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Neuropsychopharmacologia Hungarica : a... Sep 2022COVID-19 has created a situation that has never been experienced before, challenging the mobilization of adaptive coping strategies. There has been a marked increase in...
COVID-19 has created a situation that has never been experienced before, challenging the mobilization of adaptive coping strategies. There has been a marked increase in suicides and suicidal ideation following the onset of COVID-19 likely reflecting the toll of the pandemic on mental health. The aim of our study to investigate the associations between depressive symptoms and distinct symptom clusters and lifestyle changes related to sleep, eating and physical activity and change in suicidal thoughts and thinking about death during the pandemic. Analyses involved data from the Hungarian part of the COMET-G (COVID-19 Mental health in Ternational for the General population) study, including 763 Hungarian adults, who completed a detailed questionnaire focusing on changes in behavior, lifestyle, activity and mental health during the pandemic. The dataset was analyzed using ordinal regression models adjusted for age and sex. Depression, as well as its symptom clusters, including anhedonia and depressed mood and somatic complaints had a significant, but small effect increasing suicidal ideation, while the effect of irritability and social relationship problems was more marked. In case of lifestyle factors no associations was found between change in eating habits or physical activity and change in suicidal ideations, however, sleeprelated changes were associated with a significant increase in suicidal thoughts during the pandemic. Our findings show that not all symptoms related to mood disturbance have an equally marked effect on suicidal ideating and thus suicide risk, emphasizing the role of detailed screening and evaluation even in subclinical populations in times of such crises, and also highlight the importance of considering sleep problems when evaluating suicide risk. Thus, our findings help identify relevant targets for screening and intervention in decreasing suicide risk during crises. (Neuropsychopharmacol Hung 2022; 24(3): 134-143).
Topics: Adult; Humans; Suicidal Ideation; Suicide; Depression; COVID-19; Syndrome; Sleep; Risk Factors
PubMed: 36356206
DOI: No ID Found -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Feb 2023Studies have shown that the use of languages which grammatically associate the future and the present tends to correlate with more future-oriented behavior. We take an...
Studies have shown that the use of languages which grammatically associate the future and the present tends to correlate with more future-oriented behavior. We take an experimental approach to go beyond correlation. We asked bilingual research participants, people fluent in two languages (12 language pairs) which differ in the way they encode time, to make a set of future-oriented economic decisions. We find that participants addressed in a language in which the present and the future are marked more distinctly tended to value future events less than participants addressed in a language in which the present and the future are similarly marked. In an additional experiment, bilingual research participants (seven language pairs) were asked to choose whether they wish to complete a more enjoyable task first or later (delayed gratification). When addressed in a language in which the present and the future are marked more distinctly, participants tended to prefer immediate gratification more than when addressed in a language in which the present and the future are marked less distinctly. We shed light on the mechanism in a within-person experiment in which bilingual research participants (nine language pairs) were asked to spatially mark the distance between the present and the future. When participants were addressed in a language in which the present and the future are marked more distinctly, they tended to express more precise temporal beliefs compared with when addressed in a language in which the present and the future are marked less distinctly.
Topics: Humans; Multilingualism; Language; Forecasting
PubMed: 36745779
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2208871120 -
Journal of Ayub Medical College,... 2023Klipple-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is an extremely rare congenital vascular disorder with poorly defined incidence and prevalence. We report a case of a patient who...
Klipple-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS) is an extremely rare congenital vascular disorder with poorly defined incidence and prevalence. We report a case of a patient who presented after road traffic accident with primary complaints of poor wound healing and persistent bleeding from wound site. Discernible presence of arteriovenous malformation and skin hypertrophy since birth lead to the diagnosis of Klipple-Trenaunay syndrome (KTS). There was an incidental finding of acanthocytosis on peripheral film of blood which remained elevated even after clinical improvement of the patient. This case report highlights a close association of marked acanthocytosis of red blood cells and Klipple-Trenaunay syndrome.
Topics: Humans; Abetalipoproteinemia; Erythrocytes
PubMed: 36849406
DOI: 10.55519/JAMC-01-11307 -
Biometrics Mar 2021This paper introduces two sets of measures as exploratory tools to study physical activity patterns: active-to-sedentary/sedentary-to-active rate function (ASRF/SARF)...
This paper introduces two sets of measures as exploratory tools to study physical activity patterns: active-to-sedentary/sedentary-to-active rate function (ASRF/SARF) and active/sedentary rate function (ARF/SRF). These two sets of measures are complementary to each other and can be effectively used together to understand physical activity patterns. The specific features are illustrated by an analysis of wearable device data from National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES). A two-level semiparametric regression model for ARF and the associated activity magnitude is developed under a unified framework using the marked point process formulation. The inactive and active states measured by accelerometers are treated as a 0-1 point process, and the activity magnitude measured at each active state is defined as a marked variable. The commonly encountered missing data problem due to device nonwear is referred to as "window censoring," which is handled by a proper estimation approach that adopts techniques from recurrent event data. Large sample properties of the estimator and comparison between two regression models as measurement frequency increases are studied. Simulation and NHANES data analysis results are presented. The statistical inference and analysis results suggest that ASRF/SARF and ARF/SRF provide useful analytical tools to practitioners for future research on wearable device data.
Topics: Computer Simulation; Exercise; Nutrition Surveys; Wearable Electronic Devices
PubMed: 32282947
DOI: 10.1111/biom.13269 -
JFMS Open Reports 2019An adult cat presented with neurological signs and marked icterus. Clinical pathology tests detected increased serum alkaline phosphatase levels, as well as alanine...
CASE SUMMARY
An adult cat presented with neurological signs and marked icterus. Clinical pathology tests detected increased serum alkaline phosphatase levels, as well as alanine aminotransferase, total bilirubin, unconjugated bilirubin and conjugated bilirubin above the normal reference intervals. Ultrasonography showed hepatomegaly and a dilated gall bladder. Following these results, the cat was referred for a cholecystectomy owing to a clinical suspicion of obstructive cholecystitis. The animal died in the postoperative period and was referred for necropsy. Grossly, the animal had marked icterus. On the cortical surface and in the brain parenchyma there were marked yellowish areas. The liver was diffusely reddish-orange, enlarged and the capsular surface was slightly irregular. The gall bladder was absent. At its anatomical site and surrounding the common hepatic duct, a whitish nodular neoplasia of 2.0 cm was found. Microscopically, a cholangioma was diagnosed in the region of the common hepatic duct. In the white matter of the cerebellar vermis, there was axonal degeneration associated with gliosis. In the Purkinje neuron layer there was slight multifocal necrosis. Some neurons contained amorphous and brownish pigment (bilirubin) in the cytoplasm. Clinical and pathological findings indicated hepatic and post-hepatic icterus from obstructive cholangioma, resulting in kernicterus.
RELEVANCE AND NOVEL INFORMATION
Kernicterus is a neurological disorder that is rarely diagnosed in animals, especially in adults. This report provides evidence that kernicterus can occur in adult cats, secondary to increased unconjugated and conjugated bilirubin concentrations.
PubMed: 30944725
DOI: 10.1177/2055116919838874 -
MedRxiv : the Preprint Server For... Sep 2023Quantitative models that explicitly capture single-cell resolution cell-cell interaction features to predict patient survival at population scale are currently missing....
UNLABELLED
Quantitative models that explicitly capture single-cell resolution cell-cell interaction features to predict patient survival at population scale are currently missing. Here, we computationally extracted hundreds of features describing single-cell based cell-cell interactions and cellular phenotypes from a large, published cohort of cyto-images of breast cancer patients. We applied these features to a neural-network based Cox-nnet survival model and obtained high accuracy in predicting patient survival in test data (Concordance Index > 0.8). We identified seven survival subtypes using the top survival features, which present distinct profiles of epithelial, immune, fibroblast cells, and their interactions. We identified atypical subpopulations of TNBC patients with moderate prognosis (marked by GATA3 over-expression) and Luminal A patients with poor prognosis (marked by KRT6 and ACTA2 over-expression and CDH1 under-expression). These atypical subpopulations are validated in TCGA-BRCA and METABRIC datasets. This work provides important guidelines on bridging single-cell level information towards population-level survival prediction.
STATEMENT OF TRANSLATIONAL RELEVANCE
Our findings from a breast cancer population cohort demonstrate the clinical utility of using the single-cell level imaging mass cytometry (IMC) data as a new type of patient prognosis prediction marker. Not only did the prognosis prediction achieve high accuracy with a Concordance index score greater than 0.8, it also enabled the discovery of seven survival subtypes that are more distinguishable than the molecular subtypes. These new subtypes present distinct profiles of epithelial, immune, fibroblast cells, and their interactions. Most importantly, this study identified and validated atypical subpopulations of TNBC patients with moderate prognosis (GATA3 over-expression) and Luminal A patients with poor prognosis (KRT6 and ACTA2 over-expression and CDH1 under-expression), using multiple large breast cancer cohorts.
PubMed: 37745392
DOI: 10.1101/2023.09.14.23295578 -
Frontiers in Psychology 2022A form of pathological social withdrawal which is also called hikikomori has been proved its existence in China. But the prevalence and characteristics of hikikomori in...
OBJECTIVE
A form of pathological social withdrawal which is also called hikikomori has been proved its existence in China. But the prevalence and characteristics of hikikomori in China remain unknown. Past studies had investigated the hikikomori phenomenon in three cities of China. The purpose of this study is to discover the prevalence of hikikomori in a convenient online sample in China as well as the difference in demographic characteristics and other possible traits between hikikomori sufferers and the general population.
METHODS
A total of 1,066 youths (mean age = 22.85 years) in China completed the online questionnaire, which consisted of questions about demographics, the 25-item Hikikomori Questionnaire (HQ-25), the Internet Addiction Test (IAT), the Loneliness Scale (UCLA), and the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ). SPSS is used to evaluate the data.
RESULTS
Of the 1,066 youths, 980 (91.9%) were identified as belonging to group A (be not social isolation nor withdrawn), 46 (4.3%) to group B (marked social isolation in one's home or withdrawn with a duration of at least 3 months), and 40 (3.8%) to group C (marked both social isolation in one's home and withdrawn with a duration of at least 3 months). The hikikomori group (combined group B and group C) accounted for 8.1%. The present data suggest that residence and loneliness are related to the occurrence of hikikomori. HQ-25 score of the hikikomori group was significantly higher than the comparison group. The UCLA score showed that those in the hikikomori group felt lonelier than those in the comparison. The regression model predicted hikikomori risk (χ = 38.658, = 0.000), the Hosmer-Lemeshow test value is 7.114 and = 0.524 > 0.05.
CONCLUSION
The grouping criterion in our present study is reasonable and such a grouping criterion can screen out potential populations of hikikomori. When people develop into hikikomori sufferers in the present, their social withdrawal behaviors and feeling of loneliness are both much more severe than in the past. The possible relationships between hikikomori and loneliness reflect the need to give the youths more social support, to help them connect with society.
PubMed: 35360625
DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.826945 -
Journal of Pain Research 2023Awake spinal anesthesia continues as an alternative to general anesthesia for infants. Standard clinical practice includes the manual palpation of surface landmarks to...
PURPOSE
Awake spinal anesthesia continues as an alternative to general anesthesia for infants. Standard clinical practice includes the manual palpation of surface landmarks to identify the desired intervertebral space for lumbar puncture (LP). The current study investigates the accuracy of manual palpation for identifying the intended intervertebral site for LP, using ultrasonography for confirmation and to determine the interspace where the ends.
PATIENTS AND METHODS
After informed parental consent, patients less than one year of age undergoing spinal anesthesia for lower abdominal, urologic, or lower extremity surgical procedures were included. Patients were held in the seated position and an attending pediatric anesthesiologist or pediatric anesthesiology fellow declared the vertebral interspace intended for needle insertion, palpated surface landmarks, and placed a mark at the site. A research anesthesiologist then determined the actual vertebral interspace of the marked site and the location of the using ultrasonography. The time to complete both techniques (manual palpation and ultrasonography) was recorded.
RESULTS
The study cohort included 50 infants (median age of 7 months). Sixteen vertebral interspaces (32%) were inaccurately marked. One was marked two spaces higher than intended, ten were marked one space higher than intended, and five were marked one space lower than intended. In one patient, the intended vertebral interspace for the lumbar puncture overlaid the . The median time required was 25 seconds (IQR 14.3, 32) for palpation and 39 seconds (IQR 29, 63.8) for ultrasonography.
CONCLUSION
Manual palpation of surface landmarks to determine the correct interspace for LP for spinal anesthesia in infants is inaccurate. The time required to perform spinal ultrasonography in infants for determination of the optimal site for LP is brief and may be useful in ensuring accurate identification of the correct interspace and the location of the .
PubMed: 36647435
DOI: 10.2147/JPR.S392438 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Jun 2024Parkinson's disease (PD) ranks as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, marked by a complex pathogenesis. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) emerges as a... (Review)
Review
Parkinson's disease (PD) ranks as the second most prevalent neurodegenerative disorder globally, marked by a complex pathogenesis. Lipocalin-2 (LCN2) emerges as a crucial factor during the progression of PD. Belonging to the lipocalin family, LCN2 is integral to several biological functions, including glial cell activation, iron homeostasis regulation, immune response, inflammatory reactions, and oxidative stress mitigation. Substantial research has highlighted marked increases in LCN2 expression within the substantia nigra (SN), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF), and blood of individuals with PD. This review focuses on the pathological roles of LCN2 in neuroinflammation, aging, neuronal damage, and iron dysregulation in PD. It aims to explore the underlying mechanisms of LCN2 in the disease and potential therapeutic targets that could inform future treatment strategies.
PubMed: 38901198
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2024.116947 -
Annals of Translational Medicine Mar 2015Limiting enteric sodium absorption is an attractive option when renal sodium excretion is disturbed. An effective approach in the gut appears to be inhibition of the...
Limiting enteric sodium absorption is an attractive option when renal sodium excretion is disturbed. An effective approach in the gut appears to be inhibition of the electroneutral Na(+)/H(+) exchangers (NHE), in particular NHE3. Recently, fluid retention, blood pressure and target organ injury were limited in rats with cardiorenal syndrome when treated with the NHE3 inhibitor tenapanor. The downside was that the osmotic fecal load leads to watery feces. Tenapanor also induced marked reductions in enteric phosphorus absorption in rats with cardiorenal syndrome on a high phosphorus intake and resulted in marked reductions in renal injury and practically prevented vascular calcification. We have yet to discover the clinical relevance in volume terms and vascular calcifications in patients in relation to the tolerated dose. However, even if the tenapanor-induced reduction in sodium adsorption is limited in humins, combination of tenapanor therapy with diuretics may be an interesting option in selected patients.
PubMed: 25861604
DOI: 10.3978/j.issn.2305-5839.2015.03.21