Correlation between Serum 25-Hydroxyvitamin D Level and Depression among Korean Women with Secondary Amenorrhea: A Cross-Sectional Observational Study.

Vitamin D deficiency is considered a major public health problem worldwide and has been reported as having an association with depression. However, studies on the association between vitamin D deficiency and depressive symptoms in secondary amenorrhea (SA) patients are still scarce. This study examined the relationship between serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (25(OH)D) levels and depressive symptoms among Korean women with SA.

Serum vitamin D levels and ovarian reserve markers in secondary amenorrhea patients: Is there a link?

Objective: To investigate whether serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] level is associated with ovarian reserve markers in secondary amenorrhea (SA) patients.

Methods: Sixty-three women diagnosed with SA were recruited during 12 months from the initiation of this prospective observational study. Serum 25(OH)D levels, serum anti-Müllerian hormone (AMH) levels and antral follicle count (AFC) were estimated in study participants and ovarian reserve markers were compared between participants with vitamin D deficiency and those with normal vitamin D levels.

Effects of Antipsychotic Drugs on the Epigenetic Modification of Brain-Derived Neurotrophic Factor Gene Expression in the Hippocampi of Chronic Restraint Stress Rats.

Recent studies have shown that antipsychotic drugs have epigenetic effects. However, the effects of antipsychotic drugs on histone modification remain unclear. Therefore, we investigated the effects of antipsychotic drugs on the epigenetic modification of the BDNF gene in the rat hippocampus.

Epigenetic modification of glucocorticoid receptor promoter I in maternally separated and restraint-stressed rats.

Glucocorticoid receptor (GR) promoter I is susceptible to epigenetic changes induced by environmental influences. Early life stress (ELS) has a persistent impact on GR expression, as well as behavior, in adult rodents via epigenetic changes of GR promoter I. Moreover, various stressors can induce histone modifications in this region during adulthood.

Tianeptine induces mTORC1 activation in rat hippocampal neurons under toxic conditions.

Rationale: Recent studies have demonstrated that mTORC1 activation may be related to antidepressant action. However, the relationship between mTORC1 signaling activation and currently prescribed antidepressants remains unclear.

Objective: The aim of the present study was to determine whether alterations in mTORC1 signaling are observable following treatment with tianeptine under toxic conditions induced by B27 deprivation.

p11 mediates the BDNF-protective effects in dendritic outgrowth and spine formation in B27-deprived primary hippocampal cells.

Background: p11 (S100A10) is a key regulator of depression-like behaviors and antidepressant drug response in rodent models. Recent studies suggest that p11 mediates the behavioral antidepressant action of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) in rodents. BDNF improves neural plasticity, which is linked to the cellular actions of antidepressant drugs.

Early life stress increases stress vulnerability through BDNF gene epigenetic changes in the rat hippocampus.

Early life stress (ELS) exerts long-lasting epigenetic influences on the brain and makes an individual susceptible to later depression. It is poorly understood whether ELS and subsequent adult chronic stress modulate epigenetic mechanisms. We examined the epigenetic mechanisms of the BDNF gene in the hippocampus, which may underlie stress vulnerability to postnatal maternal separation (MS) and adult restraint stress (RS).

Positive association between serious psychiatric outcomes and complications of diabetes mellitus in patients with depressive disorders.

Objectives: Depression and diabetes are closely biologically and behaviorally intertwined. We examined the impact of comorbid diabetes mellitus on the incidence of serious psychiatric outcomes among patients with depression.

Methods: We used claims data from the Korean Health Insurance Review & Assessment Service database of patients who were diagnosed with depression within one year of an index prescription for antidepressants between January 2007 and June 2008.

Effect of aripiprazole on cognitive function and hyperprolactinemia in patients with schizophrenia treated with risperidone.

Objective: This study aimed to assess the efficacy of aripiprazole for the management of cognitive impairments and hyperprolactinemia in patients with schizophrenia on a stable dose of risperidone.

Methods: Thirty-five subjects stabilized on risperidone (3-6 mg/day) for a minimum of 3 months were enrolled in a double-blind, placebo-controlled phase for 12 weeks and an open-label phase for another 12 weeks. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 10 mg/day aripiprazole (n=17) or placebo (n=18).

Adjunctive memantine therapy for cognitive impairment in chronic schizophrenia: a placebo-controlled pilot study.

Objective: To investigate the effects of memantine, an N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist, on cognitive impairments in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Methods: A 12-week, placebo-controlled trial was conducted to determine the effectiveness of memantine as an adjunctive treatment with conventional antipsychotic medications in 26 patients with chronic schizophrenia. The subjects were evaluated with the Korean version of the Mini-Mental State Examination (K-MMSE), the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D), and a standard neuropsychological screening test.

Determinants for heart rate variability in a normal Korean population.

This study examined the normal ranges and the determinants for various parameters of the short-term heart rate variability (HRV) measurements in a large Korean sample of healthy people. HRV measurements were obtained in 2,748 healthy men and 735 healthy women 18-65 yr of age. The mean total power (TP), low frequency (LF), high frequency (HF), and LF/HF ratio were 1,358.