MiR-653-5p drives osteoarthritis pathogenesis by modulating chondrocyte senescence.

BACKGROUND: Due to the unclear pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA), effective treatment for this ailment is presently unavailable. Accumulating evidence points to chondrocyte senescence as a key driver in OA development. This study aims to identify OA-specific microRNAs (miRNAs) targeting chondrocyte senescence to alleviate OA progression. METHODS: We screened and identified miRNAs differentially expressed in OA and normal cartilage, then confirmed the impact of miR-653-5p on chondrocyte functions and senescence phenotypes through in vitro experiments with overexpression/silencing. We identified interleukin 6 (IL-6) as the target gene of miR-653-5p and confirmed the regulatory influence of miR-653-5p on the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway through gain/loss-of-function studies. Finally, we assessed the therapeutic efficacy of miR-653-5p on OA using a mouse model with destabilization of the medial meniscus. RESULTS: MiR-653-5p was significantly downregulated in cartilage tissues and chondrocytes from OA patients. Overexpression of miR-653-5p promoted chondrocyte matrix synthesis and proliferation while inhibiting chondrocyte senescence. Furthermore, bioinformatics target prediction and the luciferase reporter assays identified IL-6 as a target of miR-653-5p. Western blot assays demonstrated that miR-653-5p overexpression inhibited the protein expression of IL-6, the phosphorylation of JAK1 and STAT3, and the expression of chondrocyte senescence phenotypes by regulating the IL-6/JAK/STAT3 signaling pathway. More importantly, the cartilage destruction was significantly alleviated and chondrocyte senescence phenotypes were remarkably decreased in the OA mouse model treated by agomiR-653-5p compared to the control mice. CONCLUSIONS: MiR-653-5p showed a significant decrease in cartilage tissues of individuals with OA, leading to an upregulation of chondrocyte senescence phenotypes in the articular cartilage. AgomiR-653-5p emerges as a potential treatment approach for OA. These findings provide further insight into the role of miR-653-5p in chondrocyte senescence and the pathogenesis of OA.

Determinants of burnout in Canadian health care workers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: Health care workers (HCWs) are among the most vulnerable groups to experience burnout during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Understanding the risk and protective factors of burnout is crucial in guiding the development of interventions; however, the understanding of burnout determinants in the Canadian HCW population remains limited.Objective: Identify risk and protective factors associated with burnout in Canadian HCWs during the COVID-19 pandemic and evaluate organizational factors as moderators in the relationship between COVID-19 contact and burnout.Methods: Data were drawn from an online longitudinal survey of Canadian HCWs collected between 26 June 2020 and 31 December 2020. Participants completed questions pertaining to their well-being, burnout, workplace support and concerns relating to the COVID-19 pandemic. Baseline data from 1029 HCWs were included in the analysis. Independent samples t-tests and multiple linear regression were used to evaluate factors associated with burnout scores.Results: HCWs in contact with COVID-19 patients showed significantly higher likelihood of probable burnout than HCWs not directly providing care to COVID-19 patients. Fewer years of work experience was associated with a higher likelihood of probable burnout, whereas stronger workplace support, organizational leadership, supervisory leadership, and a favourable ethical climate were associated with a decreased likelihood of probable burnout. Workplace support, organizational leadership, supervisory leadership, and ethical climate did not moderate the associations between contact with COVID-19 patients and burnout.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that HCWs who worked directly with COVID-19 patients, had fewer years of work experience, and perceived poor workplace support, organizational leadership, supervisory leadership and ethical climate were at higher risk of burnout. Ensuring reasonable work hours, adequate support from management, and fostering an ethical work environment are potential organizational-level strategies to maintain HCWs' well-being.

Canadian HCWs endorsed high levels of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic.Having direct contact with COVID-19 patients and having fewer years of work experience were associated with a higher likelihood of probable burnout.Having stronger workplace support, greater perceived organizational and supervisory leadership, and a favourable ethical climate were associated with a lower likelihood of probable burnout.

Inactivation of a non-canonical gp130 signaling arm attenuates chronic systemic inflammation and multimorbidity induced by a high-fat diet.

Interleukin-6 (IL-6) is a major pro-inflammatory cytokine for which the levels in plasma demonstrate a robust correlation with age and body mass index (BMI) as part of the senescence-associated secretory phenotype. IL-6 cytokines also play a crucial role in metabolic homeostasis and regenerative processes, primarily via the canonical STAT3 pathway. Thus, selective modulation of IL-6 signaling may offer a unique opportunity for therapeutic interventions. Recently, we discovered that a non-canonical signaling pathway downstream of tyrosine (Y) 814 within the intracellular domain of gp130, the IL-6 co-receptor, is responsible for the recruitment and activation of SRC family of kinases (SFK). Mice with constitutive genetic inactivation of gp130 Y814 (F814 mice) show accelerated resolution of inflammatory response and superior regenerative outcomes in skin wound healing and posttraumatic models of osteoarthritis. The current study was designed to explore if selective genetic or pharmacological inhibition of the non-canonical gp130-Y814/SFK signaling reduces systemic chronic inflammation and multimorbidity in a high-fat diet (HFD)-induced model of accelerated aging. F814 mice showed significantly reduced inflammatory response to HFD in adipose and liver tissue, with significantly reduced levels of systemic inflammation compared to wild type mice. F814 mice were also protected from HFD-induced bone loss and cartilage degeneration. Pharmacological inhibition of gp130-Y814/SFK in mice on HFD mirrored the effects observed in F814 mice on HFD; furthermore, this pharmacological treatment also demonstrated a marked increase in physical activity levels and protective effects against inflammation-associated suppression of neurogenesis in the brain tissue compared to the control group. These findings suggest that selective inhibition of SFK signaling downstream of gp130 receptor represents a promising strategy to alleviate systemic chronic inflammation. Increased degenerative changes and tissue senescence are inevitable in obese and aged organisms, but we demonstrated that the systemic response and inflammation-associated multi-morbidity can be therapeutically mitigated.

An injectable active hydrogel based on BMSC-derived extracellular matrix for cartilage regeneration enhancement.

Articular cartilage injury impairs joint function and necessitates orthopedic intervention to restore the structure and function of the cartilage. Extracellular matrix (ECM) scaffolds derived from bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) can effectively promote cell adhesion, proliferation, and chondrogenesis. However, pre-shaped ECM scaffolds have limited applicability due to their poor fit with the irregular surface of most articular cartilage defects. In this study, we fabricated an injectable active ECM hydrogel from autologous BMSCs-derived ECM by freeze-drying, liquid nitrogen milling, and enzymatic digestion. Moreover, our in vitro and in vivo results demonstrated that the prepared hydrogel enhanced chondrocyte adhesion and proliferation, chondrogenesis, cartilage regeneration, and integration with host tissue, respectively. These findings indicate that active ECM components can provide trophic support for cell proliferation and differentiation, restoring the structure and function of damaged cartilage.

Suicide attempts in the absence of depression: Differences between broad cultural groups.

Suicide is one of the leading causes of death worldwide (WHO, 2021). Depression is a common precursor to suicide and suicidality; however, individuals' experience of depression and the meaning of suicide differs depending on one's cultural background (Colucci, 2013; Goodmann et al., 2021; Kleinman, 2004). The current study explores the relationship between suicide and depression among six broad cultural groups in a large sample (N = 17,015) of adults representing six broad cultural groups (Latin America, South Asia, former Soviet Bloc, Western English-speakers, Chinese, and Arab World). Participants were recruited to a multilingual depression and suicide screening study via Google Ads (Leykin et al., 2012; Gross et al., 2014). As expected, the presence of depression was associated with suicide attempts. However, cultural group moderated this association, with Chinese participants being most likely to report suicide attempts while screening negative for depression. Although depression remains an important predictor of suicidality, it appears that certain cultural groups may be at higher risk even when depression is not present. Clinicians should consider using culturally adapted assessments for depression and suicidality.

Anxiety Symptoms and Associated Psychological and Job-Related Factors Among Hospital Nurses.

OBJECTIVE: Recently, burnout and mental health issues regarding nurses are reported increasingly. This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses and determine their association with psychological and job-related factors. METHODS: Data on demographics, job-related characteristics, burnout, Type A behavior patterns, self-esteem, and happiness were collected from 515 nurses working at a university hospital in Korea. Anxiety symptoms were assessed using the anxiety subscale of the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, with scores of 8 or higher indicating the presence of anxiety symptoms. Demographic, job-related, and psychological factors were compared according to the presence of anxiety. Logistic regression was conducted to identify factors associated with anxiety symptoms. RESULTS: Two hundred and four (39.6%) participants had anxiety symptoms. Self-esteem and happiness were associated with a lower risk of anxiety symptoms, whereas burnout was associated with a higher risk of anxiety symptoms. Furthermore, being female, having a career of less than five years, and requiring counseling due to stress were associated with a higher risk of anxiety symptoms. Being younger, female, or a basic nurse; having a career of less than five years; partaking in shift work; experiencing job dissatisfaction; requiring counseling due to stress; being exposed to higher levels of burnout; and having lower levels of self-esteem and happiness were all found to be significantly correlated with anxiety symptoms. CONCLUSION: These findings suggest that promoting self-esteem and happiness while reducing burnout may be beneficial in preventing and managing anxiety symptoms among hospital nurses.

Self-harm behaviors and their intentions: a cross-cultural analysis.

BACKGROUND: Self-harm behaviors (performed with either lethal and non-lethal intentions) are common, especially among individuals suffering from mood disorders, and the reasons individuals self-harm vary both by person and by the type of behavior. Understanding these variations may help clinicians determine levels of risk more accurately. AIMS: To understand whether culture and gender are associated with the likelihood of engaging in specific self-harm behaviors and whether the intention (lethal, ambivalent, non-lethal) of these behaviors vary with culture and gender. METHODS: 2826 individuals took part in an international multilingual online depression/suicidality screening study and reported at least one instance of self-harm in the past year. Participants were grouped into six broad cultural categories (Latin America, South Asia, Russian, Western English, Chinese, Arab). RESULTS: 3-way (culture x gender x intent) interactions were observed for several self-harm behaviors (overdosing, self-burning, asphyxiating, poisoning, and jumping from heights), suggesting that individuals engage in each of these behaviors with different intentions depending on gender and culture. Cultures and genders likewise differed in the likelihood of engaging in several self-harm behaviors. CONCLUSIONS: Clinicians should consider culture and gender when assessing for suicide risk, as similar self-harming behaviors may reflect different intentions depending on an individual's culture and gender.

Inhibition of a signaling modality within the gp130 receptor enhances tissue regeneration and mitigates osteoarthritis.

Adult mammals are incapable of multitissue regeneration, and augmentation of this potential may shift current therapeutic paradigms. We found that a common co-receptor of interleukin 6 (IL-6) cytokines, glycoprotein 130 (gp130), serves as a major nexus integrating various context-specific signaling inputs to either promote regenerative outcomes or aggravate disease progression. Via genetic and pharmacological experiments in vitro and in vivo, we demonstrated that a signaling tyrosine 814 (Y814) within gp130 serves as a major cellular stress sensor. Mice with constitutively inactivated Y814 (F814) were resistant to surgically induced osteoarthritis as reflected by reduced loss of proteoglycans, reduced synovitis, and synovial fibrosis. The F814 mice also exhibited enhanced regenerative, not reparative, responses after wounding in the skin. In addition, pharmacological modulation of gp130 Y814 upstream of the SRC and MAPK circuit by a small molecule, R805, elicited a protective effect on tissues after injury. Topical administration of R805 on mouse skin wounds resulted in enhanced hair follicle neogenesis and dermal regeneration. Intra-articular administration of R805 to rats after medial meniscal tear and to canines after arthroscopic meniscal release markedly mitigated the appearance of osteoarthritis. Single-cell sequencing data demonstrated that genetic and pharmacological modulation of Y814 resulted in attenuation of inflammatory gene signature as visualized by the anti-inflammatory macrophage and nonpathological fibroblast subpopulations in the skin and joint tissue after injury. Together, our study characterized a molecular mechanism that, if manipulated, enhances the intrinsic regenerative capacity of tissues through suppression of a proinflammatory milieu and prevents pathological outcomes in injury and disease.

STAT3 promotes a youthful epigenetic state in articular chondrocytes.

Epigenetic mechanisms guiding articular cartilage regeneration and age-related disease such as osteoarthritis (OA) are poorly understood. STAT3 is a critical age-patterned transcription factor highly active in fetal and OA chondrocytes, but the context-specific role of STAT3 in regulating the epigenome of cartilage cells remain elusive. In this study, DNA methylation profiling was performed across human chondrocyte ontogeny to build an epigenetic clock and establish an association between CpG methylation and human chondrocyte age. Exposure of adult chondrocytes to a small molecule STAT3 agonist decreased DNA methylation, while genetic ablation of STAT3 in fetal chondrocytes induced global hypermethylation. CUT&RUN assay and subsequent transcriptional validation revealed DNA methyltransferase 3 beta (DNMT3B) as one of the putative STAT3 targets in chondrocyte development and OA. Functional assessment of human OA chondrocytes showed the acquisition of progenitor-like immature phenotype by a significant subset of cells. Finally, conditional deletion of Stat3 in cartilage cells increased DNMT3B expression in articular chondrocytes in the knee joint in vivo and resulted in a more prominent OA progression in a post-traumatic OA (PTOA) mouse model induced by destabilization of the medial meniscus (DMM). Taken together these data reveal a novel role for STAT3 in regulating DNA methylation in cartilage development and disease. Our findings also suggest that elevated levels of active STAT3 in OA chondrocytes may indicate an intrinsic attempt of the tissue to regenerate by promoting a progenitor-like phenotype. However, it is likely that chronic activation of this pathway, induced by IL-6 cytokines, is detrimental and leads to tissue degeneration.

Discrepancies in suicide screenings: Results from an international study.

BACKGROUND: When screening for suicidality, clinicians usually ask questions in ascending order of severity. Clinicians often discontinue questioning after negative responses to the first question or questions, presuming that these individuals are unlikely to endorse any further suicidality. In this study, the accuracy of this presumption is evaluated in a large international sample. METHODS: Participants were 21,385 individuals reporting a suicide attempt in the past two weeks. Participants were recruited, primarily via Google Ads, to a quintilingual (English, Spanish, Chinese, Arabic, and Russian) multinational depression and suicide screening study. RESULTS: Examining three initial screening questions (i.e., thoughts of death, wanting to die, and thinking about committing suicide), 14.8 % (n = 3179) of participants denied one or more question, 3.96 % (n = 847) denied two, and 1.95 % (n = 416) denied all three questions. The proportions of individuals with discrepant responses differed between linguistic-geographical groups, with Chinese and South Asian groups being more likely to be discrepant across all questions (all ps < .001). LIMITATIONS: Suicidality was assessed using an internet-based self-report measure, and linguistic-geographical groups explored in this study are very broad, which may limit generalizability. CONCLUSIONS: Results suggest that prematurely discontinuing suicide screening may fail to capture some individuals who made a recent attempt, and that in some groups, this discrepancy may be more pronounced. Clinicians should assess all individuals as thoroughly as possible regardless of initial responses, inquire about other significant risk factors, and be culturally sensitive.

Establishment and psychometric characteristics of emotional words list for suicidal risk assessment in speech emotion recognition.

Background: Emotional disturbance is an important risk factor of suicidal behaviors. To ensure speech emotion recognition (SER), a novel technique to evaluate emotional characteristics of speech, precision in labeling emotional words is a prerequisite. Currently, a list of suicide-related emotional word is absent. The aims of this study were to establish an Emotional Words List for Suicidal Risk Assessment (EWLSRA) and test the reliability and validity of the list in a suicide-related SER task. Methods: Suicide-related emotion words were nominated and discussed by 10 suicide prevention professionals. Sixty-five tape-recordings of calls to a large psychological support hotline in China were selected to test psychometric characteristics of the EWLSRA. Results: The results shows that the EWLSRA consists of 11 emotion words which were highly associated with suicide risk scores and suicide attempts. Results of exploratory factor analysis support one-factor model of this list. The Fleiss' Kappa value of 0.42 indicated good inter-rater reliability of the list. In terms of criteria validities, indices of despair (Spearman ρ = 0.54, P < 0.001), sadness (ρ = 0.37, P = 0.006), helplessness (ρ = 0.45, P = 0.001), and numbness (ρ = 0.35, P = 0.009) were significantly associated with suicidal risk scores. The index of the emotional word of numbness in callers with suicide attempt during the 12-month follow-up was significantly higher than that in callers without suicide attempt during the follow-up (P = 0.049). Conclusion: This study demonstrated that the EWLSRA has adequate psychometric performance in identifying suicide-related emotional words of recording of hotline callers to a national wide suicide prevention line. This list can be useful for SER in future studies on suicide prevention.

Guidelines to Address Barriers in Clinical Training for Trainees with Sensory Disabilities.

Disability is an important facet of diversity. Although diversity in clinical training in health service psychology has improved considerably, training often neglects accessibility and inclusion for individuals with sensory disabilities. The limited research to date documents that trainees with sensory disabilities (TSD) report extensive barriers and are consistently under-represented in clinical settings. Further, few resources have been developed to guide accommodating TSD in clinical training. Accordingly, our goals in this article are two-fold: (1) to highlight the barriers in clinical training faced by TSD and (2) to provide recommendations for trainees, supervisors, clinical leadership, and directors of clinical training to improve accessibility and inclusion for TSD. We offer vignettes to illustrate barriers faced by TSD and suggest guidelines to improve access for TSD.

A new mouse model of post-traumatic joint injury allows to identify the contribution of Gli1+ mesenchymal progenitors in arthrofibrosis and acquired heterotopic endochondral ossification.

Complex injury and open reconstructive surgeries of the knee often lead to joint dysfunction that may alter the normal biomechanics of the joint. Two major complications that often arise are excessive deposition of fibrotic tissue and acquired heterotopic endochondral ossification. Knee arthrofibrosis is a fibrotic joint disorder where aberrant buildup of scar tissue and adhesions develop around the joint. Heterotopic ossification is ectopic bone formation around the periarticular tissues. Even though arthrofibrosis and heterotopic ossification pose an immense clinical problem, limited studies focus on their cellular and molecular mechanisms. Effective cell-targeted therapeutics are needed, but the cellular origin of both knee disorders remains elusive. Moreover, all the current animal models of knee arthrofibrosis and stiffness are developed in rats and rabbits, limiting genetic experiments that would allow us to explore the contribution of specific cellular targets to these knee pathologies. Here, we present a novel mouse model where surgically induced injury and hyperextension of the knee lead to excessive deposition of disorganized collagen in the meniscus, synovium, and joint capsule in addition to formation of extra-skeletal bone in muscle and soft tissues within the joint capsule. As a functional outcome, arthrofibrosis and acquired heterotopic endochondral ossification coupled with a significant increase in total joint stiffness were observed. By employing this injury model and genetic lineage tracing, we also demonstrate that Gli1+ mesenchymal progenitors proliferate after joint injury and contribute to the pool of fibrotic cells in the synovium and ectopic osteoblasts within the joint capsule. These findings demonstrate that Gli1+ cells are a major cellular contributor to knee arthrofibrosis and acquired heterotopic ossification that manifest after knee injury. Our data demonstrate that genetic manipulation of Gli1+ cells in mice may offer a platform for identification of novel therapeutic targets to prevent knee joint dysfunction after chronic injury.

The Association of Medical Preoperative Evaluation Using Clinical Video Telehealth With Hospital Length of Stay: Descriptive Analysis.

BACKGROUND: Preoperative medical evaluation serves to identify risk factors and optimize patients before surgery. Providing a telehealth option in the perioperative setting has played a significant role in reducing barriers to quality perioperative health care. OBJECTIVE: We aimed to evaluate how telemedicine preoperative evaluations using Clinical Video Telehealth (CVT) impact hospital length of stay. METHODS: We performed a retrospective chart review between 2016 and 2017 of adult patients who underwent evaluations in our hospitalist-run preoperative medicine clinic. Patients seen in our preoperative CVT program were compared to patients seen in person to evaluate the association of visit type (preoperative CVT versus in-person evaluation) with hospital length of stay, defined as hospital stay from postoperative day 0 to discharge. There were 62 patients included in this retrospective study. RESULTS: The adjusted incidence rate ratio (IRR) for hospital length of stay was significantly shorter in patients who underwent preoperative CVT compared to an in-person visit (IRR 0.52, 95% CI 0.29-0.92, P=.02). CONCLUSIONS: After adjusting for age and comorbidities, we show that preoperative telemedicine in the perioperative setting is associated with a shorter hospital length of stay compared to in-person visits. This suggests that telemedicine can play a viable role in this clinical setting.

Mental health problems among hotline callers during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic.

Background: The study aims to explore the mental health of the hotline callers during the COVID-19 pandemic in China. Methods: Callers (N = 10,490) from the Beijing Psychological Support Hotline from January 21st to June 30th in 2019 and 2020 were enrolled and divided into two groups (during (2020) and before (2019) COVID-19 pandemic). The severity of depressive symptoms, psychological distress, hopefulness, and suicidal ideation (SI) was assessed. Demographic characteristics and major concerns were also collected. Mann-Whitney U and chi-square test were used to compare the differences in mental health conditions and major concerns between two years and between different age groups. The multivariable logistic regression was used to explore whether mental health conditions were associated with pandemic and demographic factors. Results: Results from multivariable logistic regression analysis indicated that the change in suicidal ideation (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.21-1.92) was significantly different across age groups. Callers during the pandemic reported a higher level of hopefulness (OR = 1.13, 95% CI [1.03-1.24]), a lower level of depressive symptoms (OR = 0.81, 95% CI [0.74-0.89]) and psychological distress (OR = 0.89, 95% CI [0.81-0.98]), and were less likely to report SI (OR = 0.69, 95% CI [0.61-0.77]) compared with callers before the pandemic. Conclusions: Compared with callers before the pandemic, hotline callers during the early stage of COVID-19 pandemic did not present significant mental health problems. Younger callers during the pandemic were more vulnerable for the presence of suicidal ideation. Hotline-based crisis interventions might provide specific psychological support to cope with troubles during the pandemic.

Cultural adaptations of dialectical behavior therapy: A systematic review.

OBJECTIVE: Adapting mental health-care interventions to the race, ethnicity, or culture of the target group can enhance the acceptance and effectiveness of the treatment. Dialectical behavior therapy (DBT) is an evidence-based treatment that is principle-driven, rendering it well-suited for adaptations across cultural contexts. This article conducts a systematic review of the literature to determine the nature and extent of cultural adaptations of DBT to date. METHOD: We searched databases for original articles describing cultural adaptations of DBT, as applied to both (a) people of color within Western countries and (b) populations within non-Western countries. Consistent with the focus on descriptively characterizing extant DBT cultural adaptations, we included both published and nonpublished studies, as well as both observational and experimental studies. RESULTS: Our search yielded 18 articles that met inclusion criteria. Of these articles, half described adaptations made with people and communities of color within the U.S. Most adaptations involved modifications to language, metaphors, methods, and context. CONCLUSIONS: Culturally adapted DBT has been implemented and accepted among several racial, ethnic, and cultural groups, although there is insufficient evidence to determine whether culturally adapted DBT is more efficacious than nonadapted DBT. We conclude with recommendations for best practices for DBT researchers and clinicians, and situate our findings among larger efforts to render existing evidence-based psychotherapies more optimal for people of color and people from non-Western countries. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2022 APA, all rights reserved).

Comparison of Psycho-Social Factors Associated With Suicidal Ideation and Suicide Attempts Among People Living With HIV in Central West China.

Background: Previous studies have described the correlation of suicidal ideation (SI) or suicide attempts (SA) in people living with HIV (PLWH), whereas few studies compare the correlation between SI and SA in PLWH. Understanding specific risk factors for SI and SA among PLWH will help with developing tailored and effective suicide prevention strategies among this high-risk group. Methods: A cross-sectional study was conducted from December 2020 to April 2021 in Baoji municipality, Shaanxi Province. The PLWH registered with the Baoji Municipal Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) were recruited and interviewed. Questionnaires and interviews for this study consisted of socio-demographic variables, mental health history, and psychosocial characteristics. The HIV-related clinical features were obtained from CDC medical records. The PLWH included were divided into three groups, i.e., those with a history of suicide attempts (SA group), those with suicidal ideation only (SI group), and those without any suicidal behavior (NSB group). Multinomial logistic regression was used for three-way comparisons among these three groups of PLWH. Results: In total, 995 PLWH were interviewed. The prevalence of probable depression, probable anxiety, SI, and SA in PLWH after being diagnosed as HIV+ was 18.6%, 13.5%, 26.7%, and 3.2%, respectively. Compared with the NSB group, the SI or SA groups were more likely to report probable depression [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.43, 4.44, respectively], probable anxiety (AOR = 2.80, 5.62, respectively), and high HIV-related stigma (AOR = 2.05, 2.65, respectively). The SI group was more likely to experience high HIV-related stress (AOR = 1.91) and lower quality of life (AOR = 0.56) than the NSB group. Social support and HIV-related clinical features were not associated with SI or SA in this sample. The SA group did not differ from the SI group on any of the psychosocial or HIV-related clinical features. Conclusions: Mental health problems are serious in community residents identified with having an HIV infection in a Central West China municipality. It is important to deliver low-cost and effective psychological services tailored for PLWH that are focused on reducing mental health problems. Future studies should utilize sensitive screening measures and further clarify factors potentially associated with the transition from SI to SA in PLWH.

gp130/STAT3 signaling is required for homeostatic proliferation and anabolism in postnatal growth plate and articular chondrocytes.

Growth of long bones and vertebrae is maintained postnatally by a long-lasting pool of progenitor cells. Little is known about the molecular mechanisms that regulate the output and maintenance of the cells that give rise to mature cartilage. Here we demonstrate that postnatal chondrocyte-specific deletion of a transcription factor Stat3 results in severely reduced proliferation coupled with increased hypertrophy, growth plate fusion, stunting and signs of progressive dysfunction of the articular cartilage. This effect is dimorphic, with females more strongly affected than males. Chondrocyte-specific deletion of the IL-6 family cytokine receptor gp130, which activates Stat3, phenocopied Stat3-deletion; deletion of Lifr, one of many co-receptors that signals through gp130, resulted in a milder phenotype. These data define a molecular circuit that regulates chondrogenic cell maintenance and output and reveals a pivotal positive function of IL-6 family cytokines in the skeletal system with direct implications for skeletal development and regeneration.