Comparison Subjects Research Articles

Prognostic value of right ventricular myocardial work in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension

Abstract Background Right ventricular function is a key determinant of survival in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension, with right heart failure being the leading cause of death. ESC/ERS guidelines recommend evaluating RV function at diagnosis and at first reevaluation under treatment to estimate the one-year mortality risk (1). However, few RV function markers address both systolic function and afterload. Noninvasive myocardial work is a promising new tool that incorporates both systolic function and its afterload by creating pressure-strain loops (2). The study aims to evaluate the association of RV myocardial work parameters with the estimated one-year mortality in patients with PAH. Methods This retrospective study included patients diagnosed with PAH who had transthoracic echocardiography and right heart catheterization within 48 hours at diagnosis and first reevaluation. Patients with unanalyzable echocardiography data were excluded. Results The study included 30 PAH patients and 28 healthy subjects for comparison. Myocardial work parameters (global work index, global constructive work, global wasted work and global work efficiency) were significantly different between PAH patient and healthy subjects. Between diagnosis and first reevaluation, myocardial work parameters showed improvement in most patients. However, patients without global wasted work improvement had a higher risk of estimated one-year mortality and a poorer transplantation-free survival. Conclusions Evaluating RV myocardial work at diagnosis and first reevaluation via TTE is feasible and can detect subclinical systolic dysfunction. Myocardial work parameters, and especially global wasted work appear to correlate with the prognosis of PAH patients, justifying larger-scale studies to confirm these findings and determine their prognostic value relative to other markers.

ANTI-TOXOPLASMA GONDII ANTIBODIES IN EGYPTIAN PATIENTS WITH SCHIZOPHRENIA

For nearly 100 years, infectious microbes dominated discourse on the causes of schizophrenia, Toxoplasma gondii is an obligate intracellular parasite and is found in 2 forms in humans. Toxoplasma gondii has been associated with several congenital CNS anomalies and more subtle delayed neurologic sequelae, The evidence of infection as a cause of schizophrenia was supported by the brain histopathological changes found in patients with schizophrenia, the risk of schizophrenia increased among individuals who were exposed in utero to elevated maternal T. gondii immunoglobin G (IgG) antibody, based on assay of archived maternal sera, was more than twice that of comparison subject, The main aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of T. gondii infection between individuals with schizophrenia and healthy controls in Egyptian choret samples. 100 patients with schizophrenia, and 100 healthy donors where screened for Toxoplasma gondii IgG and IgM antibodies in serum by ELISA. A significant increase in the incidence of Toxoplasma gondii IgG positive antibody in patient group compared to control group (P 0.004)

Temperamental and Neurocognitive Predictors in Korean Basketball League Draft Selection.

This study hypothesized that physical status, temperament and characteristics, and neurocognitive functions of basketball players could predict the result of Korean Basketball League (KBL) draft selection. We recruited the number of 89 college elite basketball players (KBL selection, n=44; non-KBL selection, n=45), and the number of 82 age-matched healthy comparison subjects who major in sports education in college. All participants were assessed with the Temperament and Character Inventory, Sports Anxiety Scales, Beck Depression Inventory, Perceived Stress Scale-10, Trail Making Test, and Computerized Neuro-cognitive Test for Emotional Perception and Mental Rotation. Current results showed that physical status, temperament and characteristics, and neurocognitive functions of college basketball players could predict the KBL draft selection. Among temperament and characteristics, novelty seeking and reward dependence were associated with KBL draft selection. The basketball performances including average scores and average rebound were associated with Emotional Perception and Mental Rotation. In order to be a good basketball player for a long time, it was confirmed that temperamental factors and neurocognitive factors were very closely related. Furthermore, it is also judged that these results can be used as basic data to predict potential professional basketball players.

Reconsidering remission in recurrent late-life depression: clinical presentation and phenotypic predictors of relapse following successful antidepressant treatment.

Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by repeated recurrent depressive episodes even with maintenance treatment. It is unclear what clinical and cognitive phenotypic characteristics present during remission predict future recurrence. Participants (135 with remitted LLD and 69 comparison subjects across three institutions) completed baseline phenotyping, including psychiatric, medical, and social history, psychiatric symptom and personality trait assessment, and neuropsychological testing. Participants were clinically assessed every two months for two years while receiving standard antidepressant treatment. Analyses examined group differences in phenotypic measure using general linear models. Concurrent associations between phenotypic measures and diagnostic groups were examined using LASSO logistic regression. Sixty (44%) LLD participants experienced a relapse over the two-year period. Numerous phenotypic measures across all domains differed between remitted LLD and comparison participants. Only residual depressive symptom severity, rumination, medical comorbidity, and executive dysfunction significantly predicted LLD classification. Fewer measures differed between relapsing and sustained remission LLD subgroups, with the relapsing group exhibiting greater antidepressant treatment intensity, greater fatigue, rumination, and disability, higher systolic blood pressure, greater life stress and lower instrumental social support. Relapsing group classification was informed by antidepressant treatment intensity, lower instrumental social support, and greater life stress. A wide range of phenotypic factors differed between remitted LLD and comparison groups. Fewer measures differed between relapsing and sustained remission LLD subgroups, with less social support and greater stress informing vulnerability to subsequent relapse. This research suggests potential targets for relapse prevention and emphasizes the need for clinically translatable relapse biomarkers to inform care.

교과 교육과정 문서 체재 국제 비교 연구: 한국, 호주, 싱가포르를 중심으로

[Purpose] This study aims to explore ways to improve South Korea's curriculum document format by comparing and analyzing the document formats of South Korea, Australia, and Singapore. [Methods]For this purpose, the curriculum documents of social studies, science, mathematics, and music in Korea, Australia, and Singapore were selected as the subjects of comparison and analysis, and the organization of curriculum documents and the presentation of major components in each country were set as the analysis items. [Results] First, The findings of the study are as follows. First, the organizational structure analysis showed that the curriculum documents in the three countries contained similar components, but differed in whether or not they set out subject competencies. Within the countries, the order of the curriculum’s broad areas was generally similar, but the order of the sub-components that make up the areas varied significantly across subjects. Next, we analyzed how the major components were presented, and found that unlike Korea, Singapore and Australia presented 'subject competencies' and 'connections to the general guidelines curriculum' very directly and specifically, and the organization and design principles of 'areas' varied by subject. In addition, the hierarchy, presentation, and terminology of 'core ideas' varied across subjects. Finally, in the case of 'content elements' and 'achievement standards', 'content elements' and 'achievement standards' tended to be presented in an integrated manner. [Conclusion] Based on the study's results, it was suggested that to improve curriculum documents in South Korea, it is necessary to refine and diversify the general direction of the curriculum documents, reflect the actual reflection of competencies, develop a system that reflects the characteristics of each subject, and explore reader-friendly improvement methods.

Performance comparison of the Java and Kotlin programming languages based on an auto-scroller mobile game

The article contains a performance comparison of two mobile applications, developed in the Java and Kotlin programming languages respectively. The applications took the form of an auto-scroller game and shared their graphics assets. The aim of the work was to confirm or reject the hypothesis: Java is slightly more efficient than Kotlin in the presented context. The subject of comparison was the consumption of CPU, RAM and the device’s battery resources. The mentioned metrics were obtained using the Android Profiler tool. The study was conducted using two mobile devices. The results confirm the research hypothesis.

Effect of initial geometry on crumpled thin shells.

Why do milk cartons and aluminum cans crumple differently from paper? Besides distinct elasticity and plasticity, their unique geometric structures also play a role. Over the past few decades, crumpled sheets have been widely studied for their fascinating mechanical, energetic, and statistical properties. These include the power-law relationship between the volume density of crumpled balls and pressure, the ratio of bending to stretching energies, and statistics on the number and length of deformations. Since these conclusions were primarily derived from studies on flat sheets, verifying whether they can be safely applied to the 3D hollow objects we encounter daily is important. A cubical box, with its sides forming flat sheets, is an ideal subject for comparison. The crumpling properties of such boxes have been examined through molecular dynamics simulations and experiments. By systematically dismantling the sides of the box, we clarified the roles of sides, corners, and open/closed boundaries. This knowledge allowed us to identify corners as the key factor causing deviations from the crumpling properties of flat sheets. One significant difference is that the power-law relationship between compaction and pressure is missing, replaced by a bump characteristic of the buckling transition. Different types of corners are found to be equally important, whether they are sharp at a singular point (as in boxes), along a curve (as in aluminum cans), or rounded (as in balls and vehicles). Special attention has been given to explaining why the vertices on the surface of a crumpled ball do not buckle, allowing them to retain the properties of a flat sheet despite their 3D appearance.

Longitudinal Course of Physical and Psychosocial Impairment in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction.

This study describes the 8-year course of physical and psychosocial impairment in middle-aged patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and other personality disorders (OPD). This study also compares BPD subgroups (recovered vs. nonrecovered) and explores predictors of physical impairment. Patients (N = 282) were assessed as part of the McLean Study of Adult Development. Physical and psychosocial impairments were assessed using the 36-Item Short-Form Health Survey. Patients with BPD reported significantly more impairment than OPD patients across all domains. Nonrecovered BPD patients reported significantly more impairment than their recovered counterparts. Three medical conditions (osteoarthritis, chronic fatigue syndrome, and obesity) and two symptomatic disorders (mood disorder and posttraumatic stress disorder) were significant multivariate predictors of physical impairment in BPD patients. These results suggest that BPD patients experience serious functioning impairment that persists over time and that physical functioning impairments reported by these patients are strongly related to certain physical and psychiatric health conditions.

Association of Serum Bilirubin and Serum Uric Acid with Glycemic Status in Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

Background: Type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) is a major public health problem affecting millions of people worldwide and its magnitude in developing countries including Bangladesh is rising rapidly. It is associated with multiple metabolic derangements that result in the excessive production of reactive oxygen species and oxidative stress. The major concern of health management in T2DM patients is to prevent diabetes-related complications which can only be achieved via strict glycemic control. Over the recent past it had been evident that serum bilirubin acts as a powerful antioxidant and upper limit of physiological ranges of serum bilirubin levels are beneficial and negatively associated with oxidative stress and glycemic status. Moreover, high serum uric acid plays an important role as an oxidative stress agent that is associated with poor glycemic control in diabetic subjects. Low serum bilirubin and high uric acid predicted a higher incidence for the development of T2DM and also had adverse impact on glycemic status. So, this study was designed to find out the association of serum bilirubin and uric acid with glycemic status among Type 2 diabetes mellitus subjects. Objective: To evaluate the association of serum bilirubin and uric acid with glycemic status in Type 2 diabetes mellitus. Materials and Methods: This cross-sectional analytical study was carried out in the department of Biochemistry, Sir Salimullah Medical College (SSMC), Dhaka from March, 2021 to February, 2022. A total number of 100 subjects were included in this study. Among them, 50 apparently healthy non-diabetic subjects age ranged from 30-59 years were considered as control group (Group A). Another 50 age and gender matched Type 2 diabetes mellitus patients without any complication were selected as study group (Group B). Ethical permission was taken from the Ethical Review Committee (ERC) of SSMC. All the study subjects were selected from the outpatient department of Medicine and Endocrinology, Sir Salimullah Medical College and Mitford Hospital, Dhaka. The study parameters were FPG, HbA1c, Serum bilirubin and serum uric acid. Estimation of study parameters were done in the Department of Biochemistry of SSMC, Dhaka. Statistical analysis was done by using SPSS version-22. Unpaired t test, Chi Square test, Pearson’s correlation test and Binary logistic regression were performed to analyze the data as applicable. Results: Serum bilirubin level was significantly lower and uric acid level was significantly higher among diabetic subjects in comparison to healthy controls. Comparison of glycemic status (FPG and HbA1c) in between different quartiles of serum bilirubin and uric acid in diabetic subjects were observed. FPG and HbA1c levels were significantly higher in Q1 & Q2 compared to Q3 & Q4 of serum bilirubin. However, FPG and HbA1c levels found high in Q3 & Q4 than Q1 & Q2 of uric acid. Pearson’s correlation analysis showed significant negative correlation of serum bilirubin with FPG and HbA1c, whereas significant positive correlation of serum uric acid with FPG and HbA1c were observed in study subjects. Binary logistic regression was performed to show the association between several factors and diabetes which were expressed by the coefficients of logistic regression. The risk of diabetes for each factor was expressed as odds ratio (OR). Coefficient for serum bilirubin (showing inverse relation) was significant. In case of serum uric acid, coefficient showed significant positive relationship. Where serum uric acid was strongest predictor of diabetes with an odds ratio of 3.709. Conclusion: Type 2 diabetic subjects have lower serum bilirubin and higher uric acid level than that of healthy subjects. Serum bilirubin has an inverse relationship with glycemic status (FPG and HbA1c), whereas uric acid shows positive correlation with glycemic status in diabetic subjects. Hyperuricemia appears to be a risk factor for development of Type 2 diabetes mellitus.

On the Peculiarities of Wire-Feed Electron Beam Additive Manufacturing (WEBAM) of Nickel Alloy–Copper Bimetal Nozzle Samples

In order to gain insight into the unique characteristics of manufacturing large-scale products with intricate geometries, experimental nozzle-shaped samples were created using wire-feed electron beam additive technology. Bimetal samples were fabricated from nickel-based alloy and copper. Two distinct approaches were employed, utilizing varying substrate thicknesses and differing fabrication parameters. The two approaches were the subject of analysis and comparison through the examination of the surface morphology of the samples using optical microscopy, scanning electron microscopy, and X-ray diffraction analysis. It has been demonstrated that the variation in heat flux distributions resulting from varying the substrate thicknesses gives rise to the development of disparate angles of grain boundary orientation relative to the substrate. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that suboptimal choice of the fabrication parameters results in large disparities in the crystallization times, both at the level of sample as a whole and within the same material volume. For example, for the sample manufacturing by Mode I, the macrostructure of the layers is distinguished by the presence of non-uniformity in their geometric dimensions and the presence of unmelted wire fragments. In order to characterize the experimental nozzle-shaped samples, microhardness was measured, uniaxial tensile tests were performed, and thermal diffusivity was determined. The microhardness profiles and the mechanical properties exhibit a higher degree of strength than those observed in pure copper samples and a lower degree of strength than those observed in Inconel 625 samples obtained through the same methodology. The thermal diffusivity values of the samples are sufficiently close to one another and align with the properties of the corresponding materials in their state after casting or rolling. The data discussed above indicate that Mode II yields the optimal mechanical properties of the sample due to the high cooling rate, which influences the structural and phase state of the resulting products. It was thus concluded that the experimental samples grown by Mode II on a thinner substrate exhibited the best formability.

Atlas of gray matter volume differences across psychiatric conditions: A systematic review with a novel meta-analysis that considers co-occurring disorders

Regional gray matter volume (GMV) differences between individuals with mental disorders and comparison participants may be confounded by co-occurring disorders. To disentangle disorder-specific GMV correlates, we conducted a large-scale multidisorder meta-analysis using a novel approach that explicitly models co-occurring disorders. We systematically reviewed voxel-based morphometry studies indexed in PubMed and Scopus up to January 2023 that compared adults with major mental disorders (anorexia nervosa, schizophrenia spectrum, anxiety, bipolar, major depressive, obsessive-compulsive, and posttraumatic stress disorders plus attention-deficit/hyperactivity, autism spectrum, and borderline personality disorders) with comparison participants. Two authors independently extracted data and assessed quality using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale. We derived GMV correlates for each disorder using: 1) a multidisorder meta-analysis that accounted for all co-occurring mental disorders simultaneously and 2) separate standard meta-analyses for each disorder in which co-occurring disorders were ignored. We assessed the alterations' extent, intensity (effect size), and specificity (interdisorder correlations and transdiagnostic alterations) for both approaches. We included 433 studies (499 datasets) involving 19,718 patients and 16,441 comparison participants (51% female, ages 20-67 years). We provide GMV correlate maps for each disorder using both approaches. The novel approach, which accounted for co-occurring disorders, produced GMV correlates that were more focal and disorder specific (less correlated across disorders and fewer transdiagnostic abnormalities). This work offers the most comprehensive atlas of GMV correlates across major mental disorders. Modeling co-occurring disorders yielded more specific correlates, supporting this approach's validity. The atlas NIfTI maps are available online.

Increased levels of antibodies to synaptopodin and annexin 1 in patients with primary podocytopathies.

Circulating anti-podocyte antibodies have been proposed as potential factors contributing to increased permeability in primary podocytopathies, such as Minimal Change Disease (MCD) and Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis (FSGS). The aim of the study was to to assess the levels of antibodies targeting synaptopodin and annexin 1 in the blood serum of patients diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, with the aim of evaluating their potential utility in diagnosing primary podocytopathies and predicting therapeutic response. The study included a total of 72 patients diagnosed with nephrotic syndrome, alongside 21 healthy subjects for comparison. Among the patients, 38 were diagnosed with FSGS, 12 with MCD, and 22 with MN. The levels of anti-synaptopodin and anti-annexin-1 antibodies were quantified using Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay. The levels of antibodies to annexin 1 and anti-synaptopodin in the blood were found to be higher in patients diagnosed with MCD and FSGS compared to those with MN and healthy individuals. The elevated levels of antibodies to annexin 1 and synaptopodin showed area under the curve values of 0.826 (95% CI 0.732-0.923) and 0.827 (95% CI 0.741-0.879), respectively. However, a model incorporating both antibodies demonstrated higher sensitivity (80.9%) and specificity (81.3%) with an AUC of 0.859 (95% CI 0.760-0.957). Notably, serum levels of annexin 1 and anti-synaptopodin antibodies did not predict the response to prednisolone and/or CNI therapy. Levels of antibodies targeting synaptopodin and annexin 1 were notably elevated in patients diagnosed with MCD and FSGS compared to those with MN and healthy controls. A panel comprising both antibodies demonstrated moderate to high sensitivity and specificity for diagnosis MCD or FSGS.

Psychiatric disorders among survivors of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia in Denmark and Sweden.

The diagnosis and treatment of childhood acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) may impact mental health. We investigated the long-term risk of psychiatric disorders among survivors of ALL in a population-based cohort study. We identified patients diagnosed with ALL in Denmark and Sweden before age 20 during 1982-2008. Survivors of ALL (n=2026), their siblings (n=3027), and population comparison subjects (n=9713) were followed for hospital contacts for psychiatric disorders from 5years after ALL diagnosis (or corresponding index date) until 2017. By age 30, the absolute risk of psychiatric hospital contacts was 19.9% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 17.9-22.1) for ALL survivors, 18.5% (95% CI: 16.9-20.2) for siblings, and 18.3% (95% CI: 17.3-19.2) for population comparison subjects. Overall, survivors were at higher risk of any psychiatric disorders than siblings (hazard ratio [HR]=1.25; 95% CI: 1.04-1.50), and population comparison subjects (HR=1.20; 95% CI: 1.06-1.35). The subgroup of survivors (n=332) who received a hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT) and/or had a relapse were at highest risk of psychiatric disorders (HR=2.07; 95% CI: 1.26-3.41 compared to siblings; HR=1.67; 95% CI: 1.25-2.23 compared to population comparison subjects). The overall absolute risk of psychiatric hospital contacts among ALL survivors was close to that in siblings and population comparison subjects. The modestly increased relative risk was mainly driven by the subgroup of survivors who received HSCT and/or had a relapse. Our findings are reassuring for the large subgroup of ALL survivors without HSCT or relapse, and provide novel insight on both absolute and relative risk of hospital contacts for psychiatric disorders.

Sex-specific Concordance of Striatal Transcriptional Signatures of Opioid Addiction in Human and Rodent Brains.

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has emerged as a severe, ongoing public health emergency. Current, frontline addiction treatment strategies fail to produce lasting abstinence in most users. This underscores the lasting effects of chronic opioid exposure and emphasizes the need to understand the molecular mechanisms of drug seeking and taking, but also how those alterations persist through acute and protracted withdrawal. Here, we used RNA sequencing in post-mortem human tissue from males (n=10) and females (n=10) with OUD and age and sex-matched comparison subjects. We compared molecular alterations in the nucleus accumbens (NAc) and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) between humans with OUD and rodent models across distinct stages of opioid use and withdrawal (acute and prolonged) using differential gene expression and network-based approaches. We found that the molecular signature in the NAc of females with OUD mirrored effects seen in the NAc of female mice at all stages of exposure. Conversely, males with OUD showed strong overlap in expression profile with rats in acute withdrawal. Co-expression networks involved in post-transcriptional modification of RNA and epigenetic modification of chromatin state. This study provides fundamental insight into the converging molecular pathways altered by opioids across species. Further, this work helps to disentangle which alterations observed in humans with OUD are driven by acute drug exposure and which alterations are consequences of chronic exposure.

Kompetencja leksykalna nastoletnich użytkowników języka polskiego jako odziedziczonego i ojczystego w ujęciu komparatywnym

Lexical competence of teenage heritage and native users of Polish has never been the subject of a comprehensive comparison. The first extensive empirical data were gathered by the Jagiellonian University research team in the project Heritage and native language – a comparison of language competences of teenage Polish and heritage learners. In the first stage of the present study, vocabulary tests of the two groups were analyzed. The results showed few differences in receptive knowledge, but in productive knowledge heritage users lagged behind. Therefore, in the second stage, selected essays were compared in terms of their vocabulary profiles. It was found that native and heritage language users’ lexical profiles differ markedly, to the considerable disadvantage of heritage users. Polish educators responsible for the schooling of migrant children must be aware of this, as too often heritage speakers who enter home schools after (re)immigration are treated as if there were native users. This however, as this research has clearly shown, is by no means the case.

Differing Pattern of Mismatch Negativity Responses in Clinical and Nonclinical Voice Hearers Challenge Predictive Coding Accounts of Psychosis

Among people with schizophrenia (PSZ), reduced mismatch negativity (MMN) is conceptualized as evidence of disrupted prediction error signaling that underlies positive symptoms. However, this conceptualization has been challenged by observations that MMN and positive symptoms are often uncorrelated. In the current study, we tested the hypothesis that reduced MMN is associated with the presence of hallucinations and delusions specifically rather than the presence of a psychiatric illness. A second aim was to determine whether the strength of the association with positive symptoms increases for indices that reflect predictions at higher levels of abstraction. Fifty-six PSZ, 34 nonclinical voice hearers, and 48 healthy comparison subjects (HCs) completed 2 MMN paradigms: one with a simple duration deviant type, and one with a higher-level, pattern-violation deviant type. We also measured the repetition positivity, which reflects the formation of auditory memory traces. We observed that although PSZ exhibited the expected pattern of significantly reduced duration MMN and reduced pattern-violation MMN at the trend level compared with HCs, nonclinical voice hearers exhibited a pattern of duration MMN and pattern-violation MMN amplitude that was statistically similar to that of HCs (ps > .64). Similarly, PSZ exhibited a significantly reduced repetition positivity slope compared with HCs in the duration condition and a trend-level reduction compared with HCs in the pattern-violation condition. Nonclinical voice hearers did not differ from either group in repetition positivity slope in either condition. These results indicate that the MMN as a prediction error signal does not reflect processes relevant for the manifestation of hallucinations and delusions.

Detecting schizophrenia, bipolar disorder, psychosis vulnerability and major depressive disorder from 5 minutes of online-collected speech.

Psychosis poses substantial social and healthcare burdens. The analysis of speech is a promising approach for the diagnosis and monitoring of psychosis, capturing symptoms like thought disorder and flattened affect. Recent advancements in Natural Language Processing (NLP) methodologies enable the automated extraction of informative speech features, which has been leveraged for early psychosis detection and assessment of symptomology. However, critical gaps persist, including the absence of standardized sample collection protocols, small sample sizes, and a lack of multi-illness classification, limiting clinical applicability. Our study aimed to (1) identify an optimal assessment approach for the online and remote collection of speech, in the context of assessing the psychosis spectrum and evaluate whether a fully automated, speech-based machine learning (ML) pipeline can discriminate among different conditions on the schizophrenia-bipolar spectrum (SSD-BD-SPE), help-seeking comparison subjects (MDD), and healthy controls (HC) at varying layers of analysis and diagnostic complexity. We adopted online data collection methods to collect 20 minutes of speech and demographic information from individuals. Participants were categorized as "healthy" help-seekers (HC), having a schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD), bipolar disorder (BD), major depressive disorder (MDD), or being on the psychosis spectrum with sub-clinical psychotic experiences (SPE). SPE status was determined based on self-reported clinical diagnosis and responses to the PHQ-8 and PQ-16 screening questionnaires, while other diagnoses were determined based on self-report from participants. Linguistic and paralinguistic features were extracted and ensemble learning algorithms (e.g., XGBoost) were used to train models. A 70%-30% train-test split and 30-fold cross-validation was used to validate the model performance. The final analysis sample included 1140 individuals and 22,650 minutes of speech. Using 5-minutes of speech, our model could discriminate between HC and those with a serious mental illness (SSD or BD) with 86% accuracy (AUC = 0.91, Recall = 0.7, Precision = 0.98). Furthermore, our model could discern among HC, SPE, BD and SSD groups with 86% accuracy (F1 macro = 0.855, Recall Macro = 0.86, Precision Macro = 0.86). Finally, in a 5-class discrimination task including individuals with MDD, our model had 76% accuracy (F1 macro = 0.757, Recall Macro = 0.758, Precision Macro = 0.766). Our ML pipeline demonstrated disorder-specific learning, achieving excellent or good accuracy across several classification tasks. We demonstrated that the screening of mental disorders is possible via a fully automated, remote speech assessment pipeline. We tested our model on relatively high number conditions (5 classes) in the literature and in a stratified sample of psychosis spectrum, including HC, SPE, SSD and BD (4 classes). We tested our model on a large sample (N = 1150) and demonstrated best-in-class accuracy with remotely collected speech data in the psychosis spectrum, however, further clinical validation is needed to test the reliability of model performance.

The 24-Year Course of Symptomatic Disorders in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction of Recovery From BPD.

The 24-Year Course of Symptomatic Disorders in Patients With Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: Description and Prediction of Recovery From BPD.

Course and Prediction of Dissociation in Patients with Borderline Personality Disorder and Personality-Disordered Comparison Subjects: A 24-Year Follow-Up Study

ABSTRACT The first purpose of this study was to determine the course of dissociation among patients with borderline personality disorder (BPD) and personality-disordered comparison subjects (OPD) over 24 years of prospective follow-up. The second purpose was to determine clinically meaningful predictors of dissociation among patients with BPD. The Dissociative Experiences Scale (DES) was administered to 290 patients with BPD and 72 personality-disordered comparison subjects at baseline, and then once every two years over 24 years of prospective follow-up. Baseline predictors were assessed with the Revised Childhood Experiences Questionnaire (CEQ-R), the SCID-I, and the Shipley Institute of Living Scale. Time-varying predictors were assessed at baseline and every subsequent two years by means of the Abuse History Interview (AHI). Patients with BPD had higher baseline dissociation scores than personality-disordered comparison subjects. Whilst dissociation decreased significantly over time for both patient groups, the BPD group showed a steeper decline. Severity of childhood sexual abuse, adult history of rape, adult history of partner violence, and IQ were multivariate predictors of dissociation among patients with BPD. Taken together, the present findings suggest that a combination of interpersonal trauma exposure and cognitive abilities may contribute to the severity of dissociation in adult patients with BPD.

Wearable accelerometers reveal objective assessment of walking symmetry and regularity in idiopathic scoliosis patients.

Scoliosis is a multifaceted three-dimensional deformity that significantly affects patients' balance function and walking process. While existing research primarily focuses on spatial and temporal parameters of walking and trunk/pelvic kinematics asymmetry, there remains controversy regarding the symmetry and regularity of bilateral lower limb gait. This study aims to investigate the symmetry and regularity of bilateral lower limb gait and examine the balance control strategy of the head during walking in patients with idiopathic scoliosis. The study involved 17 patients with idiopathic scoliosis of Lenke 1 and Lenke 5 classifications, along with 17 healthy subjects for comparison. Three-dimensional accelerometers were attached to the head and L5 spinous process of each participant, and three-dimensional motion acceleration signals were collected during a 10-meter walking test. Analysis of the collected acceleration signals involved calculating five variables related to the symmetry and regularity of walking: root mean square (RMS) of the acceleration signal, harmonic ratio (HR), step regularity, stride regularity, and gait symmetry. Our analysis reveals that, during the walking process, the three-dimensional motion acceleration signals acquired from the lumbar region of patients diagnosed with idiopathic scoliosis exhibit noteworthy disparities in the RMS of the vertical axis (RMS-VT) and the HR of the vertical axis (HR-VT) when compared to the corresponding values in the healthy control (RMS-VT: 1.6±0.41 vs. 3±0.47, P<0.05; HR-VT: 3±0.72 vs. 3.9±0.71, P<0.05). Additionally, the motion acceleration signals of the head in three-dimensional space, including the RMS in the anterior-posterior and vertical axis, the HR-VT, and the values of step regularity in both anterior-posterior and vertical axis, as well as the values of stride regularity in all three axes, are all significantly lower than those in the healthy control group (P<0.05). The findings of the analysis suggest that the application of three-dimensional accelerometer sensors proves efficacious and convenient for scrutinizing the symmetry and regularity of walking in individuals with idiopathic scoliosis. Distinctive irregularities in gait symmetry and regularity manifest in patients with idiopathic scoliosis, particularly within the antero-posterior and vertical direction. Moreover, the dynamic balance control strategy of the head in three-dimensional space among patients with idiopathic scoliosis exhibits a relatively conservative nature when compared to healthy individuals.