Unraveling the core symptoms of mental health in senior grade three students- a network analysis.

Background: Adolescence is not only an important transitional period of many developmental challenges, but also a high risk period for mental health problems. Psychotherapy is recommended for mental health problems in adolescents, but its effectiveness is not always satisfactory. One possible contributing factor may be the lack of clarity surrounding core symptoms. Methods: In this study, we investigated the mental health status of senior grade three students, a group of adolescents facing college entrance exams, by the Middle School Student Mental Health Test (MHT) and analyzed the core symptoms by network analysis. This study was conducted through an online survey platform (www.xiaodongai.com) from 15 February 2023 to 28 March 2024. The subjects scanned a QR code with their mobile phone to receive the questionnaire. Results: The mean age of these 625 students were 18.11 ± 2.90 years. There are 238 male participants and 387 female participants. 107 individuals scored above 56 (107/461, 23.2%), with individual scale scores over 8 up to over 60% of participating students. Notably, the top three prominent symptoms were "academic anxiety", "allergic tendency" and "somatic symptoms". However, upon conducting network analysis, it became evident that three strongest edges in this network were "somatic symptoms" and "impulsive tendency", "academic anxiety" and "social anxiety" as well as "social anxiety" and "Loneliness tendency". "somatic symptoms", "social anxiety" and "self-blame tendency" exerted the highest expected influence. This suggests that, statistically speaking, these three symptoms exhibited the strongest interconnections within the network. Limitation: Cross-sectional analysis; Bias in self-reported variables. Conclusion: These findings can deepen the knowledge of mental health among senior grade three students and provide some implications (i.e., targeting symptoms having highest expected influence) for clinical prevention and intervention to address the mental health needs of this particular group.

Mental Health of Primary and Secondary School Teachers in the Remote Mountain Areas.

Background and objective: Teaching is widely recognized as a highly stressful profession. Job stress leads to emotional exhaustion, which in turn triggers teacher attrition. The cost is estimated as USD 2.2 billion annually for teacher dropouts. It is therefore important to understand the mental state of teachers and the factors that may influence it in order to provide the appropriate early intervention. In the past, more attention has been paid to the mental status of teachers in economically developed cities, but less research has been conducted in remote cities. In this study, we selected primary and secondary school teachers in a typical area to assess their mental health, thereby contributing to the development of effective mental health education programs for teachers in primary and secondary schools. Materials and methods: In this study, 1102 teachers from a typical city in Ningxia Province, characterized by remote mountain areas, minority communities, and a low economic level, participated. The mental status of the teachers was assessed by a Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90). The effects of gender, age, level of education, place of work, and marital status on the total SCL-90 score were recorded and compared. The subscale scores of the SCL-90 and the differences among the respondents with various characteristics were analyzed. Results: In total, 1025 data were valid and used for statistical analysis. The effective rate of this study was 93.01%. The analysis showed that 25.17% of the subjects had possible mental problems. There were significant differences in age and marital status (p < 0.001). The score of teachers less than 30 years old was lower than that of other teachers (p = 0.001 vs. 30-39; p < 0.001 vs. 40-49; p < 0.001 vs. ≥50). The no-marriage teachers had the lowest score than the married group or others (p < 0.001 vs. married; p < 0.05 vs. others). Compared to the norm, teachers' mental status was poor, especially in somatization (p < 0.001), obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), anxiety (p < 0.001), hostility (p < 0.001), phobic anxiety (p < 0.001), and psychosis (p < 0.001). There were gender differences in obsessive-compulsive symptoms (p < 0.05) and depression (p < 0.05). Conclusions: These data indicate that the mental status of these teachers is not optimistic, and married female teachers aged 40-55 years need to be given more attention. Mental health examinations can be incorporated into daily physical examination items to facilitate the timely detection and early intervention of negative emotions.

Hippocampal CB1 receptor mediates antidepressant-like effect of synthetic cannabinoid-HU210 in acute despair reaction model in mice.

Growing evidence suggests that stress may contribute to the pathophysiology of depression. The alleviation of depressive symptoms is one of the most attractive medical applications of cannabis. Here, we investigated the antidepressant-like actions of synthetic cannabinoid-HU210 in acute despair response and explored the possible underlying mechanisms. Acute stress, induced by forced-swimming, induced depression-like behavior in the sucrose preference test (SPT). HU-210 (50 µg/kg) displayed anti-depressant like effect in the forced swim test in naïve mice and decreased depression-like behavior in the SPT, induced by forced swim stress. Pretreatment with AM251, an inhibitor of CB1R or inhibition of long-term depression (LTD) at hippocampal CA3-CA1 synapses by Tat-GluR2 attenuated the antidepressant like action of HU-210. These results indicate that HU210 produces antidepressant-like effects in acute stress and its underlying mechanism may be related to CB1R activation and hence hippocampal LTD production invivo. Synthetic cannabis or cannabis-related drugs may be used as an early intervention after acute stress exposure to prevent or at least reduce depression-like behaviors.

Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 regulates proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of keratinocytes by modulating heparanase stability.

Wound healing is related to proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of keratinocytes. Insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IGF2BP2) is an important N6-methyladenosine (m6A) reader, which is involved in multiple processes, including wound healing. However, the function and mechanism of IGF2BP2 in keratinocyte processes are largely uncertain. In the present study, expression levels of IGF2BP2 and heparanase (HPSE) were detected by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction and western blotting assays. Cell proliferation was investigated by cell counting kit-8 (CCK-8) analysis. Cell migration was determined through wound healing assay. Angiogenesis was measured by tube formation assay and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) level using enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The interaction between IGF2BP2 and HPSE was analyzed by RNA immunoprecipitation, pull-down and luciferase reporter analyses. The results showed that IGF2BP2 expression was enhanced in wound healing. IGF2BP2 downregulation constrained HaCaT cell proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. IGF2BP2 knockdown decreased HPSE expression. IGF2BP2 could regulate HPSE stability by binding with 3' untranslated region (UTR) of HPSE. HPSE upregulation attenuated silencing IGF2BP2-mediated suppression of proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis. As a conclusion, IGF2BP2 knockdown repressed proliferation, migration, and angiogenesis of HaCaT cells by decreasing HPSE stability.

Cordycepin Decreases Ischemia/Reperfusion Injury in Diabetic Hearts via Upregulating AMPK/Mfn2-dependent Mitochondrial Fusion.

Diabetes mellitus is considered to be a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease, the most common cause of death in diabetes. However, therapeutic strategies for myocardial protection in patients with diabetes are still limited. Cordycepin is a traditional Tibetan medicine with a long history of widespread use, and exerts a wide range of anti-tumor, anti-inflammatory, and anti-oxidative effects. In recent years, although the therapeutic potential of cordycepin has attracted the attention of researchers, it remains unknown whether cordycepin plays a protective role in myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (MI/R) injury in diabetic patients. Here, using a diabetic mouse model, we found that cordycepin protected diabetic hearts from MI/R injury by promoting mitochondrial fusion and Mfn2 expression. Our in vitro results showed that cordycepin enhanced Mfn2-medicated mitochondrial fusion, improved mitochondrial function, and reduced cardiomyocyte apoptosis in high-glucose/high-fat cultured simulated ischemia/reperfusion cardiomyocytes. Furthermore, we found that knockout of Mfn2 significantly blocked the cardioprotective effects of cordycepin in diabetic mice. Finally, an AMPK-dependent pathway was found to upregulate Mfn2 expression upon cordycepin treatment, indicating that cordycepin protected diabetic hearts via AMPK/Mfn2-dependent mitochondrial fusion. Collectively, our study firstly demonstrated that cordycepin could be a potential cardioprotective agent for MI/R injury, and we established a novel mechanism by which upregulated AMPK/Mfn2-dependent mitochondrial fusion contributes to the cardioprotective role of cordycepin.

Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) produce anti-anxiety response in acute stress exposure rats via activation of amygdala CB1R.

Anxiety is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. Currently, the main anti-anxiety drugs, selective serotonin/noradrenalin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs/SNRIs), are always associated with delayed onset of action and low therapeutic response rate. Benzodiazepines can produce rapid effects, but their long-term use may result in severe adverse reaction and drug dependence. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is one of the noteworthy noninvasive brain stimulation techniques and is expected to be a new choice of anti-anxiety therapy. However, the underlying mechanism remains unclear. In our recent published study, we have observed the important role of endogenous cannabinoid in the pathophysiology and treatment of anxiety. Here we verified the anti-anxiety effects of tDCS in the acute stress exposure rats, and investigated the possible role of amygdala cannabinoid receptor 1 (CB1R) activation in the anti-anxiety response of tDCS. Forced swimming exposure produced anxiety-like behaviors, which can be reversed by tDCS treatment. tDCS increased the time spent in the center without affection of locomotor activity in open field test (OFT) and elevated the number of entries into open arm and time spent in open arm in elevated plus maze test (EPMT). However, Inhibition of CB1R function by AM251 intraperitoneal injection or CB1R knockdown in amygdala produced the negative effects on the anti-anxiety action of tDCS. In conclusion, tDCS may play an anti-anxiety role at least partly via activation of amygdala CB1R, which provides a theoretical basis for the clinical application of tDCS in the treatment of anxiety disorder.

Sex Differences in Intergenerational Transfer Risk of Major Depressive Disorder.

BACKGROUND The children of depressed parents are more likely to suffer from mental illness, particularly major depressive disorder (MDD). However, most data come from adolescent and young-adult populations, and published studies have reported inconsistent results regarding intergenerational transmission. MATERIAL AND METHODS We retrospectively investigated hospitalized depressed patients with positive family history (FHP) from 1 Jan 2008 to 31 Dec 2017 and analyzed the differences in sex distribution in the intergenerational transfer risk of major depressive disorder. RESULTS We enrolled 528 patients with maternal or paternal positive FHP from a total of 4856 patients, and divided them into 4 groups: female patients with maternal FHP (FM: 220, 41.7%), female patients with paternal FHP (FP: 116, 22.0%), male patients with maternal FHP (MM: 96, 18.2%), and male patients with paternal FHP (MP: 96, 18.2%). In this study, 12.2% of hospitalized depressed patients had an FHP. The ratio of male: female patients with FHP was 2: 3. The ratio of male: female patients with maternal FHP was almost 1: 2. Analyses showed that the risk of depression in daughters was higher than in sons. Compared with children of depressed fathers, the children of depressed mothers were at higher risk of depression. Daughters and sons share an equal risk of depression with paternal FHP. CONCLUSIONS The results suggest a clear interaction of sex between patients and their depressed parents. Daughters of depressed mothers had the highest risk of suffering from depression compared with other offspring.

Effects of rTMS on Hippocampal Endocannabinoids and Depressive-like Behaviors in Adolescent Rats.

Depression is a common mental disorder in adolescents, with a prevalence rate of 5.6%. Current anti-depressive options for adolescents are limited: psychological intervention and conventional antidepressants have low efficacy, a delayed onset of action and increased possibility of suicidal risk. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) as an effective and noninvasive physical therapy for adult depression has been investigated in recent years. However, whether it also produces similar effects on juvenile depression and the underlying mechanism are not clearly understood. In this study, chronic unpredictable mild stress (CMS) was applied to 3-week-old male Sprague Dawley rats for 21 days. Then rTMS was performed for seven consecutive days, and the anti-depressive effects were evaluated by behavioral tests including the sucrose preference test (SPT), the forced swimming test (FST), and the novelty suppressed feeding test (NSF). Expression of hippocampal cannabinoid type I receptor (CB1R), 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG) and relative synthetase and degradative enzymes-diacylglycerol lipase (DAGL) and monoacylglycerol lipase (MAGL) were also investigated. The behavioral parameters were also observed after the administration of the selective CB1 receptor antagonist AM251. The results showed that CMS induced a significant decrease in sucrose preference, a significant increase of immobility time in the FST, and an increased latency to feed in the NSF. In addition, reduced hippocampal CB1 receptor, 2-AG level and increased MAGL protein expression level were also observed in CMS rats. Meanwhile, rTMS treatment upregulated 2-AG level in the hippocampus and ameliorated depressive-like behaviors. The anti-depressive effect of rTMS was attenuated by AM251, a specific CB1R antagonist that was administered 30 min before the onset of rTMS by either intraperitoneal administration or hippocampal microinjection. These results indicate that rTMS can be used as an antidepressive therapy for juvenile depression at least partly mediated by increasing hippocampal 2-AG and CB1 receptor expression levels.

The clinical value of serum connective tissue growth factor in the assessment of liver fibrosis.

To explore the relation between connective tissue growth factor (CTGF) in serum and the severity of liver fibrosis, and to determine the clinical value of CTGF in the assessment of liver fibrosis, serum CTGF was tested utilizing enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The correlation between serum CTGF concentration and fibrosis stage was assessed. The diagnostic performance of CTGF was assessed by comparing the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUC) with a panel of fibrosis markers. The correlation coefficient was 0.689 (P < 0.001) between the levels of serum CTGF and fibrosis stages and the AUC of CTGF was 0.841 (95% confidence interval [CI] 0.762-0.920) in distinguishing mild fibrosis from significant fibrosis. The present data revealed that serum CTGF was significantly correlated with the stage of liver fibrosis, suggested that serum CTGF was an indicator for the stage of liver fibrosis, and shown evidence that serum CTGF could be used as a valuable marker for assessing liver fibrosis.

Clinical application of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay detecting hepatoma-specific gamma-glutamyltransferase.

AIM: To develop a sandwich enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) measuring hepatoma-specific datura stramonium agglutinin-tightly bounding gamma-glutamyltransferase (DSA-GGT) and evaluate its clinical application for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) diagnosis. METHODS: Serum DSA-GGT concentrations were measured with the sandwich ELISA system in 96 patients with HCC, 240 patients with chronic liver diseases and 119 healthy subjects. The diagnostic performance of DSA-GGT for HCC was assessed using receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves. The diagnostic accuracy of DSA-GGT was compared with serum alpha-fetoprotein (AFP). RESULTS: The area under the ROC curve of DSA-GGT in discriminating patients with HCC from non-HCC was 0.865 (95% confidence interval: 0.818-0.915, P < 0.001). Serum DSA-GGT was positive in 67 out of 96 patients with HCC and 23 out of 240 patients with non-HCC diseases. The sensitivity and specificity of DSA-GGT and AFP for the diagnosis of HCC were 69.8% and 90.5%, and 72.9% and 89.1%, respectively. A higher sensitivity (93.8%) in the identification of HCC was observed by combining DSA-GGT and AFP. CONCLUSION: The sandwich ELISA system showed good reliability and reproducibility, and using the measurement, we found that serum DSA-GGT was a valuable marker of HCC, as a usable complementary to AFP. The sensitivity for identifying HCC could be significantly improved by combining DSA-GGT and AFP, and the combination could be used in large-scale screening for HCC in susceptible individuals.