Germline loss in C. elegans enhances longevity by disrupting adhesion between niche and stem cells.

Ageing and fertility are intertwined. Germline loss extends the lifespan in various organisms, termed gonadal longevity. However, the original longevity signal from the somatic gonad remains poorly understood. Here, we focused on the interaction between germline stem cells (GSCs) and their niche, the distal tip cells (DTCs), to explore the barely known longevity signal from the somatic gonad in C. elegans. We found that removing germline disrupts the cell adhesions between GSC and DTC, causing a significant transcriptomic change in DTC through hmp-2/ß-catenin and two GATA transcription factors, elt-3 and pqm-1 in this niche cell. Inhibiting elt-3 and pqm-1 in DTC suppresses gonadal longevity. Moreover, we further identified the TGF-ß ligand, tig-2, as the cytokine from DTC upon the loss of germline, which evokes the downstream gonadal longevity signalling throughout the body. Our findings thus reveal the source of the longevity signalling in response to germline removal, highlighting the stem cell niche as a critical signalling hub in ageing.

Ageing induces tissue-specific transcriptomic changes in Caenorhabditis elegans.

Ageing is a complex process with common and distinct features across tissues. Unveiling the underlying processes driving ageing in individual tissues is indispensable to decipher the mechanisms of organismal longevity. Caenorhabditis elegans is a well-established model organism that has spearheaded ageing research with the discovery of numerous genetic pathways controlling its lifespan. However, it remains challenging to dissect the ageing of worm tissues due to the limited description of tissue pathology and access to tissue-specific molecular changes during ageing. In this study, we isolated cells from five major tissues in young and old worms and profiled the age-induced transcriptomic changes within these tissues. We observed a striking diversity of ageing across tissues and identified different sets of longevity regulators therein. In addition, we found novel tissue-specific factors, including irx-1 and myrf-2, which control the integrity of the intestinal barrier and sarcomere structure during ageing respectively. This study demonstrates the complexity of ageing across worm tissues and highlights the power of tissue-specific transcriptomic profiling during ageing, which can serve as a resource to the field.

Identifying clinical risk factors correlated with addictive features of non-suicidal self-injury among a consecutive psychiatric outpatient sample of adolescents and young adults.

Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is an issue primarily of concern in adolescents and young adults. Recent literature suggests that persistent, repetitive, and uncontrollable NSSI can be conceptualized as a behavioral addiction. The study aimed to examine the prevalence of NSSI with addictive features and the association of this prevalence with demographic and clinical variables using a cross-sectional and case-control design. A total of 548 outpatients (12 to 22 years old) meeting the criteria for NSSI disorder of DSM-5 were enrolled and completed clinical interviews by 4 psychiatrists. NSSI with addictive features were determined by using a single-factor structure of addictive features items in the Ottawa self-injury inventory (OSI). Current suicidality, psychiatric diagnosis, the OSI, the revised Chinese Internet Addiction Scale, the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire, and the 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale were collected. Binary logistic regression analyses were used to explore associations between risk factors and NSSI with addictive features. This study was conducted from April 2021 to May 2022. The mean age of participants was 15.93 (SD = 2.56) years with 418 females (76.3%), and the prevalence of addictive NSSI was 57.5% (n = 315). Subjects with addictive NSSI had a higher lifetime prevalence of nicotine and alcohol use, a higher prevalence of current internet addiction, suicidality, and alexithymia, and were more likely to have physical abuse/neglect, emotional abuse, and sexual abuse than NSSI subjects without addictive features. Among participants with NSSI, the strongest predictors of addictive features of NSSI were female (OR = 2.405, 95% CI 1.512-3.824, p < 0.0001), alcohol use (OR = 2.179, 95% CI 1.378-3.446, p = 0.001), current suicidality (OR = 3.790, 95% CI 2.351-6.109, p < 0.0001), and psysical abuse in childhood (OR = 2.470, 95% CI 1.653-3.690, p < 0.0001). Nearly 3 out of 5 patients (12-22 years old) with NSSI met the criteria of NSSI with addictive features in this psychiatric outpatients sample. Our study demonstrated the importance of the necessity to regularly assess suicide risk, and alcohol use, as well as focus more on females and subjects who had physical abuse in childhood to prevent addictive NSSI.

Psychiatric assessment and therapy in an adolescent with ALG6-CDG: a six-month follow-up case report.

ALG6-congenital disorder of glycosylation (ALG6-CDG) is a complex of rare inherited disorders caused by mutations in the ALG6 gene, which encodes the α-1,3-glucosyltransferase enzyme required for N-glycosylation. ALG6-CDG affects multiple systems and exhibits clinical heterogeneity. Besides developmental delays and neurological signs and symptoms, behavioral and psychological symptoms are also an important group of clinical features of ALG6-CDG. Here, we present the case of a 17-year-old Chinese girl with ALG6-CDG who first visited the psychiatric department with apathy, language reduction, and substupor symptoms. The psychiatric assessments and treatment processes performed are described and discussed in this report. During diagnostic process, we found a novel mutation, c.849delT, in ALG6 by whole-exome sequencing. The patient's symptoms improved with escitalopram and risperidone treatment. However, above a certain dosage, she was sensitive to extrapyramidal side effects. This study accumulates clinical experience for diagnosing and treating ALG6-CDG and improves our understanding of this rare genetic disorder.

Hexaxial external fixator versus intramedullary nail in treating segmental tibial fractures: a retrospective study.

BACKGROUND: It's difficult to treat segmental tibial fractures (STFs), which are intricate injuries associated with significant soft tissue damage. The aim of this study was to compare the clinical effect of hexaxial external fixator (HEF) and intramedullary nail (IMN) in treatment of STFs. METHODS: A total of 42 patients with STFs were finally recruited between January 2018 and June 2022. There were 25 males and 17 females with age range of 20 to 60 years. All fractures were classified as type 42C2 using the Arbeitsgemeinschaftfür Osteosythese/Orthopaedic Trauma Association (AO/OTA) classification. 22 patients were treated with HEF and 20 patients were treated with IMN. The condition of vascular and neural injuries, time of full weight bearing, bone union time and infection rate were documented and analyzed between the two groups. The mechanical medial proximal tibial angle (mMPTA), mechanical posterior proximal tibial angle (mPPTA), mechanical lateral distal tibial angle (mLDTA), mechanical anterior distal tibial angle (mADTA), hospital for special surgery (HSS) knee joint score, American Orthopaedic Foot and Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle joint score, range of motion (ROM) of flexion of keen joint and ROM of plantar flexion and dorsal flexion of ankle joint were compared between the two groups at the last clinical visit. RESULTS: There were no vascular and neural injuries or other severe complications in both groups. All 22 patients in HEF group underwent closed reduction but 3 patients in IMN group were treated by open reduction. The time of full weight bearing was (11.3 ± 3.2) days in HEF group and (67.8 ± 5.8) days in IMN group(P < 0.05), with bone union time for (6.9 ± 0.8) months and (7.7 ± 1.4) months, respectively(P < 0.05). There was no deep infection in both groups. In the HEF group and IMN group, mMPTA was (86.9 ± 1.5)° and (89.7 ± 1.8)°(P < 0.05), mPPTA was (80.8 ± 1.9)° and (78.6 ± 2.0)°(P < 0.05), mLDTA was (88.5 ± 1.7)° and (90.3 ± 1.7)°(P < 0.05), while mADTA was (80.8 ± 1.5)° and (78.4 ± 1.3)°(P < 0.05). No significant differences were found between the two groups at the last clinical visit concerning HSS knee joint score and AOFAS ankle joint score, ROM of flexion of keen joint and ROM of plantar flexion of ankle joint (P > 0.05). The ROM of dorsal flexion of ankle joint in IMN group was (30.4 ± 3.5)°, better than (21.6 ± 2.8)° in HEF group (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: In terms of final clinical outcomes, the use of either HEF or IMN for STFs can achieve good therapeutic effects. While HEF is superior to IMN in terms of completely closed reduction, early full weight bearing, early bone union and alignment. Nevertheless, HEF has a greater impact on the ROM of dorsal flexion of the ankle joint, and much more care and adjustment are needed for the patients than IMN.

Choroid plexus and its relations with age-related diseases.

The choroid plexus is composed of epithelial cells situated on the basal layer. The tight junctions between adjacent choroid plexus epithelial cells establish the blood-cerebrospinal fluid barrier. This barrier, in conjunction with the blood-brain barrier, is crucial for the homeostasis of the brain microenvironment. The choroid plexus epithelium secretes cerebrospinal fluid, growth factors, neuropeptides, and lipids into the ventricles and also serves as a gateway for immune cells to enter the brain. The pathophysiology of aging and neurodegenerative diseases remains largely enigmatic, with an increasing body of research linking the choroid plexus to the etiology of these age-related disorders. In this review, we summarize the known relationship between the choroid plexus epithelium and age-related diseases, aiming to provide new therapeutic clues for these disorders.

Association between history of miscarriage and autism spectrum disorder.

This case-control study was designed to examine the association between different types of miscarriage history and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and determine whether the number of miscarriage history affects the risk of ASD. All of 2274 children with ASD and 1086 healthy controls were recruited. Sociodemographic and prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal characteristics were compared between the two groups. Multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to investigate association between miscarriage history and ASD. Stratified analyses based on sex and types of miscarriages were similarly performed. History of miscarriage was potential risk factors for ASD ([aOR] = 2.919; 95% [CI] = 2.327-3.517). Stratified analyses revealed that induced ([aOR] = 2.763, 95% [CI] = 2.259-3.379) and spontaneous miscarriage history ([aOR] = 3.341, 95% [CI] = 1.939-4.820) were associated with high risk of ASD, respectively. A sex-biased ratio in the risk of ASD was observed between females ([aOR] = 3.049, 95% [CI] = 2.153-4.137) and males ([aOR] = 2.538, 95% [CI] = 1.978-3.251). Stratified analysis of induced miscarriage history revealed that only iatrogenic miscarriage history was associated with an increased risk ASD ([aOR] = 2.843, 95% [CI] = 1.534-4.268). Also, multiple spontaneous miscarriage histories ([aOR] = 1.836, 95% [CI] = 1.252-2.693) were associated with higher autism risk than one spontaneous miscarriages history ([aOR] = 3.016, 95% [CI] = 1.894-4.174). In conclusion, miscarriage history is related to an increased risk for ASD in offspring, which is affected by the types of miscarriage and sex of the fetus.

Minocycline and antipsychotics inhibit inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglia activated by LPS via regulating the MAPKs/ JAK-STAT signaling pathway.

BACKGROUND: Abnormal activation of microglia is involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Minocycline and antipsychotics have been reported to be effective in inhibiting the activation of microglia and thus alleviating the negative symptoms of patients with schizophrenia. However, the specific molecular mechanism by which minocycline and antipsychotics inhibit microglial activation is not clear. In this study, we aimed to explore the molecular mechanism of treatment effect of minocycline and antipsychotics on schizophrenia. METHODS: Microglia cells were activated by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and further treated with minocycline, haloperidol, and risperidone. Then cell morphology, specific marker, cytokines, and nitric oxide production process, and the proteins in related molecular signaling pathways in LPS-activated microglia were compared among groups. RESULTS: The study found that minocycline, risperidone, and haloperidol significantly inhibited morphological changes and reduced the expression of OX-42 protein induced by LPS. Minocycline significantly decreased the production of interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interleukin-1beta (IL-1ß). Risperidone also showed significant decrease in the production of IL-6 and TNF-α, while haloperidol only showed significant decrease in the production of IL-6. Minocycline, risperidone, and haloperidol were found to significantly inhibit nitric oxide (NO) expression, but had no effect on inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression. Both minocycline and risperidone were effective in decreasing the activity of c­Jun N­terminal kinase (JNK) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in the mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) signal pathway. Additionally, minocycline and risperidone were found to increase the activity of phosphorylated-p38. In contrast, haloperidol only suppressed the activity of ERK. Minocycline also suppressed the activation of janus kinase 2 (JAK2) and signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), while risperidone and haloperidol only suppressed the activation of STAT3. CONCLUSIONS: The results demonstrated that minocycline and risperidone exert stronger anti-inflammatory and neuroprotective effects stronger than haloperidol, through MAPKs and Janus kinase-signal transducer and activator of transcription (JAK-STAT) signaling pathways in BV2 cells stimulated with LPS, revealing the underlying mechanisms of minocycline and atypical antipsychotics in the treatment of negative schizophrenia symptoms.

Assessing the mediating role of impulsivity between methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorders and increased gambling severity in methamphetamine-dependent individuals.

Pathological gambling (PG) and methamphetamine-induced psychotic disorders (MIPD) both frequently occurs in methamphetamine-dependent individuals. The current study examined whether impulsivity mediated the relationship between MIPD and gambling severity. The sample consisted of 320 pathological gamblers with methamphetamine dependence (mean age 32.6 years, ranging from 15 to 64 years) voluntarily recruited from three rehabilitation centers in Hunan, China. The semistructured clinical interview of DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders Patient Edition was used to diagnosis the presence of MIPD and PG by registered psychiatrists. The severity of gambling symptoms was assessed using the global assessment of functioning scale, and the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale-11 provided a measure of impulsivity. Of the sample, 53.4% of participants (n = 171) met diagnostic criteria for MIPD. Individuals with a dual diagnosis of MIPD were associated with higher levels of impulsivity and greater gambling severity. Notably, support for our hypothesized mediation model was found such that impulsivity mediated the association between MIPD and gambling severity. Our findings imply that impulsivity appears to be a transdiagnostic process, which may be targeted in treatment among pathological gamblers with a dual diagnosis of MIPD to reduce gambling behaviors. Limits and future directions for research are discussed.

Grayscale medical image segmentation method based on 2D&3D object detection with deep learning.

BACKGROUND: Grayscale medical image segmentation is the key step in clinical computer-aided diagnosis. Model-driven and data-driven image segmentation methods are widely used for their less computational complexity and more accurate feature extraction. However, model-driven methods like thresholding usually suffer from wrong segmentation and noises regions because different grayscale images have distinct intensity distribution property thus pre-processing is always demanded. While data-driven methods with deep learning like encoder-decoder networks always are always accompanied by complex architectures which require amounts of training data. METHODS: Combining thresholding method and deep learning, this paper presents a novel method by using 2D&3D object detection technologies. First, interest regions contain segmented object are determined with fine-tuning 2D object detection network. Then, pixels in cropped images are turned as point cloud according to their positions and grayscale values. Finally, 3D object detection network is applied to obtain bounding boxes with target points and boxes' bottoms and tops represent thresholding values for segmentation. After projecting to 2D images, these target points could composite the segmented object. RESULTS: Three groups of grayscale medical images are used to evaluate the proposed image segmentation method. We obtain the IoU (DSC) scores of 0.92 (0.96), 0.88 (0.94) and 0.94 (0.94) for segmentation accuracy on different datasets respectively. Also, compared with five state of the arts and clinically performed well models, our method achieves higher scores and better performance. CONCLUSIONS: The prominent segmentation results demonstrate that the built method based on 2D&3D object detection with deep learning is workable and promising for segmentation task of grayscale medical images.

Relationship between RELN signaling pathway genes and language development of autism based on a cluster model. / RELNä¿¡å·é€šè·¯åŸºå› ä¸ŽåŸºäºŽèšç±»åˆ†æžæ¨¡åž‹çš„å­¤ç‹¬ç—‡è¯­è¨€å‘è‚²çš„å ³ç³».

OBJECTIVES: Autism is a neurodevelopment disorder with unclear etiology. High heterogeneity is one of the main issues in the etiological studies. This study explores the relationship between RELN signaling pathway related genes (RELN, VLDLR, LRP8, DAB1, CDK5, FYN) and language development of autism patients based on a cluster analysis model which is established to reduce the heterogeneity. METHODS: Autism children were recruited from 5 different medical/autism training institutes from Hunan, Shandong, and Henan provinces, and were divided into 2 parts according to the recruitment time: The first part was the training sample, which was recruited from October 2006 to May 2011, and the second part was the validation sample, which was recruited from July 2011 to May 2012. A two-step cluster analysis was performed to cluster 374 Chinese Han autism patients into different subgroups based on 2 parameters: Onset age of the first word and interval from the first word to the first phase. A Bayes discriminatory equation was established followed the cluster results. Then we used this equation to divide another 310 autism children into prior defined subgroups. After the genotyping data was screened, a single marker case-control association study was conducted. RESULTS: The cluster analysis clustered 374 samples into 3 subgroups. Onset ages of the first word in the Group A were (11.83±4.37) months and intervals from the first word to the first phase were (24.55±8.67) months; onset ages of the first word in the Group B were (12.17±3.46) months, intervals from the first word to the first phase were (7.07±3.79) months; onset ages of the first word of Group C were (30.94±7.60) months, intervals from the first word to the first phase were (4.73±4.80) months. The established equations based on the cluster analysis were YA=-14.442+0.525X1+0.810X2, YB=-4.964+0.477X1+0.264X2, YC=-19.843+1.175X1+0.241X2. Cross validated analysis showed that the false rate of the equation was 3.8%. A total of 341 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in 6 genes passed the quality control. Before divided subgroups, none of these SNPs reached the significant P value (P>2.44×10-5, Bonferroni adjustment). However the result showed that rs1288502 of LRP8 in Group B was significantly different from the control group (P=6.45×10-6). CONCLUSIONS: Based on the cluster analysis of language development, we could establish a discriminatory equation to reduce heterogeneity of autism sample. The association test indicates that LRP8 genein RELN signaling pathway is related to a particular type of language development of autism patients.

Autism spectrum disorder and severe social impairment associated with elevated plasma interleukin-8.

BACKGROUND: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology and pathophysiology. Previous studies have indicated that the dysregulation of cytokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD and that the levels of cytokines may serve as potential biomarkers of this disorder. METHODS: The current study employed a family triad-based case-control design to study the levels of plasma cytokines in families with ASD (n = 45 triads) and controls (n = 38 triads) with a Human Cytokine Twenty-Five-Plex Kit. The Social Responsiveness Scale (SRS) was used to measure social impairment of ASD children. RESULTS: After controlling for the levels of parental cytokines, we identified that interferon-α (IFN-α), interleukin-7 (IL-7), IL-8, IFN-γ-inducible protein-10, and macrophage inflammatory protein-1ß were associated with ASD, and IL-8 was the only cytokine also associated with the levels of both parental cytokines in the offspring-parents regression analysis and three subdomains of SRS (social awareness, cognition, and motivations) in the children with ASD. The receiver operating characteristic curve showed that the log-transformed IL-8 level discriminated children with autism from controls with an area under the curve of 0.858 (95% confidence interval: 0.777-0.939). CONCLUSIONS: Our study suggests that IL-8 is a potential biomarker for ASD and may be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD. IMPACT: The study suggests that IL-8 is a promising biomarker for ASD and may be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD. Only a very few studies have reported the parental cytokine levels. The significant strength of this article is that we applied the family triad-based approach to explore cytokine levels in families with autism and controls. There are no objective biomarkers, making the accurate diagnosis, prognostic prediction and effective treatment difficult, and our study provides promising results.

A microRNA switch controls dietary restriction-induced longevity through Wnt signaling.

Dietary restriction (DR) is known to have a potent and conserved longevity effect, yet its underlying molecular mechanisms remain elusive. DR modulates signaling pathways in response to nutrient status, a process that also regulates animal development. Here, we show that the suppression of Wnt signaling, a key pathway controlling development, is required for DR-induced longevity in Caenorhabditis elegans We find that DR induces the expression of mir-235, which inhibits cwn-1/WNT4 expression by binding to the 3'-UTR The "switch-on" of mir-235 by DR occurs at the onset of adulthood, thereby minimizing potential disruptions in development. Our results therefore implicate that DR controls the adult lifespan by using a temporal microRNA switch to modulate Wnt signaling.

Parents' and medical staff's experience of adolescents with suicide-related behaviors admitted to a general hospital in China: qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Currently, there is increasing awareness of suicide-related behaviors. Mental health services are a key location for assisting people with suicide-related behaviors. However, few studies focused on the evaluation and experience of the mental health care system from families and the medical staff's perspective in China. The study aims to explore parents' and the front-line medical staff's experience of an adolescent with suicide-related behaviors admitted to the psychiatry department of a general hospital in China. DESIGN: Qualitative study was employed in the study. Participants were recruited from a general hospital in China characterized by high levels in the Chinese mental health system. METHODS: Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted exploring their experience and perceptions when an adolescent was admitted to the hospital. The theme analysis method is used for data analysis. RESULTS: Participants expressed dissatisfaction in the psychiatric department. Other barriers in their work were identified, such as the shortage of staff and difficulties in caring or communicating with patients. Besides, the imperfect treatment system also contributes to the low satisfaction of patients and their families. Two themes and six subthemes were identified: 1) staff perceive patients with SRBs as difficult to engage (feelings of helplessness, the need for compassion, challenges of professional self-efficacy, the recommendations to the health care service); 2) parents not satisfied with the existing hospital services (doubt the hospitalization treatment and the advice to the health care service). CONCLUSION: This study found that insufficient staffing and lacking of systematic professional treatment models are the major challenges. We suggest increasing the input of mental health resources to expand and train the mental health service team and establish a complete set of a treatment model for SRBs.

Anesthesia, sex and miscarriage history may influence the association between cesarean delivery and autism spectrum disorder.

BACKGROUND: To explore the association between cesarean section (CS) and risk of autism spectrum disorder (ASD), and evaluate the possible factors influencing this association. METHODS: In total, 950 patients diagnosed with ASD and 764 healthy controls were recruited in this study. Socio-demographic characteristics and prenatal, perinatal, and neonatal characteristics were compared between the two groups. Univariate and multivariable conditional logistic regression analyses were applied to adjust for confounders. Further stratified analyses based on sex and miscarriage history were similarly performed to explore the factors influencing the association between CS and ASD. RESULTS: CS was evidently associated with an elevated risk of ASD (adjusted odds ratio [aOR] = 1.606, 95% confidence interval (CI) = 1.311-1.969). Unlike regional anesthesia (RA), only CS performed under general anesthesia (GA) consistently elevated the risk of ASD (aOR = 1.887, 95% CI = 1.273-2.798) in females and males in further stratified analysis. The risk of children suffering from ASD following emergency CS was apparently increased in males (aOR = 2.390, 95% CI = 1.392-5.207), whereas a higher risk of ASD was observed among voluntary CS and indicated CS subgroups (aOR = 2.167, 95% CI = 1.094-4.291; aOR = 2.919, 95% CI = 1.789-4.765, respectively) in females. Moreover, the interaction term of CS and past miscarriage history (ß = - 0.68, Wald χ2 = 7.5, df = 1, p = 0.006)) was similarly defined as influencing ASD. CONCLUSIONS: The exposure of children to GA during CS may explain the possible/emerging association between CS and ASD. In addition, sex and miscarriage history could equally be factors influencing the association between CS and ASD.

Sleep Problems of Children with Autism May Independently Affect Parental Quality of Life.

The current study explored how and to what extent sleep problems in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) impacted their parents' quality of life (QOL). A total of 440 ASD children and 344 age-matched typically developing (TD) children were included in the case-control designed study. In the TD group, a linear regression model showed that the Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (CSHQ) total scores were negatively associated with maternal mental health summary (MCS) scores in the SF-36v2 (ß = - 2.831), while in the ASD group, the CSHQ total scores were negatively associated with the parental physical health summary (PCS) scores (ß = - 3.030 for mothers, ß = - 3.651 for fathers). Path analysis showed that sleep problems in ASD children had both direct and indirect effects on maternal PCS scores. The results indicated that sleep problems in children with ASD might affect parental QOL differently from TD children, and act as independent impact factors on parental physical health.

Effects of ketamine use on psychotic disorders and symptoms in male, methamphetamine-dependent subjects.

BACKGROUND: Repeated and extensive methamphetamine or ketamine use may cause psychotic symptoms. Whether the chronic and combined use of these substances has a greater psychotic effect is still unknown. OBJECTIVES: To examine the effect of different levels of ketamine use on psychotic disorders and symptoms in male methamphetamine-dependent subjects. METHODS: A cross-sectional, structured, and clinical interview method was used to examine the differences in DSM-IV-TR Axis I psychotic disorders and symptoms among methamphetamine-dependent subjects in three categories: 205 with no ketamine use, 38 with occasional ketamine use, and 72 with ketamine abuse or dependence from compulsory rehabilitation centers. RESULTS: Both methamphetamine-dependent subjects with occasional ketamine use and those with ketamine abuse or dependence had a higher prevalence of psychotic disorders than those who had not used ketamine (p = 0.021; p < 0.001). Subjects who used ketamine occasionally had a higher prevalence of referential and persecutory delusions (p < 0.001; p = 0.013) and auditory hallucinations (p = 0.030), and those with ketamine abuse or dependence had a higher prevalence of referential and persecutory delusions (p = 0.005; p = 0.021), compared with those who had not used ketamine. There was no significant difference in any psychotic disorders or symptoms between subjects with occasional ketamine use and those with ketamine abuse or dependence. CONCLUSIONS: The combination of methamphetamine and ketamine was associated with greater psychotic effects than methamphetamine alone. Both occasional ketamine use and ketamine abuse or dependence were associated with increased psychotic symptoms and disorders in methamphetamine-dependent males.

Associations among maternal pre-pregnancy body mass index, gestational weight gain and risk of autism in the Han Chinese population.

BACKGROUND: Autism is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology. Pre-pregnancy body mass index (BMI) and gestational weight gain (GWG) have been suggested to play a role in the etiology of autism. The current study explores the associations among maternal pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG and the risk of autism in the Han Chinese population. METHODS: Demographic information, a basic medical history and information regarding maternal pre-pregnancy and pregnancy conditions were collected from the parents of 705 Han Chinese children with autism and 2236 unrelated typically developing children. Binary logistic regressions were conducted to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for the relationship among pre-pregnancy BMI, GWG and the occurrence of autism. The interaction between pre-pregnancy BMI and GWG was analyzed by performing stratification analyses using a logistic model. RESULTS: After adjusting for the children's gender, parental age and family annual income, excessive GWG was associated with autism risk in the entire sample (OR = 1.327, 95% CI: 1.021-1.725), whereas the relationship between maternal pre-pregnancy BMI and autism was not significant. According to the stratification analyses, excessive GWG increased the risk of autism in overweight/obese mothers (OR = 2.468, 95% CI: 1.102-5.526) but not in underweight or normal weight mothers. CONCLUSIONS: The maternal pre-pregnancy BMI might not be independently associated with autism risk. However, excessive GWG might increase the autism risk of offspring of overweight and obese mothers.

A comparative study of magnetic resonance imaging on the gray matter and resting-state function in prodromal and first-episode schizophrenia.

It is very difficult to predict the future development possibility of schizophrenia through the clinical symptoms of the high-risk cases. Therefore, how to determine the possibility of developing into schizophrenia individuals before the onset of the diseases are particularly important. The study investigated cerebral gray matter volume differences and resting-state functional connections among patients with psychosis risk syndrome (PRS), patients with first-episode schizophrenic (FES), and healthy controls (HC), aiming to provide scientific clinical evidence for schizophrenia early identification and intervention. A total of 19 PRS patients, 18 FES patients, and 29 HC were recruited. Gray matter volume and amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation (fALFF) during resting-state functional studies were measured. Comparison of gray matter volumes showed that PRS and FES groups had common reduced gray matter volume in the right caudate. PRS and FES patients showed altered connectivity mainly in the semantic processing-related brain areas. fALFF analysis found that PRF and FES patients had significant differences in fALFF values of the brain region mainly located in the subcortical network, visual recognition network, and auditory network. In addition, PRF individuals had a higher fALFF value and a lower fALFF value in the anterior wedge of the cerebral network than the HC group. Gray matter volume loss between related brain areas might appear prior to illness onset. Similar fALFF values occurred in PRS and FES groups indicated that multiple brain regions of neuronal activity abnormalities and unconventional neural network mechanism have been existed in PRS patients.

Comparison of demographic characteristics and psychiatric comorbidity among methamphetamine-, heroin- and methamphetamine-heroin co- dependent males in Hunan, China.

BACKGROUND: There is little research of psychiatric comorbidity differences among people with different types of drug dependence in Chinese population. We explored demographic and comorbid psychiatric differences among methamphetamine- dependent males (MDs), heroin-dependent males (HDs) and methamphetamine and heroin co-dependent males (M/HDs) in Hunan province, China. METHODS: A cross-sectional, structured and clinical interview method was used to examine differences in DSM-IV-TR Axis I Disorders among 346 MDs, 698 HDs and 247 M/HDs from three compulsory rehabilitation centers and two voluntary rehabilitation centers in Hunan. RESULTS: MDs and M/HDs were younger, more likely to choose inhalation administration, less likely to have a family history of substance use, less likely to have undergone detoxification treatment, had higher incomes and shorter duration of drug use than HDs. Overall, methamphetamine-dependence related to higher rates of current and lifetime psychotic disorders, lifetime hallucinogen use disorders. Heroin-dependence related to higher rates of current and lifetime substance-induced mood disorders, sedative/hypnotic/anxiolytic and other drug use disorders and current alcohol use disorder. For M/HDs, they were more likely to have any other lifetime substance use disorders than MDs and HDs. CONCLUSIONS: There were substantial differences in epidemiological characteristics and comorbidity among MD, HD and M/HD groups, which highlights the urgent need to develop treatment services and policies for drug-specific users in China.