Mental health and well-being of women (menarche, perinatal, and menopause).

Mental well-being is now an increasingly researched and discussed topic that primarily involves taking care of mental health in a preventive manner and is more of a subjective concept. Mental well-being ensures mental health and measures taken toward it can protect the person's overall health. Discussing and researching this concept is of paramount importance as this will not just safeguard an individual life but the society at large. The lifetime of a woman is multidimensionally unique with a complex interplay of biological, sociocultural, and environmental aspects. This demands a diverse variety of factors required to ensure mental well-being in a woman. In addition to this, these determinants vary on the life stage the woman is in. Factors that influence this well-being are also specific when it comes to an Indian context. This chapter considers and discusses in detail the various aspects of the mental health and well-being of women in the pubertal, perinatal, and menopausal age groups. Determinants are unique to particular age groups of women, and measures to focus on and ensure it will be elaborated on. Finally, recommendations towards policy making are also suggested.

Quantitative Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-1 Antibodies Correlate With Plasma HIV-1 RNA and Cell-associated DNA Levels in Children on Antiretroviral Therapy.

BACKGROUND: This study measured serial plasma human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)-1-specific antibody (Ab) levels in children who initiated antiretroviral therapy (ART) prior to 2 years of age, and evaluated their relationship to peripheral blood HIV-1 RNA and DNA levels. METHODS: We studied 46 HIV-1-infected children, stratified by age at ART initiation (<3 mo, early therapy [ET]; >3 mo-2 years, late therapy [LT]) and by virologic response (R) or non-response (NR), before and up to 4 years following ART. We studied 20 HIV-1-uninfected children born to HIV-1-infected mothers (seroreverters [SR]) as controls. Plasma immunoglobulin G (IgG) Ab levels directed against HIV-1 envelope (gp160, gp41), gag (capsid, p24; matrix, p17), reverse transcriptase (p66/51), and integrase (p31) were serially measured using quantitative enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. HIV-1 Ab rates of decline were estimated over the first 15 months of the study. RESULTS: The HIV-1 Ab rates of decline in the ET-R group were similar to those in the SR group for all Ab specificities, except for p17 (P = .01). Ab decline rates in the LT-R group and the NR group were significantly slower than in the SR group for all tested Ab specificities. After 1 year of age, Ab levels to p31 and p17 were significantly associated with HIV-1 RNA levels (P < .001); Ab levels to gp160 (P < .001) and gp41 (P < .001) were significantly associated with cell-associated HIV-1 DNA levels. CONCLUSIONS: Quantitative HIV-1-specific Ab levels may be useful for screening children on ART for viral suppression or for residual, cell-associated HIV-1 DNA levels. CLINICAL TRIALS REGISTRATION: NCT00000872.

MYC amplification in subtypes of breast cancers in African American women.

BACKGROUND: MYC overexpression is associated with poor prognosis in breast tumors (BCa). The objective of this study was to determine the prevalence of MYC amplification and associated markers in BCa tumors from African American (AA) women and determine the associations between MYC amplification and clinico-pathological characteristics. METHODS: We analyzed 70 cases of well characterized archival breast ductal carcinoma specimens from AA women for MYC oncogene amplification. Utilizing immune histochemical analysis estrogen receptor (ER), progesterone receptor (PR), and (HER2/neu), were assessed. Cases were Luminal A (ER or PR+, Ki-67 < 14%), Luminal B (ER or PR+, Ki-67 = > 14% or ER or PR+ HER2+), HER2 (ER-, PR-, HER2+), and Triple Negative (ER-, PR-, HER2-) with basal-like phenotype. The relationship between MYC amplification and prognostic clinico-pathological characteristics was determined using chi square and logistic regression modeling. RESULTS: Sixty-five (97%) of the tumors showed MYC gene amplification (MYC: CEP8 > 1). Statistically significant associations were found between MYC amplification and HER2-amplified BCa, and Luminal B subtypes of BCa (p < 0.0001), stage (p < 0.001), metastasis (p < 0.001), and positive lymph node status (p = 0.039). MYC amplification was associated with HER2 status (p = 0.01) and tumor size (p = 0.01). High MYC amplification was seen in grade III carcinomas (MYC: CEP8 = 2.42), pre-menopausal women (MYC: CEP8 = 2.49), PR-negative status (MYC: CEP8 = 2.42), and ER-positive status (MYC: CEP8 = 2.4). CONCLUSIONS: HER2 positive BCas in AA women are likely to exhibit MYC amplification. High amplification ratios suggest that MYC drives HER2 amplification, especially in HER2 positive, Luminal B, and subtypes of BCa.

Role of antioxidants in generalised anxiety disorder and depression.

BACKGROUND: Anxiety and depression form commonest stress-induced psychiatric disorders. To combat the biochemical changes which occur as a result of stress, there is antioxidant defence in the biological system. Secondary defence is by the nonenzymatic antioxidants like vitamins E (alphatocopherol), C (ascorbic acid), and ß-carotene. Therefore, the authors interest was aroused to examine the status of these antioxidants in the biological system of patients suffering from stress-induced psychiatric disorders. AIMS: This study was carried out to find out whether patients with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) and depression have any difference in blood serum levels of vitamins A (ß-carotene), C, and E in comparison to the normal healthy control group and whether supplementation of adequate doses of vitamins A (ß-carotene), C, and E leads to improvement in anxiety and depression and reduction in scores of the patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Eighty subjects in the age group of 20-60 years, who attended a psychiatric clinic of a private hospital and who met inclusion and exclusion criteria of the study and consented for psychological evaluation and blood screening to find out the serum levels of vitamins A, C, and E, were included in the study. Approval was sought from the institutional ethics committee for collecting the blood sample of these subjects before and after vitamins A, C, and E supplements given for a period of 6 weeks. STATISTICS ANALYSIS: It was observed that patients with GAD and depression had significantly lower levels of vitamins A, C, and E in comparison to healthy controls. After dietary supplementation of these vitamins for a period of 6 weeks, a significant reduction in anxiety and depression scores of patients was observed (P<0.001). A significant increase in the blood levels of antioxidants was observed in patients (P<0.05) except that of vitamin E in the group of depressed patients. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: The findings suggest that antioxidant supplement therapy as an adjuvant therapy is useful in patients with stress-induced psychiatric disorders and the results have been discussed.