Factors associated with the resilience of Tibetan adolescent survivors five years after the 2010 Yushu earthquake.

Resilience contributes to the recovery of disaster victims. The resilience of Tibetan adolescents after the Yushu earthquake has not been properly studied. This study aimed to examine the current resilience and associated factors in Tibetan adolescent survivors in the hardest-hit area 5 years after the Yushu earthquake. This cross-sectional survey was conducted in the area hit the hardest by the Yushu earthquake. Data were collected from 4681 respondents in October and November 2015. Measurements included the participant characteristics, traumatic earthquake experience, the Connor-Davidson resilience scale (CD-RISC), and the social support appraisals (SS-A) scale. The individual datasets were randomized as 80% for the training set and 20% for the validation set. The mean resilience score of the Tibetan adolescent survivors was 55.0±12.3. Thirteen variables were entered into the regression equation. The three dimensions of social support (from family, from friends, from others than family/friends) were positively associated with resilience (all P<0.05), among which support from others than family/friends was the strongest (r = 0.388, P<0.001). Academic performance, activeness of participation in school activities, harmonious relationship with teachers/classmates, health over the last year, and regular physical exercise were positively associated with resilience (all P<0.05). Being female and being extremely worried about their own lives were negatively associated with resilience (both P<0.05). In conclusion, among Tibetan adolescent survivors to the Yushu earthquake of 2010, support from others than family/friends was the strongest positive factor associated with resilience, while being female and extreme worry about their own lives were negative factors. These results expand our knowledge regarding resilience in Tibetan adolescent disaster survivors.

The prevalence of posttraumatic stress in adolescents eight years after the Wenchuan earthquake.

In 2008, an 8.0 Richter scale earthquake devastated Wenchuan in China, which resulted in heavy casualties, and had wide-reaching psychological effects on survivors. To examine its impact on the survivors, this study aims to investigate the prevalence of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and posttraumatic growth (PTG) in adolescents eight years after the earthquake. The cross-section survey was conducted in two different earthquake-affected areas, and data were collected from 4118 respondents. Instruments included the questionnaire on demographic information, the questionnaire on seismic exposure, PTSD Checklist-Civilian Version (PCL-C) questionnaire, Posttraumatic Growth Inventory (PTGI), Perceived Social Support Scale (PSSS) and Simple Coping Style Questionnaire (SCSQ). During the survey, there were 1998 valid questionnaires from the generally affected area and 2120 questionnaires from the severely affected area. The rate of PTSD is 1.9% in the generally affected area and 2.7% in the severely affected disaster area; there is no significant difference between the two differently affected areas. Occurrences of PTSD and PTG are significantly positively correlated in the generally affected area, nevertheless, there is a significant negative correlation between PTSD and PTG in most systems of the severely affected area. The results of this study help to expand our knowledge regarding posttraumatic stress in adolescents 8 years after the Wenchuan earthquake, and it provides suggestions for specific long-term health interventions in such populations. To prevent earthquake-related psychological issues among adolescent survivors, social support, psychological aid, and improvement of the living environment are necessary to buffer negative posttraumatic stress.

The Effect of Functional Mandibular Shift on the Muscle Spindle Systems in Head-Neck Muscles and the Related Neurotransmitter Histamine.

The aim of this study is to explore the effects of abnormal occlusion and functional recovery caused by functional mandible deviation on the head and neck muscles and muscle spindle sensory-motor system by electrophysiological response and endogenous monoamine neurotransmitters' distribution in the nucleus of the spinal tract. Seven-week-old male Wistar rats were randomly divided into 7 groups: normal control group, 2W experimental control group, 2W functional mandible deviation group, 2W functional mandible deviation recovery group, 4W experimental control group, 4W functional mandible deviation group, 4W functional mandible deviation recovery group. Chewing muscles, digastric muscle, splenius, and trapezius muscle spindles electrophysiological response activities at the opening and closing state were recorded. And then the chewing muscles, digastric, splenius, trapezius, and neck trigeminal nucleus were taken for histidine decarboxylase (HDC) detection by high performance liquid chromatography (HPLC), immunofluorescence, and reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR). Histamine receptor proteins in the neck nucleus of the spinal tract were also examined by immunofluorescence and RT-PCR. Electromyography activity of chewing muscles, digastric, and splenius muscle was significantly asymmetric; the abnormal muscle electromyography activity was mainly detected at the ipsilateral side. After functional mandibular deviation, muscle sensitivity on the ipsilateral sides of the chewing muscle and splenius decreased, muscle excitement weakened, modulation depth decreased, and the muscle spindle afferent impulses of excitation transmission speed slowed down. Changes for digastric muscle electrical activity were contrary. The functions recovered at different extents after removing the deflector. However, trapezius in all the experimental groups and recovery groups exhibited bilateral symmetry electrophysiological responses, and no significant difference compared with the control group. After functional mandibular deviation, HDC protein and messenger ribonucleic acid (mRNA) levels on the ipsilateral sides of the chewing muscle and splenius increased significantly. HDC level changes for digastric muscle were contrary. After the removal of the mandibular position deflector, HDC protein and mRNA levels decreased on the ipsilateral sides of the chewing muscle and splenius while they increased in the digastric muscle. The difference of histamine decarboxylase content in the bilateral trapezius in each experimental group was small. After functional mandibular deviation, the temporomandibular joint mechanical receptors not only caused the fusimotor fiber hypoallergenic fatigue slow response on the ipsilateral sides of splenius, but also increased the injury neurotransmitter histamine release. The authors' results further support the opinion that the temporomandibular joint receptors may be involved in the mechanical theory of the head and neck muscles nervous system regulation.