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Objective To explore the relationship between DNA methyctransferace1(DNMT1)gene polymorphism and cognitive function in the first episode, drug-na?ve schizophrenia. Methods One hundred eighty-six first episode, drug-na?ve schizophrenia patients and 182 healthy controls were examined by using polymerase chain reaction (PCR), denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining to determine genotype and allele of DNMT1 gene. Cognitive function was assessed by using the standardized measurement tools—the Measurement and Treatment Research to Improve Cognition in Schizophrenia (MATRICS) Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB) Chinese version. Comparisons were made on the cognitive function and the genotype and allele distribution of SNP rs2114724 and rs2228611 between schizophrenia group and the control group.The relationship between DNMT1 gene polymorphism and cognitive function was analyzed. Results There was no significant difference of the genotype T/T, T/C, C/C and allele T, C distribution of SNP rs2114724 between schizophrenia group and healthy controls group (P>0.05). There was no significant difference of the genotype G/G, G/A, A/A and allele G, A distribution of SNP rs2228611 between schizophrenia group and healthy control group (P>0.05). There was significant difference in Spatial Span Test (SST) scores(P<0.05)among three different genotype T/T,T/C and C/C of rs2114724 in schizophrenic group.The SST scores of the patients with C/C genotype were higher than that of the patients with T/T or T/C genotype (P<0.05). Conclusion DNMT1 gene polymorphisms is not associated with the first-episode, drug-na?ve schizophrenia, but may be associated with the work memory in cognitive function of schizophrenia in the Chinese Han population.
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Objective This preliminary study aimed to investigate relevant factors of the metacognition of peri?menopausal women. Methods Total 66 perimenopausal women voluntarily participated in this study from October 2012 to July 2013. The Metacognitions Questionnaire 30-item version (MCQ-30) was used to assess metacognition from 5 di?mensions including cognitive confidence (F1), positive beliefs (F2), cognitive self-consciousness (F3), uncontrollability and danger (F4), and need to control thoughts (F5). Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was utilized to measure the person?ality characteristics such as the extraversion/introversion (E), neuroticism/stability (N), psychoticism/socialization (P), and lie (L). Depression and its 4 symptom components including core, cognitive, anxiety, and somatic symptoms were deter?mined by Zung Self-rating Depression Scale (SDS). The linear multiple stepwise regression were performed to analyze the relevant factors of each MCQ dimension. Results The education level (β’=-0.229, P=0.035), N score (β’=0.255, P=0.042), and L score (β’=-0.292, P=0.021) were related to F1. The education level (β’=-0.260, P=0.031) and N score (β’=0.248, P=0.039) were predictors of the dependent variable F2. The core depression symptom (β’=-0.251, P=0.037) and anxiety symptom (β’=-0.248, P=0.039) of SDS were negatively related to F3. Predictors of F4 were the body mass in?dex (β’=0.211, P=0.048) and L score (β’=0.511, P<0.0001). Only P score (β’=0.299, P=0.015) was related to F5. Con?clusion The metacognition level of perimenopausal women is affected by a variety of factors such as personality character?istics and education level, and low self-consciousness and lack of confidence to the cognitive process may be involved in the increased susceptibility to depression.
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Objective To study the condition of benzodiazepines use in generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) patients and the relationship with the first benzodiazepine(BZD) prescription.Methods 70 outpatients with GAD were investigated retrospectively and divided into either research group( n = 54, M21, F33; age (18 ～73)year) or control group( n= 16,M7,F9; age( 18 ～53)year) based on whether the first prescription included BZD or not.Results The duration and dose of BZD used in research group ( separately (9.7 ± 4.4) months, ( 1.6 ± 0.7 ) mg/d) were significantly higher than those in control group ( separately(2.3 ± 2.4) months, (0.9 ± 0.9 ) mg/d) (P＜0.01).The long-term use of BZD was positively related to whether the first prescription include BZD or not,patients' insomnia on first visit,the duration of follow-up and the dose of BZD,which showed significantly difference (P＜ 0.05 ).The standardized rates of long-term use of BZD and dependence in research group were significantly higher than those in control group (P ＜ 0.01 ).Conclusion Prescribing BZD on the first visit is partly responsible for the long-term use of BZD and doctors should better be very careful of prescribing BZD on first visit.
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Objective To investigate the illness-related stigma in outpatients with chronic viral hepatitis B and C and its effects on interaction anxiousness and general self-efficacy.Methods Forty-eight patients with chronic hepatitis B ( CHB),41 patients with chronic hepatitis C (CHC) and 29 healthy volunteers were enrolled.Hepatitis-related Stigma Questionnaire (HRSQ) produced by researchers was used to assess stigma in patients of both CHB and CHC.All patients and healthy volunteers were evaluated by Interaction Anxiousness Scale (IAS),General Self-efficacy Scale (GSES) and Simplified Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ).Results Hepatitis-related stigma was common in both CHB and CHC.The most common positive items and their percentages of CHB and CHC were rejection in job seeking (81.2％,75.6％ ), keeping conditions about hepatitis secret (72.9％,75.6％ ),feeling discrimination in society (66.7％,56.1％ ) and rejection in mate selection (60.4％,61.0％ ),and the rarest ones and percentages were feeling lowest stress together with patients with the same disease (35.4％,31.7％ ) and being understood only by patients with the same disease (33.3％,26.8％ ).Differences of positive percentages of any items between CHB and CHC were not statistically significant (P ＞0.05 ).One-way ANOVA showed that difference of IAS scores among three groups of participants was not statistically significant ;and GSES score of CHB(2.41 ± 0.45 )was not statistically different from that of CHC (2.49 ±0.60 ),but they both were lower than that of healthy control (2.78 ± 0.52) (F=4.648,P =0.011 ).The multivariate stepwise regression analysis showed that the item feeling much different from others of HRSQ entered the formula of CHB IAS score (B =4.861,adjustment R2 =0.106),and the item being understood only by patients with the same disease of HRSQ entered the formula of CHC IAS score (B =6.745,adjustment R2 =0.113);negative coping dimension score of SCSQ ( B =- 0.424),the item feeling discrimination in society ( B =-0.359) and feeling lowest stress together with patients with the same disease ( B =-0.274) entered the formula of CHB GSES score (adjustment R2 =0.280).Conclusion Illness-related stigma is common in outpatients with chronic viral hepatitis,which probably raises patients' interaction anxiousness and weakens the general selfefficacy of patients with hepatitis B and C.
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Objective To investigate the association of duration of untreated psychosis(DUP) and the gray matter volumes in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.Methods 39 patients with first-episode schizophrenia were divided into two groups according to DUP:long-DUP group and short-DUP group.All the subjects underwent T1 weighted magnetic resonance imaging.After transformed with MRIcro software,all the images underwent standardization,segmentation,modulation and smoothing with Statistical Parametric Mapping 5 (SPM5) software.The gray matter volumes of the two groups underwent two-sample t-test with a Voxel-based morphometry (VBM)using SPM5 software.Results Long-DUP schizophrenic patients presented significantly reduced GM volume in the left thalamus(MNI:-6,-16,2;cluster=141 voxels)and the left temporal lobe(MNI:-46,-58,-6;cluster=69 Voxels),compared with short-DUP schizophrenic patients.Conclusion Delayed DUP may increase the loss of gray matter in schizophrenia.
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Objective To explore the changes of the white matter integrity in paranoid schizophrenia.Methods Diffusion weighted images of the 19 patients' with paranoid schizophrenia and 30 healthy controls'whole brains were acquired with a single-shot echo planar imaging ( EPI ) sequence aligned to the straight axial plane. After preprocessed with DTI-studio and SPM5 software, the fractional anisotropy (FA) images of the two groups were compared by two-sample t-test with SPM5 software. Results Subjects of paranoid schizophrenia demonstrated reduced FA in the right thalamus white matter(x = 18 ,y = - 10,z = 14,cluster = 194, t= -3.27, P=0.000 ) and demonstrated increased FA in the right insula white matter ( x = 34, y = -10, z = 12, cluster = 113, t =4.50, P = 0.004 ). Conclusion Schizophrenia has conflicting changes of white matter integrity in some brain areas.