Expressions of Neuregulin 1β and ErbB4 in Prefrontal Cortex and Hippocampus of a Rat Schizophrenia Model Induced by Chronic MK-801 Administration

Recent human genetic studies and postmortem brain examinations of schizophrenia patients strongly indicate that dysregulation of NRG1 and ErbB4 may be important pathogenic factors of schizophrenia. However, this hypothesis has not been validated and fully investigated in animal models of schizophrenia. In this study we quantitatively examined NRG1 and ErbB4 protein expressions by immunohistochemistry and Western blot in the brain of a rat schizophrenia model induced by chronic administration of MK-801 (a noncompetitive NMDA receptor antagonist). Our data showed that NRG1β and ErbB4 expressions were significantly increased in the rat prefrontal cortex and hippocampus but in different subregions. These findings suggest that altered expressions of NRG1 and ErbB4 might be attributed to the schizophrenia. Further study in the role and mechanism of NRG1 and ErbB4 may lead to better understanding of the pathophysiology for this disorder

Prescribing patterns of low doses of antipsychotic medications in older Asian patients with schizophrenia, 2001-2009

Background: This study examined the use of low doses of antipsychotic medications (300mg/day CPZeq or less) in older Asian patients with schizophrenia and its demographic and clinical correlates. Methods: Information on hospitalized patients with schizophrenia, aged 55 years or older, was extracted from the database of the Research on Asian Psychotropic Prescription Patterns (REAP) study (2001-2009). Data on 1,452 patients in eight Asian countries and territories including China, Hong Kong, Japan, Korea, Singapore, Taiwan, India, and Malaysia were analyzed. Sociodemographic and clinical characteristics and antipsychotic prescriptions were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. Results: The prescription frequency for low doses of antipsychotic medications was 40.9% in the pooled sample. Multiple logistic regression analysis of the whole sample showed that patients on low doses of antipsychotic medications were more likely to be female, have an older age, a shorter length of illness, and less positive symptoms. Of patients in the six countries and territories that participated in all the surveys between 2001 and 2009, those in Japan were less likely to receive low doses of antipsychotics. Conclusion: Low doses of antipsychotic medications were only applied in less than half of older Asian patients with schizophreni

Prehospital tranexamic acid decreases early mortality in trauma patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

BackgroundAs an anti-fibrinolytic agent, tranexamic acid (TXA) is widely recognized for its efficacy in managing hemorrhagic conditions. Prehospital application of TXA has been reported in recent years, but its benefits in trauma patients remain debated.Materials and methodsA literature search was conducted across databases including PubMed, Cochrane Library, Embase, Web of Science, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane Central Register for Clinical Trials from inception to October 2024, focusing on studies related to prehospital TXA and clinical outcomes in trauma patients. The Cochrane Risk of Bias 2 Tool was applied to assess the quality of randomized control trials (RCTs), while the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale was used for observational cohort studies. Data were pooled under a random- or fixed-effects model using RevMan 5.4 with odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) as the effect measures.ResultsA total of 286 publications were identified from the initial database search, and 12 studies, including five RCTs and seven observational cohort studies with a total of 12,682 patients, were included. Significant early survival benefits were observed in patients receiving prehospital TXA compared to those not receiving prehospital treatment. Compared to the control group, the prehospital TXA group exhibited a significant reduction in 24-h mortality with an OR of 0.72 and a 95% CI of 0.54–0.94 (p = 0.02), while no statistically significant difference in the incidence of venous thromboembolism (VTE; OR: 1.14, 95% CI: 0.98–1.33, p = 0.09). No significant differences were observed in other outcomes, such as 28–30-day mortality, overall mortality, length of hospital stay, and the incidence of multiple organ failure (all p > 0.05).ConclusionPrehospital TXA decreases early (24-h) mortality in trauma patients without a significant increase in the risk of VTE and other complications, and further studies are still needed to improve and optimize its management strategy.Systematic review registrationhttps://www.crd.york.ac.uk/PROSPERO/, Identifier: CRD 42019132189

Identify predictive factors for the emergence of self-reported oropharyngeal dysphagia in older men and women populations: a retrospective cohort analysis

Background and objectivesOropharyngeal dysphagia (OD) is an emergent health concern in older adults, with incidence rates escalating due to age-related and various neurological and physical conditions. This study identifies risk and protective factors for new-onset OD, with an emphasis on gender differences.MethodsUtilizing data from the National Health and Aging Trends Study (NHATS), this study analyzed 6,360 participants (58.1% women) across 2011–2014 and 2015–2018 periods. Employing a random forest feature selection, specifically recursive feature elimination and mean decrease impurity algorithm, we assessed 128 variables to identify critical factors including demographics, health, physical and neurological functionality, and environmental conditions. The study further applied logistic regression and explored factor interactions using restricted cubic splines, streamlining the analysis to focus on key determinants of oropharyngeal dysphagia.ResultsInitial findings show a decrease in new-onset OD from 15.62% in 2011 to 14.49% in 2015, with women more frequently affected. The analysis elucidates a constellation of highly predictive factors for OD, encompassing extremes of body mass index (BMI), socioeconomic challenges (as indicated by low income), diminished physical conditioning, and adverse emotional states. Notably, gender-specific disparities emerged, highlighting the critical role of cognitive function and mood in men, whereas in women, the overarching influence of general health status and comorbidities was more pronounced.ConclusionThis condensed examination highlights the complex, multifactorial nature of OD in older adults, influenced by sociodemographic, physical, and psychological factors, and underscores the need for gender-specific approaches in predicting, preventing, and managing OD

Altered intrinsic functional brain architecture in female patients with bulimia nervosa

Background: Bulimia nervosa is a severe psychiatric syndrome with uncertain pathogenesis. Neural systems involved in sensorimotor and visual processing, reward and impulsive control may contribute to the binge eating and purging behaviours characterizing bulimia nervosa. However, little is known about the alterations of functional organization of whole brain networks in individuals with this disorder. Methods: We used resting-state functional MRI and graph theory to characterize functional brain networks of unmedicated women with bulimia nervosa and healthy women. Results: We included 44 unmedicated women with bulimia nervosa and 44 healthy women in our analyses. Women with bulimia nervosa showed increased clustering coefficient and path length compared with control women. The nodal strength in patients with the disorder was higher in the sensorimotor and visual regions as well as the precuneus, but lower in several subcortical regions, such as the hippocampus, parahippocampal gyrus and orbitofrontal cortex. Patients also showed hyperconnectivity primarily involving sensorimotor and unimodal visual association regions, but hypoconnectivity involving subcortical (striatum, thalamus), limbic (amygdala, hippocampus) and paralimbic (orbitofrontal cortex, parahippocampal gyrus) regions. The topological aberrations correlated significantly with scores of bulimia and drive for thinness and with body mass index. Limitations: We reruited patients with only acute bulimia nervosa, so it is unclear whether the topological abnormalities comprise vulnerability markers for the disorder developing or the changes associated with illness state. Conclusion: Our findings show altered intrinsic functional brain architecture, specifically abnormal global and local efficiency, as well as nodal-and network-level connectivity across sensorimotor, visual, subcortical and limbic systems in women with bulimia nervosa, suggesting that it is a disorder of dysfunctional integration among large-scale distributed brain regions. These abnormalities contribute to more comprehensive understanding of the neural mechanism underlying pathological eating and body perception in women with bulimia nervosa

Perception of Stigma and Its Associated Factors Among Patients With Major Depressive Disorder: A Multicenter Survey From an Asian Population

Stigma of major depressive disorder (MDD) is an important public health problem. This study aimed to examine the level of perceived stigma and its associated factors in MDD patients in five Asian countries, including China, Korea, Malaysia, Singapore, and Thailand. A total of 547 outpatients with MDD were included from Asian countries. We used the stigma scale of the Explanatory Model Interview Catalogue (EMIC) to assess stigma. The Montgomery–Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), Symptoms Checklist 90-Revised (SCL-90-R), Fatigue Severity Scale (FSS), Sheehan Disability Scale (SDS), 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey (SF-36), and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS) were used to assess symptoms, clinical features, functional impairment, health status, and social support. The stigma scores of patients under 55 years old were significantly higher than those equal to or greater than 55 years old (P < 0.001). The stigma scores exhibited significant negative correlation with age; MSPSS scores of family, friends, and others; and SF-36 subscale of mental health, but significant positive correlation with MADRS, FSS, SDS, and SCL-90-R subscale scores of depression, interpersonal sensitivity, obsession–compulsion, psychoticism, and somatization. Multivariate regression analysis revealed that age, SCL-90-R interpersonal sensitivity, obsession–compulsion, psychoticism, MSPSS scores of friends and others, and SF-36 of mental health were significantly associated with the level of perceived stigma. These findings suggest that MDD patients who are young, have a high degree of interpersonal sensitivity and psychoticism, have low health-related quality of life, and have low social support are the target population for stigma interventions in Asia

Prescribing patterns of antidepressants, antipsychotics and mood stabilizers in bipolar patients misdiagnosed with major depressive disorder in China

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/94515/1/hup2262.pd

Tunable Coupling Architectures with Capacitively Connecting Pads for Large-Scale Superconducting Multi-Qubit Processors

We have proposed and experimentally verified a tunable inter-qubit coupling scheme for large-scale integration of superconducting qubits. The key feature of the scheme is the insertion of connecting pads between qubit and tunable coupling element. In such a way, the distance between two qubits can be increased considerably to a few millimeters, leaving enough space for arranging control lines, readout resonators and other necessary structures. The increased inter-qubit distance provides more wiring space for flip-chip process and reduces crosstalk between qubits and from control lines to qubits. We use the term Tunable Coupler with Capacitively Connecting Pad (TCCP) to name the tunable coupling part that consists of a transmon coupler and capacitively connecting pads. With the different placement of connecting pads, different TCCP architectures can be realized. We have designed and fabricated a few multi-qubit devices in which TCCP is used for coupling. The measured results show that the performance of the qubits coupled by the TCCP, such as $T_1$ and $T_2$, was similar to that of the traditional transmon qubits without TCCP. Meanwhile, our TCCP also exhibited a wide tunable range of the effective coupling strength and a low residual ZZ interaction between the qubits by properly tuning the parameters on the design. Finally, we successfully implemented an adiabatic CZ gate with TCCP. Furthermore, by introducing TCCP, we also discuss the realization of the flip-chip process and tunable coupling qubits between different chips.Comment: Main text: 7 pages, 6 figure

Demographic and Clinical Features and Prescribing Patterns of Psychotropic Medications in Patients with the Melancholic Subtype of Major Depressive Disorder in China

BACKGROUND: Little has been known about the demographic and clinical features of the melancholic subtype of major depressive disorder (MDD) in Chinese patients. This study examined the frequency of melancholia in Chinese MDD patients and explored its demographic and clinical correlates and prescribing patterns of psychotropic drugs. METHODS: A consecutively collected sample of 1,178 patients with MDD were examined in 13 psychiatric hospitals or psychiatric units of general hospitals in China nationwide. The cross-sectional data of patients' demographic and clinical characteristics and prescriptions of psychotropic drugs were recorded using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. The diagnosis of the melancholic subtype was established using the Mini International Neuropsychiatric Interview (MINI). Medications ascertained included antidepressants, mood stabilizers, antipsychotics and benzodiazepines. RESULTS: Six hundred and twenty nine (53.4%) of the 1,178 patients fulfilled criteria for melancholia. In multiple logistic regression analyses, compared to non-melancholic counterparts, melancholic MDD patients were more likely to be male and receive benzodiazepines, had more frequent suicide ideations and attempts and seasonal depressive episodes, while they were less likely to be employed and receive antidepressants and had less family history of psychiatric disorders and lifetime depressive episodes. CONCLUSIONS: The demographic and clinical features of melancholic MDD in Chinese patients were not entirely consistent with those found in Western populations. Compared to non-melancholic MDD patients, melancholic patients presented with different demographic and clinical features, which have implications for treatment decisions