Small molecule compound M12 reduces vascular permeability in obese mice via blocking endothelial TRPV4-Nox2 interaction.

Transient receptor potential channel TRPV4 and nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase (Nox2) are involved in oxidative stress that increases endothelial permeability. It has been shown that obesity enhances the physical association of TRPV4 and Nox2, but the role of TRPV4-Nox2 association in obesity has not been clarified. In this study we investigated the function of TRPV4-Nox2 complex in reducing oxidative stress and regulating abnormal vascular permeability in obesity. Obesity was induced in mice by feeding a high-fat diet (HFD) for 14 weeks. The physical interaction between TRPV4 and Nox2 was measured using FRET, co-immunoprecipitation and GST pull-down assays. The functional interaction was measured by rhodamine phalloidin, CM-H2DCFDA in vitro, the fluorescent dye dihydroethidium (DHE) staining assay, and the Evans blue permeability assay in vivo. We demonstrated that TRPV4 physically and functionally associated with Nox2, and this physical association was enhanced in aorta of obese mice. Furthermore, we showed that interrupting TRPV4-Nox2 coupling by TRPV4 knockout, or by treatment with a specific Nox2 inhibitor Nox2 dstat or a specific TRPV4 inhibitor HC067046 significantly attenuated obesity-induced ROS overproduction in aortic endothelial cells, and reversed the abnormal endothelial cytoskeletal structure. In order to discover small molecules disrupting the over-coupling of TPRV4 and Nox2 in obesity, we performed molecular docking analysis and found that compound M12 modulated TRPV4-Nox2 association, reduced ROS production, and finally reversed disruption of the vascular barrier in obesity. Together, this study, for the first time, provides evidence for the TRPV4 physically interacting with Nox2. TRPV4-Nox2 complex is a potential drug target in improving oxidative stress and disruption of the vascular barrier in obesity. Compound M12 targeting TRPV4-Nox2 complex can improve vascular barrier function in obesity.

Cloning of Mn-SOD gene and its mRNA expression difference and antioxidant enzyme activities under hypoxia stress of cobia Rachycentron canadum.

BACKGROUND: Environmental hypoxia affects the survival and development of organisms. It is also an important environmental factor that leads to oxidative damage. Hypoxia is a condition in which tissues are deprived of oxygen; reoxygenation is the phenomenon in which hypoxic tissues are exposed to oxygen. Hypoxia-reoxygenation is vital in pathogenesis, where the production of reactive oxygen species and antioxidant disparity significantly contribute to disease progression, and it is one of the most common physiological stressors in the aquaculture industry. METHODS AND RESULTS: In this study, the full length of complementary DNA (cDNA) of the manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD) gene of healthy cobia Rachycentron canadum was analysed using rapid amplification of cDNA ends. The real-time quantitative Polymerase Chain Reaction was used to measure the expression levels of Mn-SOD mRNAs in various tissues (heart, muscle, brain, liver, kidney, gill, intestine, and spleen). The 2-ΔΔCT method was used to performed the expression analysis. The experimental data were analysed using SPSS ver. 19.0 ( https://spss.software.informer.com/19.0/ ). P < 0.05 and P < 0.01 were set as significant differences. The values were articulated as mean ± standard deviation. The Mn-SOD gene cDNA sequence was 1209 bp long, including a 684 bp open reading frame, 42 bp 5'UTR and 483 bp 3'UTR, encoding 227 amino acids. Under hypoxia-reoxygen stress, the expression of Mn-SOD in brain tissue was significantly lower than in the control group after 8 h of reoxygenation and higher than the control group after 24 h. Hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation triggered a disturbance in antioxidant homeostasis, displayed in the modification of GPx expression/activity in the liver: GPx was improved. CONCLUSIONS: These results provide valuable information on the role of Mn-SOD regulation in oxidative stress caused by hypoxia.

Artemether Attenuates Aß25-35-Induced Cognitive Impairments by Downregulating Aß, BACE1, mTOR and Tau Proteins.

BACKGROUND: Alzheimer's disease (AD) is clinically characterized as a progressive cognitive impairment and behavioral disorder. Pathological hallmarks of AD include extracellular senile plaques (SPs), intracellular neurofibrillary tangles (NFTs) and massive neuronal loss. Although the exact cause of AD is not well understood, a mounting body of evidence has demonstrated that the pathogenesis of AD is associated with oxidative stress, neu-roinflammation, and amyloid beta (Aß) induced neural apoptosis. Moreover, overexpression of ß-secretase 1 (BACE1), Aß, mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), and Tau proteins are closely related to cognitive symptoms in AD. Studies have demonstrated that artemether, an antimalarial drug with acceptable side effects, possesses protective effects against neuroinflammation and oxidative stress. Importantly, artemether can easily penetrate the blood brain barrier, thereby representing an ideal drug candidate for AD treatment. METHODS: The effect of artemether on memory protection and the associated molecular mechanisms were investigated in an Aß25-35 induced cognitive impairments rat model. RESULTS: Results of the in vivo study showed that oral administration of artemether significantly attenuated Aß25-35-induced cognitive impairment in rats. Results of the in vitro study revealed that artemether significantly downregulated the endogenous expression of Aß, BACE1, mTOR, and Tau proteins in N2a cells. CONCLUSIONS: The beneficial effect of artemether against Aß 25-35-induced cognitive impairments was attributable to the downregulation of the expression of Aß, BACE1, mTOR, and Tau proteins, suggesting the potential of artemether as an effective, neuronal protective, and multi-targeted drug candidate for AD treatment.

Identification and expression analysis of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) liver-related miRNAs under hypoxia stress.

At present, due to the influence of global warming, seasonal change, diurnal variation, and eutrophication of the water body, hypoxia has become one of the major factors limiting the stable development of cobia (Rachycentron canadum) culture. In this study, the miRNAs involved in hypoxia stress were screened, and the target genes of miRNAs were annotated and analyzed. The results showed that a total of 184 conservative microRNA (miRNA) and 121 newly predicted miRNA were obtained by sequencing the liver of control (C) and hypoxic (dissolved oxygen, DO (2.64 ± 0.25) mg/L; 3 h) (S) groups. The pathways involved in energy metabolism included starch and sucrose metabolism (ko00500), glycosaminoglycan degradation (ko00531), and galactose metabolism (ko00052). The results indicate that the body maintains physiological activities by regulating some important pathways at the transcriptional level under hypoxia stress, such as the conversion of aerobic metabolism and anaerobic metabolism, the reduction of energy consumption, and the promotion of red blood cell proliferation to maintain the homeostasis of the body.

[Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Serum Lipid Profiles and Neonatal Outcomes in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus:a Meta-analysis].

Objective To evaluate the effects of vitamin D supplementation on serum lipid profiles and neonatal prognosis in gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)patients.Methods The electronic databases including PubMed,Web of Science,Embase,CNKI,and Wanfang Data were searched from inception to February 1,2020.All randomized controlled trials that compared vitamin D supplementation with placebo or without supplementation for GDM women were included.Paper selection,data extraction,meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis were conducted independently by two authors.Risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane Risk of Bias Tool.The data were analyzed in RevMan 5.3 software and Stata 12.0.Results Totally 17 randomized controlled trials involving 1432 patients(704 in the intervention group and 728 in the control group)were included in the meta-analysis.The results showed that vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced serum total cholesterol [MD=-6.11,95% CI=(-7.17,-5.04)],low-density lipoprotein cholesterol [MD=-10.80,95% CI=(-14.72,-6.89)],and triglyceride [MD=-8.11,95% CI=(-10.09,-6.13)],while significantly increased serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 level [MD=45.45,95% CI=(41.98,48.92)] and high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [MD=2.77,95% CI=(1.59,3.96)].In addition,vitamin D supplementation significantly reduced the incidence rate of hyperbilirubinemia [RR=0.49,95% CI=(0.35,0.68)],premature birth [RR=0.44,95% CI=(0.27,0.72)],and neonatal hospitalization [RR=0.44,95% CI=(0.29,0.67)].Conclusions Vitamin D supplementation may regulate the serum lipid profiles in patients with GDM and reduce the incidence of adverse neonatal outcomes.More high-quality RCTs are needed to confirm the findings in our study.

[Research Progress of the Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Glycemic Control and Adverse Maternal-neonatal Outcomes in Gestational Diabetes Mellitus Patients].

Gestational diabetes mellitus(GDM)can cause blood glucose disorders in pregnant women and result in adverse maternal-neonatal outcomes.Vitamin D(VD)can improve glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity,and thus theoretically,VD supplementation during pregnancy could improve glycemic control as well as maternal-neonatal outcomes in GDM patients.Although studies have shown that VD deficiency is associated with poor maternal-neonatal outcomes in GDM patients,no solid conclusion has been drawn with regard to the effects of VD supplementation on these patients.Therefore,here we summarized the research progress of the effects of VD supplementation on glycemic control and adverse maternal-neonatal outcomes in GDM patients,in an effort to guide the clinical VD supplementation during pregnancy.

Persistent viral RNA positivity during the recovery period of a patient with SARS-CoV-2 infection.

As an emerging infectious disease, the clinical course and virological course of severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) infection remain to be further investigated. In this case report, we described a case of SARS-CoV-2 infection with the clinical course for more than 2 months. This patient had recovered from pneumonia after treatment. The viral RNA of throat swabs became negative and the viral-specific antibodies were produced during the recovery period. However, the viral RNA reappeared and additionally persisted in throat swabs for more than 40 days. In addition, the viral RNA was detected in multiple types of specimens with extremely high titers in the saliva. In conclusion, these findings indicate that SARS-CoV-2 can cause a long clinical course. The coexistence of viral RNA and viral-specific antibodies may imply an immune evasion of SARS-CoV-2 from the host's immune system.

Effect of Serum Vitamin D Levels on Cellular Immunity and Antiviral Effects in Chronic Hepatitis B Patients.

BACKGROUND: To study the effect of 25-hydroxyl vitamin D3 on peripheral blood T lymphocyte immune function and antiviral effects in chronic hepatitis B patients. METHODS: The clinical data for 70 patients with chronic hepatitis B were analyzed. Serum 25-hydroxyl vitamin D was determined by electrochemical luminescence, and hepatitis B virus serological markers were determined by fluorescence quantitative polymerase chain reaction. Subsets of T lymphocytes were determined by immune fluorescence labeling method. These patients were divided into three groups based on serum 25-hydroxyl vitamin D level. After six months of pegylated interferon treatment, three groups have their number of T lymphocyte, liver functions, and virological indexes examined at the corresponding time. RESULTS: The years and ratio of gender have no statistical differences in these three groups. The proportion of CD3+, CD4+ T lymphocytes and the ratio of CD4+/CD8+ significantly increased (p < 0.05) as the level of 25-hydroxyl vitamin D increased, but the proportion of CD8+ decreased. Interferon treatment can improve the T cells subgroup, and the high level group of serum 25-hydroxyl vitamin D improved more obviously. The positive ratio of HBeAg, HBsAg and the titer of HBV DNA decreased with the increase of serum vitamin D, and the difference between the high and low level 25-hydroxyl vitamin D groups was significant (p < 0.05). The treatment of interferon can obviously improve the hepatitis B virus serological markers; the high level group of serum 25-hydroxyl vitamin D can obtain better virological response. However, there was no significant difference between the three groups of serological markers of liver function. CONCLUSIONS: Vitamin D may play a part in the immunologic function adjustment and immune tolerance in the natural course of chronic HBV infection, and high levels of vitamin D may be able to achieve sustained virological response. These findings may shed light on the research and treatment of chronic hepatitis B pathogenesis.

[Study on HPLC fingerprint of triterpene acids in different medicinal parts of Poria].

OBJECTIVE: To establish an analytical method for the fingerprint of triterpenoid constituents of Poria by HPLC and compare the fingerprints of different medicinal parts of Poria in order to provide basis for controlling Poria quality. METHOD: The HPLC chromatographic conditions were Waters Symmetry C18 column (4.6 mm x 250 mm, 5 µm), 0.1% phosphoric acid (A) and acetonitrile (B) as gradient mobile phases, flow rate being 1.0 mL x min(-1), column temperature at 30 degrees C, The detection wavelength was set at 210 nm; The cluster analysis was carried on by SPSS 15.0. RESULT: The HPLC fingerprints of triterpenoid constituents of Poria were set up. There were 16 common peaks in different medicinal parts. The results of method validation met technical requirement of fingerprints; Triterpenoid constituents in White Poria and Poria cum Radix Pini were different from Poria. The content of pachymic acid was the highest in Poria. The effect of habitat on the quality was no obvious difference. CONCLUSION: The method is stable, reliable, reproducible, and can be used as an effective means of Poria quality evaluation.

Activation of RIG-I signaling in the early stage of Paragonimus proliferus infection causes lung injury via type I immune response in rat.

Paragonimiasis is a common zoonotic parasitic disease. The retinoic acid-inducible gene I (RIG-I) signaling is very important for the host to recognize invading pathogens (especially viruses and bacteria). However, the role of RIG-I signaling in the early stages of P. proliferus infection remains unclear. Therefore, in this study, Sprague-Dawley (SD) rat models with lung damage caused by P. proliferus were established. Experimental methods including Enzyme-linked Immuno Sorbent Assay (ELISA), real-time fluorescent quantitative polymerase chain reaction (PCR), western blotting, and hematoxylin and eosin (HE) staining were used to explore the mechanisms of lung injury caused by P. proliferus. As a result, the expression of the mRNA and proteins of RIG-I signal-related key target molecules, including RIG-I, tumor necrosis factor (TNF) receptor associated factor 6 (TRAF6), interferon regulatory Factor 7 (IRF7), IPS-1, and downstream C-X-C chemokine ligand 10 (CXCL10), were significantly up-regulated immediately after infection, peaked at 3 or 7 days, and showed a downward trend on after 14 days. The levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines interleukin-1 (IL-1), interferon (IFN)-α, -ß, and -γ, which represent type 1 immune response, gradually increased and reached a peak by 14 days, which was consistent with the changes in the degree of inflammatory damage observed under HE staining of lung tissues. In conclusion, RIG-I signaling is activated in the early stage (before 14 days) of P. proliferus infection, it is inferred that the lung injury of the host may be related to the activation of RIG-I like signaling to induce type I immune response.

Rhodamine-based "turn-on" fluorescent probe with high selectivity for Fe(2+) imaging in living cells.

A rhodamine-based "turn-on" fluorescent probe 1 was synthesized with high yield. The recognizing behavior displays high selectivity of 1 toward Fe(2+) with a 2:1 complex, and 1 exhibits a stable response for Fe(2+) over a concentration range from 2 µM to 24 µM. Most importantly, probe is hardly interfered by other transition metal ions. Their fluorescent enhancement is observed in the presence of Fe(2+) because of the ring-open interactions of spirocyclic. All measurements are made in PBS buffer environments simulating biological conditions to make them suitable candidates for fluorescent labeling of biological systems. Confocal laser scanning microscopy experiments have proven that probe can be used to monitor Fe(2+) in living cells.

Use of traditional Chinese medicine in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease.

OBJECTIVE: To study the use of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) or both TCM and guideline-recommended Western medicine (WM) in Chinese patients with coronary heart disease (CHD). METHODS: A cross-sectional nationwide survey of 2803 CHD outpatients was completed by collecting information, including general demographic data, disease history, and use of drugs (including TCM and WM). RESULTS: Of the 2712 CHD outpatients with complete drug treatment data, only 3.1% received TCM without any WM for CHD, 30.0% received both TCM and WM recommended by current CHD guidelines, and 66.9% received only WM. Patients with a longer history of CHD or with a history of stroke, were more likely to use TCM. However, 90.6% of CHD patients who used TCM also used certain WM. Furthermore, patients who used more types of TCM tended to use much less WM recommended by current guidelines. CONCLUSION: A substantial proportion of Chinese CHD outpatients use both TCM and WM for secondary prevention of CHD. It is important to assess the effect of combined TCM and WM on major clinical outcomes in Chinese CHD patients.

[Research on rules of distribution and development of traditional Chinese medicine syndromes of 2,237 HIV/AIDS cases].

HIV/AIDS patients in high prevalence areas with different routes of infection (sexually transmitted 878 cases, 527 cases of intravenous drug user, paid blood donor 652 cases) were choosen for traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) syndrome investigation for one-year clinical follow-up. This paper primarily concluded the nature, location and pathogenesis of AIDS diseases. Deficiency of Yang and Yin, combining deficiency of Qi are the basic deficiency syndromes, while stagnation of dampness, toxic fire are the excess syndromes; the disease location of HIV infector is spleen, main syndrome is deficiency of spleen Qi; the disease location of AIDS patient is kidney, main syndrome is deficiency of spleen and kidney Yang. The pathogenic development tendency is from deficiency of Qi to combining stagnation of dampness and toxic fire, finally to deficiency of Qi and Yin, deficiency of Yang.

Inflammation markers and the risk of hypertension in people living with HIV.

Background: The incidence of hypertension is high in people living with HIV (PLWH). High-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP), systemic inflammation response index (SIRI), and neutrophil-to-monocyte ratio (NMR) are considered economic and convenient parameters that reflect the levels of inflammation in patients. Our aim was to explore whether indirect inflammation markers are associated with hypertension in PLWH. Methods: This was a case-control study. The case group (hypertension) comprised PLWH with hypertension, and the control group (non-hypertension) comprised sex- and age-(± 3 years)-matched PLWH without hypertension. Demographic parameters, hsCRP, neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), systemic immune- inflammation index (SII), SIRI, lymphocyte-to-monocyte ratio (LMR), platelet-to-neutrophil ratio (PNR), platelet-to-monocyte ratio (PMR), NMR, time to HIV diagnosis, antiretroviral therapy (ART) duration, recent CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts, recent CD4+/CD8+ ratio, recent HIV viral load (HIV-RNA),and recent ART regimen were obtained from the patients' electronic medical records. A t-test or Wilcoxon rank-sum test was performed to compare differences between the two groups, and conditional logistic regression was used to analyze the risk factors of hypertension. Correlations between inflammation markers and CD4+ cell counts, CD8+ cell counts, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio were analyzed using Spearman's correlation. Results: In the hypertension group, body mass index (BMI), hsCRP, NLR, SII, SIRI, NMR, time to HIV diagnosis, ART duration, CD4+ and CD8+ cell counts, and CD4+/CD8+ ratio, the ratio of HIV-RNA < 100 copies/mL were all higher than those in the non-hypertension group, while the PNR was lower than that in the non-hypertension group. ART duration, CD4+ cell counts, HIV-RNA < 100 copies/mL, hsCRP, SIRI, and NMR were positively associated with hypertensive risk in PLWH. CD8+ cell counts and CD4+/CD8+ ratio was negatively associated with hypertensive risk in PLWH. SIRI was negatively correlated with CD4+ cell counts and CD8+ cell counts, but positively correlated with CD4+/CD8+ ratio. Conclusions: We identified positive associations between inflammation markers hsCRP, SIRI, NMR and hypertensive risk in PLWH. Alleviating inflammation may help control or delay the occurrence of hypertension in PLWH.

Measuring Sleep Stages and Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea with a Wearable Multi-Sensor System in Comparison to Polysomnography.

Objective: To assess the performance of a wearable multi-sensor system (SensEcho) in comparison to polysomnography (PSG) in measuring sleep stages and searching for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA). Methods: Participants underwent overnight simultaneous monitoring using SensEcho and PSG in a sleep laboratory. SensEcho analyzed the recordings spontaneously, and PSG was assessed as per standard guidelines. The degree of snoring was evaluated according to the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of OSA hypopnea syndrome (2011 revision). The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was used to assess general daytime sleepiness. Results: This study included 103 Han Chinese, 91 of whom (age 39.02 ± 13.84 years, body mass index 27.28 ± 5.12 kg/m2, 61.54% male) completed the assessments. The measures of total sleep time (P = 0.198); total wake time (P = 0.182); shallow sleep (P = 0.297), deep sleep (P = 0.422), rapid eye movement sleep (P = 0.570), and awake (P = 0.336) proportions were similar between SensEcho and PSG. Using an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) cutoff of ≥ 5 events/h, the SensEcho had 82.69% sensitivity and 89.74% specificity. Almost the same results were obtained at an AHI threshold of ≥ 15 events/h. Although the specificity increased to 94.67%, it decreased to 43.75% at an AHI cutoff of ≥ 30 events/h. Conclusion: This study demonstrated that SensEcho can be used to evaluate sleep status and screen for OSA. Nevertheless, improving the accuracy of its assessment of severe OSA and further testing its effectiveness in community and home environments is necessary.

Self-Trapped Interlayer Excitons in van der Waals Heterostructures.

The self-trapped state (STS) of the interlayer exciton (IX) has aroused enormous interest owing to its significant impact on the fundamental properties of the van der Waals heterostructures (vdWHs). Nevertheless, the microscopic mechanisms of STS are still controversial. Herein, we study the corrections of the binding energies of the IXs stemming from the exciton-interface optical phonon coupling in four kinds of vdWHs and find that these IXs are in the STS for the appropriate ratio of the electron and hole effective masses. We show that these self-trapped IXs could be classified into type I with the increasing binding energy in the tens of millielectronvolts range, which are very agreement with the red-shift of the IX spectra in experiments, and type II with the decreasing binding energy, which provides a possible explanation for the blue-shift and broad line width of the IX's spectra at low temperatures. Moreover, these two types of exciton states could be transformed into each other by adjusting the structural parameters of vdWHs. These results not only provide an in-depth understanding for the self-trapped mechanism but also shed light on the modulations of IXs in vdWHs.

Relationship Between Affective Temperaments and Suicide Risk in Patients With First-Onset Major Depressive Disorder.

Background: People may endorse suicidal behavior during a major depressive episode. Affective temperaments may play a role in this risk. We explored the relationship between affective temperaments and suicide and identified some traits that can predict suicide risk in depression. Materials and Methods: We analyzed the results of the Temperament Evaluation of the Memphis, Pisa, Paris, and San Diego Auto-questionnaire (TEMPS-A) in 284 participants recruited from a psychiatric clinic and the community in Beijing and compared the subscale scores (temperaments of cyclothymic, dysthymic, anxious, irritable, and hyperthymic) among major depressive disorders (MDDs) vs. the general population as well as depressive patients with vs. without suicide risk, using Student's test, chi-square test, rank-sum test, and multivariable regression modeling. Results: The incidence of suicidal risk in depressive subjects was 47.62% (80/168). Being unmarried (p < 0.001), unemployed (p = 0.007), and temperaments of dysthymic, cyclothymic, anxious, and irritable scores (all p < 0.001) were significantly more prevalent in patients with depression than in the general population. Young age (p < 0.001), female sex (p = 0.037), unmarried (p = 0.001), more severe depression (p < 0.001), and dysthymic, anxious, and cyclothymic temperament (all p < 0.05) were significantly more prevalent in patients with depressive disorder than those without suicide risk. The logistic regression analysis showed that younger age (odds ratio [OR] = 0.937, 95% CI 0.905∼0.970), female sex (OR = 2.606, 95% CI 1.142∼5.948), more severe depression (OR = 1.145, 95% CI 1.063∼1.234), cyclothymic temperament (OR = 1.275, 95% CI 1.102∼1.475), and dysthymic temperament (OR = 1.265, 95% CI 1.037∼1.542) were all independently associated with high suicidal risk in patients with first-onset major depression (p < 0.05). Conclusion: Temperament traits differ between the general population and people suffering from MDD. Subjects with MDD who have much more severe depressive symptoms and a cyclothymic or dysthymic temperament were at a high risk of suicide.

The Mediating Effect of Self-Control on Depression and Tendencies of Eating Disorders in Adolescents.

Self-control is very important for the adaptation among adolescents. It is associated with depression and tendencies of eating disorders. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the two and the mediating role of self-control for adolescents. In total, 1,231 adolescents (11-18 years) participated in this study. Self-control, depression, and tendencies of eating disorders were evaluated using the Dual-Mode of Self-Control Scale (DMSC-S), 11-item Kutcher Adolescent Depression Scale (KADS-11), and Eating Attitudes Test (EAT-26). The correlations among these factors were analyzed using mediating effect models. Girls had higher scores on the both subscales (impulse system and control system) of DMSC-S (P < 0.001). Those between 15-18 years had higher scores on impulse system than those between 11-14 years (P < 0.001). A significant mediating effect (12.8%) of the impulse system was observed between depression and tendencies of eating disorders in adolescents.

Psychometric Properties of the Chinese Version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale for Bipolar Disorder.

INTRODUCTION: Unlike unipolar depression, depressive episode of bipolar disorder is often associated with clinical characteristics, such as atypical and mixed symptoms. However, there are currently no valid and reliable specific tools available to assess the specific psychiatric symptomatology of depressive episode of bipolar disorder in China. Therefore, we aimed to evaluate the psychometric properties of the Chinese version of the Bipolar Depression Rating Scale (BDRS) in Chinese patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: The sample of this study included 111 patients with bipolar disorder (30 male, 81 female). All participants were interviewed with the Chinese version of the BDRS (BDRS-C), the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17), the Montgomery-Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS) and the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS). A psychometric analysis of the BDRS was conducted. RESULTS: The Cronbach's alpha coefficient of the BDRS-C reached a value of 0.869. The BDRS-C score and scores for the HAMD-17 (r = 0.819, p < 0.01), the MADRS (r = 0.882, p < 0.01) and the YMRS (r = 0.355, p < 0.01) exhibited significant positive correlations. Close correlations were observed between the mixed subscale score of the BDRS-C and the YMRS score (r = 0.784, p < 0.01). Exploratory factor analysis resulted in three factors: a primary depressive symptoms cluster, a secondary depressive symptoms cluster, and a mixed symptoms cluster. CONCLUSION: The Chinese version of the BDRS has satisfactory psychometric properties. This is a valid and reliable instrument to assess depressive symptomatology in patients with bipolar disorder.