Applying the revised Chinese Job Content Questionnaire to assess psychosocial work conditions among Taiwan's hospital workers.

BACKGROUND: For hospital accreditation and health promotion reasons, we examined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could be applied to evaluate job strain of individual hospital employees and to determine the number of factors extracted from JCQ. Additionally, we developed an Excel module of self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation with experts. METHODS: To develop an Excel-based self-evaluation diagnostic system for consultation to experts to make job strain assessment easier and quicker than ever, Rasch rating scale model was used to analyze data from 1,644 hospital employees who enrolled in 2008 for a job strain survey. We determined whether the 22-item Job Content Questionnaire (JCQ) could evaluate job strain of individual employees in work sites. The respective item responding to specific groups' occupational hazards causing job stress was investigated by using skewness coefficient with its 95% CI through item-by-item analyses. RESULTS: Each of those 22 items on the questionnaire was examined to have five factors. The prevalence rate of Chinese hospital workers with high job strain was 16.5%. CONCLUSIONS: Graphical representations of four quadrants, item-by-item bar chart plots and skewness 95% CI comparison generated in Excel can help employers and consultants of an organization focusing on a small number of key areas of concern for each worker in job strain.

Reversible delayed leukoencephalopathy after heroin intoxication with hypoxia: a case report.

Delayed neurological deterioration after hypoxia is uncommon. Here we report a case of reversible delayed leukoencephalopathy following intravenous heroin intoxication with hypoxia. A 42-year-old man presented disturbed consciousness and unstable hemodynamic status after intravenous heroin injection. He made a good initial recovery after infection control and hemodynamic support. But his neurological condition deteriorated later on and gradually progressed into akinetic mutism and generalized hypertonia within 3 weeks. Prominent leukoencephalopathy was disclosed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the brain. His general condition improved again in a few months and follow-up MRI revealed regression of the white matter lesion. Early diagnosis of delayed leukoencephalopathy with appropriate supportive treatment may be worthwhile as illustrated by the reported case.

A comparison of classification methods for predicting Chronic Fatigue Syndrome based on genetic data.

BACKGROUND: In the studies of genomics, it is essential to select a small number of genes that are more significant than the others for the association studies of disease susceptibility. In this work, our goal was to compare computational tools with and without feature selection for predicting chronic fatigue syndrome (CFS) using genetic factors such as single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs). METHODS: We employed the dataset that was original to the previous study by the CDC Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Group. To uncover relationships between CFS and SNPs, we applied three classification algorithms including naive Bayes, the support vector machine algorithm, and the C4.5 decision tree algorithm. Furthermore, we utilized feature selection methods to identify a subset of influential SNPs. One was the hybrid feature selection approach combining the chi-squared and information-gain methods. The other was the wrapper-based feature selection method. RESULTS: The naive Bayes model with the wrapper-based approach performed maximally among predictive models to infer the disease susceptibility dealing with the complex relationship between CFS and SNPs. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that our approach is a promising method to assess the associations between CFS and SNPs.

A Bayesian approach to gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in chronic fatigue syndrome.

INTRODUCTION: In the study of genomics, it is essential to address gene-gene and gene-environment interactions for describing the complex traits that involves disease-related mechanisms. In this work, our goal is to detect gene-gene and gene-environment interactions resulting from the analysis of chronic fatigue syndrome patients' genetic and demographic factors including SNPs, age, gender and BMI. MATERIALS & METHODS: We employed the dataset that was original to the previous study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Research Group. To investigate gene-gene and gene-environment interactions, we implemented a Bayesian based method for identifying significant interactions between factors. Here, we employed a two-stage Bayesian variable selection methodology based on Markov Chain Monte Carlo approaches. RESULTS: By applying our Bayesian based approach, NR3C1 was found in the significant two-locus gene-gene effect model, as well as in the significant two-factor gene-environment effect model. Furthermore, a significant gene-environment interaction was identified between NR3C1 and gender. These results support the hypothesis that NR3C1 and gender may play a role in biological mechanisms associated with chronic fatigue syndrome. CONCLUSION: We demonstrated that our Bayesian based approach is a promising method to assess the gene-gene and gene-environment interactions in chronic fatigue syndrome patients by using genetic factors, such as SNPs, and demographic factors such as age, gender and BMI.

Using Rasch analysis to validate the revised PSQI to assess sleep disorders in Taiwan's hi-tech workers.

The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) is an effective instrument for measuring the quality of sleep in older adults. In this study, we used Rasch analysis to validate the items of the revised PSQI (SC_PSQI) that contribute to a single construct. A total of 3,742 workers agreed to participate in this study. Both the appropriateness of the scoring rubrics and the unidimensionality of the SC_PSQI scale were investigated. All nine items fit the model's expectations rather well. These results indicate that the SC_PSQI with a 0 to 2 scoring scale can be used as a unidimensionality to assess sleep quality.

Association study of a brain-derived neurotrophic-factor polymorphism and short-term antidepressant response in major depressive disorders.

Major depressive disorder (MDD) is one of the most common mental disorders worldwide. Single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) can be used in clinical association studies to determine the contribution of genes to drug efficacy. A common SNP in the brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) gene, a methionine (Met) substitution for valine (Val) at codon 66 (Val66Met), is a candidate SNP for influencing antidepressant treatment outcome. In this study, our goal was to determine the relationship between the Val66Met polymorphism in the BDNF gene and the rapid antidepressant response to venlafaxine in a Taiwanese population with MDD. Overall, the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism was found not to be associated with short-term venlafaxine treatment outcome. However, the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism showed a trend to be associated with rapid venlafaxine treatment response in female patients. Future research with independent replication in large sample sizes is needed to confirm the role of the BDNF Val66Met polymorphism identified in this study.

Symptoms of ecstasy dependence and correlation with psychopathology in Taiwanese adolescents.

This study aimed at examining the spectrum and frequency of symptoms of ecstasy dependence and their correlation with psychopathology by controlling polysubstance use in Taiwanese adolescents. Two hundred adolescents who had used ecstasy were recruited into this study. Symptoms of ecstasy dependence that had occurred in the preceding year were determined by an interview using the Kiddie epidemiologic version of the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia. The adolescents' psychopathology was examined using the Symptom Checklist-90-Revised Scale. The proportion of participants who had symptoms of ecstasy dependence was calculated. The association between the number of symptoms of ecstasy dependence and psychopathology was examined by using stepwise multiple regression analysis. The results indicated that "continuing ecstasy use despite knowledge of having a problem related to ecstasy use," "spending a great deal of time in activities related to ecstasy use or to recover from its effects," and "ecstasy use tolerance" were the 3 most prevalent symptoms of dependence, and "withdrawal" was the symptom least reported. Heavy ecstasy use led to more symptoms of ecstasy dependence than light use. Symptoms of ecstasy dependence independently increased the risk of severe psychopathology after controlling the effects of polysubstance use. The results of this study indicated that adolescents were aware of the adverse effects of ecstasy use and that repeated ecstasy use would result in dependence on it. Screening the dependence symptoms of adolescent ecstasy users may help clinicians more thoroughly understand their psychopathology.

Family, peer and individual factors related to methylenedioxymethamphetamine use in Taiwanese adolescents.

Examination of the correlates of methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA) use is crucial for the development and implementation of effective prevention programs for adolescents. The aim of the present study was therefore to identify the family, peer and individual factors that were related to MDMA use in Taiwanese adolescents. Two hundred adolescents who used MDMA and 200 who did not use MDMA were recruited into the study. The family, peer and individual factors related to MDMA use were examined using chi(2) automatic interaction detection (CHAID) analysis. The results indicated that the adolescents who had more friends involved with substance use, disruptive family and attitude favoring MDMA use were more likely to use MDMA. Multiple factors of family, peer and individuals were related to MDMA use among Taiwanese adolescents. This knowledge may be helpful when designing and implementing preventive intervention programs.

Polysubstance use and its correlates in adolescent ecstasy users in Taiwan.

The aim of this study was to examine whether individual, family and peer factors can increase the risk of polysubstance use in Taiwanese adolescent ecstasy users. Two hundred adolescents with ecstasy use were recruited into this study. Their experience of using any other harmful substance in the preceding year and a variety of individual, family and peer characteristics were collected. The correlates of polysubstance use were examined using the two-step procedure of variable selection. The results indicated that 59 (29.5%) of the adolescent ecstasy users were polysubstance users. Ketamine, alcohol and areca quid were the three most prevalent substances used. Users who experienced dropping out of school, had poor mental health status and whose fathers had a low education level had an increased risk of polysubstance use. Clinicians should thoroughly screen adolescent ecstasy users who have the above factors as they are more likely to use other substances concomitantly.