Psychotic symptoms in Chinese adolescent patients with major depressive disorder: prevalence and related endocrine clinical factors.

OBJECTIVE: Major depressive disorder (MDD) is often accompanied by psychotic symptoms. However, few studies have examined the relationship between psychotic symptoms and endocrine factors in adolescent patients with MDD. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate the prevalence and related endocrine clinical factors of psychotic symptoms in Chinese adolescent patients with MDD. METHODS: In total, 601 patients (aged 12-18) with MDD were recruited. The Patient Health Questionnaire - 9 items (PHQ - 9) was utilized for assessing depressive symptoms. Psychotic symptoms were assessed through clinical interviews. Prolactin (PRL), thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH), triiodothyronine (T3), free triiodothyronine (FT3), thyroxine (T4), and free thyroxine (FT4) were also measured. RESULTS: The incidence of psychotic symptoms in adolescent patients with MDD was 22.6%. The findings demonstrated that age, self-harming behavior, PHQ-9 score, FT4, and normalized PRL were independently associated with psychotic symptoms in patients with MDD (All p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS: PRL and FT4 levels are more likely to be abnormally elevated in major depressive adolescents with psychotic symptoms. Prolactin and thyroid hormones in patients with MDD should be paid more attention.

Childhood trauma, peer victimization, and non-suicidal self-injury among Chinese adolescents: a latent variable mediation analysis.

BACKGROUND: Childhood and peer experiences can influence adolescents' perceptions of interpersonal relationships, which can, in turn, influence their emotional states and behavior patterns. Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is now a common problem behavior among adolescents. The present study examined the role of childhood trauma and peer victimization in adolescents' NSSI. METHODS: A cross-sectional survey was conducted among 1783 adolescents (1464 girls and 318 boys) in the psychiatric outpatient clinics or wards of 14 psychiatric hospitals or general hospitals in nine provinces in China. Data were collected using the Multidimensional Peer Victimization Scale (MPVS), Short-form Childhood Trauma Questionnaire(CTQ-SF), and Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation (FASM). Structural equation modeling (SEM) with latent variables was used to demonstrate the mediating role of peer victimization in the association between childhoodtrauma and NSSI. RESULTS: The SEM analysis demonstrated that peer victimization plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI. In addition, several covariates (such as age, gender, education level, and place of residence) effectively regulated the relationship between peer victimization and NSSI. CONCLUSION: In future studies of NSSI among Chinese adolescents, attention should be paid to the roles of childhood trauma and peer bullying; there is a temporal sequence between these two variables and, to some extent, childhood trauma can have an impact on bullying during adolescence which, in turn, influences NSSI behavior.

HIF1α Deficiency in Dendritic Cells Attenuates Symptoms and Inflammatory Indicators of Allergic Rhinitis in a SIRT1-Dependent Manner.

BACKGROUND: Allergic rhinitis is the most prevalent atopic disorder worldwide. Inflammation is believed to participate in allergic rhinitis. Previous studies indicate that hypoxia-inducible factor (HIF) promotes the development of allergic rhinitis, and dendritic cells are also involved in allergic rhinitis. METHODS: We explored the consequences of HIF1α deficiency in dendritic cells on allergic rhinitis. Allergic rhinitis in mice was induced by ovalbumin (OVA). The levels of IgE, leukotriene C4 (LTC4), eosinophil cationic protein (ECP), prostaglandin D2 (PGD2), IFN-γ, IL-2, IL-4, IL-5, IL-10, and IL-13 in serum or nasal lavage fluid (NLF) were detected by ELISA. Inflammatory cells in NLF were counted by hemocytometer. The protein levels of p-ERK1/2, p-p38, p-JNK2, SIRT1, p-IκBα, and p65 were determined by Western blot. RESULTS: HIF1α deficiency in dendritic cells (HIF1αCD11c-/-) decreased sneezing and nasal rubbing, the production of OVA-specific IgE, LTC4, and ECP in serum and NLF, and the numbers of leukocytes, eosinophils, lymphocytes, and neutrophils in NLF. Th1 cytokines increased, while Th2 cytokines decreased in HIF1aCD11c-/- mice. SIRT1/NF-κB signaling was inhibited in HIF1αCD11c-/- mice, while SIRT1 inhibitor administration in HIF1αCD11c-/- mice attenuated the symptoms and inflammatory indicators of allergic rhinitis. CONCLUSION: HIF1α deficiency in dendritic cells attenuates symptoms and inflammatory indicators of allergic rhinitis in a SIRT1-dependent manner.

HLA-DRB1 allele polymorphism and nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk: a meta-analysis.

The human leukocyte antigens (HLA) DRB1 polymorphism has been implicated in susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the results are inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the HLA-DRB1 polymorphisms and NPC risk. All eligible case-control studies published up to June 17, 2015 were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang, and Weipu databases. The NPC risk associated with the HLA-DRB1 polymorphism was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95 % confidence interval (CI), respectively. Twelve studies with 1152 cases and 1600 controls were included. Overall, a significant positively association between the HLA-DRB1*03, *08, *09, and *10 alleles polymorphism and NPC risk were found (OR = 1.55, 95 % CI 1.30-1.86; OR = 1.44, 95 % CI 1.08-1.92; OR = 1.33, 95 % CI 1.06-1.67; OR = 1.82, 95 % CI 1.02-3.26, respectively), and the HLA-DRB1*01, *11, and *12 alleles were negatively associated with NPC risk (OR = 0.55, 95 % CI 0.39-0.78; OR = 0.62, 95 % CI 0.42-0.91; OR = 0.62, 95 % CI 0.47-0.81, respectively), but we failed to detect any association between other alleles and NPC risk. When stratified by ethnicity, similar results were observed among Asians for HLA-DRB1*03, *08, *09, *11, and *12 alleles and Tunisians for HLA-DRB1*01, *03, and *11 alleles; However, no significant association among Caucasians was observed. This meta-analysis suggests that the HLA-DRB1*03, *08, *09, and *10 alleles polymorphism contributed to the susceptibility of NPC, whereas HLA-DRB1*11 and *12 alleles polymorphism may be an important protective factor for NPC, especially of Asian populations.

CYP2E1 polymorphisms and nasopharyngeal carcinoma risk: a meta-analysis.

The cytochrome P450 2E1 (CYP2E1) polymorphisms have been implicated in susceptibility to nasopharyngeal carcinoma (NPC). However, the results are inconsistent. The aim of this meta-analysis is to evaluate the association between the CYP2E1 polymorphisms and NPC risk. All eligible case-control studies published up to April 4, 2016 were identified by searching PubMed, Web of Science, CNKI, Wanfang and Weipu databases. The NPC risk associated with the CYP2E1 polymorphism was estimated for each study by odds ratios (OR) together with its 95 % confidence interval (CI), respectively. Seven case-control studies were included. Of those, there were seven studies (1302 cases and 1319 controls) for RsaI/PstI polymorphism and three studies (732 cases and 642 controls) for DraI polymorphism. Overall, a significant association was found for RsaI/PstI polymorphism under recessive and homozygote comparison models (OR = 2.72, 95 % CI 1.73-4.25; OR = 2.64, 95 % CI 1.68-4.16, respectively), while there was no significant association for RsaI/PstI polymorphism under other two genetic models. When stratified by ethnicity, similar results were observed between them. As for DraI polymorphism, we also observed a significant association under recessive and homozygote comparison models, but not for the other two models. This meta-analysis suggests that the CYP2E1 polymorphisms contributed to the susceptibility of NPC, especially in Asian populations.

The Association of Borderline Personality Features and Self-Injury Among Adolescents with Non-Suicidal Self-Injury: The Mediating Role of Alexithymia.

Introduction: Non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI) is becoming an increasingly prevalent phenomenon among adolescents, endangering their health. The aims of this study were to 1) explore the associations between borderline personality features, alexithymia and NSSI and 2) examine if alexithymia mediates the relationships between borderline personality features and both the severity of NSSI and the various functions that maintain NSSI in adolescents. Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 1779 outpatient and inpatient aged 12-18 years from psychiatric hospitals. All adolescents completed a structured four-part questionnaire including demographic items, the Chinese version of the Functional Assessment of Self-Mutilation, the Borderline Personality Features Scale for Children and the Toronto Alexithymia Scale. Results: The structural equation modelling results indicated that alexithymia partially mediated the associations between borderline personality features and both the severity of NSSI and the emotion regulation function of NSSI (B = 0.058 and 0.099, both p < 0.001), after controlling for age and sex. Discussion: These findings suggest that alexithymia may play a role in the mechanism and treatment of NSSI among adolescents with borderline personality features. Further longitudinal studies are essential to validate these findings.

Nutritional status and survival of 8247 cancer patients with or without diabetes mellitus-results from a prospective cohort study.

BACKGROUND: The number of cancer patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) is steadily rising. Little is known about the nutritional status of this population. This study characterized the nutritional status and survival of cancer patients with diabetes compared with those without diabetes. METHODS: A total of 8247 cancer patients were prospectively enrolled from 72 hospitals in China and followed until August 2019. A global estimation of the nutritional status was performed for each participant using standardized tools. The outcomes were cancer-specific survival (CSS) and overall survival (OS). RESULTS: The incidence of diabetes was 7.6% in the whole population. In comparison with the non-DM group, the DM group had greater body weight, but a similar fat-free mass, a lower handgrip strength and a decreased Karnofsky performance score. A higher proportion of patients with diabetes were overweight/obese as indicated by BMI. The percentage of patients who were at risk of malnutrition (evaluated by PG-SGA) was higher in the DM group (score ≥ 4, 56.7% vs 52.9%). Patients with DM showed a worse CSS (4-year CSS, 62% vs 73%) and OS (4-year OS 39% vs 52%). Diabetes was associated with an increased risk of both cancer-specific (hazard ratio (HR) = 1.282, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.070-1.536) and overall (HR = 1.206, 95% CI 1.040-1.399) mortality. CONCLUSIONS: Cancer patients with diabetes had a larger body mass but lower muscle strength, poorer performance status and higher incidence of malnourishment. Diabetes was associated with compromised survival. Tailored nutritional intervention is necessary for this subpopulation of patients.