Showing papers by "Kouichi Yoshimasu published in 2009"

Molecular epidemiology of major depressive disorder.

Abstract: Major depressive disorder causes significant morbidity, affecting people’s ability to work, function in relationships, and engage in social activities Moreover, major depressive disorder increases the risk of suicidal ideation, attempted suicide and death by completed suicide There is evidence that chronic stress can cause major depressive disorder As for genetic factors, only minor susceptibility genes have been reliably identified The serotonin system provides a logical source of susceptibility genes for depression, because this system is the target of selective serotonin reuptake-inhibitor drugs that are effective in treating depression The 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) transporter (5-HTT) has received particular attention because it is involved in the reuptake of serotonin at brain synapses One common polymorphic variant of the 5-HTT-linked polymorphic region (5-HTTLPR), which affects the promoter of the 5-HTT gene, causes reduced uptake of the neurotransmitter serotonin into the presynaptic cells in the brain The authors discussed the relationship between genetic polymorphisms and major depressive disorder, with special emphasis on the 5-HTTTLPR polymorphism As the 5-HTTLPR polymorphism was significantly associated with an increased risk of major depressive disorder, the 5-HTT gene may be a candidate for a major depressive disorder susceptibility gene As major depressive disorder is a multifactorial disease, an improved understanding of the interplay of environmental and genetic polymorphisms at multiple loci may help identify individuals who are at increased risk for major depressive disorder Hopefully, in the future we will be able to screen for major depressive disorder susceptibility by using specific biomarkers

Maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder: a case–control study in Japan

Abstract: Although maternal smoking during pregnancy has been shown to be associated with an increased risk of offspring attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in Western countries, there is no empirical evidence in non-Caucasian Purpose of the present study is to examine the relationship between maternal smoking during pregnancy and offspring ADHD in Japanese population A case-control study design was adopted A total of 90 pairs of children with ADHD and mothers as well as 270 corresponding control pairs were recruited throughout the study period A psychiatrist interviewed all the mothers of children with ADHD and control children and elicited information regarding their lifestyles during pregnancy, including active and passive smoking or drinking habits, as well as psychosocial and perinatal factors Diagnosis of ADHD was made by each physician in charge according to DSM-IV diagnostic criteria Logistic regression analysis was used to calculate odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) with adjustments for other possible confounding factors Maternal active smoking during pregnancy was associated with an approximately twofold increased risk of offspring ADHD, even after adjusting for socioeconomic and perinatal confounding factors (OR 18 95% CI 09-36) However, the association was obviously attenuated when factors regarding parental psychopathological vulnerability were controlled (OR 13 95% CI 06-29) On the other hand, maternal passive smoking during pregnancy failed to show any material association with ADHD These results suggested that a significant part of the association between maternal smoking during pregnancy, and ADHD might be explained by genetic factors including parental psychopathological vulnerability

Mental and somatic symptoms related to suicidal ideation in patients visiting a psychosomatic clinic in Japan.

Abstract: Patients with suicidal ideation (SI) have various mental or somatic symptoms. A questionnaire-based interview elicited details concerning mental and somatic symptoms in patients visiting a psychosomatic clinic in Japan. Univariate logistic regression analyses followed by multiple regression models using a stepwise method were selected for identifying the candidate symptoms. Overall, symptoms related to depression were associated with SI in both sexes. Although women showed more various somatic symptoms associated with SI than men, many of those associations were diminished once severity of the depression was controlled. The current results suggest that a variety of self-reported symptoms, mainly related to depression, might reveal suicidal risk in outpatients with an urban hospital clinical setting.