Micronutrient deficiency and depression are major global health problems. Here, we first review recent empirical evidence of the association between several micronutrients—zinc, magnesium, selenium—and depression. We then present potential mechanisms of action and discuss the clinical implications for each micronutrient. Collectively, empirical evidence most strongly supports a positive association between zinc deficiency and the risk of depression and an inverse association between zinc supplementation and depressive symptoms. Less evidence is available regarding the relationship between magnesium and selenium deficiency and depression, and studies have been inconclusive. Potential mechanisms of action involve the HPA axis, glutamate homeostasis and inflammatory pathways. Findings support the importance of adequate consumption of micronutrients in the promotion of mental health, and the most common dietary sources for zinc and other micronutrients are provided. Future research is needed to prospectively investigate the association between micronutrient levels and depression as well as the safety and efficacy of micronutrient supplementation as an adjunct treatment for depression.
Glioblastoma (GBM) is the most aggressive tumor of the brain. NF1, a tumor suppressor gene and RAS-GTPase, is one of the highly mutated genes in GBM. Dysregulated NF1 expression promotes cell invasion, proliferation, and tumorigenesis. Loss of NF1 expression in glioblastoma is associated with increased aggressiveness of the tumor. Here, we show that NF1-loss in patient-derived glioma cells using shRNA increases self-renewal, heightens cell invasion, and promotes mesenchymal subtype and epithelial mesenchymal transition-specific gene expression that enhances tumorigenesis. The neurofibromin protein contains at least four major domains, with the GAP-related domain being the most well-studied. In this study, we report that the leucine-rich domain (LRD) of neurofibromin inhibits invasion of human glioblastoma cells without affecting their proliferation. Moreover, under conditions tested, the NF1-LRD fails to hydrolyze Ras-GTP to Ras-GDP, suggesting that its suppressive function is independent of Ras signaling. We further demonstrate that rare variants within the NF1-LRD domain found in a subset of the patients are pathogenic and reduce NF1-LRD’s invasion suppressive function. Taken together, our results show, for the first time, that NF1-LRD inhibits glioma invasion, and provides evidence of a previously unrecognized function of NF1-LRD in glioma biology.
This study aimed to assess the relationship between breakfast composition and long-term regular breakfast consumption and cognitive function. Participants included 835 children from the China Jintan Cohort Study for the cross-sectional study and 511 children for the longitudinal study. Breakfast consumption was assessed at ages 6 and 12 through parental and self-administered questionnaires. Cognitive ability was measured as a composition of IQ at age 6 and 12 and academic achievement at age 12, which were assessed by the Chinese versions of the Wechsler Intelligence Scales and standardized school reports, respectively. Multivariable general linear and mixed models were used to evaluate the relationships between breakfast consumption, breakfast composition and cognitive performance. In the longitudinal analyses, 94.7% of participants consumed breakfast ≥ 4 days per week. Controlling for nine covariates, multivariate mixed models reported that compared to infrequent breakfast consumption, regular breakfast intake was associated with an increase of 5.54 points for verbal and 4.35 points for full IQ scores (p < 0.05). In our cross-sectional analyses at age 12, consuming grain/rice or meat/egg 6–7 days per week was significantly associated with higher verbal, performance, and full-scale IQs, by 3.56, 3.69, and 4.56 points, respectively (p < 0.05), compared with consuming grain/rice 0–2 days per week. Regular meat/egg consumption appeared to facilitate academic achievement (mean difference = 0.232, p = 0.043). No association was found between fruit/vegetable and dairy consumption and cognitive ability. In this 6-year longitudinal study, regular breakfast habits are associated with higher IQ. Frequent grain/rice and meat/egg consumption during breakfast may be linked with improved cognitive function in youth.
Goals:
We aimed to evaluate factors associated with patient adherence to recommended surveillance guidelines during the first 3 years after endoscopic eradication of Barrett’s esophagus (BE) with high-grade dysplasia (HGD) or T1a carcinoma in situ (CIS) and the relationship between adherence and detection of recurrence.
Background:
While surveillance endoscopies after treatment of BE with HGD or T1a CIS are an important component of therapy, it is unclear whether these high-risk patients are adhering to recommended surveillance guidelines.
Materials and Methods:
A total of 123 BE patients who underwent radiofrequency ablation±endoscopic mucosal resection for biopsy-proven HGD, or CIS between January 2010 and November 2018 underwent retrospective review for adherence to surveillance guidelines, patient factors related to adherence, and recurrence of dysplasia or CIS at 12, 24, and 36 months.
Results:
Of 123 BE patients (89 HGD and 34 CIS), adherence during the first year following treatment was 26.97% for HGD patients and 41.18% for CIS patients, with increasing adherence rates in subsequent years. Patients who received 3 to 4 surveillance endoscopies in the first year posttreatment had significantly higher rates of recurrence detection than patients who received 0 to 2 surveillance endoscopies over this interval (P=0.01). No patient factors were found to impact adherence significantly.
Conclusions:
Adherence to recommended surveillance intervals after endoscopic treatment of BE with HGD or CIS is low, with poor adherence during the first year associated with decreased detection of recurrence. Future studies are needed to evaluate risk factors and develop a potential intervention for poor adherence in this high-risk population.
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