Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is rapidly spreading worldwide, with a staggering number of cases and deaths. However, available data on the psychological impacts of COVID-19 on pregnant women are limited. The purposes of this study were to assess the prevalence of psychiatric symptoms among pregnant women, and to compare them with non-pregnant women. From February 28 to March 12, 2020, a cross-sectional study of pregnant and non-pregnant women was performed in China. The online questionnaire was used to collect information of participants. The mental health status was assessed by patient health questionnaire, generalized anxiety disorder scale, insomnia severity index, somatization subscale of the symptom checklist 90, and post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) checklist-5. Totally, 859 respondents were enrolled, including 544 pregnant women and 315 non-pregnant women. In this study, 5.3%, 6.8%, 2.4%, 2.6%, and 0.9% of pregnant women were identified to have symptoms of depression, anxiety, physical discomfort, insomnia, and PTSD, respectively. However, the corresponding prevalence rates among non-pregnant women were 17.5%, 17.5%, 2.5%, 5.4%, 5.7%, respectively. After adjusting for other covariates, we observed that pregnancy was associated a reduced risk of symptoms of depression (OR = 0.23; 95% CI: 0.12–0.45), anxiety (OR = 0.26; 95% CI: 0.16–0.42), insomnia (OR = 0.19; 95% CI: 0.06–0.58), and PTSD (OR = 0.15; 95% CI: 0.04–0.53) during the COVID-19 epidemic. Our results indicate that during the COVID-19 epidemic in China, pregnant women have an advantage of facing mental problems caused by COVID-19, showing fewer depression, anxiety, insomnia, and PTSD symptoms than non-pregnant women.

Single-dose i.v. ketamine augmentation of escitalopram was safe and effective in severe MDD, holding promise for speeding up early oral antidepressant efficacy.

Limited studies have focused on mental symptoms (anxiety and depression) and their impact on quality of life (QoL) in patients with pulmonary hypertension (PH). The objective of the present study was to assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their association with QoL in patients with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) and chronic thromboembolic PH (CTEPH) in a Chinese population. Patients diagnosed with PH by right heart catheterization between March 2015 and February 2016 were recruited. QoL [short form 36 Health Survey Questionnaire (SF-36)] and depression (Patient Health Questionnaire depression scale-9) and anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7) were assessed at baseline. Patients were followed up every 3 months. A total of 36 patients with PAH and 62 patients with CTEPH were enrolled. According to the results of the clinical examination and the questionnaires for depression and anxiety, patients were divided into two groups: Group 1, with depression and/or anxiety (n=65, 66.3%) and group 2, without depression or anxiety (n=33, 33.7%). At baseline, the two groups did not differ in their hemodynamics. Patients with depression and/or anxiety (group 1) had a significantly lower score in all subscales of SF-36 (P<0.05). The impairment of QoL significantly correlated with the severity of depression (P<0.001) and anxiety (P<0.05). During the follow-up period, end-point events (death or admission due to deterioration) occurred in 17 patients (17.3%); 8 patients (8.1%) were lost to follow-up. The end-point event-free survival rate in group 2 was significantly higher than that in group 1. Multivariate logistic regression analysis suggested that the financial situation and right ventricular enlargement were influencing factors of depression and/or anxiety. In conclusion, in patients with PH from a Chinese population, anxiety and depression were frequently encountered and significantly correlated with QoL. The significant relevant factors influencing anxiety/depression were the financial situation and right ventricular enlargement and patients with depression had a worse prognosis than those without.

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Long-term survival rate in patients with acute respiratory failure treated with noninvasive ventilation in ordinary wards.

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Memory dysfunction and associated hippocampal disturbances play crucial roles in cognitive impairment of schizophrenia. To examine the relationships between cognitive function and the hippocampal subfields (HSs) in first-episode never-treated (FENT) schizophrenia patients, the HSs were segmented in 39 FENT patients and 30 healthy controls using a state-of the-art automated algorithm. We found no significant differences in any HSs between the patients and controls. However, multivariate regression analysis showed that the left cornu ammonis 1 (CA1), left hippocampal tail, left presubiculum, and right molecular layer contributed 40% to the variance of the PANSS negative symptom score. After adjusting for sex, age, education, and intracranial volume, the partial correlation analysis showed that the volumes of left CA1, CA3, CA4, molecular layer, granule cell layer and both left and right subiculum were negatively correlated with the MATRICS consensus cognitive battery (MCCB) Hopkins Verbal Learning Test (HVLT). Multiple regression analysis showed that the left CA1 and CA3 hippocampal abnormalities contributed 66% to the variance of the HVLT. Our results suggest no detectable HS deficits were found in FENT schizophrenia patients. However, the HSs may be involved in the symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia patients in the early phase of their illness.