ABSTRACT
There are a number of investigations which indicate the important relationship between depression and cytokines. In this study, we investigated plasma interleukin (IL)-1beta, IL-6, soluble IL-2 receptor (sIL-2R) and tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha of depressed patients whose clinical evaluation was performed by the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAM-D) and the Profile of Mood States (POMS). They were compared with those of the control subjects, and before and after treatment with antidepressants. Before the treatment, plasma IL-1beta, IL-6, sIL-2R and TNF-alpha of the patients were not significantly different from those of the control subjects. sIL-2R was positively correlated with the POMS-tension-anxiety subscale and tended to have a positive correlation with HAM-D. After pharmacotherapy, TNF-alpha levels of the depressed patients increased, without any relationship between the change in the HAM-D or the POMS and the change in TNF-alpha. These results suggest that the plasma sIL-2R concentration is associated with mood state, and that the plasma TNF-alpha concentration is increased after pharmacotherapy in Japanese depressed patients.
Subject(s)
Depression/immunology , Interleukin-1/blood , Interleukin-6/blood , Receptors, Interleukin-2/blood , Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha/metabolism , Adult , Antidepressive Agents/therapeutic use , Case-Control Studies , Depression/diagnosis , Depression/drug therapy , Female , Humans , Japan , Male , Psychiatric Status Rating ScalesABSTRACT
This paper describes a study of the psychometric properties of the Japanese version of the mental adjustment to cancer (MAC) scale developed in England. The scale was completed by 455 Japanese cancer patients. The internal consistency was similar to that of the original version (Cronbach's alpha coefficients for the subscales ranged from 0.60 to 0.78) and the Japanese version had moderate to moderately high stability (correlation coefficients were above 0.64). Correlations between the MAC scale score and emotional states measured by the Profile of Mood States (POMS) indicated the concurrent validity. The results suggest that the Japanese version, like the original MAC scale, is a reliable and valid clinical research tool in Japan.