Knockdown of IGF2BP3 Down-Regulates PDCD4 Levels to Attenuate Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage.

BACKGROUND: Hypoxic-ischemic brain damage (HIBD) is a prevalent brain injury with high mortality and morbidity. It results from hypoxia and ischemia of the brain due to various perinatal factors. A previous study showed that knockdown of programmed cell death factor 4 (PDCD4) could reduce infarction injury resulting from ischemia/reperfusion injury. However, exact mechanism by which PDCD4 acts in HIBD is not yet understood. Our aim in present investigation was to investigate the function and mechanism of PDCD4 in alleviating HIBD. METHODS: An HIBD model was developed using neonatal rats. After 48 h of modeling, short-term neurological function was evaluated and the brain tissue removed for assessment of cerebral infarct volume and brain water content (BWC). A cell model of oxygen glucose deprivation/reoxygenation (OGD/R) was also constructed. Overexpression or knockdown of insulin-like growth factor 2 mRNA binding protein 3 (IGF2BP3) or PDCD4 was performed in pretreated cells. RESULTS: The geotaxis reflex time, cerebral infarct volume, and BWC all increased after HIBD in this neonatal rat model. Additionally, the levels of PDCD4 and of the N6-Methyladenosine (m6A) reader protein IGF2BP3 were increased in HIBD rats and OGD/R-stimulated pheochromocytoma (PC12) cells relative to controls. Moreover, OGD/R-stimulated pheochromocytoma PC12 cells showed decreased cell viability, increased apoptosis, and elevated Interleukin 6 (IL-6), Interleukin 1 ß (IL-1ß), and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) contents. These features were reversed after knocking down IGF2BP3. The interaction between IGF2BP3 protein and PDCD4 mRNA was confirmed by RNA immunoprecipitation and RNA pull-down assays. Furthermore, knockdown of IGF2BP3 in OGD/R-stimulated PC12 cells reduced cell damage via down-regulation of PDCD4. Finally, the IGF2BP3/PDCD4 axis alleviated OGD/R-induced cell injury in primary cortical neurons (PCNs). CONCLUSIONS: PDCD4 and m6A reader protein IGF2BP3 were up-regulated in an HIBD neonatal rat model. Knockdown of IGF2BP3 in OGD/R-stimulated PC12 cells or PCNs alleviated cell damage through reducing PDCD4.

Machine learning identifies different related factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation in Chinese children and adolescents.

BACKGROUND: Depression and suicidal ideation often co-occur in children and adolescents, yet they possess distinct characteristics. This study sought to identify the different related factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation. METHODS: A nationwide cross-sectional survey collected data from Chinese children and adolescents aged 8 to 18 (N = 160,962; 48.91 % girls). The survey included inquiries about demographics, depression, suicidal ideation, anxiety, perceived stress, academic burnout, internet addiction, non-suicidal self-injury, bullying, and being bullied. Fifteen machine learning algorithms were conducted to identify the different related factors associated with depression and suicidal ideation. Additionally, we conducted external validation on an independent sample of 1,812,889 children and adolescents. RESULTS: Our findings revealed seven related factors linked to depression and six associated with suicidal ideation, with average accuracy rates of 86.86 % and 85.82 %, respectively. For depression, the most influential factors were anxiety, perceived stress, academic burnout, internet addiction, non-suicidal self-injury, experience of bullying, and age. Similarly, anxiety, non-suicidal self-injury, perceived stress, internet addiction, academic burnout, and age emerged as paramount factors for suicidal ideation. Moreover, these related factors showed notable variations in their predictive capacities for depression and suicidal ideation across different subgroups. CONCLUSION: Anxiety emerged as the predominant shared factor for both depression and suicidal ideation, whereas the other related factors displayed distinct predictive patterns for each condition. These findings highlight the critical need for tailored strategies from public mental health service providers and policymakers to address the pressing concerns of depression and suicidal ideation.

The comorbidity mechanism of problematic internet use and depression among Chinese college students: A cross-lagged panel network analysis.

Problematic internet use (PIU) and depression usually co-occur and are common among college students. According to network theory, it may be attributed to the interplay of symptoms that connect these two mental health problems. However, most studies have failed to examine complex and subtle connections at the symptom level and have not clarified how PIU and depression symptoms are intercorrelated, which symptoms serve as the source of comorbidity (i.e., the central symptoms), and whether such a comorbidity mechanism would change with higher grades. To explore these questions, this study examined four contemporaneous networks and three cross-lagged panel networks, visualizing the symptoms as nodes and the connections between symptoms as edges. A total of 2,420 college students (Mage = 18.35, SD = 0.84; 67.98 % girls) completed four annual surveys. Overall, the results of contemporaneous networks and cross-lagged panel networks indicated that (a) PIU and depression symptoms are intercorrelated; (b) the core symptoms responsible for comorbidity mostly belonged to PIU, and (c) the comorbidity mechanism would change with time. These findings explain the dynamic relation between PIU and depression and identify possible primary symptoms that comorbidity programs can mitigate at different stages of the college years.

Family Emotional Expressiveness and Adolescents' Cyberbullying Bystanders: The Mediating Role of Empathy.

Background: The significant influence of family emotional expressiveness (FEE) on adolescents' face-to-face social interactions is well-established. However, there has been limited investigation into potential links between FEE and adolescents' online social behaviors, especially cyberbullying bystander behaviors, which are pivotal in cyberbullying incidents. This study aimed to assess the relative importance of different aspects of FEE (positive FEE vs. negative FEE vs. the Positive-to-Negative ratio) in predicting adolescents' cyberbullying bystander behaviors, and the mediating roles of affective and cognitive empathy in these relationships. Methods: A sample of 1,952 adolescents (Mage = 14.18, SD = 1.33) completed questionnaires, including the Family Emotional Expressiveness Questionnaire, Basic Empathy Scale, and Cyberbullying Bystander Behavior Scale. SPSS 26.0 and Mplus 8.3 were used for analysis. Results: (1) Positive FEE exhibited a positive association with protective behavior and a negative association with indifferent behavior. Conversely, negative FEE showed positive associations with reinforcing and indifferent behaviors. However, the Positive-to-Negative ratio did not exhibit significant associations with any of the three bystander behaviors. (2) Negative FEE emerged as relatively more significant than both positive FEE and the Positive-to-Negative ratio in predicting reinforcing and indifferent behaviors. (3) Affective empathy mediated the relationship between positive FEE and reinforcing behavior, while cognitive empathy mediated the relationship between positive FEE and protective and indifferent behaviors. Moreover, cognitive empathy exerted a more influential role than affective empathy in this mediation process. Conclusion: Various aspects of FEE demonstrated distinct relationships with three cyberbullying bystander behaviors, with affective and cognitive empathy playing an important mediating role in the association. This finding holds substantial implications for the development of cyberbullying prevention strategies. Such strategies could target the reduction of negative emotional expression within adolescent families and the cultivation of both cognitive and affective empathy.

Associations Between Internet-Specific Parenting, General Parenting, and Adolescents' Online Behaviors: A Cross-Lagged Panel Network Analysis.

Parents play a crucial role in adolescents' Internet use. Both general parenting (i.e., autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting) and Internet-specific parenting (i.e., restrictive mediation, active mediation, and parental encouragement) are related to adolescents' online behaviors. However, existing studies have focused either on an Internet-specific parenting or general parenting strategy and have neglected their interaction, failing to capture the intricate nature of the parenting context of youth's online behaviors. Few studies have examined parental encouragement or acknowledged the bidirectional influence of parenting on adolescents' online behaviors. To address this gap, this study employed a cross-lagged panel network model to examine the associations among restrictive and active mediation, parental encouragement, and autonomy-supportive and controlling parenting, as well as the interplay of all five parenting strategies with adolescents' online behaviors. A total of 564 Chinese students (51.1% male; mean age = 14.54, SD = 0.7) completed the survey at two time points. The results indicate that in most cases, previous online behaviors are significant and strong predictors of subsequent parenting strategies and not vice versa, corroborating the child effect. The parent and reciprocal effects were observed in the problematic smartphone-use domain, suggesting that the effects may differ for distinct behavioral domains. The effects of parental mediation extend beyond parental encouragement, implying that risk-prevention-related parenting is an effective means of guiding adolescents' online behaviors. Autonomy-relevant general parenting is closely related to active mediation and parental encouragement, while restrictive general parenting is closely related to restrictive mediation, suggesting a consistency between Internet-specific and general parenting strategies.

Compulsivity-related behavioral features of problematic usage of the internet: A scoping review of paradigms, progress, and perspectives.

Background and aims: Compulsivity contributes to the development and maintenance of multiple addictive disorders. However, the relationship between compulsivity-related cognitive features and problematic usage of the internet (PUI), an umbrella term for various internet use disorders/interfering behaviors, remains largely unclear, partly due to the multidimensional nature of compulsivity. This scoping review utilized a four-domain framework of compulsivity to consider this topic and aimed to summarize available evidence on compulsivity-related neuropsychological characteristics in PUI based on this framework. Methods: A systematic literature search was conducted by applying the combination of search term to the search engines of PubMed, PsycINFO and Web of Science. A four-domain framework of compulsivity, involving cognitive flexibility, set-shifting, attentional bias, and habit learning, was used to consider its complex structure and frequently used tasks. Main findings in related PUI studies were summarized based on this framework. Our secondary aim was to compare compulsivity-related features between different PUI subtypes. Results: Thirty-four empirical studies were retained, comprising 41 task-results and 35 independent data sets. Overall, individuals with PUI showed more consistent deficits in attentional biases and were relatively intact in set-shifting. Few studies have examined cognitive flexibility and habit learning, and more evidence is thus needed to establish reliable conclusions. Moreover, most studies focused on internet gaming disorder, whereas other PUI sub-types were not sufficiently examined. Conclusion: This systematic review highlights the use of the four-domain framework for advancing understanding of mechanisms underlying compulsivity in PUI. Related therapeutic implications and future directions are discussed.

Development and psychometric properties of the Couple Interaction Pattern Scale.

This study developed the Couple Interaction Pattern Scale (CIPS) based on the interpersonal theory, comprising five subscales: friendly complementary (FC), hostile complementary (HC), mutual hostile-dominant (MHD), friendly-dominant eliciting hostile-submissive (FDHS), and hostile-dominant eliciting friendly-submissive (HDFS). The psychometric properties of the CIPS were examined through three independent studies. Study one conducted item reduction and preliminary analysis using a sample of 662 married individuals, with an additional 80 married individuals for test-retest reliability assessment. Study two validated the scale through 1207 married individuals. In study three, the effect of couple interaction pattern (CIP) on marital quality was analyzed among 310 newlywed couples using the actor-partner interdependence model (APIM). Results supported the construct validity, acceptable internal consistency, and test-retest reliability of the CIPS. Besides, concurrent validity was also proved by associations with conflictual communication patterns, marital quality, stability, emotional connection, and perceived partner support. APIM analysis also supported the association between CIP and marital quality.

Expression mapping of GREM1 and functional contribution of its secreting cells in the brain using transgenic mouse models.

GREMLIN1 (GREM1) is a secreted protein that antagonizes bone morphogenetic proteins (BMPs). While abnormal GREM1 expression has been reported to cause behavioral defects in postpartum mice, the spatial and cellular distribution of GREM1 in the brain and the influence of the GREM1-secreting cells on brain function and behavior remain unclear. To address this, we designed a genetic cassette incorporating a 3×Flag-TeV-HA-T2A-tdTomato sequence, resulting in the creation of a novel Grem1Tag mouse model, expressing an epitope tag (3×Flag-TeV-HA-T2A) followed by a fluorescent reporter (tdTomato) under the control of the endogenous Grem1 promoter. This design facilitated precise tracking of the cell origin and distribution of GREM1 in the brain using tdTomato and Flag (or HA) markers, respectively. We confirmed that the Grem1Tag mouse exhibited normal motor, cognitive, and social behaviors at postnatal 60 days (P60), compared with C57BL/6J controls. Through immunofluorescence staining, we comprehensively mapped the distribution of GREM1-secreting cells across the central nervous system. Pervasive GREM1 expression was observed in the cerebral cortex (Cx), medulla, pons, and cerebellum, with the highest levels in the Cx region. Notably, within the Cx, GREM1 was predominantly secreted by excitatory neurons, particularly those expressing calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II alpha (Camk2a), while inhibitory neurons (parvalbumin-positive, PV+) and glial cells (oligodendrocytes, astrocytes, and microglia) showed little or no GREM1 expression. To delineate the functional significance of GREM1-secreting cells, a selective ablation at P42 using a diphtheria toxin A (DTA) system resulted in increased anxiety-like behavior and impaired memory in mice. Altogether, our study harnessing the Grem1Tag mouse model reveals the spatial and cellular localization of GREM1 in the mouse brain, shedding light on the involvement of GREM1-secreting cells in modulating brain function and behavior. Our Grem1Tag mouse serves as a valuable tool for further exploring the precise role of GREM1 in brain development and disease.

The dorsomedial prefrontal cortex represents subjective value across effort-based and risky decision-making.

Decisions that require taking effort costs into account are ubiquitous in real life. The neural common currency theory hypothesizes that a particular neural network integrates different costs (e.g., risk) and rewards into a common scale to facilitate value comparison. Although there has been a surge of interest in the computational and neural basis of effort-related value integration, it is still under debate if effort-based decision-making relies on a domain-general valuation network as implicated in the neural common currency theory. Therefore, we comprehensively compared effort-based and risky decision-making using a combination of computational modeling, univariate and multivariate fMRI analyses, and data from two independent studies. We found that effort-based decision-making can be best described by a power discounting model that accounts for both the discounting rate and effort sensitivity. At the neural level, multivariate decoding analyses indicated that the neural patterns of the dorsomedial prefrontal cortex (dmPFC) represented subjective value across different decision-making tasks including either effort or risk costs, although univariate signals were more diverse. These findings suggest that multivariate dmPFC patterns play a critical role in computing subjective value in a task-independent manner and thus extend the scope of the neural common currency theory.

Reciprocal associations between commitment, forgiveness, and different aspects of marital well-being among Chinese newlywed couples.

This study examined the reciprocal prospective associations between commitment, forgiveness, and different aspects of marital well-being (marital satisfaction and marital instability) among Chinese newlywed couples and the gender differences in these associations. The Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model posits reciprocal associations between adaptive processes and relationship satisfaction. However, the directionality of the associations between adaptive processes and marital satisfaction may differ from the associations between adaptive processes and marital instability in Chinese societies due to the emphasis on relationship maintenance. Based on three annual waves of data from 268 Chinese newlywed couples (Mage = 29.59, SD = 3.25 for husbands; Mage = 28.08, SD = 2.51 for wives), a cross-lagged approach was used to examine the reciprocal associations between commitment, forgiveness, and marital satisfaction/instability. We found: (a) reciprocal associations between commitment/forgiveness and marital satisfaction (wives only); (b) reciprocal associations between forgiveness and marital instability (husbands only); and (c) wives' commitment at Wave 2 mediated the association between wives' commitment at Wave 1 and wives' marital satisfaction at Wave 3. Extending the VSA model, findings suggest different reciprocal associations between commitment, forgiveness, and different aspects of marital well-being among Chinese newlywed couples. Results highlight the important role of culture and gender in marital relationships and clinical practice.

Bidirectional or unidirectional? Longitudinal associations between external stressors, perceived spousal support, and marital instability.

Based on three annual waves of data from 268 Chinese newlyweds (Mage = 29.59, SD = 3.25 for husbands; Mage = 28.08, SD = 2.51 for wives), the present study examined the bidirectional associations between external stressors, perceived spousal support, and marital instability by using a three-wave, cross-lagged approach. Results indicated bidirectional associations between external stressors and marital instability, and a unidirectional association linking marital instability to perceived spousal support. Additionally, external stressors at Wave 2 mediated the association between external stressors at Wave 1 and marital instability at Wave 3. Taken together, the present study contributes to an emerging body of research aimed at clarifying: (a) the directionality of the associations between external stressors, perceived spousal support, and marital instability; (b) how external stressors cumulatively affect the development of marital instability. Our study extends the Vulnerability-Stress-Adaptation (VSA) model and has developmental implications for promoting marital relationships in non-Western couples.

Youth Screen Media Activity Patterns and Associations With Behavioral Developmental Measures and Resting-state Brain Functional Connectivity.

OBJECTIVE: Screen media activity (SMA) consumes considerable time in youth's lives, raising concerns about the effects it may have on youth development. Disentangling mixed associations between SMA of youth and developmental measures should move beyond overall screen time and consider types and patterns of SMA. This study aimed to identify reliable and generalizable SMA patterns among youth and examine their associations with behavioral developmental measures and developing brain functional connectivity. METHOD: Three waves of Adolescent Brain and Cognitive Development (ABCD) data were examined. The Lifespan Human Connectome Project in Development (HCP-D) was interrogated as an independent sample. ABCD participants included 11,876 children at baseline. HCP-D participants included 652 children and adolescents. Youth-reported SMA and behavioral developmental measures (neurocognitive performance, behavioral problems, psychotic-like experiences, impulsivity, and sensitivities to punishment/reward) were assessed with validated instruments. We identified SMA patterns in the ABCD baseline data using K-means clustering and sensitivity analyses. Generalizability and stability of the identified SMA patterns were examined in HCP-D data and ABCD follow-up waves, respectively. Relations between SMA patterns and behavioral and brain (resting-state brain functional connectivity) measures were examined using linear mixed effects modeling with false discovery rate (FDR) correction. RESULTS: SMA data from 11,815 children (mean [SD] age = 119.0 [7.5] months; 6,159 [52.1%] boys) were examined; 3,151 (26.7%) demonstrated a video-centric higher-frequency SMA pattern, and 8,664 (73.3%) demonstrated a lower-frequency pattern. SMA patterns were validated in similarly aged HCP-D youth. Compared with the lower-frequency SMA pattern group, the video-centric higher-frequency SMA pattern group showed poorer neurocognitive performance (ß = -.12, 95% CI [-0.08, -0.16], FDR-corrected p < .001), more total behavioral problems (ß = .13, 95% CI [0.09, 0.18], FDR-corrected p < .001), and more psychotic-like experiences (ß = .31, 95% CI [0.27, 0.36], FDR-corrected p < .001). The video-centric higher-frequency SMA pattern group demonstrated higher impulsivity, more sensitivity to punishment/reward, and altered resting-state brain functional connectivity among brain areas implicated previously in cognitive processes. Most of the associations persisted with age in the ABCD data, with more participants (n = 3,378, 30.4%) in the video-centric higher-frequency SMA group at 1-year follow-up. A social communication-centric SMA pattern was observed in HCP-D adolescents. CONCLUSION: Video-centric SMA patterns are reliable and generalizable during late childhood. A higher-frequency video entertainment SMA pattern group showed altered resting-state brain functional connectivity and poorer developmental measures that persisted longitudinally. The findings suggest that public health strategies to decrease excessive time spent by children on video entertainment-related SMA are needed. Further studies are needed to examine potential video-centric/social communication-centric SMA bifurcation to understand dynamic changes and trajectories of SMA patterns and related outcomes developmentally. DIVERSITY & INCLUSION STATEMENT: We worked to ensure sex and gender balance in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure race, ethnic, and/or other types of diversity in the recruitment of human participants. We worked to ensure that the study questionnaires were prepared in an inclusive way. We actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our author group. We actively worked to promote inclusion of historically underrepresented racial and/or ethnic groups in science in our author group. While citing references scientifically relevant for this work, we also actively worked to promote sex and gender balance in our reference list. The author list of this paper includes contributors from the location and/or community where the research was conducted who participated in the data collection, design, analysis, and/or interpretation of the work.

Type VII Aplasia Cutis Congenita in Neonates Related to Maternal HBV Infection? Case Report and Literature Review.

Aplasia cutis congenita (ACC) is a rare disease with an unclear pathogenic mechanism. ACC has been suggested to result from the disrupted development or degeneration of skin in the uterus. This study describes two cases that may have underlying pathogenic cause that have not been previously reported. Two neonates who were admitted to the neonatal intensive care unit due to "skin lesions on the limbs" without other deformities or complications were diagnosed with type VII ACC by dermatologist. The mothers showed positivity for hepatitis B virus (HBV) surface antigen and elevated level of HBV DNA copies, which may be related to ACC. But this association could be a coincidence. Both neonates were treated with antibacterial dressings and achieved satisfactory healing.

Autonomy-relatedness Patterns and their Association with Academic and Psychological Adjustment among Chinese Adolescents.

Establishing autonomy and maintaining relatedness with parents are two of the most crucial goals for adolescents and meeting these goals can be critical for academic and psychological adjustment. A two-dimensional framework was proposed for exploring the integrative synthesis of autonomy and relatedness, but its cultural applicability was limited. To better account for the situations associated with non-Western cultural context, this study extended the prior framework to three dimensions (volition, functional independence, and relatedness) and utilized latent profile analysis to explore the configurations and their concurrent and longitudinal (one year later) associations with adjustment (academic engagement, academic buoyancy, depressive symptoms, and externalizing problems). The study collected data from 3992 Chinese adolescents (51.33% girls, Mage = 15.41, SD = 0.55). Latent profile analyses identified five profiles: High, High Functional Independence, Moderate, Low Functional Independence, and Extremely Low Functional Independence. The High profile was the robust optimal pattern for academic and psychological adjustment, while the Low Functional Independence and Extremely Low Functional Independence were risk patterns over time. The High Functional Independence profile was only conducive to academic areas but not to psychological areas. Findings demonstrated the necessity of the three-dimensional framework in this field.

Transcranial direct current stimulation of the right anterior temporal lobe changes interpersonal neural synchronization and shared mental processes.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have shown that interpersonal neural synchronization (INS) is a ubiquitous phenomenon between individuals, and recent studies have further demonstrated close associations between INS and shared external sensorimotor input and/or internal mental processes within a dyad. However, most previous studies have employed an observational approach to describe the behavior-INS correlation, leading to difficulties in causally disentangling the relationship among INS, external sensorimotor input and the internal mental process. OBJECTIVE/HYPOTHESIS: The present study aimed to directly change the level of INS through anodal transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) to test whether the change in INS would directly impact the internal mental process (Hypothesis 1) or indirectly through external sensorimotor input; the interaction behaviors were also changed (Hypothesis 2) or not (Hypothesis 3). METHODS: Thirty pairs of romantically involved heterosexual couples were recruited for a within-subjects design. Three conditions were assessed: a true stimulation condition with 20-min anodal high-definition tDCS to the right anterior temporal lobe (rATL) of women before they communicated with their partners, a sham stimulation condition and a control brain region stimulation condition. The comparison between the true and sham or control brain region conditions allows us to detect the true effect of brain stimulation on INS. Functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) hyperscanning was used to simultaneously collect dyadic participants' hemodynamic signals during communication. INS, empathy, and interaction behaviors were examined and compared among different stimulation conditions. RESULTS: True brain stimulation significantly decreased INS between the rATL of the women and sensorimotor cortex (SMC) of the men compared to the sham stimulation condition (t(27.8) = -2.821, P = 0.009, d = 0.714) and control brain region stimulation condition (t(27.2) = -2.606, P = 0.015, d = 0.664) during communication. It also significantly decreased the level of emotional empathy (F(2,145) = 6.893, P = 0.001) but did not change sensorimotor processes, such as verbal or nonverbal interaction behaviors. However, nonverbal behaviors mediated the relationship between the changes in INS and emotional empathy (lower limit confidence interval = 0.01, upper limit confidence interval = 2.66). CONCLUSION(S): These findings support the third hypothesis, suggesting that INS is associated with the shared internal mental process indirectly via the sensorimotor process, but the sensorimotor process itself does not covary with the INS and the associated internal mental process. These results provide new insight into the hierarchical architecture of dual-brain function from a bottom-up perspective.

Dyadic Profiles of Sexual Satisfaction among Chinese Newlywed Couples over Time.

Although sexual satisfaction is a defining feature of marriage, research has consistently found that sexual satisfaction declines over time. Recently, however, emerging findings provide a more optimistic perspective on sexual satisfaction development by suggesting that couples may follow diverse sexual satisfaction trajectories. Using Dyadic Latent Class Growth Analysis, the current study is among the first to examine heterogeneity in couples' sexual satisfaction trajectory patterns during the early years of marriage and the first to do so in a non-Western context. Specifically, we establish distinct trajectory classes among 268 mixed-sex newlywed couples in China based on two couple-level features - the absolute level of sexual satisfaction and synchrony over time - and then compare these classes on subsequent ratings of marital instability. Four distinct trajectory patterns were found: a stable high class, a wives low and simultaneous deterioration class, a husbands low decrease-wives high stable class, and a wives high decrease-husbands high stable class. Couples in the stable high class reported lower levels of marital instability at two-year follow-up compared to couples in the other classes, suggesting that high sexual satisfaction and synchrony is beneficial for couples' marital relationships. These results provide further evidence challenging the inevitability of sexual satisfaction declines and have important implications for interventions aiming to enhance couples' sexual relationship.

Patterns and predictors of adolescent life change during the COVID-19 pandemic: a person-centered approach.

The present study investigated patterns of adolescent life changes across multiple life domains and utilized a holistic-interactionistic perspective to examine their individual, familial, and societal correlates with a sample of 2544 Chinese parent-adolescent dyads. Adolescents were aged from 10 to 19 years old (50.16% girls). Latent profile analysis revealed five life change profiles, including three improved profiles at various degrees, one unchanged profile, and one worsened profile. The majority of adolescents had an improved or unchanged life. Multinomial logistic regression analyses found that most of the individual, familial, and societal factors predicted the group memberships. Notably, parent-adolescent conflict was a significant factor that predicted memberships of all patterns. These findings show the resilience of adolescents and indicate the need for policies and interventions that consider the holistic nature of adolescents' person-context system, especially during a global crisis such as the COVID-19 pandemic.

Meta-analysis of the efficacy of acupuncture in the treatment of the vascular cognitive impairment associated with cerebral small vessel disease.

OBJECTIVE: To systematically evaluate the efficacy and safety of acupuncture in the treatment of the vascular cognitive impairment (VCI) associated with cerebral small vessel disease (CSVD-VCI) and to provide a theoretical basis for clinical acupuncture treatment for CSVD-VCI. METHOD: Various databases, including China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Wanfang Data, Chinese Science and Technology Journal Database, Chinese BioMedical Literature Service System, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and EBSCOhost, were searched for randomized controlled trials (RCTs) related to acupuncture treatment for CSVD-VCI. The quality of the included trials was evaluated, and a meta-analysis was conducted using the Review Manager 5.4 software. RESULTS: Ten articles on RCTs were included, involving 761 patients, i.e., 381 in the acupuncture group and 380 in the control group. The meta-analysis results indicated that the use of acupuncture alone and acupuncture alongside other therapies for CSVD-VCI could improve the overall clinical response rate [odds ratio = 3.51, 95% confidence interval (CI) = (2.05, 6.00), P < 0.00001], increase the patients' Montreal Cognitive Assessment scores [mean difference (MD) = 3.33, 95%CI (2.98, 3.68), P < 0.00001], Mini-Mental State Examination scores [MD = 2.78, 95%CI (2.51, 3.06), P < 0.00001], and activities of daily living scores [MD = 6.30, 95%CI (4.22, 8.37), P < 0.00001], and shorten the latency of auditory evoked potential P300 [MD = -14.67, 95%CI (-19.54, -9.80), P < 0.00001]. CONCLUSION: Acupuncture alone and acupuncture alongside other therapies are superior to non-acupuncture-based therapies in the treatment of CSVD-VCI. However, due to the small number of relevant available articles and their general low quality, this conclusion may be biased. More clinical RCTs with a larger sample size and higher quality are needed to support this theory.

Subgroups of internet gaming disorder based on addiction-related resting-state functional connectivity.

AIMS: To identify subgroups of people with internet gaming disorder (IGD) based on addiction-related resting-state functional connectivity and how these subgroups show different clinical correlates and responses to treatment. DESIGN: Secondary analysis of two functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) data sets. SETTING: Zhejiang province and Beijing, China. PARTICIPANTS: One hundred and sixty-nine IGD and 147 control subjects. MEASUREMENTS: k-Means algorithmic and support-vector machine-learning approaches were used to identify subgroups of IGD subjects. These groups were examined with respect to assessments of craving, behavioral activation and inhibition, emotional regulation, cue-reactivity and guessing-related measures. FINDINGS: Two groups of subjects with IGD were identified and defined by distinct patterns of connectivity in brain networks previously implicated in addictions: subgroup 1 ('craving-related subgroup') and subgroup 2 ('mixed psychological subgroup'). Clustering IGD on this basis enabled the development of diagnostic classifiers with high sensitivity and specificity for IGD subgroups in 10-fold validation (n = 218) and out-of-sample replication (n = 98) data sets. Subgroup 1 is characterized by high craving scores, cue-reactivity during fMRI and responsiveness to a craving behavioral intervention therapy. Subgroup 2 is characterized by high craving, behavioral inhibition and activations scores, non-adaptive emotion-regulation strategies and guessing-task fMRI measures. Subgroups 1 and 2 showed largely opposite functional-connectivity patterns in overlapping networks. CONCLUSIONS: There appear to be two subgroups of people with internet gaming disorder, each associated with differing patterns of brain functional connectivity and distinct clinical symptom profiles and gender compositions.