Enteroendocrine cells-sensory sentinels of the intestinal environment and orchestrators of mucosal immunity.

The intestinal epithelium must balance efficient absorption of nutrients with partitioning commensals and pathogens from the bodies' largest immune system. If this crucial barrier fails, inappropriate immune responses can result in inflammatory bowel disease or chronic infection. Enteroendocrine cells represent 1% of this epithelium and have classically been studied for their detection of nutrients and release of peptide hormones to mediate digestion. Intriguingly, enteroendocrine cells are the key sensors of microbial metabolites, can release cytokines in response to pathogen associated molecules and peptide hormone receptors are expressed on numerous intestinal immune cells; thus enteroendocrine cells are uniquely equipped to be crucial and novel orchestrators of intestinal inflammation. In this review, we introduce enteroendocrine chemosensory roles, summarize studies correlating enteroendocrine perturbations with intestinal inflammation and describe the mechanistic interactions by which enteroendocrine and mucosal immune cells interact during disease; highlighting this immunoendocrine axis as a key aspect of innate immunity.

Inflammatory cues enhance TGFß activation by distinct subsets of human intestinal dendritic cells via integrin αvß8.

Regulation of intestinal T-cell responses is crucial for immune homeostasis and prevention of inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). A vital cytokine in regulating intestinal T cells is transforming growth factor-ß (TGFß), which is secreted by cells as a latent complex that requires activation to function. However, how TGFß activation is regulated in the human intestine, and how such pathways are altered in IBD is completely unknown. Here we show that a key activator of TGFß, integrin αvß8, is highly expressed on human intestinal dendritic cells (DCs), specifically on the CD1c+ but not the CD141+ intestinal DC subset. Expression was significantly upregulated on intestinal DC from IBD patients, indicating that inflammatory signals may upregulate expression of this key TGFß-activating molecule. Indeed, we found that the Toll-like receptor 4 ligand lipopolysaccharide upregulates integrin αvß8 expression and TGFß activation by human DC. We also show that DC expression of integrin αvß8 enhanced induction of FOXP3 in CD4+ T cells, suggesting functional importance of integrin αvß8 expression by human DC. These results show that microbial signals enhance the TGFß-activating ability of human DC via regulation of integrin αvß8 expression, and that intestinal inflammation may drive this pathway in patients with IBD.

Mesenchymal stromal cells: inhibiting PDGF receptors or depleting fibronectin induces mesodermal progenitors with endothelial potential.

Realizing the full therapeutic potential of mesenchymal stromal/stem cells (MSCs) awaits improved understanding of mechanisms controlling their fate. Using MSCs cultured as spheroids to recapitulate a three-dimensional cellular environment, we show that perturbing the mesenchymal regulators, platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) receptors or fibronectin, reverts MSCs toward mesodermal progenitors with endothelial potential that can potently induce neovascularization in vivo. MSCs within untreated spheroids retain their mesenchymal spindle shape with abundant smooth muscle α-actin filaments and fibronectin-rich matrix. Inhibiting PDGF receptors or depleting fibronectin induces rounding and depletes smooth muscle α-actin expression; these cells have characteristics of mesenchymoangioblasts, with enhanced expression of mesendoderm and endoderm transcription factors, prominent upregulation of E-cadherin, and Janus kinase signaling-dependent expression of Oct4A and Nanog. PDGF receptor-inhibited spheroids also upregulate endothelial markers platelet endothelial cell adhesion molecule 1 and vascular endothelial-cadherin and secrete many angiogenic factors, and in vivo they potently stimulate neovascularization, and their MSCs integrate within functional blood vessels that are perfused by the circulation. Thus, MSC potency and vascular induction are regulated by perturbing mesenchymal fate.

Trichinella spiralis antigens prime mixed Th1/Th2 response but do not induce de novo generation of Foxp3+ T cells in vitro.

Many parasitic helminth infections induce Th2-type immune responses and engage the regulatory network. In this study, we specifically investigated the influence of antigens derived from different life stages of the helminth Trichinella spiralis on the polarization of naive CD4(+) T cells by dendritic cells. Results obtained from C57BL/6 mice showed that T. spiralis derived antigens have the capacity to induce bone marrow-derived dendritic cells to acquire an incompletely mature phenotype that promotes a significant proliferation of naive CD4(+) T cells and a mixed Th1/Th2 cytokine profile with the predominance of Th2 cytokines. Increased production of IL-4, IL-9, IL-10 and IL-13 accompanied increased IFN-γ. Furthermore, dendritic cells pulsed with T. spiralis antigens did not induce an increase in the population of Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells. Although other helminth antigens have demonstrated the capacity to induce de novo generation of Foxp3(+) T regulatory cells, here our in vitro studies provide no evidence that T. spiralis antigens have this capacity.

The role of anxiety sensitivity in sleep disturbance in panic disorder.

Previous research has demonstrated that individuals with panic disorder (PD) report significant sleep disturbances, although the mechanism of this disturbance is not clear. Patients with PD tend to report abnormally high levels of anxiety sensitivity (AS). Because higher AS involves increases in attention and fearfulness about anxiety and associated physical sensations, which in turn may cause excessive psychological and physiologic arousal, we hypothesized that amongst individuals with PD, higher AS would be associated with sleep disruption, particularly in the form of increased sleep latency. As expected, PD was associated with poorer sleep as measured by the Global Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) compared to controls and AS was significantly associated with longer sleep latency. Our data suggest that sleep disturbance, and in particular sleep latency, in PD may be partly due to high levels of AS, which can be targeted with cognitive-behavioral therapeutic strategies.

The role of CD8+ cells in the establishment and maintenance of a Trichuris muris infection.

Chronic infection by the caecal-dwelling intestinal murine nematode Trichuris muris occurs if given as a high-dose infection to 'susceptible' AKR mice or as a low-dose infection to the normally 'resistant' C57BL/6 mouse strain. Both regimes result in a type 1 cytokine response, i.e. high levels of IFN-gamma and IL-12. Here we show this susceptible response is associated with a large population of CD8(+) IFN-gamma(+) cells within the mesenteric lymph nodes and numerous CD8(+) cells infiltrating the caecal mucosa. Despite this, the in vivo abolition of CD8(+) cells within AKR and C57BL/6 mice, either prior to infection or once infection has become established, failed to affect chronicity, implying that CD8(+) T cells are not essential for the initiation or maintenance of the susceptible response to T. muris. Interestingly, the percentage of IFN-gamma(+) CD4(+) cells increased in treated groups, perhaps in a compensatory role. The majority of antigen-specific cytokine responses were comparable in both treated and control groups, although IL-5 was fivefold higher in animals receiving anti-CD8 mAbs and IFN-gamma was also raised in treated mice. Mastocytosis was unaltered by CD8 depletion, however, paradoxically, eosinophilia within the caecum was reduced in treated mice. Together these data clearly demonstrate that CD8(+) T cells are associated with chronic T. muris infection; however, these cells are dispensable for both the early and late phases of this response, but do appear to play a role in the regulation of certain cytokines and caecal eosinophilia.

Ropinirole for antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction.

Sexual dysfunction is a relatively common side-effect of antidepressants, occurring in approximately one-half of patients, and is associated with significant distress and treatment non-compliance. Dopaminergic agents have been reported to be helpful for the treatment of antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction and, in this report, we examined the efficacy of the dopamine agonist ropinirole for this indication. Thirteen patients (three women, 10 men), aged 42.6 +/- 7.7 years, who reported sexual dysfunction on a stable dose of antidepressant, were treated openly with ropinirole initiated at 0.25 mg/day and titrated up to 2-4 mg/day over 4 weeks, as tolerated. Ten of the 13 took ropinirole for at least 4 weeks, one discontinued due to an adverse event and two because of lack of response. Sexual dysfunction, as assessed by the Arizona Sexual Experience Scale scores, was reduced from 18.8 +/- 3.6 to 13.8 +/- 4.3 after 4 weeks on ropinirole at a mean dose of 2.1 mg/day. Overall, seven of 13 patients (54%) were rated as responders on the Clinical Global Impression of Improvement Scale. The addition of ropinirole may represent a potentially useful treatment strategy for antidepressant-induced sexual dysfunction.

Personality disorders and depression.

BACKGROUND: Personality disorders (PDs) were assessed among depressed out-patients by clinical interview before and after antidepressant treatment with fluoxetine to assess the degree of stability of PD diagnoses and determine whether changes in PD diagnoses across treatment are related to the degree of improvement in depressive symptoms. METHOD: Three hundred and eighty-four out-patients (55% women; mean age = 39.9 +/- 10.5) with major depressive disorder (MDD) diagnosed with the SCID-P were enrolled into an 8 week trial of open treatment with fluoxetine 20 mg/day. The SCID-II was administered to diagnose PDs at baseline and endpoint. RESULTS: A significant proportion (64%) of our depressed out-patients met criteria for at least one co-morbid personality disorder. Following 8 weeks of fluoxetine treatment, there was a significant reduction in the proportion of patients meeting criteria for avoidant, dependent, passive-aggressive, paranoid and narcissistic PDs. From baseline to endpoint, there was also a significant reduction in the mean number of criteria met for paranoid, schizotypal, narcissistic, borderline, avoidant, dependent, obsessive-compulsive, passive aggressive and self-defeating personality disorders. While changes in cluster diagnoses were not significantly related to improvement in depressive symptoms, there were significant relationships between degree of reduction in depressive symptoms (percentage change in HAM-D-17 scores) and degree of change in the number of criteria met for paranoid, narcissistic, borderline and dependent personality disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Personality disorder diagnoses were found to be common among untreated out-patients with major depressive disorder. A significant proportion of these patients no longer met criteria for personality disorders following antidepressant treatment, and changes in personality disorder traits were significantly related to degree of improvement in depressive symptoms in some but not all personality disorders. These findings suggest that the lack of stability of PD diagnoses among patients with current MDD may be attributable in part to a direct effect of antidepressant treatment on behaviours and attitudes that comprise PDs.

Childhood history of anxiety disorders among adults with social phobia: rates, correlates, and comparisons with patients with panic disorder.

We examined the rates and correlates of a childhood history of anxiety disorders in 100 adults with a primary diagnosis of social phobia (social anxiety disorder). Adulthood and childhood disorders were assessed by experienced clinicians with structured clinical interviews. Rates of childhood anxiety disorders were evaluated to diagnostic comorbidity and a comparison group of patients with panic disorder. Onset of social phobia occurred before age 18 in 80% of the sample. Over half of the sample (54%) met criteria for one or more childhood anxiety disorders other than social phobia: 47% for overanxious disorder, 25% for avoidant disorder, 13% for separation anxiety disorder, and 1% for childhood agoraphobia. A history of childhood anxiety was associated with an early age of onset of social phobia, greater severity of fear and avoidance of social situations, greater fears of negative evaluation, and greater anxiety and depression morbidity. Rates of childhood social phobia, overanxious disorder, and avoidant disorder were significantly higher in patients with social phobia relative to our panic-disordered comparison group. We found approximately equal rates of a childhood history of separation anxiety disorder in patients with social phobia and panic disorder, providing further evidence against a unique relationship between separation anxiety disorder and panic disorder.

Citalopram for social phobia: a clinical case series.

Social anxiety disorder is a common illness with significant associated disability. Serotonin selective reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) have become first-line treatment given their improved tolerability; however, there are few reports on the use of citalopram. Nine consecutive patients with a primary diagnosis of DSM-IV generalized social phobia were prospectively treated with citalopram. Citalopram was generally well-tolerated, and seven patients achieved responder status. This series of patients improved significantly on all measures. Results suggest that citalopram may be a safe and effective treatment for social anxiety disorder.

T3 blood levels and treatment outcome in depression.

OBJECTIVE: We examined the correlation between the basal triiodothyronine resin uptake (T3-RU) levels in depressed subjects and the response to anti-depressant treatment. METHOD: We treated with fluoxetine 235 outpatients meeting DSM-IV criteria for major depression. We measured T3 resin uptake (T3-RU) levels before the onset of treatment. The 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (Ham-D-17) was administered before, during and after the eight weeks of treatment to assess changes in depressive symptoms. RESULTS: 16 patients (6.8 percent) had low T3-RU levels (range 16.5-21), and 7 patients (3.0 percent) had high T3-RU levels (range 36-38). No relationship was found between T3-RU levels and clinical improvement, defined as either total Ham-D-17 score change or Ham-D-17 score < or = 7 in the last 3 weeks of treatment, even after adjusting for baseline severity of depression. CONCLUSION: Abnormal T3-RU levels are rather uncommon in outpatient depression and do not correlate with the response to antidepressant treatment or lack thereof.

Anemia and macrocytosis in the prediction of serum folate and vitamin B12 status, and treatment outcome in major depression.

BACKGROUND: Folate and B12 deficiencies may result in macrocytic anemia, and are common in major depression; hypofolatemia may result in poorer antidepressant response. We wished to determine whether anemia or macrocytosis predict hypofolatemia, low B12, or refractoriness to antidepressants. METHODS: After obtaining serum folate, B12, and hematological indices, 213 depressed adults were treated with fluoxetine 20 mg/day. Amelioration of depressive symptoms was measured. RESULTS: Neither macrocytosis nor anemia predicted low serum folate/B12, or antidepressant refractoriness. Among 39 patients with hypofolatemia, none had macrocytosis; 28% had low HCT; 41% had low RBC. Among 25 patients with low B12, none had macrocytosis; 24% had low HCT; 28% had low RBC. Among non-responders, 3% had macrocytosis; 24% had low HCT; 25% had low RBC. CONCLUSION: Anemia and macrocytosis should not be used to predict folate or B12 deficiencies, or refractoriness to antidepressants. Measurement of folate and B12 should be considered when evaluating treatment refractoriness.

A comparison of the efficacy of clonazepam and cognitive-behavioral group therapy for the treatment of social phobia.

There is a growing body of evidence that social phobia may be treated effectively by either pharmacologic or cognitive-behavioral interventions. but few studies have examined the relative benefits of these treatments. In this study, we examined the relative efficacy of pharmacotherapy with clonazepam and cognitive-behavioral group therapy (CBGT) for treating social phobia. In addition, we examined potential predictors of differential treatment response. Outpatients meeting Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (3rd ed., revised) criteria for social phobia were randomly assigned to treatment. Clinician-rated and patient-rated symptom severity was examined at baseline and after 4, 8, and 12 weeks of treatment. All clinician-rated assessments were completed by individuals blind to treatment condition. Patients in both conditions improved significantly, and differences between treatment conditions were absent, except for greater improvement on clonazepam on several measures at the 12-week assessment. Symptom severity was negatively associated with treatment success for both methods of treatment, and additional predictors-sex, comorbidity with other anxiety or mood disorders, fear of anxiety symptoms, and dysfunctional attitudes-failed to predict treatment outcome above and beyond severity measures. In summary, we found that patients randomized to clinical care with clonazepam or CBGT were equally likely to respond to acute treatment, and pretreatment measures of symptom severity provided no guidance for the selection of one treatment over another.

Timing of onset of antidepressant response with fluoxetine treatment.

OBJECTIVE: The purpose of this study was to assess the time until onset of antidepressant response with fluoxetine treatment. METHOD: The authors evaluated 182 outpatients with major depression who had a sustained acute response to fluoxetine treatment. The outpatients received 8 weeks of treatment with 20 mg/day of fluoxetine and were assessed biweekly with the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. The onset of response was defined as a 30% decrease in score on the Hamilton depression scale that persisted and led to a 50% decrease by week 8. The Kaplan-Meier product limit and Cox regression analysis were used to model the relationship between relevant variables and time until onset of response. RESULTS: The authors found that at weeks 2, 4, and 6, the probabilities of having an onset of response (for responders) were 55.5%, 24.7%, and 9.3%, respectively. The cumulative probabilities of onset of response at each time point were 55.5%, 80.2%, and 89.5%. Neither demographics nor clinical characteristics of depression predicted time until initial response. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that more than half of eventual responders to fluoxetine treatment at 8 weeks start to respond by week 2; over 75% start to respond by week 4. Conversely, the lack of onset of response at 4-6 weeks was associated with about a 73%-88% chance that patients would not have an onset of response by 8 weeks.

Cell-surface expression of L-selectin (CD62L) by blood lymphocytes: correlates with affective parameters and severity of panic disorder.

The surface immune phenotype of peripheral blood lymphocytes (PBL) was examined in 30 patients meeting DSM-III-R criteria for panic disorder and in 10 normal controls by immunostaining and cytofluorimetry. Patients with panic disorder and controls showed comparable numbers of PBL and no differences in the percentages of blood T-cells, B-cells, or NK-cells. The PBL in panic disorder patients showed a trend toward enrichment for "naive" CD45RA+ T-lymphocytes (35.0 +/- 7.6 vs. 28.7 +/- 9.8, P = 0.09) and significant enrichment for cells expressing CD62L (L-selectin, 22.9 +/- 5.9 vs. 14.6 +/- 6.3, P = 0.002), a lymphocyte homing receptor that mediates binding to lymph node endothelium. Increased expression of CD62L correlated directly with the global severity of illness, Hamilton Anxiety (HAM-A) and Hamilton Depression (HAM-D) scores. Although in the normal range, plasma cortisol levels were significantly increased in patients with panic disorder (P = 0.003) with respect to controls and correlated with the expression of CD62L by PBL. We conclude that the peripheral blood in panic disorder shows phenotypic changes that may reflect diminished cell activation in vivo.

Quality of life in patients with panic disorder.

In this study we assessed the quality of life of patients with panic disorder, with particular attention to the influence of anxiety and depression comorbidity on quality of life. Findings were compared with established general population norms as well as norms for patients with chronic medical conditions and major depression. The Medical Outcomes Study Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36) was administered to panic disorder patients entering clinical trials or treatment in an outpatient anxiety disorders program. Subjects were 73 consecutive patients with a primary diagnosis of panic disorder without current substance abuse or contributory medical illness. Their quality of life scores were compared with population mean estimates using single-sample t-tests, and the influence of comorbidity was examined with between-group comparisons. All SF-36 mental and physical health subscale scores were worse in patients with panic disorder than in the general population. This was true regardless of the presence of comorbid anxiety or mood disorders, although the presence of the comorbid conditions worsened select areas of functioning according to subscale analyses. SF-36 scores in panic patients were at approximately the same level as patients with major depression and tended to be worse in specific areas than patients with select medical conditions. This study provides evidence of the pervasive negative effects of panic disorder on both mental and physical health.

Patterns of axis I comorbidity in early-onset versus late-onset major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: This study of a large clinical sample of depressed patients examined whether childhood onset as compared with adult onset Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) would confer a greater risk for Axis I comorbidity and whether childhood onset MDD would also differ from adult onset MDD in the pattern of comorbid disorders. METHODS: We examined lifetime co-occurrence of Axis I disorders among 381 adult outpatients with MDD by Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R-Patient Edition (SCID-P). Subjects were divided into childhood onset (n = 47), adolescent onset (n = 101) and adult onset (n = 233) MDD groups. RESULTS: We found that the two early-onset groups exhibited significantly increased rates of Axis I comorbidity. The childhood onset group accounted for a disproportionately high percentage of depressed adults with two or more comorbid Axis I disorders. Social and simple phobias and alcohol abuse/dependence were significantly more prevalent among individuals with childhood onset MDD than among individuals with adult onset MDD. Alcohol abuse/dependence, but not anxiety disorders, was significantly more prevalent among adolescent onset than adult onset MDD groups. Panic, generalized anxiety, obsessive-compulsive and somatoform disorders were equally distributed across MDD onset groups. Comorbid disorders were much more likely to have followed onset of MDD among individuals with childhood compared with adult onset, except for social phobia which more frequently preceded the depression. The relative ordering among the comorbid conditions with respect to whether they followed or preceded MDD did not vary notably across the three age of onset groups. CONCLUSIONS: We conclude that early-onset MDD is associated with an increased density of Axis I comorbidity that seems to be limited to specific disorders.

Residual symptoms in depressed patients who respond acutely to fluoxetine.

BACKGROUND: Antidepressants have unequivocal efficacy as compared with placebo, but many patients have residual symptoms despite a robust response to antidepressant therapy. The purpose of this study is to assess residual symptoms in outpatients who respond acutely to fluoxetine. METHOD: Two hundred and fifteen outpatients with major depressive disorder as assessed with the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-III-R (SCID-P) were treated openly with fluoxetine 20 mg/day for 8 weeks. One hundred and eight (50.2%) were considered full responders (final 17-item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression [HAM-D] score < or =7). Percentages of full responders who continued to have subthreshold or full major depressive disorder symptoms were calculated. The relationship between residual symptoms and Axis I and Axis II (assessed with SCID-II for personality disorders) comorbidity was assessed. RESULTS: Of the 108 responders, 19 (17.6%) had no subthreshold or threshold SCID-P major depressive disorder symptoms, while 28 (25.9%) had 1 symptom, and 61 (56.5%) had 2 or more symptoms. No statistically significant relationships were found between number of residual symptoms and selected Axis I comorbid conditions or total number of Axis II disorders. CONCLUSION: Less than 20% of full responders to fluoxetine by HAM-D criteria were free of all SCID-P subthreshold and threshold major depressive disorder symptoms after 8 weeks of treatment. While depressed patients benefit from antidepressants, most continue to have some symptoms of depression. The high prevalence of residual symptoms among antidepressant responders suggests the need for further study including whether residual symptoms abate with longer treatment or increased dose of fluoxetine. Other strategies, such as cognitive behavioral therapy, may be needed to address residual symptoms.

Nefazodone for social phobia: a clinical case series.

A number of pharmacological agents, including the monoamine oxidase inhibitors, benzodiazepines, selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors, and beta blockers, have proven effective for the treatment of social phobia. Nefazodone, a relatively novel antidepressant, has demonstrated potential efficacy for the treatment of panic disorder but has not been formally studied in patients with social phobia. The authors conducted a clinical case study in which five consecutive patients meeting DSM-IV criteria for generalized social phobia were treated with nefazodone (dose range: 200-600 mg/day) for 3 months. Three of the patients completed all 3 months of the treatment, one discontinued after 2 1/2 months due to adverse gastrointestinal effects and one discontinued after 2 months due to lack of efficacy. The patients completed the Liebowitz. Social Phobia Scale and the Sheehan Disability Scale at every clinic visit, and were evaluated by the clinicians with the Brief Social Phobia Scale and CGI-Severity and CGI-Improvement scales. Analysis of endpoint data demonstrated significant improvement on most measures of outcome. Results from this case series suggest that nefazodone may be an effective treatment for social phobia and that formal randomized trials are warranted.