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Query: UMLS:C0011570 (depression)
 172,036 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The authors studied the effects of major depression on lymphocyte subsets by comparing depressed and matched control subjects in a population of HIV-seropositive outpatients not treated with antiretroviral therapy. Twelve patients with major depression, as determined by the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R, were assessed in comparison with 15 matched nondepressed control subjects. Flow cytometric analysis of peripheral blood lymphocyte subsets together with immunological parameters were performed. In HIV-infected patients, major depression was significantly (P=0.001) associated with a reduction in natural killer cell absolute count and percentage. This report suggests that depression may alter the natural killer cell population that provides a cytotoxic defense against HIV infection.
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PMID:Changes in lymphocyte subsets in depressed HIV-infected patients without antiretroviral therapy. 1135 Nov 14

It is well established that the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis (HPA) is activated by both external and internal stressors which result in the hypersecretion of adrenal glucocorticoids. In major depression the prolonged elevation of the glucocorticoid concentration leads to a desensitisation of the central glucocorticoid receptors and probably those receptors located on macrophages. These changes may account for the observation that many aspects of cellular immunity are activated in depression (for example, the increased release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from activated macrophages in the periphery and brain, and the increased release of acute phase proteins from the liver) even though other aspects of immunity (for example, natural killer cell activity and T-cell replication) are depressed. It is also known that some of the pro-inflammatory cytokines are potent activators of the HPA axis. Evidence is provided that the consequences of the hypersecretion of glucocorticoids and pro-inflammatory cytokines result in the malfunctioning of noradrenergic and serotonergic neurotransmission in the brain, changes which are reflected in the major symptoms of depression. Support for this view is provided by observations of the effects of some of these cytokines in non-depressed individuals being treated with pro-inflammatory and related cytokines for cancer. This has led to the hypothesis that depression is a form of sickness behaviour which forms the basis of the macrophage theory of depression. The review concludes with a discussion of the role of antidepressants in attenuating the adverse effects of glucocorticoids and pro-inflammatory cytokines on central neurotransmission. Although the precise mechanisms whereby antidepressants these changes is uncertain, there is evidence that they reduce the release of pro-inflammatory cytokines from activated macrophages and thereby facilitate the feedback inhibition of the HPA axis; this results in a reduction in the release of glucocorticoids from the adrenal glands. In addition, many antidepressants have been shown to increase the release of endogenous cytokine antagonists such as interleukin-1 receptor antagonist and interleukin-10. Evidence is also presented to show that different classes of antidepressants act as cyclooxygenase inhibitors which, by lowering the concentration of inflammatory prostaglandins in the brain, reduce the detrimental impact of the inflammatory changes on neurotransmitter function. An advantage of the macrophage hypothesis is that it extends the biogenic amine hypothesis of depression to take account of changes in the endocrine and immune systems which also play a crucial role in the aetiology of depression. In addition, the macrophage hypothesis may broaden the basis of understanding the mechanism of action of antidepressants.
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PMID:The immune system, depression and the action of antidepressants. 1138 77

This is a broad meta-analysis of the relations of both depression and stressors to immunological assays. The number of study samples (greater than 180) and measures (greater than 40) is much more extensive than any so far. Analyses are done by both fixed and random effects. By a fixed-effects analysis, both major depression and naturally occurring acute stressors are associated with (1) an overall leukocytosis, (2) mild reductions in absolute NK-cell counts and relative T-cell proportions, (3) marginal increases in CD4/CD8 ratios, and (4) moderate decreases in T- and NK-cell function. However, the degree of heterogeneity of the studies' results raises questions about their robustness. Therefore, we also did the first random effects analysis to estimate what is likely to appear in future studies. For depression, the analysis showed the immunological correlates included (1) an overall leukocytosis, manifesting as a relative neutrophilia and lymphoenia; (2) increased CD4/CD8 ratios; (3) increased circulating haptoglobin, PGE(2), and IL-6 levels; (4) reduced NK-cell cytotoxicity; and (5) reduced lymphocyte proliferative response to mitogen. For stressors, the random effects analysis showed that future studies are likely to find the following effects: (1) an overall leukocytosis, manifesting as an absolute lymphocytosis; (2) alterations in cytotoxic lymphocyte levels, CD4/CD8 ratios, and natural killer cell cytotoxicity with the direction of change depending on the chronicity of the stressor; (3) a relative reduction of T-cell levels; (3) increased EBV antibody titers; (4) reduced lymphocyte proliferative response and proportion of IL-2r bearing cells following mitogenic stimulation; and (5) increased leukocyte adhesiveness. The random-effects analysis revealed that for both major depression and naturally occurring stressors the following effects are shared: leukocytosis, increased CD4/CD8 ratios, reduced proliferative response to mitogen, and reduced NK cell cytotoxicity. The implications for these findings for disease susceptibility and the pathophysiology of these conditions is discussed.
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PMID:The relationship of depression and stressors to immunological assays: a meta-analytic review. 1156 46

The elevation of natural killer cell activity (NKCA) by laughter was not confirmed due to incomplete methodology of previous studies although positive emotion is believed to be favorable for health. To verify NKCA elevation by laughter in a crossover design, we measured NKCA before and after watching films, presenting 75-min comic film and non-emotional control film at different days to the same 21 healthy male subjects. Electromyogram of left major zygomatic muscle was obtained during the films to quantify the magnitude of laughter as an index of emotional expression. As indices of emotional experience, the self-rated pleasantness of the comic film and mood state before and after film were measured using visual analogue scale and Profiles of Mood State (POMS), respectively. The comic film significantly elevated NKCA (26.5-29.4%, p<0.05), whereas the control film did not (27.1-24.8%, not significant). This is the first study to demonstrate NKCA elevation by laughter in a crossover designed study. To examine the contribution of experiential and expressive aspects of laughter to NKCA elevation, correlation of NKCA elevation with the self-rated pleasantness, mood scores before and after comic film and the magnitude of laughter was statistically tested. We found that NKCA elevation was negatively correlated with the scores of negative mood scales of POMS while NKCA elevation had no significant correlation with self-rated pleasantness and the magnitude of laughter. Further group analysis revealed that high scores of depression and anger-hostility suppressed NKCA elevation by laughter. We also found that NKCA before and after comic film had tendency of correlation with self-rated pleasantness of the comic film while NKCA had no correlation with the magnitude of laughter. These findings suggest that NKCA elevation and NKCA before and after comic film seem to be related with the experiential aspects of laughter rather than with the expressive aspects.
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PMID:The elevation of natural killer cell activity induced by laughter in a crossover designed study. 1171 80

The purpose of this study is to examine the relationship between psychological factors, regional brain activity and natural killer cell activity (NKA). Eight patients with malignant diseases were studied by FDG-PET under a resting condition. NKA and degree of anxiety and depression were measured using Taylor's manifest anxiety scale (MAS) and Zung's self-rating depression scale (SDS). Linear correlation of NKA and psychological measures to the regional brain metabolism in cancer patients was examined using statistical parametric mapping (SPM). Positive linear correlation between NKA and regional metabolic rate ratios was identified in the visual association cortex, anterior cingulate gyrus (CG) and sensorimotor area, and negative correlation was identified in the inferolateral prefrontal cortex (ILPFC), prefrontal cortex (PFC), orbitofrontal cortex (OFC) and anterior temporal cortex. Positive linear correlation to the MAS score was identified in the visual association cortex, anterior CG, primary sensorimotor area and the posterior parietal cortex, and negative correlation was detected in the ILPFC, PFC, OFC and anterior temporal cortex. The NKA and MAS scores positively correlated with each other (p<0.001). The result might serve as supporting data for a hypothesis that psycho-immune interaction is also mediated by the cerebral cortex and limbic system.
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PMID:Relationship between trait anxiety, brain activity and natural killer cell activity in cancer patients: a preliminary PET study. 1174 66

This pilot study examined the effects of a multimodal pain rehabilitation program on the immune function, self-reported pain, depression levels, and health behaviors of patients with chronic back pain. It also estimated the relationships between self-reported pain levels, immune function, depression, and health behaviors. Data were collected at week 1 (baseline) and at week 4 (last week of treatment program) on a convenience sample of 23 patients. In general, the patients' mean T lymphocyte proliferation levels showed a decline from baseline to week 4, while natural killer cell activity showed a slight increase in cell lysis. None of the findings were statistically significant. Failure to detect significant differences may be attributed to a small effect size due to the relatively small sample size. The depression levels dropped significantly during the treatment program (p = .001). Reported levels of pain and health behaviors did not significantly change. More research is needed to determine treatment effects on immune function as well as relationships between pain levels, immune function, depression, and health behaviors in this patient population.
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PMID:Multimodal chronic pain rehabilitation program: its effect on immune function, depression, and health behaviors. 1199 84

A female patient, who was suffering major depression and advanced hepatocellular carcinoma (hepatoma), sought treatment in the Jozuka Mental Clinic. She was treated using a psycho-neuro-immunological approach. The treatments applied were psychotherapy, the antidepressant fluvoxamine, glycyrrhizinic acid and dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA). Biochemical, endocrinological and immunological examinations were performed regularly. Improvement of liver function and reduction of alpha-fetoprotein were observed. The levels of DHEA, natural killer cell activity and cytokines (interleukines IL-2, IL-6, IL-12, interferon IFN-gamma) were normalised. Now, more than two and a half years after her admission, the patient is still well and symptom-free. While this may be a case of spontaneous regression, the results suggest that a psycho-neuro-immunological approach to treating the patient's depression and cancer was helpful for her recovery.
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PMID:Psycho-neuro-immunological treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma with major depression--a single case report. 1266 82

Previously, we found that in rats coagulation of the lateral hypothalamus (LH) caused depression of the peripheral blood natural killer cell cytotoxicity (NKCC) and the number of large granular lymphocytes (LGL). In the present work, we have tested the effects on both spleen and blood NKCC of acute (1 day) and chronic (21 days) electrical stimulation of LH, and LGL number in conscious, freely behaving animals. Five groups of male Wistar rats were used: LH stimulated (n=22), thalamic (Thal) stimulated control (n=4), operated but non-stimulated LH sham controls (n=7), non-operated normal control group (n=8) and spleen baseline group (n=10). Chronic stimulation of LH caused significant augmentation of NKCC (51Cr-release assay) and LGL number (a morphological method), more pronounced in the spleen than in the peripheral blood. Rats responding to LH stimulation with feeding showed a slightly greater effect than those responding with a locomotor reaction. The observed effects were anatomically specific as no influence of Thal stimulation or the sham procedure was found. The results are discussed in terms of the involvement of LH in reward phenomena and the hormonal control of the immune system.
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PMID:Chronic electrical stimulation of the lateral hypothalamus increases natural killer cell cytotoxicity in rats. 1296 50

Toxigenic mold activities produce metabolites that are either broad-spectrum antibiotics or mycotoxins that are cytotoxic. Indoor environmental exposure to these toxigenic molds leads to adverse health conditions with the main outcome measure of frequent neuroimmunologic and behavioral consequences. One of the immune system disorders found in patients presenting with toxigenic mold exposure is an abnormal natural killer cell activity. This paper presents an overview of the neurological significance of abnormal natural killer cell (NKC) activity in chronic toxigenic mold exposure. A comprehensive review of the literature was carried out to evaluate and assess the conditions under which the immune system could be dysfunctionally interfered with leading to abnormal NKC activity and the involvement of mycotoxins in these processes. The functions, mechanism, the factors that influence NKC activities, and the roles of mycotoxins in NKCs were cited wherever necessary. The major presentations are headache, general debilitating pains, nose bleeding, fevers with body temperatures up to 40 degrees C (104 degrees F), cough, memory loss, depression, mood swings, sleep disturbances, anxiety, chronic fatigue, vertigo/dizziness, and in some cases, seizures. Although sleep is commonly considered a restorative process that is important for the proper functioning of the immune system, it could be disturbed by mycotoxins. Most likely, mycotoxins exert some rigorous effects on the circadian rhythmic processes resulting in sleep deprivation to which an acute and transient increase in NKC activity is observed. Depression, psychological stress, tissue injuries, malignancies, carcinogenesis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and experimental allergic encephalomyelitis could be induced at very low physiological concentrations by mycotoxin-induced NKC activity. In the light of this review, it is concluded that chronic exposures to toxigenic mold could lead to abnormal NKC activity with a wide range of neurological consequences, some of which were headache, general debilitating pains, fever, cough, memory loss, depression, mood swings, sleep disturbances, anxiety, chronic fatigue, and seizures.
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PMID:The neurological significance of abnormal natural killer cell activity in chronic toxigenic mold exposures. 1462 99

Recently, we reported that Qi-therapy may be beneficial in reducing negative psychological symptoms and increasing melatonin levels, neutrophil function and natural killer cell cytotoxicity in young subjects. However, there is little scientific evidence of its efficacy in elderly subjects. Therefore, this study was designed to investigate the effects of Qi-therapy on anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain and blood pressure in elderly subjects. Ninety-four elderly subjects were randomly assigned to either Qi-therapy (n=47) or mimic therapy (n=47) groups. Both groups received a 10-min intervention period once using similar procedures. The Qi-therapy group exhibited greater reduction in anxiety, depression, fatigue, pain level and blood pressure compared to the placebo group; the difference in anxiety was significant (P=0.014). These results suggest that even a brief application of Qi-therapy may exert a positive psychological and physiological effect. However, further research is necessary in order to fully understand the long-term impact of Qi-therapy on psychological health and the cardiovascular system.
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PMID:Effects of Qi-therapy on blood pressure, pain and psychological symptoms in the elderly: a randomized controlled pilot trial. 1465 79


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