There is almost no data on the genetics of acute coronary syndromes, so this review discusses primarily the 50 genetic risk variants associated with coronary artery disease that are of genome-wide ...significance in the discovery population and replicated in an independent population. All of these risk variants are extremely common with more than half occurring in >50% of the general population. They increased only minimally the relative risk for coronary artery disease. The most striking finding is that 35 of the 50 risk variants act independently of known risk factors, indicating there are several pathways yet to be appreciated, contributing to the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis and myocardial infarction. All of the genetic variants seem to act through atherosclerosis, except for the ABO blood groups, which show that A and B are associated with increased risk for myocardial infarction, mediated by a prolonged von Willebrand plasma half life leading to thrombosis. The potential molecular mechanisms of 9p21 are discussed, including cell cycle kinase inhibitors. Discovery of risk variants associated with PCSK9 has led to the development of novel treatment for plasma low-density lipoprotein cholesterol. A monoclonal antibody inhibiting PCSK9 has already undergone phase I and II clinical trials, showing it is a potent inhibitor of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and is mediated through more rapid removal of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol from the plasma. This therapy complements that of statin therapy, which inhibits the synthesis of cholesterol. The benefits of Mendelian randomization to assess safety and efficacy and their limitations are discussed along with future directions.
Life, on a day to day basis, is a sequence of emotional states: hope, disappointment, irritation, anger, affection, envy, pride, embarrassment, joy, sadness and many more. We know intuitively that ...these states express deep things about our character and our view of the world. But what are emotions and why are they so important to us? In one of the most extensive investigations of the emotions ever published, Robert Roberts develops a novel conception of what emotions are and then applies it to a large range of types of emotion and related phenomena. In so doing he lays the foundations for a deeper understanding of our evaluative judgments, our actions, our personal relationships and our fundamental well-being. Aimed principally at philosophers and psychologists, this book will certainly be accessible to readers in other disciplines such as religion and anthropology.
To examine the prospective, reciprocal association between sleep deprivation and depression among adolescents.
A community-based two-wave cohort study.
A metropolitan area with a population of over 4 ...million.
4,175 youths 11-17 at baseline, and 3,134 of these followed up a year later.
Depression is measured using both symptoms of depression and DSM-IV major depression. Sleep deprivation is defined as ≤ 6 h of sleep per night.
Sleep deprivation at baseline predicted both measures of depression at follow-up, controlling for depression at baseline. Examining the reciprocal association, major depression at baseline, but not symptoms predicted sleep deprivation at follow-up.
These results are the first to document reciprocal effects for major depression and sleep deprivation among adolescents using prospective data. The data suggest reduced quantity of sleep increases risk for major depression, which in turn increases risk for decreased sleep.
Abstract Background No studies of adolescents have examined the prospective, reciprocal association between insomnia and major depression. Methods A two-wave, community-based cohort of 3134 youths ...aged 11–17 at baseline. Major depression was assessed using DSM-IV criteria. Three measures of insomnia were used also following DSM-IV: P1 , any symptom of insomnia; P2 , any symptom plus impairment; P3 , P2 with no comorbid mood, anxiety or substance use disorders. Results In general, the association between insomnia and depression was stronger and more consistent for major depression than for symptoms of depression. Baseline insomnia ( P1 and P2) increased subsequent risk of major depression 2–3-fold and P1 2-fold in multivariate analyses. Major depression increased risk for subsequent insomnia 2–3-fold for P1 and P2 2-fold for P2 in multivariate analyses. Results varied by measure of insomnia used. Limitations : Only symptoms of insomnia were assessed, so we could not examine the effects of comorbid sleep disorders nor did we have objective or biological measures of disturbed sleep. We also did not collect data on parental reports of youth depression nor insomnia or sleep problems. Conclusion Our results provide the first prospective data on insomnia and major depression among adolescents indicating the two are reciprocally related. More studies are needed examining trajectories of insomnia and major depression in childhood and adolescence.
Robert C. Roberts first presented his vivid account of emotions as 'concern-based construals' in his book Emotions: An Essay in Aid of Moral Psychology (Cambridge, 2003). In this new book he extends ...that account to the moral life. He explores the ways in which emotions can be a basis for moral judgments, how they account for the deeper moral identity of actions we perform, how they are constitutive of morally toned personal relationships like friendship, enmity, collegiality and parenthood, and how pleasant and unpleasant emotions interact with our personal wellbeing (eudaimonia). He then sketches how, by means of their moral dimensions, emotions participate in our virtues and vices, and for better or worse, express our moral character. His rich study will interest a wide range of readers working on virtue ethics, moral psychology and emotion theory.
Abstract Purpose To estimate prevalence and chronicity of insomnia and the impact of chronic insomnia on health and functioning of adolescents. Methods Data were collected from 4175 youths 11–17 at ...baseline and 3134 a year later sampled from managed care groups in a large metropolitan area. Insomnia was assessed by youth-reported DSM-IV symptom criteria. Outcomes are three measures of somatic health, three measures of mental health, two measures of substance use, three measures of interpersonal problems, and three of daily activities. Results Over one-fourth reported one or more symptoms of insomnia at baseline and about 5% met diagnostic criteria for insomnia. Almost 46% of those who reported one or more symptoms of insomnia in Wave 1 continued to be cases at Wave 2 and 24% met DSM-IV symptom criteria for chronic insomnia (cases in Wave 1 were also cases in Wave 2). Multivariate analyses found chronic insomnia increased subsequent risk for somatic health problems, interpersonal problems, psychological problems, and daily activities. Significant odds ( p < .05) ranged from 1.6 to 5.6 for poor outcomes. These results are the first reported on chronic insomnia among youths, and corroborate, using prospective data, previous findings on correlates of disturbed sleep based on cross-sectional studies. Conclusions Insomnia is both common and chronic among adolescents. The data indicate that the burden of insomnia is comparable to that of other psychiatric disorders such as mood, anxiety, disruptive, and substance use disorders. Chronic insomnia severely impacts future health and functioning of youths. Those with chronic insomnia are more likely to seek medical care. These data suggest primary care settings might provide a venue for screening and early intervention for adolescent insomnia.
Abstract An exciting new era has dawned for the prevention and management of coronary artery disease (CAD) utilizing genetic risk variants. The recent identification of over 60 susceptibility loci ...for CAD confirms not only the importance of established risk factors, but also the existence of many novel causal pathways that are expected to improve our understanding of the genetic basis of CAD and facilitate the development of new therapeutic agents over time. Concurrently, Mendelian randomization studies have provided intriguing insights on the causal relationship between CAD-related traits, and highlight the potential benefits of long-term modifications of risk factors. Last, genetic risk scores of CAD may serve not only as prognostic, but also as predictive markers, and carry the potential to considerably improve the delivery of established prevention strategies. This review will summarize the evolution and discovery of genetic risk variants for CAD and their current and future clinical applications.
Abstract This study examined the association between major depression, obesity and body image among adolescents. Methods: Participants were 4175 youths 11–17 years of age sampled from the community ...who were interviewed using the Diagnostic Interview Schedule for Children and Adolescents, Version IV, completed a self-report questionnaire, and had their weight and height measured. There were 2 measures of body image: perceived weight and body satisfaction. Obesity was associated with increased risk of depression, with no controls for covariates. However, when the association was examined in models which included weight, major depression, and body image measures and covariates, there was no association between major depression and body weight, nor between body satisfaction and major depression. Perceived overweight was strongly and independently associated with body weight (O.R. = 2.62). We found no independent association between major depression and body weight. If there is an etiologic link between major depression and body weight among adolescents, it most likely operates through processes involving components of body image. Future research should focus on the role of depression and body image in the etiology of obesity.
The Power of Positive Emotions Xu, Jingping; Roberts, Robert E
Health psychology,
01/2010, Letnik:
29, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Objective:
This study longitudinally examined Subjective Well-Being (SWB) and its components, namely, Positive Feelings (PF, including global life satisfaction GLS), domain life satisfaction DLS, and ...positive affect PA) as well as Negative Feelings (NF) as predictors of longevity in a general population.
Design:
Data from the Alameda County Study over 28 years (1965-1993,
N
= 6856) were analyzed with multivariate Cox Proportional Hazard Models.
Main Outcome Measures:
Longevity, evaluated by risks of all-cause, natural-cause, and unnatural-cause mortality.
Results:
After demographic and baseline health covariates were controlled, SWB, PF, GLS, and DLS significantly predicted lowered risks of all-cause and natural-cause mortality (Relative Risk per unit predictor increase RR ranged .904-.989,
p
values ranged .000-.05). SWB, PF, and GLS also significantly predicted lowered risk of unnatural-cause mortality (RR ranged .862-.961,
p
values ranged .014-.05). These associations seemed partially or completely mediated by social networks. The associations were also found separately in younger (<55 in age) and/or older (≥55) subsamples, and were especially salient in the healthy subsample. However, NF showed no associations with the mortality outcomes.
Conclusion:
SWB and its various positive components, but not NF, significantly predict longevity in the general population.
A reliable yet economical unmanned surface vehicle (USV) has been developed for the bathymetric surveying of lakes. The system combines an autonomous navigation framework, environmental sensors, and ...a multibeam echosounder to collect submerged topography, temperature, and wind speed and monitor the vehicle's status during prescribed path-planning missions. The main objective of this research is to provide a methodological framework to build an autonomous boat with independent decision-making, efficient control, and long-range navigation capabilities. Integration of sensors with navigation control enabled the automatization of position, orientation, and velocity. A solar power integration was also tested to control the duration of the autonomous missions. The results of the solar power compared favorably with those of the standard LiPO battery system. Extended and autonomous missions were achieved with the developed platform, which can also evaluate the danger level, weather circumstances, and energy consumption through real-time data analysis. With all the incorporated sensors and controls, this USV can make self-governing decisions and improve its safety. A technical evaluation of the proposed vehicle was conducted as a measurable metric of the reliability and robustness of the prototype. Overall, a reliable, economic, and self-powered autonomous system has been designed and built to retrieve bathymetric surveys as a first step to developing intelligent reconnaissance systems that combine field robotics with machine learning to make decisions and adapt to unknown environments.
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