Objective. The aims of the present study were to investigate the prevalence of depressive symptoms among type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients in China and to explore how coping style influences the relationship between illness perception and depressive symptoms. Methods. Nine hundred and thirty-nine T2DM patients were recruited from a grade 3 Class A hospital in Harbin, China, and asked to complete a demographic questionnaire as well as the Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS), Brief Illness Perception Questionnaire-Revised (IPQ-R), and Medical Coping Modes Questionnaire (MCMQ). Hierarchical linear regression analysis and the bootstrap method were preformed to examine if coping style influenced the relationship between illness perception and depression. Results. The majority of patients (73.59%) exhibited depressive symptoms, including 37.27% with moderate and 6.71% with severe depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms were more frequent in patients with complications ( P < 0.05 ). A resignation coping style partially mediated the influence of illness perception on depressive symptoms. Conclusions. Interventions to improve coping style may reduce the prevalence or severity of depressive symptoms among T2DM patients, potentially enhancing treatment adherence and clinical outcome.

Polydipsia and xerostomia are the most common complications that seriously affect oral health in patients with diabetes. However, to date, there is no effective treatment for diabetic xerostomia. Recent studies have reported that artesunate (ART) and metformin (Met) improve salivary gland (SG) hypofunction in murine Sjögren’s syndrome. Therefore, aim of this study was to investigate the effect and underlying mechanism of artesunate (ART) alone and in combination with metformin (Met) on hyposalivation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats. T2DM rats were induced using a high-fat diet and streptozotocin. SPF male Sprague–Dawley rats were divided into the following five groups: normal control group, untreated diabetic group, ART-treated diabetic group (50 mg/kg), Met-treated diabetic group (150 mg/kg), and ART/Met co-treated diabetic group (50 mg/kg ART and 150 mg/kg Met). ART and Met were intragastrically administered daily for 4 weeks. The general conditions, diabetes parameters and serum lipids were evaluated after drug treatment. Furthermore, we observed changes in the central superior salivatory nucleus (SSN) and SG, and changes in the AQP5 expression, parasympathetic innervation (AChE and BDNF expression), and PI3K/AKT pathway- (p-AKT, and p-PI3K), apoptosis- (Bax, Bcl-2, and Caspase3), and autophagy- (LC3 and P62) related markers expression in T2DM rats after treatment. Our results showed that ART or Met alone and ART/Met combination attenuated a range of diabetic symptoms, including weight loss, urine volume increase, water consumption increase, hyperglycemia, insulin resistance, glucose intolerance and dyslipidemia. More importantly, we found that these three treatments, especially ART/Met combination, mitigated hyposalivation in the T2DM rats via improving the central SSN and SGs damage in hyperglycemia. Our data also indicated that ART/Met attenuated SG damage though regulating the PI3K/Akt pathway to inhibit apoptosis and autophagy of SGs in the T2DM rats. Moreover, ART/Met preserved parasympathetic innervation (AChE and BDNF expression) in SGs to alleviate diabetes-induced hyposalivation likely through rescuing central SSN damage. Taken together, these findings might provide a novel rationale and treatment strategy for future treatment of diabetes-induced xerostomia in the clinic.

Based on the “oxidative stress hypothesis” of major depressive disorder (MDD), cells regulate their structure through the Wnt pathway. Little is known regarding the interactions of dishevelled 3 (DVL3) and glycogen synthase kinase 3 beta (GSK3β) polymorphisms with MDD. The aim of the current study was to verify the relationship between DVL3 and GSK3β genetic variants in a Chinese Han population and further to evaluate whether these interactions exhibit gender-specificity. A total of 1136 participants, consisting of 541 MDD patients and 595 healthy subjects, were recruited. Five single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) of DVL3/GSK3β were selected to assess their interaction by use of a generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction method. The genotype and haplotype frequencies of DVL3/GSK3β polymorphisms were significantly different between patients and controls for DVL3 rs1709642 ( P < 0.01 ) and GSK3β rs334558, rs6438552, and rs2199503 ( P < 0.01 ). In addition, our results also showed that there were significant interaction effects between DVL3 and GSK3β polymorphisms and the risk of developing MDD, particularly in women. The interaction between DVL3 (rs1709642) and GSK3β (rs334558, rs6438552) showed a cross-validation (CV) consistency of 10/10, a P value of 0.001, and a testing accuracy of 59.22%, which was considered as the best generalized multifactor dimensionality reduction (GMDR) model. This study reveals the interaction between DVL3 and GSK3β polymorphisms on MDD susceptibility in a female Chinese Han population. The effect of gender should be taken into account in future studies that seek to explore the genetic predisposition to MDD relative to the DVL3 and GSK3β genes.

Background. Oxidative stress may be increased in a number of psychiatric disorders, including major depressive disorder (MDD). MDD has been shown to be related to insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1) as well as to negative life events; exploring the interaction of IGF-1 polymorphisms and negative life events on the risk of MDD is needed. The aim of this study was to analyze the single and combined effects of IGF-1 polymorphisms (rs972936 and rs978458) and negative life events with MDD among Chinese population. Methods. 420 MDD patients (according to DSM-V) and 420 age- and gender-matched control subjects were recruited in a case-control study. Negative life events were assessed using standard rating scales. IGF-1 rs972936 and rs978458 were identified by sequencing. The chi-square ( χ 2 ) tests were performed to explore the association of negative life events and IGF-1 polymorphisms with MDD. Results. Our results found that the negative life events were associated with the risk of MDD ( P < 0.001 ; OR = 3.28 , 95% CI: 2.19-4.85). The genotypes of IGF-1 were associated with the risk of MDD ( P < 0.001 ); carrying the IGF-1 rs972936 C allele ( OR = 1.53 , 95% CI: 1.26-1.85) and rs978458 T allele ( OR = 1.92 , 95% CI: 1.58-2.34) had a higher risk of MDD. The combined effects between IGF-1 rs978458 and negative life events were associated with the risk of MDD ( P < 0.05 ; OR = 2.94 , 95% CI: 1.23-7.03), but IGF-1 rs972936 was not associated ( P > 0.05 ). Conclusions. Based on the oxidative stress hypothesis, we confirm that carrying IGF-1 rs972936 C allele and rs978458 T allele have a higher risk of MDD and the combined effects between IGF-1 rs978458 and negative life events were associated with the risk of MDD among Chinese population.