Human-computer interaction-based comprehensive training may improve cognitive functions among cognitively impaired elderly individuals. The training effect was most prominent among those with milder cerebral atrophy.

ObjectiveTo evaluate the clinical reliability and validity of the Chinese version of the Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (C-PHQ-9) in patients with psoriasis.DesignCross-sectional study.SettingTertiary care centre.ParticipantsPatients with psoriasis who have not been diagnosed with depression (n=148; mean age 43.37±17.46 years; 31.19% female).Primary and secondary outcome measuresThe primary outcome measures considered in this study were the C-PHQ-9 and the Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD). The American Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders Fifth Edition (DSM-V) was used as the gold standard for the diagnosis of depression. Cronbach’s α and test–retest reliability after 1 week were evaluated using reliability analysis, and criterion and structural validity were assessed using validity analysis. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis was performed to identify the best demarcation score and diagnostic accuracy.ResultsCompared with DSM-V (27.27%), both C-PHQ-9 (39.19%) and HAMD (31.01%) had higher rates for detecting depression. The mean completion time for C-PHQ-9 evaluation (2.02±0.84 min) was significantly less than that for HAMD (23.37±3.21 min, p<0.001). The Cronbach’s α coefficient for the C-PHQ-9 was 0.938. The correlation coefficients of the nine items with the total scale ranged from 0.540 to 0.854, and the mean inter-item correlation coefficients ranged from 0.376 to 0.933. After a week, the retest coefficient was 0.955 (p<0.01). Principal component factor analysis showed that C-PHQ-9 identified a unifactorial structure. The best cut-off point was 9 points, with a sensitivity of 98.00% and a specificity of 90.80%. The area under the ROC curve was 0.979 (95% CI 0.968 to 0.991).ConclusionC-PHQ-9 has good reliability and validity in patients with psoriasis and can be used for primary screening of patients with psoriasis and depression. This scale has obvious time and labour advantages over the HAMD and should be considered for use in clinical practice.

Background: Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is one of the proteins that contributes to the survival, growth, maintenance of neurons, and plays important roles in the pathophysiology of depression. It has been reported that depression is closely associated with the pathogenesis of acne vulgaris disease. But, there is no report of serum BDNF levels in patients with acne vulgaris. The study aimed to determine the potential association between BDNF and depressive symptoms in young adults with acne vulgaris. Methods: In this analytical cross-sectional study, the serum BDNF levels were measured in peripheral blood samples of 20 consecutive acne vulgaris patients with depression and 98 consecutive acne vulgaris patients without depression and also compared it with a 59 healthy control group by using a ELISA. The potential correlation between the BDNF levels, interleukin-6 (IL-6), tumour necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and depressive symptoms such as nine-item patient health questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Athens insomnia scale (AIS) were evaluated with multivariate logistic regression analysis. Results: Our results showed that levels of BDNF expression were lower in consecutive acne vulgaris patients when compared with healthy control (P < 0.05). There was a negative correlation between levels of BDNF and the PHQ-9 scores (r = − 0.486, P < 0.001). Furthermore, acne vulgaris patients with depression showed lower serum BDNF levels (10.96 ± 2.12 ng/ml) compared with acne vulgaris patients without depression (13.85 ± 2.47 ng/ml), as well as with healthy control (14.35 ± 2.70 ng/mg; both P < 0.05). No difference was found in serum BDNF levels between healthy control and acne vulgaris patients without depressive symptoms (z = 0.964, P > 0.05). Similarly, the overall area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic was 0.82, indicating the highly conserving of serum BDNF levels as an biomarker for screening of depression in young adults with acne vulgaris (72% sensitivity and 85% specificity). Conclusion: Serum BDNF levels were decreased and negatively associated with depressive symptoms in young Chinese adults with acne vulgaris.

Background and Objective: Intravenous contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS), using the second-generation ultrasound contrast agent SonoVue®, has been widely used in adults. In 2016, it was approved for pediatric applications by the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it has not been approved by the Chinese Food and Drug Administration (CFDA). The objective of the study was to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of CEUS in children prospectively at a single center in China. Methods: A total of 312 cases of Chinese children were enrolled in clinical trials. Contrast agent was given intravenously with two different doses, including 2.4 ml/time and 0.03 ml/kg. All CEUS was performed for evaluating adverse effect and the diagnostic accuracy compared with the pathology and enhanced CT. Results: All 312 subjects underwent CEUS successfully. The dose of contrast agent for CEUS was 2.4 ml between November 2015 and June 2016, which was modified to 0.03 ml/kg between July 2016 and April 2019, according to the recommendation of the FDA. With the two different doses of the contrast agent, the heart rate, respiration rate, oxygen saturation, and blood pressure of the participants had no statistically significant difference (P > 0.05) before and after administration. The blood pressure had been significantly decreased in participants who received combined anesthetic administration. Following 600 intravenous injections of the CEUS, there were three cases of transient rash and three cases of hypotension (n = 6, 1.92%). The six recovered quickly after receiving intravenous methylprednisolone and epinephrine. Most of the studies were performed for evaluating renal microcirculation and assisting renal biopsy (192/312 [61.5%]), which together had a 98.9% effectiveness in the identification of pathology in the specimens. Some studies were conducted to identify a mass in the liver, retroperitoneum, abdominal cavity, kidneys, testicles, thyroid, and so on (99/312 [31.4%]), which had a 97.6% accuracy. The other studies were conducted to identify trauma, vascular malformation, infection, hemorrhage, and so on (21/312 [6.73%]), which had a similar accuracy to enhanced CT. Conclusion: The adverse effects of CEUS in children are similar to that in adults. The results indicate that it is safe to use SonoVue® for CEUS in pediatric patients.

Signs of propofol-induced rhabdomyolysis may be different from those of malignant hyperthermia. Even a regular induction dose of propofol for adults could possibly trigger rhabdomyolysis similar to what is observed in children diagnosed with propofol infusion syndrome. Though rare, care should still be taken when administering propofol.