Jincai He

Increased serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels during opiate withdrawal.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of opiate addiction. Both increased and decreased serum BDNF levels have been reported in heroin addicts. Moreover, the role of BDNF in heroin-dependent patients during withdrawal has not been studied. This study aimed to explore the differences in serum BDNF levels of heroin addicts and healthy controls, and investigate the changes of serum BDNF levels in heroin addicts at baseline and at one month after heroin cessation. Seventy-two heroin-dependent patients and ninety age- and gender-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. We measured serum BDNF levels at baseline (both heroin addicts and healthy controls) and one month after heroin cessation (heroin addicts only). A total of 37 (51.4%) heroin addicts completed the one-month study. We found that baseline serum BDNF levels were significantly higher in heroin addicts compared to controls (F=36.5, p=0.001). There was no difference in serum BDNF levels among heroin addicts at baseline and one month after heroin cessation (F=1.101, p=0.301). These results indicate that BDNF may play a critical role in the course of opiate addiction and withdrawal.

Low serum levels of vitamin D are associated with post‐stroke depression

Low serum levels of vitamin D have been associated with depression in non‐stroke subjects. Our aim was to examine the possible association between serum vitamin D levels and the development of post‐stroke depression (PSD).

Malondialdehyde: A novel predictive biomarker for post-stroke depression

BACKGROUNDnThere is evidence that stroke is accompanied by oxidative stress. However, the links between oxidative stress and depression in stroke patients are poorly understood. This study examines whether post-stroke depression (PSD) is associated with oxidative stress.nnnMETHODSnOverall, 216 acute stroke patients were consecutively recruited and followed up for 1 month. Blood specimens were collected within 24h after admission and measured for the following oxidative stress biomarkers: malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-PX). All enrolled patients were divided into the PSD group or the non-PSD group according to an assessment of clinical depression. One hundred normal control subjects were also recruited.nnnRESULTSnThere was a positive correlation between serum MDA levels and HAMD scores in stroke patients (r=0.536, p<0.001). Based on the Receiver-operating characteristic (ROC) curve, the optimal cutoff value of serum MDA levels as an indicator for an auxiliary diagnosis of PSD was projected to be 2.898 nmol/ml, which yielded a sensitivity of 77.9% and a specificity of 81.1%, with an area under the curve of 0.883 (95% CI, 0.836-0.929). Elevated MDA (≥2.898 nmol/ml) was an independent predictive marker of PSD (odds ratio OR=24.295; 95% CI, 9.461-62.388; p<0.001, adjusted for relevant confounders).nnnLIMITATIONSnWe excluded patients with severe aphasia or with serious conditions. In addition, the information for dietary intake was not recorded, which may influence oxidative stress levels.nnnCONCLUSIONnOur study demonstrated that an elevated serum MDA level at admission was positively associated with an increased risk of developing depression after acute stroke, especially minor stroke.

An association between BDNF Val66Met polymorphism and impulsivity in methamphetamine abusers

Recent studies showed an association between a functional polymorphism of BDNF gene (Val66Met) and the susceptibility to methamphetamine addiction. We hypothesized that this polymorphism was associated with methamphetamine abuse and impulsivity in methamphetamine-abuse patients. The polymorphism was genotyped in 200 methamphetamine-abuse patients and 219 healthy controls. The association of the Val66Met polymorphism of the BDNF gene and impulsivity in 138 methamphetamine abusers were assessed using Barratt Impulsivity Scale-11(BIS-11) Chinese version. The relationship between the polymorphism and age of onset of methamphetamine abuse was also examined. Our results showed no significant differences in genotype and allele distributions between the methamphetamine abusers and controls. Within the methamphetamine-abuse group, subjects carried the Met allele had significantly higher attentional impulsivity scores of BIS compared to those with the Val/Val genotype. The Met allele was also associated with earlier age onset of methamphetamine use. Our findings suggest that the BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism may influence attentional impulsivity in methamphetamine abusers. Moreover, the BDNF Val66Met gene polymorphism may contribute to onset age of methamphetamine use.

The effect of cigarette smoking on vitamin D level and depression in male patients with acute ischemic stroke

OBJECTIVEnThe association between low vitamin D levels and depression has been well documented in nonstroke subjects. Accumulating evidence shows that low vitamin D levels may be also associated with depression post stroke. Cigarette smoking was associated with lower vitamin D levels. The purposes of this study were to compare vitamin D levels in smokers to nonsmokers and examine the association between vitamin D levels and depression symptoms in patients with acute ischemic stroke.nnnMATERIALS AND METHODSnSerum levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] were measured in 194 males within 24h after admission: 116 smokers and 78 nonsmokers. Depression symptoms were assessed with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD-17). Patients with the HAMD-17 score >7 were identified to have depression symptoms.nnnRESULTSnThe chi-square test showed that the frequency of depression in the smoker group was 23.3% (27/116), which was significantly higher than that in the nonsmoker group (11.5%=9/78), with an odds ratios (OR) of 2.33 (95% CI: 1.03-5.27; χ(2)=4.25, df=1, p=0.039, φ=0.15). Vitamin D levels were significantly lower in smokers than in nonsmokers (52.4±20.8 vs 61.7±19.2; F=9.88, p=0.002), with an effect size of 0.05 (ηp(2)). Patients with depression symptoms showed lower vitamin D levels than those with no depression symptoms (49.2±19.6 vs 57.7±20.6; F=5.03, p=0.03), with an effect size of 0.03 (ηp(2)).nnnCONCLUSIONnHigher rates of depression in smokers with acute ischemic stroke may be associated with lower vitamin D levels induced by smoking.

Serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and psychotic symptoms in heroin dependence

OBJECTIVESnPsychotic symptoms are commonly observed among heroin users. Low serum brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels have been reported in schizophrenia and psychosis; however, studies assessing the relationship between serum BDNF levels and psychotic symptoms in heroin dependence are lacking.nnnMETHODnA total of 31 heroin-dependent patients who had never experienced psychotic symptoms during heroin consumption and 21 patients with a history of psychotic symptoms were consecutively recruited. We measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) serum BDNF levels during early abstinence. A gender- and age-matched sample of healthy controls was also recruited and underwent measurement of BDNF.nnnRESULTSnBDNF levels were significantly lower in patients with psychotic symptoms than in those without psychotic symptoms (P<0.001). BDNF levels were not found to be correlated with sex, age, age of onset, duration of heroin use, average daily dose of heroin use, frequency of heroin use, SDS scores, BAI scores and BDI scores in the psychotic subsamples (all P>0.05).nnnCONCLUSIONSnOur findings suggest that heroin-dependent patients with psychotic symptoms share some of the neurotrophic insult that characterizes schizophrenia and psychosis.

Relationship of impulsivity and depression during early methamphetamine withdrawal in Han Chinese population.

OBJECTIVEnHigh level of impulsivity as well as depression is thought to be involved in the maintenance and development of methamphetamine (METH) addiction. However, the relationship between impulsivity and depression has not been studied thoroughly in METH dependence subjects, especially in early METH abstinent subjects. In this study, our objective is to explore the interplay between the depressive symptoms and impulsivity in early METH abstinent subjects.nnnMETHODSnA total of 182 early abstinent METH dependent subjects (abstinence for 1-7 days) were recruited and the level of impulsivity was measured by the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale (BIS-11). Depressive symptoms and anxiety symptoms were assessed by the short 13-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) respectively.nnnRESULTSnGlobal impulsivity of BIS-11 was significantly correlated with depressive symptoms among early METH abstinent subjects (r=0.283, p=0.001). Moreover, all subscales of BIS-11 were also found to be correlated with depressive symptoms: correlation with attentional impulsivity (r=0.202, p=0.006); correlation with motor impulsivity (r=0.267, p=0.001); and correlation with non-planning impulsivity (r=0.177, p=0.017).nnnCONCLUSIONSnThis study showed a relationship between impulsivity and depression, which may further the comprehension of motivational elements contributing to the maintenance and development of METH use disorder. Future research would be dedicated to exploring underlying mechanisms of association between impulsivity and depression.

Plasma long non-coding RNA BACE1 as a novel biomarker for diagnosis of Alzheimer disease

BackgroundsLong non-coding RNA (LncRNA) have been reported to be involved in the pathogenesis of neurodegenerative diseases, but whether it can serve as a biomarker for Alzheimer disease (AD) is not yet known.MethodsThe present study selected four specific LncRNA (17A, 51A, BACE1 and BC200) as possible AD biomarker. RT-qPCR was performed to validate the LncRNA. Receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and area under the ROC curve (AUC) were applied to study the potential of LncRNA as a biomarker in a population of 88xa0AD patients and 72 control individuals.ResultsWe found that the plasma LncRNA BACE1 level of AD patients was significantly higher than that of healthy controls (pu2009=u20090.006). Plasma level of LncRNA 17A, 51A and BC200 did not show a significant difference between two groups (pu2009=u20090.098, pu2009=u20090.204 and pu2009=u20090.232, respectively). ROC curve analysis showed that LncRNA BACE1 was the best candidate of these LncRNA (95% CI: 0.553–0.781, pu2009=u20090.003). In addition, no correlation was found for expression of these LncRNA in both control and AD groups with age or MMSE scale (pu2009>u20090.05).ConclusionsOur present study compared the plasma level of four LncRNA between AD and non-AD patients, and found that the level of the BACE1 is increased in the plasma of AD patients and have a high specificity (88%) for AD, indicating BACE1 may be a potential candidate biomarker to predict AD.

Brain-derived neurotrophic factor levels and depression during methamphetamine withdrawal.

BACKGROUNDnDepression symptoms is highly comorbid with methamphetamine (METH) dependence. Except for the role in the pathophysiology of depression symptoms, brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also involved in the METH dependence. The present study aims to explore whether BDNF plays a role in the development of depression symptoms during METH withdrawal.nnnMETHODSnWe recruited 179 patients with METH dependence who were followed up for two weeks. Ultimately, 131 (73.2%) patients finished the follow-up. Besides, 90 healthy controls were also recruited. Serum BDNF levels were measured by DuoSet ELISA Development System upon admission. The short form (13 items) of the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Amphetamine Withdrawal Questionnaire (AWQ) were used to measure the depression and withdrawal symptoms. Patients with BDI score ≥ 8 were identified to have depression symptoms.nnnRESULTSnOf the 131 patients, 64 (48.9%) were identified to have depression symptoms at the two-week endpoint. Patients with depression symptoms showed significantly lower BDNF levels than those with no depression symptoms. Serum BDNF levels (≤ 1251.0pg/ml) were independently associated with the development of depression symptoms during METH withdrawal (OR = 3.50, 95% CI, 1.14-10.73, p = 0.028).nnnLIMITATIONSnBDNF levels were tested in serum but not in brain and the baseline BDI and AWQ scores between the depression and non-depression groups were not matched. Besides, the follow-up time was relatively short.nnnCONCLUSIONSnOur study demonstrated that patients with serum BDNF levels ≤ 1251.0pg/ml had higher risk of depression symptoms during METH withdrawal.

Prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms during early methamphetamine withdrawal in Han Chinese population

BACKGROUNDnDepression, a common comorbidity of drug abuse, is often a core component of withdrawal symptoms; however, risk factors associated with depressive symptoms during the acute stage of withdrawal among methamphetamine (METH) users are not well understood. This study investigated the correlations between several potential risk factors and depressive symptoms during acute METH withdrawal in a Han Chinese population.nnnMETHODSnA total of 243 eligible Chinese METH users were recruited from Wenzhou Sanyang Detoxification Institute in Zhejiang province from November 2012 to June 2013. A set of self-administrative questionnaires were used to collect information about socio-demographics, drug use history and depression. Thirteen-item Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-13) was used to measure depressive symptoms.nnnRESULTSnMETH users had a mean BDI-13 score of 12.39; 157 subjects (64.6%) reported depressive symptoms during METH withdrawal, of which 74 subjects (30.5%) reported moderate depressive symptoms and 83 subjects (34.1%) reported severe depressive symptoms. Higher frequency of drug use and history of METH-use relapse were associated with depressive symptoms (adjusted OR=2.8; 95% CI=1.56-5.04) and (adjusted OR=3.4; 95% CI=1.36-8.49), respectively. Moderate alcohol drinking was associated with less risk for depressive symptoms during acute withdrawal (adjusted OR=0.54; 95% CI=0.31-0.93).nnnCONCLUSIONSnDepressive symptoms are common during early METH withdrawal. In addition, several risk factors including frequency of METH use and history of relapse were positively associated with depressive symptoms during that period while moderate alcohol drinking was negatively associated with depressive symptoms.