• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.181-188
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• 2011

Major depression is a devastating disorder of which lifetime prevalence rate is as high as up to 25% in general population. Although the etiology of the disorder is still poorly understood, it is generally accepted that both genetic and environmental factors are involved in the precipitation of depression. Stressful lifetime events are potent precipitating environmental factors for major depression and early-life stress is in particular an important element that predisposes individuals to major depression later in life. How environmental factors such as stress can make our neural networks susceptible to depression and how those factors leave long-lasting influences have been among the major questions in the field of depression research. Epigenetic regulations can provide a bridging mechanism between environmental factors and genetic factors so that these two factors can additively determine individual predispositions to major depression. Here we introduce epigenetic regulations as candidate mechanisms that mediate the integration of environmental adversaries with genetic predispositions, which may lead to the development of major depression, and summarize basic molecular events that underlie epigenetic regulations as well as experimental evidences that support the active role of epigenetic regulation in major depression.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.258-261
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• 1996

Objective : Several studies hove suggested that reduction of cholesterol concentration and low cholesterol level increases suicide, homicide, and depression. The authors sought to determine whether low cholesterol is associated with a history of suicidal attempts among major depression patients. Method : The subjects were 105 patients with major depression, diagnosed according to the DSM-III-R criteria, and 105 age, sex matched healthy controls. Blood was token following overnight fast and serum cholesterol concentration were measured by a enzymatic method Results : The serum cholesterol level was significantly lower in the patients with major depression than in healthy controls($180.4{\pm}43.4mg/dl$ vs $199.7{\pm}35.8mg/dl$). And the serum cholesterol level was significantly lower in major depression patients with suicidal attempt than in major depression patients without suicidal attempt($156.7{\pm}38.2mg/dl$ vs $ 187.8{\pm}42.5mg/dl$) Conclusion : It is hypothesized that low cholesterol level is associated with depression by modifying the serotonin metabolism and the production of interleukin-2, low cholesterol concentration should be further investigated as a potential biological marker of suicidal risk in major depression. Prospective study with serial cholesterol determinations should be done.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.7 no.2
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• pp.147-151
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• 2000

Objective : Major depression is known to have immunologic dysfunctions, the recent studies revealed that cytokines including IL-6 and IL-$1{\beta}$ were increased in patients with major depression. Since molecular genetic methods have been progressed, this study was to investigate the relationship between major depression and immunologic aspects by analyzing polymorphism of IL-10 gene. Method : 92 patients with major depression were included and data of 146 normal controls obtained from the Catholic Hemopoietic Stem Cell Information Bank of Korea were used in this study. DNA was extracted from whole blood, thereafter amplified by polymerase chain reaction, and digested by Mae III After that procedure, we obtained and assessed RFLP of two alleles, IL-10T and IL-10C. All data were analyzed by ${\chi}^2$ test. Results : 1) There were no significant difference in genotype frequencies of $IL-10^*T/T$, $IL-10^*T/C$, and $IL-10^*C/C$ between major depression patients group and control group. 2) There were no significant difference in allelic frequencies of $IL-10^*T$ and $IL-10^*C$ between major depression patients group and control group. Conclusion : We did not verified the differences in frequencies of $IL-10^*T/^*IL-10^*C$ gene between the major depression patients group and control group, respectively. But the results of this study do not declare that the IL-10 gene has no association with major depression. We do suggest that further systematic studies including various clinical variables should be conducted.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.169-175
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• 2011

Stress, a risk factor of major depression induces cytokine mediated inflammation and decreased neurogenesis. In patients with major depression, significant increases of pro-inflammatory cytokines have been consistently reported. The pro-inflammatory cytokines can stimulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis to release glucocorticoids. In the brain, microglia and play a role of immune activation in response to stress. Increased pro-inflammatory cytokine play a role in restricting neurogenesis in the brain. Although neurogenesis may not be essential for the development of depression, it may be required for clinically effective antidepressant treatment. Hence, stimulation of neurogenesis is regarded as a promising strategy for new antidepressant targets. This review introduces changes in neurotransmitter, cytokine and neurogenesis in major depression and explores the possible relationship between pro-inflammatory cytokines and neurogenesis related to stress in major depression.

• Journal of the Korean Society of School Health
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• v.31 no.1
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• pp.29-38
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• 2018

Purpose: The purpose of this study is to investigate the mediator effect of major satisfaction in relation to depression and job-seeking stress of university students according to the majors. Methods: This descriptive study was conducted in three universities randomly chosen from 47 universities in Seoul, Korea. Participants were 241 undergraduate students who were eligible and agreed to participate in the study. Data were collected from October 27 to November 10, 2014. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics, $x^2$ test, Fisher's exact test, t-test, Kruskal-Wallis test, Pearson correlation coefficients, simple and multiple regression techniques with the PASW/WIN 20.0 program. Results: There were significant negative, negative, and positive correlations between job-seeking stress and major satisfaction, major satisfaction and depression, and job-seeking stress and depression regardless of major field, respectively. Moreover, in the major group in natural science and engineering, the link between job-seeking stress and depression was partially mediated by major satisfaction. Conclusion: The findings of this study contribute to providing basic data for the development of job-seeking stress and depression intervention programs and future study for university students.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.21 no.12
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• pp.131-139
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• 2023

This study aimed to identify the impact of major variables such as self-esteem, empathy, and depression on major satisfaction among nursing students, construct a hypothesis model, and identify direct and indirect effects through path analysis. Data were collected from 200 nursing students between 2 March and 30 March, 2023 from two universities in C-Do, data were analyzed with SPSS 26.0 and AMOS 23.0. In the final model, self-esteem (𝛽=.29, p=.001), empathy (𝛽=.49, p=.001), and depression (𝛽=-.21, p=.032) had a direct effect on major satisfaction. Additionally, self-esteem (𝛽=.12, p=.031) had an indirect effect on major satisfaction through depression. The explanatory power of empathy, self-esteem, and depression for major satisfaction was confirmed to be 36%. Increasing self-esteem and empathy will not only directly increase major satisfaction, but indirectly lowering depression and increasing self-esteem will also increase major satisfaction. Therefore, when developing a nursing education program that increases nursing students satisfaction with their major, it is necessary to develop cognitive behavioral strategies that can increase self-esteem and empathy and reduce depression.

• Journal of Oriental Neuropsychiatry
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• v.18 no.3
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• pp.1-14
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• 2007

The objective of tills study is to identify the difference of somatic characteristics between Hwa-Byung and Major Depression by comparing the pattern identification of Hwa-Byung group and Hwa-Byung with Major Depression group(double diagnosis) Method: According to Hwa-Byung Diagnostic Interview Schedule(HBDIS) and SCID, 17 patients as diagnosed Hwa-Byung and 20 patients as diagnosed Hwa-Byung with Major Depression group(double diagnosis) were recruited. and by depression scale like Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression(HRDS) & Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale(MADRS), we excluded patients complaining moderate & severe depression among Hwa-Byung group and excluded patients showing mild depression among Hwa-Byung with Major Depression group. After this evaluation, we analysed and compared the pattern identification of both groups by OMS-prime. Result: 1. There were no significant differences of demographic data between both groups. 2. In the result of 'analysis on pattern identification' for all participant used by OMS-prime, most frequent pattern was deficiency of Yin and Yang of the heart(49%). 3. In the result of 'analysis on most correlated pattern identification' used by OMS-prime, for Hwa-Byung group was deficiency of Yin and Yang of the heart(45%) and the next were disharmony of the liver and spleen (20%), generation of phlegm due to stagnation of Gallbladder(15%) deficiency of Qi and Yin of the heart(l0%), And for Hwa-Byung with Major Depression group(double diagnosis) was deficiency of Yin and Yang of the heart(53%), the next were generation of phlegm due to stagnation of Gallbladder(18%), and deficiency of Qi and blood of the heart(l2%), 4. In the result of 'analysis on significant pattern identification' used by OMS-prime, for Hwa-Byung group was deficiency of Yin and Yang of the heart(20%) and the next were disharmony of the liver and spleen(15%), generation of phiegm due to stagnation of Gallbladder(15%), deficiency of Qi and Yin of the heart(14%), And for Hwa-Byung plus Major Depression group(double diagnosis) was deficiency of Yin and Yang of the heart(18%), the next were deficiency of Qi and Yin of the heart(18%), deficiency of Qi and blood of the heart(l0%), generation of phiegm due to stagnation of Gallbladder(18%), Conclusion: Hwabyung is syndrome that have many different symptoms, but there is no difference between Hwa-Byung group and Hwa-Byung with Major Depression group(double diagnosis) on the side of symptoms. Therefore, Hwabyung could be a new model for research on depression in Korean.

• Journal of the Korea Academia-Industrial cooperation Society
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• v.15 no.1
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• pp.323-330
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• 2014

This study was done to identify the relationship of Major satisfaction, employment stress, depression and to identify the factors influencing depression for 196 College Students who agreed to participate in the study. Date were analyzed using descriptive statistics, t-test, ANOVA, Pearson correlation coefficients and multiple regression with SPSS 18.0. A negative correlation was found between major satisfaction and depression, positive correlation was found between employment stress and depression. The predicting factors for depression were major satisfaction and employment stress. Those factors accounted for 26.0% of depression. The fallow-up survey about various factors influencing college student's depression is needed and prevent depression program for developing depression are controled.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.24 no.3
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• pp.149-154
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• 2017

Objectives This study investigated associations between symptom severity and neurocognitive functions in patients with major depressive disorder using comprehensive neuropsychological tests. Methods Ten patients with low depression (LD) and 22 patients with high depression (HD) participated. Symptom severity was determined by both the Beck Depression Inventory and the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale. Additionally, anxiety was measured by the Korean version of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-KYZ). Ten subtests of the Korean-Wechsler Adult Intelligence scale (K-WAIS), Stroop test, the word/design fluency tests were administered to assess cognition. Results The LD and HD groups did not differ in any of cognitive measures but anxiety level. Namely, the HD group obtained significantly higher scores on the state (U = 29.50, p < 0.01) and trait (U = 28.50, p < 0.001) anxiety scales than the LD group. A significant interaction effect between trait anxiety and depression severity was observed on the picture arrangement subtest of the K-WAIS [F (1, 27) = 5.09, p < 0.05]. Conclusions Cognitive deficits observed in patients with major depressive disorder may be related to other factors rather than current symptom severity. Trait anxiety possibly moderates the effect of current symptom severity on social judgment in these patients.

• Korean Journal of Biological Psychiatry
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.70-76
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• 1995

A few researchers have reported that major depression may be associated with higher levels of positive acute phase proteins(APPs), such as haptoglobin(Hp), ${\alpha}1$-antitrypsin(${\alpha}1AT$), ceruloplasmin(Cp) and lower levels of negative APPs(visceral proteins), such as albumin(Alb) and transferrin(Tf). Elevated levels of positive APPs and a drop in negative APPs constitute important indicators of immune activation. This study was designed to investigate whether altered serum concentrations of positive APPs and of negative APPs reflect the state of depression. Twenty patients who fulfilled DSM-III-R criteria for major depressive disorder and for dysthymic disorder and twelve normal healthy controls were included. The authors measured positive APPs(Hp, ${\alpha}1AT$, Cp) and negative APPs(Alb, Tf) using rate nephelometry and bromcresol green method. 1) There were significant increases of ${\alpha}1AT$, Cp in major depressed patients as compared with normal controls. Trends towards higher Hp and lower Alb, Tf in major depressed patients were observed. 2) No significant difference of APPs concentrations between dysthymic patients and normal controls was found. 3) Severity of depression(HDRS, BDI score) was related to Hp, Cp, ${\alpha}1AT$ value positively. Our findings are partially compatible with the hypothesis that major depression may be accompanied by acute phase response with higher levels of positive APPs and lower levels of negative APPs.