Bayesian adaptive lasso for additive hazard regression with current status data

Variable selection is a crucial issue in model building and it has received considerable attention in the literature of survival analysis. However, available approaches in this direction have mainly focused on time-to-event data with right censoring. Moreover, a majority of existing variable selection procedures for survival models are developed in a frequentist framework. In this article, we consider additive hazards model in the presence of current status data. We propose a Bayesian adaptive least absolute shrinkage and selection operator procedure to conduct a simultaneous variable selection and parameter estimation. Efficient Markov chain Monte Carlo methods are developed to implement posterior sampling and inference. The empirical performance of the proposed method is demonstrated by simulation studies. An application to a study on the risk factors of heart failure disease for type 2 diabetes patients is presented.     

Association Between Parental Marital Status and Types of Suicidal Behavior Among Korean Adolescents: A Cross-sectional Study

ObjectivesAdolescent suicide is a global problem. This study aimed to identify associations between parental marital status and suicidal behavior.MethodsThis study analyzed 118 715 middle and high school students from the 13th and 14th Korea Youth Risk Behavior Web-based Survey. The odds ratios (ORs) of suicidal ideation, planning, and attempts were calculated based on parental marital status, living situation, and socioeconomic factors. The data were analyzed using multiple logistic regression.ResultsWhen compared to those living with 2 married biological parents, the ORs of suicidal ideation among adolescents living with either remarried or no parents were 1.34 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.17 to 1.53) and 1.36 (95% CI, 1.11 to 1.66), respectively. For suicidal planning, the OR of those living with 1 remarried biological parent was 1.24 (95% CI, 1.01 to 1.52), and that of those living without parents was 1.28 (95% CI, 0.95 to 1.73), when compared to adolescents living with 2 married biological parents. For suicide attempts, when compared to adolescents with 2 married biological parents, the OR of those living with 1 remarried biological parent was 1.48 (95% CI, 1.17 to 1.87) and that of those living without parents was 2.02 (95% CI, 1.44 to 2.83). For adolescents living with 1 remarried biological parent, suicidal behavior was strongly associated with having no siblings and were weakly associated with not living with grandparents.ConclusionsSuicidal behavior among adolescents was associated with the remarriage and loss of parents. Therefore, special attention and interventions are needed for adolescents in those situations.     

Occupational attainment and depressive symptoms in young adulthood

Past studies have shown that various aspects of occupational attainment (unemployment, job instability, low occupational status, and low earnings) are associated with poor mental health, but each of these studies focused on one or two aspects of occupational attainment. Consequently, it remains unclear whether their associations are independent of each other. Further, little is known about whether negative self‐assessments of occupational attainment are linked to poor mental health. We sought to overcome these limitations of past research while focusing on depressive symptoms as a mental health outcome and young adulthood as a life stage context. The study analysed U.S. data from the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (n = 13,178) using ordinary least square models. The analysis showed that all aspects of occupational attainment were associated with depressive symptoms in the expected directions. Further, unemployment, job instability, and negative self‐assessment of career progress showed stronger associations, and those associations were independent of other occupational attainment variables. Overall, the results suggested that understanding the association between occupational attainment and mental health requires close attention to the life stage context.     

Depression among caregivers of patients with dementia: Associative factors and management approaches

As elderly people increasingly come to represent a higher proportion of the world’s population, various forms of dementia are becoming a significant chronic disease burden. The World Health Organization emphasizes dementia care as a public health priority and calls for more support for family caregivers who commonly play a significant, central role in dementia care. Taking care of someone with dementia is a long-term responsibility that can be stressful and may lead to depression among family caregivers. Depression and related behavioral and cognitive changes among caregivers could in turn affect the status and prognosis of the dementia patient. This review article explores depression in dementia caregivers and summarizes proposed mechanisms, associated factors, management and research findings, and proposes future research directions.     

肺癌的研究现状

肺癌是世界范围内癌症发病率及死亡率最高、治疗效果相对较差的一种恶性肿瘤。随着我国经济的发展,肺癌已成为我国城乡居民的首要死亡原因之一。本文就近年来国内外肺癌领域发表的文献情况进行回顾,对肺癌的研究现状进行分析并展望。     

北京市海淀区居民超重/肥胖流行现状及其影响因素

目的了解北京市海淀区18~79岁常住居民超重/肥胖流行现状及其危险因素,为预防和控制超重/肥胖提供科学依据。方法采用多阶段整群随机抽样的方法,抽取海淀区20个街道18~79岁常住居民6 598人,对超重/肥胖及危险因素等情况进行流行病学调查。结果调查对象超重和肥胖率分别为38.53%和18.84%,标化率分别为34.82%和16.59%。多因素logistic回归分析显示:高年龄组、在婚、饮酒、口味偏咸是超重和肥胖的危险因素,女性、文化程度高中以上是超重和肥胖的保护因素。结论北京海淀区居民超重、肥胖患病形式严峻,需采取综合措施,有针对性的开展干预工作。     

Nutritional Status of Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Do We Know Enough?

The incidence of individuals with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) is on the rise; therefore, well-timed screening is important. Given that this is a nutritionally vulnerable population, it is imperative to conduct a detailed nutritional assessment so that timely and intensive interventions can be recommended. This review article summarizes the research, focusing on the nutritional status of individuals with ASDs based on their anthropometric measurements, biomarkers, and dietary assessments. Research examining anthropometric measurements reveals an abnormally accelerated rate of growth among children with autism but shows inconsistent findings on the prevalence of overweight/obesity in comparison with typically growing children. Although dysregulated amino acid metabolism, increased homocysteine, and decreased folate, vitamins B-6 and B-12, and vitamin D concentrations have been proposed as possible biomarkers for an early diagnosis of ASDs, research investigating their association with age, gender, severity, and other comorbid psychiatric/nonpsychiatric disorders is lacking. There is consensus that children with autism have selective eating patterns, food neophobia, limited food repertoire, and sensory issues. Although inadequate micronutrient but adequate macronutrient intakes are increasingly reported, there are inconsistent results about the extent and type of nutrient deficiencies. Identification and development of nutritional assessment indicators that serve as early warning signs during routine practice beginning at birth and extending throughout the child’s growth are necessary. With this population aging, there is also a dire need to study the adult population. A more vigorous role by nutrition professionals is warranted because management of potential comorbidities and contributory factors may be particularly problematic.