Effectiveness of a universal school-based programme for preventing depression in Chinese adolescents: a quasi-experimental pilot study

BACKGROUND: Evidence of the effectiveness, rather than efficacy, of universal school-based programmes for preventing depression among adolescents is limited. This study examined the effectiveness of a universal depression prevention programme, 'The Little Prince is Depressed' (LPD), which adopted the cognitive-behavioural model and aimed to reduce depressive symptoms and enhance protective factors of depression among secondary school students in Hong Kong. METHODS: A quasi-experimental design was adopted for this pilot study. Thirteen classes were assigned to the intervention or control conditions according to the deliberation of the programme administrator of the four participating schools. Implementation was carried out in two phases, with a professional-led first phase and teacher-led programme second phase. LPD consisted of a 12-week school-based face-to-face programme with psycho-educational lessons and homework assignments. RESULTS: Students completed the programme generally showed positive development in help-seeking attitudes and self-esteem. For students who had more depressive symptoms at pre-assessment, the programme was found to be significant in enhancing cognitive-restructuring skills and support-seeking behaviours. The programme was not, however, found to be statistically significant in reducing depressive symptoms of the participants over the study period. LIMITATIONS: A small sample size, a high attrition rate, and a short follow-up time frame. CONCLUSIONS: The LPD programme was successful in building resilience of the students in general and enhancing the cognitive-behavioural skills of students with depressive symptoms. While we did not find sufficient evidence for concluding that the LPD was effective in reducing depressive symptoms, we believe that these results highlight the challenges of implementing evidence-based practices generated from highly controlled environments in real-life settings.postprin

Searching for Spiritual Peace: A Case Example of Life Integration and Relationship Reconciliation in the End-of-Life

Free Paper PresentationMany patients approaching the end of life are confronted with spiritual concerns related to a sense of personal integrity, meaning of life, and a fulfilled past. This presentation uses a case story to present how a qualitative study can be integrated with community intervention in helping patients searching for spiritual peace in their end of life. Three semi-structured interviews were conducted with the case who was a male older adult receiving palliative care in Sha Tin Hospital, Hong Kong. Findings reveal that a sense of self integrity through fulfilling familial responsibilities, seeking forgiveness and reconciliation of significant relationships are important themes contributing to the patient’s spirituality. As a follow up of the qualitative study, a charity organization in Hong Kong, Togetherness, provided a life review and meaning-making intervention in helping the patient to search for spiritual peace. Volunteers of the organization visited the patient and provided intervention with the following focuses: (1) Life Integration: Revisit and reinterpret regretful life experiences focusing on what is learnt from these experiences and the meaning of life; (2) Relationship reconciliation: Visit mother’s tomb, express love, gratitude and seek forgiveness from family, and family photo taking; (3) Living in the moment: Participate in social gatherings such as birthday party and festival celebrations and develop photography as new hobby. The intervention is successful in regaining a sense of personal integrity, connectedness, and spiritual peace

Connectedness and harmonization: spirituality among end-stage cancer patients

Young Investigator Award - Psychosocial Oncology: abstract no. A77Theme: Integration and Collaboration - the Way Forwar

Embryonic XMab21l2 expression is required for gastrulation and subsequent neural development

Cell fate determining gene mab-21 regulates the proper establishment of neural cell fate and sensory organ identity in nematode. Mammalian homologs of mab-21 have also been implicated to play critical roles in mid-, hindbrain and craniofacial differentiation. We report here the isolation of a mab-21 homolog, XMab21l2, from Xenopus. We showed that its expression in Xenopus was initiated at gastrulation and prominent signal was detected in neurulating embryos at the neural tube, the optic tissue, the developing midbrain, and the pharyngeal pouches. We demonstrated by RNA interference (RNAi), together with other antisense approaches, that XMab21l2 expression is required for the completion of gastrulation and subsequent neural development. © 2001 Academic Press.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

An integrative suicide prevention program for visitor charcoal burning suicide and suicide pact

An integrative suicide prevention program was implemented to tackle an outbreak of visitor charcoal burning suicides in Cheung Chau, an island in Hong Kong, in 2002. This study evaluated the effectiveness of the program. The numbers of visitor suicides reduced from 37 deaths in the 51 months prior to program implementation to 6 deaths in the 42 months post-implementation period. The number of visitor suicide pacts decreased from 7 pacts (15 individuals) to 1 pact (2 individuals). No statistically significant differences in the numbers of visitor suicide attempts and resident suicides were observed in the two time periods. No statistically significant changes in visitor suicides during the study period were observed on the comparison islands. The consistency and timing of reduction in visitor suicides correlated with the development and delivery of the integrative program on the intervention island, suggesting a causal association between program delivery and reduction of visitor suicides. The possibility of displacement seems small because there was no increase in visitor suicides on the comparison islands during the study period. This integrative approach in preventing target- specific suicides may serve as an example for other communities to develop suicide prevention programs that make use of the existing local resources. © 2009 The American Association of Suicidology.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Astrocyte-specific knockout of YKL-40/<i>Chi3l1</i> reduces Aβ burden and restores memory functions in 5xFAD mice

202405 bcrcVersion of RecordOthersNatural Science Foundation of Shandong Province(Natural Science Foundation of Shandong Province)PublishedC

Folic acid consumption reduces resistin level and restores blunted acetylcholine-induced aortic relaxation in obese/diabetic mice

Folic acid supplementation provides beneficial effects on endothelial functions in patients with hyperhomocysteinemia. However, its effects on vascular functions under diabetic conditions are largely unknown. Therefore, the effect(s) of folic acid (5.7 and 71 μg/kg/day for 4 weeks) on aortic relaxation was investigated using obese/diabetic (+db/+db) mice and lean littermate (+db/+m) mice. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation in +db/+db mice was less than that observed in +db/+m mice. The reduced relaxation in +db/+db mice was restored by consumption of 71 μg/kg folic acid. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation (with and without folic acid treatment) was sensitive to N G-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one, geldanamycin and triciribine. In addition, acetylcholine-induced relaxation was attenuated by resistin. The plasma level of resistin in +db/+db mice was sevenfold higher than that measured in +db/+m mice, and the elevated plasma level of resistin in +db/+db mice was reduced by 25% after treatment with 71 μg/kg folic acid. Folic acid slightly increased the ratio of reduced glutathione to oxidized glutathione in +db/+db mice. Moreover, folic acid caused a reduction in PTEN (phosphatase and tensin homolog deleted on chromosome 10) expression, an increase in the phosphorylation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS Ser1177) and Akt Ser473, and an enhanced interaction of heat shock protein 90 (HSP90) with eNOS in both strains, with greater magnitude observed in +db/+db mice. In conclusion, folic acid consumption improved blunted acetylcholine-induced relaxation in +db/+db mice. The mechanism may be, at least partly, attributed to enhancement of PI3K/HSP90/eNOS/Akt cascade, reduction in plasma resistin level, down-regulation of PTEN and slight modification of oxidative state. © 2010 Elsevier Inc.link_to_subscribed_fulltex

Chemical and pharmacological evaluations on the extract of Scutellaria Baicalensis Georgi (Huang-Qin) prepared by various extraction methods

Version of RecordPublishe