Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)最新文献

{"title":"Correction: Theodorakis, N.; Nikolaou, M. The Human Energy Balance: Uncovering the Hidden Variables of Obesity. <i>Diseases</i> 2025, <i>13</i>, 55.","authors":"Nikolaos Theodorakis, Maria Nikolaou","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040108","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040108","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>There was an error in the original publication [...].</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025739/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063341","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Surgery Versus Chemoradiation Therapy for Oropharyngeal Squamous Cell Carcinoma: A Multidimensional Cross-Sectional Study.","authors":"Giuseppe Riva, Dario Gamba, Simone Moglio, Giuseppe Carlo Iorio, Chiara Cavallin, Umberto Ricardi, Mario Airoldi, Andrea Canale, Andrea Albera, Giancarlo Pecorari","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040106","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040106","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>The management of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) often involves multidisciplinary decision-making to optimize patient outcomes. Surgery and chemoradiation therapy (CRT) represent the two main treatment modalities. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to provide a comprehensive analysis of quality of life, speech, swallowing, sleep, psychological distress, and nutritional status in OPSCC patients treated with either surgery or CRT.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty subjects were divided into two groups based on treatment modality (>12-month follow-up): (A) surgery ± adjuvant treatment (15 patients); (B) exclusive CRT (15 patients). A multidimensional evaluation was performed by means of validated questionnaires. The following parameters were analyzed: quality of life, speech, swallowing, sleep quality, risk of sleep apnea, sleepiness, psychological distress, pain, and nutritional status.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>No statistically significant difference was found between the two study groups for every parameter. The EORTC QLQ-C30 globally showed a good quality of life in both groups. Poor sleep quality was observed in 9 (60%) subjects in group A and in 6 (40%) patients in group B, respectively. Low, intermediate and high risk of malnutrition was observed in 73.3%, 20.0% and 6.7% of cases in group A, and in 93.3%, 6.7% and 0.0% in group B, respectively.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Surgery and exclusive chemoradiotherapy appear to yield similar long-term outcomes across all evaluated dimensions, including quality of life, speech, swallowing, sleep, psychological distress, and nutritional status.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025535/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059149","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Relationships of Isolated Nocturnal Hypertension with Glomerular Filtration Rate and Albuminuria.","authors":"Caterina Carollo, Giulio Geraci, Alessandra Sorce, Raffaella Morreale Bubella, Emanuele Cirafici, Maria Elena Ciuppa, Salvatore Evola, Giuseppe Mulè","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040107","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040107","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background/objectives: </strong>Isolated nocturnal hypertension (INH) represents a unique phenotype that can only be identified through ambulatory blood pressure monitoring (ABPM). An increasing body of evidence suggests a significant association between INH and heightened cardiovascular morbidity, mortality, and, more recently, kidney disease progression. Considering these findings, this study aims to retrospectively assess the prevalence of INH and its relationship with glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and albumin excretion rate (AER) in a large cohort of hypertensive patients.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 1340 subjects selected from the patients of our European Hypertension Excellence Centre of the University of Palermo were enrolled. Biochemical tests, urinalysis, 24 h ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, and collection of anamnestic and anthropometric data were performed on each patient.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>In our cohort, the prevalence of INH was 11%. Logistic regression analyses revealed that male sex, AER, and eGFR were significantly associated with the INH phenotype. AER ≥ 5.8 µg/min predicted the presence of INH with 73.7% sensitivity and 58.4% specificity. An eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m² was also correlated with INH, although its predictive value was less prominent. Multivariable regression models confirmed that AER and eGFR, along with male sex, were independent predictors of INH. In patients with normal blood pressure, AER and metabolic syndrome were also associated with INH. CKD (AER < 30 mg/day and eGFR < 60 mL/min/1.73 m²) was significantly linked to INH.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>Our research confirms the direct relationship between AER and INH and the inverse relationship between GFR and INH, thus underlining the leading role of renal function in the onset of INH, as widely observed in the literature. The confirmed association between renal markers and INH in the subgroup of subjects with a clinically normal blood pressure could help us to identify the subjects who should undergo ABPM.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-04-02","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025410/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060398","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Prevalence of Depressive Disorders in Operatively Treated Pelvic Trauma Patients.","authors":"Piotr Walus, Jakub Ohla, Rafał Wójcicki, Tomasz Pielak, Jakub Bulski, Michał Wesołowski, Gazi Huri, Jan Zabrzyński","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040105","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040105","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Aim: </strong>The aim of this study is to assess the prevalence of depressive disorders in patients with pelvic fractures treated surgically at our center in the years 2017-2022.</p><p><strong>Materials and methods: </strong>The study included 75 patients, 57 men and 18 women, operated on in our center in the years 2017-2022 due to acetabular fracture and pelvic ring injury. Factors such as age, gender, chronic pain measured with the VAS scale, and the incidence of suicidal thoughts were also analyzed. The participants completed the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI).</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Thirty-five out of the seventy-five patients showed symptoms of depression (BDI score > 11), which is 47%, with an average score of 29 (<i>p</i> < 0.0001). Women obtained an average BDI score of 23, which corresponds to moderate depression on Beck's scale (<i>p</i> < 0.008). The correlation between BDI score and chronic pain in pelvic trauma patients has been found to be positive (<i>p</i> < 0.0003; r = 0.4094). Furthermore, women in our studied population reported suicidal thoughts more often than men (44% vs. 14%; <i>p</i> < 0.01). No statistically significant correlation was found between the occurrence of depression and the length of hospital stay and the patient's age (<i>p</i> < 0.5 and <i>p</i> < 0.06, respectively).</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>The prevalence of depression in the pelvic trauma patients of the studied population has been determined to be 47%.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-31","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12026098/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144042740","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A Pilot Study on the Analysis of Circulating miRNA Upregulation in Laryngeal Cancer.","authors":"Crina Oana Pintea, Marius Pricop, Edward Seclaman, Nicolae Constantin Balica, Kristine Guran, Delia Ioana Horhat, Cristian Ion Mot","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040101","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040101","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background and objectives: </strong>Laryngeal cancer poses a significant clinical challenge, with late-stage diagnosis contributing to high morbidity and mortality. Circulating microRNAs (miRNAs) represent promising, minimally invasive biomarkers for earlier detection and improved therapeutic monitoring. This pilot study focused exclusively on miRNAs found to be upregulated in laryngeal carcinoma patients, aiming to elucidate their diagnostic and prognostic relevance.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>A total of 50 participants meeting standardized inclusion criteria were recruited from the ENT Clinic in Timișoara. Of these, 30 patients provided paired blood samples before and after treatment (surgical or non-surgical). Samples were pooled into three preoperative groups (P1, P2, P3) and three corresponding postoperative groups (C1, C2, C3). miRNAs were extracted from plasma and exosomes, and relative expression was measured by qPCR (Qiagen platform). Statistical analyses included Mann-Whitney U tests, receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, and logistic regression.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Seven miRNAs consistently exhibited significant upregulation preoperatively. Notably, hsa-miR-424-5p displayed a mean fold change of 4.59 (<i>p</i> = 0.0091) relative to postoperative samples, while hsa-miR-186-5p increased by 2.19-fold (<i>p</i> = 0.0030). hsa-miR-15b-5p also showed a substantial preoperative upregulation of 1.77-fold (<i>p</i> = 0.0057). In ROC analyses, hsa-miR-424-5p yielded an area under the curve (AUC) of 0.82 (95% CI 0.70-0.94), with 78% sensitivity and 80% specificity in distinguishing preoperative from postoperative status. Logistic regression indicated that elevated levels of hsa-miR-424-5p (OR = 1.56, 95% CI 1.10-2.20) and hsa-miR-186-5p (OR = 1.32, 95% CI 1.02-1.68) significantly predicted the preoperative disease state.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These data underscore the potential of upregulated circulating miRNAs to serve as biomarkers for active laryngeal cancer and to monitor treatment response. Although preliminary, the findings encourage further research with larger cohorts and additional endpoints. With thorough validation, upregulated miRNAs could be integrated into clinical workflows, enhancing diagnostic precision, risk stratification, and postoperative surveillance in laryngeal cancer.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025714/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144059783","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Study of Adult and Pediatric Spanish Patients with Cryptogenic Splenomegaly and Splenectomy.","authors":"Marta Morado Arias, Jesús Villarrubia Espinosa, Isidro Vitoria Miñana, Enrique Calderón Sandubete, Víctor Quintero, Miguel Ángel Torralba-Cabeza","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040102","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040102","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Introduction: </strong>The differential diagnosis of splenomegaly is a complex process that encompasses a wide variety of diseases. Moreover, it is not always standardized and lacks a definitive consensus on which tests should be performed and in what order. Gaucher disease (GD) and acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (ASMD) are lysosomal diseases (LD) that present with splenomegaly, the diagnosis of which requires a high index of suspicion and specific biochemical and genetic techniques. The aim of the project for the education and diagnosis of Gaucher disease and acid sphingomyelinase deficiency (PREDIGA) was to conduct educational training alongside an observational, multicenter, ambispective, cross-sectional, single-cohort study among patients having an enlarged spleen or undergone splenectomy to further assess these subjects to exclude two lysosomal diseases, namely GD and ASMD.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Using dried blood spot (DBS) testing, we identified patients with abnormally low values of the enzymes glucocerebrosidase and acid sphingomyelinase, who then underwent sequencing of the GBA1 and SPMD1 genes, respectively. The study involved 34 hospitals and 52 medical specialists.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>We identified 220 patients (208 adults and 12 children under 18 years) with cryptogenic splenomegaly or who had undergone splenectomy (12 patients) without having reached a diagnosis. The median age was 11 years (interquartile range [IQR] 3-16) in the pediatric population and 51 years (IQR 38-65) in the adult population. Lower-than-normal enzyme values were detected in 19 DBSs, confirming eight positive cases, which corresponded to six patients with GD and two with ASMD. The rest of the DBSs with low enzyme activity were not genetically confirmed (58%). We determined that lysosomal diseases accounted for 3.6% of cryptogenic splenomegaly/splenectomy cases in our setting: 2.7% were GD and 0.9% ASMD, in a ratio of 1 ASMD patient to every 3 GD patients. Lyso-GL1 values in patients with GD were elevated in all but one individual, corresponding to a child diagnosed at 4 months old. The variants detected in the GBA1 gene were consistent with the most frequent variants found in Spain.</p><p><strong>Discussion/conclusion: </strong>The development and implementation of this protocol for the education and diagnosis of cryptogenic splenomegaly/splenectomy, even in asymptomatic patients, constitutes a comprehensive, simple, rapid, and effective screening method for the diagnosis of GD and ASMD.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025833/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144043138","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Quality Management Outweighs Pandemic: Retrospective Analysis Shows Improved Quality of Care for <i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> Bacteremia Despite SARS-CoV-2.","authors":"Lena Jakoby, Ernst Molitor, Nico T Mutters, Ruth Weppler, Dominic Rauschning, Manuel Döhla","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040104","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040104","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong><i>Staphylococcus aureus</i> bacteremia (SAB) is of great clinical relevance, as it is the most common type of bacteremia. Several studies show that the quality of care and thus the outcome can be positively influenced by the involvement of infectious disease specialists and structured programs like Antimicrobial Stewardship (AMS). In 2020, the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic occurred, which dominated the healthcare system and global events during this time. At the same time, a standard operational procedure (SOP) for SAB quality management (SABQM) was introduced in a German maximum-care hospital with 500 beds. Additionally, voluntary AMS team consultations were introduced in June 2021. This work addresses whether the introduction of SABQM has led to an improvement in the quality of care for SAB, despite the possible negative influences of the pandemic.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Retrospective statistical analyses were conducted on all 145 cases coded as SAB at this hospital during the \"pre-pandemic\" period (2017 to 2019, 75 cases) and the pandemic period (2020 to 2022, 70 cases). Population parameters and quality management parameters were extracted from the clinical patient documentation. In a first analysis, the SARS-CoV-2 status served as a discriminatory parameter to determine its influence on the quality of care within the \"pandemic period\". In a second analysis, the period served as a discriminatory parameter to determine its influence on the quality of care. In a third analysis, the use of AMS team consultation served as a discriminatory parameter to determine its influence on the quality of care in a subgroup of 42 cases from June 2021 to 2022.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>The SARS-CoV-2 status had no influence on the population parameters or the quality management parameters. Between both analyzed periods, there was an improvement in the quality management parameters, with statistically significant higher rates of follow-up blood cultures, transthoracic echocardiography and adequate antibiotic therapy. AMS team consultation led to a relevant, but not statistically significant improvement in the quality management indicators.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>An SOP for SABQM leads to an improvement in the quality of care, even under the possible negative influences of a pandemic. AMS team consultations further strengthen this positive influence, even if this is not statistically significant due to the small number of cases in the subgroup analyzed.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025857/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144054662","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Phytochemicals as Chemo-Preventive and Therapeutic Agents Against Bladder Cancer: A Comprehensive Review.","authors":"Orestis Porfyris, Paraskevi Detopoulou, Theodora Adamantidi, Alexandros Tsoupras, Dimitris Papageorgiou, Anastasios Ioannidis, Andrea Paola Rojas Gil","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040103","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040103","url":null,"abstract":"<p><p>Bladder cancer has a high incidence worldwide and is characterized by a high recurrence rate, metastatic potential, and a significant socioeconomic burden. Conventional treatment modalities usually exhibit serious adverse complications, which also negatively affect patients' quality of life. In the context of exploring new treatment approaches with fewer side effects, the utilization of natural compounds as alternative and/or complementary therapeutic options seems appealing. In the present study, the potential use and effects of various bioactive phytochemicals, including curcumin, resveratrol, epigallocatechin, genistein, and several others, in bladder cancer treatment are thoroughly reviewed. A special focus is given to their potential to beneficially modulate important molecular signaling pathways and mechanisms affecting cell survival, proliferation, migration, and apoptosis, which play a crucial role in the pathogenesis of bladder cancer, such as the PI3K/AKT/mTOR, Ras/Raf/MEK/MAPK, Wnt/β-Catenin, Notch, Hedgehog, Hippo, JAK2/STAT3, and PAF/PAF-receptor pathways. Nevertheless, most studies have been conducted in cell cultures and animal models. Due to differences in genetics and metabolism, more clinical trials are needed to ensure the bio-efficacy of these phytochemicals in humans.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12026019/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144035989","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Yield of Multimodal Imaging in Iris Amelanotic Lesions: A Masked Case-Control Study.","authors":"Rachel Shemesh, Iris Moroz, Meira Neudorfer, Vicktoria Vishnevskia-Dai","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040099","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040099","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Objectives: </strong>To examine the yield of multimodal imaging of iris amelanotic lesions and evaluate the clinical relevance of these imaging techniques.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>In this masked case-control study, imaging, including slit lamp photos, ultrasound biomicroscopy (UBM), and anterior segment optical coherence tomography (AS-OCT) scans of patients diagnosed with iris amelanotic lesions were examined. Seven patients diagnosed with an iris amelanotic lesion were matched by gender and age to seven melanotic iris nevi of similar size and location. Two ocular imaging experts assessed the images in a masked manner and identified which lesion was melanotic and which was amelanotic based on their characteristics.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>From 2010 to 2021, seven patients were diagnosed with amelanotic iris lesions. All were female; the mean (±SD) age at presentation was 46.3 years (±18). These patients were matched with seven female patients with pigmented iris lesions, with a mean (±SD) age of 49.8 years (±20). Hypopigmented lesions were hyporreflective and had minimal shadowing of the iris behind them, and the basement membrane of the iris could be seen on AS-OCT. Hypopigmented lesions could be delineated from the iris stroma on AS-OCT. In contrast, hyperpigmented lesions were hyperreflective, with significant shadowing blocking the basement membrane and iris stroma.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>AS-OCT is non-touch and provides substantial information about diagnosing amelanotic nevi. It is more widely available and, in many countries, it is performed by technicians, thus freeing the physician's time and increasing productivity.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12025390/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144060034","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Impacts of Forest Bathing (Shinrin-Yoku) in Female Participants with Depression/Depressive Tendencies.","authors":"Qing Li, Norimasa Takayama, Masao Katsumata, Hiroshi Takayama, Yukako Kimura, Shigeyoshi Kumeda, Takashi Miura, Tetsuya Ichimiya, Ruei Tan, Haruka Shimomura, Amane Tateno, Tsunemi Kitagawa, Yoichiro Aoyagi, Michiko Imai","doi":"10.3390/diseases13040100","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.3390/diseases13040100","url":null,"abstract":"<p><strong>Background: </strong>It has been reported that forest bathing significantly reduced negative emotions and increased the positive feelings in both healthy males and females, as well as increasing blood serotonin in healthy males, indicating the potential for a beneficial effect on depressive status. However, an improvement effect of forest bathing on participants with depression has not been reported so far. Therefore, in order to fill this gap, this study examined the effect of forest bathing on depression in female participants with depression/depressive tendencies.</p><p><strong>Methods: </strong>Thirty-one females aged 40.1 ± 2.4 years with depression/depressive tendencies were recruited after obtaining informed consent. The study employed a randomized crossover design to compare forest bathing with city walking. They participated in day trips to a Japanese cypress forest park and to a city area of Nagano Prefecture as a control in June 2023. On both trips, they walked 2.5 km (for 90 min) in the morning and afternoon, respectively, for a total of 5.0 km per day. Blood samples were taken at 4 pm for the measurements before forest bathing on the first day and after the walking in forest and unban sites on the second and third days, at the same hospital. Concentrations of oxytocin, IGF-1, serotonin and lactic acid in blood were measured. SDS scores were calculated and the POMS test and questionnaires for subjective fatigue symptoms and sleep quality were administered before and after each trip. Temperature, humidity and illuminance were also measured in the forest and urban environments. The Nippon Medical School Central Ethics Committee approved this study.</p><p><strong>Results: </strong>Forest bathing significantly decreased SDS scores compared to city walk and the baseline, and the effect lasted for one week after forest bathing. Forest bathing also significantly increased the concentrations of blood serotonin in participants who were not taking antidepressants, significantly increased the levels of oxytocin and IGF-1 in blood, significantly increased the scores for positive feelings, and reduced the scores for negative emotions compared with city walking in the POMS test. In addition, forest bathing reduced subjective fatigue symptoms and improved sleep quality.</p><p><strong>Conclusions: </strong>These findings provided scientific evidence to contribute to understanding forest bathing as a potential intervention for preventing depression, and future research on males should further explore these effects.</p>","PeriodicalId":72832,"journal":{"name":"Diseases (Basel, Switzerland)","volume":"13 4","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":2.9,"publicationDate":"2025-03-28","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC12026234/pdf/","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"144063311","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}