat model induced by ovariectomy combined with chronic unpredictable mild stress (OVX-CUMS) and possible mechanisms. According to the results of the sucrose preference test, the rats were randomly assigned to four groups: sham, OVX-CUMS, OVX-CUMS + 17β-estradiol (17β-estradiol: 0.27 mg/kg.bw), and OVX-CUMS + Quercetin (Quercetin: 50 mg/kg.bw). At the end of experiment, serum and prefrontal cortex of rats were collected. The inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) analysis showed that levels of calcium (Ca), magnesium (Mg), selenium (Se), cobalt (Co) and zinc (Zn) decreased, and levels of iron (Fe) and copper (Cu) increased in serum and prefrontal cortex of OVX-CUMS rats compared with sham group (p < 0.01). Meanwhile, the levels of the above elements in prefrontal cortex had correlation with behavioral characteristics in OVX-CUMS rats (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01). The abnormal elements in serum may cross blood-brain-barrier into the brain and induce oxidative stress, leading to ferroptosis. Furtherly, the expressions of ferroptosis-related protein including GPX4 and SLC7A11 were decreased in prefrontal cortex of OVX-CUMS rats (p < 0.01), which confirmed the above results. Quercetin treatment restored the above abnormal indicators (p < 0.05 or p < 0.01) induced by OVX-CUMS in rats. Our study suggested that quercetin regulated variation of elements in serum and prefrontal cortex, further inhibiting ferroptosis in prefrontal cortex through alleviating oxidative stress in OVX-CUMS rats.

Effects of Music, Massage, Exercise, or Acupuncture in the Treatment of Depression Among College Students: A Network Meta-Analysis

Objective

To assess the therapeutic impacts of exercise, massage, and music interventions on college students experiencing depression by employing a mesh meta-analysis approach. This research intends to offer valuable insights to aid in the development of non-pharmaceutical treatment strategies for depression.

Methods

We conducted a thorough search across various databases including Cochrane, PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, CNKI, and Wanfang to explore the effects of music, massage, aerobic exercise, fitness Qigong, yoga, tai chi, ball games, strength training, dance, whole body vibration training, and high-intensity interval training on the treatment of depression in college students. The search period was from January 1, 2023, which marks the establishment of each database. Subsequently, a mesh meta-analysis was performed using the "Stata 15.1" software, incorporating outcome indicators from 24 included literature comprising a total of 1458 patients.

Results

Based on the ranking of the optimal intervention effects of various non-pharmaceutical methods, the order, from highest to lowest probability, was as follows: high-intensity interval training (96%), yoga (94.90%), dance (78.30%), music (73.30%), ball games (62.50%), strength training (51.70%), aerobic training (45.30%), tai chi (35.40%), vibration training (27.30%), massage (20.10%), qigong (14.30%), and no intervention (1.00%). This ranking aligns closely with the findings obtained from pairwise comparisons between different interventions.

Conclusion

High-intensity interval training is likely to yield the most effective therapeutic results for college students with depression. In the pairwise comparison of different interventions, High-intensity interval training is also better than most interventions. However, to establish its intervention effect more conclusively, further validation through additional high-quality randomized controlled trials is necessary.

The Mediating Role of Perceived Stress and Academic Procrastination between Physical Activity and Depressive Symptoms among Chinese College Students during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Depressive symptoms, a prevalent mood illness, significantly harm college students' physical and mental health. Individuals have experienced some degree of psychological harm as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Taking this into account, the purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between physical activity (PA) and depressive symptoms among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic, as well as the mediating roles of perceived stress and academic procrastination. A total of 586 college students were subjected to the Physical Activity Scale (PARS-3), the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-10), the Procrastination Assessment Scale-Students (PASS), and the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Findings from this research demonstrated that there was a significant positive correlation between perceived stress, academic procrastination, and depressive symptoms, while PA was significantly negatively correlated with perceived stress, academic procrastination, and depressive symptoms. The results of the chain mediation analysis showed that PA had a significant direct effect on depressive symptoms. Perceived stress, academic procrastination, and perceived stress-academic procrastination had significant mediating and chain mediating effects on the relationship between PA and depressive symptoms. In conclusion, PA among college students during the COVID-19 pandemic affects their depressive symptoms directly and indirectly through the independent mediating effect of perceived stress and academic procrastination, as well as the chain mediating effect of perceived stress and academic procrastination.

Acupuncture for Subthreshold Depression: Study Protocol for a Randomized Controlled Trial

BACKGROUND

Subthreshold depression refers to a state of mental sub-health that has depressive symptoms but does not meet the diagnostic criteria for major depressive disorder. It is a strong risk factor for depression and is related to an increase in suicide and mortality. Studies suggest that acupuncture may be effective in the treatment of subthreshold depression, but no evidence has proven that the efficacy of acupuncture for subthreshold depression is a specific therapeutic effect or a placebo effect.

METHODS

This will be a prospective, randomized, controlled, and double-blind study of 64 patients with subthreshold depression. They will be randomly assigned as verum or minimal acupuncture group members. Patients in the verum acupuncture group will receive acupuncture at the acupoints, and those in the minimal acupuncture group will receive minimal acupuncture at non-acupoints. The interventions will be delivered over an 8-week period. The primary outcome measure will be the Hamilton Depression Scale-17 (HAMD-17). The secondary outcome measures will be the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD-7), and SF-12v2 Health Survey. The assessments will occur at baseline, 4 weeks, 8 weeks, and during a follow-up period.

DISCUSSION

The protocol uses a randomized controlled trial to examine the effectiveness of acupuncture for subthreshold depression and to further study the mechanisms of its effect.

Possible antidepressant mechanisms of omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids acting on the central nervous system

Omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) can play important roles in maintaining mental health and resistance to stress, and omega-3 PUFAs supplementation can display beneficial effects on both the prevention and treatment of depressive disorders. Although the underlying mechanisms are still unclear, accumulated evidence indicates that omega-3 PUFAs can exhibit pleiotropic effects on the neural structure and function. Thus, they play fundamental roles in brain activities involved in the mood regulation. Since depressive symptoms have been assumed to be of central origin, this review aims to summarize the recently published studies to identify the potential neurobiological mechanisms underlying the anti-depressant effects of omega-3 PUFAs. These include that of (1) anti-neuroinflammatory; (2) hypothalamus-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis; (3) anti-oxidative stress; (4) anti-neurodegeneration; (5) neuroplasticity and synaptic plasticity; and (6) modulation of neurotransmitter systems. Despite many lines of evidence have hinted that these mechanisms may co-exist and work in concert to produce anti-depressive effects, the potentially multiple sites of action of omega-3 PUFAs need to be fully established. We also discussed the limitations of current studies and suggest future directions for preclinical and translational research in this field.