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Objective@#To investigate the association between gene polymorphism of vesicular monoamine transporter type 2(VMAT2) and schizophrenia in Han Chinese population. @*Methods@#430 patients with schizophrenia and 470 age-sex matched controls were recruited from four mental health centers. All patients were diagnosed by two psychiatrists based on the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM Disorders (SCID). The ligase detection reactions (LDR) method was used to assess the polymorphism of the two SNPs (rs363371 and rs363324) of VMAT2. @*Results@#No associations of two SNPs with schizophrenia was found. When we stratified males and females for the analysis, we found that that in the recessive model of rs363371, there was an obvious significant association between rs363371 and schizophrenia in males (OR=0.564, 95% CI=0.357–0.892, p=0.014) but not females. For the association between rs363324 and schizophrenia, no association was found in either males or females. No association was found when stratifying early-onset schizophrenia and late-onset schizophrenia. @*Conclusion@#Our findings indicate that both rs363371 and rs363324 were not associated with schizophrenia, while it seemed that the AA genotype of rs363371 plays a protective effect in male Chinese in developing schizophrenia.
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Objective@#To analyze the relationship between parenting stress in parents and behavioral problems in preschool children, to provide scientific basis for prevention and intervention of preschool children′s behavioral problems.@*Methods@#A sample of 208 preschool children were selected from Changsha. Parents were invited to complete the Conners Child Behavior Checklist (Parent Question) and Parenting Stress Index (PSI).@*Results@#The proportion of preschool children with behavioral problems in this surveyed sample was 19.71% (41/208). The rate of higher level parenting stress was 19.71% (41/208). Total parenting stress scores in preschool children with behavioral problems were 83.46±16.76, which were higher than the scores 77.07±15.02 in those without behavioral problems (t=-2.38, P<0.05), and difficult child scales stress score in preschool children with behavioral problems were 29.95±6.44, which were higher than the scores 26.71±6.10 in those without behavioral problems (t=-3.02, P<0.05). Total parenting stress scores was positively related with each of dimension of behavioral problems (r=0.14-0.42, P<0.05 or 0.01).@*Conclusion@#The behavioral problems is positively related with parenting stress in preschool children. Therefore, the parents of preschool children should adjust their parenting stress, so as to create a warm growing environment for their children, thus reducing the behavioral problems of preschool children.
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BACKGROUND:Both Ms Coat and Green OrTM desensitizers can seal dentinal tubules effectively, isolate the dentinal tubule from external stimuli and also reduce the dentinal hypersensitivity. The scholars around the world have discussed their effects from the descriptive and qualitative view. OBJECTIVE:To quantitatively assess and compare the sealing effects of Ms Coat and Green OrTM desensitizers on dentine tubules. METHODS:Thirty fresh human third molar samples were made into 3-mm dentin specimens that were treated with 17% EDTA for 2 minutes and randomly divided into three groups: Ms Coat group, Green OrTM group and control group with no treatment. In the former two groups, MS Coat desensitizer and Green OrTM desensitizer were applied respectively on the dentin surfaces. Scanning electron microscope was used to observe the dentin surface and longitudinal sections. RESULTS AND CONCLUSION: (1) Surface observation: In the control group, al of the dentinal tubules were exposed; in the MS Coat group, it was observed that almost al the dentinal tubules were obliterated; in the Green OrTM group, the dentin tubules were covered with irregular crystaline substance and only a smal number of exposed dentine tubules were visible but narrowed obviously. (2) Longitudinal profile observation: In the control group, the dentin tubules were strip-shaped and arranged in paralel without any blockage; in the MS coat group, the tubules were covered with dense sediments, and the dentinal tubules were basicaly closed; in the Green OrTM group, there were scaly crystaline material deposited within the dentinal tubules. Dentinal diameter and number of dentinal tubules were ranked as folows: control group > Green OrTM group > MS Coat group (P < 0.05). Both Ms Coat and Green OrTM desensitizers can occlude the tubules effectively, and moreover, the MS Coat is superior to the Green OrTM.
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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 evaluate the in vitro effect of heat shock protein 70(HSP70)on interleukin-6 (IL-6)expression by cultured fibroblasts from psoriasis vulgaris lesions(PFbs).Methods Fibroblasts were isolated from the lesions of patients with psoriasis vulgaris and subjected to a primary culture.After 3 to 5 passages of culture,the fibroblasts were collected and used in the next experiment.Some PFbs were cultured with different concentrations(5,10,20,30 mg/L)of HSP70 for 48 hours,or with HSP70 of 30 mg/L for different durations(3,6,12,24,48,72 hours);some PFbs were incubated with HSP70 of 30 mg/L for 24 hours after pretreatment with pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate(PDTC,a specific inhibitor of nuclear factor-kappa B)for 30 minutes.PFbs receiving no treatment served as the control.Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay(ELISA)and semi-quantitative reverse transcription PCR were performed to measure the IL-6 protein expression in culture supematant and IL-6 mRNA expression by PFbs,respectively.Differences in the expression of IL-6 protein and mRNA between PFbs receiving different treatment were analyzed by using t test and Dunnett's t test.Results HSP70 significantly increased both protein production and mRNA expression of IL-6 in a time(0-48 h)-and dose(5-30 mg/L)-dependent manner.The expression levels of supernatant IL-6 protein and IL-6 mRNA were significantly higher in the PFbs treated with HSP70 of 10 mg/L for 48 hours than untreated PFbs((75.2 ± 15.4)ng/L vs.(47.2 ± 10.6)ng/L,0.439 ± 0.093 vs.0.249 ± 0.069,both P ＜ 0.05).A significant increase was observed as early as 6 hours in the level of IL-6 mRNA after the treatment with HSP70 of 30 mg/L,and 12 hours in the level of supematant IL-6 protein.Decreased supernatant IL-6 protein and IL-6 mRNA were noted for PFbs treated with PDTC and HSP70 of 30 mg/L compared with untreated PFbs((42.23 ± 9.41)ng/L vs.(68.40 ± 14.43)ng/L,0.144 ± 0.048 vs.0.295 ± 0.081,both P ＜ 0.05).Conclusion HSP70 may increase the expression of IL-6 mRNA and protein by cultured PFbs via the nuclear factor-kappa B pathway.
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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 explore the relationship between sleep disorder and management strategies in the elderly patients with primary hypertension.Methods The sleep status of 122 elderly patients with primary hypertension was evaluated by Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index(PSQI) and Coping Style Questionnaire(CSQ).Results The mean score of PSQI was 8.34±3.81,and 63.93% (78/122) of the participants experienced sleep disorder.The most commonly used management strategy wag "problem-solving" (0.74±0.18) and "rationalization" (0.56±0.19).The management strategies were different by gender and age.The lowest score was found in the "ask-for-help" group(t=2.326,P=0.022),which was negatively related with sleep disorders (r=-0.208,P=0.022).Conclusions Intervention of management strategy in elderly patients with primary hypertension may help to improve their sleep quality.
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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.