Prevalence and socio-demographic correlates of schizophrenia in Beijing, China

OBJECTIVE: There has been no large-scale survey of schizophrenia in China involving both rural and urban areas using standardized assessment tools and diagnostic criteria. This study aimed to determine the lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia and its socio-demographic correlates in Beijing, China. METHODS: A total of 5926 subjects were randomly selected in Beijing and interviewed using the Composite International Diagnostic Interview (CIDI 1.0). Basic socio-demographic and clinical data were collected during the interviews. RESULTS: The lifetime prevalence of schizophrenia was 0.49%, and 0.44% and 0.55% for men and women, respectively. Unmarried status, lower monthly income, urban abode and positive family history were associated with an increased risk of schizophrenia; 9.7% of the subjects with lifetime schizophrenia reported a history of suicide attempts. The percentage of subjects with schizophrenia who were receiving treatment and their preference to seek treatment from mental health professionals were 58% and 29%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: National surveys are urgently needed to further explore the prevalence of schizophrenia in China. The low percentage of subjects treated for schizophrenia is a serious public health issue that should be addressed in the near future.     

Socio-demographic and clinical correlates of lifetime suicide attempts and their impact on quality of life in Chinese schizophrenia patients

This study determines the socio-demographic and clinical correlates of suicide attempts in Chinese schizophrenia outpatients and their impact on patients' quality of life (QOL). Two hundred and fifty-five clinically stable schizophrenia outpatients were randomly selected in Hong Kong (HK) and their counterparts matched according to sex, age, age at onset and length of illness were recruited in Beijing (BJ). All subjects at both sites were interviewed by the same investigator using standardized assessment instruments. Basic socio-demographic and clinical data and history of suicide attempts were collected. The lifetime prevalence of suicide attempts was 26.7% in the whole sample and 20% and 33.6% in the HK and BJ samples, respectively. Patients with a history of suicide attempts were less likely to receive depot antipsychotic (AP) medication, more likely to receive clozapine, benzodiazepines (BZD) and higher doses of APs; were younger at onset, had more hospitalizations; had more severe positive, depressive, anxiety and extrapyramidal (EPS) symptoms; were poorer QOL in the physical, psychological, social and environmental domains; and were more likely to be BJ residents. In multiple logistic regression analysis, early age at onset, poor physical QOL, use of clozapine and BZDs, and study site (HK vs BJ) were significant contributors to lifetime suicide attempts. Significant difference was found between matched samples in HK and BJ with respect to suicide attempts. HK is a cosmopolitan city with a Western social structure and mental health system, whereas in BJ more traditional Chinese cultural values predominate, with a mental health policy radically different from that of HK. These differences suggest that socio-cultural factors play a significant role in determining suicide attempts in schizophrenia.     

Association of insight with sociodemographic and clinical factors, quality of life, and cognition in Chinese patients with schizophrenia

PurposeThe aims of this study were to assess insight in Chinese patients with schizophrenia and to identify its relationship with sociodemographic and clinical factors, cognition, and quality of life (QOL).MethodsA cohort of 139 patients with clinically stable schizophrenia was selected by consecutively screening patients who had been diagnosed with schizophrenia and who were attending the outpatient department of a university-affiliated psychiatric hospital in China. Participants' sociodemographic and clinical characteristics, including psychotic and depressive symptoms and insight, as well as their social functioning, QOL, and flexibility of cognition, were assessed with standardized rating instruments.ResultsThirty-three patients (23.7%) had good insight into their illness. In univariate analyses, poor insight was associated with the positive, negative, and general symptom scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), and with higher scores on the physical and mental components of QOL. In multivariate analysis, poor insight was independently associated with a higher negative symptom score on the PANSS, a shorter length of illness, and with a high score on the physical components of QOL.ConclusionsPoor insight is common in patients with clinically stable schizophrenia. In this study, insight was not associated with basic sociodemographic characteristics or had it any associations with depression or the flexibility of cognitive processes.     

血小板减少肝病患者血小板生成素水平及意义

探讨血清血小板生成素(TPO)水平与肝细胞功能和外周血小板数的相关性,我们采用酶联免疫吸附法(ELISA)对住院的106例病毒性肝炎患者进行了血清TPO水平的检测,现报道如下。 1.材料与方法:(1)研究对象与分组:取自2002~2003年住院的106例病毒性肝炎患者。其中男91例,女15例,年龄16~65岁,平均(37.23±11.33)岁。临床诊断按照2000年病毒     

Socio-demographic and clinical determinants of quality of life in Chinese patients with schizophrenia: a prospective study

Purpose  

The aim of the study was to assess the changes in the quality of life (QOL) of Chinese schizophrenia patients and to identify their predictors over a 1-year follow-up.     

红细胞抗体检测方法的研究

目的:比较几种抗红细胞单抗检测方法的效果。方法:用ELlSA方法和红细胞凝集试验分别对阴阳对照血清,单抗培养上清进行检测,并进行特异性、灵敏度和重现性结果对比。结果:几种方法结果表明,ELISA方法更灵敏,但反应时间长,过程复杂,需特殊仪器操作;而凝集试验方法简单,可在短时间直接观察结果,但灵敏度不高。结论:细胞膜包被的ELISA方法和微板凝集试验相结合,在大幅缩短反应时间的基础上,同时具有较好的灵敏度和特异性,值得在研究中推广使用。     

Prevalence of psychological symptoms in contemporary Chinese rural-to-urban migrant workers: an exploratory meta-analysis of observational studies using the SCL-90-R

Purpose

(1) To estimate the pooled prevalence of psychological symptoms in Chinese migrant workers (CMWs), as measured using the Symptom Checklist-90-R (SCL-90-R) in observational studies conducted in China, and (2) to explore the potential variables associated with the SCL-90-R Global Severity Index (GSI), the overall mental health indicator of CMWs.

Methods

We performed a comprehensive literature search of the major English and Chinese databases (to June 2012). Cross-sectional surveys and case–control studies of CMWs (and controls where appropriate) that reported at least one subscale score of the SCL-90-R were included. Multilevel meta-analysis was used to pool the symptom scores of cross-sectional surveys and mean differences of symptom scores (“Cohen’s d” values) between CMWs and controls of case–control studies. Multilevel meta-analysis with ecological- or study-level covariates was used to explore the associations between variables and SCL-90-R GSI score.

Results

The search yielded 48 cross-sectional surveys (comprising 42,813 CMWs) and seven surveys that included control samples. The pooled psychological symptom scores (95 % confidence interval) of CMWs were statistically higher than those of norms from Chinese general population on all scales of SCL-90-R, except for obsessive–compulsive subscale in study quality subgroup analysis. CMWs also scored statistically higher than those of urban counterpart controls on all scales of SCL-90-R. Multilevel regression meta-analysis model revealed that four covariates that accounted for 33.9 % of SCL-90-R GSI heterogeneity across all surveys, including: “mean age of study sample,” “geographic area,” “per capita GDP,” and “statutory minimum monthly wage” of study site in implementation year.

Conclusion

CMWs have more severe psychological symptoms than the general population, and thus, appear to experience higher level of psychological distress. Macro-economic factors may have impact on the overall mental health of CMWs, but the factors that contribute to mental health and mental distress among CMWs remain to be explored and understood.     

Prospective memory predicts the level of community living skills in schizophrenia

Schizophrenia patients are known to have prospective memory (PM) deficits. There is no robust evidence showing that PM deficits have a major impact on community living skills in schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to examine the association between PM and community living skills in schizophrenia. Forty-four individuals with schizophrenia formed the study sample. Participants? psychopathology, prospective and retrospective memory, level of intelligence, and community living skills were measured with standardized instruments. In bivariate analyses, community living skills overall but not self-care correlated with PM total and subscales scores. In multivariate analyses, event-based PM was more predictive than time-based PM of the level of community living skills. In conclusion, PM has a significant impact on community living skills in schizophrenia and attention should be paid to this type of memory disturbance in rehabilitation of schizophrenia.     

Haemocyte Apoptosis of the Tiger Shrimp Penaeus monodon Exposed to Cadmium

This study investigated the effect of ambient Cadmium (Cd) on haemocyte apoptosis of the shrimp, Penaeus monodon. Cellular response was determined in Cd-exposed (0, 0.05, 0.5 and 5 mg L^?1) shrimp. Results showed that 0.05 mg L^?1 Cd²⁺ had no significant effect on the haemocyte parameters during the 48 h exposure. Cadmium at doses of 0.5 and 5 mg L^?1 depressed the total haemocyte count (THC), and increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production and apoptosis ratio in haemocytes. Esterase activity increased in shrimp exposed to 0.5 mg L^?1 Cd²⁺ for 6 h, and decreased to the initial level later. Depressed esterase activity could be observed in shrimp after 24 and 48 h exposure to 5 mg L^?1 Cd²⁺. These results demonstrated that Cd²⁺ modified esterase activity and induced ROS generation, which led to haemocyte apoptosis and THC reduction. Oxidative stress is one of the induction mechanisms for Cd-caused apoptosis of shrimp haemocytes.