Characteristics of depression in community-dwelling elderly people as indicated by the tree-drawing test.

BACKGROUND: The tree-drawing test (TDT) is a typical projective method, but previous studies have paid little attention to it for elderly people. We investigated the characteristics of depression in community-dwelling elderly people as indicated by the TDT. METHODS: This study was a complete enumeration survey of elderly people conducted through home visits. The contents of the survey included gender, age, presence or absence of housemates, frequency of going out, the 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale, and TDT. The subjects were divided into three groups (normal, depressed tendency, and depressed) according to the total 15-item Geriatric Depression Scale score. RESULTS: In TDT, no significant difference was observed in drooping crown, shadow of the whole tree, or shadow near the base, which have been regarded as indices of depression in younger people. However, the values concerning the size of the tree, such as the height and width of the whole tree, height and width of the crown, and number of occupied areas (of the paper), were significantly lower in the depressed group than in the other groups. In addition, the width of the trunk was significantly smaller in the depressed group than in the normal group. Subjects were classified as being in a 'depressed state' if they used 40 or fewer areas for drawing (i.e. occupied areas) and a 'non-depressed state' if they used 41 or more areas. This enabled depression to be detected (sensitivity: 71.4%; specificity: 79.9%). CONCLUSIONS: The size of the tree in TDT is suggested to reflect characteristics of depression in elderly people, such as introversion, reserve, antisocial attitude, a feeling of inferiority, weakness of ego, and lack of vigour. Furthermore, the numbers of occupied areas were found to be relatively useful in detecting depression in elderly people.

Quantification of central substance P receptor occupancy by aprepitant using small animal positron emission tomography.

BACKGROUND: Central substance P receptors, termed NK-1 receptors, have been considered as therapeutic targets in the development of drugs against diverse conditions, including emesis, overactive bladder, and depression. METHODS: Here, we applied small animal positron emission tomography (PET) and a radioligand for NK-1 receptors ([(18)F]FE-SPA-RQ) for measuring occupancies of these receptors by a selective antagonist (aprepitant) in order to examine the validity of this in vivo imaging system for preclinical characterization of candidate agents acting on NK-1 receptors, and as a tool for predicting optimal doses in humans. RESULTS: PET in gerbils depicted high uptake in the striatum and dose-dependent displacement with increasing doses of aprepitant. Occupancies increased as a function of aprepitant plasma concentrations according to a one-site competition model, which agrees with reported occupancy-concentration relationships in clinical studies after correction for species differences in plasma protein-unbound aprepitant fractions. These occupancy data were further supported by ex vivo autoradiography of brain samples from aprepitant-treated gerbils. In a pilot study of a marmoset, we obtained more accurate determinations of NK-1 receptor occupancy, less affected by spillover of signals from extracranial tissues than in gerbil experiments. CONCLUSIONS: These findings support the utility of small animals and quantitative PET in the development of drugs targeting NK-1 receptors.

Vital significance of addition of "shape similarity" between solutes to shape complementarity for more precise molecular recognition in aqueous binary solvents.

Precise and specific molecular recognition is vital to living systems. Discrimination has mainly been studied by using particular host molecules (e.g., crown ethers, cyclodextrin and urea derivatives). Several studies in various fields have pointed out that the famous "lock-and-key theory" (the concept of shape complementarity) is, at present, insufficient for understanding precise discrimination. This seems to come from the fact that various types of intermolecular interactions are decisive in such discrimination. This Review intends to describe the novel concept that "shape similarity" between interacting solutes should be added to "shape complementarity" for more precise discrimination to be achieved. Further, the role of shape similarity between solvent and solute molecules is also described. In relation to precise molecular recognition, weak interactions, which depend on the three-dimensional shape of substituents (shape-specific weak interactions), are described. Possibility of alterations in solvent structures is discussed in aqueous binary solvents.

Asymmetric synthesis of double bond isomers of the structure proposed for pyrinodemin A and indication of its structural revision.

Asymmetric synthesis of double bond isomers (+)-2 (delta(15',16')) and (+)-3 (delta(14',15')) of the structure (1) (delta(16',17')) proposed for pyrinodemin A, a cytotoxic bis-pyridine alkaloid with a unique cis-cyclopent[c]isoxazolidine moiety from a marine sponge, has been accomplished. Pyrinodemin A was indicated to be a 1:1 racemic mixture of 2 from comparison of C(18 )and chiral HPLC analysis for pyrinodemin A and the synthetic compounds as well as ESIMS data of oxidative degradation products of pyrinodemin A.

Nagelamides A-H, new dimeric bromopyrrole alkaloids from marine sponge Agelas species.

Eight new dimeric bromopyrrole alkaloids, nagelamides A-H (1-8) and a monomeric one, 9,10-dihydrokeramadine (9), have been isolated from the Okinawan marine sponge Agelas sp., and the structures were elucidated from spectroscopic data. Nagelamides A-H (1-8) exhibited antibacterial activity against Gram-positive bacteria. Nagelamide G (7) inhibited protein phosphatase 2A activity.

Mechanism of the first-order phase transition of an acylurea derivative: observation of intermediate stages of transformation with a detailed temperature-resolved single-crystal diffraction method.

The process of the first-order solid-to-solid phase transition of 1-ethyl-3-(4-methylpentanoyl)urea (1) was observed by means of a detailed temperature-resolved single-crystal diffraction method, which resembles watching a series of stop-motion photographs. The transition consists of two elementary processes, one supramolecular and the other molecular. Crystal structures from before and after the phase transition are isostructural. The straight-ribbon-like one-dimensional hydrogen-bonding structure is formed and stacked to form a molecular layer. The geometry of the layer is retained during the phase transition. The relative position of the layer with its neighbours, on the other hand, changes gradually with increasing temperature. The change is accelerated at the temperature representing the start of the endotherm seen in the DSC curves of (1). The structural variation yields void space between the neighbouring layers. When the void space grows enough that the crystal is unstable, the 3-methylbutyl group on the last of the molecules turns into a disordered structure with drastic conformational changes to fill up the void space. The phase transition process is well supported with simple force-field calculations. A crystal of 1-(4-methylpentanoyl)-3-propylurea (2), which shows no solid-to-solid phase transitions, was also analysed by the same method for comparison.

Nakirodin A, a bromotyrosine alkaloid from a Verongid sponge.

A new bromotyrosine alkaloid, nakirodin A (1), has been isolated from an Okinawan marine Verongid sponge. The structure was elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data.

Luffariolides H and J, new sesterterpenes from a marine sponge Luffariella species.

Two new sesterterpenoids, luffariolides H (1) and J (2), have been isolated from an Okinawan marine sponge Luffariella sp. The structures of 1 and 2 were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data.