The Prevalence of Depression Symptoms and Frequency of Risk Factors in Medical and Nursing Students: A Descriptive Cross-sectional Study.

OBJECTIVE: Currently, in Puerto Rico, there is a paucity of data regarding emotional health and depression in health professionals, specifically regarding trainees such as medical students and nursing students. The study intended to shed light on the prevalence of depression symptoms among medical and nursing students at a school of medicine in Puerto Rico. METHODS: In the fall of 2019, a descriptive cross-sectional study that included nursing and medical students in their first, second, and third years was performed. A survey consisting of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and sociodemographic questions were used for data collection. Logistic regression analyses were used to determine the association of PHQ-9 scores and the risk factors linked to depression symptoms. RESULTS: A total of 173 (83.2%) out of 208 enrolled students participated in the study. Of the participants, 75.7% were medical students and 24.3% were nursing students. Of the risk factors studied, feelings of regret and lack of sleep were associated with a higher frequency of depression symptoms in medical students. For the nursing student population, suffering from a chronic disease was associated with a higher frequency of depression symptoms. CONCLUSION: Due to the increased risk of depression in healthcare professionals, identifying risk factors that can be addressed through early changes in behavior, or in institutional policies, is important in terms of working to mitigate the risk of mental health problems in this vulnerable population.

Correlation between Parental Vaccine Hesitancy, Socio-demographic Factors, and Novel SARS-CoV-2 Vaccination in Puerto Rico.

OBJECTIVE: Accurate and inaccurate vaccination information is readily accessible. Unfortunately, the information found by parents may be wrong. Due to the limited studies on this issue in Puerto Rico, we aim to correlate Puerto Rican parents' sociodemographic characteristics to their vaccine hesitancy level. METHODS: We quantified vaccine hesitancy in Puerto Rican parents and legal guardians who were at least 18 years old using the Parent Attitudes about Childhood Vaccines survey, their attitudes towards a possible SARS-CoV-2 vaccine, and the correlation between vaccine hesitancy and socio-demographic factors. The subjects were recruited through social networks and by distributing the online survey among pediatricians in Puerto Rico. RESULTS: We identified a vaccine hesitancy prevalence of 38.3%, higher than has been found by other similar studies. The results also demonstrated a significant association between vaccine hesitancy, income, and the type of legal guardian. Participants with a household income less than $75,000 and a legal guardian were more likely to be vaccine-hesitant. Most participants surveyed (80.8%) would not immediately vaccinate their children against SARS-CoV-2, independent of vaccine-hesitancy status, citing general worries of vaccine safety and side effects. CONCLUSION: Our results demonstrate the need for better vaccine-education campaigns in Puerto Rico and the challenges that SARS- CoV-2 vaccine fears pose to the proper control of the COVID-19 pandemic. It should be noted that at the time of the survey described herein, a COVID-19 vaccine had yet been developed.

Data on the activity of DNA methyltransferase in the uteri of CD-1 mice exposed to dibutyl phthalate.

Phthalates are industrial chemicals used as plasticizers in food packaging, medical devices, and toys, as well as cosmetics used primarily by women. Epidemiological studies in women and animal studies using rodents have reported associations between phthalate exposures and adverse reproductive health outcomes. Epigenetic mechanisms are thought to be involved in the ability of environmental contaminants to influence development of disease but evidence linking exposure to phthalates and uterine DNA methyltransferase activity are lacking. This article reports the activity of DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) enzymes in uteri from CD-1 mice treated with or without dibutyl phthalate (DBP), a phthalate commonly found in the urine of women of reproductive age. CD-1 mice were orally dosed with tocopherol-stripped corn oil (vehicle) or DBP at 10 µg/kg/day, 100 µg/kg/day and 1000 mg/kg/day daily for 10, 20, and 30 days. These dosages were selected based on estimates of human intake previously reported (10 and 100 µg/kg/day) and included a high dose (1000 mg/kg/day) for comparison with classical toxicity studies. At the end of 10, 20 or 30 days of daily oral dosing, animals were euthanized within 1-2 hours after the final dose. DNMT activity was determined by subjecting uterine nuclear extracts to a commercially-available DNMT activity ELISA assay and measuring optical density with a microplate spectrophotometer at a wavelength of 450 nm. Graph Pad Prism 8 was used for data analysis to determine the activity of DNMT enzymes at different time points and doses versus vehicle. The data presented serves as a resource for researchers working in the field of toxicology because it addresses a gap in knowledge of how exposure to environmental factors such as phthalate esters could produce epigenetic alterations in the uterus, which consequently may increase the risk of developing reproductive disease.

The effect of low-dose isotretinoin therapy on serum androgen levels in women with acne vulgaris.

BACKGROUND: Acne vulgaris is a common dermatologic disease that causes significant social and psychological morbidity. Isotretinoin, as a vitamin A derivative, is the most effective agent in the treatment of acne. Evidence suggests that isotretinoin's therapeutic function is independent of hormonal mediation; however, the effect of isotretinoin on serum androgens and precursor androgen levels in humans remains unclear. OBJECTIVE: Herein, we aim to investigate the effect of low-dose isotretinoin on androgen levels in women and postulate the role of concomitant anti-androgen therapy (e.g., spironolactone). METHODS: A total of 36 women, age 18 to 30 years, with moderate-to-severe nodulocystic acne were treated with 20 mg isotretinoin (Roaccutane) daily for 3 months. A hormone panel was obtained at baseline and after completion of the treatment course. The panel included dehydroepiandrosterone (DHEA), 17-hydroxyprogestrone, testosterone, free testosterone, dihydrotestosterone (DHT), luteinizing hormone, follicle stimulating hormone, and prolactin. RESULTS: Serum levels of testosterone (p = .015), prolactin (p = .001), and DHT (p = .001) were significantly decreased, while serum levels of DHEA (p = .001) significantly increased after isotretinoin treatment. No significant change was found in the other hormones evaluated. LIMITATIONS: The distribution of acne was not assessed in our patient population. We did not directly evaluate for associations between elevated DHEA levels and clinical response rates. CONCLUSION: Isotretinoin alone can decrease androgen levels, but increase an important driver of acne pathogenesis (i.e., DHEA). The co-administration of an anti-androgenic agent (e.g., spironolactone) may optimize the therapeutic efficacy of isotretinoin by limiting iatrogenic increases in DHEA and perhaps allow for more widespread use of low-dose isotretinoin.

Endometriosis is characterized by a distinct pattern of histone 3 and histone 4 lysine modifications.

BACKGROUND: The histone modification patterns in endometriosis have not been fully characterized. This gap in knowledge results in a poor understanding of the epigenetic mechanisms (and potential therapeutic targets) at play. We aimed to (1) assess global acetylation status of histone 3 (H3) and histone 4 (H4), (2) measure levels of H3 and H4 lysine (K) acetylation and methylation, and (3) to identify histone acetylation patterns in promoter regions of candidate genes in tissues from patients and controls. METHODS: Global and K-specific acetylation/methylation levels of histones were measured in 24 lesions, 15 endometrium from patients, and 26 endometrium from controls. Chromatin immunoprecipitation (ChIP)-polymerase chain reaction was used to determine the histone acetylation status of the promoter regions of candidate genes in tissues. RESULTS: The lesions were globally hypoacetylated at H3 (but not H4) compared to eutopic endometrium from controls. Lesions had significantly lower levels of H3K9ac and H4K16ac compared to eutopic endometrium from patients and controls. Tissues from patients were hypermethylated at H3K4, H3K9, and H3K27 compared to endometrium from controls. The ChIP analysis showed hypoacetylation of H3/H4 within promoter regions of candidate genes known to be downregulated in endometriosis (e.g., HOXA10, ESR1, CDH1, and p21 (WAF1/Cip1) ) in lesions versus control endometrium. The stereoidogenic factor 1 (SF1) promoter region was enriched for acetylated H3 and H4 in lesions versus control tissues, correlating with its reported high expression in lesions. CONCLUSIONS: This study describes the histone code of lesions and endometrium from patients with endometriosis and provides support for a possible role of histone modification in modulation of gene expression in endometriosis.

HDAC1 and HDAC2 are differentially expressed in endometriosis.

Epigenetic mechanisms have been ascribed important roles in endometriosis. Covalent histone modifications at lysine residues have been shown to regulate gene expression and thus contribute to pathological states in many diseases. In endometriosis, histone deacetylase inhibition (HDACi) resulted in reactivation of E-cadherin, attenuation of invasion, decreased proliferation of endometriotic cells, and caused lesion regression in an animal model. This study was conducted to assess basal and hormone-regulated gene expression levels of HDAC1 and HDAC2 (HDAC1/2) in cell lines and protein expression levels in tissues. Basal and steroid hormone-regulated HDAC1/2 gene expression levels were determined by quantitative polymerase chain reaction in cell lines and tissues. Protein levels were measured by immunohistochemistry (IHC) in tissues on an endometriosis tissue microarray (TMA). Basal HDAC1/2 gene expression levels were significantly higher in endometriotic versus endometrial stromal cells, which was confirmed by Western blot analysis. Estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P4) significantly downregulated HDAC1 expression in endometrial epithelial cells. Levels of HDAC2 were upregulated by E2 and downregulated by E2 + P4 in endometrial stromal cells. Hormone modulation of HDAC1/2 gene expression was lost in the endometriotic cell line. Immunohistochemistry showed that HDAC1/2 proteins were expressed in a substantial proportion of lesions and endometrium from patients, and their expression levels varied according to lesion localization. The highest proportion of strong HDAC1 immunostaining was seen in ovarian, skin, and gastrointestinal lesions, and of HDAC2 in skin lesions and endometrium from patients with endometriosis. These studies suggest that endometriosis etiology may be partially explained by epigenetic regulation of gene expression due to dysregulations in the expression of HDACs.