Chao Jiang

OBJECTIVE: Previous research on sociocultural factors for Chinese suicide have been basically limited to single case studies or qualitative research with ethnographic methodology. The current study examines the major risk factors and some cultural uniqueness related to Chinese rural suicide using a quantitative design. METHOD: This is a case control study with 66 completed suicides and 66 living controls obtained from psychological autopsy interviews in rural China. RESULTS: Both bivariate analyses and the multiple regression model have found that the Chinese rural suicide patterns are basically similar to those in most other cultures in the world: strong predictors of rural Chinese suicide are the psychopathological, psychological, and physical health variables, followed by social support and negative and stressful life events. Other significant correlates include lower education, poverty, religion, and family disputes. CONCLUSION: Culture has an important impact on suicide patterns in a society.

BACKGROUND: To describe the prevalence of DSM-IV disorders and comorbidity in a large school-based sample of 6-17 year old children and adolescents in northeast China. METHODS: A two-phase cross-sectional study was conducted on 9,806 children. During the screening phase, 8848 children (90.23%) and their mothers and teachers were interviewed using the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ). During the diagnostic phase, 1129 children with a positive SDQ and 804 randomly selected children with a negative SDQ (11%), and their mothers and teachers, were interviewed using the Development and Well-Being Assessment (DAWBA). RESULTS: The overall prevalence of DSM-IV disorders was 9.49% (95% CI = 8.10-11.10%). Anxiety disorders were the most common (6.06%, 95% CI = 4.92-7.40), followed by depression (1.32%, 95% CI = 0.91-1.92%), oppositional defiant disorder (1.21%, 95%CI = 0.77-1.87) and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (0.84%, 95% CI = 0.52-1.36%). Of the 805 children with a psychiatric disorder, 15.2% had two or more comorbid disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Approximately one in ten Chinese school children has psychiatric disorders involving a level of distress or social impairment likely to warrant treatment. Prevention, early identification and treatment of these disorders are urgently needed and pose a serious challenge in China.

Pericytes, which envelope the vascular endothelium throughout the body, are often targeted to promote vascular normalization and restore normal function of blood vessels in cancer treatment. The goals of pericyte-targeted therapy tend to promote proper vascular normalization of the tumor. Tumor vascular normalization prevents metastasis, increases tumor oxygenation (making radiation more effective in killing tumor cells), optimizes Starling forces to increase delivery of cancer cell-directed therapies (e.g., chemotherapy or targeted agents), increases the efficacy of focal therapies (e.g., surgery or radiation), and increases recognition by the host immune system. We review how approaches in pericyte-targeted therapy aim to reach a balance between pro-angiogenic and anti-angiogenic function (i.e., by targeting platelet-derived growth factor beta receptors, vascular endothelial growth factor receptors and Tie-2) for tumor vascular normalization.