Characteristic Similarities of Irritability Between Autism and Disruptive Mood Dysregulation Disorder.

Objective: Irritability in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is prominent and often leads to distress to both autistic children and their families. However, the nature of irritability in autism and the difference from nonautistic children have rarely been examined. This study aimed to investigate the clinical characteristics of irritability in autism, and to compare the symptom profiles with those of disruptive mood dysregulation disorder (DMDD) in nonautistic children. Methods: Fifty-six children aged 7-17 years (mean age 10.36 ± 3.05) were recruited into this study (21 with DMDD, 21 with high-functioning autism [hfASD], and 14 healthy volunteers [HV]). Their parents completed the Aberrant Behavior Checklist-Irritability (ABC-I) subscale and the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) parent report form. The ABC-I subscale was analyzed as a whole and broken into subsets (ABC-I-Irritability, ABC-I-Agitation, and ABC-I-Crying). The symptom profiles of irritability and the association with psychosocial difficulties were compared between groups. Results: The ABC-I-Irritability scores of children with hfASD closely matched to those of children with DMDD. In addition, both DMDD and hfASD groups could be differentiated from HV group in five of the six items except "depressed mood." However, in the ABC-I-Agitation scale, children with DMDD, but not hfASD, had higher scores in "Aggressive to other patients and staff" and "Stamps feet while banging objects or slamming doors" than HV. Regarding psychosocial outcomes, irritability in children with DMDD and hfASD were associated with emotional problems as measured by the SDQ. Moreover, irritability in DMDD was associated with conduct problems, and the hfASD group exhibited the similar trend. Conclusions: Symptom profiles of irritability and the associated emotional and conduct problems in children with hfASD were similar to those of DMDD in the nonautistic population. Future studies are warranted to explore the underlying neurophysiological mechanisms of irritability between autistic and nonautistic children for further insight into the nature of irritability in autism.

Factors associated with PTSD symptoms and quality of life among nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study.

BACKGROUND: Healthcare workers, especially nurses, were one of the most vulnerable groups for developing posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, which also affected their quality of life. However, only limited research has investigated the individual psychological factors as well as the environmental factors responsible for these effects of the pandemic. Demoralization is a state of loss of meaning and anhedonia, which we thought to be an important mediator between fear and PTSD among frontline nurses during the pandemic. This study aimed to explore the role of demoralization in the mechanisms of posttraumatic stress symptoms of nurses facing different infection risks and influencing factors on their well-being. METHOD: A cross sectional study was conducted from September 16, 2021 to October 8, 2021 in a medical center in Northern Taiwan. Online questionnaires were used to collect data, including age, sex, vaccination status, working years, previous quarantine experiences, psychiatric history, traumatic events and scales for measuring fear of COVID-19, demoralization, symptoms of posttraumatic stress, depression, anxiety and stress, burnout level, teamwork performance and quality of life. Hierarchical regression analysis and mediation analysis were utilized to identify associated risk factors and mechanisms. RESULT: Among 351 included nurses, 148 worked in high-risk areas directly exposed to COVID-19 patients or patients with respiratory symptoms, while 203 nurses worked in low-risk areas. Overall, nurses in the low-risk group had greater fear of COVID-19, and greater demoralization and burnout level, along with poorer teamwork and quality of life. Demoralization was found to have mediating effect in both the high-risk group and low-risk group on the relationships between fear of COVID-19 and posttraumatic stress symptoms. Levels of burnout and teamwork may serve as mediators between depression, anxiety, stress and quality of life. CONCLUSION: Hospital-based nurses appear to be at high risk for developing posttraumatic stress disorder during the COVID-19 pandemic. Study findings demonstrated specific associated factors that should be the focus of nursing administration and hospital management while employing preventive measures, psychological resilience of nurses or systematic managements. Future longitudinal research is needed to improve management in pandemic conditions.

The Psychometric Properties of the International Trauma Questionnaire in Taiwan.

Background: Complex post-traumatic stress disorder was often present after chronic traumatic events. The diagnostic criteria of complex post-traumatic disorder consisted of both post-traumatic stress disorder and disturbance in self-organization. People with complex post-traumatic disorder often exposed to chronic stress. It might not be as significant as the major traumatic event as survivors with post-traumatic stress disorder had experienced. Therefore, the impact of complex post-traumatic stress disorder was often ignored. It is critical to identify the at-risk individuals with complex post-traumatic disorder in community. We planned to investigate the psychometrics of the International Trauma Questionnaire for assessing complex post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in Taiwan. Methods: One hundred twenty-one individuals were enrolled and they completed 8 self-report scales, including International Trauma Questionnaire, Childhood Trauma Questionnaire Short Form, Beck Depression Inventory-II, Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Chinese version of the Post-traumatic Stress Disorder Checklist for DSM-5, Difficulties in Emotional Regulation Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the Interpersonal Relationship Scale. The psychometric of International Trauma Questionnaire was examined by bivariate correlation analysis, independent t-test, and factor analysis. Results: The study showed International Trauma Questionnaire had good reliability and validity and corresponded with previous studies. The result of confirmatory factor analysis supported the structure of complex post-traumatic stress disorder criteria in International Classification of Diseases-11. The 2-factor second-order model was the best-fitting model. The 6 symptom domains of complex post-traumatic stress disorder were also significantly correlated with depressive and anxiety symptoms. Conclusion: It suggests that the Chinese version of International Trauma Questionnaire could be used for screening at-risk groups and future works for mental public health in Taiwan.

Month of birth and the risk of narcolepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study is to evaluate the relationship between the month of birth (MOB) and the risk of narcolepsy. METHODS: We conducted a systematic review of the electronic databases PubMed, Embase, and Cochrane CENTRAL from their inception to September 30, 2021. We also added data on narcolepsy from the National Health Insurance Research Database in Taiwan. Then we extracted the relative risk (RR) ratios of narcolepsy in each month of birth to those of the general population and transformed them from MOB to season. A random-effects model was used to calculate pooled RR ratios from the meta-analysis and 95% confidence interval (CI). RESULTS: The meta-analysis analyzed 7 studies and included 3,776 patients from 8 areas (Canada, China, France, Germany, Hong Kong, Netherlands, Taiwan, and United States). The RR ratio was highest in March (1.11; 95% CI, 0.99-1.26) and August (1.11; 95% CI, 0.98-1.26) and lowest in April (0.90; 95% CI, 0.78-1.03). However, none of the MOBs reached statistical significance. Moreover, the narcolepsy risk patterns on the 3 continents (Asia, Europe, and North America) were different. In North America, the highest and lowest significant risks were found in March (1.47; 95% CI, 1.20-1.79) and September (0.75; 95% CI, 0.56-0.99). In Asia, the lowest notable risk was in April (0.80; 95% CI, 0.66-0.97). In Europe, the risk of narcolepsy was not significantly related to any MOB. In terms of seasons, only spring MOBs in North America had a significantly higher risk (1.21; 95% CI, 1.06-1.38). CONCLUSIONS: The findings indicated that the risk of narcolepsy and MOB differed across the 3 continents. This study indicates the important role of environmental factors in narcolepsy. SYSTEMATIC REVIEW REGISTRATION: Registry: PROSPERO; Identifier: CRD42020186660. CITATION: Hsu C-W, Tseng P-T, Tu Y-K, et al. Month of birth and the risk of narcolepsy: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Clin Sleep Med. 2022;18(4):1113-1120.

Antidepressants and risk of sudden sensorineural hearing loss: a population-based cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Increasing numbers of animal studies have found that sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL) is related to the mechanism of serotonergic modulation. However, the relationship between antidepressants and SSNHL is unclear in humans. Therefore, this study aimed to evaluate the association between antidepressant use and risk of SSNHL. METHODS: Data from 218 466 antidepressant users and 1 116 518 nonusers were obtained from the Taiwan Longitudinal Health Insurance Database. We used propensity-score matching (PSM) and inverse-probability treatment weighting (IPTW) to eliminate any bias. Each patient was tracked for 5 years to ascertain whether or not they were diagnosed with SSNHL. Cox proportional-hazard regression analyses were performed to calculate the SSNHL risk. RESULTS: The adjusted hazard ratio (aHR) of SSNHL for antidepressant users was 1.36 compared with nonusers in the full cohort study. The aHR for antidepressant users was 1.44 and 1.49 compared with the nonusers in the IPTW and PSM cohorts, respectively. All classes of antidepressants consistently increased the SSNHL risk. Additionally, patients receiving four classes of antidepressants were associated with a much higher SSNHL risk (aHR, 2.05) and those receiving one or two classes of antidepressants had a relatively lower SSNHL risk. CONCLUSION: Antidepressants increased SSNHL risk, regardless of their class. Furthermore, patients who took a higher number of antidepressant classes showed an increased risk of developing SSNHL than those who took a lower number of antidepressant classes. Therefore, physicians should estimate the risks and benefits of antidepressant use and avoid prescribing antidepressants concurrently.

A Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled, Two-Way Crossover Clinical Trial of ORADUR-Methylphenidate for Treating Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder.

Objective: Methylphenidate (MPH) is efficacious in reducing symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but there are no data about the efficacy and safety of its new formulation (ORADUR®-MPH extended release, ORADUR-MPH) in patients with ADHD, which is the study objective. Method: This was a Phase III, multicenter, randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, two-way crossover clinical trial. One hundred children and adolescents with a clinical diagnosis of ADHD (72.7% male) received at least one dose of ORADUR-MPH or a placebo during the 2-week treatment period of each phase. The primary efficacy measure was the Swanson, Nolan, and Pelham-IV-teacher (SNAP-IV-T) form. Secondary efficacy measures included the SNAP-IV-parent form, the Clinical Global Impression: ADHD-Severity score, the Conner's Teacher's Rating Scale score, and the investigator's rating for 18 Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition ADHD symptoms. In addition, data related to vital signs, body weight, physical examination, laboratory testing, and adverse events (AEs) were also collected. All data were analyzed on an intent-to-treat basis. Results: Without adjusting for differences in demographics and baseline measures, both treatment groups showed significant reductions in ADHD and oppositional defiant disorder symptoms after a 2-week treatment with greater effect sizes (Cohen's d) in the ORADUR-MPH group (Cohen's d ranging from -0.41 to -1.64; placebo, Cohen's d ranging from -0.26 to -1.18), except for oppositional symptoms, regardless of the informants. For the primary efficacy measure, ORADUR-MPH was significantly superior to the placebo, as evidenced by lower values for and greater reductions in the SNAP-IV-T scores at the endpoint (Cohen's d = -0.16, p = 0.005) and from baseline to the endpoint (Cohen's d = -0.19, p = 0.006), respectively. There were no serious AEs during the clinical study period. The most frequently observed AE was decreased appetite (49.1%). Most physical and laboratory test variables remained within the normal range. Conclusions: Once-daily ORADUR-MPH is an effective, well-tolerable, and safe treatment for children and adolescents with ADHD. ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT02450890.

Protective Effects of Anti-depressants against the Subsequent Development of Psoriasis in Patients with Major Depressive Disorder: a Cohort Study.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation may mediate the relationship between major depressive disorder (MDD) and psoriasis. However, it is unclear whether anti-depressants can decrease the subsequent risk of psoriasis among MDD patients. This study investigated the effects of anti-depressants on the subsequent risk of psoriasis in MDD patients. METHODS: This was a population-based cohort study in Taiwan. 58,454 MDD patients who had received anti-depressants and 6,034 MDD patients who did not receive anti-depressants were included. Each patient was tracked for 5 years to confirm a diagnosis of psoriasis following the index date. Cox proportional hazards models were performed to estimate the hazard ratio (HR) for psoriasis. RESULTS: In this study, after using time-dependent Cox regression with both inverse probability of treatment weighting (IPTW) and adjustment for confounders, anti-depressant users had a significantly lower risk of psoriasis than the nonusers (IPTW-adjusted HR [aHR] = 0.69). Additionally, most types and dosages of anti-depressants tended to protect against psoriasis. Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor use (IPTW-aHR = 0.67) and low-dose anti-depressant use (IPTW-aHR = 0.66) had significant protective effects even after IPTW and adjustment for confounders. LIMITATIONS: This study had no information about over-the-counter medications. CONCLUSIONS: This study revealed the protective effects of anti-depressants on psoriasis risk in patients with MDD. Antidepressant users had significantly lower risk of psoriasis than the nonusers. Further analyses indicated that the usage of SSRIs and low antidepressant dosage could statistically decrease risk of psoriasis.

Major depressive disorder increased risk of psoriasis: A propensity score matched cohort study.

BACKGROUND: Reports showed that elevated proinflammatory cytokines, as detected in patients with psoriasis, was noted in individuals with major depressive disorder (MDD). Therefore, this study aimed to clarify the association of MDD and prospective incidence of psoriasis in human using a nationwide study. METHOD: This population-based cohort study used the data from the Taiwan National Health Insurance system. 64,486 patients were defined as MDD cohort and 64,486 propensity score matched subjects without MDD were identified as comparison cohort. Each patient was independently tracked for a 5-year study period to assure them for a psoriasis diagnosis after the index date. Stratified Cox proportional hazard models were used to calculate the hazard ratio (HRs) for 5-year psoriasis risk. RESULTS: After adjustments, the HR of psoriasis for MDD patients was 1.32 compared with subjects without MDD. The stratified analyses present that MDD patients had approximately 1.30-fold significantly higher risk of psoriasis than comparison subjects in most subgroups. Furthermore, compared with the matched subjects without MDD, the adjusted HRs of psoriasis in the 2-, 3-, 4- and 5-year study periods were 1.33, 1.32, 1.33 and 1.32, respectively. LIMITATIONS: Several patients with MDD or psoriasis might not include in this study, because of using a medical claims database. CONCLUSIONS: This study provides population-based evidence that MDD is an independent risk factor of developing psoriasis, with an increased risk in the male sex. Additional investigations verifying our findings and exploring possible pathological mechanisms would be of great interest and value to the psychiatric field.

Increased problematic smartphone use among children with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder in the community: The utility of Chinese version of Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale.

BACKGROUND: Problematic smartphone use is more prevalent in children than before. This study aimed to evaluate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Smartphone Addiction Proneness Scale (SAPS). METHODS: We recruited 319 students aged 9 to 12 years including 70 attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder subjects at a university hospital and 249 controls from elementary school. Finally, 164 males and 138 females were collected for data analysis with mean age of 10.99 ± 0.88 years. Item analysis, exploratory factor analysis, internal consistency test, and t test were performed to verify the reliability and validity of the SAPS-Chinese version. Correlations were examined for relation between the score in the SAPS-Chinese version and the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition diagnostic criteria. RESULTS: Factor analysis showed two factors: problematic use-associated behaviors and impaired daily functions. Item analysis for every item in the SAPS-Chinese version showed significant differences in t values (p < 0.001) and high correlation in all items (r = 0.37-0.79). The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) was equal to 0.94 and Bartlett's test of Sphericity was significant (p < 0.001). Cronbach's α for the SAPS-Chinese version was 0.93. It revealed high reliability and validity. CONCLUSION: The SAPS-Chinese version is reliable, valid, and suitable for clinical and research uses with satisfactory properties. Applying the modified SAPS-Chinese version offers early detection of problematic smartphone use.

Use of antipsychotics and the risk of acute respiratory failure among adults: A disease risk score-matched nested case-control study.

AIMS: Evidence on acute respiratory failure (ARF) from antipsychotics is scant, and only 1 population-based study examined this drug safety issue in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients. Antipsychotics have been frequently prescribed off-label in adults, but whether antipsychotic use carries an increased ARF risk among adult patients is uncertain. METHODS: We adopted a nested case-control study analysing 716 493 adults aged ≥20 years, identified from the Taiwan nationwide healthcare claims records between January 2000 and December 2013. Among the study cohort, 7084 adults with ARF and 12,785 disease risk scored-matched randomly selected controls were analysed. Multivariable logistic regression models were employed to estimate odds ratios of ARF with antipsychotic usages. RESULTS: Current, recent, and recent past use of antipsychotics was associated with a 2.33-fold (95% confidence interval [CI] = 2.06-2.64), 1.79-fold (95% CI = 1.43-2.25) and 1.41-fold (95% CI = 1.20-1.66) increased risk of ARF, respectively, compared with nonuse, while antipsychotics discontinued >90 days carried no risk. A dose-dependent association was observed with current therapy of antipsychotics (test for trend, P < .001), in which antipsychotic use at >1 defined daily dose yielded the highest risk of 6.53-fold (95% CI = 3.33-12.79). The findings were robust to using carbamazepine as an active comparator. CONCLUSION: Antipsychotic use was associated with an increased risk of ARF in adult patients. The risk was dose-dependent and markedly higher with current use of antipsychotic agents at doses of 1 defined daily dose and above, <10% of this cohort. Physicians should be vigilant about any respiratory symptoms in patients currently receiving antipsychotics at such dose.

Sex and age differences in the association between anxiety disorders and narcolepsy: A nationwide population-based case control study.

BACKGROUND: To examine the association between narcolepsy and anxiety disorders. METHODS: This population-based, retrospective case-control study analyzed Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2013. We included narcoleptic patients aged at least 12 years, diagnosed according to the International Classification of Diseases, 9th Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) code 347. The cases and the propensity score-matched controls were selected in a 1:4 ratio. Each subject with anxiety disorders (ICD-9-CM code 300) was required to visit the outpatient clinic at least three times within a year. Multivariate logistic regression and interaction analyses were used to calculate the association between anxiety disorders and narcolepsy. RESULTS: This study enrolled 478 and 1912 subjects with and without narcolepsy, respectively. After adjusting for covariates, patients with anxiety disorders had an approximately 2.7 odds ratio of developing narcolepsy when compared to the control subjects (adjusted odds ratio [aOR)] = 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.699-4.344). Interaction analysis and subgroup analysis showed a higher incidence of previously diagnosed anxiety disorders in narcoleptic patients aged 12 to 17 years and female patients (aOR = 25.9; 95% CI = 15.194-42.896; aOR = 3.6; 95% CI = 1.818-7.062, respectively). LIMITATIONS: The narcolepsy and anxiety disorders were not distinguished by validated structural diagnostic instruments. CONCLUSIONS: The results of this study revealed higher comorbidity rates of anxiety disorders in narcoleptic patients. The incidence of previously diagnosed anxiety disorders was higher in narcoleptic patients aged 12 to 17 years and female patients.

Association between major depressive disorder and subsequent tinnitus: A population-based study.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have presented an unclear association between major depressive disorder (MDD) and tinnitus. Therefore, in this study, we aimed to demonstrate the actual association between MDD and new-onset tinnitus using a large, population-based dataset in Taiwan. METHOD: This case-control study used the data from the National Health Insurance Database. In total, 18,365 patients with tinnitus were recruited as cases, and 18,365 propensity score-matched patients without tinnitus were identified as controls. Logistic regression models were constructed to calculate the odds ratios (ORs) and to estimate the association between prior MDD and tinnitus. RESULTS: MDD was found in 396 (2.16%) patients with tinnitus and 228 (1.24%) controls without tinnitus. The logistic regression model indicated that prior MDD was associated with tinnitus (adjusted OR, 1.74; 95% CI, 1.47-2.05). Moreover, MDD was positively associated with tinnitus among most subgroups. Notably, a significant association between MDD and tinnitus was observed among patients with diabetes (adjusted OR, 2.05) and hyperlipidemia (adjusted OR, 1.94). Furthermore, sensitivity analyses consistently found a relationship between prior MDD and tinnitus. LIMITATIONS: The database used in this study does not provide information regarding the lifestyle and gene factors. CONCLUSIONS: Our results showed a positive association between prior MDD and tinnitus. In addition, MDD may be one of the risk factors for tinnitus onset. Therefore, we recommended that the clinicians should be alert about the tinnitus condition among patients with MDD and provide appropriate interventions for them.

No Association Between Human Immunodeficiency Virus Infections And Dementia: A Nationwide Cohort Study In Taiwan.

BACKGROUND: The associations between the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) and dementias are as yet to be studied in Taiwan. The aim of this study is to clarify as to whether HIV infections are associated with the risk of dementia. METHODS: A total of 1,261 HIV-infected patients and 3,783 controls (1:3) matched for age and sex were selected between January 1 and December 31, 2000 from Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). Fine and Gray's survival analysis (competing with mortality) analyzed the risk of dementias during the 15-year follow up. The association between the highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) and dementia was analyzed by stratifying the HAART status among the HIV subjects. RESULTS: During the follow-up period, 25 in the HIV group (N= 1,261) and 227 in the control group (N= 3,783) developed dementia (656.25 vs 913.15 per 100,000 person-years). Fine and Gray's survival analysis revealed that the HIV patients were not associated with an increased risk of dementia, with the adjusted hazard ratio (HR) as 0.852 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.189-2.886, p=0.415) after adjusting for sex, age, comorbidities, geographical region, and the urbanization level of residence. There was no significant difference between the two groups of HIV-infected patients with or without HAART in the risk of dementia. CONCLUSION: This study found that HIV infections, either with or without HAART, were not associated with increased diagnoses of neurodegenerative dementias in patients older than 50 in Taiwan.

Potential Negative Effects of Dextromethorphan as an Add-On Therapy to Methylphenidate in Children With ADHD.

Objectives: Methylphenidate (MPH) is highly effective in controlling the symptoms of attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), but some children with ADHD either do not respond to, or do not tolerate, treatment. Dextromethorphan (DM) is a neuroprotective agent which has been used in the treatment of neuropsychiatric disorders. This clinical trial had examined the effect of DM on the use of MPH in the children with ADHD. Methods: This randomized double-blind clinical trial had evaluated 44 male outpatients, aged between 6 and 12 years, with a diagnosis of ADHD. The study subjects were randomly assigned into one of the two groups: receiving MPH alone (15-60 mg per day) or MPH plus DM (30-60 mg per day) for 8 weeks. Assessments, comprising the Chinese version of the Child Behavior Checklist (CBCL-C) scale and the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham Questionnaire (SNAP)-IV rating tests conducted by parents and the serum cytokines measured by microarray and enzyme-linked immunosorband assay (ELISA), were compared between groups at baseline and at 8 weeks after the medication was started. Results: There were a significant decrease at the mean scores of both CBCL-C and SNAP-IV scales after 8 weeks of treatment, but no significant differences between MPH and MPH+DM groups. Compared with the MPH-only group, the mean scores of some psychometric parameters reported on the CBCL-C and SNAP-IV scales regarding time effects as well as the attention problems on the CBCL-C scale regarding group effect were significantly higher in the DM+MPH group. Although there were no significant differences in the levels of various serum cytokines between groups, the subjects in the DM-MPH group had relatively fewer and lower levels of adverse effects. Significant interactions were found between the withdrawn/depression item reported on the CBCL-C scale and tumor necrosis factor α (ခTNF-α) (p = 0.027), as well as between thought problems item on the CBCL-C and TNF-α (p = 0.028) in subjects who had received DM+MPH treatment. Conclusion: Following the trial, DM+MPH was not superior to MPH alone for the treatment of children with ADHD, yet DM may potentially have negative effects on ADHD symptoms when combined with MPH. Clinical Trial Registration: Clinicaltrials.gov, trial number: NCT01787136.

Pinworm infections associated with risk of psychiatric disorders-A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan: Pinworm infections and psychiatric disorders.

AIM: This study aimed to investigate the association between males with pinworm infections and the risk of developing psychiatric disorders. METHOD: A total of 2044 enrolled patients, with 511 pinworm subjects and 1533 unexposed subjects (1:3) matched for sex, age and index year, from Taiwan's Longitudinal Health Insurance Database (LHID) from 2000 to 2015, selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database (NHIRD). After adjusting for confounding factors, the Cox regression model was used to compare the risk of developing psychiatric disorders during the 15 years of follow-up. RESULTS: Of all the enrollees, 24 in the pinworm cohort and 18 in the unexposed cohort (343.10 vs 84.96 per 100,000 person-year) developed psychiatric disorders. The Cox regression model revealed that, after adjusting for sex, age, monthly income, urbanization level, geographic region, and comorbidities, the adjusted HR was 4.581 (95% CI: 2.214-9.480, p < .001, p < .001). Pinworm infections were associated with the increased risk in anxiety disorders, depressive disorders, and sleep disorders, respectively. CONCLUSION: Patients who suffered from pinworm infections have a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders, and this finding should be considered as a timely reminder for the clinicians to provide much more attention for these patients because of their mental health issues.

Risk of psychiatric disorders in pulmonary embolism: a nationwide cohort study.

This study aims to investigate the association between pulmonary embolism (PE) and the risk of psychiatric disorders. A total of 21,916 patients aged ≥20 years with PE between January 1, 2000, and December 31, 2015, were selected from the National Health Insurance Research Database of Taiwan, along with 65,748 (1:3) controls matched for sex and age. Cox regression model revealed the crude HR was 1.539 (95% CI 1.481 to 1.599; p<0.001), and after adjusting all the covariates, the adjusted HR was 1.704 (95% CI 1.435 to 1.991, p<0.001), for the risk of psychiatric disorders in the PE cohort. PE was associated with the overall psychiatric disorders, dementia, anxiety, depression, and sleep disorders, after the exclusion of the psychiatric diagnoses in the first year. PE was associated with the overall psychiatric disorders, dementia, anxiety, and depression, after the exclusion of the psychiatric diagnoses in the first 5 years. The patients with PE were associated with psychiatric disorders. This finding could serve as a reminder to the physicians to be more watchful and aware in the long-term follow-up of patients with PE for their care and potential mental health problems.

Lurasidone in the treatment of schizophrenia: Results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial in Asian patients.

INTRODUCTION: To evaluate efficacy and safety of lurasidone for the treatment of Asian patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: Patients with schizophrenia from Japan, South Korea, Malaysia, and Taiwan were randomly assigned to 6 weeks of double-blind treatment with 40 or 80 mg/d of lurasidone or placebo. The primary efficacy measure was change from baseline to week 6 on the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) total score. Efficacy was evaluated using a mixed-model repeated-measures (MMRM) analysis in the modified intention-to-treat (mITT) population. RESULTS: On the basis of the analysis for the mITT population, the estimated difference score for lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d vs placebo was -4.8 (P = 0.050) and -4.2 (P = 0.080). For the full intention-to-treat (ITT) population, the difference score for lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d vs placebo was -5.8 (P = 0.017) and -4.2 (P = 0.043). The most frequent adverse events in the lurasidone 40 and 80 mg/d and placebo groups, respectively, were akathisia (7.3%, 10.4%, 3.3%), somnolence (6.0%, 2.6%, 0.7%), and vomiting (6.0%, 5.8%, 2.0%). The proportion of patients experiencing clinically significant weight gain (≥7%) was 5.3% for lurasidone 40 mg/d, 1.3% for 80 mg/d, and 1.4% for placebo. End point changes in metabolic parameters and prolactin were comparable for both lurasidone groups and placebo. CONCLUSIONS: In the ITT (but not the mITT) population, treatment with lurasidone was associated with significant improvement in the PANSS total score in patients with schizophrenia. Lurasidone was generally well tolerated with minimal impact on weight and metabolic parameters.

Divalproex and its effect on suicide risk in bipolar disorder: A systematic review and meta-analysis of multinational observational studies.

BACKGROUND: Divalproex has become the most prevalent mood stabilizer for bipolar disorder. However, little is known its effects in the prevention of suicide in patients with bipolar disorder, and recent FDA announcement indicated an increased risk of suicidality when using anti-epileptic agents such as divalproex. The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of divalproex on suicide risk in patients with bipolar disorder. METHODS: A search strategy was used for the PubMed, Embase, ProQuest, ScienceDirect, Cochrane Library, ClinicalKey, Web of Science, and ClinicalTrials.gov until June 13th, 2018. Peer-reviewed observationally clinical studies in humans, investigating the association of divalproex and suicidality in patients with bipolar disorder were included. A random-effects meta-analysis was implemented to calculate the relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for suicidality among patients receiving divalproex and those without. RESULTS: Total 6 studies were included in the final meta-analysis. There was no significant difference in the incidence rates (reported as [RR]; 95% CI) of suicide attempts (0.921; 0.383-2.215) or completed suicides (0.607; 0.180-2.043) between participants receiving divalproex vs. no medication. There was no significant difference in the incidence rates of suicide attempts (0.815; 0.453-1.466) or completed suicides (1.009; 0.410-2.484) between participants receiving divalproex and carbamazepine. LIMITATIONS: The significantly heterogeneous sample sources and study design amount the included trials. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with divalproex did not reduce or increase the incidence of suicide-related events in patients with bipolar disorder.

Short Sleep Duration Is Associated With Increased Serum Homocysteine: Insights From a National Survey.

STUDY OBJECTIVES: Both short sleep duration and increased serum homocysteine levels are associated with cardiovascular events. However, research on the relationship between sleep duration and serum homocysteine levels is sparse. The aim of this study is to examine the association between sleep duration and serum homocysteine levels from a national database. METHODS: In total, 4,480 eligible participants older than 20 years who had serum homocysteine data and reported sleep duration were enrolled from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey of 2005 to 2006. The association between sleep duration and serum homocysteine levels was analyzed using multivariate regression models for covariate adjustment. RESULTS: Serum homocysteine level was lowest in individuals with a sleep duration of 7 hours and increased in those with both shorter and longer self-reported total sleep time (groups were categorized into ≤ 5 hours, 6 hours, 7 hours, 8 hours, and ≥ 9 hours). After adjustment for covariates, those in the group sleeping ≤ 5 hours had significantly higher serum homocysteine levels than the reference group (sleep duration of 7 hours). In subgroup analyses by sex, body mass index (BMI), and ethnicity, the association between short sleep duration (≤ 5 hours) and higher serum homocysteine levels persisted in women, individuals with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and non-Hispanic whites. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlighted that short sleep duration was associated with higher serum homocysteine levels in women, individuals with obesity (BMI ≥ 30 kg/m2), and non-Hispanic whites; this finding might suggest increased vulnerability to cardiovascular risk or other atherothrombotic events in these groups in the context of short sleep.