Depression, Nutritional Status, and Substance P/NK-1R Biomarkers in Dysmenorrhea: A Randomized Crossover Trial
Abstract
Substance p sp and neurokinin‐1 receptor nk‐1r as biomarkers of pain and stress: SP and NK-1R are neuropeptide related biomarkers involved in nociceptive pathways. Dysmenorrhea is frequently associated with psychological distress and biochemical alterations; however, their interrelationship across treatment phases remains insufficiently understood.
Objectives: To explore changes in psychological status (depression, anxiety, and stress), nutritional status, and SP/NK-1R-related biomarker levels across NSAID and dexamethasone plus aprepitant combination therapy phases in females with dysmenorrhea.
Methods: This was a randomized, sequential, within-subject repeated-measures crossover exploratory controlled trial with a parallel healthy control group. A total of 40 females were enrolled, including 30 with primary dysmenorrhea and 10 healthy controls. Dysmenorrhea participants were assessed over three menstrual cycles across three phases: baseline (no treatment), NSAID phase (ibuprofen 400 mg three times daily for 3 days), and combination therapy phase (dexamethasone plus aprepitant for 2 days). Psychological status was assessed using DASS-21, and nutritional status using the mini nutritional assessment (MNA). Serum SP and NK-1R levels were measured using ELISA in a subset of participants due to sample limitations. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics (version 22), with repeated-measures ANOVA and independent t-tests; p < 0.05 was considered statistically significant.…
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Evidence Hub reads this as a randomized trial, done in people. Its evidence level is 2 of 5 (High · randomized trial). Randomized trials of a reasonable size are the strongest single-study design.
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