Major hindrances to controlling the current childhood obesity epidemic include access to prevention and/or treatment programs that are affordable,provide minimal barriers for participation,and are available to the gen...Major hindrances to controlling the current childhood obesity epidemic include access to prevention and/or treatment programs that are affordable,provide minimal barriers for participation,and are available to the general public.Moreover,successful childhood obesity prevention efforts will require coordinated partnerships in multiple sectors such as government,health care,school/afterschool,and the community but very few documented sustainable programs currently exist.Effective,community-based health and wellness programs with a focus on maintaining healthy weight via physical activity and healthy eating have the potential to be a powerful referral resource for pediatricians and other healthcare professionals who have young patients who are overweight/obese.The Miami Dade County Department of Parks,Recreation and Open Spaces in partnership with the University of Miami UHealth Systems have created a "Park Prescription Program(Parks Rx4Health^(TM))" that formally coordinates pediatricians,families,parents,caregivers,and child/adolescents to provide daily obesity-prevention activities.This Parks Rx4Health^(TM)program that we describe here allows UHealth pediatricians to seamlessly refer their overweight and obese patients to Fit2Play^(TM),an evidence-based,park-based afterschool health and wellness program.Measurable outcomes that include body mass index,blood pressure,fitness,and nutrition knowledge are being collected at baseline and at 3-and 6-mo after referral to document patient progress.Results are then shared with the referring physician so they can follow up with the patient if necessary.Identifying successful models that integrate primary care,public health,and community-based efforts is important to accelerating progress in preventing childhood obesity.Effective,community-based health and wellness programs with a focus on physical activity and nutrition education could be a powerful referral resource for pediatricians who have obese patients.展开更多
This longitudinal study examined the association between parental autonomy support and school-aged children’s adjustment across four major domains of school functioning,as well as the mediating role of children’s ex...This longitudinal study examined the association between parental autonomy support and school-aged children’s adjustment across four major domains of school functioning,as well as the mediating role of children’s executive function.Participants were 476 school-aged children(girl:49.2%,M_(age)=10.49 years,SD=1.32 years),who completed the Psychological Autonomy Support Scale,the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–2,and the Primary School Students’Psychological Suzhi Scale at baseline and at two subsequent follow-up assessments.Results from unconditional latent growth curve models and structural equation modeling indicated that paternal autonomy support was a significant predictor of children’s adjustment across all four school domains.In contrast,maternal autonomy support was significantly associated only with interpersonal adjustment.Both the intercept(initial level)and slope(rate of change)of children’s executive function significantly predicted their adjustment in all four domains.Notably,the initial level of executive function fully mediated the association between paternal autonomy support and school adjustment,whereas the rate of change in executive function did not serve as a significant mediator.Thesefindings underscore the importance of promoting parental autonomy-supportive behaviors-particularly among fathers-as a means to enhance children’s executive functioning and,consequently,their school adjustment.展开更多
Several reports suggest that college students often have atypical sleep patterns and experience poor sleep quality. We examined the effect of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based intervention program to improve ...Several reports suggest that college students often have atypical sleep patterns and experience poor sleep quality. We examined the effect of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based intervention program to improve sleep quality and overall mental health among college students. The intervention was delivered in the form of e-mail newsletters. Fifty-three students participated in the intervention group, and another 50 students participated in the control group. The intervention group received a lecture on sleep hygiene;once-weekly e-mail newsletters on sleep health topics (sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep titration, and relapse prevention) and were asked to maintain a four-week sleep diary. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a measure of sleep quality, and the Kessler 6, a measure of psychological distress, were administered before the lecture (as the baseline measurement) and again 16 weeks later (follow-up measurement). PSQI and K6 scores were reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group. A CBT-based sleep health program utilizing e-mail newsletters may work to improve sleep quality and mental health. This program may represent a cost effective way for Japanese students to receive treatment for poor sleep and may also serve to prevent psychiatric problems.展开更多
Status epilepticus has been shown to activate the proliferation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the brain, while also causing a large amount of neuronal death, especially in the subgranular zone of the dent...Status epilepticus has been shown to activate the proliferation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the brain, while also causing a large amount of neuronal death, especially in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone. Simultaneously, proliferating stem cells tend to migrate to areas with obvious damage. Our previous studies have clearly confirmed the effect of sodium valproate on cognitive function in rats with convulsive status epilepticus. However, whether neurogenesis can play a role in the antiepileptic effect of sodium valproate remains unknown. A model of convulsive status epilepticus was established in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of 3 mEq/kg lithium chloride, and intraperitoneal injection of pilocarpine 40 mg/kg after 18–20 hours. Sodium valproate(100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 600 mg/kg) was intragastrically administered six times every day(4-hour intervals) for 5 days. To determine the best dosage, sodium valproate concentration was measured from the plasma. The effective concentration of sodium valproate in the plasma of the rats that received the 300-mg/kg intervention was 82.26 ± 11.23 μg/mL. Thus, 300 mg/kg was subsequently used as the intervention concentration of sodium valproate. The following changes were seen: Recording excitatory postsynaptic potentials in the CA1 region revealed high-frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation. Immunohistochemical staining for BrdU-positive cells in the brain revealed that sodium valproate intervention markedly increased the success rate and the duration of induced long-term potentiation in rats with convulsive status epilepticus. The intervention also reduced the number of newborn neurons in the subgranular area of the hippocampus and subventricular zone and inhibited the migration of newborn neurons to the dentate gyrus. These results indicate that sodium valproate can effectively inhibit the abnormal proliferation and migration of neural stem cells and newborn neurons after convulsive status epilepticus, and improve learning and memory ability.展开更多
Objective： A study in a Caucasian population has identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） in ZNF533, one in DOCK4, and two in IMMP2L, which were all significantly associated with autism. They are locat...Objective： A study in a Caucasian population has identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） in ZNF533, one in DOCK4, and two in IMMP2L, which were all significantly associated with autism. They are located in AUTS1 and AUTS5, which have been identified as autism susceptibility loci in several genome-wide screens. The present study aimed to investigate whether ZNF533, DOCK4, and IMMP2L genes are also associated with autism in a northeastern Chinese Han population. Methods： We performed a similar association study using families with three individuals （one autistic child and two unaffected parents）. A family-based transmission disequilibrium test （TDT） was used to analyze the results. Results： There were significant associations between autism and the two SNPs of ZNF533 gene （rs11885327： X^2=4.5200, P=0.0335; rs1964081 ：）（2=4.2610, P=0.0390） and the SNP of DOCK4 gene （rs2217262 X^2=5.3430, P=0.0208）. Conclusions： Our data suggest that ZNF533 and DOCK4 genes are linked to a predisposition to autism in the northeastern Chinese Han population.展开更多
Background:Valid and reliable measures of depressive symptoms are crucial for understanding risk factors,outcomes,and interventions across rural and urban settings.Despite this need,the longitudinal invariance of thes...Background:Valid and reliable measures of depressive symptoms are crucial for understanding risk factors,outcomes,and interventions across rural and urban settings.Despite this need,the longitudinal invariance of these measures over time remains understudied.This research explores the structural components of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale(CES-D)and examines its consistency across various living environments and temporal stability in a cohort of Chinese teenagers.Method:In the initial phase,1,042 adolescents furnished demographic details and undertook the CES-D assessment.After a three-month interval,967 of these participants repeated the CES-D evaluation.The study employed Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)to scrutinize the scale’s structural integrity.We investigated factorial invariance by conducting a twopronged CFA:one comparing urban vs.rural backgrounds,and another contrasting the results from the initial assessment with those from the follow-up.Results:The CES-D demonstrated adequate reliability in both rural and urban high school student samples.The preliminary four-factor model applied to the CES-D demonstrated a good fit with the collected data.Invariance tests,including multigroup analyses comparing rural and urban samples and longitudinal assessments,confirmed the scale’s invariance.Conclusions:The results suggest that the CES-D serves as a reliable instrument for evaluating depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.Its applicability is consistent across different living environments and remains stable over time.展开更多
BACKGROUND Perinatal brain injury may lead to later neurodevelopmental disorders,whose outcomes may vary due to neuroplasticity in young children.Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that the left parietotemporal ar...BACKGROUND Perinatal brain injury may lead to later neurodevelopmental disorders,whose outcomes may vary due to neuroplasticity in young children.Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that the left parietotemporal area(which includes the left inferior parietal lobe)is associated with phonological awareness and decoding skills,which are essential skills for reading acquisition in children.However,the literature on the effect of perinatal cerebral injury on the development of phonological awareness or decoding ability in childhood is limited.CASE SUMMARY We report the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with reading difficulty following a perinatal injury in the parieto-temporal-occipital lobes.The patient was born at term and was treated for hypoglycemia and seizures during the neonatal period.Diffusion-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging on postnatal day 4 revealed cortical and subcortical hyperintensities in the parieto-temporo-occipital lobe.At the age of 8 years,physical examination was unremarkable,aside from mild clumsiness.Despite occipital lobe injury,the patient had adequate visual acuity,normal eye movement,and no visual field defects.Full-scale intelligence quotient and verbal comprehension index on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition were 75 and 90,respectively.Further assessment revealed adequate recognition of Japanese Hiragana letters.However,he had significantly slower reading speed in the Hiragana reading test than control children.The phonological awareness test revealed significant errors(standard deviation+2.7)in the mora reversal task.CONCLUSION Patients with perinatal brain injuries in the parietotemporal area require attention and may benefit from additional reading instructions.展开更多
Social interaction is known to alter behavior and emotional responses to various events. It has been reported that when fear-conditioned animals are put in a fear extinction paradigm with non-fearful conspecifics (pai...Social interaction is known to alter behavior and emotional responses to various events. It has been reported that when fear-conditioned animals are put in a fear extinction paradigm with non-fearful conspecifics (pair-exposure), freezing behavior decreases compared to a solitary situation. However, it remains unclear whether pair-exposure during fear extinction is persistently effective in reducing the freezing response. In this study, we examined whether the effect of pair-exposure could be persistently effective on cued and contextual fear extinction. The reduction of the fear compared to the solitary condition was transiently observed only in the cued fear extinction with no difference in the subsequent recall session. We also found that the correlation between corticosterone levels and freezing behavior during extinction was disrupted in the pair-exposure situation. These results suggest that pair-exposure reduces freezing behavior in cued fear extinction, although this fear response reduction is not persistent. The pair-exposure changed an association between corticosterone levels and freezing behavior during extinction.展开更多
Background: Concerns still exist with respect to unsatisfactory eradication rates and/or therapy-associated side effects for the use of standard triple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, which ...Background: Concerns still exist with respect to unsatisfactory eradication rates and/or therapy-associated side effects for the use of standard triple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, which prompts considerable interest in new therapy. We systematically reviewed the literature to investigate whether Lactobacillus GG as supplementation to standard triple therapy could improve H. pylori eradication rates and/or reduce therapy-associated side effects. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were systematically searched from their inception to August 4, 2015 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The language was restricted to English only. Results: Four RCTs involving a total of 305 participants (including 83 children) were included. Lactobacillus GG given along with triple therapy significantly reduced the risk of overall H. pylori therapy-related adverse effects (three RCTs, n = 221, RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45 - 0.78), particularly of diarrhea (four RCTs, n = 285, RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.11 - 0.47), bloating (four RCTs, n = 289, RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41 - 0.90), and taste disturbance (four RCTs, n = 288, RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.23 - 0.62). There were no significant differences between groups in the risk of other adverse effects. No beneficial effects of Lactobacillus GG were observed for H. pylori eradication rates (four RCTs, n = 284, RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.88 - 1.13). Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that Lactobacillus GG administered along with standard triple therapy is a feasible way to reduce therapy-related side effects, particularly diarrhea, bloating, and taste disturbance. However, Lactobacillus GG shows no effects on eradication rates.展开更多
Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate clinical factors influencing quality of life (QOL) in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients. Methods: Twenty female patients with AN (median age = 30.0 years, quartile de...Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate clinical factors influencing quality of life (QOL) in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients. Methods: Twenty female patients with AN (median age = 30.0 years, quartile deviation = 6.8) and forty female healthy controls (HC) (median age = 30.0 years, quartile deviation = 8.6) participated in the study. QOL was assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and social support was evaluated using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Clinical symptoms were evaluated with the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (SIGH-D) and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2). Results: Scores of the SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) (U = 124.0, P U = 223.0, P = 0.006) and scores of total (U = 108.0, P < 0.0001) and subscales of the MSPSS were lower in AN group than HC group, and the SIGH-D score was higher (U = 46.0, P ρ = −0.565, P < 0.05) and subscales of the EDI-2 Interoceptive Confusion (ρ = −0.556, P ρ = −0.581, P ρ = −0.617, P < 0.05) were negatively correlated to MCS, and score of Interoceptive Confusion subscale showed a negative correlation to RCS (ρ = −0.672, P < 0.05). Moreover, stepwise regression analysis showed that the SIGH-D score was an independent predictor of MCS and Interoceptive Confusion score predicted RCS. Conclusion: These results suggest that among a variety of clinical symptoms and psychopathologies, depressive symptoms, poor emotional awareness and impaired sense of control are the most important influencing factors on AN patients’ QOL.展开更多
A role of lower brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) content in the pathogenesis of several mental illnesses has been suggested, especially in major depression. It is not known whether BDNF is involved in the path...A role of lower brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) content in the pathogenesis of several mental illnesses has been suggested, especially in major depression. It is not known whether BDNF is involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Herein, we assessed the serum BDNF content and its correlation with symptom severity in a Japanese population with OCD. The serum BDNF levels of OCD patients (n = 39) and healthy controls (n = 37) were measured by ELISA. The severity of OCD symptoms was assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The OCD patients’ BDNF levels were significantly higher than those of the controls (17.5 ± 7.3 vs. 12.7 ± 4.7) (p < 0.01). No correlation was observed between the OCD patients’ BDNF levels and their OCD symptoms as scored by the Y-BOCS. For all 76 subjects, the BDI scores were significantly negatively correlated with the serum BDNF levels. Our findings revealed that contrary to previous reports, the serum BDNF content in OCD patients could be higher than that of healthy subjects.展开更多
Attentional issues may affect acquiring new information, task performance, and learning. Cortical network activities change during different functional brain states, including the default mode network (DMN) and attent...Attentional issues may affect acquiring new information, task performance, and learning. Cortical network activities change during different functional brain states, including the default mode network (DMN) and attention network. We investigated the neural mechanisms underlying attentional functions and correlations between DMN connectivity and attentional function using the Trail-Making Test (TMT)-A and -B. Electroencephalography recordings were performed by placing 19 scalp electrodes per the 10 - 20 system. The mean power level was calculated for each rest and task condition. Non-parametric Spearman’s rank correlation was used to examine the correlation in power levels between the rest and TMT conditions. The most significant correlations during TMT-A were observed in the high gamma wave, followed by theta and beta waves, indicating that most correlations were in the parietal lobe, followed by the frontal, central, and temporal lobes. The most significant correlations during TMT-B were observed in the beta wave, followed by the high and low gamma waves, indicating that most correlations were in the temporal lobe, followed by the parietal, frontal, and central lobes. Frontoparietal beta and gamma waves in the DMN may represent attentional functions.展开更多
Sericin is a major silk protein, and recent studies have shown that sericin has numerous physiological activities against cultured cells. For example, it accelerates mammalian cell proliferation and protects insect ce...Sericin is a major silk protein, and recent studies have shown that sericin has numerous physiological activities against cultured cells. For example, it accelerates mammalian cell proliferation and protects insect cells against cell death. In this study, we examined the activities of sericin prepared from the wild silkworm, Cricula trifenestrata. The results presented here indicated that C. trifenestrata sericin has anti-proliferative activity against feline kidney cells, while sericin from Bombyx mori promoted cell proliferation. The components of the sericin preparation that played a role in inhibition of proliferation were analyzed by fractionation through partition chromatography (Folch method) and reversed-phase chromatography. Our analysis showed that at least two components in the C. trifenestrata sericin preparation promoted the anti-proliferative activity in an additive or even synergistic manner. Therefore, differences in components between insect species may contribute to different activities against cultured cells.展开更多
Background: Working memory is an executive function that plays an important role in many aspects of daily life, and its impairment in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects quality of li...Background: Working memory is an executive function that plays an important role in many aspects of daily life, and its impairment in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects quality of life. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been a good target site for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) due to its intense involvement in working memory. In our 2018 study, tDCS improved visual-verbal working memory in healthy subjects. Objective: This study examines the effects of tDCS on ADHD patients, particularly on verbal working memory. Methods: We conducted an experiment involving verbal working memory of two modalities, visual and auditory, and a sustained attention task that could affect working memory in 9 ADHD patients. Active or sham tDCS was applied to the left DLPFC in a single-blind crossover design. Results: tDCS significantly improved the accuracy of visual-verbal working memory. In contrast, tDCS did not affect auditory-verbal working memory and sustained attention. Conclusion: tDCS to the left DLPFC improved visual-verbal working memory in ADHD patients, with important implications for potential ADHD treatments.展开更多
Early studies utilized microarrays to identify liver-enriched genes,and the roles of some of these genes in liver development in mice and zebrafish were confirmed.1,2 However,many genes involved in liver growth regula...Early studies utilized microarrays to identify liver-enriched genes,and the roles of some of these genes in liver development in mice and zebrafish were confirmed.1,2 However,many genes involved in liver growth regulation remained unidentified through this approach.Recently,bulk RNA sequencing or single-cell RNA sequencing has been used to study liver differentiation,3 but no study has screened genes highly expressed in hepatocytes during liver growth.Since rapid hepatocyte proliferation is a common characteristic of liver growth in early liver development and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)progression,identifying the genes being involved in regulating liver growth and clarifying how it works would benefit studying HCC progress.展开更多
Background."Critical value reporting has been widely adopted by hospitals throughout the world,but there were few reports about neonatal critical values.This study aimed to analyze characteristics of the neonatal...Background."Critical value reporting has been widely adopted by hospitals throughout the world,but there were few reports about neonatal critical values.This study aimed to analyze characteristics of the neonatal critical values considered at our center and to provide information on improving neonatal intensive care.Methods:A retrospective study of critical values at a newborn tertiary center in China was conducted to assess neonatal critical values according to test,distribution,reporting time,patient outcome and the impact to the therapy.展开更多
Background: Although many risk factors for mortalityof necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were investigated,most of them were obtained from preterm infants, andfew works focused on the prognostic risk factors in fullterm...Background: Although many risk factors for mortalityof necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were investigated,most of them were obtained from preterm infants, andfew works focused on the prognostic risk factors in fullterminfants. This study aimed to identify risk factors anddevelop a prediction score model for mortality in fulltermneonates with NEC.Methods: The risk factors were analyzed retrospectivelyby bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis in153 full-term neonates with NEC, who were hospitalizedin Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical Universityfrom 2000 to 2013. A prediction score model was developedaccording to the regression coeffi cients of risk factors.Results: The mortality of the infants was 19.6%(30/153). The non-survivors had a younger age of diagnosisand advanced stage of NEC (P<0.05). They had a higherprevalence of respiratory failure, intestinal perforation,peritonitis and other complications, compared with thesurvivors (P<0.05). On the day of diagnosis, the nonsurvivorswere more likely to have abnormal laboratoryindicators than survivors (P<0.05). Age at diagnosis [oddsratio (OR)=0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.836-0.99], respiratory failure (OR=2.76, 95% CI=1.10-6.92),and peritonitis (OR=26.36, 95% CI=7.52-173.92) hadsignificant independent contributions to death. A scoremodel predicting death was developed, and the area underthe receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.869 (95%CI=0.803-0.935). All infants with scores ≥8 died.Conclusions: Younger age at diagnosis, peritonitis,and respiratory failure might be risk factors for themortality of full-term infants with NEC. Infants with apredictive score of 8 were at high risk for death.展开更多
Dear Editor,Congenital heart disease(CHD)is a major birth defectworldwide.However,the aetiology of CHD remains unclearand the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying CHDpathogenesis have not been fully understood.The...Dear Editor,Congenital heart disease(CHD)is a major birth defectworldwide.However,the aetiology of CHD remains unclearand the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying CHDpathogenesis have not been fully understood.The humanregulator of calcineurin(RCAN1)gene is highly expressed inhuman hearts and brains(Fuentes et al.,1995)and com-posed of seven exons that are alternatively spliced and/ortranscribed by differential promoters to produce differentisoforms(Fig.1A)(Yang et al.,2000).展开更多
Epigenetic regulations play an important role in disease development.In this study,we have investigated epigenetic regulations in restrictive cardiomyopathy mice with cTnI 193 His mutation.Our results demonstrated tha...Epigenetic regulations play an important role in disease development.In this study,we have investigated epigenetic regulations in restrictive cardiomyopathy mice with cTnI 193 His mutation.Our results demonstrated that phosphodiesterase(PDEs)4d was down-regulated in the heart of these mice.Further studies showed that the epigenetic modifications were associated with enhanced acetylation of histone 3 lysine 4 and lysines 9,whereas tri-methylation of histone 3 lysine 4,were decreased in histones near the PDE4d gene promoter regions.The binding levels of histone transmethylase SMYD1 and histone deacetylase HDAC1 were increased in the gene promoter regions in cTnI193 His transgenic hearts.Using immune-fluorescent labeling we found an evidence of cTnI existence in the nucleus of cardiomyocytes and Western blotting further confirmed that both wild type and mutated cTnI could be detected in the cell nucleus of the hearts.Furthermore,an interaction between cTnI and SMYD1,or cTnI and HDAC1 was observed.Overexpression of the mutated cTnI in cultured cardiomyocytes reduced the expression of PDE4d.Our data suggest that the decrease of PDE4d expression in RCM mice caused by cTnI mutations may be related to epigenetic regulation,i.e.,histone acetylation and methylation,and cTnI might be involved in this procedure via an interaction with HDAC1 and SMAD1 in the hearts.展开更多
Cyanotic congenital heart disease(CCHD),a term describing the most severe congenital heart diseases are characterized by the anatomic malformation of a right to left shunt.Although the incidence of CCHD are far less t...Cyanotic congenital heart disease(CCHD),a term describing the most severe congenital heart diseases are characterized by the anatomic malformation of a right to left shunt.Although the incidence of CCHD are far less than the that of congenital heart diseases(CHD),patients with CCHD always present severe clinical features such as hypoxia,dyspnea,and heart failure.Chronic hypoxia induces hypoxemia that significantly contributes to poor prognosis in CCHD.Current studies have demonstrated that the prolyl-4-hydroxylase2(PHD2,encoded by EGLN1)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1A(HIF-1A)pathway is a key regulator of hypoxic response.Thus,we aim to assess the associations of single polymorphisms(SNPs)of the EGLN1 gene and hypoxic response in CCHD.A missense variant of EGLN1 c.380G>C(rs1209790)was found in 46 patients(46/126),with lower hypoxia incidence and higher rate of collateral vessel formation,compared with the wild type(P<0.05).In vitro experiments,during hypoxia,EGLN1 mutation reduced EGLN1 expression compared with the wild type,with higher HIF-1A,VEGF and EPO expression levels in the mutant.No difference in HK1 expression was observed between the mutant and wild type.CCHD patients with c.380G>C showed improved response to hypoxia compared with the wild-type counterparts.The EGLN1 c.380G>C mutation improves hypoxic response through the PHD2/HIF-1A pathway,which may provide a molecular mechanism for hypoxic response in CCHD.The effects of the EGLN1 c.380G>C mutation on CCHD prognosis deserve further investigation.展开更多
文摘Major hindrances to controlling the current childhood obesity epidemic include access to prevention and/or treatment programs that are affordable,provide minimal barriers for participation,and are available to the general public.Moreover,successful childhood obesity prevention efforts will require coordinated partnerships in multiple sectors such as government,health care,school/afterschool,and the community but very few documented sustainable programs currently exist.Effective,community-based health and wellness programs with a focus on maintaining healthy weight via physical activity and healthy eating have the potential to be a powerful referral resource for pediatricians and other healthcare professionals who have young patients who are overweight/obese.The Miami Dade County Department of Parks,Recreation and Open Spaces in partnership with the University of Miami UHealth Systems have created a "Park Prescription Program(Parks Rx4Health^(TM))" that formally coordinates pediatricians,families,parents,caregivers,and child/adolescents to provide daily obesity-prevention activities.This Parks Rx4Health^(TM)program that we describe here allows UHealth pediatricians to seamlessly refer their overweight and obese patients to Fit2Play^(TM),an evidence-based,park-based afterschool health and wellness program.Measurable outcomes that include body mass index,blood pressure,fitness,and nutrition knowledge are being collected at baseline and at 3-and 6-mo after referral to document patient progress.Results are then shared with the referring physician so they can follow up with the patient if necessary.Identifying successful models that integrate primary care,public health,and community-based efforts is important to accelerating progress in preventing childhood obesity.Effective,community-based health and wellness programs with a focus on physical activity and nutrition education could be a powerful referral resource for pediatricians who have obese patients.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(CN)(Grant No.32071074).
文摘This longitudinal study examined the association between parental autonomy support and school-aged children’s adjustment across four major domains of school functioning,as well as the mediating role of children’s executive function.Participants were 476 school-aged children(girl:49.2%,M_(age)=10.49 years,SD=1.32 years),who completed the Psychological Autonomy Support Scale,the Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function–2,and the Primary School Students’Psychological Suzhi Scale at baseline and at two subsequent follow-up assessments.Results from unconditional latent growth curve models and structural equation modeling indicated that paternal autonomy support was a significant predictor of children’s adjustment across all four school domains.In contrast,maternal autonomy support was significantly associated only with interpersonal adjustment.Both the intercept(initial level)and slope(rate of change)of children’s executive function significantly predicted their adjustment in all four domains.Notably,the initial level of executive function fully mediated the association between paternal autonomy support and school adjustment,whereas the rate of change in executive function did not serve as a significant mediator.Thesefindings underscore the importance of promoting parental autonomy-supportive behaviors-particularly among fathers-as a means to enhance children’s executive functioning and,consequently,their school adjustment.
文摘Several reports suggest that college students often have atypical sleep patterns and experience poor sleep quality. We examined the effect of a cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based intervention program to improve sleep quality and overall mental health among college students. The intervention was delivered in the form of e-mail newsletters. Fifty-three students participated in the intervention group, and another 50 students participated in the control group. The intervention group received a lecture on sleep hygiene;once-weekly e-mail newsletters on sleep health topics (sleep hygiene, stimulus control, sleep restriction, sleep titration, and relapse prevention) and were asked to maintain a four-week sleep diary. The Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), a measure of sleep quality, and the Kessler 6, a measure of psychological distress, were administered before the lecture (as the baseline measurement) and again 16 weeks later (follow-up measurement). PSQI and K6 scores were reduced in the intervention group compared with the control group. A CBT-based sleep health program utilizing e-mail newsletters may work to improve sleep quality and mental health. This program may represent a cost effective way for Japanese students to receive treatment for poor sleep and may also serve to prevent psychiatric problems.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China for Youth Science Project,No.81201507(to PW)
文摘Status epilepticus has been shown to activate the proliferation of neural stem cells in the hippocampus of the brain, while also causing a large amount of neuronal death, especially in the subgranular zone of the dentate gyrus and the subventricular zone. Simultaneously, proliferating stem cells tend to migrate to areas with obvious damage. Our previous studies have clearly confirmed the effect of sodium valproate on cognitive function in rats with convulsive status epilepticus. However, whether neurogenesis can play a role in the antiepileptic effect of sodium valproate remains unknown. A model of convulsive status epilepticus was established in Wistar rats by intraperitoneal injection of 3 mEq/kg lithium chloride, and intraperitoneal injection of pilocarpine 40 mg/kg after 18–20 hours. Sodium valproate(100, 200, 300, 400, 500, or 600 mg/kg) was intragastrically administered six times every day(4-hour intervals) for 5 days. To determine the best dosage, sodium valproate concentration was measured from the plasma. The effective concentration of sodium valproate in the plasma of the rats that received the 300-mg/kg intervention was 82.26 ± 11.23 μg/mL. Thus, 300 mg/kg was subsequently used as the intervention concentration of sodium valproate. The following changes were seen: Recording excitatory postsynaptic potentials in the CA1 region revealed high-frequency stimulation-induced long-term potentiation. Immunohistochemical staining for BrdU-positive cells in the brain revealed that sodium valproate intervention markedly increased the success rate and the duration of induced long-term potentiation in rats with convulsive status epilepticus. The intervention also reduced the number of newborn neurons in the subgranular area of the hippocampus and subventricular zone and inhibited the migration of newborn neurons to the dentate gyrus. These results indicate that sodium valproate can effectively inhibit the abnormal proliferation and migration of neural stem cells and newborn neurons after convulsive status epilepticus, and improve learning and memory ability.
基金Projcct supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China （No. 81072315）
文摘Objective： A study in a Caucasian population has identified two single-nucleotide polymorphisms （SNPs） in ZNF533, one in DOCK4, and two in IMMP2L, which were all significantly associated with autism. They are located in AUTS1 and AUTS5, which have been identified as autism susceptibility loci in several genome-wide screens. The present study aimed to investigate whether ZNF533, DOCK4, and IMMP2L genes are also associated with autism in a northeastern Chinese Han population. Methods： We performed a similar association study using families with three individuals （one autistic child and two unaffected parents）. A family-based transmission disequilibrium test （TDT） was used to analyze the results. Results： There were significant associations between autism and the two SNPs of ZNF533 gene （rs11885327： X^2=4.5200, P=0.0335; rs1964081 ：）（2=4.2610, P=0.0390） and the SNP of DOCK4 gene （rs2217262 X^2=5.3430, P=0.0208）. Conclusions： Our data suggest that ZNF533 and DOCK4 genes are linked to a predisposition to autism in the northeastern Chinese Han population.
文摘Background:Valid and reliable measures of depressive symptoms are crucial for understanding risk factors,outcomes,and interventions across rural and urban settings.Despite this need,the longitudinal invariance of these measures over time remains understudied.This research explores the structural components of the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale(CES-D)and examines its consistency across various living environments and temporal stability in a cohort of Chinese teenagers.Method:In the initial phase,1,042 adolescents furnished demographic details and undertook the CES-D assessment.After a three-month interval,967 of these participants repeated the CES-D evaluation.The study employed Confirmatory factor analysis(CFA)to scrutinize the scale’s structural integrity.We investigated factorial invariance by conducting a twopronged CFA:one comparing urban vs.rural backgrounds,and another contrasting the results from the initial assessment with those from the follow-up.Results:The CES-D demonstrated adequate reliability in both rural and urban high school student samples.The preliminary four-factor model applied to the CES-D demonstrated a good fit with the collected data.Invariance tests,including multigroup analyses comparing rural and urban samples and longitudinal assessments,confirmed the scale’s invariance.Conclusions:The results suggest that the CES-D serves as a reliable instrument for evaluating depressive symptoms among Chinese adolescents.Its applicability is consistent across different living environments and remains stable over time.
文摘BACKGROUND Perinatal brain injury may lead to later neurodevelopmental disorders,whose outcomes may vary due to neuroplasticity in young children.Recent neuroimaging studies have shown that the left parietotemporal area(which includes the left inferior parietal lobe)is associated with phonological awareness and decoding skills,which are essential skills for reading acquisition in children.However,the literature on the effect of perinatal cerebral injury on the development of phonological awareness or decoding ability in childhood is limited.CASE SUMMARY We report the case of an 8-year-old boy who presented with reading difficulty following a perinatal injury in the parieto-temporal-occipital lobes.The patient was born at term and was treated for hypoglycemia and seizures during the neonatal period.Diffusion-weighted brain magnetic resonance imaging on postnatal day 4 revealed cortical and subcortical hyperintensities in the parieto-temporo-occipital lobe.At the age of 8 years,physical examination was unremarkable,aside from mild clumsiness.Despite occipital lobe injury,the patient had adequate visual acuity,normal eye movement,and no visual field defects.Full-scale intelligence quotient and verbal comprehension index on Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Edition were 75 and 90,respectively.Further assessment revealed adequate recognition of Japanese Hiragana letters.However,he had significantly slower reading speed in the Hiragana reading test than control children.The phonological awareness test revealed significant errors(standard deviation+2.7)in the mora reversal task.CONCLUSION Patients with perinatal brain injuries in the parietotemporal area require attention and may benefit from additional reading instructions.
文摘Social interaction is known to alter behavior and emotional responses to various events. It has been reported that when fear-conditioned animals are put in a fear extinction paradigm with non-fearful conspecifics (pair-exposure), freezing behavior decreases compared to a solitary situation. However, it remains unclear whether pair-exposure during fear extinction is persistently effective in reducing the freezing response. In this study, we examined whether the effect of pair-exposure could be persistently effective on cued and contextual fear extinction. The reduction of the fear compared to the solitary condition was transiently observed only in the cued fear extinction with no difference in the subsequent recall session. We also found that the correlation between corticosterone levels and freezing behavior during extinction was disrupted in the pair-exposure situation. These results suggest that pair-exposure reduces freezing behavior in cued fear extinction, although this fear response reduction is not persistent. The pair-exposure changed an association between corticosterone levels and freezing behavior during extinction.
文摘Background: Concerns still exist with respect to unsatisfactory eradication rates and/or therapy-associated side effects for the use of standard triple therapy in the treatment of Helicobacter pylori infection, which prompts considerable interest in new therapy. We systematically reviewed the literature to investigate whether Lactobacillus GG as supplementation to standard triple therapy could improve H. pylori eradication rates and/or reduce therapy-associated side effects. Methods: PubMed, EMBASE, the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (CENTRAL) were systematically searched from their inception to August 4, 2015 for randomized controlled trials (RCTs). The language was restricted to English only. Results: Four RCTs involving a total of 305 participants (including 83 children) were included. Lactobacillus GG given along with triple therapy significantly reduced the risk of overall H. pylori therapy-related adverse effects (three RCTs, n = 221, RR 0.59, 95% CI 0.45 - 0.78), particularly of diarrhea (four RCTs, n = 285, RR 0.23, 95% CI 0.11 - 0.47), bloating (four RCTs, n = 289, RR 0.61, 95% CI 0.41 - 0.90), and taste disturbance (four RCTs, n = 288, RR 0.38, 95% CI 0.23 - 0.62). There were no significant differences between groups in the risk of other adverse effects. No beneficial effects of Lactobacillus GG were observed for H. pylori eradication rates (four RCTs, n = 284, RR 0.99, 95% CI 0.88 - 1.13). Conclusion: Current evidence indicates that Lactobacillus GG administered along with standard triple therapy is a feasible way to reduce therapy-related side effects, particularly diarrhea, bloating, and taste disturbance. However, Lactobacillus GG shows no effects on eradication rates.
文摘Objective: The purpose of this study was to elucidate clinical factors influencing quality of life (QOL) in anorexia nervosa (AN) patients. Methods: Twenty female patients with AN (median age = 30.0 years, quartile deviation = 6.8) and forty female healthy controls (HC) (median age = 30.0 years, quartile deviation = 8.6) participated in the study. QOL was assessed with the 36-Item Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) and social support was evaluated using the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). Clinical symptoms were evaluated with the Structured Interview Guide for the Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (SIGH-D) and the Eating Disorder Inventory-2 (EDI-2). Results: Scores of the SF-36 Mental Component Summary (MCS) (U = 124.0, P U = 223.0, P = 0.006) and scores of total (U = 108.0, P < 0.0001) and subscales of the MSPSS were lower in AN group than HC group, and the SIGH-D score was higher (U = 46.0, P ρ = −0.565, P < 0.05) and subscales of the EDI-2 Interoceptive Confusion (ρ = −0.556, P ρ = −0.581, P ρ = −0.617, P < 0.05) were negatively correlated to MCS, and score of Interoceptive Confusion subscale showed a negative correlation to RCS (ρ = −0.672, P < 0.05). Moreover, stepwise regression analysis showed that the SIGH-D score was an independent predictor of MCS and Interoceptive Confusion score predicted RCS. Conclusion: These results suggest that among a variety of clinical symptoms and psychopathologies, depressive symptoms, poor emotional awareness and impaired sense of control are the most important influencing factors on AN patients’ QOL.
文摘A role of lower brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) content in the pathogenesis of several mental illnesses has been suggested, especially in major depression. It is not known whether BDNF is involved in the pathogenesis of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Herein, we assessed the serum BDNF content and its correlation with symptom severity in a Japanese population with OCD. The serum BDNF levels of OCD patients (n = 39) and healthy controls (n = 37) were measured by ELISA. The severity of OCD symptoms was assessed by the Yale-Brown Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The OCD patients’ BDNF levels were significantly higher than those of the controls (17.5 ± 7.3 vs. 12.7 ± 4.7) (p < 0.01). No correlation was observed between the OCD patients’ BDNF levels and their OCD symptoms as scored by the Y-BOCS. For all 76 subjects, the BDI scores were significantly negatively correlated with the serum BDNF levels. Our findings revealed that contrary to previous reports, the serum BDNF content in OCD patients could be higher than that of healthy subjects.
文摘Attentional issues may affect acquiring new information, task performance, and learning. Cortical network activities change during different functional brain states, including the default mode network (DMN) and attention network. We investigated the neural mechanisms underlying attentional functions and correlations between DMN connectivity and attentional function using the Trail-Making Test (TMT)-A and -B. Electroencephalography recordings were performed by placing 19 scalp electrodes per the 10 - 20 system. The mean power level was calculated for each rest and task condition. Non-parametric Spearman’s rank correlation was used to examine the correlation in power levels between the rest and TMT conditions. The most significant correlations during TMT-A were observed in the high gamma wave, followed by theta and beta waves, indicating that most correlations were in the parietal lobe, followed by the frontal, central, and temporal lobes. The most significant correlations during TMT-B were observed in the beta wave, followed by the high and low gamma waves, indicating that most correlations were in the temporal lobe, followed by the parietal, frontal, and central lobes. Frontoparietal beta and gamma waves in the DMN may represent attentional functions.
文摘Sericin is a major silk protein, and recent studies have shown that sericin has numerous physiological activities against cultured cells. For example, it accelerates mammalian cell proliferation and protects insect cells against cell death. In this study, we examined the activities of sericin prepared from the wild silkworm, Cricula trifenestrata. The results presented here indicated that C. trifenestrata sericin has anti-proliferative activity against feline kidney cells, while sericin from Bombyx mori promoted cell proliferation. The components of the sericin preparation that played a role in inhibition of proliferation were analyzed by fractionation through partition chromatography (Folch method) and reversed-phase chromatography. Our analysis showed that at least two components in the C. trifenestrata sericin preparation promoted the anti-proliferative activity in an additive or even synergistic manner. Therefore, differences in components between insect species may contribute to different activities against cultured cells.
文摘Background: Working memory is an executive function that plays an important role in many aspects of daily life, and its impairment in patients with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) affects quality of life. The dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been a good target site for transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) due to its intense involvement in working memory. In our 2018 study, tDCS improved visual-verbal working memory in healthy subjects. Objective: This study examines the effects of tDCS on ADHD patients, particularly on verbal working memory. Methods: We conducted an experiment involving verbal working memory of two modalities, visual and auditory, and a sustained attention task that could affect working memory in 9 ADHD patients. Active or sham tDCS was applied to the left DLPFC in a single-blind crossover design. Results: tDCS significantly improved the accuracy of visual-verbal working memory. In contrast, tDCS did not affect auditory-verbal working memory and sustained attention. Conclusion: tDCS to the left DLPFC improved visual-verbal working memory in ADHD patients, with important implications for potential ADHD treatments.
基金supported by the National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.32070805)the Science and Technology Department of Sichuan Province,China(No.2024NSFSC2093)National Clinical Research Center for Child Health and Disorders,Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University(NCRCCHD-2022-GP-04).
文摘Early studies utilized microarrays to identify liver-enriched genes,and the roles of some of these genes in liver development in mice and zebrafish were confirmed.1,2 However,many genes involved in liver growth regulation remained unidentified through this approach.Recently,bulk RNA sequencing or single-cell RNA sequencing has been used to study liver differentiation,3 but no study has screened genes highly expressed in hepatocytes during liver growth.Since rapid hepatocyte proliferation is a common characteristic of liver growth in early liver development and hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC)progression,identifying the genes being involved in regulating liver growth and clarifying how it works would benefit studying HCC progress.
基金National Natural Science Foundation of China(No.81370744,81571483,81601323).Doctoral Degree Funding from Chinese Ministry of Education(No.20135503110009).State key clinic discipline project(No.2011-873).the Scientific Research Foundation of The science and Technology Commission of Chongqing(No.cstc2015jcyjA10089).Clinical Research Foundation of Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical University(254lcyj2014-11).
文摘Background."Critical value reporting has been widely adopted by hospitals throughout the world,but there were few reports about neonatal critical values.This study aimed to analyze characteristics of the neonatal critical values considered at our center and to provide information on improving neonatal intensive care.Methods:A retrospective study of critical values at a newborn tertiary center in China was conducted to assess neonatal critical values according to test,distribution,reporting time,patient outcome and the impact to the therapy.
基金supported by the Scientific Research Foundation of Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau(No.2013-2-051)the National Key Clinical Specialist Construction Programs of China-Neonatology(No.2011-873)the Scientif ic Research Foundation of the science and Technology Commission of Yuzhong District of Chongqing(No.20140103).
文摘Background: Although many risk factors for mortalityof necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC) were investigated,most of them were obtained from preterm infants, andfew works focused on the prognostic risk factors in fullterminfants. This study aimed to identify risk factors anddevelop a prediction score model for mortality in fulltermneonates with NEC.Methods: The risk factors were analyzed retrospectivelyby bivariate and multivariate logistic regression analysis in153 full-term neonates with NEC, who were hospitalizedin Children's Hospital of Chongqing Medical Universityfrom 2000 to 2013. A prediction score model was developedaccording to the regression coeffi cients of risk factors.Results: The mortality of the infants was 19.6%(30/153). The non-survivors had a younger age of diagnosisand advanced stage of NEC (P<0.05). They had a higherprevalence of respiratory failure, intestinal perforation,peritonitis and other complications, compared with thesurvivors (P<0.05). On the day of diagnosis, the nonsurvivorswere more likely to have abnormal laboratoryindicators than survivors (P<0.05). Age at diagnosis [oddsratio (OR)=0.91, 95% confidence interval (CI)=0.836-0.99], respiratory failure (OR=2.76, 95% CI=1.10-6.92),and peritonitis (OR=26.36, 95% CI=7.52-173.92) hadsignificant independent contributions to death. A scoremodel predicting death was developed, and the area underthe receiver operating characteristic curve was 0.869 (95%CI=0.803-0.935). All infants with scores ≥8 died.Conclusions: Younger age at diagnosis, peritonitis,and respiratory failure might be risk factors for themortality of full-term infants with NEC. Infants with apredictive score of 8 were at high risk for death.
文摘Dear Editor,Congenital heart disease(CHD)is a major birth defectworldwide.However,the aetiology of CHD remains unclearand the detailed molecular mechanisms underlying CHDpathogenesis have not been fully understood.The humanregulator of calcineurin(RCAN1)gene is highly expressed inhuman hearts and brains(Fuentes et al.,1995)and com-posed of seven exons that are alternatively spliced and/ortranscribed by differential promoters to produce differentisoforms(Fig.1A)(Yang et al.,2000).
基金This work was supported by grants from the National Natural Science Foundation of China(81700214).
文摘Epigenetic regulations play an important role in disease development.In this study,we have investigated epigenetic regulations in restrictive cardiomyopathy mice with cTnI 193 His mutation.Our results demonstrated that phosphodiesterase(PDEs)4d was down-regulated in the heart of these mice.Further studies showed that the epigenetic modifications were associated with enhanced acetylation of histone 3 lysine 4 and lysines 9,whereas tri-methylation of histone 3 lysine 4,were decreased in histones near the PDE4d gene promoter regions.The binding levels of histone transmethylase SMYD1 and histone deacetylase HDAC1 were increased in the gene promoter regions in cTnI193 His transgenic hearts.Using immune-fluorescent labeling we found an evidence of cTnI existence in the nucleus of cardiomyocytes and Western blotting further confirmed that both wild type and mutated cTnI could be detected in the cell nucleus of the hearts.Furthermore,an interaction between cTnI and SMYD1,or cTnI and HDAC1 was observed.Overexpression of the mutated cTnI in cultured cardiomyocytes reduced the expression of PDE4d.Our data suggest that the decrease of PDE4d expression in RCM mice caused by cTnI mutations may be related to epigenetic regulation,i.e.,histone acetylation and methylation,and cTnI might be involved in this procedure via an interaction with HDAC1 and SMAD1 in the hearts.
基金This work is supported by the National Nature Science Foundation of China(81570218)Major Project of Chongqing Municipal Health Bureau(56-20141009)clinical project of Children’s Hospital of Chongqing Medical University(hjyn2012-6).
文摘Cyanotic congenital heart disease(CCHD),a term describing the most severe congenital heart diseases are characterized by the anatomic malformation of a right to left shunt.Although the incidence of CCHD are far less than the that of congenital heart diseases(CHD),patients with CCHD always present severe clinical features such as hypoxia,dyspnea,and heart failure.Chronic hypoxia induces hypoxemia that significantly contributes to poor prognosis in CCHD.Current studies have demonstrated that the prolyl-4-hydroxylase2(PHD2,encoded by EGLN1)/hypoxia-inducible factor-1A(HIF-1A)pathway is a key regulator of hypoxic response.Thus,we aim to assess the associations of single polymorphisms(SNPs)of the EGLN1 gene and hypoxic response in CCHD.A missense variant of EGLN1 c.380G>C(rs1209790)was found in 46 patients(46/126),with lower hypoxia incidence and higher rate of collateral vessel formation,compared with the wild type(P<0.05).In vitro experiments,during hypoxia,EGLN1 mutation reduced EGLN1 expression compared with the wild type,with higher HIF-1A,VEGF and EPO expression levels in the mutant.No difference in HK1 expression was observed between the mutant and wild type.CCHD patients with c.380G>C showed improved response to hypoxia compared with the wild-type counterparts.The EGLN1 c.380G>C mutation improves hypoxic response through the PHD2/HIF-1A pathway,which may provide a molecular mechanism for hypoxic response in CCHD.The effects of the EGLN1 c.380G>C mutation on CCHD prognosis deserve further investigation.
