Postnatal maternal depressive symptoms and behavioural outcomes in term- and preterm-born toddlers

ObjectivesTo examine the association between maternal depressive symptoms in the immediate postnatal period and offspring’s mental health in a large cohort of term- and preterm-born toddlers.Design and ParticipantsData were drawn from the Developing Human Connectome Project. Maternal postnatal depressive symptoms were assessed at term, and children’s outcomes were evaluated at a median corrected age of 18.4 months (range 17.3 – 24.3).Exposure and outcomesPreterm birth was defined as <37 weeks completed gestation. Maternal depressive symptoms were assessed with the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). Toddlers’ outcome measures were parent-rated Child Behaviour Checklist 11/2-5 Total (CBCL) and Quantitative Checklist for Autism in Toddlers (Q-CHAT) scores. Toddlers’ cognition was assessed with the Bayley Scales of Infant and Toddler Development – Third Edition (Bayley-III).ResultsHigher maternal EPDS scores were associated with toddlers’ higher CBCL (B=0.93, 95% CI 0.43-1.44, p<0.001, f2=0.05) and Q-CHAT scores (B=0.27, 95% CI 0.03-0.52, p=.031, f2=0.01). Higher maternal EPDS scores were not associated with toddlers’ cognitive outcomes. Maternal EPDS, toddlers’ CBCL and Q-CHAT scores did not differ between preterm (n=97; 19.1% of the total sample) and term participants.ConclusionsOur findings indicate that children whose mothers had increased depressive symptoms in the early postnatal period, including subclinical symptoms, exhibit more maternally-reported behavioural problems in toddlerhood. These associations were independent of gestational age. Further research is needed to confirm the clinical significance of these findings.Strengths and limitations of this studyProspective study with a large sample, using multiple imputation to reduce non-response bias.Maternal depressive symptoms assessed as a continuous variable, providing more nuanced information about the significance of subclinical symptoms.Maternal depressive symptoms assessed earlier than in previous studies, enabling recognition of early screening opportunities for families.Potential shared method variance bias through parent-completed child behavioural assessments.Unknown paternal and parental factors, such as comorbid psychiatric conditions, that may confound our findings.

Clinical features, Cardiac magnetic resonance imaging findings and outcome of patients with suspected myocarditis

Myocarditis is largely underdiagnosed due to subclinical symptoms and non-availability of diagnostic techniques necessitating high index of suspicion and early disease identification. This study aimed to assess the clinical presentation, cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) imaging findings and prognosis of these patients. After reviewing the CMR data of Aga Khan University Hospital from January 2011 to December 2019, a total of 24 patients were included with the confirmed diagnosis of myocarditis on CMR. Mean age was 33.4 +15 years with the majority (58%) being male. Dyspnea (n = 15, 62%) was the commonest symptom followed by chest pain (n = 13, 54%). On echocardiogram, 55% showed LV dysfunction. Common CMR findings were late gadolinium enhancement (n=18, 75%) and bright T2 signals (n=11, 45%). With a mean follow-up of 3.6 + 2.0 years, one patient died of non-cardiac cause. More than half (60%) had resolution of LV dysfunction suggesting favorable prognosis. Continuous...

Associations of Multiple Measures of Openness to Experience with a Brief Questionnaire of Positive, Negative, and Disorganized Schizotypy

The vulnerability for schizophrenia-spectrum disorders is expressed across a continuum of clinical and subclinical symptoms and impairment known as schizotypy. Schizotypy is a multidimensional construct with positive, negative, and disorganized dimensions. Openness to experience offers a useful personality domain for exploring multidimensional schizotypy. This study examined the factor structure of openness and its relation to schizotypy using the Multidimensional Schizotypy Scale-Brief (MSS-B) in a sample of 2,236 adults. Positive schizotypy was broadly associated with elevated openness and negative schizotypy was generally associated with diminished openness. Principal components analysis of 15 openness facets replicated the four-factor structure of openness including Fantasy/Feelings, Eccentricity, Nontraditionalism, and Ideas factors. All three schizotypy dimensions were associated with Eccentricity. Positive schizotypy was associated with Fantasy/Feelings, whereas negative schizotypy was inversely associated with Fantasy/Feelings. Results support the construct validity of the MSS-B, use of alternative openness measures in examining schizotypy, and the multidimensional structures of schizotypy and openness.

Epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in Shenzhen, China: comparison between imported and local cases

Introduction: An unprecedented outbreak of the novel coronavirus disease (COVID-19) has swept across the globe since the end of 2019. Shenzhen confirmed its first imported case from Wuhan on 19 January 2020. However, little is known regarding the epidemiological characteristics of COVID-19 in these imported cities. Methodology: Data of all 417 confirmed cases diagnosed in Shenzhen before 29 February were collected. The epidemiological characteristics of imported and local cases were compared. The resilience to COVID-19 was evaluated by discharge density. Results: All ten districts reported COVID-19 cases by 29 February, including 331 imported and 86 local cases. The Pearson linear correlation model showed the number of confirmed cases (r = 0.990, p < 0.001) as well as incidence of COVID-19 (r = 0.766, p = 0.010) was positively correlated with the gross domestic product of district. Family clusters were more commonly found in local cases. Imported patients had earlier onset (p < 0.001) and diagnosis (p < 0.001), but longer interval from onset to admission (p = 0.030), diagnosis (p = 0.003) and discharge (p = 0.016). Older and severe cases had lower discharge density (0.024 and 0.018, respectively); while cases with subclinical symptoms exhibited higher discharge density (0.052). Conclusions: COVID-19 patients were predominantly imported cases in Shenzhen and the spatial distribution was closely related to district GDP. Imported and local cases differed in the intervals from onset to admission, diagnosis and discharge. Moreover, family-based transmission should not be ignored, especially in local cases.

Adipokine profi le in patients with ischemic heart disease in stenting of the coronary arteries: contribution of changes in psychoemotional status

Objective: to investigate the adipokine profile’s changes, depending on the presence or absence the signs of psychoemotional disorders in the form of associated affective symptoms in patients with stable coronary heart disease (CHD) without diagnosed carbohydrate metabolism’s disorders undergoing routine percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) with stenting, and also to assess their relationship with clinical outcomes within 1 year after hospitalization.Materials and methods: the study included 20 male patients with stable angina pectoris of functional classes II – III, hospitalized for coronary stenting. The severity of affective symptoms were being assessed. The levels markers of adiponectin, leptin, resistin in the blood plasma were determined before PCI and on the 3rd day after the operation.Results: patients with stable coronary artery disease had increase in resistin concentrations and a decrease in adiponectin levels compared with reference. The change of psychoemotional status was accompanied by an initially more expressed increase in the concentrations of plasma resistin. The resistin’s level has been signifi cantly increased on the third day after PCI in patients without depressive symptoms. The dynamics of depressive symptoms hasn’t observed during the year. Clinically unfavorable outcomes, including stent’s restenosis, re-hospitalization, and the increase in angina attacks, were recorded more oft en in patients with subclinical symptoms of depression that persisted throughout the observation period.Conclusions: the factors that negatively aff ected the cardiac prognosis were the disorders of the psychoemotional status and adipokine’s changes, including аn increasе of resistin’s and a decrease of adiponectin’s levels.