ABSTRACT
Mindfulness training among patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) reduces symptoms, prevents relapse, improves prognosis, and is more efficient for those with a high level of trait mindfulness. Upon hospital admission, 126 MDD patients completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), World Health Organization Quality of Life Brief, Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire (FFMQ), and the Rumination Response Scale (RRS). The 65 patients that scored less than the median of all subjects on the FFMQ were placed into the low mindfulness level (LML) group. The other 61 patients were placed in the high mindfulness level (HML) group. All facet scores were statistically different between the mental health assessment scores of the HML and LML groups except for RRS brooding and FFMQ nonjudgement. Trait mindfulness level exhibited a negative and bidirectional association with MDD severity primarily through the facets of description and aware actions. Trait mindfulness was also related positively with age primarily through the facets of nonreactivity and nonjudgement. Being married is positively associated with trait mindfulness levels primarily through the facet of observation and by an associated increase in perceived quality of life. Mindfulness training prior to MDD diagnosis also associates positively with trait mindfulness level. Hospitalized MDD patients should have their trait mindfulness levels characterized to predict treatment efficiency, help establish a prognosis, and identify mindfulness-related therapeutic targets.
ABSTRACT
This study was conducted to investigate the role of different homocysteine metabolism-related vitamin (HMRV) levels in the correlation between hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) and ischemic stroke (IS) subtypes. Three hundred and forty-eight IS patients manifesting different vascular subtypes were subclassified on the basis of HMRV deficiencies. Correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes was investigated in all the subgroups. In this study, HHCY was significantly correlated with the IS subtypes in large artery atherosclerosis (OR 1.126, 95%CI: 1.051 ~ 1.206, P = 0.001) and small artery occlusion (OR 1.105, 95%CI: 1.023 ~ 1.193, P = 0.012). Subgroup analysis revealed a correlation between HHCY and IS subgroup (OR 1.201, 1.178, 95%CI: 1.081 ~ 1.334, 1.058 ~ 1.313, P = 0.001, P = 0.003, respectively) in HMRV deficiency, but not significantly with the IS subgroup in normal HMRV levels. Serum vitamin B12 concentrations are inversely correlated with both IS subtypes in HMRV deficiency subgroups (OR 0.992, 0.995, 95%CI: 0.987 ~ 0.996, 0.991 ~ 0.999, P < 0.001, P = 0.007, respectively), which may contribute to HHCY incidence in these populations. The correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes is affected by HMRV levels in this case-control study. Our findings are helpful to understand the inconsistency in prior homocysteine studies. Serum vitamin B12 levels may play a critical role in HHCY incidence in this Chinese population.Cerebrovascular disease has emerged as the leading cause of disability and mortality in both urban and rural areas of China (Neurology branch of Chinese Medical Association 2015). Ischemic stroke (IS) constitutes 60% to 80% of all cerebrovascular disease (Neurology branch of Chinese Medical Association 2014). Among a variety of risk factors, hyperhomocysteinemia (HHCY) has been closely correlated with IS due to intracranial small-vessel disease and extracranial large-artery disease (Selhub et al. 1995; Eikelboom et al. 2000; Alvarez et al. 2012; Jeon et al. 2014). However, the failure to lower homocysteine (HCY) via homocysteine metabolism-related vitamin (HMRV, including folic acid and vitamin B12 but not vitamin B6 in this study) supplementation to reduce stroke morbidity questions the role of HCY as a risk factor for stroke (Lonn et al. 2006; Hankey et al. 2010). Theoretically, HMRV supplementation merely lowers the incidence of stroke induced by HHCY resulting from HMRV deficiency, whereas HHCY-induced stroke concomitant with normal HMRV levels may be refractory to treatment. The correlation between HCY varying with HMRV levels and IS subtypes is still unclear. In this study, we investigated the impact of variation in HMRV levels on the correlation between HHCY and IS subtypes in 348 acute IS patients with large and small vessel diseases. We sought to determine the factors underlying the conflicting results associated with lowering HCY by HMRV supplementation to reduce stroke incidence.