Genetic contribution to the relationship between personality and depressive symptoms among older women.

BACKGROUND: Prior studies suggest that certain types of personality are at higher risk for developing depressive disorders. This study examined the relationship between old age depressive symptoms and two middle-age personality dimensions, neuroticism and extraversion. METHOD: The present study is part of the Finnish Twin Study on Aging, where altogether 409 female twins who had completed the Eysenck Personality Inventory at the age of 38-51 years were studied for depressive symptoms 28 years later using Center for the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale. Logistic regression analysis suitable for dependent data and univariate and Cholesky models for decomposing the genetic and environmental factor were used. RESULTS: Middle age extraversion protected from later depressive symptoms while neuroticism increased the risk. Twin modeling indicated that the association between neuroticism and depressive symptoms resulted from shared genetic risk factors common to both traits. However, a substantial proportion of the genetic vulnerability was specific to old age depressive symptoms and was not shared with neuroticism. Middle age extraversion had no genetic relationship with old age depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: The relationship between middle age neuroticism and old age depressive symptoms is strong but only partly the result of genetic factors that predispose to both neuroticism and depressive symptoms. Extraversion, by contrast, has no genetic relationship with depressive symptoms experienced in old age.

Factors affecting the increased risk of physical inactivity among older people with depressive symptoms.

The purpose of this study was to investigate the association between depressive symptoms and physical inactivity, and whether motives for and barriers to exercise explain the potential association between depressive symptoms and physical inactivity in older people. The design of the study was cross-sectional. The study population comprised 645 people born between 1922 and 1928 who were residents in a city-center area of Jyväskylä in central Finland. Depressive symptoms were assessed using Center for the Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, physical activity using Grimby's (1986) validated scale, and motives for and barriers to exercise using a questionnaire and mobility limitation with a test of walking time over 10 m. The results demonstrated that the risk of physical inactivity was more than twofold among persons with depressive symptoms compared with non-depressed people. A higher prevalence of perceived barriers to physical activity, such as poor health, fear and negative experiences, together with lack of knowledge, explained part of the increased risk of physical inactivity among those with depressive symptoms while differences in motives for physical activity did not have a material effect. Adjustment for walking time over 10 m attenuated the increased risk of inactivity further. When planning exercise promotion programs, finding ways to overcome fear and negative experiences and providing information may help to increase physical activity among people with depressive symptoms. Additionally, difficulties caused by poor mobility should not be ignored.

MC1288, a vitamin D analog, prevents acute graft-versus-host disease in rat bone marrow transplantation.

The major obstacle to successful bone marrow transplantation (BMT) is graft-versus-host disease (GVHD). Vitamin D analogs have shown their efficacy in solid organ transplantation. The purpose of this study was to investigate the suitability of a novel vitamin D analog, MC1288, in the prevention of acute GVHD in a rat BMT model. Allogeneic BMT were performed from Lewis to BN rats (n = 18). The animals were divided into four groups: an untreated control group, MC1288, cyclosporin A (CsA), and MC1288 + CsA-treated groups. Rats were harvested for histology and immunohistochemistry on day 20 after BMT. Histological changes for GVHD in liver, skin, and spleen were scored. Positivity in immunostaining was quantified as the number of positive cells/high power field. Treatment with MC1288 decreased clinical signs of GVHD compared with untreated or CsA-treated rats. Histological manifestations of GVHD, expressed as mean total increment, were significantly lower (1.4 +/- 0.5) in MC1288 than in untreated (5.0 +/- 1.6) or CsA (3.5 +/- 1.0) groups. Combining MC1288 and CsA further improved histology (1.1 +/- 0.6). The expression of CD4, CD8, MHC class II, interleukin-2 receptor, nitric oxide 2, and NKR-P1A (NK cells) positivity was significantly decreased in the liver and skin of BMT rats by MC1288. MC1288 was effective in preventing clinical and histological signs and symptoms of GVHD. This novel vitamin D analog could be used as an immunomodulating agent in BMT.

A vitamin D analog, MC1288, inhibits adventitial inflammation and suppresses intimal lesions in rat aortic allografts.

Certain analogs of vitamin D have been shown to prevent autoimmune diseases and prolong cardiac allograft survival. We transplanted aortic allografts from DA rats to WF rats to investigate the effect of a synthetic vitamin D analog, MC1288, and cyclosporine (CsA), alone or in combination, on acute and chronic rejection (allograft arteriosclerosis) and the mechanism of action of MC1288. The histological changes in the vascular wall were quantitated as point score units (psu). Adventitial inflammation linked with acute rejection at 1 month after transplantation decreased from 10.0+/-0.9 psu to 4.1+/-1.0 psu (P<0.01) when MC1288, 0.1 microg/kg/every other day, and CsA, 5 mg/kg/day, were combined. Intimal thickening decreased from 2.5+/-0.3 psu to 1.1+/-0.4 psu (P<0.05) at 3 months after transplantation. Proliferation of the adventitial lymphoid cells, detected by bromodeoxyuridine labeling, decreased from 140+/-36 to 20+/-19 labeled cells/cross-section. MC1288 alone suppressed interleukin 2 receptor-expressing cells from 156 to 90 positive cells/cross-section. Taken together, MC1288 with CsA effectively suppress T cell proliferation and activation and decrease intimal thickening.

CB1093, a novel vitamin D analog; effects on differentiation and clonal growth on HL-60 and de novo leukemia cells.

We studied the effects of a novel vitamin D analog CB1093, EB1089 (one of the most antileukemic analogs yet) and 1 alpha,25(OH)2D3 both on HL-60 cells and cells from 13 AML patients. Differentiation was measured both by induction of superoxide production and non-specific esterase. Cell proliferation was assessed by colony assay and 3H-thymidine incorporation. The effect on serum calcium was measured in rats. The CB1093 proved to be the most efficient of the analogs tested so far, both in inducing differentiation and in inhibiting proliferation. This, combined with its low hypercalcemic effect shown here, makes it a promising candidate for preclinical animal studies.

Elemental content of vegetables and millet grown in potted soil amended with lignite fly ash.

Vegetables and millet were grown to maturity in potted soil amended with 10% (by weight) of lignite fly ash. Analysis of the ash, soil, and crops for 40 elements showed Al, As, B, Mg, Mo, Rb, and Se to be absorbed at higher levels by the ash-grown plants than the controls in most instances. Selenium was of most concern, because of its toxicity and degree of plant uptake.

Element and chlorinated hydrocarbon content of commercial pet foods.

An analytical survey has been conducted of 42 elements, p,p'-DDE, dieldrin andpolychlorinated biphenyls in 31 commercial canned pet foods. Neutron activation analysis, graphite furnace atomic absorption, anodic stripping voltammetry, electron affinity gas chromatography and other methods were used. Arsenic, bromine, cadmium, chromium, mercury, selenium and DDE were highest in fish-containing cat foods. Lead was most consistently high in those products containing chicken. Barium, nickel and tin also appeared high in certain of the samples.