Meaning in life mediates the association between depressive symptoms and future frequency of suicidal ideation in Spanish university students: A longitudinal study.

INTRODUCTION: There is a need for longitudinal studies that focus on protective factors against suicide in Spain. We analyzed the estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation in a sample of Spanish university students. Second, we explored the relationship between future suicidal ideation, depressive symptoms, suicidal ideation at T1, and meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Third, we analyzed the mediation role of meaning in life between depressive symptoms and suicidal ideation evaluated with Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA). METHOD: In this longitudinal study, a total of 718 Spanish university students were assessed at T1, of whom 279 completed questionnaires along with EMA (T2). RESULTS: The estimated prevalence of suicidal ideation was 8.4%. Levels of depressive symptoms were positively correlated with suicidal ideation and negatively with meaning in life and its dimensions of meaning and purpose. Meaning in life and its dimensions mediated the relationship between depressive symptoms and subsequent suicidal ideation. DISCUSSION: There is a high prevalence of suicidal ideation among Spanish university students, and it is associated with depressive symptoms and meaning in life, with the latter acting as a protective factor. Thus, psychotherapeutic prevention programs from a logotherapeutic perspective could help to reduce students' suicide risk.

Trajectory Analysis of Suicidal Ideation in Spanish College Students Using Ecological Momentary Assessment.

Introduction: Suicide is a preventable death in young people. It is well known that suicide behavior is a multicausal phenomenon. However, suicidal ideation (SI) commonly underlies suicide, and Ecological Momentary Assessment (EMA) can help us to better characterize it and its risk and protective factors in the short term. We aimed, first, to investigate the estimated prevalence and trajectories of SI in a community sample of Spanish college students using an EMA methodology and, second, explore the associations between risk and protective factors and SI categorized as moderate or low. Materials and Methods: A total of 737 participants followed the EMA during a period of 6 months. We estimated the prevalence and trajectories of SI and the associations between depressive symptoms, positive and negative affect, thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, cognitive reappraisal, emotional suppression, and purpose in life with the MEmind smartphone App. SI was assessed 14 times during this period. Results: Twenty-eight participants referred to SI at least once in longitudinal assessments. We found a lack of curvature and, thus, a relatively stable trajectory of SI. Two groups of latent dimensions were observed related to risk and protective factors of SI. One latent dimension of the risk factors (higher levels of thwarted belongingness, perceived burdensomeness, depressive symptoms, negative affect, and emotional suppression) best represented the group with moderate levels of SI, and a second latent dimension of protective variables (positive affect, cognitive reappraisal, and purpose in life) best represented the group with lower levels of SI. Discussion: These findings may indicate that students with a sense of having a life worth living, in addition to having the ability to reevaluate their negative beliefs, are less likely to experience high levels of SI. Therefore, purpose in life would be a protective factor against the presence of SI.

Non-suicidal Self-injury Differentiates Suicide Ideators and Attempters and Predicts Future Suicide Attempts in Patients with Eating Disorders.

OBJECTIVE: We aimed first to identificate psychopathological variables differentiating between suicide ideators, suicide attempters and patients without suicide ideation or attempts, and second to identificate better predictors of suicide attempts longitudinally. METHOD: We compared suicide ideation, hopelessness, borderline symptoms, frequency, types, number of different non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) methods, intrapersonal and interpersonal functionality of NSSI in a sample of 238 patients with Eating Disorders (1) with no history of suicide ideation or suicide attempts (n = 150); (2) with recent suicide ideation (n = 65); and (3) with suicide attempts in the previous year (n = 23). In addition, we analyzed the predictive power of the mentioned variables over the number of suicide attempts 7 months after the first assessment. RESULTS: The group of suicide attempters showed a major number of different methods of NSSI, higher frequency of NSSI, cutting, and more NSSI intra and interpersonal functions than the group of ideators. Unlike in previous studies, hopelessness did not differentiate between patients with ideation and suicide attempts. In addition, the best predictor of suicide attempts 7 months later was frequency of NSSI at T1 (N = 123). CONCLUSIONS: Cutting, frequency and different methods of NSSI, intra and interpersonal functions were risk factors that differentiated ideators from attempters, being frequency of NSSI the best predictor of suicide attempts longitudinally. Thus, patients with ED with NSSI should be the focus of preventive interventions for suicidal behavior.

Altered Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test results are associated with oxidative stress markers in type 2 diabetic subjects.

BACKGROUND: Different lines of evidence suggest that oxidative stress (OS) is implicated in the pathogenesis of diabetic neuropathy. The Semmes-Weinstein monofilament (SWM) test is an efficient tool for evaluating diabetic polyneuropathy and diabetic foot. In this study, we analyzed the association between OS markers and altered SWM test results in type 2 diabetes (T2DM) patients. METHODS: Seventy T2DM patients were studied and 34 showed altered SWM results. The clinical and biochemical parameters were determined using standardized methods. Levels of oxidized glutathione (GSSG) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured in circulating mononuclear cells using high-performance liquid chromatography. RESULTS: We found that T2DM patients with altered SWM test results had significantly higher GSSG (3.53 ± 0.31 vs. 3.31 ± 0.35 mmol/ml, p < 0.05) and MDA (1.88 ± 0.16 vs. 1.75 ± 0.19 nmol/ml, p < 0.01) values compared to diabetic patients with normal SWM test outcomes. Moreover, altered SWM test results were independently related to age, glycosylated hemoglobin, and GSSG levels, but there was no association between OS markers and altered neuropathy sensitivity score (NSS) values. CONCLUSIONS: Alteration of the glutathione system and MDA values in T2DM patients are associated with loss of proprioceptive (pressure) sensitivity, but not with symptomatic polyneuropathy (as evaluated by NSS). This finding may be important for understanding how OS affects distal symmetric polyneuropathy in diabetic patients.

[Plasma homocysteine, Lp(a), and oxidative stress markers in peripheral macroangiopathy in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus]. / Homocisteína plasmática, Lp(a) y marcadores de estrés oxidativo en la vasculopatía periférica del paciente con diabetes tipo 2.

AIM: To study new risk factors for peripheral macroangiopathy (PM) in patients with diabetes, as oxidative stress (OS) and its interaction with classical risk factors: age, Lp(a), plasma homocysteine values and HbA1c. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We studied 204 type2 diabetic (T2DM) patients, consecutive selected form a reference hospital and a secondary hospital form our Community (2009-2010). Design was a case (ABI<0.89) control (ABI0.9-1.2) study. PM was defined using ankle brachial index (ABI). Thirty nine T2DM subjects presented ABI>1.2 and were excluded. Clinical and biological parameters were determined using standard methods. RESULTS: Comparing clinical and biological parameters obtained in both studied groups (T2DM+ABI<0.9 vs T2DM+ABI0.9-1.2), we found statistical significant differences in age, evolution time of diabetes, Lp(a) and plasma homocysteine values. No differences were found in OS parameters: reduced glutathione, oxidized glutathione and maloldialdehide between studied groups. Plasma homocysteine values were an independent risk factor for the presence of PM and were related to evolution time of diabetes and reduced glutathione. CONCLUSIONS: We have confirmed that Lp(a) and independently plasma homocysteine values were related to PM in T2DM subjects. No association with PM and OS markers (GSH, GSSG and MDA) were found in T2DM with more than 10years of evolution time of their disease and high prevalence of chronic complications.

Alternating Ferro/Antiferromagnetic Copper(II) Chain Containing an Unprecedented Triple Formato/Hydroxido/Sulfato Bridge.

The first example of a triple formato/hydroxido/sulfato (FHS) bridge for any metal is reported in compound [Cu2(bpym)(OH)(HCO2)(SO4)(H2O)2]·3H2O (1). Its structure shows the presence of alternating triple FHS bridges and 2,2'-bipyrimidine (bpym) ones. Although in the initial synthesis the sulfate anions were introduced accidentally, here we report the rational synthesis and the magnetic properties of this compound. The magnetic properties show that 1 is an alternating ferro/antiferromagnetic (F/AF) chain compound with predominant antiferromagnetic interactions and were fit to an alternating F/AF S = (1)/2 chain with g = 2.103, JAF = -139 cm(-1), and JF = 116 cm(-1) (α = JF/|JAF| = 0.83). The JAF value found corresponds very well to those previously reported for Cu-bpym-Cu bridges (average value of ca. -150 cm(-1)). The JF value is also very close to the estimated one (ca. 100 cm(-1)) from magneto-structural correlations in triply Cu-Cu bridged compounds with both hydroxido and carboxylato bridges in equatorial positions.

Altered glutathione system is associated with the presence of distal symmetric peripheral polyneuropathy in type 2 diabetic subjects.

Distal symmetric peripheral polyneuropathy (DSPN) is a highly prevalent complication of diabetes. However, underlying pathophysiological mechanisms are multiple and not well understood. The aim of our study was to analyze the oxidative stress levels in circulating mononuclear cells by measuring the glutathione system, malondialdehyde and oxidized-LDL, in 60 type 2 diabetic patients from a well-characterized cohort of 196 type 2 diabetic patients. Using a nested case-control design, we studied 30 type 2 diabetic patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy and 30 diabetic controls without this complication, according to the Neuropathy Disability Score. We have found that diabetic patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy showed significantly lower values of reduced glutathione (GSH) and reduced glutathione/oxidized glutathione (GSH/GSSG) ratio. These data indicate an increased consumption of glutathione in mononuclear cells from patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy. No significant differences were found in malondialdehyde or in oxidized-LDL levels comparing both groups. These data show an altered glutathione response in circulating monocytes from diabetic patients with distal symmetric polyneuropathy.

[Correlation between plasma concentrations of homocysteine and diabetic polyneuropathy evaluated with the Semmes-Weinstein monofilament test in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus]. / Correlación entre las concentraciones plasmáticas de homocisteína y la polineuropatía diabética evaluada con la prueba del monofilamento de Semmes-Weinstein en pacientes con diabetes tipo 2.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Few modifiable risk factors are known to be associated with the presence and progression of diabetic polyneuropathy (DPN). MATERIAL AND METHOD: We have analyzed in 405 type 2 diabetic (T2DM) subjects (169 women) the association of plasma homocysteine with the presence of DPN measured with the Semmes-Weinstein (SW) monofilament test. A score below 4 was considered an altered SW monofilament test. Plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12 and folic acid were measured using standard procedures (ELISA). RESULTS: Patients with T2DM with altered SW test have significantly higher age, evolution of disease, HbA1c and lower creatinine clearance values. In addition, plasma homocysteine values were independently and significantly higher in T2DM with DPN measured as altered SW test (13.64 ± 4.93 vs. 12.22 ± 4.48 µmol/l, P<.01) with similar vitamin B12 and folic acid values comparing the 2 groups. CONCLUSION: Plasma homocysteine and HbA1c values are the 2 modifiable biological factors associated with the presence of DPN evaluated as an altered SW monofilament test in T2DM subjects.