Stress is a disturbance in homeostasis caused by psychological, physiological, or environmental factors. Prolonged reactions to chronic stress can be detrimental, resulting in various metabolic abnormalities, referred to as metabolic syndrome (MS). There is a reciprocal increased risk between MS and major depressive disorder. Recent studies established an association between inflammation and insulin signaling in type 2 diabetes mellitus with depression. In the present review, we discuss chronic low-grade inflammation, pathways of insulin resistance, and brain glucose metabolism in the context of neuroinflammation and depression. Specific attention is given to psychotropic drugs such as bupropion, mirtazapine, and nefazodone, anti-inflammatory drugs like Celecoxib (COX-2 inhibitor), Etanercept, adalimumab, IL-4Ra antagonist, Anti-IL- 17A antibody (Ixekizumab) and lifestyle modifications including exercise, dietary changes, and sleep hygiene. These therapeutic solutions offer potential in treating depression by targeting metabolic conditions like insulin resistance and inflammatory pathways. The article further explains the significance of a nutrition and antioxidants-rich diet, emphasizing the role of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, zinc, and polyphenols, to improve immunity and activate anti-inflammatory signaling pathways.
1 October 2021 in European Journal of Pharmacology
Depression is a common mood disorder characterized by persistent sadness and loss of interest. Research suggests an association between the inclusion of omega-3 fatty acids in the diet and a reduced risk for depression. The present study evaluated the effectiveness of omega-3 fatty acid supplements in alleviating depressive symptoms in patients with mild to moderate depression. A total of 165 patients suffering from mild to moderated depression were randomized to receive omega-3 fatty acid supplementation, an antidepressant (single agent), or a combination of an antidepressant and omega-3 fatty acid supplementation. The clinical features of depression were assessed using the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS) during the follow-up period. A statistically significant improvement in depressive symptoms was observed from baseline to first, second and third follow-ups within each treatment arm as measured by HRDS scores (p = 0.00001). Further, the HDRS scores at the third follow-up were significantly lower in patients on combination therapy of omega-3 fatty acid supplement and antidepressants (arm-3) than the patients on the omega-3 fatty acid supplement alone (arm-1) [Q = 5.89; p = 0.0001] or the patients taking an antidepressant alone (arm 2) [Q = 4.36; p = 0.0068]. The combination of an omega-3 fatty acid supplement and an antidepressant elicited significantly higher improvement in depressive symptoms than the supplement or the antidepressant alone.
Objective: Social media (SM), with its addictive nature and the accompanying psychosocial challenges such as stress, anxiety, and depression, is the primary factor exacerbating mental health problems and adversely impacting individuals’ wellbeing. Our study’s goal was to determine how SM affects employees’ psychosocial behaviours and assess the various factors that contributed to the employee’s excessive use of SM. Methods: A cross-sectional correlational analysis was conducted. Using a relevant questionnaire on employees, the study was assessed to establish the relationship or association between SM addiction and psychosocial disorders like depression, anxiety, and stress. 200 people with a minimum age of 24 were enrolled in the study. The questionnaire contained the social networking addiction scale (SNAS) and the depression, anxiety, and stress-21 (DASS-21) scales; the data were statistically assessed. Results: The association between SM addiction and psychosocial behaviours has been examined using statistical tools including descriptive statistics and the Chi-square analysis. SM addiction has a strong, statistically significant correlation with depression (p = 0.001), stress (p = 0.001), and anxiety (p = 0.001). Conclusion: This study discovered a connection between SM use and depression, stress, and anxiety among working employees, raising questions regarding worries about overuse and addiction to SM. Various factors influencing excessive usage included revealed that employees also majorly over used SM for entertainment, boredom avoidance, constant knowledge sharing, and relationship-building.
The goal of this research is to study the prevalence of cognitive impairment in diabetes mellitus (DM) patients and establish the necessity of detecting and treating it early in these patients. A cross-sectional study was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in Mysuru for 4 months examined diabetic patients (test) and nondiabetic subjects (control) for cognitive decline using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) tool. Cognitive functions such as visuospatial/executive function, naming, attention, language, abstraction, delayed recall, and orientation were assessed in both groups. The diabetic group showed a significantly lower total MoCA score than the non-diabetic group (18.99 ± 0.48 and 26.21 ± 0.46, respectively; p < 0.001). Assessment of scores in diabetic patients demonstrated the significant influence of age demographics on cognitive impairment (p-value < 0.001). Furthermore, a higher proportion of diabetic patients displayed cognitive impairment despite a higher score in a single subdomain, making it evident that diabetes is diverse and multifactorial in origin, where oxidative stress and inflammatory responses play a predominant role. This study suggested that the local T2DM population residing in Mysuru (India) has a high prevalence of cognitive impairment, evident from poor performance in almost all cognitive domains assessed by MoCA. Future studies could examine the generalizability of cognitive function findings in diabetic patients across diverse geographic regions and ethnic groups, as well as investigate interventions such as lifestyle modifications and medication to prevent or delay cognitive decline in those with diabetes.
Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease that is now considered a global epidemic. Chronic diabetes conditions include type 1 and type 2 diabetes, both of which are normally irreversible. As a result of long‐term uncontrolled high levels of glucose, diabetes can progress to hyperglycaemic pathologies, such as cardiovascular diseases, retinopathy, nephropathy and neuropathy, among many other complications. The complete mechanism underlying diabetes remains unclear due to its complexity. In this scenario, zebrafish (Danio rerio) have arisen as a versatile and promising animal model due to their good reproducibility, simplicity, and time‐ and cost‐effectiveness. The Zebrafish model allows us to make progress in the investigation and comprehension of the root cause of diabetes, which in turn would aid in the development of pharmacological and surgical approaches for its management. The current review provides valuable reference information on zebrafish models, from the first zebrafish diabetes models using genetic, disease induction and chemical approaches, to the newest ones that further allow for drug screening and testing. This review aims to update our knowledge related to diabetes mellitus by gathering the most authoritative studies on zebrafish as a chemical, dietary and insulin induction, and genetic model for diabetes research.