Childhood Sexual Abuse and the Development of Recurrent Major Depression in Chinese Women

Background Our prior study in Han Chinese women has shown that women with a history of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) are at increased risk for developing major depression (MD). Would this relationship be found in our whole data set? Method Three levels of CSA (non-genital, genital, and intercourse) were assessed by self-report in two groups of Han Chinese women: 6017 clinically ascertained with recurrent MD and 5983 matched controls. Diagnostic and other risk factor information was assessed at personal interview. Odds ratios (ORs) were calculated by logistic regression. Results We confirmed earlier results by replicating prior analyses in 3,950 new recurrent MD cases. There were no significant differences between the two data sets. Any form of CSA was significantly associated with recurrent MD (OR 4.06, 95% confidence interval (CI) [3.19–5.24]). This association strengthened with increasing CSA severity: non-genital (OR 2.21, 95% CI 1.58–3.15), genital (OR 5.24, 95% CI 3.52–8.15) and intercourse (OR 10.65, 95% CI 5.56–23.71). Among the depressed women, those with CSA had an earlier age of onset, longer depressive episodes. Recurrent MD patients those with CSA had an increased risk for dysthymia (OR 1.60, 95%CI 1.11–2.27) and phobia (OR 1.41, 95%CI 1.09–1.80). Any form of CSA was significantly associated with suicidal ideation or attempt (OR 1.50, 95% CI 1.20–1.89) and feelings of worthlessness or guilt (OR 1.41, 95% CI 1.02–2.02). Intercourse (OR 3.47, 95%CI 1.66–8.22), use of force and threats (OR 1.95, 95%CI 1.05–3.82) and how strongly the victims were affected at the time (OR 1.39, 95%CI 1.20–1.64) were significantly associated with recurrent MD

Associations of Educational Attainment, Occupation, Social Class and Major Depressive Disorder among Han Chinese Women

Background The prevalence of major depressive disorder (MDD) is higher in those with low levels of educational attainment, the unemployed and those with low social status. However the extent to which these factors cause MDD is unclear. Most of the available data comes from studies in developed countries, and these findings may not extrapolate to developing countries. Examining the relationship between MDD and socio economic status in China is likely to add to the debate because of the radical economic and social changes occurring in China over the last 30 years. Principal findings We report results from 3,639 Chinese women with recurrent MDD and 3,800 controls. Highly significant odds ratios (ORs) were observed between MDD and full time employment (OR = 0.36, 95% CI = 0.25–0.46, logP = 78), social status (OR = 0.83, 95% CI = 0.77–0.87, logP = 13.3) and education attainment (OR = 0.90, 95% CI = 0.86–0.90, logP = 6.8). We found a monotonic relationship between increasing age and increasing levels of educational attainment. Those with only primary school education have significantly more episodes of MDD (mean 6.5, P-value = 0.009) and have a clinically more severe disorder, while those with higher educational attainment are likely to manifest more comorbid anxiety disorders. Conclusions In China lower socioeconomic position is associated with increased rates of MDD, as it is elsewhere in the world. Significantly more episodes of MDD occur among those with lower educational attainment (rather than longer episodes of disease), consistent with the hypothesis that the lower socioeconomic position increases the likelihood of developing MDD. The phenomenology of MDD varies according to the degree of educational attainment: higher educational attainment not only appears to protect against MDD but alters its presentation, to a more anxious phenotype

From Cells to Insights: The Power of Human Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cortical Interneurons in Psychiatric Disorder Modeling

Psychiatric disorders, such as schizophrenia (SCZ) and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), represent a global health challenge with their poorly understood and complex etiologies. Cortical interneurons (cINs) are the primary inhibitory neurons in the cortex and their subtypes, especially those that are generated from the medial ganglionic emission (MGE) region, have been shown to play an important role in the pathogenesis of these psychiatric disorders. Recent advances in induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) technologies provide exciting opportunities to model and study these disorders using human iPSC-derived cINs. In this review, we present a comprehensive overview of various methods employed to generate MGE-type cINs from human iPSCs, which are mainly categorized into induction by signaling molecules vs. direct genetic manipulation. We discuss their advantages, limitations, and potential applications in psychiatric disorder modeling to aid researchers in choosing the appropriate methods based on their research goals. We also provide examples of how these methods have been applied to study the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. In addition, we discuss ongoing challenges and future directions in the field. Overall, iPSC-derived cINs provide a powerful tool to model the developmental pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders, thus aiding in uncovering disease mechanisms and potential therapeutic targets. This review article will provide valuable resources for researchers seeking to navigate the complexities of cIN generation methods and their applications in the study of psychiatric disorders

Aegis: Partitioning Data Block for Efficient Recovery of Stuck-at-Faults in Phase Change Memory

While Phase Change Memory (PCM) holds a great promise as a complement or even replacement of DRAM-based memory and flash-based storage, it must effectively overcome its limit on write endurance to be a reliable device for an extended period of intensive use. The limited write endurance can lead to permanent stuck-at faults after a certain number of writes, which causes some memory cells permanently stuck at either ’0 ’ or ’1’. State-of-the-art solutions apply a bit inversion technique on selected bit groups of a data block after its partitioning. The effectiveness of this approach hinges on how a data block is partitioned into bit groups. While all existing solutions can separate faults into different groups for error correction, they are inadequate on three fundamental capabilities desired for any partitio

A controlling nutritional status score is an independent predictor for patients with newly diagnosed nasal‐type extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma based on asparaginase‐containing regimens

Abstract Background The controlling nutritional status (CONUT) score is a nutritional index that combines serum albumin, total cholesterol, and lymphocyte counts. The potential value of CONUT score for predicting clinical outcomes in patients with nasal‐type extranodal NK/T‐cell lymphoma (ENKTL) has not been explored. Methods This study included 374 ENKTL patients treated with asparaginase‐containing regimens from September 2012 to September 2017. Clinical characteristics, treatment efficacy, prognostic factors, and the predictive value of CONUT score were analyzed. Results The complete response (CR) and overall response rate (ORR) were 54.8% and 74.6%, respectively. Patients with CONUT scores <2 had higher CR and ORR compared to patients with scores ≥2 (69.1% vs. 48.9% for CR, p = 0.001; 90.0% vs. 74.6% for ORR, p < 0.001). The 5‐year overall survival (OS) and progression‐free survival (PFS) rates were 61.9% and 57.3%, respectively. Patients with CONUT scores <2 had better survival outcomes than those with scores ≥2 (5‐year OS, 76.1% vs. 56.0%, p < 0.001; 5‐year PFS, 74.4% vs. 50.1%, p < 0.001). CONUT score ≥2 was identified as an independent poor prognostic factor for both OS and PFS. A CONUT score ≥2 was also associated with poorer survival outcomes in low‐risk ENKTL patients. Conclusion A CONUT score ≥2 is a prognostic marker for poor survival in patients with ENKTL and could be used to stratify risk in low‐risk patients

Performance of common buckwheat (Fagopyrum esculentum M.) supplied with selenite or selenate for selenium biofortification in northeastern China

Selenium (Se) deficiency commonly occurs in soils of northeastern China and leads to insufficient Se intake by humans. A two-year field study of Se biofortification of common buckwheat supplied with 40 g Se ha−1 as selenite (Se(IV)), selenate (Se(VI)), or a combination (1/2 Se(IV + VI)) was performed to investigate Se accumulation and translocation in plants and determine the effects of different forms of Se on the grain yield, biomass production, and Se use efficiency of plants and seeds. Se application increased seed Se concentrations to 47.1–265.1 μg kg−1. Seed Se concentrations following Se(VI) or 1/2 Se(IV + VI) treatment exceeded 100 μg kg−1, an amount suitable for crop Se biofortification. Se concentration in shoots and roots decreased with plant development, and Se translocation from root to shoot in Se(IV)-treated plants was lower than that in plants treated with 1/2 Se(IV + VI) and Se(VI). Both grain yield and biomass production increased under 1/2 Se(IV + VI) treatment, with grain yields reaching 1663.8 and 1558.5 kg ha−1 in 2015 and 2016, respectively, reflecting increases of 11.0% and 10.3% over those without Se application. The Se use efficiency of seeds and plants under Se(VI) treatment was significantly higher than those under 1/2 Se(IV + VI) and Se(IV) treatments. Thus, application of selenate could result in higher Se accumulation in buckwheat seeds than application of the other Se sources, but the combined application of selenate and selenite might be an alternative approach for improving buckwheat grain yield by Se biofortification in northeastern China. Keywords: Common buckwheat, Se uptake, Se accumulation, Se translocation, Se biofortificatio

Diversified gut microbiota in newborns of mothers with gestational diabetes mellitus.

Gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), a high-risk pregnancy complication of great effect on the perinatal health of women and newborns, may cause changes of gut microbiota in mothers and further affect gut microbiota in newborns. This study aimed to investigate the potential effect of mother GDM on newborns' gut microbiota. Meconium DNA was extracted from a total of 34 full-term and C-sectioned newborns, in which 20 newborns had mothers diagnosed with GDM, while 14 had unaffected mothers. Sequencing and bioinformatics analysis of 16S rRNA indicated that the gut microbiota of GDM newborns showed differences compared to control newborns. The taxonomy analyses suggested that the overall bacterial content significantly differed by maternal diabetes status, with the microbiome of the GDM group showing lower alpha-diversity than that of control group. The phyla of Proteobacteria and Actinobacteria in GDM newborns increased, while that of Bacteroidetes significantly reduced (P<0.05). Moreover, several unique gut microbiota in phylum of Proteobacteria, Firmicutes, Actinobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Chloroflexi, Acidobacteria, and Planctomycetes found in control newborns were absent in GDM ones. At genus level, the relative abundance of Prevotella and Lactobacillus significantly decreased (P<0.05) in GDM newborns. Correlation analysis indicated that maternal fasting glucose levels were positively correlated with the relative abundance of phylum Actinobacteria and genus Acinetobacter, while negatively correlated with that of phylum Bacteroidetes and genus Prevotella. However, bacteria in GDM grade A2 (GDM_A2) newborns did not show any statistical variation compared to those from control newborns, which might be attributed to the additional intervention by insulin. The results of this study have important implications for understanding the potential effects of GDM on the gut microbiota of newborns and thus possibly their metabolism at later stages in their lives

Synthesis and Characterization of Konjac Glucomannan-Graft-Polyacrylamide via γ-Irradiation

The synthesis of konjac glucomannan-graft-polyacrylamide (KGM-g-PAM) wascarried out at 25°C by γ-irradiation under a N2 atmosphere. The effects of absorbedradiation dosage and monomer concentration on grafting yield and water absorbency werestudied. The grafted copolymers were characterized using Fourier Transform Infrared(FTIR) spectroscopy, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), x-ray diffraction (XRD),thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and gel permeation chromatography (GPC). Thegrafting yield was observed to increase with increasing absorbed dosage and monomerconcentration. Compared with the original KGM, the grafted copolymers exhibited betterthermal stability and water absorbency. The results suggest that γ-irradiation is convenientand efficient for inducing graft copolymerization of KGM and acrylamide (AM)