Reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Nightmare disorder index in adolescents

The Nightmare Disorder Index Questionnaire (NDI) was developed to measure the impact of nightmares. The purpose of this study was to investigate the psychometric properties of NDI among Chinese adolescents. This study investigated the validity and internal consistency of the Nightmare Disorder Index Chinese (NDI-CV) among 6014 Chinese adolescents who completed the NDI-CV, Nightmare Distress Questionnaire-Chinese Version (NDQ-CV), Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI), Insomnia Severity Index (ISI), Chinese Adolescent Daytime Sleepiness Scale (CADSS), Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 Questionnaire (GAD-7), and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9). In addition, we investigated the test-retest reliability of the NDI-CV among 423 adolescents who completed a retest of the NDI-CV after a 2-week interval. Finally, NDI-CV demonstrated good psychometric properties in a sample of Chinese adolescents (Cronbach's α coefficient of 0.876), and the 95% confidence interval for the 2-week retest correlation coefficient was 0.675-0.977 (p < 0.001).

Measuring Sleep Stages and Screening for Obstructive Sleep Apnea with a Wearable Multi-Sensor System in Comparison to Polysomnography

Objective

To assess the performance of a wearable multi-sensor system (SensEcho) in comparison to polysomnography (PSG) in measuring sleep stages and searching for obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).

Methods

Participants underwent overnight simultaneous monitoring using SensEcho and PSG in a sleep laboratory. SensEcho analyzed the recordings spontaneously, and PSG was assessed as per standard guidelines. The degree of snoring was evaluated according to the guidelines for the diagnosis and treatment of OSA hypopnea syndrome (2011 revision). The Epworth Sleepiness Scale (ESS) was used to assess general daytime sleepiness.

Results

This study included 103 Han Chinese, 91 of whom (age 39.02 ± 13.84 years, body mass index 27.28 ± 5.12 kg/m2, 61.54% male) completed the assessments. The measures of total sleep time (P = 0.198); total wake time (P = 0.182); shallow sleep (P = 0.297), deep sleep (P = 0.422), rapid eye movement sleep (P = 0.570), and awake (P = 0.336) proportions were similar between SensEcho and PSG. Using an apnea-hypopnea index (AHI) cutoff of ≥ 5 events/h, the SensEcho had 82.69% sensitivity and 89.74% specificity. Almost the same results were obtained at an AHI threshold of ≥ 15 events/h. Although the specificity increased to 94.67%, it decreased to 43.75% at an AHI cutoff of ≥ 30 events/h.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated that SensEcho can be used to evaluate sleep status and screen for OSA. Nevertheless, improving the accuracy of its assessment of severe OSA and further testing its effectiveness in community and home environments is necessary.

Nightmare Distress as a Risk Factor for Suicide Among Adolescents with Major Depressive Disorder

PURPOSE

Nightmare is common and is also independently implicated in suicide risk among the adolescent population. Adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) are at an increased risk of suicide. Therefore, comorbid nightmares may amplify suicide risk among this clinical population. This study aimed to explore the effects of nightmares on suicide risk among adolescents with MDD.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

Subjects were 499 outpatients aged 12-18 in four large psychiatric hospitals clinic of China, from January 1 to October 31, 2021. Simultaneously, we matched 499 healthy controls according to gender and age. All participants underwent affective state (depressive and anxiety symptoms) and sleep variable (nightmare frequency/distress, insomnia symptoms, and daytime sleepiness) evaluation as well as MDD diagnoses and determination of suicide risk by a fully structured diagnostic clinical interview.

RESULTS

Adolescents with MDD reported a higher incidence of frequent nightmares (at least one night per week) and level of nightmare distress than healthy controls (22.0% vs 6.1%; 28.85 ± 11.92 vs 17.30 ± 5.61). Over half of the patients with suicide risk (51.6%) experienced frequent nightmares compared with approximately one-third of those at a risk for suicide (30.7%). Patients with suicide risk scored scientifically higher on sleep variables, depressive and anxiety symptoms than those without the risk. Further logistic regression analysis indicated that female gender, junior grade, recurrent depressive episode, severe nightmare distress and severe depressive symptoms were independently and significantly associated with suicide risk.

CONCLUSION

Our study provided evidence that adolescents with MDD experienced a higher prevalence of frequent nightmares and suffered more nightmare distress. Nightmare distress is an independent risk factor for suicide risk.

[Study on the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid intake and chronic inflammation state of body]

Objective: To explore the correlation between dietary N-glycolylneuraminic acid (Neu5Gc) intake and chronic inflammation state of body. Methods: A total of 306 samples of 102 types of food were purchased from a supermarket in Xiamen in September 2019, including grains, meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, beans, dairy products, vegetables and fruits. The content of Neu5Gc in food was determined by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. A total of 500 healthy freshmen from Xiamen University were selected by using a simple random sampling method. The food frequency questionnaire was used to investigate the food intake in the past year. The food intake was corrected by 3 consecutive 24-hour recalls, and the amount of Neu5Gc intake was calculated. The concentration of anti-Neu5Gc antibody, C-reactive protein (CRP) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) in serum was detected. Spearman correlation analysis was used to explore the correlation between Neu5Gc intake and anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels. Results: Neu5Gc was mainly found in red meat and liquid dairy products. The contents of Neu5Gc in beef, lamb and pork were (30.32±2.84), (20.39±4.73) and (5.58±1.04) mg/kg, respectively, and in liquid milk and yogurt were (10.87±1.54) and (6.91±0.24) mg/L, respectively. The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) intake of Neu5Gc for all participants was 4.62 (2.20, 8.60) mg/d. The M(P₂₅, P₇₅) intake of Neu5Gc for males about 6.60(2.83, 10.20) was higher than that for females about [3.84 (1.84, 6.35) mg/d] (P<0.001). The M (P₂₅, P₇₅) of serum anti-Neu5Gc, CRP and IL-6 levels were 3.07 (2.17, 4.14) μg/ml, 0.37 (0.22, 0.87) mg/ml and 61.82 (12.23, 315.30) pg/ml, respectively. Spearman correlation analysis showed that the intake level of Neu5Gc was positively correlated with serum anti-Neu5Gc antibody, CRP and IL-6 levels, with r_s values about 0.222, 0.102 and 0.126, respectively (all P values <0.05). Conclusion: Dietary Neu5Gc intake is mainly from red meat and liquid dairy products, and its intake level is positively correlated with chronic inflammatory state of body.

A Linear Regression Predictor for Identifying N6-Methyladenosine Sites Using Frequent Gapped K-mer Pattern

N6-methyladenosine (m⁶A) is one of the most common and abundant modifications in RNA, which is related to many biological processes in humans. Abnormal RNA modifications are often associated with a series of diseases, including tumors, neurogenic diseases, and embryonic retardation. Therefore, identifying m⁶A sites is of paramount importance in the post-genomic age. Although many lab-based methods have been proposed to annotate m⁶A sites, they are time consuming and cost ineffective. In view of the drawbacks of the intrinsic methods in RNA sequence recognition, computational methods are suggested as a supplement to identify m⁶A sites. In this study, we develop a novel feature extraction algorithm based on the frequent gapped k-mer pattern (FGKP) and apply the linear regression to construct the prediction model. The new predictor is used to identify m⁶A sites in the Saccharomyces cerevisiae database. It has been shown by the 10-fold cross-validation that the performance is better than that of recent methods. Comparative results indicate that our model has great potential to become a useful and effective tool for genome analysis and gain more insights for locating m⁶A sites.

[Study on the changes of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist in pinopodes]

Objective: To study the changes of gonadotropin releasing hormone agonist (GnRH-a) in pinopodes during luteal phase and to explore the possible mechanism of GnRH-a in luteal phase support of assisted reproductive technology (ART). Methods: Totally 40 primary infertility women who were treated with ART due to male factors were enrolled, according to the order of the group they were randomly divided into experimental group and control group. On the 7th day after ovulation, the experimental group received a subcutaneous injection of 0.1 mg of GnRH-a, while the control group received a subcutaneous injection of placebo only (0.9% saline 2 ml), 3 days later they came to the clinic again. Serum estradiol and progesterone levels were measured before and after treatment in each group. Pinopodes were collected for electron microscopic examination. Levels of ER and PR were detected by western blot. Results: (1) There was no significant difference between the experimental group and the control group in the estrogen level before and after the treatment (all P>0.05). The level of progesterone in the experimental group after treatment [(66.8±14.9) nmol/L] was significantly higher than that before treatment(P<0.05); also significantly higher than the same period of the control group (P<0.05). (2) There was no significant difference in the expression of ER protein in the experimental group before and after treatment (P>0.05). The expression of PR in the experimental group after treatment was significantly lower than that before treatment (P<0.05); also lower than the same period of the control group (P<0.05). (3) Expression amount of pinopodes in the experimental group after treatment was significantly higher than that before treatment [65% (13/20) versus 25% (5/20), P<0.05], and the development trend was more mature [the percentage of maturation:75% (15/20) versus 35% (7/20), P<0.05]. Expression amount of pinopodes after treatment and the percentage of maturation in the experimental group were significantly higher than those in the same period of control group (P<0.05). Conclusion: GnRH-a in luteal phase support may play a role through the corpus luteum, which may promote the secretion of progesterone, downregulation of PR expression, promote the growth of pinopodes, and improve the endometrial receptivity.

Risk factors for late-onset hypogonadism

The European Male Aging Study (EMAS) has recently defined strict diagnostic criteria for late-onset hypogonadism (LOH) including the levels of serum total testosterone (TT), free testosterone (FT) and three sexual symptoms. However, there is no report on risk factors for LOH using these criteria. In this study, we investigated risk factors for LOH based on these criteria. We recruited 277 men (aged 36-80 years) who completed both a health check-up and two questionnaires (a health and lifestyle questionnaire, and a sexual function questionnaire). Data on parameters, such as systolic blood pressure (SBP), glucose, triglyceride (TG) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL), were obtained from medical records of the hospital in Shantou. TT and sex hormone-binding globulin (SHBG) were measured by chemiluminescent immunoassay, and FT was calculated. TT, FT, age, waist circumference, SBP and glucose showed significant differences between LOH-positive and LOH-negative individuals. Univariate regression analyses showed that age, waist circumference, SBP, glucose and health status were risk factors for LOH. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed that TT was inversely correlated with waist circumference, glucose and SBP, and FT was inversely correlated with age, SBP and health status. In conclusion, age, waist circumference, SBP, glucose and health status were risk factors for LOH.

Interactions between organic flocculant PAN-DCD and dyes

Organic flocculant polyacrylonitrile-dicyandiamide (PAN-DCD) was characterized by IR, 1H NMR and 13C NMR spectra. Polar groups, such as triazine, carboxyl, amidine, carbonamide and non-polar groups, such as methylene were identified in the macromolecular chain of PAN-DCD. The flocculant effectively decolorized the examined dyes in their aqueous solutions under acid condition. By comparing the IR spectra of dyes with that of PAN-DCD and that of flocs formed, weak chemical interactions between amino in PAN-DCD side chain and sulfonic acid group in the dye molecules were observed through the formation of -NH3+ SO3(-)-, NH2+ SO3(-)- or/and =NH+ SO3(-)-. By using equilibrium dialysis technique, the hydrophobic interactions between PAN-DCD and the dyes in the binding process were also observed from the experimental results. The binding extent of PAN-DCD to dye KN-R was greater than that of MO. The addition of urea into the binding system of KN-R by PAN-DCD reduced the first binding constant K from 12.2 x 10(5) (without urea) to 3.48 x 10(5) (with urea).

Genetic polymorphisms of orosomucoid on the Han population in Nanjing of China

Human orosomucoid (ORM) is a major binding protein for various basic drugs. The genetic polymorphisms of ORM could be responsible for interindividual variation in the plasma binding of basic drugs, which might influence their effects or toxicities. The genetic polymorphisms of ORM on the Han population in Nanjing of China were analyzed by isoelectric focusing (IEF) on polyacrylamide gels following by immunoblotting. After desialylation of sera from 220 unrelated Chinese subjects, the band patterns of ORM showed that the polymorphism of the structural locus ORM1 is controlled by three codominant autosomal alleles, ORM1*F1, ORM1*F2 and ORM1*S, which presented five phenotypes, ORM1 F1, ORM1 S, ORM1 F1F2, ORM1 F1S, and ORM1 F2S. The allele frequencies were: ORM1*F1=0.7068, ORM1*F2=0. 0182, ORM1*S=0.2750. The results presented in this paper indicate the ORM1 locus is polymorphic and the ORM2 locus is monomorphic in sera from the Han population in Nanjing of China.

Apolipoprotein (a) phenotypes in cardio-cerebrovascular diseases

Apolipoprotein (a) [Lp(a)] phenotypes of 69 myocardial infarction survivor and 56 stroke patients were reported and compared to those of 190 healthy Chinese. The results revealed that the distributions of apo(a) phenotype frequency in patients with cardio-cerebrovascular disease (CCVD) were different from those of controls. The frequency of the phenotypes S1 and S2 were remarkably higher in patients than in controls within the same single-band apo(a) phenotype. Moreover, the Lp (a) serum concentrations in CCVD patients were significantly higher than in controls within the same single-band apo (a) phenotype. The apo (a) phenotype analysis of two pedigrees were shown as a typical autosomal dominant inheritance.

Increased lipoprotein (a) as an independent risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases

We quantified serum lipoprotein(a) [Lp(a)] in 1266 healthy persons and established the reference value of Lp(a) in groups of age and sex. The Lp(a) in myocardial infarction (MI) survivors, stroke and primary hypertension patients were determined in comparison with that of age-matched normal controls. Moreover, cholesterol, triglyceride, HDL-cholesterol, apo Al and apo B were measured. The Lp(a) concentrations were not correlated with other lipids in normal controls and patients. Our results suggest that increased Lp(a) is an independent risk factor for MI and stroke patients. The total detective rate of abnormal lipids in MI and stroke patients was as high as 50% and 53.8% (Lp(a) excluded) as well as 65.7% and 64.9% (Lp(a) included) respectively.