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Abstract: Objective: This study explored the clinical characteristics and risk factors of suicidal ideation in a sample of first graders from South Korea. Children''s depression and aggression and maternal depression were examined as possible risk factors. Methods: This study is a school-based, cross-sectional study of 5 elementary schools in Gunpo City, South Korea. Participants were 707 first graders (mean age, 6.54 years) and their mothers. We assessed children''s depressive and aggressive symptoms using the Behavior Assessment System for Children-2 (BASC-2) and maternal depression using the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). Two items from BASC-2 and 1 item from BDI identified children''s and maternal suicidal ideation. Results: Twenty-seven (3.8%) children evidenced suicidal ideation. Children with suicidal ideation had higher mean scores of depression domain (10.11 ± 5.34 vs 4.57 ± 3.44, P < .0001) and aggression domain (7.78 ± 3.84 vs 3.80 ± 2.85, P < .0001) on BASC-2 and maternal depression (9.78 ± 6.45 vs 7.28 ± 5.38, P = .02) on BDI. In regression analysis, children''s depression (odds ratio [OR], 1.19; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07-1.32; P = .001) and aggression (OR, 1.24; 95% CI, 1.08-1.41; P = .002) contributed significantly to children''s suicidal ideation, whereas maternal depression was not significantly related to children''s suicidal ideation (OR, 0.99; 95% CI, 0.92-1.06; P = .75). Conclusions: This study demonstrated that even first graders had a considerable prevalence of suicidal ideation and that depression and aggression were associated with suicidal ideation in young children. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Resveratrol (RSV) has various metabolic effects, especially with relatively high-dose therapy. However, the ability of RSV to modulate insulin signaling has not been completely evaluated. Here, we determined whether RSV alters insulin signaling in insulin-responsive cells and tissues. The effects of RSV on insulin signaling in 3T3-L1 adipocytes under both insulin-sensitive and insulin-resistant states and in insulin-sensitive tissues of high fat–fed diet-induced obese (DIO) mice were investigated. Insulin-stimulated insulin receptor substrate–1 tyrosine phosphorylation (Y612) was suppressed in RSV-treated adipocytes compared with untreated adipocytes, as was the insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation (Ser473). However, under an insulin-resistant condition that was made by incubating 3T3-L1 adipocytes in the conditioned medium from lipopolysaccharide-stimulated LAW264.7 cells, RSV reduced inducible nitric oxide synthase expression and IκBα protein degradation and improved insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation (Ser473). In DIO mice, relatively low-dose RSV (30 mg/kg daily for 2 weeks) therapy lowered fasting blood glucose level and serum insulin, increased hepatic glycogen content, and ameliorated fatty liver without change in body weight. The insulin-stimulated Akt phosphorylation was decreased in the liver and white adipose tissue of DIO mice, but it was completely normalized by RSV treatment. However, in the skeletal muscle of DIO mice, insulin signaling was not improved by RSV treatment, whereas the phosphorylation of adenosine monophosphate–activated protein kinase α (Thr172) was improved by it. Our results show that RSV enhances insulin action only under insulin-resistant conditions and suggest that the effect of RSV may depend on the type of tissue being targeted and its metabolic status. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

SAs were more likely to involve a physical (32.8% in SAs, 15.3% in SCs, p = 0.009) or mental illness (32.8% in SAs, 17.7% in SCs, p = 0.032) than SCs. SAs involved more self-injurious behaviors (28.1% in SAs, 3.2% in SCs, p <0.001) and prior attempts (33.3% in SAs, 6.8% in SCs, p < 0.001) than SCs. [Extracted from the article]

An abstract of the article "Association of School Bullying and Psychotic Experiences in Korean Adolescents" by Jungeun Song and colleagues is presented.

In the last few decades, changing socioeconomic and family structures have increasingly left children alone without adult supervision. Carefully prepared and limited periods of unsupervised time are not harmful for children. However, long unsupervised periods have harmful effects, particularly for those children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. In this study, we examined the influence of unsupervised time on behavior problems by studying a sample of elementary school children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. The study analyzed data from the Children's Mental Health Promotion Project, which was conducted in collaboration with education, government, and mental health professionals. The child behavior checklist (CBCL) was administered to assess problem behaviors among first- and fourth-grade children. Multivariate logistic regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of unsupervised time on children's behavior. A total of 3,270 elementary school children (1,340 first-graders and 1,930 fourth-graders) were available for this study; 1,876 of the 3,270 children (57.4%) reportedly spent a significant amount of time unsupervised during the day. Unsupervised time that exceeded more than 2h per day increased the risk of delinquency, aggressive behaviors, and somatic complaints, as well as externalizing and internalizing problems. Carefully planned afterschool programming and care should be provided to children at high risk for inattention and problem behaviors. Also, a more comprehensive approach is needed to identify the possible mechanisms by which unsupervised time aggravates behavior problems in children predisposed for these behaviors. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An abstract of the article "Latent Aggression Subgroups Associated With Psychopathologic Behavior and Bullying/Victimization Experience in Elementary and Middle School Students" by Kyungun Jhung and colleagues is presented.

Pre- and perinatal complications have been implicated in the onset and clinical expression of Tourette syndrome albeit with considerable inconsistencies across studies. Also, little is known about their role in co-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) and attention–deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in individuals with a tic disorder. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of pre- and perinatal complications in relation to the presence and symptom severity of chronic tic disorder and co-occurring OCD and ADHD using data of 1113 participants from the Tourette International Collaborative Genetics study. This study included 586 participants with a chronic tic disorder and 527 unaffected family controls. We controlled for age and sex differences by creating propensity score matched subsamples for both case-control and within-case analyses. We found that premature birth (OR = 1.72) and morning sickness requiring medical attention (OR = 2.57) were associated with the presence of a chronic tic disorder. Also, the total number of pre- and perinatal complications was higher in those with a tic disorder (OR = 1.07). Furthermore, neonatal complications were related to the presence (OR = 1.46) and severity ( b = 2.27) of co-occurring OCD and also to ADHD severity ( b = 1.09). Delivery complications were only related to co-occurring OCD (OR = 1.49). We conclude that early exposure to adverse situations during pregnancy is related to the presence of chronic tic disorders. Exposure at a later stage, at birth or during the first weeks of life, appears to be associated with co-occurring OCD and ADHD. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Abstract: This study investigated the relationship between the five common polymorphisms (rs2242446, rs5568, rs5569, rs998424, and rs1616905) in the norepinephrine transporter (NET) gene and the OROS-methylphenidate response in a medication-naïve Korean attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) sample. One hundred thirty-seven patients with ADHD were recruited from the child and adolescent psychiatric outpatient units. The trial was an eight-week, open-label study of OROS-methylphenidate monotherapy, and treatment outcomes were measured using the Korean version of the ADHD Rating Scales-IV (K-ARS) for the parents, the Clinician Global Impression Severity Scale (CGI-S) and the Clinician Global Impression Improvement Scale (CGI-I). Associations between the five NET polymorphisms and the drug response were analyzed using genotype and allele frequencies at each locus. There was no significant difference in genotype and allele distribution for each NET polymorphism between responders and non-responders (P >0.05). There were no significant differences in change of the K-ARS score, change of CGI-S scores or CGI-I scores at 8weeks among each genotype and allele of five NET polymorphisms (P >0.05). Although there were no significant positive results, our findings may have several implications and offer direction for future studies. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Objective: Breast cancer patients can have biopsychosocial changes induced by distress related to the cancer diagnosis. This study investigated psychological characteristics and hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis function associated with depressive symptoms in breast cancer patients at the initial diagnosis. Method: Seventy-eight breast cancer patients were enrolled, and 61 patients were included in the final analysis. Patients were evaluated concerning psychological adjustment to cancer diagnosis, self-concept and depressive symptoms and given a dexamethasone suppression test before the main surgical treatment. Results: Self-concept scale scores and fighting spirit factor scores of the Korean version of the Mental Adjustment to Cancer (KMAC) scale showed inverse correlations. Anxious preoccupation (AP) factor scores of the KMAC scale positively correlated with depressive symptom scores. Depressive symptom scores were significantly correlated with postdexamethasone serum cortisol levels. In multiple regression analysis, postdexamethasone serum cortisol and the KMAC-AP factor score had significant partial effects in the final model. Conclusion: Hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal axis dysfunction and anxious coping to cancer diagnosis may be associated with depressive symptoms in breast cancer patients before treatment. Based on this analysis, we recommend psychotherapeutic interventions to increase adaptive mental coping strategy and to ameliorate psychological distress. Screening for HPA axis dysfunction and provision of depression treatment may prevent breast cancer patients from developing depressive symptoms. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

An abstract of the article "Behavior Assessment System for Children-2, Parent Rating Scale-Chidren As a Potential Screener for Autism Spectrum Disorder in Korean Children" by Jungeun Song and colleagues is presented.