Reliability and Validity of the Simplified Chinese Version of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist in Chinese Autism Population.

The Aberrant Behavior Checklist (ABC) is a widely used scale in autism clinical intervention research for the assessment of core symptoms and comorbid emotional and behavioral problems among people with autism. The aim of this study was to examine the psychometric properties of the Simplified Chinese version of the Aberrant Behavior Checklist (SC-ABC) using a sample of people with autism in a Chinese population. In total, we enrolled 799 patients aged 1.

Post-COVID-19 Epidemic: Allostatic Load among Medical and Nonmedical Workers in China.

Background: As the fight against the COVID-19 epidemic continues, medical workers may have allostatic load.

Objective: During the reopening of society, medical and nonmedical workers were compared in terms of allostatic load.

Methods: An online study was performed; 3,590 Chinese subjects were analyzed.

SNX29, a new susceptibility gene shared with major mental disorders in Han Chinese population.

Objectives: Environmental and genetic factors play important roles in the development of schizophrenia (SCZ), bipolar disorder (BPD) or major depressive disorder (MDD). Some risk loci are identified with shared genetic effects on major psychiatric disorders. To investigate whether gene played a significant role in these psychiatric disorders in the Han Chinese population.

Internet Addiction and Related Psychological Factors Among Children and Adolescents in China During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Epidemic.

Background: The Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is an infectious disease presenting a major threat to public health. This study aims to assess Internet use characteristics and objectively examine the potential psychological factors associated with Internet addiction (IA) during the COVID-19 epidemic.

Methods: A cross-sectional, anonymized, self-reported survey was conducted among Chinese children and adolescents aged 6 to 18 years old.

A comparison of psychological resilience and related factors in Chinese firstborn and only children.

The objective of this research is to compare psychological resilience in Chinese firstborn and only children and its relation to perceived parenting styles and child abuse. The results found that total psychological resilience score, and resilience subscales such as emotion control and goal focus mean scores of the firstborn child was significantly lower compared to the only child (Ps<0.05).

COVID-19 pandemic: study on simple, easy, and practical relaxation techniques while wearing medical protective equipment.

Background: No studies have reported on how to relieve distress or relax in medical health workers while wearing medical protective equipment in coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. The study aimed to establish which relaxation technique, among six, is the most feasible in first-line medical health workers wearing medical protective equipment.

Methods: This was a two-step study collecting data with online surveys.

A functional missense variant in ITIH3 affects protein expression and neurodevelopment and confers schizophrenia risk in the Han Chinese population.

The Psychiatric Genomics Consortium (PGC) has recently identified 10 potential functional coding variants for schizophrenia. However, how these coding variants confer schizophrenia risk remains largely unknown. Here, we investigate the associations between eight potential functional coding variants identified by PGC and schizophrenia in a large Han Chinese sample (n = 4022 cases and 9270 controls).

Prevalence, Demographic, and Clinical Correlates of Comorbid Depressive Symptoms in Chinese Psychiatric Patients With Alcohol Dependence.

Background: Depressive symptoms are common among psychiatric patients with alcohol dependence (AD). However, the prevalence and clinical correlates of comorbid depressive symptoms are less well studied in Chinese Han patients.

Methods: In this hospital-based survey, we recruited 378 psychiatric patients diagnosed with AD according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders-Fourth Edition (DSM-IV).

PSYCHOMETRIC properties of the Chinese version of the THINC-it tool for cognitive symptoms in patients with major depressive disorder.

Background: To validate the reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the THINC-it tool in adults with major depressive disorder (MDD).

Methods: Subjects aged 18 to 65 years (n=117) with MDD were evaluated and compared to age- and sex-matched healthy controls (n=124). Subjects completed the THINC-it, four criteria-related objective cognitive subtests, and the paper version of Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression-5-item (PDQ-5-D).

Psychological morbidities and fatigue in patients with confirmed COVID-19 during disease outbreak: prevalence and associated biopsychosocial risk factors.

Objective: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) - a novel and highly infectious pneumonia - has now spread across China and beyond for over four months. However, its psychological impact on patients is unclear. We aim to examine the prevalence and associated risk factors for psychological morbidities and fatigue in patients with confirmed COVID-19 infection.

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.

Neurocognitive effects of atypical antipsychotics in patients with first-episode schizophrenia.

Cognitive impairment is a core feature of schizophrenia. The effects of atypical antipsychotics on the cognitive functions of patients with first-episode schizophrenia have not been comprehensively investigated so far. This study aims to compare neurocognitive effects of risperidone, olanzapine, and aripiprazole for first-episode schizophrenia.

Patient health questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) to distinguish bipolar II disorder from major depressive disorder.

A sequential-recruited clinical trial has been conducted to assess capacity of Patient Health Questionnaire-15 (PHQ-15) in distinguishing bipolar II disorder from major depressive disorder. A total of 73 patients (49 BD-II depression patients) filled sociodemographic characteristics, Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Questionnaire (GAD-7), and PHQ-15. Sum score of PHQ-15 showed statistically significant difference in the two groups (t-test, P = 0.

Identification of rare and common variants in BNIP3L: a schizophrenia susceptibility gene.

Background: Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental disorder, and it has been predicted to be highly polygenic. Common SNPs located in or near BNIP3L were found to be genome-wide significantly associated with schizophrenia in recent genome-wide association studies. The purpose of our study is to investigate potential causal variants in BNIP3L gene.

Rapid membrane effect of estrogens on stimulation of corticotropin-releasing hormone.

Background: Classic nuclear-initiated estrogen signaling stimulates corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH) gene expression as a transcription factor. However, the possible mechanism by which membrane-initiated estrogen signaling (MIES) influences CRH expression remains unclear. There are indications that MIES may upregulate nitric oxide (NO) production through the phosphatidylinositol 3-hydroxy kinase (PI3K) and potentially through the mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathway.

Autism spectrum disorder and severe social impairment associated with elevated plasma interleukin-8.

Background: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a neurodevelopmental disorder with an unclear etiology and pathophysiology. Previous studies have indicated that the dysregulation of cytokines may be involved in the pathogenesis of ASD and that the levels of cytokines may serve as potential biomarkers of this disorder.

Methods: The current study employed a family triad-based case-control design to study the levels of plasma cytokines in families with ASD (n = 45 triads) and controls (n = 38 triads) with a Human Cytokine Twenty-Five-Plex Kit.

Randomized Controlled Trial of Paliperidone Extended Release Versus Risperidone for the Treatment of Methamphetamine-Associated Psychosis in Chinese Patients.

Background: The efficacy or tolerability of paliperidone extended release (ER) in the treatment of methamphetamine (METH)-associated psychosis (MAP) is unknown. This study was designed to assess the tolerability and efficacy of paliperidone ER and risperidone for the treatment of MAP in China.

Methods: This 25-day randomized clinical trial involved 120 patients with acute MAP symptoms who were randomized to receive either paliperidone ER or risperidone from baseline to day 25 of an inpatient hospital stay.

Salience-thalamic circuit uncouples in major depressive disorder, but not in bipolar depression.

Background: Bipolar depression (BDD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) are two diseases both characterized by depressed mood and diminished interest or pleasure. Recent neuroimaging studies have implicated the thalamo-cortical circuit in mood disorders, and the present study aimed to map thalamo-cortical connectivity to explore the dissociable and common abnormalities between bipolar and major depression in this circuit.

Method: Applying resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), we mapped the thalamo-cortical circuit using a fine-grained thalamic atlas with 8 sub-regions bilaterally in 38 BDD patients, 42 MDD patients and 39 healthy controls (HCs).

Disturbed Resting-State Whole-Brain Functional Connectivity of Striatal Subregions in Bulimia Nervosa.

Background: Disturbed self-regulation, taste reward, as well as somatosensory and visuospatial processes were thought to drive binge eating and purging behaviors that characterize bulimia nervosa. Although studies have implicated a central role of the striatum in these dysfunctions, there have been no direct investigations on striatal functional connectivity in bulimia nervosa from a network perspective.

Methods: We calculated the functional connectivity of striatal subregions based on the resting-state functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging data of 51 bulimia nervosa patients and 53 healthy women.

Rare and common variants analysis of the EMB gene in patients with schizophrenia.

Background: Recent genome-wide association study showed rs10940346 locus near EMB gene was significantly associated with schizophrenia and suggested that EMB gene is one of the potentially causal genes for schizophrenia, but no causal variant has been identified. Our study aims to further verify EMB gene is a susceptibility gene for schizophrenia and to identify potentially causal variants in EMB gene that lead to schizophrenia.

Methods: Targeted sequencing for the un-translated region and all exons of EMB gene was performed among 1803 patients with schizophrenia and 997 healthy controls recruited from Chinese Han population.