The roles of trait and process resilience in relation of BIS/BAS and depressive symptoms among adolescents.

Background: Extensive literature revealed the relations of depression with behavioral inhibition system (BIS) and behavioral activation system (BAS) as vulnerability and with resilience separately. Besides, the concept of resilience is still broad and ambiguous. Thus, this study aimed to reveal the mediation of two aspects of resilience: trait and process, in the relations of BIS and BAS to depression among adolescents. Methods: The data set used in this study was a cross-sectional survey among 965 adolescents. The obtained data from the self-reported questionnaires used in this study were as below: Depression Serf-Rating Scale for Children (DSRS-C), Behavioral Inhibition and Behavioral Activation System Scale (BIS/BASS), and Bidimensional Resilience Scale (BRS). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was conducted to verify the hypothesized relations among BIS/BAS, trait and behavior resilience, and depressive symptoms. Results: The obtained indices of fit from SEM were good or sufficient (χ 2 = 562.911, df = 96, p < 0.001; CFI = 0.925; NFI = 0.913; RMSEA = 0.073, 90% CI [0.067, 0.079]; SRMR = 0.066). And the modeling showed that both BIS/BAS directly and indirectly influenced to depression. The indirect effects of BIS/BAS were mediated only trait resilience except the indirect effect of BIS via behavioral resilience. Discussion: Our results suggested that trait resilience played a significant mediation role in the relationships between BIS/BAS and depression. Trait but not process resilience could be considered suitable as an intervention target in line with decreasing depression.

Impact of a single school-based intervention for COVID-19 on improving mental health among Japanese children.

An underlying concern about the COVID-19 pandemic is the decline of children's mental health. The present study is aimed to investigate whether a single school-based intervention, including self-monitoring and psychoeducation for COVID-19, effectively achieved its aim to promote children's mental health. The study was conducted in a junior high school. We assigned the third grade as the intervention group, the second grade as the announcement group, and the first grade as the control group. We hypothesized that the intervention group would experience improved mental health and reduced fear of COVID-19 compared to the announcement and control groups. Interaction effects were observed only for depression, indicating a significant effect in the intervention group. These findings suggest that a single school-based intervention that includes self-monitoring and psychoeducation for COVID-19 can help improve children's mental health. It is suggested that school-based interventions that intend to raise children's awareness of COVID-19 promote their healthy development and adaptation to crises within the school.

The association of social capital with depression and quality of life in school-aged children.

Social capital is an important factor that affects mental health. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between social capital and depression and between social capital and quality of life (QoL) in children in elementary and junior high school and to examine how this relationship differs in relevant patterns at both the individual- and school-level. The study was conducted in all elementary and junior high schools in a single municipality; the subjects consisted of 3,722 elementary school and 3,987 junior high school students (aged from 9 to 15). A multilevel linear mixed effect model analysis revealed that all three subscales of social capital were associated with depression and QoL at the individual-level: The school social capital at the individual-level showed the strongest association with depression and QoL. We also found that some of social capital at the school-level was associated with depression and QoL. An interactive effect was observed between educational stage (elementary and junior high) and some of social capital subscales. Specifically, the inverse association between school social capital and depression was stronger among the junior high students, while the positive association between school and neighborhood social capital and QoL was stronger among the elementary students. These interactions suggest that social capital impacts depression and QoL differently in elementary and junior high students. These findings suggest that the degree of association of social capital domains differs in mental health among the educational stage.

Validation and Psychometric Properties of the Japanese Version of the Fear of COVID-19 Scale Among Adolescents.

In the context of the global outbreak of COVID-19, there is an urgent need to explore the effects of this pandemic on the mental health of adolescents. The present study aims to adapt and validate a Japanese-version Fear of COVID-19 Scale (FCV-19S) with a sample of adolescent students from Japan. To this end, the Japanese-version FCV-19S, Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item scale (GAD-7), Patient Health Questionnaire for Adolescents (PHQ-A), and Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Scale (PVDS) were administered to a sample of Japanese adolescents in schools. The results of statistical analyses revealed that the Japanese-version FCV-19S has a bi-factor model consisting of the emotional response factor and the physiological response factor, with high reliability (emotional: α = .71; physiological: α = .82). Constructive validity was shown by the significant positive correlation between the GAD-7 and emotional (r = .11) and physiological response (r = .25), between PHQ-A and physiological response (r = .19), and between both factors and the PVDS subscale (rs > .16). Taken together, these results indicate that the Japanese-version FCV-19S has a high internal consistency and a moderately good construct validity.

Longitudinal association between smartphone ownership and depression among schoolchildren under COVID-19 pandemic.

Under the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns regarding prolonged screen time and mental health effects in children have increased. We examined the association of depression with smartphone ownership in school children at four time points: September 2019, July 2020, December 2020, and March 2021. The analysis revealed an interaction between group and time, indicating that depressive symptoms among smartphone owners were significantly more severe than in the other group. These results were clearer for fourth-year students, pointing that smartphone possession at younger ages may be a risk factor for mental health in the new lifestyle caused by the COVID-19 pandemic.

Psychosocial Adjustment and Mental Distress Associated With In-Game Purchases Among Japanese Junior High School Students.

In-game purchases, including microtransactions and loot box spending, are the monetization systems of free-to-play online games. Although some studies have suggested that excessive in-game purchases increase the risk of psychosocial maladjustment and mental distress as well as predict future problematic gaming and gambling practices, empirical studies on problematic behavioral patterns related to in-game purchasing among adolescents are lacking. This study sought to explore whether knowing the style of in-game purchases (non-purchase, planned purchase, or unplanned purchase) could be useful when characterizing maladaptive behavior among adolescents from the perspective of psychosocial adjustment and mental distress. A total of 335 junior high school students (aged 12-15 years) participated in the survey and completed a questionnaire assessing daily online gaming usage, in-game purchases, psychosocial adjustment, and mental distress. The results showed that (1) 30.7% of students had previously made in-game purchases, and at least 14.0% had made unplanned in-game purchases; (2) 19.2% of the users who had made unplanned purchases had spent greater than or equal to their actual monthly allowance within the past month, and (3) unplanned purchase gamers exhibited more behavioral problems and peer problems regarding psychosocial adjustment compared to planned purchase gamers, and more overall difficulties compared to non-purchasers. Meanwhile, more hyperactivity/inattention was seen among in-game purchasers compared to non-purchasers, regardless of whether the purchase was planned or unplanned. These findings support that understanding whether adolescents make unplanned in-game purchases could be a useful approach to describing the characteristics of online gamers with maladaptive tendencies.

Characteristics of Gamers who Purchase Loot Box: a Systematic Literature Review.

PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Research has indicated that loot boxes are risky gaming components that could exacerbate Internet gaming disorder due to a link between loot box purchasing and gambling. We conducted a systematic review to identify the characteristics of people who purchase loot boxes with real money, focusing on the relationships (a) between loot boxes and gaming, (b) between loot boxes and gambling, and (c) between loot boxes and other variables. RECENT FINDINGS: Of the 201 studies examined for eligibility, we reviewed 20 studies that met the predefined criteria, which were extracted by searching electronic databases (PsycINFO, PubMed, Ovid, EBSCO, and Web of Science) and the reference lists of included studies, and that were published up to March 27, 2021. Overall, this review identified positive relationships among Internet gaming disorder-related symptoms, disordered gambling symptoms, and engagement with, or investment in, loot boxes. In addition to gaming and gambling, the relationships among some variables, such as mood, gender, physiological state, motivation, and loot box engagement, were examined. SUMMARY: The present review clarified relationships between loot box engagement, gaming, gambling, and other variables, such as mood, gender, physiological state, and motivation, and partially identified the characteristics of people who purchase loot boxes using real money. Specifically, those who spend more money in-game on loot boxes exhibit Internet gaming-related and/or disordered gambling symptoms and behaviors. Finally, we discussed future directions for clinical psychological studies on loot boxes.

Role of ganglion cells in sigmoid volvulus.

The aim of this study was to clarify the role of ganglion cells in the development and recurrence of sigmoid volvulus. We analyzed 9 samples obtained from 9 patients who had undergone sigmoidectomy for sigmoid volvulus, and, for comparison, 18 samples from 18 patients who had undergone sigmoidectomy or low anterior resection for rectal cancer. Neuron-specific enolase was used for immunohistochemical staining to detect ganglion cells, and the number of ganglion cells in 20 contiguous fields was counted at 200? magnification. The average number of ganglion cells per 1000 cm(3) was corrected using the ratio of the circumference of the resected sigmoid colon to the average circumference in the control group. The raw numbers of ganglion cells in the Meissner's and Auerbach's plexuses in the volvulus group were significantly lower than those in the non-volvulus group (Meissner: p = 0.017, Auerbach: p = 0.007). The circumference of the resected sigmoid colons with volvulus was greater than that of those without volvulus (p = 0.00013). There was no significant difference in the corrected numbers of ganglion cells in the Meissner's plexus or Auerbach's plexus per 1000 cm(3) between the volvulus and non-volvulus groups (Meissner: p = 0.410, Auerbach: p = 0.890).Furthermore, there was no significant difference in the corrected numbers of ganglion cells between the revolvulus and non-revolvulus groups. These findings led us to conclude that functional disorder of bowel movement or elongation of the bowel in sigmoid volvulus or revolvulus is not related to the number of ganglion cells in Auerbach's or Meissner's plexus.

Characteristic features of abdominal organ injuries associated with gastric rupture in blunt abdominal trauma.

BACKGROUND: Previous studies have investigated the mechanisms of gastric rupture based only on the findings in gastric rupture and excluding gastric lacerations. METHODS: We investigated 14 cases of gastric injury (five with rupture and nine with laceration) from blunt abdominal trauma with or without thoracic trauma. Gastric injuries were caused by a traffic accident in 12 and by a fall in two patients. All of the patients with gastric rupture had had a full stomach at the time of impact. RESULTS: The patients had associated injuries of adjacent solid organs, the thoracic cage, and extremities. The frequency of injury of the hepatoduodenal or gastrohepatic ligament was higher in patients with gastric laceration than in patients with gastric rupture. Eight of nine patients with a gastric laceration had hepatic or pancreatic injury, whereas none of the patients with gastric rupture had such injury. CONCLUSIONS: The results of our study showed that the distended stomach tends to rupture by absorbing the impact from blunt abdominal trauma (i.e., it works like an airbag to protecting adjacent organs such as the liver and pancreas).

Expression of transcription factor E2F-1 in pancreatic ductal carcinoma: an immunohistochemical study.

E2F-1 is a transcriptional factor that mediates cell cycle progression from G1 to S phase, thereby influencing tumor progression. However, only a few clinicopathologic studies have been carried out using surgically removed specimens for defining its role in tumor biology. Therefore, we studied the expression of this cell cycle regulator on surgical specimens at the immunohistochemical level, and examined its possible relationship with proliferative index, assessed by analysis of MIB-1 expression, and clinicopathologic factors in pancreatic ductal carcinomas. E2F-1 and MIB-1 were immunostained on 54 surgically removed specimens, and nuclear reactivity was evaluated. The percentage of E2F-1 positive cells (E2F-1 PI) ranged from 3.8% to 71.4%. We found a statistically significant correlation between E2F-1 PI and the histologic grade of tumor differentiation (p = 0.0133), i.e. E2F-1 PI was higher in less-differentiated carcinomas. Furthermore, there was a positive correlation between E2F-1 PI and the percentage of MIB-1 PI (r = 0.763; p < 0.0001). The patients with higher E2F-1 PI (E2F-1 PI > or = 38.0 = median) showed a significantly shorter disease-associated survival time in R0 resection cases (n = 49, p = 0.015). The present analysis seems to support the theory that E2F-1 is upregulated in cell cycle, and its expression reflects the effector function of G1/S progression as far as pancreatic ductal carcinoma is concerned.

Factors affecting the early mortality of patients with nontraumatic colorectal perforation.

PURPOSE: We attempted to identify the factors associated with the early mortality of patients with nontraumatic colorectal perforation. METHODS: Eighty patients who underwent surgery for nontraumatic colorectal perforation between May 1986 and December 1999 were retrospectively reviewed. Age, sex, cause of perforation, duration of symptoms, associated preoperative septic shock, concomitant disorders (including cardiac disease, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, hemodialysis, and steroid treatment), operative findings (such as the site of perforation and the degree of peritonitis), and results of preoperative laboratory blood tests (such as the white blood cell count and platelet count) were analyzed for their association with early outcome using univariate and multivariate analyses. RESULTS: Fourteen of the 80 patients died during hospitalization. According to the univariate analysis, advanced age, preoperative septic shock, concomitant disabling cardiac disease, hemodialysis, diffuse peritonitis, and a low preoperative platelet count were more frequent in the patients who died during hospitalization. According to the logistic regression analysis, preoperative septic shock (odds ratio 8.443, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.625-43.873), concomitant end-stage renal failure (odds ratio 13.641, 95% CI 1.643-113.244), and diffuse peritonitis (odds ratio 13.212, 95% CI 1.441-121.102) were the most significant factors related to in-hospital mortality. CONCLUSION: Early diagnosis before the patient's general condition deteriorates is a key to improving the early mortality associated with nontraumatic colorectal perforation, especially in patients with concomitant end-stage renal failure.

Hepatic portal venous gas caused by blunt abdominal trauma: is it a true ominous sign of bowel necrosis? Report of a case.

A case of transient portal venous gas in the liver following blunt abdominal trauma is described. Computed tomography (CT) demonstrated hepatic portal venous gas 4 h after the injury. An exploratory laparotomy revealed segmental necrosis of the small intestine with a rupture of the bladder. Pneumatosis intestinalis was evident on the resected bowel. A histopathologic study revealed congestion and bleeding in the bowel wall and a great deal of the mucosa had been lost because of necrosis. However, neither thrombus nor atherosclerotic changes were observed in the vessels. A bacteriological examination demonstrated anaerobic bacteria from the bowel mucosa, which was most likely to produce portal venous gas. Although the present case was associated with bowel necrosis, a review of literature demonstrated that portal venous gas does not necessarily indicate bowel necrosis in trauma patients. There is another possibility that the portal venous gas was caused by a sudden increase in the intra-abdominal pressure with concomitant mucosal disruption, which thus forced intraluminal gas into the portal circulation in the blunt trauma patients.