Sensory system information is thought to play an important role in drug addiction related responses. However, how somatic sensory information participates in the drug related behaviors is still unclear. Many studies demonstrated that drug addiction represents a pathological usurpation of neural mechanisms of learning and memory that normally relate to the pursuit of rewards. Thus, elucidate the role of somatic sensory in drug related learning and memory is of particular importance to understand the neurobiological mechanisms of drug addiction.

In the present study, we investigated the role of somatosensory system in reward-related associative learning using the conditioned place preference model. Lesions were made in somatosensory cortices either before or after conditioning training. We found that lesion of somatosensory cortices before, rather than after morphine conditioning impaired the acquisition of place preference.

These results demonstrate that somatosensory cortices are necessary for the acquisition but not retention of morphine induced place preference.

An increasing number of studies have described the relationship between celiac disease and schizophrenia. Based on the reported correlations and the overlapping linkage regions on 19p13, the myosin IXB gene (MYO9B) can be considered a highly relevant positional and functional candidate gene for schizophrenia. The present work was undertaken to investigate the association of the MYO9B gene with schizophrenia in a Chinese population.

A total of 329 patients with schizophrenia and 350 healthy control subjects in a Chinese population were recruited. A PCR-based RFLP protocol was applied to genotype 7 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs), including rs7249490, rs7256689, rs2279007, rs8113494, rs2305767, rs1545620 and rs2305764, in the MYO9B gene to investigate their association with schizophrenia.

The X2 goodness-of-fit test showed that the genotypic distributions of all 7 SNPs were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the patient group and the control group. Disease association was shown for rs8113494 (X2=12.77, P=0.0003, OR=1.89, 95% CI 1.33-2.68) and rs1545620 (X2=15.44, P=8.379e-5, OR=1.65, 95% CI 1.29-2.12), while rs2279007 was associated with schizophrenia in the female subjects (X2=4.637, P=0.031, OR=0.69, 95% CI 0.49-0.97) but not in the male subjects (X2=1.082, P=0.299, OR=0.85, 95% CI 0.63-1.15).

The present work shows that the polymorphisms of the MYO9B gene are likely to confer susceptibility to schizophrenia. Because the MYO9B gene has been found to be highly expressed in the tight junction gate, it could be considered as a meeting point for the interaction between environmental and genetic factors in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia.

To investigate the executive function and learning ability of the patients with first-episode schizophrenia, and its relationship with the patients’ clinical symptoms.

50 schizophrenia patients and 50 healthy controls were tested by the Tower of London (TOL). All the subjects received two phases of the test of TOL continuously, with a break of 1 minute. And Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) was used to assess the clinical symptoms of the patients.

Compared with the control group, the number of reply during the 1st phase (x1) and the 2nd phase (x2)of the patients group, was lower (P<0.01); the reaction time during the 1st phase (t1) and the 2nd phase (t2) was longer (P<0.01); while the rate of correct answer during the 1st phase (p1) and the 2nd phase (p2) do not differ. For the control group, x2 was higher than x1 (P<0.01), and t2 was shorter than t1 (P<0.01). However, for the schizophrenia group, there were no difference between x1 and x2, t1 and t2. The value of x1, p1, x2 of the patients were correlated negatively with the PANSS negative subscale score (P< 0.05), and t1 and t2 were correlated positively with the the negative subscale score (P< 0.01). The performance of the TOL did not correlated with the PANSS positive subscale score and general psychopathology subscale score.

The executive function and learning ability of the schizophrenics are impaired and the impairment of the cognitive function is significantly correlated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia patients.

There seems to be geographical differences in decisions about breast conserving surgery (BCS) in breast cancer patients. This study was to evaluate patients’ attitude to BCS and to assess the factors affecting cancer practice in West China.

A structured questionnaire was distributed to 184 patients, eliciting information about the patients’ characteristics, occupation, education, family life, recognition of illness, knowledge about BCS, the main means of gaining surgery information, selecting surgery approaches, preferences to breast reservation.

In all, 163 patients completed the questionnaire. The results indicated that only 7.4% of patients received BCS and 23% of the remaining patients desired to have BCS and the affecting factors were significantly associated with their family life, recognition of illness and the main means of gaining surgery information (P < 0.05). No associations were between BCS selecting and the other variables studied. The most frequent reasons for selecting BCS were keeping the female shape and improving quality of life (71%), the second most were postoperative recovery, minimal influence of physical function (47%) and patients’ knowledge about BCS (42%). The most frequent reasons for not selecting BCS were uncertainty about BCS results and worry about recurrence (81%), the second most was the elderly age unnecessary for BCS (40%).

The findings indicate that breast cancer patients in West China do not take BCS as the first choice as the best treatment method. It is warranted that further study of more patients, attitude of patients’ partners and physicians to BCS.

Cognitive dysfunction was thought to be one of the core features of schizophrenia. And the executive function of the patients was paid more attention by more and more researchers and clinicians.

To investigate the executive function and the learning ability of the patients with first-episode schizophrenia, and their relationships with psychiatric symptoms.

Fifty cases of first-episode schizophrenia patients and fifty age- and gender-matched healthy controls were tested by a computerized version of Tower of London (TOL) test. The scores of the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale(PANSS) in the group of schizophrenia patients were over 60.

The numbers of the correct answer [x1 :(14.62 ± 4.12), x2: (14.80 ± 4.70)] during the first session and the second session of the TOL test of the patients group were significantly lower than that of the control group [x1: (17.48 ± 3.79), x2:(18.68 ± 3.19)], and the reaction times [t1: (9.27 ± 4.37) seconds, t2: (9.51 ± 5.58) seconds] of the two sessions of TOL were longer than the control group [t1: (7.28 ± 2.04) seconds, t2: (6.67 ± 1.51) seconds], P < 0.01. For the control group, x2 was significantly greater than x1, and t2 shorter than t1 (P < 0.01), while for the patients group, there was no difference between the performances of the first session and the second session. The scores of TOL in the schizophrenia patients were correlated with the negative symptom score of PANSS (P < 0.05) and were not correlated with the scores of other subscales of PANSS (P > 0.05).

The executive function and the learning ability of schizophrenia are impaired and the cognitive dysfunction is correlated with negative symptoms.

Previous studies have shown that African American youth are over-represented in the Criminal Justice System (CJS). Substance use problems are common among those with CJS involvement. However, less is known regarding racial disparities, among youth with CJS involvement, in receiving substance use treatment services.

To examine racial disparities with regard to receiving treatment services for substance use related problems, among youth with (CJS) involvement.

Data were obtained from the 2006–2008 United States National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH) in USA. Among White and African American adolescents (Ages 12–17) with recent CJS involvement and who met criteria for alcohol or illicit drug abuse or dependence (N = 602), racial differences in receiving treatment services for substance use problems were examined. Multiple logistic regression analyses were performed to identify predictors of service access among the adolescents, to see if the racial disparity could be explained by individual-level, family-level, and criminal justice system involvement factors.

While 31.2% of White adolescent substance abusers with CJS involvement had received treatment for substance use related problems, only 11.6% of their African American counterparts had received such treatment (P = 0.0005). Multiple logistic regression analyses showed that access to treatment services can be predicted by substance use related delinquent behaviors, but that racial disparities in treatment still exist after adjusting for these factors (AOR = 0.24, 95%CI = (0.09,0.59), P = 0.0027).

There is an urgent need to reduce racial disparities in receiving substance use treatment among U.S. youth with CJS involvement.

The relative effect of the atypical antipsychotic drugs and conventional agents on neurocognition in patients with early-stage schizophrenia has not been comprehensively determined.

The present study aimed to assess the cognitive effects of atypical and conventional antipsychotic drugs on neurocognition under naturalistic treatment conditions.

In a 12 months open-label, multicenter study, 698 patients with early-stage schizophrenia (< 5 years) were monotherapy with chlorpromazine, sulpiride, clozapine, risperidone, olanzapine, quetiapine or aripiprazole. Wechsler Memory Scale--Revised Visual Reproduction Test, Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale Revised Digit Symbol Test and Digit-span Task Test, Trail Making Tests Part A and Part B, and Wisconsin Card Sorting Test were administered at baseline and 12 months follow-up evaluation. The primary outcome was change in a cognitive composite score after 12 months of treatment.

Compared with scores at baseline, the composite cognitive test scores and individual test scores had significant improvement for all seven treatment groups at 12-month follow-up evaluation (all p-values ≤ 0.013). However, olanzapine and quetiapine provided greater improvement than that provided by chlorpromazine and sulpiride in the composite score, processing speed and executive function (all p-values ≤ 0.045).

Both conventional and atypical antipsychotic medication long-term maintenance treatment can benefit congitive function in patients with early-stage schizophrenia, but olanzapine and quetiapine may be superior to chlorpromazine and sulpiride in improving some areas of neurocognitive function.

An increasing number of studies have described the relationship between velo-cardio-facial syndrome (VCFS) and schizophrenia. in a family-based study, we found that rs10314, a single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) present in the 3’-flanking region of the CLDN5 gene, was associated with schizophrenia among a Chinese population. High false positive rate is a common problem with the association study of human diseases. It is very important to replicate an initial finding with different samples and experimental designs.

A total of 749 patients with schizophrenia and 383 age and sex matched healthy control subjects in Chinese population were recruited. PCR-based RFLP protocol was applied to genotype rs10314 to see its disease association.

The χ2 goodness-of-fit test showed that the genotypic distributions of rs10314 were in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium in both the patient group (χ2=1.12, P=0.289) and the control group (χ2=0.22, P=0.639). rs10314 was associated with schizophrenia with an odds ratio (OR) of 1.32 in the male subjects (χ2=5.45, P=0.02, 95% CI 1.05-1.67) but not in the female subjects (χ2=0.64, P=0.425, OR=1.14, 95% CI 0.83-1.57). the χ2 test showed a genotypic association only for combined samples (χ2=7.80, df=2, P=0.02). SNP rs10314 is a G to C base change. Frequency of the genotypes containing the C allele was significantly higher in the patient group than in the control group.

The present work shows that the CLDN5 gene polymorphism is more likely to be involved in schizophrenic men than women, suggesting that this gene may contribute to the gender differences in schizophrenia.

The aim of this study was to investigate the association between parental characteristics and parental practices and the trajectories of Disruptive Behaviours (DBs) during early childhood.

Trajectories of DBs - Hyperactivity, Oppositional behaviour and Physical Aggression - were assessed based on annual mother interviews from 17 to 60 months for a Canadian population-representative birth cohort (N=2057).

Frequency of DBs increased from 17 to 41 months and then tended to decline. Parental characteristics and parental practices were both associated with chronic trajectories of DBs.

Early childhood is a critical period to prevent later DBs during school years that leads to psychosocial maladjustment during adolescence and adulthood.

There are strong links between circadian disturbance and some of the most characteristic symptoms of clinical major depressive disorder (MDD). However there are no published studies of changes in expression of clock genes or of other neuropeptides related to circadian-rhythm regulation, which may influence recurrent susceptibility after treatment with antidepressant in MDD.

Blood samples were collected from twelve healthy controls and twelve male major depressive patients pre- and post- treated with escitalopram for eight weeks at 4-hour intervals for 24 hours. Outcome measures were the relative expression of mRNA of clock genes (hPERIOD1, hPERIOD2, hPERIOD3, hCRY1, hBMAL1, hNPAS2 and hGSK-3beta) and the levels of serum melatonin, Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide (VIP), cortisol, Adrenocorticotropic Hormone (ACTH), Insulin-like Growth Factor-1(IGF-1) and growth hormone (GH) in twelve healthy controls and twelve pre- and post- treated MDD patients.

Compared with healthy controls, MDD patients showed disruptions in diurnal rhythms of expression of hPERIOD1, hPERIOD2, hCRY1, hBMAL1, hNPAS2 and hGSK-3beta, along with disruptions in diurnal rhythms of release of melatonin, VIP, cortisol, ACTH, IGF-1, and GH. Several of these disruptions (hPER1, hCRY1, melatonin, VIP, cortisol, ACTH, and IGF-1) persisted after eight weeks escitalopram treatment, as did elevation of 24-hour levels of VIP and decreases in 24-hour levels of cortisol and ACTH.

These persisted neurobiological changes may play a role in MDD symptoms that are thought to contribute to recurrence vulnerability and in maintenance therapy for a long term.

Schizophrenia is one of the most severe and chronic forms of mental illness. Quantum resonance spectrometer (QRS) test may be useful as a biological marker for the clinical diagnosis of psychiatric disorders of Schizophrenia.

To evaluate reliability and psychiatric clinical value of QRS via thought disorder detection.

We studied 1014 schizophrenic patients, 155 patients with bipolar disorders patient, and 100 normal controls. Thought disorder symptoms of same subjects obtained from QRS test and psychiatrists' diagnoses were compared. Also Thought disorder symptoms of renumbered 65 schizophrenia patient and 100 normal controls were discriminated using QRS test.

Kappa values of thought disorders detection and diagnosed were more than 65% in 6/9 symptoms of schizophrenia, and more than 74% in all 3 symptoms of bipolar disorder. Same consistency could also be seen in Pearson R value, and ROC AUC. In the discriminated analysis, sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value and negative predictive of delusion, looseness of thought and paralogism thinking detected utilizing QRS are more than 70% same compared with psychiatrists diagnoses.

QRS in thought disorder detection seem to have a predictable value for outcome in schizophrenia and bipolar disorder, would become an objective identification and diagnosis instrument, and might promote psychiatric clinical diagnosis.