Background: There are only a few studies on sex hormones in females of different ages suffering from depression, and their conclusions are not uniform until now. This study aimed to investigate the correlation between the severity of depression in females and factors such as sex hormones and differences in sex hormone levels in females of different ages, exploring variations after treatment.Methods: A total of 169 females with depression were selected and divided into the first-episode (91 cases) and recurrent (78 cases) groups. Then, on the basis of their age, the first-episode patients were divided into the young (48 cases, age < 45 years), perimenopausal (20 cases, 45–55 years), and elderly groups (23 cases, age > 55 years); the patients with recurrent depression were classified into the young (37 cases, age < 45 years), perimenopausal (19 cases, 45–55 years), and elderly groups (22 cases, age > 55 years). The patients were assessed in accordance with theInternational Classification of Diseasesof mental and behavioral disorders. The serum progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, and testosterone levels in the patients were measured, and differences in sex hormone levels of the groups were analyzed.Results: The estradiol level was negatively correlated with age and the prolactin level was positively correlated with occupation. The severity of depression in females was found to be negatively correlated with age. The serum progesterone and estradiol levels in the young group were significantly higher than those in the elderly group, regardless of the first episode or recurrence. Estradiol levels in the perimenopausal and elderly groups with first-episode depression were significantly higher than those in the same group with recurrent depression. However, there was no significant difference in the serum progesterone, prolactin, estradiol, and testosterone levels in the recurrent group before and after treatment.Conclusions: Sex hormone levels, especially estradiol, varied among females of different ages suffering from depression. Recurrent depression also has a certain effect on sex hormone levels in females. Not only should the age and relapse be considered when studying the sex hormone levels of females with depression, but also attention should be paid to whether the patients have used antidepressants before their sexual hormonal testing.

This study aimed to evaluate the correlation between mental health status and arterial stiffness. A Symptom Checklist 90 (SCL-90) score was conducted for 10,688 employees of Kailuan Group Co., Ltd., of which 4936 participants received baPWV measurement. Of these, 4424 met the inclusion criteria. Based on the SCL-90 score, the study subjects were divided into normal mental health group (SCL-90 score < 160, 3993 cases) and abnormal mental health group (SCL-90 score ≥ 160, 431 cases). Statistical indicators include: General information, including levels of brachial-ankle pulse wave velocity (baPWV), age, gender, systolic blood pressure (SBP), diastolic blood pressure (DBP), mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR), body mass index (BMI), smoking and alcohol consumption, daily activity levels, nature of work and educational qualifications. The proportion of males, baPWV value, and abnormal proportion of baPWV in normal mental health group were higher than those in abnormal mental health group (P < 0.05). The Hs-CRP in normal mental health group were lower than that in abnormal mental health group (P < 0.05). There were significant differences in activity level and educational attainment between the two groups (P < 0.05). After adjusting for confounders, the results of the multiple linear regression analysis showed that, Age, MAP, HR, FBG, TG were positively correlated with baPWV; SCL-90 score, gender, BMI, educational qualification were negatively correlated with baPWV. When the SCL-90 score of the general population increased by one point, baPWV decreased by 0.246 cm/s. Each such increase corresponded with a decrease in baPWV of 0.299 cm/s for male participants in general (β = − 0.299, P = 0.007) and 0.412 cm/s for the male participants in the older-age group (β = − 0.412, P = 0.017). Although adverse psychological factors have a certain impact on arterial stiffness, it does not constitute an independent risk factor.

Background: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between dissociative experiences, post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), and psychiatric symptoms exhibited by schizophrenic patients 35 years after the Tangshan earthquake.Methods: Seventy‐one schizophrenic patients who had experienced the Tangshan earthquake were selected and evaluated by the Post‐traumatic Dissociative Experience Questionnaire (PDEQ), thPTSD Checklist‐Civilian Version (PCL‐C), and the Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS).Results: The score of Group B (re‐experiencing symptoms) in PCL‐C was significantly positively correlated with age and significantly negatively correlated with the course of schizophrenia. Both gender and marriage were significantly positively correlated with the score of PCL‐C Group D (irritability symptoms caused by hyperarousal). The PDEQ score was negatively correlated with thecourse of schizophrenia and positively correlated with the presence of sleep difficulties. Significant differences were found between the PCL‐C scores of the positive and negative symptoms of the three core symptom groups; the positive rate of Group B was significantly higher than that of Group D, and the positive rate of Group C was significantly higher than that of Group D. The PCL‐C total score was positively correlated with the negative symptom factor score of PANSS; Group C's symptoms were significantly negativelycorrelated with the positive factor score of PNASS; andGroup D's‘ symptoms were significantly negatively correlated with the PANSS total score and the positive factor score.Conclusion: When consiering patients with schizophrenia post the Tangshan earthquake, age, gender, and marital status were all positively correlated with PTSD. The course of schizophrenia was negatively associated with PTSD and dissociative experiences. PTSD was positively correlated with the negative symptoms of schizophrenia and negatively correlated with the positive symptoms of schizophrenia. Thus, the conditions and symptoms of PTSD may interact with those of schizophrenia.

Elevated blood pressure (BP) has been linked to brain structure changes and cognitive decline. However, few studies have accounted for long-term cumulative BP exposure. We investigated the association between cumulative BP exposure, brain volume, cerebral blood flow (CBF), and cognitive decline. Furthermore, we explored whether alterations in brain volume and CBF mediated the association between cumulative BP and cognitive decline. We included 1012 adult participants from the Kailuan study. Cumulative BP exposure was calculated from 2006 to 2020. Brain MRI scans and the Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) were performed in 2020. Generalized linear regression models were used to investigate the associations between cumulative BP, brain volume, CBF, and cognitive function. Mediation analysis was performed to examine whether alterations in brain volume and CBF mediated the association between cumulative BP and cognitive decline. Compared with the lowest tertiles, the highest tertiles of cumulative SBP were associated with lower volumes in total brain (−9.11 [−16.25, −1.97]), total GM (−5.53 [−10.02, −1.04]), frontal lobe (−2.46 [−4.15, −0.78]), temporal lobe (−1.37 [−2.51, −0.23]) and hippocampus (−0.15 [−0.26, −0.03]), and the highest tertiles of cumulative DBP were associated with lower volume in frontal lobe (−2.33 [−3.98, −0.68]) and temporal lobe (−1.15 [−2.27, −0.04]). Higher cumulative SBP and DBP were associated with lower total and regional CBF and MoCA scores (all P < 0.05). The associations between cumulative DBP and cognitive decline were mediated by the volumes in total GM, frontal lobe and temporal lobe. Early intervention in cumulative BP may help preserve brain structure and function.

Background: The potential clinical implication of sleep talking in relation to stroke has not been explored to date. This study aimed to prospectively examine the association between sleep talking and the risk of developing stroke in a community‐based cohort. METHODS AND RESULTS: Included were 8001 participants (mean age, 54 years) of the Kailuan Study, China. Sleep talking was measured by a questionnaire in 2012. Cases of incident stroke were confirmed by review of medical records. Cox proportional hazards models were used to explore the association between sleep talking and stroke, adjusting for several sleep parameters (ie, insomnia, daytime sleepiness, sleep duration, snoring, and use of hypnotics) and other potential confounders. During 8 years of follow‐up, 333 incident stroke cases were identified. Relative to participants without sleep talking at baseline, those with sleep talking had a higher risk of developing stroke (hazard ratio [HR], 1.30 [95% CI, 1.03–1.65]), adjusting for potential confounders. Compared with participants without probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder and sleep talking, those with sleep talking and probable rapid eye movement sleep behavior disorder had a higher risk of stroke (adjusted HR, 1.93 [95% CI, 1.40–2.66]). Conclusions: The presence of sleep talking was associated with a higher risk of developing stroke. Future studies with cases of clinically confirmed sleep talking and a longer follow‐up would be appropriate to further investigate this association.