Interpersonal sensitivity and childhood trauma in patients with major depressive disorder, bipolar I, and II disorder.

Childhood trauma and interpersonal sensitivity impact the development of mood disorders. In this study, we investigate the association between childhood trauma and interpersonal sensitivity in patients with mood disorders. A total 775 patients (major depressive disorder [MDD, n = 241], bipolar I disorder [BD I, n = 119], and bipolar II disorder [BD II, n = 415]) and 734 controls. For evaluation, we used the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ) and Interpersonal Sensitivity Measure (IPSM). We examined between-group differences for each subscale in the CTQ and IPSM. Patients with BD II had significantly higher IPSM total scores than patients with MDD, BD I, or controls. The CTQ total score was related to the IPSM total score in all participants and subgroups. Among the CTQ subscales, emotional abuse showed the highest correlation with the IPSM total score, while separation anxiety and fragile inner self showed higher positive correlations with CTQ than the other subscales of IPSM in all patient groups and the control group, respectively. The findings reveal that childhood trauma and interpersonal sensitivity are positively correlated among patients with MDD, BD I, and BD II, and that interpersonal sensitivity is higher in patients with BD II than those with BD I or MDD. Childhood trauma is associated with interpersonal sensitivity, and each trauma type has a different impact on mood disorders. We expect that this study will encourage future research on interpersonal sensitivity and childhood trauma in mood disorders to improve treatment approaches.

Associations Between COVID-19, Delirium, and 1-Year Mortality: Exploring Influences on Delirium Incidence in COVID-19 Patients.

BACKGROUND: This study investigated the relationship between coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), delirium, and 1-year mortality. Factors associated with delirium in COVID-19 patients were identified, along with the influence of psychotropic medications on delirium. METHODS: The study used the South Korean National Health Insurance Service database. Adult COVID-19 patients diagnosed between October 2020 and December 2021 were included, with a propensity score-matched control group. Time-dependent Cox regression assessed associations among COVID-19, delirium, and mortality. Logistic regression analyzed the impact of psychotropic medications on delirium incidence. RESULTS: The study included 832,602 individuals, with 416,301 COVID-19 patients. COVID-19 (hazard ratio [HR], 3.03; 95% confidence interval [CI], 2.92-3.13) and delirium (HR, 2.33; 95% CI, 2.06-2.63) were independent risk factors for 1-year mortality. Comorbidities, insurance type, and residence were also related to mortality. Among COVID-19 patients, antipsychotic use was associated with lower delirium incidence (odds ratio [OR], 0.38; 95% CI, 0.30-0.47), while mood stabilizers (OR, 1.77; 95% CI, 1.40-2.21) and benzodiazepines (OR, 8.62; 95% CI, 7.46-9.97) were linked to higher delirium incidence. CONCLUSION: COVID-19 and delirium are risk factors for 1-year mortality. Some factors associated with delirium in COVID-19 patients are modifiable and can be targeted in preventive and therapeutic interventions.

The impact of morningness-eveningness on depression through a serial mediation model of resilience and anxiety.

OBJECTIVE: Resilience has been recently considered one of the possible mechanisms for the association between morningness-eveningness and depression. Meanwhile, anxiety is closely associated with mood disorder, but its association with morningness-eveningness is unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the mediating effects of resilience and anxiety on morningness-eveningness and depression as the possible mechanisms. METHODS: This study included patient group and nonpatient group. Patient group consists of 743 patients with mood disorders [Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), 233; Bipolar Disorder I (BDI), 113; Bipolar Disorder II (BDII), 397] whereas nonpatient group consists of 818 individuals without mood disorder. The Composite Scale of Morningness, Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale, Self-Rating Depression Scale, and Beck Anxiety Inventory were used to evaluate morningness-eveningness, resilience, anxiety, and depression, respectively. RESULTS: Our model provided a good fit for the data. The association between morningness-eveningness and depression symptoms was partially serially mediated by resilience and anxiety in both the patient and nonpatient groups. The patient group exhibited significantly stronger morningness-eveningness toward resilience and anxiety than the nonpatient group. In the indirect effect of morningness-eveningness on depression, group differences exist only through each mediation of resilience and anxiety, not through serial mediation. CONCLUSION: Our results expand on the mechanism underlying the association between morningness-eveningness and depression. They highlight the importance of morningness-eveningness modification to increase resilience and the need to consider anxiety jointly in this process.

Network Structure of Depressive Symptomatology in Elderly with Cognitive Impairment.

Objective and objectives: Patients with cognitive disorders such as Alzheimer's disease (AD) and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) frequently exhibit depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms can be evaluated with various measures and questionnaires. The geriatric depression scale (GDS) is a scale that can be used to measure symptoms in geriatric age. Many questionnaires sum up symptom scales. However, core symptoms of depression in these patients and connections between these symptoms have not been fully explored yet. Thus, the objectives of this study were (1) to determine core symptoms of two cognitive disorders, Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment, and (2) to investigate the network structure of depressive symptomatology in individuals with cognitive impairment in comparison with those with Alzheimer's disease. Materials and Methods: This study encompassed 5354 patients with cognitive impairments such as Alzheimer's disease (n 1889) and mild cognitive impairment (n = 3464). The geriatric depression scale, a self-administered questionnaire, was employed to assess depressive symptomatology. Using exploratory graph analysis (EGA), a network analysis was conducted, and the network structure was evaluated through regularized partial correlation models. To determine the centrality of depressive symptoms within each cohort, network parameters such as strength, betweenness, and closeness were examined. Additionally, to explore differences in the network structure between Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment groups, a network comparison test was performed. Results: In the analysis of centrality indices, "worthlessness" was identified as the most central symptom in the geriatric depression scale among patients with Alzheimer's disease, whereas "emptiness" was found to be the most central symptom in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Despite these differences in central symptoms, the comparative analysis showed no statistical difference in the overall network structure between Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment groups. Conclusions: Findings of this study could contribute to a better understanding of the manifestation of depressive symptoms in patients with cognitive impairment. These results are expected to aid in identifying and prioritizing core symptoms in these patients. Further research should be conducted to explore potential interventions tailored to these core symptoms in patients with Alzheimer's disease and mild cognitive impairment. Establishing core symptoms in those groups might have clinical importance in that appropriate treatment for neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with cognitive impairment could help preclude progression to further impairment.

An atlas of associations between 14 micronutrients and 22 cancer outcomes: Mendelian randomization analyses.

BACKGROUND: Micronutrients, namely vitamins and minerals, are associated with cancer outcomes; however, their reported effects have been inconsistent across studies. We aimed to identify the causally estimated effects of micronutrients on cancer by applying the Mendelian randomization (MR) method, using single-nucleotide polymorphisms associated with micronutrient levels as instrumental variables. METHODS: We obtained instrumental variables of 14 genetically predicted micronutrient levels and applied two-sample MR to estimate their causal effects on 22 cancer outcomes from a meta-analysis of the UK Biobank (UKB) and FinnGen cohorts (overall cancer and 21 site-specific cancers, including breast, colorectal, lung, and prostate cancer), in addition to six major cancer outcomes and 20 cancer subset outcomes from cancer consortia. We used sensitivity MR methods, including weighted median, MR-Egger, and MR-PRESSO, to assess potential horizontal pleiotropy or heterogeneity. Genome-wide association summary statistical data of European descent were used for both exposure and outcome data, including up to 940,633 participants of European descent with 133,384 cancer cases. RESULTS: In total, 672 MR tests (14 micronutrients × 48 cancer outcomes) were performed. The following two associations met Bonferroni significance by the number of associations (P < 0.00016) in the UKB plus FinnGen cohorts: increased risk of breast cancer with magnesium levels (odds ratio [OR] = 1.281 per 1 standard deviation [SD] higher magnesium level, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.151 to 1.426, P < 0.0001) and increased risk of colorectal cancer with vitamin B12 level (OR = 1.22 per 1 SD higher vitamin B12 level, 95% CI = 1.107 to 1.345, P < 0.0001). These two associations remained significant in the analysis of the cancer consortia. No significant heterogeneity or horizontal pleiotropy was observed. Micronutrient levels were not associated with overall cancer risk. CONCLUSIONS: Our results may aid clinicians in deciding whether to regulate the intake of certain micronutrients, particularly in high-risk groups without nutritional deficiencies, and may help in the design of future clinical trials.

Genome-wide association study of occupational attainment as a proxy for cognitive reserve.

Occupational attainment, which represents middle-age cognitive activities, is a known proxy marker of cognitive reserve for Alzheimer's disease. Previous genome-wide association studies have identified numerous genetic variants and revealed the genetic architecture of educational attainment, another marker of cognitive reserve. However, the genetic architecture and heritability for occupational attainment remain elusive. We performed a large-scale genome-wide association study of occupational attainment with 248 847 European individuals from the UK Biobank using the proportional odds logistic mixed model method. In this analysis, we defined occupational attainment using the classified job levels formulated in the UK Standard Occupational Classification system considering the individual professional skill and academic level. We identified 30 significant loci (P < 5 × 10-8); 12 were novel variants, not associated with other traits. Among them, four lead variants were associated with genes expressed in brain tissues by expression quantitative trait loci mapping from 10 brain regions: rs13002946, rs3741368, rs11654986 and rs1627527. The single nucleotide polymorphism-based heritability was estimated to be 8.5% (standard error of the mean = 0.004) and partitioned heritability was enriched in the CNS and brain tissues. Genetic correlation analysis showed shared genetic backgrounds between occupational attainment and multiple traits, including education, intelligence, leisure activities, life satisfaction and neuropsychiatric disorders. In two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis, we demonstrated that high occupation levels were associated with reduced risk for Alzheimer's disease [odds ratio (OR) = 0.78, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 0.65-0.92 in inverse variance weighted method; OR = 0.73, 95% CI = 0.57-0.92 in the weighted median method]. This causal relationship between occupational attainment and Alzheimer's disease was robust in additional sensitivity analysis that excluded potentially pleiotropic single nucleotide polymorphisms (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.57-0.91 in the inverse variance weighted method; OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.53-0.97 in the weighted median method). Multivariable Mendelian randomization confirmed that occupational attainment had an independent effect on the risk for Alzheimer's disease even after taking educational attainment into account (OR = 0.72, 95% CI = 0.54-0.95 in the inverse variance weighted method; OR = 0.68, 95% CI = 0.48-0.97 in the weighted median method). Overall, our analyses provide insights into the genetic architecture of occupational attainment and demonstrate that occupational attainment is a potential causal protective factor for Alzheimer's disease as a proxy marker of cognitive reserve.

ICD2Vec: Mathematical representation of diseases.

BACKGROUND: The International Classification of Diseases (ICD) codes represent the global standard for reporting disease conditions. The current ICD codes connote direct human-defined relationships among diseases in a hierarchical tree structure. Representing the ICD codes as mathematical vectors helps to capture nonlinear relationships in medical ontologies across diseases. METHODS: We propose a universally applicable framework called "ICD2Vec" designed to provide mathematical representations of diseases by encoding corresponding information. First, we present the arithmetical and semantic relationships between diseases by mapping composite vectors for symptoms or diseases to the most similar ICD codes. Second, we investigated the validity of ICD2Vec by comparing the biological relationships and cosine similarities among the vectorized ICD codes. Third, we propose a new risk score called IRIS, derived from ICD2Vec, and demonstrate its clinical utility with large cohorts from the UK and South Korea. RESULTS: Semantic compositionality was qualitatively confirmed between descriptions of symptoms and ICD2Vec. For example, the diseases most similar to COVID-19 were found to be the common cold (ICD-10: J00), unspecified viral hemorrhagic fever (ICD-10: A99), and smallpox (ICD-10: B03). We show the significant associations between the cosine similarities derived from ICD2Vec and the biological relationships using disease-to-disease pairs. Furthermore, we observed significant adjusted hazard ratios (HR) and area under the receiver operating characteristics (AUROC) between IRIS and risks for eight diseases. For instance, the higher IRIS for coronary artery disease (CAD) can be the higher probability for the incidence of CAD (HR: 2.15 [95% CI 2.02-2.28] and AUROC: 0.587 [95% CI 0.583-0.591]). We identified individuals at substantially increased risk of CAD using IRIS and 10-year atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk (adjusted HR: 4.26 [95% CI 3.59-5.05]). CONCLUSIONS: ICD2Vec, a proposed universal framework for converting qualitatively measured ICD codes into quantitative vectors containing semantic relationships between diseases, exhibited a significant correlation with actual biological significance. In addition, the IRIS was a significant predictor of major diseases in a prospective study using two large-scale datasets. Based on this clinical validity and utility evidence, we suggest that publicly available ICD2Vec can be used in diverse research and clinical practices and has important clinical implications.

Genetic network structure of 13 psychiatric disorders in the general population.

Psychiatric disorders frequently co-occur and share common symptoms and genetic backgrounds. Previous research has used genome-wide association studies to identify the interrelationships among psychiatric disorders and identify clusters of disorders; however, these methods have limitations in terms of their ability to examine the relationships among disorders as a network structure and their generalizability to the general population. In this study, we explored the network structure of the polygenic risk score (PRS) for 13 psychiatric disorders in a general population (276,249 participants of European ancestry from the UK Biobank) and identified communities and the centrality of the network. In this network, the nodes represented a PRS for each psychiatric disorder and the edges represented the connections between nodes. The psychiatric disorders comprised four robust communities. The first community included attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder, autism spectrum disorder, major depressive disorder, and anxiety disorder. The second community consisted of bipolar I and II disorders, schizophrenia, and anorexia nervosa. The third group included Tourette's syndrome and obsessive-compulsive disorder. Cannabis use disorder, alcohol use disorder, and post-traumatic stress disorder make up the fourth community. The PRS of schizophrenia had the highest values for the three metrics (strength, betweenness, and closeness) in the network. Our findings provide a comprehensive genetic network of psychiatric disorders and biological evidence for the classification of psychiatric disorders.

Network structure of symptomatology of adult attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder in patients with mood disorders.

Patients with mood disorders commonly manifest comorbid psychiatric disorders, including attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD). However, few studies have evaluated ADHD symptoms in this population. The current study aimed to explore the network structure of ADHD symptomology and identify central symptoms in patients with mood disorders. The Korean version of the Adult ADHD Self-Report Scale was used to assess the overall ADHD symptoms in 1,086 individuals diagnosed with mood disorders (major depressive disorder [n = 373], bipolar I disorder [n = 314], and bipolar II disorder [n = 399]). We used exploratory graph analysis to detect the number of communities, and the network structure was analyzed using regularized partial correlation models. We identified the central ADHD symptom using centrality indices. Network comparison tests were conducted with different subgroups of patients with mood disorders, including three mood diagnosis groups, between the patients who met the diagnostic criteria for ADHD [ADHD-suspected, n = 259] in their self-report and the others [ADHD-non-suspected, n = 827], and groups with high [n = 503] versus low [n = 252] levels of depressive state. The network analysis detected four communities: disorganization, agitation/restlessness, hyperactivity/impulsivity, and inattention. The centrality indices indicated that "feeling restless" was the core ADHD symptom. The result was replicated in the subgroup analyses within our clinically diverse population of mood disorders, encompassing three presentations: Patients with suspected ADHD, patients without suspected ADHD, and patients with a high depressive state. Our findings reveal that "feeling restless" is the central ADHD symptom. The treatment intervention for "feeling restless" may thus play a pivotal role in tackling ADHD symptoms in adult patients with mood disorders.

Effects of Fetal Images Produced in Virtual Reality on Maternal-Fetal Attachment: Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Maternal-fetal attachment (MFA) has been reported to be associated with the postpartum mother-infant relationship. Seeing the fetus through ultrasound might influence MFA, and the effect could be increased by more realistic images, such as those generated in virtual reality (VR). OBJECTIVE: The aim was to determine the effect of fetal images generated in VR on MFA and depressive symptoms through a prenatal-coaching mobile app. METHODS: This 2-arm parallel randomized controlled trial involved a total of 80 pregnant women. Eligible women were randomly assigned to either a mobile app-only group (n=40) or an app plus VR group (n=40). The VR group experienced their own baby's images generated in VR based on images obtained from fetal ultrasonography. The prenatal-coaching mobile app recommended health behavior for the pregnant women according to gestational age, provided feedback on entered data for maternal weight, blood pressure, and glucose levels, and included a private diary service for fetal ultrasound images. Both groups received the same app, but the VR group also viewed fetal images produced in VR; these images were stored in the app. All participants filled out questionnaires to assess MFA, depressive symptoms, and other basic medical information. The questionnaires were filled out again after the interventions. RESULTS: Basic demographic data were comparable between the 2 groups. Most of the assessments showed comparable results for the 2 groups, but the mean score to assess interaction with the fetus was significantly higher for the VR group than the control group (0.4 vs 0.1, P=.004). The proportion of participants with an increased score for this category after the intervention was significantly higher in the VR group than the control group (43% vs 13%, P=.005). The feedback questionnaire revealed that scores for the degree of perception of fetal appearance all increased after the intervention in the VR group. CONCLUSIONS: The use of a mobile app with fetal images in VR significantly increased maternal interaction with the fetus. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ClinicalTrials.gov NCT04942197; https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04942197.

Understanding of Depressive Symptomatology across Major Depressive Disorder and Bipolar Disorder: A Network Analysis.

Background and Objectives: Depressive symptoms are prominent in both major depressive disorder (MDD) and bipolar disorder (BD). However, comparative research on the network structure of depressive symptoms in these two diagnostic groups has been limited. This study aims to compare the network structure of depressive symptoms in MDD and BD, providing a deeper understanding of the depressive symptomatology of each disorder. Materials and Methods: The Zung Self-Rating Depressive Scale, a 20-item questionnaire, was administered to assess the depressive symptoms in individuals with MDD (n = 322) and BD (n = 516). A network analysis was conducted using exploratory graph analysis (EGA), and the network structure was analyzed using regularized partial correlation models. To validate the dimensionality of the Zung SDS, principal component analysis (PCA) was adopted. Centrality measures of the depressive symptoms within each group were assessed, followed by a network comparison test between the two groups. Results: In both diagnostic groups, the network analysis revealed four distinct categories, aligning closely with the PCA results. "Depressed affect" emerged as the most central symptom in both MDD and BD. Furthermore, non-core symptoms, "Personal devaluation" in MDD and "Confusion" in BD, displayed strong centrality. The network comparison test did not reveal significant differences in the network structure between MDD and BD. Conclusions: The absence of significant differences in the network structures between MDD and BD suggests that the underlying mechanisms of depressive symptoms may be similar across these disorders. The identified central symptoms, including "Depressed affect", in both disorders and the distinct non-core symptoms in each highlight the complexity of the depressive symptomatology. Future research should focus on validating these symptoms as therapeutic targets and incorporate various methodologies, including non-metric dimension reduction techniques or canonical analysis.

Korean Validation of the Short Version of the TEMPS-A (Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Autoquestionnaire) in Patients with Mood Disorders.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES: The Temperament Evaluation of Memphis, Pisa, Paris and San Diego Autoquestionnaire (TEMPS-A) is designed to assess affective temperaments. The short version of the TEMPS-A (TEMPS-A-SV) has been translated into various languages for use in research and clinical settings. However, no research has been conducted to validate the Korean version of the TEMPS-A-SV in patients with mood disorders. The goal of this study is to evaluate the reliability and validity of the TEMPS-A-SV in Korean mood disorder patients. MATERIALS AND METHODS: In this cross-sectional retrospective study, a total of 715 patients (267 patients with major depressive disorder, 94 patients with bipolar disorder I, and 354 patients with bipolar disorder II) completed the Korean TEMPS-A-SV. Cronbach's alpha and McDonald's omega were used to assess the reliability. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA) was also performed. Spearman's correlation coefficient was used to examine associations between the five temperaments. The difference in five temperament scores between the gender or diagnosis groups was analyzed, and the correlation between five temperament scores and age was tested. RESULTS: The Korean TEMPS-A-SV displayed good internal consistency (α = 0.65-0.88, ω = 0.66-0.9) and significant correlations between the subscales except one (the correlation between hyperthymic and anxious). Using EFA, a two-factor structure was produced: Factor I (cyclothymic, depressive, irritable, and anxious) and Factor II (hyperthymic). The cyclothymic temperament score differed by gender and the anxious temperament score was significantly correlated with age. All the temperaments, except for irritable temperament, showed significant differences between diagnosis groups. CONCLUSIONS: Overall, the results show that the TEMPS-A-SV is a reliable and valid measurement that can be used for estimating Koreans' affective temperaments. However, more research is required on affective temperaments and associated characteristics in people with mood disorders.

Long-term exposure to particulate air pollution and incidence of Parkinson's disease: A nationwide population-based cohort study in South Korea.

There has been increasing interest in the neurological impact of particulate matter (PM). However, its association with the incidence of Parkinson's disease (PD) remains unclear. We selected 313,355 participants satisfying inclusion criteria from the National Health Insurance Service-National Sample Cohort based on the nationwide population of South Korea, and followed them up from January 2007 through December 2015. Individual-level long-term PM exposure was assessed as the five time-varying average concentrations estimated for the previous 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 years on each year (until censored or event occurred) at the district-level residential addresses of participants using a previously validated prediction model. Incident PD was defined as the first diagnosis accompanied by anti-PD medication prescription from 2007 through 2015. Time-varying Cox proportional hazards models were employed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) of incident PD for long-term PM exposure, adjusting for individual- and area-level covariates. During the 8 years (2,745,389 person-years) of follow-up for a total of 313,355 participants (mean [range] age, 48.9 [19-87] years; 169,571 males [54.1%]), 2621 participants (0.8%) developed PD. The HR of incident PD per interquartile range (3.3 µg/m3) increase in fine PM (PM2.5) for the previous 1 year was 1.08 (95% confidence interval: 1.01-1.19). In subgroup-specific analyses, HRs for PM2.5 were significant among older participants, males, participants living in metropolitan cities, ibuprofen users, and participants with comorbidities (HR: 1.10-1.20). Long-term exposure to PM2.5 might play a role in PD development.

Perceived barriers to psychiatric help-seeking in South Korea by age groups: text mining analyses of social media big data.

BACKGROUND: The psychiatric treatment gap is substantial in Korea, implying barriers in seeking help. OBJECTIVES: This study aims to explore barriers of seeing psychiatrists, expressed on the internet by age groups. METHODS: A corpus of data was garnered extensively from internet communities, blogs and social network services from 1 January 2016 to 31 July 2019. Among the texts collected, texts containing words linked to psychiatry were selected. Then the corpus was dismantled into words by using natural language processing. Words linked to barriers to seeking help were identified and classified. Then the words from web communities that we were able to identify the age groups were additionally organized by age groups. RESULTS: 97,730,360 articles were identified and 6,097,369 were included in the analysis. Words implying the barriers were selected and classified into four groups of structural discrimination, public prejudice, low accessibility, and adverse drug effects. Structural discrimination was the greatest barrier occupying 34%, followed by public prejudice (27.8%), adverse drug effects (18.6%), and cost/low accessibility (16.1%). In the analysis by age groups, structural discrimination caused teenagers (51%), job seekers (64%) and mothers with children (43%) the most concern. In contrast, the public prejudice (49%) was the greatest barriers in the senior group. CONCLUSIONS: Although structural discrimination may most contribute to barriers to visiting psychiatrists in Korea, variation by generations may exist. Along with the general attempt to tackle the discrimination, customized approach might be needed.

Effect of suicide prevention law and media guidelines on copycat suicide of general population following celebrity suicides in South Korea, 2005-2017.

OBJECTIVE: To prevent copycat suicides following media reporting of celebrity suicides, the South Korean government enacted a 'suicide prevention law' in 2012 and revised the media guidelines for suicide reporting in 2013. This study examined how these two regulatory measures affected suicide trends among the general population in South Korea. METHODS: We analyzed the individual effect estimates for the general population within 30 days following the media report of 24 celebrity suicides using multivariate negative binomial regression. We performed a meta-analysis to compute the pooled rate ratios of the two regulations. We examined the trends in daily suicides by month during three time intervals before and after enactment using an autoregressive model and tested their significance using a piecewise linear regression. RESULTS: Total suicides increased by 6.27 daily during the 30-day period after celebrity suicides. Compared with the 30 days prior to the reports on the suicide of 24 celebrities, the number of suicidal deaths in the general population increased by 13% during the 30 days after the reports were announced (pooled rate ratio 1.13, 95% confidence interval: 0.06-0.18; p < 0.001). There was a significant downward trend in the average daily suicide deaths, and no significant increase in suicide rates, after the enactment of the suicide prevention law (p < 0.001) and revision of the media guidelines (p = 0.014). CONCLUSIONS: Suicide prevention and media guidelines were effective in reducing the effect of celebrity suicides. In addition to regulating media reporting of celebrity suicide, measures are needed to address viral republication on social media and to prevent suicide among entertainers.

Mortality and Prognostic Factors of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection in Korea: A Population-based Comparative Study.

BACKGROUND: Population-based studies on the mortality burden of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infection are lacking. We compared the long-term mortality of NTM-infected patients with tuberculosis (TB)-patients and the general population, and investigated mortality-associated factors. METHODS: We analyzed nationwide-data from the Korean National Health Insurance and Korea-Statistical Office between 2002 and 2017. NTM infection was identified using the International Classification of Disease, Tenth Revision code, with one-to-one matching to TB patients and general population controls. RESULTS: A total of 530 401 individuals were analyzed, including 183 267 with NTM infections; 166 666 with TB; and 180 468 controls. The overall 6-, 10-, and 14-year cumulative survival probabilities in the NTM group were 86.3%, 80.8%, and 77.1%, respectively, which were significantly lower than those of the TB or control groups (log-rank P < .0001). In cases of NTM and TB coinfection, the overall 6-, 10-, and 14-year cumulative survival probabilities were 75.1%, 65.4%, and 57.0%, respectively. Multivariable analysis indicated that old age, male gender, province, and various respiratory or nonrespiratory comorbidities were significantly associated with mortality of NTM infection. The use of a macrolide (more than 1 year) negatively correlated with mortality of NTM infection (adjusted hazard ratio [aHR] 0.61, 95% confidence interval [CI] .53-.71), regardless of azithromycin (aHR 0.60, 95% CI .43-.85) or clarithromycin use (aHR 0.63, 95% CI .53-.75). CONCLUSIONS: NTM-infected patients had poor prognosis when compared to TB patients or the general population, especially for NTM and TB coinfection. NTM mortality was associated with certain demographic characteristics, but long-term use of macrolides may provide survival benefits.

Development and Validation of the Mood Instability Questionnaire-Trait (MIQ-T).

Background and objectives: Mood instability (MI) is a stable trait associated with psychiatric disorders, yet there is a lack of tools to measure MI. The purpose of this study was to develop and validate the Mood Instability Questionnaire-Trait (MIQ-T) to evaluate MI in mood disorder patients. Material and methods: Items were taken from various established questionnaires to create an initial list of MIQ-T questions. Data from 309 psychiatric patients (n = 309; 62 major depressive disorder, 58 bipolar I disorder, and 189 bipolar II disorder) were gathered from their medical records and were utilized in an exploratory factor analysis to clarify the underlying components of MI. Then, anonymous survey data from 288 individuals from the general population were included in the analysis as a comparison group. Associations between MIQ-T and other previously validated clinical instruments for mood disorders were examined to test external validity. Results: The exploratory factor analysis demonstrated that the five-factor structure (Lability, Upward Tendency, Downward Tendency, Childhood Instability, and Seasonality) of 59 items was the most appropriate with clear, cohesive features. MIQ-T exhibited high internal consistency (α = 0.96) and moderate to strong correlations with other previously validated clinical instruments, which were consistent with theoretical predictions, providing evidence of criterion validity. Short forms were also created to address the high internal consistency value, which can indicate redundancy, and to increase the approachability of the measure. We found that the patients with bipolar II disorder had higher MIQ-T scores than the patients with bipolar I disorder or major depressive disorder and the comparison group. Conclusion: Together, these findings validate the newly developed MIQ-T as an instrument of mood instability. MIQ-T can be a potential research tool for mood disorder.

Emergency department visits for panic attacks and ambient temperature: A time-stratified case-crossover analysis.

BACKGROUND: Panic disorder is a common anxiety disorder affecting up to 5% of the population. Although its pathogenesis is unclear, evidence about its association with ambient temperature is limited. We aimed to investigate the association between short-term exposure to increased ambient temperature and exacerbation of panic attacks requiring emergency department visits. METHODS: From the national emergency database of South Korea, we identified 1,926 patients who presented with panic attacks at the emergency department in Seoul from 2008 to 2014. Using a time-stratified case-crossover design and conditional logistic regression analysis, we compared ambient temperature levels on emergency department visits and correspondingly matched-control days. RESULTS: Increased ambient temperature levels were significantly associated with panic attacks. The risk of a panic attack increased by 2.2% (95% confidence interval, 0.7-3.8%) per every 1°C increase in temperature. This association was significant after adjusting for air pollutants. CONCLUSIONS: Our results provide new evidence that short-term exposure to increased ambient temperature may increase the risk of exacerbation of panic attacks. These findings may provide a basis for further research to establish the association between panic attacks and ambient temperature, thus establishing preventive measures for panic attacks.

Epidemiology of Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infection, South Korea, 2007-2016.

The prevalence and incidence of nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) infections increased in South Korea from 2007 to 2016. Annual prevalence of NTM infection increased to 39.6 cases/100,000 population in 2016 and annual incidence to 19.0 cases/100,000 population. Overall prevalence for the study period was higher in the elderly, in females, and in cities.

Short-term PM2.5 exposure and emergency hospital admissions for mental disease.

Epidemiologic studies regarding the relationship between short-term exposure to particulate matter with a median aerodynamic diameter < 2.5 µm (PM2.5) and mental disease are limited. This study examined the effects of short-term exposure to PM2.5 on emergency admissions to the hospital for mental disease in Seoul, Korea. Data regarding 80,634 emergency admissions for mental diseases were collected from a nationally centralized healthcare claims database in Seoul during 2003-2013. Generalized linear models with climate variables were used to examine associations between short-term PM2.5 exposure and mental disease admissions. To comprehensively assess PM2.5 effects, we used single- and two-pollutant models, which considered other pollutants in combination with PM2.5. The relative risk (RR) of emergency admissions for mental disease was 1.008 (95% confidence interval, 1.001-1.015) for each 10 µg/m3 increase in 2-day average PM2.5 concentration. This effect persisted or became slightly stronger in the two-pollutant models that included carbon monoxide, nitrogen dioxide, ozone, or sulfur dioxide (RR, 1.01-1.021), but association appeared to be limited to individuals < 65 years of age. Significant association was estimated only during the warm season (RR, 1.021-1.023) in the two-pollutant models. The exposure-response curve was steeper at lower concentrations, suggesting that the risk of mental disease at lower concentrations of pm2.5 (0-30 µg/m3). PM2.5 was associated with increased admissions even when it was below the World Health Organization's Air Quality Guidelines (25 µg/m3), but the association was not statistically significant. Thus, based on the data from a large database, exposure to PM2.5 was associated with increases in emergency admissions for mental diseases, and this association was significant during the warm season. PM2.5 may even affect mental disease at levels below the current air quality guidelines. These results provide substantial insight regarding the effects of air pollutants and have important implications for policy makers.