Background: This research focused on the association between physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake and the risk of depression in middle aged and older Taiwanese adults. Methods: Data were obtained from the 1999 to 2015 datasets of the Taiwan Longitudinal Survey on Aging (TLSA), and 4400 participants were included in 1999 (aged ≥53 years). Descriptive statistics provided all of the basic characteristic variables. A chi-square test analyzed the association between sex, age, years of education, marriage, hypertension, drinking, smoking, and the incidence of depression. Logistic regression analysis was used to determine significant associations between physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake, and the presence or absence of depression after 16 years. Results: Combined high physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake reduced the risk of depression by 80% (OR = 0.20, 95% CI = 0.10–0.45, p = 0.001) compared to low physical activity and fruit-vegetable intake; high physical activity and moderate or low fruit-vegetable intake caused a 70% reduction (OR = 0.30, 95% CI = 0.15–0.63, p = 0.005). High fruit-vegetable intake and low physical activity caused a 65% reduction (OR = 0.35, 95% CI = 0.15–0.63, p = 0.005), compared to low physical activity and low fruit-vegetable intake. High physical activity alone caused a 40% reduction, which is the same as by high fruit-vegetable intake alone. Conclusions: Fruit-vegetable intake combined with physical activity was negatively correlated with the risk of depression. More fruit-vegetable intake and physical activity might reduce this risk. The results highlight the importance of physical activity and fruit-vegetable consumption for middle-aged and older adults to prevent depression.

Existing evidence indicates that both iron deficiency anemia and sickle cell anemia have been previously associated with hearing loss. However, human data investigating the association between anemia and auditory threshold shifts at different frequencies in the adolescent, adult and elderly population are extremely limited to date. Therefore, this cross-sectional study used the dataset from the US National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey from 2005 to 2012 to explore differences in low- or high-frequency hearing thresholds and hearing loss prevalence between participants with and without anemia. A total of 918 patients with anemia and 8213 without anemia were included. Results indicated that low- and high-frequency pure tone average were significantly higher in patients with anemia than that in those without anemia in the elderly, but not in adult or adolescent population. In addition, the prevalence of low-frequency hearing loss but not high-frequency hearing loss was also higher in patients with anemia than in those without anemia in the elderly population. After adjusting various confounders, multiple regression models still indicated that patients with anemia tended to have larger threshold shift. In conclusion, anemia was associated with auditory threshold shifts in the elderly population, especially those vulnerable to low-frequency hearing loss.

Objective: To understand the risk of developing a poor prognosis in adulthood after violent injury in Taiwan. Methods: This study used the data of outpatients, from emergency departments, and from hospitalization of 2 million people under National Health Insurance from 2000 to 2015. The ICD-9 diagnostic code N-code was defined as the case of this study and was 995.8 (abused adult) or E-code was E960-E969 (homicide and intentional injury by others) The first violent injury of 18–64-year-old adults (the study group) was analyzed. Patients who had not suffered violent abuse were the control group. The groups were matched in a 1:4 ratio, and the paired variables were gender, age ±1 year, Charlson Comorbidity index (CCI) before exposure, and year of medical treatment. SAS 9.4 statistical software was used, and the Cox regression method was used for data analysis. Results: During the 15-year period, a total of 8726 people suffered from violence (34,904 controls). The incidences of common poor prognoses among the victims of violence were sleep disorder, anxiety, and depression, in 33.9%, 21.6%, and 13.2% of people, respectively. The risk (Adults, Overall) of developing Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), bipolar disorder, and manic disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 34.86, 4.4, and 4.1 times higher than those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). The risk (Adults, Males) of developing PTSD, bipolar disorder, and manic disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 30.0, 3.81, and 2.85 times higher, respectively, than those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). The risk (Adults, Females) of developing PTSD, manic disorder, and bipolar disorder after being violently injured (average 9 years) was 36.8, 6.71, and 5.65 times higher, respectively, than of those who had not suffered violence (all p values < 0.01). Conclusion: The risks of poor prognosis are higher in adults who have suffered violent abuse than in those who have not. Therefore, police, social workers, and medical personnel should pay attention to the mental state of victims of violence. They should aim to support prompt treatment, to avoid PTSD, bipolar disorder, manic disorder, etc.

Among central nervous system tumors, glioblastoma (GBM) is the most common and the most malignant type. Even under current standard treatments, the overall survival rate is still low and the recurrence rate is high. Therefore, developing novel and effective therapy is urgently needed. CC12, a synthesized small molecule, was evaluated for the potential anti-GBM effects in two GBM cell lines, U87MG and U118MG. The observations of cell morphology, MTT assay, flow cytometry-based apoptosis after CC12 treatment, were conducted. Western blot was performed for the investigation of the apoptotic mechanism. Positron emission tomography scan analysis and bioluminescent imaging assay using a mouse xenograft model were performed for the effect of CC12 in vivo. After treated by 10 μM CC12 for 24 h, both U118MG and U87MG cells showed tumor cell death. MTT assay results showed that the survival rates decreased when the CC12 concentrations or the treatment periods increased. Ki-67 expression and flow cytometry results indicated that the proliferation was inhibited in GBM cells, and G1 phase arrest was shown. The results of 7-AAD, Br-dUTP, and JC-1 staining all showed the apoptosis of GBM cells after CC12 treatment. Increased γH2AX, caspase-3, and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) levels meant the DNA damage, and increased Bcl2 family proteins after CC12 treatment indicated the intrinsic apoptotic pathway was involved in CC12 induced apoptosis. Furthermore, CC12 can induce the decrease of tumor prognostic marker DcR3. In vivo experiment results showed the effect of CC12 on tumor size reduction of CC12. In addition, the ability to cross the brain–blood barrier of CC12 was also confirmed. CC12 may have anti-tumor ability through the regulation of cell cycle and apoptosis in vitro and in vivo.

Depression and suicide risk among low-income individuals not only share common epidemiological patterns but may also be driven by underlying bidirectional mechanisms. On one hand, the social causation hypothesis suggests that financial stress, food insecurity, and unstable housing significantly increase the risk of developing depression. On the other hand, the social drift hypothesis indicates that depression often leads to impaired occupational functioning, job loss, and financial decline, creating a feedback loop where poverty exacerbates depression, and depression, in turn, perpetuates poverty. In this context, we hypothesized that depressed patients from low-income backgrounds would have a higher propensity for suicide, as the risk may arise both because of poverty and as a consequence of untreated or chronic depression. This is also consistent with behavioral economic evidence showing that clinical depression alters time and risk preferences and consumption-related dysfunction. We acknowledge the feedback loop where depression exacerbates poverty and vice versa, thus further increasing suicide risk among low-income individuals. To evaluate this, we utilized the Taiwan National Health Insurance Research Database to examine whether depression in low-income individuals is significantly associated with an elevated risk of suicide. The present cohort study obtained data from the National Health Insurance Research Database. From a total of 1,936,512 patients included in the Longitudinal Health Insurance Dataset between 2000 and 2015, 771 low-income participants who had suffered from depression and 3084 controls matched for gender and age were selected. Cox proportional hazard regression analysis was employed to explore the hazard ratio, and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) for low income being associated with the risk of developing psychiatric disorders during the 16-year follow-up period were calculated. Of the 771 low-income, depressed patients and 3084 control participants, 60 (8514.66 per 105 person-years) and 138 (36,269.29 per 105 person-years) developed suicidal thoughts, respectively. The Cox regression model revealed an adjusted hazard ratio (AHR) of 1.771 (95% CI = 1.289–2.432, P < .001) after adjusting for all the covariates. Depression among low-income individuals was associated with Charlson Comorbidity Index (AHR = 1.097; 95% CI = 1.004–1.186, P = 1.186). Factors of suicide methods by using Cox regression included other gases and vapors (AHR = 8.149; 95% CI = 5.926–11.196, P < .001), and cutting and piercing (AHR = 2.789; 95% CI = 2.021–3.864, P < .001). Depression and low income are independent risk factors for suicide. Depressed low-income patients are at higher risk of developing suicidal thoughts compared with depressed non-low-income patients. Among suicide methods, gases and vapors have the highest risk. Therefore, clinicians should pay attention to the income level of depressed patients.

Background/Objectives: According to the 2023 Ministry of Health and Welfare statistics, the suicide rate among adolescents aged 15 to 24 has steadily increased since 2018, from 3.7 to 5.5 per 100,000 populations, reaching a recent high. Although previous studies have pointed out that the future risk of suicide of those who had suffered from abuse was higher than that of the general population, researchers seldom focused on adolescent groups. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore the risk of suicide after youth violence and the impact of subsequent comorbid mental illness and suicide risk. Methods: This retrospective matched cohort study analyzed data from the NHIRD, covering the period from 2000 to 2015. A total of 976 cases aged 10–18 who had experienced violence were included in this study. Controlled grouping was conducted by 1:10 matching based on gender, age, and the time of medical treatment, and a control group who had not experienced violence was selected for comparison. We used the Cox proportional hazards model to analyze the risk of suicide among adolescents after exposure to violence. Results: The suicide rate among adolescents who have experienced violence was significantly higher than that of the control group after 15 years of follow-up (1.0% vs. 0.5%). The prevalence of mental illness or disorders in adolescents exposed to violence was significantly higher than in the control group (45.2% vs. 40.1%). Among adolescents who had experienced violence, the methods of suicide included poisoning (solid and liquid) (53.6% vs. 43.2%), hanging (1.2% vs. 0.6%), firearms (2.4% vs. 0%), and cutting instruments (27.4% vs. 22.8%), all of which were significantly higher than in the control group. After adjusting for gender, age, residential area, and mental health comorbidities, the risk of suicide in those who had experienced violence was 1.475 times that of the control group (95% CI = 1.125–1.933; p = 0.005). Conclusions: In this study, female, younger age, and comorbid mental disorders were identified as risk factors for suicide among the adolescent victims of violence. Exposure to youth violence was associated with an increased prevalence of emotional disorders, including depression and social isolation, which subsequently elevated the suicide risk. These findings underscore the urgent need for governmental attention to the mental health of adolescent victims of violence. Implementing targeted psychological support and intervention programs could play a crucial role in mitigating the risk of suicide among this vulnerable population.