Automatic schizophrenic discrimination on fNIRS by using complex brain network analysis and SVM.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a kind of serious mental illness. Due to the lack of an objective physiological data supporting and a unified data analysis method, doctors can only rely on the subjective experience of the data to distinguish normal people and patients, which easily lead to misdiagnosis. In recent years, functional Near-Infrared Spectroscopy (fNIRS) has been widely used in clinical diagnosis, it can get the hemoglobin concentration through the variation of optical intensity. METHODS: Firstly, the prefrontal brain networks were constructed based on oxy-Hb signals from 52-channel fNIRS data of schizophrenia and healthy controls. Then, Complex Brain Network Analysis (CBNA) was used to extract features from the prefrontal brain networks. Finally, a classier based on Support Vector Machine (SVM) is designed and trained to discriminate schizophrenia from healthy controls. We recruited a sample which contains 34 healthy controls and 42 schizophrenia patients to do the one-back memory task. The hemoglobin response was measured in the prefrontal cortex during the task using a 52-channel fNIRS system. RESULTS: The experimental results indicate that the proposed method can achieve a satisfactory classification with the accuracy of 85.5%, 92.8% for schizophrenia samples and 76.5% for healthy controls. Also, our results suggested that fNIRS has the potential capacity to be an effective objective biomarker for the diagnosis of schizophrenia. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggested that, using the appropriate classification method, fNIRS has the potential capacity to be an effective objective biomarker for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Near-infrared spectroscopy for examination of prefrontal activation during cognitive tasks in patients with major depressive disorder: a meta-analysis of observational studies.

AIMS: Near-infrared spectroscopy has the potential for aiding the diagnosis of major depressive disorder. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the evidence from observational studies regarding the use of near-infrared spectroscopy in patients with major depressive disorder and to identify the characteristic pattern of prefrontal lobe activity in major depressive disorder. METHODS: medline, PubMed, Cochrane Library and Web of Science databases were searched in December 2013. All case-control studies were included. The quality of evidence was examined using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The primary outcome measures were the mean oxygenated and deoxygenated hemoglobin alterations of the cerebral cortex during cognitive activation periods. The standard mean difference for the overall pooled effects across the included studies was estimated using random or fixed effect models. The primary outcome measures were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Fourteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Six studies (n = 692 participants) were included in the analysis of the mean oxygenated hemoglobin alterations; the pooled mean standardized difference was -0.74 (95% confidence interval, -0.97 to -0.52), indicating that patients with major depressive disorder were associated with attenuated increase in oxygenated hemoglobin during cognitive activation in the prefrontal regions compared to healthy controls. Five studies (n = 668 participants) were included in the analysis of mean deoxygenated-hemoglobin changes; the pooled standardized mean difference was 0.18 (95% confidence interval, -0.20 to 0.56). CONCLUSIONS: Using near-infrared spectroscopy measurements, we observed that compared to healthy subjects, patients with major depressive disorder had significantly lower prefrontal activation during cognitive tasks.

[Reliability and validity of Professional Quality of Life Scale among government staff in earthquake - stricken areas in China].

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the reliability and validity of Professional Quality of Life Scale (ProQOL-30, 4th version, 30 items) among government staff in the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas METHODS: A total of 1,175 members of government staff in the Wenchuan earthquake-stricken areas were selected by convenience sampling and required to complete the ProQOL and Self-Reporting Questionnair (SRQ). The reliability and validity of the scale was evaluated by correlation analysis, t-test, and confirmatory factor analysis. RESULTS: Item-total correlation coefficients of the three subscales were 0.590 - 0.752, 0.389 - 0.603, and 0.340 - 0.647, respectively (P<0.05), and the average coefficients were 0.672, 0.482, and 0.555 respectively (P<0.05). The Cronbach's α coefficients of the three subscales were 0.864, 0.569, and 0.742 respectively, and the split-half reliabilities were 0.829, 0.490, and 0.677, respectively. P value was 0.88 in thE chi-square test of confirmatory factor analysis model. Goodness-of-fit indices of ProQOL-30 included GFI=0.895 NFI=0.856, CFI=0.895, RMSEA=0.063, and AGFI=0.912. For the ProQOL-28 as an optimized version o ProQOL-30, the Cronbach's a coefficients for burnout and trauma/compassion fatigue increased to 0.616 and 0.757, respectively. P value was 0.91 in the chi-square test of confirmatory factor analysis model test. Goodness-of-fit indices of ProQOL-28 were GFI =0.913, AGFI =0.924, NFI =0.900, CFI =0.913, and RMSEA =0.031 CONCLUSION: ProQOL-28 has good reliability and validity among government staff in the earthquake-stricker areas in China.

Associations between chronic work stress and plasma chromogranin A/catestatin among healthy workers.

OBJECTIVES: Plasma chromogranin A (CgA) may play a critical role on linking work stress to health outcomes. The aim of our study was to investigate the associations between work stress and plasma CgA levels in healthy workers without chronic diseases. METHODS: The study included 260 healthy workers from EHOP study. Work stressors were assessed by the Chinese version of the 23-item ERI-Q questionnaire. Plasma CgA and catestatin levels were measured by ELISA kits. The demographic characteristics were collected from medical records. RESULTS: Among the final 260 subjects including 173 males (66.5%) and 87 females (33.5%), the average age was 37.6 ± 10.6 years old. Effort, overcommitment, and ERI were positively associated with plasma CgA level, respectively (r = 0.267, 0.319, and 0.304, all p < .001), while reward was negatively associated with CgA level (r = -0.237, p < .001). The workers with high effort, overcommitment, or ERI had significantly higher plasma CgA levels, while the workers with high rewards had significantly lower plasma CgA levels. The workers with both high overcommitment and high ERI had highest plasma CgA levels. In the linear regression analysis, after adjustment for confounders, effort, overcommitment, and ERI were respectively positively related to plasma CgA, while reward negatively related to plasma CgA. The associations between work stress and plasma catestatin was not significant. The ratio of CgA and catestatin was associated with work stress. CONCLUSIONS: Work stress is associated with plasma CgA which may be play a crucial role on the pathway from chronic work stress to cardiovascular diseases.

Development and Validation of a Self-Administered Screening Test for Betel Quid Use Disorders in Betel Quid Chewers in Hunan, China.

Introduction: Processed betel quid product chewing is a public health problem in areca non-plant areas in China. However, there is no valid instrument to screen for betel quid use disorder (BQUD) in mainland China. We developed a self-administered screening test for betel quid use disorders (SST-BQUD) and tested its reliability and validity in a sample of betel quid chewers (BQCers) in Hunan, China. Methods: Items of SST-BQUD were selected from the test results of an item pool, which includes 52 questions related to the psycho-social and behavioral presentations of BQUD. All participants, in a self-administered manner, completed the item pool. A subsample completed the re-test one week later. Two psychiatrists interviewed all participants to ascertain the presence of BQUD. The receiver Operating Characteristic curve was used to determine the best cut-off value to discriminate BQUD. Results: One hundred and twelve BQCers were recruited. Based on the statistical analysis of receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves, 14 yes/no questions were selected for SST-BQUD. As indicated by Cronbach's α coefficient, the internal consistency was 0.876. The area under the curve of SST-BQUD was 0.881, representing a satisfactory diagnostic value. The one-week re-test reliability test was 0.771 (P<0.001), suggesting good stability over time. The optimal cut-off score for BQUD screening was six, with a sensitivity of 0.921 and a specificity of 0.716, implying the satisfactory accuracy of SST-BQUD to screen for BQUD. Conclusion: The standard version of SST-BQUD consists of 14 items. The total score of SST-BQUD was the sum of affirmative answers, with higher scores denoting a more severe BQUD symptom. If one answered six or more times "yes" to these 14 questions, they can be classified with BQUD. The SST-BQUD is a valid screening method for BQUD among BQCers in betel quid processed area.

Obesity-Associated Anxiety Is Prevalent among College Students and Alleviated by Calorie Restriction.

Anxiety is a common disorder among college students, especially those with obesity. Obesity contributes to metabolic disorders and disturbs the neural functions, further leading to anxiety. In this cross-sectional study, we aimed to determine the association between obesity and anxiety among college students and identified the potential factors for obesity-associated anxiety. We evaluated the intervention effects of calorie restriction on anxiety. Self-reported questionnaires were distributed to 1381 college students from January to March in 2021. Anxiety was measured by the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI). Participants were classified into anxiety and non-anxiety groups according to their STAI scores. Chi-squared test and logistic regression were used to analyze the potential factors. We found that 383 college students exhibited anxiety, accounting for 30.1% among all included college students, which was higher than the global average. The association between anxiety and obesity was observed among college students (p = 0.009), especially in males (p = 0.007). We identified that pre-obesity (p = 0.012), unhealthy calorie intake (p = 0.001), dieting (p = 0.003) and high academic year (p = 0.006) as the risk factors for anxiety and found that the long sleep duration was a protective factor for anxiety (p < 0.001). We found that more obese students showed an improvement of anxiety than the underweight students after calorie restriction (p < 0.001). Collectively, our findings suggest that obesity-associated anxiety is prevalent among the college students and could be alleviated by moderate calorie restriction. It is necessary for students to receive anxiety management in their college life. Additionally, the proper calorie restriction should be promoted to help students protect against obesity and obesity-associated anxiety.

The Effect of Blue-enriched White Light on Cognitive Performances and Sleepiness of Simulated Shift Workers: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

BACKGROUND: Shift work is associated with reduced performance and efficiency, the current study aimed at investigating whether blue-enriched white light could improve workers' performance. METHODS: The study, which adopted a randomized controlled trial, was conducted among 48 simulated shift workers. The participants performed sustained attention task, working memory task, and sleepiness task during night shift work. The data was analyzed using two-way repeated measure ANOVA. RESULTS: The results indicated that, compared to conventional light, participants' correct responses of the sustained attention significantly increased when they were exposed to blue-enriched white light, correspondingly, the commission errors and omission errors declined. Furthermore, the blue-enriched white light had a significant effect on the decrease of sleepiness. However, the working memory was not significantly affected. CONCLUSION: Exposing to blue-enriched white light can improve sustained attention and reduce sleepiness.

The effects of dynamic daylight-like light on the rhythm, cognition, and mood of irregular shift workers in closed environment.

Shift workers are mostly suffered from the disruption of circadian rhythm and health problems. In this study, we designed proper light environment to maintain stable circadian rhythm, cognitive performance, and mood status of shift workers. We used five-channel light-emitting diodes to build up the dynamic daylight-like light environment. The illuminance, correlated color temperature, and circadian action factor of light were tunable in the ranges of 226 to 678 lx, 2680 to 7314 K, and 0.32 to 0.96 throughout the day (5:30 to 19:40). During the nighttime, these parameters maintained about 200 lx, 2700 K, and 0.32, respectively. In this light environment, three subjects had engaged in shift work for 38 consecutive days. We measured plasma melatonin, activity counts, continuous performance tests, and visual analogue scale on mood to assess the rhythm, cognitive performance, and mood of subjects. After 38-day shift work, the subjects' peak melatonin concentration increased significantly. Their physiological and behavioral rhythms maintained stable. Their cognitive performance improved significantly after night work, compared with that before night work. Their mood status had no significant change during the 38-day shift work. These results indicated that the light environment was beneficial to maintain circadian rhythm, cognitive performance and mood status during long-term shift work in closed environment.

[Recognition of depression and related risk factors among non psychiatric doctors in tertiary general hospital outpatients in Beijing].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the level of identification and related factors of depression in physicians of Beijing tertiary general hospitals. METHODS: A cross-sectional investigation was used to screen the outpatients, and depression was diagnosed according to Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Identification of depression was defined as referral to psychiatrist or managed with antidepressant or sedative hypnotics. RESULTS: Among 248 cases of depression, 30 (12.1%) were referred to psychiatrists, 28(8.9%) managed with antidepressant or sedative hypnotics. The identification rate of depression by physicians was 21.0%, and the identification rate by neurologist was 40.4%, which is higher than the rate by cardiologist (22.4%), gastrointestinal physician (3.8%) and gynecologist (2.0%) (χ2=61.077, P<0.05). Visiting neurology department, severity of life impairment, with psychotic distress history, had psychological complaints, co-morbidity with anxiety related to the physician's identification of depression. Among the psychological complaints, only mood disorder and insomnia were related to the physician's identification of depression. CONCLUSIONS: The level of depression identification by physician was low, the level of neurologist was higher than that of cardiologist, gastrointestinal physician and gynecologist. The patient with serious life impairment, psychotic distress history, mood disorder and insomnia complaints was easily to be identified.

The associations between anxiety/depression and plasma chromogranin A among healthy workers: Results from EHOP study.

OBJECTIVES: Chromogranin A (CgA) is regarded as an indicator of sympathetic tone and adrenomedullary system activity. Catestatin is one of CgA-derived fragments through proteolytic processing. Many studies have confirmed the correlation between anxiety/depression and the salivary CgA level. The study was to investigate the associations between anxiety/depression and plasma CgA/catestatin levels in healthy workers without cardiovascular disease. METHODS: The study included 263 healthy workers (175 men and 88 women). The symptoms of anxiety and depression were measured with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS). Plasma CgA and catestatin levels were measured by ELISA kits. RESULTS: In bivariate correlation analysis, anxiety and depression were positively associated with plasma CgA level, respectively (r = 0.298, P < .001; r = 0.304, P < .001), but not significantly associated with plasma catestatin level. The anxiety group had significantly higher plasma CgA level than that in the no-anxiety group (median 158.60 vs 70.90, P < .001). The similar results were found for depression scales. The depression group had significantly higher plasma CgA level (median 145.60 vs 82.40, P < .001). In the multiple linear regression model, after adjusting for age, gender, and BMI, anxiety was positively correlated with plasma CgA level (ß = 0.359, P < .001), while anxiety was negatively correlated with plasma catestatin level (ß = -0.128, P = .044), depression was also positively correlated with plasma CgA level (ß = 0.343, P < .001). CONCLUSIONS: Plasma CgA was associated with anxiety and depression in healthy workers. It can be considered as the blood indicator for the evaluation of anxiety and depression.

Classification of schizophrenia using general linear model and support vector machine via fNIRS.

Schizophrenia is a type of serious mental illness. In clinical practice, it is still a challenging problem to identify schizophrenia-related brain patterns due to the lack of objective physiological data support and a unified data analysis method, physicians can only use the subjective experience to distinguish schizophrenia patients and healthy people, which may easily lead to misdiagnosis. In this study, we designed an optimized data-preprocessing method accompanied with techniques of general linear model feature extraction, independent sample t-test feature selection and support vector machine to identify a set of robust fNIRS pattern features as a biomarker to discriminate schizophrenia patients and healthy people. Experimental results demonstrated that the proposed combination way of data preprocessing, feature extraction, feature selection and support vector machine classification can effectively identify schizophrenia patients and the healthy people with a leave-one-out-cross-validation classification accuracy of 89.5%.

Study of the SCL-90 Scale and Changes in the Chinese Norms.

Objective: This study aimed to investigate the Chinese norms for the Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) scale and its application. Methods: In total, 7,489 adults from Tianjin and Qingdao in China were included. Their data were compared with the norm data of 1,388 people published by Jin et al., the combined norms published by Tang et al., the data of 2,808 adults published by Chen and Li, and the data of 1,890 adults from Tong in China. Results: In five different periods, notable changes were observed in each factor of the SCL-90 that significantly differed from the previous norms. The scores of each factor showed an increasing annual trend. Compulsion consistently obtained the highest scores, and phobia consistently obtained the lowest scores. The scores tended to decrease from compulsion to anxiety, and psychosis scored lower than paranoia. There was a significant difference in the detection rate between the critical screening value of two points and the standard score. Using the standard score as the critical value, the detection rate ranged between 13 and 16% and was relatively concentrated. Using two points as the critical value, the detection rate ranged between 38 and 50%. Conclusion: The usual model in China is not consistent with social development. Using two points as the critical value is no longer suitable for the SCL-90. New Chinese norms and measurement standards should be developed. The mean value plus one standard deviation could be used as the new measurement standard.

Investigation on entraining and enhancing human circadian rhythm in closed environments using daylight-like LED mixed lighting.

Humans can undergo circadian disruption and misalignment when living in closed environments without sufficient daylight. Therefore, it is of great significance to investigate the effects of artificial light on the circadian rhythm. In this work, the red, green, blue, warm white, and cool white (RGBWW) five-channel light-emitting diodes (LEDs) were fabricated as the only light sources in the closed environment. The LED mixed lighting showed a high color rendering index (CRI) all the time. During the day, the light simulated the daylight and increased the tunability of the circadian action factor (CAF) and correlated color temperature (CCT). At night, it maintained low CAF and CCT. Three subjects did irregular shift work in the closed environment for 38 days. Their plasma melatonin and daily activity were measured to assess the circadian rhythm. After 38 days, the subjects' peak melatonin times did not shift significantly (p = 0.676), while their peak melatonin concentrations increased apparently (p = 0.005). The start times of the least active 5-h period (L5) in one day fluctuated in a small range. The standard deviation (SD) was <15.11 min in most times. These results demonstrated that the subjects' rhythms maintained stable and were enhanced. The periods of circular cross-correlation between activity and CAF oscillated around 24 h (SD = 15.4 min), indicating the entrainment of light on the stable 24-h rhythm. It was concluded that the daylight-like LED lighting effectively entrained and enhanced the circadian rhythm in the closed environment.

Alcohol-related disorders in Beijing, China: prevalence, socio-demographic correlates, and unmet need for treatment.

BACKGROUND: The study aimed to determine the prevalence of alcohol use, episodic heavy drinking, and alcohol dependence and their socio-demographic correlates in Beijing, China. methods: A total of 5,926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Data on basic socio-demographic and current major medical conditions were also collected. RESULTS: The 12-month prevalence of alcohol use and episodic heavy drinking were 32.5 and 13.8%, respectively. The 12-month and lifetime prevalence of alcohol dependence were 1.7 and 4.3%, respectively. Age above 24 years, male sex, being married and employed, low education level (junior high school, primary school or illiterate), rural residence, and having comorbid psychiatric disorders were all significantly associated with a higher likelihood of alcohol-related disorders. Only 2.4% of the subjects with alcohol dependence were receiving treatment, and a mere 1.4% had sought treatment from mental health professionals. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide surveys are urgently needed to further explore the prevalence of alcohol-related disorders in China.

Chronic disease prevalence and care among the elderly in urban and rural Beijing, China - a 10/66 Dementia Research Group cross-sectional survey.

BACKGROUND: Demographic ageing is occurring at an unprecedented rate in China. Chronic diseases and their disabling consequences will become much more common. Public policy has a strong urban bias, and older people living in rural areas may be especially vulnerable due to limited access to good quality healthcare, and low pension coverage. We aim to compare the sociodemographic and health characteristics, health service utilization, needs for care and informal care arrangements of representative samples of older people in two Beijing communities, urban Xicheng and rural Daxing. METHODS: A one-phase cross-sectional survey of all those aged 65 years and over was conducted in urban and rural catchment areas in Beijing, China. Assessments included questionnaires, a clinical interview, physical examination, and an informant interview. Prevalence of chronic diseases, self-reported impairments and risk behaviours was calculated adjusting for household clustering. Poisson working models were used to estimate the independent effect of rural versus urban residence, and to explore the predictors of health services utilization. RESULTS: We interviewed 1002 participants in rural Daxing, and 1160 in urban Xicheng. Those in Daxing were more likely to be younger, widowed, less educated, not receiving a pension, and reliant on family transfers. Chronic diseases were more common in Xicheng, when based on self-report rather than clinical assessment. Risk exposures were more common in Daxing. Rural older people were much less likely to access health services, controlling for age and health. Community health services were ineffective, particularly in Daxing, where fewer than 3% of those with hypertension were adequately controlled. In Daxing, care was provided by family, who had often given up work to do so. In Xicheng, 45% of those needing care were supported by paid caregivers. Caregiver strain was higher in Xicheng. Dementia was strongly associated with care needs and caregiver strain, but not with medical helpseeking. CONCLUSION: Apparent better health in Daxing might be explained by under-diagnosis, under-reporting or selective mortality. Far-reaching structural reforms may be needed to improve access and strengthen rural healthcare. The impact of social and economic change is already apparent in Xicheng, with important implications for future long-term care.

Lifetime prevalence of suicidal ideation, suicide plans and attempts in rural and urban regions of Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVE: There has been no large-scale survey of suicide-related behaviours including suicidal ideations, plans and attempts in China involving both rural and urban areas and using standardized assessment tools. The aim of the present study was to determine the lifetime prevalence of suicide-related behaviour and its relationship with sociodemographic factors and psychiatric disorders in the rural and urban regions of Beijing, China. METHODS: A total of 5926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview. Basic sociodemographic and clinical data and data on suicide-related behaviour were also collected. RESULTS: The overall lifetime prevalence estimates of suicidal ideation, plans and attempts were 2.3%, 1.4%, and 1.0%, respectively; the corresponding figures were 2.8%, 1.6%, and 1.3% in the rural sample, and 1.8%, 1.3%, and 0.9% in the urban sample. Age (>25 years), female sex, unmarried status, lower education level, lower (RMB2000 month(-1)) monthly income and presence of major medical disorders were significantly associated with increased risk of suicide-related behaviour. 36.2% of subjects with suicide-related behavior consulted a medical practitioner and 20.7% consulted a psychiatrist. CONCLUSIONS: The prevalence of lifetime suicide-related behaviour in Beijing is lower than in Western countries, but the low percentage of subjects treated for suicide-related behaviour indicates a major public health problem that should be addressed. National surveys are needed to further explore the prevalence of suicide-related behaviour in China.

Depressive symptoms in Chinese assembly-line migrant workers: A case study in the shoe-making industry.

INTRODUCTION: Assembly-line migrant workers (AMWs), as a major workforce in China, may be at particularly high risk of depression due to their relative low social economic status and particular job characteristics. However, little is known about the frequency and characteristics of depression among Chinese AMWs. This study investigated the prevalence and correlates of depressive symptoms in Chinese AMWs. METHODS: In this cross-sectional survey, 915 Chinese AMWs from two shoe-making factories completed a standardized questionnaire to report their socio-demographics, physical health, migration, and work. They also reported their depressive symptoms by completing the Beck Depression Inventory-Short Form (BDI-SF). We conducted multiple logistic regression analysis to identify factors related to depression. RESULTS: We found that 31.7% of AMWs were clinically depressed (BDI-SF ≥ 8). The multiple regression model included age, self-rated physical health, pain, family relationships, having no good friends at the same factory, and working under high pressure. DISCUSSION: Our findings suggest that depression is common among Chinese AMWs. We argue that there is an urgent need for health care providers and factory managers to work on the early identification of AMWs, who are at high risk for depression. Psychological and psychiatric treatments are necessary in the Chinese labor-intensive industries.

Implementing machine learning in bipolar diagnosis in China.

Bipolar disorder (BPD) is often confused with major depression, and current diagnostic questionnaires are subjective and time intensive. The aim of this study was to develop a new Bipolar Diagnosis Checklist in Chinese (BDCC) by using machine learning to shorten the Affective Disorder Evaluation scale (ADE) based on an analysis of registered Chinese multisite cohort data. In order to evaluate the importance of each item of the ADE, a case-control study of 360 bipolar disorder (BPD) patients, 255 major depressive disorder (MDD) patients and 228 healthy (no psychiatric diagnosis) controls (HCs) was conducted, spanning 9 Chinese health facilities participating in the Comprehensive Assessment and Follow-up Descriptive Study on Bipolar Disorder (CAFÉ-BD). The BDCC was formed by selected items from the ADE according to their importance as calculated by a random forest machine learning algorithm. Five classical machine learning algorithms, namely, a random forest algorithm, support vector regression (SVR), the least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO), linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and logistic regression, were used to retrospectively analyze the aforementioned cohort data to shorten the ADE. Regarding the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve (AUC), the BDCC had high AUCs of 0.948, 0.921, and 0.923 for the diagnosis of MDD, BPD, and HC, respectively, despite containing only 15% (17/113) of the items from the ADE. Traditional scales can be shortened using machine learning analysis. By shortening the ADE using a random forest algorithm, we generated the BDCC, which can be more easily applied in clinical practice to effectively enhance both BPD and MDD diagnosis.

The prevalence of insomnia, its sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and treatment in rural and urban regions of Beijing, China: a general population-based survey.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: To determine the prevalence of insomnia, its sociodemographic and clinical correlates, and treatment patterns in Chinese people. DESIGN: A total of 5,926 subjects were randomly selected in the urban and rural areas of Beijing and interviewed using standardized assessment tools. Basic sociodemographic and clinical data were also collected. SETTING: Urban and rural regions of Beijing municipality, China. Patients or Participants Adult residents older than 15 years. Interventions N/A. MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS: The prevalence of at least one type of insomnia was 9.2%; the rates of difficulty initiating sleep (DIS), difficulty maintaining sleep (DMS), and early morning awakening (EMA) were 7.0%, 8.0%, and 4.9%, respectively. Increased age (age >44 and 24 years in the urban and rural samples, respectively), female sex, married, divorced, separated, or widowed marital status; having a major medical condition; and suffering from a psychiatric disorder were risk factors for all types of insomnia in both the urban and rural samples. A low level of education (primary school or illiteracy) was significantly associated with a higher likelihood of all types of insomnia in the urban sample. Current smokers and current drinkers were less likely to report any type of insomnia in the rural sample. Unemployment was associated with DMS in the urban sample, while it was associated with DIS and DMS in the rural sample. Only 5.4% of the participants with any type of insomnia reported their symptoms to medical practitioners. In contrast, nearly one-third of the subjects with insomnia reported taking benzodiazepines as sleep-enhancing drugs. CONCLUSIONS: Nationwide epidemiologic surveys are needed to further explore the prevalence of insomnia in China. The low percentage of subjects treated for insomnia indicates a major public health problem that should be addressed. Strict controls on use of benzodiazepines are warranted.

Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of schizophrenia in Beijing, China.

OBJECTIVE: There has been no large-scale survey of schizophrenia in China involving both rural and urban areas using standardized assessment tools and diagnostic criteria. This study aimed to determine the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia and its socio-demographic correlates in Beijing, China. METHODS: A total of 5926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected during the interviews. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia was 0.49%, and 0.44% and 0.55% for men and women, respectively. Unmarried status, lower monthly income, urban abode and positive family history were associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia; 9.7% of the subjects with lifetime schizophrenia reported a history of suicide attempts. The percentage of subjects with schizophrenia who were receiving treatment and their preference to seek treatment from mental health professionals were 58% and 29%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: National surveys are urgently needed to further explore the prevalence of schizophrenia in China. The low percentage of subjects treated for schizophrenia is a serious public health issue that should be addressed in the near future.