Levomilnacipran ER 40 mg and 80 mg in patients with major depressive disorder: a phase III, randomized, double-blind, fixed-dose, placebo-controlled study.

Background: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is a global health concern. This study examined the efficacy, safety and tolerability of an extended-release (ER) formulation of levomilnacipran, an antidepressant approved for the treatment of MDD in adults.

Methods: This 10-week (1-week placebo run-in period, 8-week double-blind treatment, 1-week down-taper), multicentre, double-blind, placebo-controlled, parallel-group, fixed-dose study was conducted between June 2011 and March 2012.

Cutoff score of the sexual interest and desire inventory-female for diagnosis of hypoactive sexual desire disorder.

Objective: To determine the most appropriate cutoff value for the Sexual Interest and Desire Inventory-Female (SIDI-F) score to discriminate between women with hypoactive sexual desire disorder (HSDD) and those with no female sexual dysfunction (FSD). The SIDI-F is a clinician-rated instrument consisting of 13 items designed to assess HSDD severity in women. The total score ranges from 0 to 51, with higher scores indicating better sexual function.

Improvement of psychic and somatic symptoms in adult patients with generalized anxiety disorder: examination from a duloxetine, venlafaxine extended-release and placebo-controlled trial.

Background: This study examined the efficacy and tolerability of duloxetine and venlafaxine extended-release (XR) treatment for generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), with a secondary focus on psychic and somatic symptoms within GAD.

Method: The design was a 10-week, multi-center, double-blind placebo-controlled study of duloxetine (20 mg or 60-120 mg once daily) and venlafaxine XR (75-225 mg once daily) treatment. Efficacy was measured using the Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA), which includes psychic and somatic factor scores.

Measuring the severity of depression and remission in primary care: validation of the HAMD-7 scale.

Background: Symptomatic remission is the optimal outcome in depression. A brief, validated tool for symptom measurement that can indicate when remission has occurred in mental health and primary care settings is unavailable. We evaluated a 7-item abbreviated version (HAMD-7) of the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) in a randomized controlled clinical trial of patients with major depressive disorder being cared for in primary care settings.

MAO-A gene polymorphisms are associated with major depression and sleep disturbance in males.

We investigated whether the genetic variants of the MAO-A gene were associated with major depression and/or the clusters of depressive symptoms. The EcoRV and the uVNTR polymorphisms were studied in a population of 191 patients with major depression and 233 control subjects. The EcoRV polymorphism was found to be associated with depression in males but not in females.