Depression and anxiety and the effectiveness of cognitive behavioural therapy in IBS patients: a randomized controlled trial

Backgrounds: Anxiety and depression are found to be the major contributors to irritable bowel syndrome [IBS]. The present study aimed to measure the effect of a specifically designed cognitive behavioural therapy [CBT] program on the severity of the symptoms and quality of life of patients with chronic IBS, and also define whether anxiety and depression in patients with IBS at baseline affect their response to CBT

Methods: The participants were randomly allocated to conventional treatment only [n=25, control] or CBT plus conventional treatment [n=25, intervention] group. The intervention group attended an eight-session group stress management training course conducted by a psychologist in a meeting room at a gastrointestinal clinic at Yasuj University of Medical Sciences. Pre- and post-interventions and 3-month follow-up visits were scheduled and conducted by an experienced healthcare worker to measure the primary outcomes and levels of depression and anxiety in the patients. The study was conducted on 2011

Results: The Raw Group Difference [RGD] and Standardised Mean Differences [SMD] for the post-treatment scores of the intervention group, when compared with those of the control group, indicated a considerable improvement in the severity of IBS symptoms [RGD=?10.48, SMD=?1.23], anxiety [RGD=?9.90, SMD=?0.725], d epression [RGD=?9.57, SMD=?0.785] and patient's quality of life [MD=?16.81, SMD=?0.469]. No association [and interaction with CBT] was found between anxiety/depression at baseline and post-treatment or follow-up scores of the outcomes

Conclusion: Although CBT improved anxiety, depression, severity of IBS and quality of life of patients with IBS, its effect was independent of the initial level of anxiety and depression of the patients

Stauprimide priming of human embryonic stem cells toward definitive endoderm

In vitro production of a definitive endoderm [DE] is an important issue in stem cell-related differentiation studies and it can assist with the production of more efficient endoderm derivatives for therapeutic applications. Despite tremendous progress in DE differentiation of human embryonic stem cells [hESCs], researchers have yet to discover universal, efficient and cost-effective protocols. In this experimental study, we have treated hESCs with 200 nM of Stauprimide [Spd] for one day followed by activin A [50 ng/ml; A50] for the next three days [Spd-A50]. In the positive control group, hESCs were treated with Wnt3a [25 ng/ml] and activin A [100 ng/ml] for the first day followed by activin A for the next three days [100 ng/ml; W/A100-A100]. Gene expression analysis showed up regulation of DE-specific marker genes [SOX17, FOXA2 and CXCR4] comparable to that observed in the positive control group. Expression of the other lineage specific markers did not significantly change [p<0.05]. We also obtained the same gene expression results using another hESC line. The use of higher concentrations of Spd [400 and 800 nM] in the Spd-A50 protocol caused an increase in the expression SOX17 as well as a dramatic increase in mortality rate of the hESCs. A lower concentration of activin A [25 ng/ml] was not able to up regulate the DE-specific marker genes. Then, A50 was replaced by inducers of definitive endoderm; IDE1/2 [IDE1 and IDE2], two previously reported small molecule [SM] inducers of DE, in our protocol [Spd-IDE1/2]. This replacement resulted in the up regulation of visceral endoderm [VE] marker [SOX7] but not DE-specific markers. Therefore, while the Spd-A50 protocol led to DE production, we have shown that IDE1/2 could not fully replace activin A in DE induction of hESCs These findings can assist with the design of more efficient chemically-defined protocols for DE induction of hESCs and lead to a better understanding of the different signaling networks that are involved in DE differentiation of hESCs

Quantitative expression of developmental genes, Pou5f1 [Oct4] and Mest [Peg1], in vitrified mouse embryos

Embryo cryopreservation is the process that water is removed from the cell by cryoprotectant materials, and embryos are stored at temperature below zero. This process may affect the viability and developmental potential of embryos. In this study, the effect of the vitrification cryotop method on the expression level of Oct4 and Mest developmental genes in mouse blastocysts was examined. The collected 2-cell embryos of superovulated mouse by oviduct flushing were divided into non-vitrified and vitrified groups. These embryos were cultured to the blastocyst stage directly in the non-vitrified group and in the vitrified group, these embryos were cultured to 4-8 cell embryos, vitrified with cryotop in these stages and after 2-6 months, warmed and cultured to blastocyst embryos. Quantitative expression of two developmental genes, namely Oct4 and Mest, were performed in these groups, using RNA purification and Real-time RT-PCR. Quantitative PCR analysis showed that the expression level of both genes, Oct4 and Mest, was reduced significantly in the vitrified-warmed group relative to the control group [p=0.046 and p=0.001]. This study revealed that morphologically normal embryos show a reduced amount of Oct4 and Mest transcripts which indicate that the vitrification method negatively effects the expression level of these two developmental genes

[Comparing anxiety, depression and sexual life satisfaction in two groups of fertile and infertile women in Tehran]

Infertility is a major painful emotional distress that is manifested in the form of psychological disorders such as anxiety, depression and reduction of normal sexual function in affected couples. The purpose of this study was to compare anxiety, depression and life satisfaction between fertile and infertile women admitted to Vali-e-Asr Infertility Clinic in Tehran in 2009. This descriptive study included 60 participants, being composed of 30 infertile and 30 fertile women. The demographic data including marital status, infertility duration, age and occupation were recorded. Zung's self-rating Anxiety Scale and Beck Depression Inventory [BDI] were used for evaluating anxiety and depression, respectively. The Evaluation and Nurturing Relationship Issues, Communication and Happiness [ENRICH] questionnaire was also used for evaluating the participants' life satisfaction. Anxiety and depression were significantly higher in infertile compared to fertile women [p < 0.05] but life satisfaction was not much different in the two groups. In both groups, anxiety and depression did not relate with age or infertility duration but life satisfaction grew more in infertile women than fertile women by age and marriage duration. In the two groups, anxiety, depression and sex satisfaction did not relate with education but infertility duration was affected by sexual satisfaction despite having no significant relationship with anxiety or depression. Moreover, depression and sexual dissatisfaction in infertile housekeeper women was more prevalent than infertile employed women but anxiety had no relationship with their occupational status. Infertile women need psychiatric care. Considering the results of this study, suggestions addressing the improvement of psychological health of infertile women through supportive measures seem to be of value

[Factors influencing on the proper model of motivational beliefs in high school students, Tehran, Iran]

Motivational beliefs are a series of personal and social criteria to which people refer in order to perform an action and they include different constructions which are made by different theoretical models such as attribution theory, self-efficiency theory, goal theory and intrinsic motivation theory. The purpose of this study was to examine the effective factors [familial, Individual, academic and environmental] on providing a good model for motivational beliefs of students, Tehran city, capital of Iran. The present research was conducted through survey method and statistical sample comprise 499 high school students including: 282 female [56.6%] and 217 male [43.4%] within the age group of 15-18. These students were selected by proportionate stratified sampling among high school students located in district 1 of Tehran city in 2010. The instruments utilized were Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire [MSLQ], The School Attitude Assessment Survey_Revised [SAAS_R], Rotter's internal-external control scale, Researcher designed questionnaire for assessing academic factors, Researcher designed questionnaire for assessing social values and culture and family socio-economic status questionnaire. The data was analyzed through independent sample tests, pearson correlation test and multiple simultaneous regressions. The results revealed that most significant relation between previous mentioned factors and students' motivational beliefs in order include: environmental factors [r=0.440], individual factors [r=0.426] and academic factors [r=0.248] [P<0.01]. Familial factors do not have significant relationship with students' motivational beliefs [r=-0.002, P>0.05]. The study revealed that there were direct and positive relations between students' motivational beliefs and environmental, individual and academic factors