Quality of life and associated factors of heroin-dependent patients receiving methadone and buprenorphine maintenance treatment.

Aim: Although studies in Western countries have investigated the quality of life (QoL) of heroin users, limited research on this topic has been conducted in Asia. The present study assessed QoL in patients with heroin dependence receiving medications to treat opioid use disorder.

Methods: We performed a cross-sectional study of patients with heroin dependence receiving methadone and buprenorphine treatment.

The interplay of childhood trauma, oxytocin, and impulsivity in predicting the onset of methamphetamine use.

Background: Childhood trauma is associated with substance use disorders, including methamphetamine use disorder (MUD). Oxytocin, involved in social bonding, stress regulation, and reward processing, may influence addiction vulnerability and impulsivity in individuals with a history of childhood trauma.

Objective: To investigate the relationships among childhood trauma, oxytocin levels, impulsivity, and the age of first methamphetamine use in individuals with MUD.

Targeting cravings in substance addiction with transcranial direct current stimulation: insights from a meta-analysis of sham-controlled trials.

Addiction is a substantial health concern; craving-the core symptom of addiction-is strongly associated with relapse. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique that reduces cravings by altering cortical excitability and connectivity in brain regions. This systematic review and meta-analysis was conducted (following the PRISMA guidelines) to evaluate the efficacy of tDCS in reducing cravings for substances.

Validity of the Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Fourth Edition in People With Schizophrenia.

Importance: The Test of Visual Perceptual Skills-Fourth Edition (TVPS-4), which utilizes seven subscales, comprehensively assesses visual perception.

Objective: To examine the ecological, convergent, and discriminative validities of the TVPS-4 in the assessment of people with schizophrenia.

Design: Prospective and observational study.

Unfavorable cancer mortality-to-incidence ratios in patients with schizophrenia: A nationwide cohort study in Taiwan, 2000-2019.

Objectives: Studies on cancer incidence and mortality in patients with schizophrenia have reported inconsistent findings. In this study, we simultaneously investigated cancer incidence and mortality in patients with schizophrenia and evaluated the cancer mortality-to-incidence ratio (MIR), which is rare in the literature.

Methods: From the Taiwan National Health Insurance Database, we collected the data of 107,489 patients who received a diagnosis of schizophrenia between 2000 and 2019.

A smartphone-based support system coupled with a bluetooth breathalyzer in the treatment of alcohol dependence: A 12-week randomized controlled trial.

Background: Our prior open trial showed the feasibility of a smartphone-based support system coupled with a Bluetooth breathalyzer (SoberDiary) in assisting recovery for patients with alcohol dependence (AD). In this 24-week follow-up study, we further explored the efficacy of supplementing SoberDiary to treatment as usual (TAU) over 12 weeks of intervention and whether the efficacy persisted in the post-intervention 12 weeks.

Methods: 51 patients who met the DSM-IV criteria of AD were randomly assigned to the technological intervention group (TI group, receiving technology intervention of SoberDiary plus TAU,  = 25) or those receiving only TAU (TAU group,  = 26).

Effects of Vitamin D Supplementation on Cognitive Outcomes: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Clinical studies examining the effects of vitamin D on cognition have reported inconsistent results. To date, no comprehensive study has examined this effect on the basis of sample characteristics or intervention model-related factors. This systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials investigated the effects of vitamin D supplementation on global cognitive function and specific cognitive domains.

Life expectancy, mortality risks and cause of death in patients with serious mental illness in South East London: a comparison between 2008-2012 and 2013-2017.

Background: People with serious mental illness (SMI) have a significantly shorter life expectancy than the general population. This study investigates whether the mortality rate in this group has changed over the last decade.

Methods: Using Clinical Record Interactive Search software, we extracted data from a large electronic database of patients in South East London.

Prediction of the Duration to Next Admission for an Acute Affective Episode in Patients with Bipolar I Disorder.

Objective: Predicting disease relapse and early intervention could reduce symptom severity. We attempted to identify potential indicators that predict the duration to next admission for an acute affective episode in patients with bipolar I disorder.

Methods: We mathematically defined the duration to next psychiatric admission and performed single-variate regressions using historical data of 101 patients with bipolar I disorder to screen for potential variables for further multivariate regressions.

All-Cause and Cause-Specific Mortality in Parents After the Death of a Child in Taiwan: A Population-Based Cohort Study.

Objective: Research from Western countries suggests that there is an increase in mortality in parents bereaved by the death of a child. Few studies have investigated this issue in a non-Western context. We explored the impact of the death of a child on parental mortality in Taiwan.

Risk factors for relapse among methamphetamine users receiving a joint legal-medical treatment program as a diversion intervention: A one-year follow-up study.

Background: Methamphetamine (METH) is a Schedule II illicit drug in Taiwan. A 12-month legal-medical joint intervention program has been developed for first-time METH offenders during deferred prosecution. Risk factors associated with METH relapse use among these individuals were unknown.

Risk factors of involuntary referral by police to ER psychiatric services for patients with a severe mental illness: A GEE analysis.

This study aimed to identify risk factors for involuntary referral by police to emergency room (ER) psychiatric services for community-based patients with a mental illness via a generalized estimating equation (GEE) analysis. The analysis was based on data from the Management Information System of Psychiatric Care (MISPC) system for patients with a severe mental illness in Taipei, Taiwan and registered referral records of the police. Data on 6378 patients aged ≥20 years were used in this study, including 164 patients who were involuntarily referred to the ER by the police and 6214 patients who were not during the period of January 1, 2018 to December 31, 2020.

Treating fibromyalgia with electrical neuromodulation: A systematic review and meta-analysis.

Objective: Several types of electrical neuromodulation (such as transcranial direct current stimulation, tDCS; transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulation) have been applied in the treatment of fibromyalgia. These trials had different outcome measurements, such as subjective pain, pain threshold, depression, anxiety, and functioning. We intended to integrate data from different trials into a meta-analysis to clearly present the clinical value of electrical neuromodulation in fibromyalgia.

Comorbidity of ketamine dependence with major depressive disorder increases the vulnerability to neuroaxonal pathology.

We recently demonstrated that patients with ketamine dependence (KD) have increased serum levels of neurofilament light chain (NfL), a novel marker of active neuroaxonal pathology, with NfL levels being significantly higher in those KD patients comorbid with major depressive disorder (MDD). However, considering that NfL elevation has been associated with both ketamine-related brain pathology and MDD, we could not determine whether the observed elevation of NfL levels was driven by an interaction of KD with MDD or by MDD itself. Therefore, we compared serum NfL levels between 35 patients with MDD without ketamine use (MDD group), 23 with KD without MDD (KD without MDD group), 30 KD with MDD (KD with MDD group), and 86 healthy controls (HC group).

Delusions and Hallucinations Are Associated With Greater Severity of Delirium.

Background: The 3 core domains of delirium (cognitive, higher level thinking, circadian) do not include the less common noncore psychotic symptoms. However, psychosis might inform about perturbations of neural circuitry, outcomes, or suggest tailored clinical management.

Objective: We assessed relationships between psychosis and other characteristics of delirium in patients without dementia or antipsychotics treatment.

Exploration of the relationship between gut microbiota and fecal microRNAs in patients with major depressive disorder.

Microbiota-gut-brain axis signaling plays a pivotal role in mood disorders. The communication between the host and the gut microbiota may involve complex regulatory networks. Previous evidence showed that host-fecal microRNAs (miRNAs) interactions partly shaped gut microbiota composition.