Relationship between occupational stress and depression among psychiatric nurses in Japan.

Psychiatric nursing is a stressful area of nursing practice. The purpose of this study was to examine occupational stress among psychiatric nurses in Japan. In this cross-sectional study, 238 psychiatric nurses were recruited from 7 hospitals. Data regarding the Generic Job Stress Questionnaire (GJSQ), the Center for Epidemiologic Studies for Depression Scale (CES-D), and the Health Practice Index (HPI) were obtained via self-report questionnaires. After adjusting for all the variables, CES-D scores were associated with job stress, but social support reduced the effect of stress on depression among psychiatric nurses. However, the interpretation of these results was hampered by the lack of data concerning important occupational factors, such as working position, personal income, and working hours. Further longitudinal investigation into the factors associated with depression may yield useful information for administrative and psychological interventions.

A Novel Deletion Mutation in the MEN1 Gene in a Patient with Prolactinoma and a Family History of Pancreatic Tumors.

OBJECTIVE: Multiple endocrine neoplasia type 1 (MEN1) is an autosomal dominant tumor syndrome caused by mutations in the MEN1 gene. Mutations in this tumor suppressor gene are often associated with neuroendocrine tumors. Here we describe a novel deletion mutation at codon 304 in the MEN1 gene of a patient with a prolactinoma and strong family history of pancreatic tumors. METHODS: We describe the patient's clinical course and mutational analysis and review the relevant literature. RESULTS: A 30-year-old pregnant female was referred to our institution's psychological department for treatment of depression. She had developed a prolactinoma at age 17 and was being treated with 1 mg/week of cabergoline. A medical interview revealed a family history of pancreatic islet cell and other tumors; her mother died of pancreatic cancer, her brother is living with gastrinoma, and her sister died of leiomyosarcoma. Extensive examinations performed after delivery, including laboratory tests and computed tomography (CT) scans, did not reveal any other tumors. Mutational analysis of the MEN1 gene identified a heterozygous deletion mutation (c911_914delAGGT) at codon 304. This mutation produces a frameshift at p.304Lys and might disturb the splicing of intron 6 due to the lack of a donor site. The predicted menin protein from the mutated allele is truncated at amino acid 328. CONCLUSION: We report a novel deletion mutation (c911_914delAGGT) in the MEN1 gene that was likely associated with the patient's prolactinoma and her strong family history of pancreatic tumors.

Association between plasma paroxetine concentration and changes in plasma brain­derived neurotrophic factor levels in patients with major depressive disorder.

Recent studies have implicated brain­derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in the pathophysiology of depression and in the activities of antidepressant drugs. Serum BDNF levels are lower in depressed patients and increase in response to antidepressant medications; however, no studies have examined the association between plasma concentrations of antidepressant drugs and plasma BDNF levels. We assessed plasma BDNF levels and paroxetine concentrations in 45 patients with major depression who were being treated with paroxetine. Plasma samples were collected between 10:00 h and 12:00 h at baseline and after 1, 2 and 6 weeks of treatment. The BDNF level and paroxetine concentration of each sample were measured via enzyme immunoassay and high­performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Plasma BDNF levels increased after 2 and 6 weeks of paroxetine treatment. Plasma BDNF levels were significantly lower in men than in women. Changes in plasma BDNF level were correlated with plasma drug concentration after 2 (r = 0.309, p < 0.05) and 6 weeks (r = 0.329, p < 0.05) but not correlated with plasma drug concentration after 1 week (r = 0.284, ns). Multiple regression analysis confirmed that this change was only significantly correlated with plasma paroxetine concentration after 2 (standardised beta = 0.343, p < 0.05) and 6 weeks (standardised beta = 0.375, p < 0.05). These results suggest that paroxetine treatment increases plasma BDNF levels and that plasma paroxetine levels play an important role in changes in plasma BDNF levels.

The effect of smoking status on the plasma concentration of prolactin already elevated by risperidone treatment in schizophrenia patients.

Smoking prevalence for schizophrenic patients is higher than for the general population. Inter-individual variability in hyperprolactinemia induced antipsychotics particularly risperidone can be explained by smoking status to some extent. We therefore studied the effects of smoking status on the plasma concentration of prolactin. Subjects included 154 schizophrenia patients (61 males, 93 females) who had received 3 mg of risperidone twice daily for at least 4 weeks. Sample collections were conducted 12 h after the bedtime dosing. The plasma concentrations of prolactin in the females were significantly higher than in the males (117.6±69.3 ng/ml vs. 52.9±30.7 ng/ml, p<0.001). The mean (±SD) plasma concentrations of prolactin did not differ between smokers and nonsmokers in the males (59.5±31.2 ng/ml vs. 47.6±29.3 ng/ml, not significant (ns)), but there was a significant difference in the females (100.2±59.1 vs. 134.0±74.6, ng/ml, p<0.05). Multiple regression analyses including gender, plasma drug concentration and age revealed that the plasma concentration of prolactin positively correlated with gender (standardized beta=0.452, p<0.001) and negatively with age (standardized beta=-0.171, p<0.05) and smoking status (standardized beta=-0.232, p<0.01). These findings suggest that smoking status has an impact on prolactin concentration during risperidone treatment. However, further study is required to determine whether these findings have clinical implications.