OBJECTIVETo describe the prevalence of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms in patients with some neurological diseases in the general hospitals of major cities in China.

METHODSA hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted in four big cities in China in 2004. 1197 eligible subjects with Stroke, Parkinson's disease and Epilepsy were recruited from the outpatient or inpatient departments within three months. Face-to-face interview was used in data collection together with the self-completed Hospital Anxiety and Depression (HAD) scale for depressive and/or anxiety symptom, were screened. Subjects getting a HAD score of 9 and above were further assessed for depressive and/or anxiety disorders with Hamilton anxiety scales and Hamilton depression scales by the licensed psychologists or psychiatrists.

RESULTSThe prevalence rates of "self-scaled" depressive and/or anxiety symptoms were 19.5%, 24.1% and 21.9% respectively in patients with stroke, Parkinson's disease and epilepsy. Among cases with "self-scaled" depressive and/or anxiety symptoms, the prevalence rates of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms were 50.8%, 73.1% and 38.6% respectively; less than 17% of subjects had obtained a diagnosis of depressive disorders and had been treated but only 4% of the subjects having obtained a diagnosis of anxiety disorders and been treated prior to the study. The sex specific prevalence varied over the somatic diseases. In patients with Parkinson's disease, the prevalence of "self-scaled" anxiety symptom was significantly higher in females than in males (21.1% vs. 12.2%; chi2 = 5. 679, P = 0.017),and the total prevalence of "self-scaled" depressive and/or anxiety symptoms was also higher in female (30.3% vs. 20.5%; chi2 = 4.978, P = 0.026); in patients with stroke while the prevalence of depressive and anxiety symptoms in female was higher than that in male (52.2% vs. 20.0%; chi2 = 6.009, P = 0.014), and a higher prevalence of depressive symptoms in female patients with epilepsy was also reported (32.4% vs. 13.6%; chi2 = 4.108, P = 0.043).

CONCLUSIONIt was of great importance to remind the healthcare providers and health policy makers that high prevalence of depressive and/or anxiety symptoms was found in patients with somatic diseases but with low percentages of previous diagnosis or treatment in the departments of neurology at the general hospitals in urban China.

Anxiety ; epidemiology ; China ; epidemiology ; Cross-Sectional Studies ; Depression ; epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Nervous System Diseases ; psychology ; Prevalence ; Urban Population

Aluminum ; toxicity ; Humans ; Nervous System Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology ; Occupational Exposure ; Occupational Health ; Respiratory Tract Diseases ; epidemiology ; etiology

The purpose of this article was to provide a literature review of occupational neurological disorders and related research in Korea, focusing on chemical hazards. We reviewed occupational neurological disorders investigated by the Occupational Safety and Health Research Institute of Korean Occupational Safety and Health Agency between 1992 and 2009, categorizing them as neurological disorders of the central nervous system (CNS), of the peripheral nervous system (PNS) or as neurodegenerative disorders. We also examined peer-reviewed journal articles related to neurotoxicology, published from 1984 to 2009. Outbreaks of occupational neurological disorder of the CNS due to inorganic mercury and carbon disulfide poisoning had helped prompt the development of the occupational safety and health system of Korea. Other major neurological disorders of the CNS included methyl bromide intoxication and chronic toxic encephalopathy. Most of the PNS disorders were n-hexane-induced peripheral neuritis, reported from the electronics industry. Reports of manganese-induced Parkinsonism resulted in the introduction of neuroimaging techniques to occupational medicine. Since the late 1990s, the direction of research has been moving toward degenerative disorder and early effect of neurotoxicity. To understand the early effects of neurotoxic chemicals in the preclinical stage, more follow-up studies of a longer duration are necessary.
Adolescent ; Adult ; Central Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Female ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced/*epidemiology/etiology ; Neurodegenerative Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Neurotoxicity Syndromes/*epidemiology/*etiology ; Occupational Diseases/chemically induced/*epidemiology/etiology ; Parkinsonian Disorders/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases/chemically induced/epidemiology ; Republic of Korea

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Research on stem cells (SC) is growing rapidly in neurology, but clinical applications of SC for neurological disorders remain to be proven effective and safe. Human clinical trials need to be registered in registries in order to reduce publication bias and selective reporting. METHODS: We searched three databases—clinicaltrials.gov, the Clinical Research Information System (CRIS), and PubMed—for neurologically relevant SC-based human trials and articles in Korea. The registration of trials, posting and publication of results, and registration of published SC articles were examined. RESULTS: There were 17 completed trials registered at clinicaltrials.gov and the CRIS website, with results articles having been published for 5 of them. Our study found 16 publications, of which 1 was a review article, 1 was a protocol article, and 8 contained registered trial information. CONCLUSIONS: Many registered SC trials related to neurological disorders are not reported, while many SC-related publications are not registered in a public registry. These results support the presence of biased reporting and publication bias in SC trials related to neurological disorders in Korea.
Bias (Epidemiology) ; Humans ; Information Systems ; Korea ; Nervous System Diseases* ; Neurology ; Publication Bias ; Publications ; Registries ; Stem Cells*

Central Nervous System Diseases ; complications ; virology ; Child ; China ; epidemiology ; Enterovirus ; Enterovirus A, Human ; Female ; Hand, Foot and Mouth Disease ; complications ; epidemiology ; Humans

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the changes in the disease spectrum among hospitalized children in the pediatric intensive care units (PICU) within 2 years before and after the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). METHODS: The related data on disease diagnosis were collected from all children who were hospitalized in the PICU of Affiliated Hospital of Jining Medical College from January 2018 to December 2019 (pre-COVID-19 group) and from January 2020 to December 2021 (post-COVID-19 group). A statistical analysis was performed for the disease spectrum of the two groups. RESULTS: There were 2 368 children in the pre-COVID-19 group and 1 653 children in the post-COVID-19 group. The number of children in the post-COVID-19 group was reduced by 30.19% compared with that in the pre-COVID-19 group. There was a significant difference in age composition between the two groups (P<0.05). The top 10 diseases in the pre-COVID-19 group by number of cases were respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, sepsis, critical illness, circulatory system diseases, severe neurosurgical diseases, digestive system diseases, unintentional injuries, endocrine system diseases, and tumors. The top 10 diseases in the post-COVID-19 group by number of cases were respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, sepsis, circulatory system diseases, unintentional injuries, endocrine system diseases, severe neurosurgical diseases, acute abdomen, trauma surgical diseases, and digestive system diseases. The proportions of respiratory diseases, critical illness and severe neurosurgical diseases in the post-COVID-19 group were lower than those in the pre-COVID-19 group (P<0.05), while the proportions of unintentional injuries, acute abdomen, endocrine system diseases, trauma surgical diseases and sepsis were higher than those in the pre-COVID-19 group (P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS COVID-19 epidemic has led to a significant reduction in the number of children admitted to the PICU, and there are significant changes in the disease spectrum within 2 years before and after the outbreak of COVID-19. Relevant prevention and control measures taken during the COVID-19 epidemic can reduce the incidence of respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, and other critical illness in children, but it is necessary to strengthen the prevention of unintentional injuries and chronic disease management during the epidemic.
Child ; Humans ; COVID-19/epidemiology* ; Critical Illness ; Intensive Care Units, Pediatric ; Sepsis/epidemiology* ; Epidemics ; Nervous System Diseases ; Retrospective Studies

Diabetic peripheral neuropathy (DPN) is the most common complication associated with diabetes. DPN can present as a loss of sensation, may lead to neuropathic ulcers, and is a leading cause of amputation. Reported estimates of the prevalence of DPN vary due to differences in study populations and diagnostic criteria. Furthermore, the epidemiology and clinical characteristics of DPN in Korean patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are not as well understood as those of other complications of diabetes such as retinal and renal disease. Recently, the Diabetic Neuropathy Study Group of the Korean Diabetes Association (KDA) conducted a study investigating the impact of DPN on disease burden and quality of life in patients with T2DM and has published some data that are representative of the nation. This review investigated the prevalence and associated clinical implications of DPN in Korean patients with diabetes based on the KDA study.
Amputation ; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2 ; Diabetic Neuropathies* ; Epidemiology ; Humans ; Korea* ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Prevalence ; Quality of Life ; Retinaldehyde ; Sensation ; Ulcer

PURPOSE: This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of non-pharmacologic interventions in chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN). METHODS: PubMed, Cochrane Library CENTRAL, EMBASE, CINAHL, and several Korean databases (Until August 2017) were searched. The main search strategy combined terms for peripheral neuropathy and presence of neoplasms. The risk of bias was assessed using the Cochrane's Risk of Bias tool for randomized studies and the Risk of Bias Assessment tool for non-randomized studies. To estimate the effect size, a meta-analysis of the studies was performed using the Rev Man 5.3 program of the Cochrane Library random-effects models were used in the analyses. RESULTS: Twenty-two studies with a total of 954 participants met the inclusion criteria. Of the 22 studies, 12 were used to estimate the effect size of the non-pharmacologic interventions. The non-pharmacologic interventions used in patients with CIPN were exercise, acupuncture, massage, and foot bath. The acupuncture significantly reduced CIPN symptoms and signs (d=+0.71) and CIPN pain (d=+0.73) (p < .001). Massage and foot bath were also effective in reducing CIPN symptoms (d=+0.68; 95% CI=+1.05, +0.30; p < .001; I2=19%).Exercises were effective in improving muscle strength and endurance(d=+0.55) and quality of life (d=+2.96), but they were not significantly effective in improving CIPN. CONCLUSION: Although these results provide little evidence of the effectiveness of acupuncture, massage, and foot bath in the treatment of CIPN, they suggest that these interventions can reduce CIPN symptoms in patients with cancer. However, the findings of this study should be interpreted with caution as there is a relative lack of data in this field, and additional well-designed studies are needed. PROSPERO registration: CRD42017076278.
Acupuncture ; Baths ; Bias (Epidemiology) ; Chemotherapy, Adjuvant ; Drug Therapy* ; Foot ; Humans ; Massage ; Muscle Strength ; Peripheral Nervous System Diseases* ; Quality of Life

Children, especially those younger than 5 years of age and those with chronic medical conditions, such as respiratory diseases, neurological diseases, immunosuppression, receiving longterm aspirin therapy, obesity or co-infection with bacteria, are at an increased risk of pandemic H1N1 infection-related complications. This paper reviews the underlying medical conditions associated with death or complications of pandemic H1N1 infection in children.
Adolescent ; Child ; Child, Preschool ; Chronic Disease ; Comorbidity ; Humans ; Immunocompromised Host ; Influenza A Virus, H1N1 Subtype ; Influenza, Human ; epidemiology ; mortality ; Nervous System Diseases ; Obesity ; Pediatrics ; Respiratory System ; physiopathology ; Risk Factors

OBJECTIVETo study the effects of carbon disulfide (CS(2)) on the health of workers, and to provide the basis for the further preventive measures.

METHODSThe occupational health examination of 881 workers exposed to CS(2) in a chemical fiber factory was carried out according to the national technical standard of occupational health surveillance. The time weighted average concentrations (TWA) of CS(2) in the workshops of short silk and long silk exceeded the national standard, The workers in these two workshops served as the high exposure group. The workers of the other workshops were classified as low exposure group, in which TWA met the national standard. All exposed workers were also divided into long-term exposure group and short-term exposure group on the basis of average exposure years (16 years). The statistical analysis was used by t test, χ(2), and fisher exact test.

RESULTSThe symptom rates of numbness, fatigue, dizziness, insomnia and headache were 12.5%, 8.5%, 8.2%, 7.5%, and 7.2% respectively. The abnormal rates of superficial sensation, three fibrillation, achilles tendon reflex, patellar reflex, EMG, hypertension, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, and apolipoprotein B were 33.0%, 26.1%, 20.8%, 18.6%, 10.8%, 33.4%, 24.5%, 17.0% and 9.3% respectively. Among the high exposure group, the abnormal detectable rates of dizziness, headache, fatigue, insomnia, numbness, achilles tendon reflex, superficial and deep sensation, EMG, hypertension, ECG, total cholesterol, triglyceride and low density lipoprotein in long-term exposure group were significantly higher than those in short-term exposure group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). However, among the low exposure group, the abnormal rates of the insomnia achilles tendon reflex and superficial sensation in long term exposure group were significantly higher than those of short term exposure group (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01). The detected rates of hypertension, triglycerides, low-density lipoprotein, creatinine and uric acid were in males significantly greater than those in females (P < 0.05 or P < 0.01).

CONCLUSIONLong-term exposure to high concentrations of CS(2) could lead to the damage of nervous system, elevate blood pressure and promote the development and progression of hyperlipemia and atherosclerosis. Furthermore, CS(2) had greater effects on blood pressure and lipid in males than in females.

Adult ; Carbon Disulfide ; adverse effects ; Cardiovascular System ; Chemical Industry ; Female ; Health Status ; Humans ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Multiphasic Screening ; Nervous System Diseases ; epidemiology ; Occupational Exposure ; Young Adult