Transcriptomic decoding of regional cortical vulnerability to major depressive disorder.

Previous studies in small samples have identified inconsistent cortical abnormalities in major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite genetic influences on MDD and the brain, it is unclear how genetic risk for MDD is translated into spatially patterned cortical vulnerability. Here, we initially examined voxel-wise differences in cortical function and structure using the largest multi-modal MRI data from 1660 MDD patients and 1341 controls.

Traditional Chinese medicine in the era of immune checkpoint inhibitor: theory, development, and future directions.

Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have revolutionized cancer management and have been widely applied; however, they still have some limitations in terms of efficacy and toxicity. There are multiple treatment regimens in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) that play active roles in combination with Western medicine in the field of oncology treatment. TCM with ICIs works by regulating the tumor microenvironment and modulating gut microbiota.

Schizophrenia patients and their healthy siblings share decreased prefronto-thalamic connectivity but not increased sensorimotor-thalamic connectivity.

The pattern of decreased prefronto-thalamic connectivity and increased sensorimotor-thalamic connectivity has been consistently documented in schizophrenia. However, whether this thalamo-cortical abnormality pattern is of genetic predisposition remains unknown. The present study for the first time aimed to investigate the common and distinct characteristics of this circuit in schizophrenia patients and their unaffected siblings who share half of the patient's genotype.

Medical student depression and its correlates across three international medical schools.

Background: Medical students have high rates of depression, anxiety, and burnout that have been found to affect their empathy, professional behaviors, and performance as a physician. While studies have examined predictors for burnout and depression in the United States (US), no study, to our knowledge, has compared depression in medical students cross-culturally, or has attempted to examine the effect of factors influencing rates including burnout, exercise, stress, unmet mental health needs, and region.

Aim: To examine rates of depression in three international cohorts of medical students, and determine variables that may explain these differences.

Impaired social decision making in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: Abnormal decision-making processes have been observed in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, it is unresolved whether MDD patients show abnormalities in decision making in a social interaction context, in which decisions have actual influences on both the self-interests of the decision makers per se and those of their partners.

Methods: Using a well-studied ultimatum game (UG), which is frequently used to investigate social interaction behavior, we examined whether MDD can be associated with abnormalities in social decision-making behavior by comparing the acceptance rates of MDD patients (N = 14) with those of normal controls (N = 19).

Abnormal neural activity of brain regions in treatment-resistant and treatment-sensitive major depressive disorder: a resting-state fMRI study.

Background: Patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and those with treatment-sensitive depression (TSD) responded to antidepressants differently. Previous studies have commonly shown that patients with TRD or TSD had abnormal neural activity in different brain regions. In the present study, we used a coherence-based ReHo (Cohe-ReHo) approach to test the hypothesis that patients with TRD or TSD had abnormal neural activity in different brain regions.

Altered white matter integrity in young adults with first-episode, treatment-naive, and treatment-responsive depression.

Abnormalities of the white matter (WM) tracts integrity in brain areas involved in emotional regulation have been postulated in major depressive disorder (MDD). However, there is no diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) study in patients with treatment-responsive MDD at present. DTI scans were performed on 22 patients with treatment-responsive MDD and 19 well-matched healthy subjects.

Prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders in Chinese gastroenterological outpatients.

Aim: To investigate the prevalence and physicians' detection rate of depressive and anxiety disorders in gastrointestinal (GI) outpatients across China.

Methods: A hospital-based cross-sectional survey was conducted in the GI outpatient departments of 13 general hospitals. A total of 1995 GI outpatients were recruited and screened with the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS).

Alterations of the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in treatment-resistant and treatment-response depression: a resting-state fMRI study.

Background: Patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) and those with treatment-response depression (TSD) respond to antidepressants differently and previous studies have commonly reported different brain networks in resistant and nonresistant patients. Using the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (ALFF) approach, we explored ALFF values of the brain regions in TRD and TSD patients at resting state to test the hypothesis of the different brain networks in TRD and TSD patients.

Methods: Eighteen TRD patients, 17 TSD patients and 17 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy subjects participated in the resting-state fMRI scans.

Abnormal neural activities in first-episode, treatment-naïve, short-illness-duration, and treatment-response patients with major depressive disorder: a resting-state fMRI study.

Background: Abnormality of limbic-cortical networks was postulated in depression. Using a regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach, we explored the regional homogeneity (ReHo) of the brain regions in patients with first-episode, treatment-naïve, short-illness-duration, and treatment-response depression in resting state to test the abnormality hypothesis of limbic-cortical networks in major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Seventeen patients with treatment-response MDD and 17 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy subjects participated in the resting-state fMRI scans.

Disrupted regional homogeneity in treatment-resistant depression: a resting-state fMRI study.

Background: Using a newly developed regional homogeneity (ReHo) approach, we were to explore the features of brain activity in patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD) in resting state, and further to examine the relationship between abnormal brain activity in TRD patients and specific symptom factors derived from ratings on the Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HRSD).

Methods: 24 patients with TRD and 19 gender-, age-, and education-matched healthy subjects participated in the fMRI scans.

Results: 1.

[A cross-sectional survey of the prevalence of depressive-anxiety disorders among general hospital outpatients in five cities in China].

Objectives: To find the prevalence of depressive and anxiety disorders among general hospital outpatients and to evaluate the diagnoses and treatment provided by physicians in China.

Methods: A multi-center, hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted. A total of 8478 subjects were screened by using HADS and PHQ-15 together with medical history review list and were followed by regular clinical visit process.

Effects of typical and atypical antipsychotics on glucose-insulin homeostasis and lipid metabolism in first-episode schizophrenia.

Rationale: Glucose and lipid metabolism dysfunction is a significant side effect associated with antipsychotics. Although there are many studies about the linkages between drugs and metabolic dysfunction, most of these studies have compared the effects of two antipsychotics on only one metabolic measure: either glucose or lipid metabolism.

Objectives: The present study aimed to investigate the effects of clozapine, olanzapine, risperidone, and sulpiride on glucose and lipid metabolism in first-episode schizophrenia.

[Distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of dopamine D4 receptor gene 48 bp variable number tandem repeat polymorphism in Chinese Han population in Hunan].

Objective: To investigate the distribution of genotype and allele frequencies of the dopamine D4 receptor(DRD4) gene exon 3 48 bp variable number of tandem repeats polymorphism in Hunan Han population.

Methods: The genotype and alleles of 304 healthy persons were examined with polymerase chain reaction, denaturing polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and silver staining.

Results: Seven alleles and twelve genotypes were found.