Poor subjective sleep quality and trait impulsivity in patients with bipolar disorder.

Background: Sleep disturbance and impulsivity are key components of mood vulnerability in bipolar disorder (BD), but few studies have assessed the association between these two symptoms among patients with BD.

Methods: Forty-seven euthymic patients with bipolar I disorder (BDI) or bipolar II disorder (BDII) and 58 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in this cross-sectional study. Trait impulsivity was measured using the Barratt Impulsiveness Scale Version 11 (BIS-11), which yielded 3 second-order factors: attention, motor, and non-planning.

Delay Analysis in Closed-Loop EEG Phase-Triggered Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation.

The recent development of closed-loop EEG phase-triggered transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) has advanced potential applications of adaptive neuromodulation based on the current brain state. Closed-loop TMS involves instantaneous acquisition of the EEG rhythm, timing prediction of the target phase, and triggering of TMS. However, the accuracy of EEG phase prediction algorithms is largely influenced by the system's transport delay, and their relationship is rarely considered in related work.

Intelligent Object Tracking with an Automatic Image Zoom Algorithm for a Camera Sensing Surveillance System.

Current surveillance systems frequently use fixed-angle cameras and record a feed from those cameras. There are several disadvantages to such systems, including a low resolution for far away objects, a limited frame range and wasted disk space. This paper presents a novel algorithm for automatically detecting, tracking and zooming in on active targets.

Pharmacokinetics and Safety of Sodium Benzoate, a d-Amino Acid Oxidase (DAAO) Inhibitor, in Healthy Subjects: A Phase I, Open-label Study.

Purpose: N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR)-mediated neurotransmission plays a critical role in cognition and memory, and d-serine is a co-agonist of the receptor. d-serine is metabolized by d-amino acid oxidase (DAAO). Sodium benzoate is a DAAO inhibitor that leads to the elevation of d-serine levels and enhances NMDAR functions as a therapeutic for wide-spectrum central nervous system (CNS) disorders, including schizophrenia and dementia.

Subgrouping time-dependent prescribing patterns of first-onset major depressive episodes by psychotropics dissection.

Background: Subgrouping patients with major depressive disorder is a promising solution for the issue of heterogeneity. However, the link between available subtypes and distinct pathological mechanisms is weak and yields disappointing results in clinical application.

Aim: To develop a novel approach for classification of patients with time-dependent prescription patterns at first onset in real-world settings.

Low-dose ketamine infusion for treating subjective cognitive, somatic, and affective depression symptoms of treatment-resistant depression.

Backgrounds: Whether the antidepressant effects of low-dose ketamine infusion and the therapeutic impact of Val66Met brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) polymorphism vary across different depression symptom domains, namely affective, cognitive, and somatic, remains unclear.

Methods: We-reanalyzed the data of Adjunctive Ketamine Study of Taiwanese Patients with Treatment-Resistant Depression (TRD). A total of 71 patients with TRD were randomized to three infusion groups: 0.

Visualizing Patterns of Medication Switching Among Major Depressive Patients with Various Stability and Difficulty to Treatments.

Introduction: Efforts have been made in assessing efficacy and tolerability to various antidepressants, but understanding personalized chances of stability to medication switching sequence is still inconclusive. This study aimed to identify naturalistic switching patterns of medication in stratifying MDD patients.

Methods: MDD patients were stratified based on treatment difficulty evaluated with the "Treatment Resistance to Antidepressants Evaluation Scale for Unipolar Depression" (TRADES).

Real-world evidence on the use of benzodiazepine receptor agonists and the risk of venous thromboembolism.

Background: Venous thromboembolism (VTE) is a life-threatening disease, and some studies reported that benzodiazepine receptor agonist (BZRA) use could increase the risk of VTE, but this association lacks population-based evidence.

Objectives: To investigate the association between BZRA use and the risk of VTE.

Patients/methods: A nested case-control study analyzing Taiwan's claims database was conducted of patients with at least one new BZRA prescription on record from January 1, 2002, to December 31, 2012.

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.

Quantifying the level of difficulty to treat major depressive disorder with antidepressants: Treatment Resistance to Antidepressants Evaluation Scale.

Background: The present study aimed to develop a new scale to evaluate the level of difficulty in treating major depressive disorder with antidepressants based on the lifetime treatment profile.

Methods: In addition to evaluating the difficulty of treatment with antidepressants (A subscale), the Treatment Resistance to Antidepressants Evaluation Scale (TRADES) is comprised of a subscale to account for the attributes that compromise the efficacy of treatment (B subscale). One hundred and six participants aged 18 to 65 years with remitted major depressive disorder were enrolled.

The Risk of Hospitalization for Motor Vehicle Accident Injury in Narcolepsy and the Benefits of Stimulant Use: A Nationwide Cohort Study in Taiwan.

Study Objectives: To examine the risk of hospitalization for motor vehicle accident injury (MVAI) in patients with narcolepsy and the effects of stimulant use on MVAI occurrence in patients with narcolepsy.

Methods: This is a population-based, retrospective cohort study using Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2000 and 2013. We included patients with narcolepsy based on the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) codes, 347.

The Association Between the Sedative Loads and Clinical Severity Indicators in the First-Onset Major Depressive Disorder.

High sedative use in a major depressive episode may imply specific clinical features. This study aims to examine the correlation between sedative use and clinical severity indicators in the initial treatment phase of first-onset major depressive disorder. A study cohort in the first episode of major depressive disorder was used to conduct pharmacological dissection.

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.

Forensic Evaluations for Offenders With Dementia in Taiwan's Criminal Courts.

Dementia is an increasing world-wide health problem, and the association between dementia and adjudication of crimes has rarely been studied. The data in this study are described and analyzed by gender, psychiatric diagnosis, type of crime, and the acceptance rate by the courts of opinions tendered by forensic psychiatric examiners. The source data are derived from the databank of the Judicial Yuan (Judicial Department) of the Republic of China Law and Regulations Retrieval System.

The Use of Benzodiazepine Receptor Agonists and the Risk of Hospitalization for Pneumonia: A Nationwide Population-Based Nested Case-Control Study.

Background: The relationship between the use of benzodiazepine-receptor agonists (BZRAs) and the risk of hospitalization for pneumonia remains inconclusive. This study aimed to explore the association between BZRA use and hospitalization for pneumonia in a general population.

Methods: This population-based nested case-control study used Taiwan's National Health Insurance Research Database between 2002 and 2012.