Changes in pain and quality of life in depressed individuals with spinal cord injury: does type of pain matter?

Objective: To examine the association of neuropathic and nociceptive pain severity and interference with quality of life (QoL) in persons with spinal cord injury (SCI) who underwent a randomized controlled 12-week trial of an antidepressant to treat depression. A secondary objective was to assess the effect of changes in pain on mobility and physical independence.

Design: Multivariable ANCOVA models controlling for relevant demographic covariates, treatment condition, and baseline pain and QoL were used.

Mental health and outcomes in primary total joint arthroplasty.

A consecutive series of 640 total joint arthroplasty patients was interviewed before surgery and at a minimum of 2 years following surgery. Statistical analyses were conducted to examine the effect of psychological distress and other patient characteristics on outcomes (Western Ontario and McMaster Universities Osteoarthritis Index, Short Form 36, and Quality of Well-Being index). Before and after surgery, distressed subjects had significantly lower scores than nondistressed subjects for most dependent measures (P range, .

Assessing the progression of mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease: current trends and future directions.

With the advent of advances in biomarker detection and neuropsychological measurement, prospects have improved for identifying and tracking the progression of Alzheimer's disease (AD) from its earliest stages through dementia. While new diagnostic techniques have exciting implications for initiating treatment earlier in the disease process, much work remains to be done to optimize the contributions of the expanding range of tools at the disposal of researchers and clinicians. The present paper examines recent work in cerebrospinal fluid biomarkers, magnetic resonance imaging, positron emission tomography, neuropsychological measures, and functional assessment.

Oxytocin attenuates atherosclerosis and adipose tissue inflammation in socially isolated ApoE-/- mice.

Objective: To determine the effect of exogenous oxytocin (OT) administration on inflammation and atherosclerosis in socially isolated apoE(-/-) mice. Hyperlipidemic animals housed in isolated or stressful social environments display more extensive atherosclerosis than those in an affiliative social environment. The neurohypophyseal peptide OT may be involved in both affiliative social behavior and cardiovascular homeostasis, suggesting a role in mediating the benefits of positive social interactions on atherosclerosis.

Oxytocin attenuates NADPH-dependent superoxide activity and IL-6 secretion in macrophages and vascular cells.

Oxytocin is synthesized and released in the heart and vasculature, tissues that also express oxytocin receptors. Although it has been established this intrinsic cardiovascular oxytocin system is important in normal homeostatic cardiac and vascular regulation, a role for this system in cardiovascular pathophysiology has not been investigated. The current study examined the influence of oxytocin on mechanisms in atherogenesis, oxidative stress, and inflammation in cultured human vascular cells, THP-1 monocytes, and macrophages.

The effect of social environment on markers of vascular oxidative stress and inflammation in the Watanabe heritable hyperlipidemic rabbit.

Objective: Previous research demonstrated that social environment can influence progression of atherosclerosis in the Watanabe Heritable Hyperlipidemic (WHHL) rabbit. This study examined the effect of social environment on markers of oxidative stress and inflammation to clarify the physiological pathways potentially responsible for the influence of social environment on disease.

Methods And Results: WHHL rabbits were assigned to 1 of 3 social groups: an unstable group, in which unfamiliar rabbits were paired daily, with the pairing switched each week; a stable group, in which littermates were paired daily; and an individually-caged group.