[Effects of parental rearing patterns and their consistency on the emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children].

Objective: To explore the effect of parental rearing patterns and their consistency on the emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children. Methods: From October to November 2017, 27 987 children aged 3 to 6 years old from 109 kindergartens in 11 cities of Hubei, Anhui and Jiangsu Provinces were selected by using the cluster sampling method. A total of 27 200 valid questionnaires which were completed by subjects' parents were collected. The emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children were collected by "strengths and difficulties questionnaire" and the parental rearing patterns were evaluated by the "Parental Behavior Scale". The differences in emotional and behavioral abnormality rates of preschool children with different characteristics were analyzed; with emotional and behavioral problems as dependent variables and parental support/participation and compulsion/hostility as independent variables, the multivariate logistic regression model was used to analyze the effect of parental rearing patterns and their consistency on the emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children. Results: The age of children was (4.35±0.96) years old, and 51.4% of children were 13 975 males. There were 24 634 (90.6%) urban children and 17 916 (65.9%) only children. Both parents with strong support/participation accounted for 14.9%, and those with poor support/participation accounted for 11.9%; both parents with strong compulsion/hostility accounted for 15.2%, and those with low compulsion/hostility accounted for 11.3%. The rates of emotional symptoms, conduct behavior, hyperactive behavior, peer interaction, total difficulty score, and abnormal prosocial behavior of preschool children were 9.5%, 9.5%, 18.2%, 24.5%, 11.2%, and 10.2%, respectively. The multivariate logistic regression model analysis showed that after adjusting for gender, only child, living area, family economic status, mother's age and education level, father's education level, and other factors, compared with fathers/mothers with strong support/participation and low compulsion/hostility and parents with strong support/participation and low compulsion/hostility, preschool children who had fathers/mothers with poor support/participation and strong compulsion/hostility or parents with poor support/participation and strong compulsion/hostility were more likely to have emotional symptoms, conduct behavior, hyperactive behavior, peer interaction, total difficulty score, and abnormal prosocial behavior (P<0.05). Conclusions: Parental rearing patterns and their consistency are related to the emotional and behavioral problems of preschool children.

Impaired glucose tolerance in first-episode drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia: relationships with clinical phenotypes and cognitive deficits.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia patients have a higher prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus with impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) than normals. We examined the relationship between IGT and clinical phenotypes or cognitive deficits in first-episode, drug-naïve (FEDN) Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia. METHOD: A total of 175 in-patients were compared with 31 healthy controls on anthropometric measures and fasting plasma levels of glucose, insulin and lipids. They were also compared using a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test and the homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR). Neurocognitive functioning was assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Patient psychopathology was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). RESULTS: Of the patients, 24.5% had IGT compared with none of the controls, and they also had significantly higher levels of fasting blood glucose and 2-h glucose after an oral glucose load, and were more insulin resistant. Compared with those patients with normal glucose tolerance, the IGT patients were older, had a later age of onset, higher waist or hip circumference and body mass index, higher levels of low-density lipoprotein and triglycerides and higher insulin resistance. Furthermore, IGT patients had higher PANSS total and negative symptom subscale scores, but no greater cognitive impairment except on the emotional intelligence index of the MCCB. CONCLUSIONS: IGT occurs with greater frequency in FEDN schizophrenia, and shows association with demographic and anthropometric parameters, as well as with clinical symptoms but minimally with cognitive impairment during the early course of the disorder.

Burnout and cognitive impairment: Associated with serum BDNF in a Chinese Han population.

BACKGROUND: Some studies have demonstrated that subjects with chronic burnout showed cognitive impairments; however, cognitive performance in burnout has been under-investigated. Increasing evidence show that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) plays a critical role in cognitive function. We hypothesized that decreased BDNF may be associated with cognitive impairments in burnout, which has not been investigated yet. The aim of the present study was to examine the association of BDNF with cognitive impairment in burnout. METHOD: Using a cross-sectional design, 712 healthy subjects were recruited from a general hospital and they were all measured with the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). We assessed part of subjects on the repeatable battery for the assessment of neuropsychological status (RBANS) (n=192) and serum BDNF levels (n=127). RESULTS: 30.5% of the subjects had burnout. Compared to those non-burnout subjects, the burnout subjects were younger, had significant lower BDNF levels (p=0.003) and scored lower on immediate memory, RBANS total score and attention (all p<0.05). Interestingly, after the Bonferroni correction, there were negative correlations between BDNF and MBI total score or reduced professional accomplishment (PA). Moreover, BDNF was positively associated with immediate memory, attention and RBANS total score. Further multiple regression analysis showed that BDNF was an independent contributor to the RBANS total score and attention, and BDNF and MBI depersonalization (DP) were independent contributors to immediate memory. In addition, there was mediating effect of BDNF in the relation between burnout and cognitive impairments. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest that burnout is associated with significant cognitive impairments and decreased BDNF. Moreover, decreased BDNF is associated with cognitive impairments in burnout.

Electrooxidation of methanol on upd-Ru and upd-Sn modified Pt electrodes.

The electrochemical oxidation of methanol has been investigated on underpotentially deposited-ruthenium-modified platinum electrode (upd-Ru/Pt) and on underpotentially deposited-tin-modified platinum electrode (upd-Sn/Pt). The submonolayers of upd-Ru and upd-Sn on a Pt electrode increased the rate of methanol electrooxidation several times as large as that on a pure Pt electrode. The best performance for methanol electrooxidation was obtained on a ternary platinum based catalyst modified by upd-Ru and upd-Sn simultaneously. The influence of the submonolayers of upd-Ru adatoms and upd-Sn adatoms on the oxidation of methanol in acid has been investigated. The effect of Ru on methanol electrooxidation lies on the distribution of Ru adatoms on a Pt surface. It has been shown that as long as the amount of upd-Ru deposits were controlled in a proper range, upd-Ru deposits would enhance the methanol oxidation obtained on a Pt electrode at whichever deposition potential the upd-Ru deposits were obtained. The effects of tin are sensible to the potential range. The enhancement effect of upd-Sn adatoms for the oxidation of methanol will disappear as the electrode potential is beyond a certain value. It is speculated that there exists a synergetic effect on the Pt electrode as adatoms Ru and Sn participate simultaneously in the methanol oxidation.