Associations between changes in social contact pattern and the mental health status of Chinese adults: cross-sectional findings.

The study aims to examine the associations between social contact pattern changes and mental health status, including depression, anxiety, and loneliness, among Chinese adults in the context of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Data on social contact patterns before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 were obtained from 3511 participants. Mental health (ie, depression, anxiety, and loneliness) was assessed by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire, Dark Future Scale, and the 9-scale Three-Item Loneliness Scale, respectively. Poisson regression analyses revealed that the participants who had increased in-person communication were more likely to have mental disorders [depression: prevalence ratio (PR)=1.13, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.02, 1.26; anxiety: PR=1.15, 95% CI: 1.01, 1.30]. The current study concluded that the in-person communication increase before and after the outbreak of COVID-19 was associated with mental disorders among Chinese adults.

Risk assessment and stratification of mild cognitive impairment among the Chinese elderly: attention to modifiable risk factors.

BACKGROUND: The early identification of individuals at risk of mild cognitive impairment (MCI) has major public health implications for Alzheimer's disease prevention. OBJECTIVE: This study aims to develop and validate a risk assessment tool for MCI with a focus on modifiable factors and a suggested risk stratification strategy. METHODS: Modifiable risk factors were selected from recent reviews, and risk scores were obtained from the literature or calculated based on the Rothman-Keller model. Simulated data of 10 000 subjects with the exposure rates of the selected factors were generated, and the risk stratifications were determined by the theoretical incidences of MCI. The performance of the tool was verified using cross-sectional and longitudinal datasets from a population-based Chinese elderly cohort. RESULTS: Nine modifiable risk factors (social isolation, less education, hypertension, hyperlipidaemia, diabetes, smoking, drinking, physical inactivity and depression) were selected for the predictive model. The area under the curve (AUC) was 0.71 in the training set and 0.72 in the validation set for the cross-sectional dataset. The AUCs were 0.70 and 0.64 in the training and validation sets, respectively, for the longitudinal dataset. A combined risk score of 0.95 and 1.86 was used as the threshold to categorise MCI risk as 'low', 'moderate' and 'high'. CONCLUSION: A risk assessment tool for MCI with appropriate accuracy was developed in this study, and risk stratification thresholds were also suggested. The tool might have significant public health implications for the primary prevention of MCI in elderly individuals in China.

Depressive Symptoms and Cognitive Decline Among Chinese Rural Elderly Individuals: A Longitudinal Study With 2-Year Follow-Up.

Background: Depressive symptoms and mild cognitive impairment (MCI) are highly prevalent in rural China. The study aimed to investigate the longitudinal associations between changes in depressive symptoms and cognitive decline and MCI incidence among Chinese rural elderly individuals. Methods: A 2-year follow-up study was conducted among 1,477 participants from the Anhui Healthy Longevity Survey (AHLS). Depressive symptoms were assessed by the 9-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), and cognitive status was evaluated by the Mini Mental State Examination (MMSE). Multivariable linear regression and logistic regression were employed. Results: Every 1-unit PHQ-9 score increase was significantly associated with more cognitive decline (ß = 0.157, 95% CI: 0.092, 0.221, p < 0.001) and a higher risk of MCI incidence (OR = 1.063, 95% CI: 1.025, 1.103, p = 0.001). The participants who experienced worsening of depression symptoms had a larger decline in the 2-year MMSE score (ß = 0.650, 95% CI: 0.039, 1.261, p = 0.037) and elevated risks of incident MCI (OR = 1.573, 95% CI: 1.113, 2.223, p = 0.010). Limitations: Screening tools rather than standard diagnostic procedures were used in the study. Moreover, the long-term associations still need further exploration since the follow-up time was short. Conclusions: Increased depressive symptoms were associated with more cognitive decline and higher risks of incident MCI among Chinese rural residents.

Cross-Sectional Associations between Living and Built Environments and Depression Symptoms among Chinese Older Adults.

In this study, we explored the cross-sectional associations between living and built environments and depression among older Chinese adults. Data from 5822 participants were obtained. Depression symptoms were evaluated through the use of the Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9), with a score higher than 4 categorized as having depression symptoms. The living environment was assessed by asking about dust in the environment and barrier-free facilities. We considered the presence of amenities within a 10 min walking distance and the proportion of green space within an 800 m distance from participants' dwellings to reflect the built environment. Data were analyzed by multilevel logistic regression. Participants living in a non-dusty environment with proximity to green space had a lower risk of depression (non-dusty environment: OR = 0.784, 95% CI = 0.642, 0.956; green space: OR = 0.834, 95% CI = 0.697, 0.998). However, having no access to barrier-free facilities and hospital proximity increased the depression risk (barrier-free facilities: OR = 1.253, 95% CI = 1.078, 1.457; hospital: OR = 1.318, 95% CI = 1.104, 1.574). Dusty environments, access to barrier-free facilities and proximity to hospitals and green spaces were associated with depression symptoms among older Chinese adults.

The association between leftover food consumption and depression among older adults: Findings from a cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Leftover food consumption is very prevalent among the Chinese older adults, however, the potential effects of leftover eating consumption on depression have not yet been investigated. OBJECTIVES: The study aims to determine the association between leftover consumption on depression among older adults. METHODS: Data of leftover consumption frequency was collected in a cross-sectional study with a provincial representative sample of 5992 older adults (aged 60 or older) in 2019. Depression symptoms were assessed by the 9-item screener Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9). Multiple logistic regression models were applied to analyze the association of the frequency of leftover eating consumption and the presence and the severity of depression. RESULTS: After controlling for all the covariates, the participants who consume leftover food everyday had higher risk of having depression symptom comparing to those who had the lowest frequency of leftover eating (OR: 1.675, 95% CI: 1.435-1.956, p < 0.001). The participants who consume leftover food every day was also associated with more severe depression symptoms (OR: 1.621, 95% CI: 1.397-1.881, p < 0.001), when comparing to the reference group. The associations seemed stronger in men than women. LIMITATIONS: The causal relationship between leftover consumption behavior and depression could not be determined due to the cross-sectional design. Moreover, the variety or handling method of the leftover food was not specified. CONCLUSION: Leftovers eating frequency was associated with the presence and severity of depression symptoms among older adults.

Beyond emotion: online takeaway food consumption is associated with emotional overeating among Chinese college students.

BACKGROUND: Online takeaway food has become very popular in China. However, the potential effects of online takeaway food consumption on eating behaviours among individuals during the transition stage from adolescence to young adulthood have not yet been assessed. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to examine the effects of takeaway food consumption on emotional overeating behaviour among college students. METHODS: Data were collected from 1450 college students from six universities in Anhui, China. The frequency of emotional overeating during the past 4 weeks was assessed by the emotional overeating questionnaire (EOQ). Data on the frequency of online takeaway food consumption and other potential risk factors at the individual, interpersonal, physical environment, and macro-system levels were assessed by questionnaire. Multilevel linear regression analyses were employed to explore the association between takeaway food consumption and emotional overeating behaviour. RESULTS: Compared to those who consumed online takeaway food less than 1 day per week, participants who consumed this food 4-5 days per week and participants who consumed this food 6-7 days per week had significantly higher EOQ scores (ß = 0.14, p < 0.05 and ß = 0.67, p < 0.001, respectively). More frequent consumption was associated with higher EOQ scores (p for trend < 0.001). CONCLUSION: A higher frequency of takeaway food consumption was associated with an elevated risk of emotional overeating among college students independent of personal emotional status and other potential confounders at the interpersonal, physical environmental and macro-system levels. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Level V; cross-sectional descriptive study.

Serum sodium on admission affects postoperative in-hospital mortality in acute aortic dissection patients.

BACKGROUND: Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is very fatal without surgical treatment. Higher serum sodium can increase in-hospital mortality of many diseases; however, the effect of serum sodium on postoperative in-hospital mortality in AAD patients remains unknown. METHODS: We collected a total of 415 AAD patients from January 2015 to December 2019. Patients were classified into four categories (Q1-Q4) according to the admission serum sodium quartile. The cox proportional hazards model evaluated the association between serum sodium and in-hospital mortality. All-cause in-hospital mortality was set as the endpoint. RESULTS: By adjusting many covariates, cox proportional hazards model revealed the in-hospital mortality risk of both Q3 and Q4 groups was 3.086 (1.242-7.671, P = 0.015) and 3.370 (1.384-8.204, P = 0.007) respectively, whereas the risk of Q2 group was not significantly increased. Univariate and multiple Cox analysis revealed that Stanford type A, serum glucose, α-hydroxybutyrate dehydrogenase and serum sodium were risk factors correlated with in-hospital death in AAD patients. CONCLUSION: The study indicates that the admission serum sodium of AAD patients has a vital impact on postoperative hospital mortality.

A Case of Lung Adenocarcinoma Response to Alectinib Harboring a Rare EML4-ALK Variant, Exon 6 of EML4 Fused to Exon 18 of ALK.

More than 20 types of ALK fusion variant subtypes have been identified, including different fusion partner genes or EML4-ALK fusions with different breakpoints. However, different ALK fusions show different sensitivities to ALK-tyrosine kinase inhibitors (ALK-TKIs) and the emergence of rare fusions brings great challenges to the target therapy in clinic. We report a rare EML4-ALK (E6;A18) fusion in a patient with lung adenocarcinoma that responded well to alectinib. This is the second case of this rare variant reported but the first report of response to an ALK-TKI. This evidence is the first to show that alectinib may be effective for this rare fusion type of non-small cell lung cancer, and these findings have important implications for drug selection in patients with this subtype. Further studies are needed to understand the function of this variant.

Er:YAG MOPA system based on a polarization-multiplexing 4-pass structure.

A 4-pass structure Er:YAG MOPA system at 1645 nm is theoretically and experimentally investigated. In accordance with the theoretical analysis, the 4-pass structure significantly improved the amplification performance. The highest gain is about 4 with 1 mJ incident seed energy. The power fluctuation and beam quality are improved after the amplification.

The association between weight fluctuation and all-cause mortality: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

BACKGROUND: Many observational studies have reported an association between weight fluctuation and all-cause mortality. However, the conclusions obtained from these studies have been unclear. OBJECTIVE: The current meta-analysis aimed to clarify the association between weight fluctuation and all-cause mortality. DATA SOURCE: We electronically searched PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science for articles reporting an association between weight fluctuation and all-cause mortality that were published before April 30, 2018. STUDY APPRAISAL AND SYNTHESIS METHODS: The methodological quality of each study was appraised using the modified Newcastle Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale. The hazard ratios (HRs) and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were extracted from the included studies and pooled using random-effect models. Meta-regression approaches were also performed to explore sources of between-study heterogeneity. RESULTS: A total of 15 studies were eligible for the current meta-analysis. The pooled overall HR for all-cause mortality in the group with the greatest weight fluctuations compared with the most stable weight category was 1.45 (95% CI: 1.29-1.63). Considerable between-study heterogeneity was observed, some of which was partially explained by the different follow-up durations used by the included studies. Moreover, publication bias that inflated the risk of all-cause mortality was detected using Egger's test (P = .001). CONCLUSION: Weight fluctuation might be associated with an increased risk of all-cause mortality.

Comprehensive Gene Expression Analysis in NMIBC Using RNA-seq Reveals New Therapy Strategies.

Non-muscle invasive bladder cancer (NMIBC) patients often have fewer treatment options, and suffer the progression of disease due to mechanisms that are not clear, as well as due to its diversity. This study was designed to explore the molecular mechanism of bladder cancer through an RNA-seq. In addition to conventional analyses, we also simplified the network through modularization using the WGCNA algorithm, with the help of the topological overlapping matrix and hierarchical cluster tree, which are based on the PPI network of STRING. Furthermore, the hub genes were confirmed through survival analyses in the independent cohorts (n = 431). Among them, 15 genes were significantly associated with poor prognosis. Finally, we validated the results at mRNA and protein level using qRT-PCR, IHC and western blotting. Taken together, our research is important for the prediction, as well as the prospective clinical development of drug targets and biomarkers.

Cholesterol induces pancreatic ß cell apoptosis through oxidative stress pathway.

Type 2 diabetes is often associated with high blood cholesterol. Here, we investigated the effect of cholesterol loading on MIN6 cells derived from pancreatic ß cells. Exposure of MIN6 cells to cholesterol-induced apoptosis in time- and dose-dependent manner. Treatment with methyl-ß-cyclodextrin that removes cholesterol from plasma membrane prevented the cells from cholesterol-induced apoptosis. Western blot analysis revealed that the levels of phosphorylated-p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (P-p38 MAPK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinases (P-JNK) were significantly increased after the cholesterol loading, suggesting that the stress-activated protein kinase signaling was stimulated. A specific p38 inhibitor rescued MIN6 cells from cholesterol-induced apoptosis, while JNK inhibitor failed, suggesting the importance of activation of p38 MAPK signaling in response to cholesterol. The expression of Bip and CHOP, the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress markers, remained unaffected, indicating that the ER stress may not be involved in the cytotoxicity of cholesterol on the ΜΙΝ6 cells. The intracellular concentration of reactive oxygen species measured by use of 2',7'-dichlorofluorescin diacetate was significantly increased after cholesterol loading, demonstrating the induced apoptosis was mediated through oxidative stress. Addition of reduced form of glutathione in the medium rescued MIN6 cells from apoptosis induced by cholesterol loading. Taken together, these results demonstrate that the free cholesterol loading can induce apoptosis of MIN6 cells mediated by oxidative stress and the activation of p38 MAPK signaling.