A wide star-black-hole binary system from radial-velocity measurements.

All stellar-mass black holes have hitherto been identified by X-rays emitted from gas that is accreting onto the black hole from a companion star. These systems are all binaries with a black-hole mass that is less than 30 times that of the Sun1-4. Theory predicts, however, that X-ray-emitting systems form a minority of the total population of star-black-hole binaries5,6. When the black hole is not accreting gas, it can be found through radial-velocity measurements of the motion of the companion star. Here we report radial-velocity measurements taken over two years of the Galactic B-type star, LB-1. We find that the motion of the B star and an accompanying Hα emission line require the presence of a dark companion with a mass of [Formula: see text] solar masses, which can only be a black hole. The long orbital period of 78.9 days shows that this is a wide binary system. Gravitational-wave experiments have detected black holes of similar mass, but the formation of such massive ones in a high-metallicity environment would be extremely challenging within current stellar evolution theories.

Plasma Apo-E mediated corticospinal tract abnormalities and suicidality in patients with major depressive disorder.

This study aims to explore the link between Apo-E, brain white matter, and suicide in patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) to investigate the potential neuroimmune mechanisms of Apo-E that may lead to suicide. Thirty-nine patients with MDD (22 patients with suicidality) and 57 age, gender, and education-matched healthy controls participated in this study, provided plasma Apo-E samples, and underwent diffusion tensor imaging scans. Plasma Apo-E levels and white matter microstructure were analyzed among the MDD with suicidality, MDD without suicidality, and HC groups using analysis of variance with post hoc Bonferroni correction and tract-based spatial statistics (TBSS) with threshold-free cluster enhancement correction. Mediation analysis investigated the relationship between Apo-E, brain white matter, and suicidality in MDD. The MDD with suicidality subgroup had higher depressive and suicide scores, longer disease course, and lower plasma Apo-E levels than MDD without suicidality. TBSS revealed that the MDD non-suicide subgroup showed significantly increased mean diffusivity in the left corticospinal tract and body of the left corpus callosum, as well as increased axial diffusivity in the left anterior corona radiata and the right posterior thalamic radiation compared to the suicidal MDD group. The main finding was that the increased MD of the left corticospinal tract contributed to the elevated suicide score, with Apo-E mediating the effect. Preliminary result that Apo-E's mediating role between the left corticospinal tract and the suicide factor suggests the neuroimmune mechanism of suicide in MDD. The study was registered on ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT03790085).

Multiple exposures to sevoflurane across postnatal development may cause cognitive deficits in older age.

BACKGROUND: The aim of the study was to determine the effects of repeated anesthesia exposure across postnatal development. METHODS: Seventy-two newborn Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into Sev group and Con-aged group. Sev groups were exposed to 2.6% sevoflurane for 2 h on postnatal day (P) 7, P14, and P21; the Con groups only received carrier gas for 2 h. Learning and memory were evaluated using the MWM test at P31 (juvenile), P91 (adult), and 18 months postnatally (aged). The relative expression of APP and Mapt mRNA was detected by RT-PCR, while Aß, tau, and P-tau protein levels were analyzed by immunohistochemistry. RESULTS: After repeated inhalation of sevoflurane, MWM test performance was significantly decreased in the Sev-aged group compared to the Con-aged group (P > 0.05). The relative expression of APP and Mapt mRNA was not significantly different between groups in each growth period (P > 0.05). The tau expression in the juvenile hippocampal CA1, CA3, and dentate gyrus regions increased markedly in the Sev group, while P-tau only increased in the hippocampal CA3 region in the Sev-adult group. The expression of tau, P-tau, and Aß in the hippocampal regions was upregulated in the Sev-aged group. CONCLUSIONS: Multiple exposures to sevoflurane across postnatal development can induce or aggravate cognitive impairment in old age. IMPACT: Whether multiple sevoflurane exposures across postnatal development cause cognitive impairment in childhood, adulthood, or old age, as well as the relationship between sevoflurane and the hippocampal Aß, tau, and P-tau proteins, remains unknown. This study's results demonstrate that multiple exposures to sevoflurane across postnatal development do not appear to affect cognitive function in childhood and adulthood; however, multiple exposures may lead to a cognitive function deficit in old age. The underlying mechanism may involve overexpression of the tau, P-tau, and Aß proteins in the hippocampus.

Coupling Perovskite Quantum Dot Pairs in Solution using a Nanoplasmonic Assembly.

Perovskite quantum dots (PQDs) provide a robust solution-based approach to efficient solar cells, bright light emitting devices, and quantum sources of light. Quantifying heterogeneity and understanding coupling between dots is critical for these applications. We use double-nanohole optical trapping to size individual dots and correlate to emission energy shifts from quantum confinement. We were able to assemble a second dot in the trap, which allows us to observe the coupling between dots. We observe a systematic red-shift of 1.1 ± 0.6 meV in the emission wavelength. Theoretical analysis shows that the observed shift is consistent with resonant energy transfer and is unusually large due to moderate-to-large quantum confinement in PQDs. This demonstrates the promise of PQDs for entanglement in quantum information applications. This work enables future in situ control of PQD growth as well as studies of the coupling between small PQD assemblies with quantum information applications in mind.

Fermi's Golden Rule for Spontaneous Emission in Absorptive and Amplifying Media.

We demonstrate a fundamental breakdown of the photonic spontaneous emission (SE) formula derived from Fermi's golden rule, in absorptive and amplifying media, where one assumes the SE rate scales with the local photon density of states, an approach often used in more complex, semiclassical nanophotonics simulations. Using a rigorous quantization of the macroscopic Maxwell equations in the presence of arbitrary linear media, we derive a corrected Fermi's golden rule and master equation for a quantum two-level system (TLS) that yields a quantum pumping term and a modified decay rate that is net positive. We show rigorous numerical results of the temporal dynamics of the TLS for an example of two coupled microdisk resonators, forming a gain-loss medium, and demonstrate the clear failure of the commonly adopted formulas based solely on the local density of states.

Large Purcell enhancement with nanoscale non-reciprocal photon transmission in chiral gap-plasmon-emitter systems.

Chiral photon-emitter coupling has been extensively explored in its non-reciprocal property, which results from spin-locked photon transmission. It manifests the potential in on-chip non-reciprocal devices, such as optical isolators and photon routing in quantum networks. However, the enhancement of chiral coupling, which has been seldom studied, remains wanting. Here, we numerically propose a gap-plasmon-emitter system demonstrating large Purcell enhancement with effective nanoscale non-reciprocal photon transmission. Owing to the strong field enhancement and high transverse spin momentum (TSM) in gap plasmons, the Purcell factor reaches 104. Simultaneously, the transmission in the nanowire is directional, in which 91% propagates in a single direction. The transmission confined around the nanowire also obtains a ∼700-fold enhancement compared with the vacuum decay rate of the emitter. Furthermore, the circularly polarized emitter couples preferentially to the opposite transmission direction in the two eigenmodes. This phenomenon is attributed to the special TSM profile of the two eigenmodes, that is, the transmission direction is locked to the opposite TSM in the two eigenmodes. Our proposed system offers an efficient way for photon routing in optical circuits and quantum networks and also extends methods for manipulating non-reciprocal devices.

Nanoscale quantum plasmon sensing based on strong photon-exciton coupling.

We propose a scheme of quantum plasmon sensing system based on strong photon-exciton coupling in the gap surface plasmon nanostructure. The system's sensitivity is characterized as Rabi splitting, which is sensitive to a slight change in environmental permittivity and determined by the coupling coefficient and detuning between the emitter and plasmon nanocavity. By increasing the dipole moment of the emitter, the sensitivity can exceed that of a traditional plasmon sensing system while only depending on the resonance spectral shift. Quantum plasmon sensing provides a unique mechanism in the application of bio-sensing, opto-chemical sensing, and quantum photonics at the nanoscale.

Large Purcell enhancement with efficient one-dimensional collection via coupled nanowire-nanorod system.

Combining the advantages of both gap surface plasmons (GSPs) and evanescent waves, we demonstrate simultaneously large Purcell enhancement and efficient one-dimensional collection of photons at subwavelength scale in the coupled nanowire-nanorod system. The spontaneous emission (SE) can be enhanced thousands of times based on the excitation of GSPs with strongly localized electromagnetic field. Emitted photons are directly collected by subwavelength-confined evanescent modes and guided along the nanowire. By optimizing geometry and material parameters, 14 208 times of Purcell enhancement with collection efficiency up to 39.3% can be achieved in the Ag nanowire-Ag nanorod system where the emitted photons can spread more than 25 µm, or SE is enhanced by 3142 times and up to 53% of emitted photons propagate with low loss in the dielectric nanowire-Ag nanorod system. This proposal that incorporates large Purcell enhancement, efficient nanoscale collection and one-dimensional propagation of photons, promises to have an important impact on bright single photon sources, plasmon-based nanolasers and on-chip nanodevices.

Tunable enhanced spontaneous emission in plasmonic waveguide cladded with liquid crystal and low-index metamaterial.

The control and enhancement of the spontaneous emission (SE) of emitters embedded in subwavelength structures are fundamentally interesting and of practical interest. For example, in plasmonic lasers and on-chip single photon sources, a large SE rate and the active modulation of SE over a very broad spectral band are highly desired functionalities. In this paper, we demonstrate by an explicit theoretical calculation that a plasmonic waveguide cladded with liquid crystals (LCs) and low-index metamaterials can give rise to an enhancement in the intrinsic SE rate γ0 of more than two orders of magnitude. Furthermore, by varying the refractive index of the LC cladding, thereby changing the density of states of the surface plasmons, the enhanced SE rate can be modulated over a very large range, e.g., from 131γ0 to 327γ0. In general, the modulation range increases with the anisotropy in the refractive index of the LC, while for a fixed range of modulation, the SE rate is larger with lower cladding indices. These results for active modulation and enhanced SE may find application in enabling low-threshold plasmonic nanolasers and tunable on-chip single photon sources.

Evanescent-Vacuum-Enhanced Photon-Exciton Coupling and Fluorescence Collection.

An evanescent optical mode existing in various nanophotonic structures always acts as a cavity mode rather than an electromagnetic vacuum in the study of cavity quantum electrodynamics (CQED). Here we show that taking the evanescent mode as an electromagnetic vacuum in which the nanocavity is located is possible through the optical mode design. The proposed evanescent vacuum enables us to enhance both the reversible photon-exciton interaction and fluorescence collection. By embedding the custom-designed plasmon nanocavity into the evanescent vacuum provided by a metallic or dielectric nanowire, the photon-exciton coupling coefficient can achieve 4.2 times that in vacuum due to the exponential decay of the evanescent wave, and spontaneously emitted photons with Rabi splitting can be guided by an evanescent wave with a collection efficiency of 47% at most. Electromagnetic vacuum engineering at subwavelength scale holds promise for controlling the light-matter interaction in quantum optics, CQED, and on-chip quantum information.

Plasmon-enhanced Kerr nonlinearity via subwavelength-confined anisotropic Purcell factors.

We theoretically investigate the enhancement of Kerr nonlinearity through anisotropic Purcell factors provided by plasmon nanostructures. In a three-level atomic system with crossing damping, larger anisotropism of Purcell factors leads to more enhanced Kerr nonlinearity in electromagnetically induced transparency windows. While for fixed anisotropic Purcell factors, Kerr nonlinearity with orthogonal dipole moments increases with the decrease of its crossing damping, and Kerr nonlinearity with nonorthogonal dipole moments is very sensitive to both the value of crossing damping and the orientation of the dipole moments. We design the non-resonant gold nanorods array, which only provides subwavelength-confined anisotropic Purcell factors, and demonstrate that the Kerr nonlinearity of cesium atoms close to the nanorods array can be modulated at the nanoscale. These findings should have potential application in ultracompact quantum logic devices.

Distinguishing the Rare Spectra with the Unbalanced Classification Method Based on Mutual Information.

Distinguishing the rare spectra from the majority of stellar spectra is one of quite important issues in astronomy. As the size of the rare spectra is much smaller than the majority of the spectra, many traditional classifiers can't work effectively because they only focus on the classification accuracy and have not paid enough attentions on the rare spectra. In view of this, the relationship between the decision tree and mutual information is discussed on the basis of summarizing the traditional classifiers, and the cost-free decision tree based on mutual information is proposed in this paper to improve the performance of distinguishing the rare spectra. In the experiment, we investigate the performance of the proposed method on the K-type, F-type, G-type, M-type datasets from Sloan Digital Sky Survey (SDSS), Data Release 8. It can be concluded that the proposed method can complete the rare spectra distinguishing task compared with several traditional classifiers.

Efficient single photon emission and collection based on excitation of gap surface plasmons.

Combining the advantages of ultrahigh photon emission rates achievable in the gap surface plasmon polaritons with high extraction decay rates into low-loss nanofibers, we demonstrate theoretically the efficient photon emission of a single dipole emitter and one-dimensional nanoscale guiding in metallic nanorod-coupled nanofilm structures coupled to dielectric nanofibers. We find that total decay rates and surface plasmon polariton channel decay rates orders of magnitude larger than those characteristic of metallic nanofilms alone can be achieved in ultrastrong hot spots of gap plasmons. For the requirement of practical applications, propagating single photons with decay rates of 290γ_{0}-770γ_{0} are guided into the phase-matched low-loss nanofibers. The proposed mechanism promises to have an important impact on metal-based optical cavities, on-chip bright single photon sources and plasmon-based nanolasers.

Characterization of emerging Newcastle disease virus isolates in China.

BACKGROUND: Newcastle disease (ND) is a devastating worldwide disease of poultry characterized by increased respiration, circulatory disturbances, hemorrhagic enteritis, and nervous signs. Sequence analysis shows several amino acid residue substitutions at neutralizing epitopes on the F and HN proteins of recent Shaanxi strains. Both Cross protection and cross serum neutralization tests revealed that the traditional vaccine strains were unable to provide full protection for the flocks. METHODS: To better understand the epidemiology of Newcastle disease outbreak, a portion of the F gene and the full-length HN gene were amplified from Shaanxi isolates by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and then conducted sequence and phylogenetic analyzes. In pathogenicity analysis, both high intra-cerebral pathogenicity index (ICPI) and mean death time (MDT) tests of chicken embryo were carried out. Furthermore, a cross-protection experiment in which specific-pathogen-free chickens vaccinated with a LaSota vaccine strain were challenged by the recent Shaanxi strain was also performed. RESULTS: Nine Newcastle disease (ND) virus (NDV) isolates which were recovered from ND outbreaks in chicken flocks in China were genotypically and pathotypically characterized. Amino acid sequence analysis revealed that all the recent Shaanxi-isolated NDVs have (112)R-R-Q-K-R-F(117) for the C-terminus of the F2 protein and exhibit high ICPI and MDT of chicken embryos, suggesting that they were all classified as velogenic type of NDVs. Phylogenetic analysis of these isolates showed that they belong to subgenotype VIId that have been implicated in the recent outbreaks in northwestern China. The percentage of amino acid sequence identity of F protein between recent Shaanxi stains and five vaccine strains was in the range of 81.9 %-88.1 %, while the percentage of amino acid sequence identity of HN protein between recent Shaanxi strains and vaccine strains was in the range of 87.4 %-91.2 %. Furthermore, a number of amino acid residue substitutions at neutralizing epitopes on the F and HN proteins of these isolates were observed, which may lead to the change of antibody recognition and neutralization capacity. A cross-protection experiment indicated that specific-pathogen-free chickens vaccinated with a LaSota vaccine strain was not capable of providing full protection for the flocks that were challenged by the recent Shaanxi strain. CONCLUSIONS: Taken together, our findings reveal that recent Shannxi NDVstrains exhibit antigenic variations that could be responsible for recent outbreaks of NDVs in northwestern China.

A repA-based ELISA for discriminating cattle vaccinated with Brucella suis 2 from those naturally infected with Brucella abortus and Brucella melitensis.

The commonest ways of diagnosing brucellosis in animals include the Rose-Bengal plate agglutination test, the buffered plate agglutination test (BPA), the slide agglutination test, the complement fixation test, and the indirect enzyme linked immunosorbent assay (I-ELISA). However, these methods cannot discriminate the Brucella vaccine strain (Brucella suis strain 2; B. suis S2) from naturally acquired virulent strains. Of the six common Brucella species, Brucella melitensis, Brucella abortus, and B. suis are the commonest species occurring in China. To develop an ELISA assay that can differentiate between cows inoculated with B. suis S2 and naturally infected with B. abortus and B. melitensis, genomic sequences from six Brucella spp. (B. melitensis, B. abortus, B. suis, Brucella canis, Brucella neotomae and Brucella ovis) were compared using Basic Local Alignment Search Tool software. One particular gene, the repA-related gene, was found to be a marker that can differentiate B. suis from B. abortus and B. melitensis. The repA-related gene of B. suis was PCR amplified and subcloned into the pET-32a vector. Expressed repA-related protein was purified and used as an antigen. The repA-based ELISA was optimized and used as specific tests. In the present study, serum from animals inoculated with the B. suis S2 vaccine strain had positive repA-based ELISA results. In contrast, the test-positive reference sera against B. abortus and B. melitensis had negative repA-based ELISA results. The concordance rate between B. abortus antibody-negative (based on the repA-based ELISA) and the Brucella gene-positive (based on the 'Bruce ladder' multiplex PCR) was 100%. Therefore, the findings suggest that the repA-based ELISA is a useful tool for differentiating cows vaccinated with the B. suis S2 and naturally infected with B. abortus and B. melitensis.

The different association between fat mass distribution and intake of three major nutrients in pre- and postmenopausal women.

BACKGROUND: Obesity, characterized by excessive body fat accumulation, is associated with various chronic health conditions. Body fat plays a crucial role in health outcomes, and nutrient intake is a contributing factor. Menopause further influences body fat, but the precise relationships between nutrients and fat mass distribution in pre- and post-menopausal women are unclear. METHODS: Data from 4751 adult women aged ≥18 years old (3855 pre-menopausal, 896 post-menopausal) with completed information were obtained from the National Health and Examination Survey (NHANES) from 2011 to 2018. Multivariate linear regression models were used to examine the associations between protein, carbohydrate, fat intake and total percent fat (TPF), android percent fat (APF), gynoid percent fat (GPF), android to gynoid ratio (A/G), subcutaneous adipose tissue mass (SAT), visceral adipose tissue mass (VAT). Subgroup analyses, stratified by menopausal status, were also conducted. Additionally, we employed smoothing curve fitting techniques to investigate potential non-linear relationships between fat mass distribution and nutrient intake. RESULTS: Compared with pre-menopausal women, post-menopausal women had higher body fat, BMI, and metabolic indicators but lower nutrient intake (All p<0.05). In the overall analysis, we found significant correlations between nutrient intake and fat mass. Specifically, protein intake was negatively correlated with TPF (ß = -0.017, 95% CI: -0.030, -0.005), APF (ß = -0.028, 95% CI: -0.044, -0.012), GPF (ß = -0.019, 95% CI: -0.030, -0.008), while fat intake showed positive correlations with these measures (SAT: ß = 2.769, 95% CI: 0.860, 4.678). Carbohydrate intake exhibited mixed associations. Notably, body fat mass-nutrient intake correlations differed by menopausal status. Generally speaking, protein intake showed negative correlations with body fat distribution in pre-menopausal women but positive correlations in post-menopausal women. Carbohydrate intake revealed significant negative associations with abdominal and visceral fat in post-menopausal women, while fat intake was consistently positive across all fat distribution indices, especially impacting visceral fat in post-menopausal women. CONCLUSION: Dietary intake plays a crucial role in body fat distribution, with menopausal status significantly influencing the impact of nutrients on specific fat distribution metrics. The study emphasizes the need for dietary guidelines to consider the nutritional needs and health challenges unique to women at different life stages, particularly concerning menopausal status, to effectively manage obesity.

Aberrant patterns of spontaneous brain activity in schizophrenia: A resting-state fMRI study and classification analysis.

BACKGROUND: Schizophrenia is a prevalent mental disorder, leading to severe disability. Currently, the absence of objective biomarkers hinders effective diagnosis. This study was conducted to explore the aberrant spontaneous brain activity and investigate the potential of abnormal brain indices as diagnostic biomarkers employing machine learning methods. METHODS: A total of sixty-one schizophrenia patients and seventy demographically matched healthy controls were enrolled in this study. The static indices of resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) including amplitude of low frequency fluctuations (ALFF), fractional ALFF (fALFF), regional homogeneity (ReHo), and degree centrality (DC) were calculated to evaluate spontaneous brain activity. Subsequently, a sliding-window method was then used to conduct temporal dynamic analysis. The comparison of static and dynamic rs-fMRI indices between the patient and control groups was conducted using a two-sample t-test. Finally, the machine learning analysis was applied to estimate the diagnostic value of abnormal indices of brain activity. RESULTS: Schizophrenia patients exhibited a significant increase ALFF value in inferior frontal gyrus, alongside significant decreases in fALFF values observed in left postcentral gyrus and right cerebellum posterior lobe. Pervasive aberrations in ReHo indices were observed among schizophrenia patients, particularly in frontal lobe and cerebellum. A noteworthy reduction in voxel-wise concordance of dynamic indices was observed across gray matter regions encompassing the bilateral frontal, parietal, occipital, temporal, and insular cortices. The classification analysis achieved the highest values for area under curve at 0.87 and accuracy at 81.28% when applying linear support vector machine and leveraging a combination of abnormal static and dynamic indices in the specified brain regions as features. CONCLUSIONS: The static and dynamic indices of brain activity exhibited as potential neuroimaging biomarkers for the diagnosis of schizophrenia.

Association of anhedonia with brain-derived neurotrophic factor and interleukin-10 in major depressive disorder.

BACKGROUND: Anhedonia, a core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD), manifests in two forms: anticipatory and consummatory, reflecting a diminished capacity to anticipate or enjoy pleasurable activities. Prior studies suggest that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and interleukin-10 (IL-10) may play key roles in the emergence of anhedonia in MDD. The specific relationships between these biomarkers and the two forms of anhedonia remain unclear. This study investigated the potential links between BDNF, IL-10, and both forms of anhedonia in MDD patients. METHODS: This study included 43 participants diagnosed with MDD and 58 healthy controls. It involved detailed assessments of depression and anxiety levels, anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, cognitive functions, and a broad spectrum of plasma biomarkers, such as C-reactive protein, various interleukins, and BDNF. Using partial correlation, variables related to pleasant experiences were identified. Stepwise multiple linear regression analysis was applied to pinpoint the independent predictors of anhedonia in the MDD group. RESULTS: Demographically, both groups were comparable in terms of age, sex, body mass index, educational year, and marital status. Individuals with MDD displayed markedly reduced levels of anticipatory and consummatory pleasure, higher anxiety, and depression scores compared to healthy controls. Additionally, cognitive performance was notably poorer in the MDD group. These patients also had lower plasma diamine oxidase levels. Analysis linked anhedonia to impaired delayed memory. Regression results identified IL-10 and BDNF as independent predictors of anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia, respectively. CONCLUSION: These findings demonstrate that anticipatory and consummatory anhedonia are influenced by independent factors, thereby providing critical insights into the distinct neuroimmunological mechanisms that underlie various forms of anhedonia. Clinicl Trial Registration Number: NCT03790085.

Selective disrupted gray matter volume covariance of amygdala subregions in schizophrenia.

Objective: Although extensive structural and functional abnormalities have been reported in schizophrenia, the gray matter volume (GMV) covariance of the amygdala remain unknown. The amygdala contains several subregions with different connection patterns and functions, but it is unclear whether the GMV covariance of these subregions are selectively affected in schizophrenia. Methods: To address this issue, we compared the GMV covariance of each amygdala subregion between 807 schizophrenia patients and 845 healthy controls from 11 centers. The amygdala was segmented into nine subregions using FreeSurfer (v7.1.1), including the lateral (La), basal (Ba), accessory-basal (AB), anterior-amygdaloid-area (AAA), central (Ce), medial (Me), cortical (Co), corticoamygdaloid-transition (CAT), and paralaminar (PL) nucleus. We developed an operational combat harmonization model for 11 centers, subsequently employing a voxel-wise general linear model to investigate the differences in GMV covariance between schizophrenia patients and healthy controls across these subregions and the entire brain, while adjusting for age, sex and TIV. Results: Our findings revealed that five amygdala subregions of schizophrenia patients, including bilateral AAA, CAT, and right Ba, demonstrated significantly increased GMV covariance with the hippocampus, striatum, orbitofrontal cortex, and so on (permutation test, P< 0.05, corrected). These findings could be replicated in most centers. Rigorous correlation analysis failed to identify relationships between the altered GMV covariance with positive and negative symptom scale, duration of illness, and antipsychotic medication measure. Conclusion: Our research is the first to discover selectively impaired GMV covariance patterns of amygdala subregion in a large multicenter sample size of patients with schizophrenia.

Dance therapy for schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Dance therapy or dance movement therapy (DMT) is defined as 'the psychotherapeutic use of movement as a process which furthers the emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration of the individual'. It may be of value for people with developmental, medical, social, physical or psychological impairments. Dance therapy can be practiced in mental health rehabilitation units, nursing homes, day care centres and incorporated into disease prevention and health promotion programmes. OBJECTIVES: To evaluate the effects of dance therapy for people with schizophrenia or schizophrenia-like illnesses compared with standard care and other interventions. SEARCH METHODS: We updated the original July 2007 search of the Cochrane Schizophrenia Group' register in July 2012. We also searched Chinese main medical databases. SELECTION CRITERIA: We included one randomised controlled trial (RCT) comparing dance therapy and related approaches with standard care or other psychosocial interventions for people with schizophrenia. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS: We reliably selected, quality assessed and extracted data. For continuous outcomes, we calculated a mean difference (MD); for binary outcomes we calculated a fixed-effect risk ratio (RR) and their 95% confidence intervals (CI). We created a 'Summary of findings' table using the GRADE approach. MAIN RESULTS: We included one single blind study (total n = 45) of reasonable quality. It compared dance therapy plus routine care with routine care alone. Most people tolerated the treatment package but nearly 40% were lost in both groups by four months (1 RCT n = 45, RR 0.68 95% CI 0.31 to 1.51, low quality evidence). The Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) average endpoint total scores were similar in both groups (1 RCT n = 43, MD -0.50 95% CI -11.80 to 10.80, moderate quality evidence) as were the positive sub-scores (1 RCT n = 43, MD 2.50 CI -0.67 to 5.67, moderate quality evidence). At the end of treatment, significantly more people in the dance therapy group had a greater than 20% reduction in PANSS negative symptom score (1 RCT n = 45, RR 0.62 CI 0.39 to 0.97, moderate quality evidence), and overall, average negative endpoint scores were lower (1 RCT n = 43, MD -4.40 CI -8.15 to -0.65, moderate quality evidence). There was no difference in satisfaction score (average Client's Assessment of Treatment Scale (CAT) score, 1 RCT n = 42, MD 0.40 CI -0.78 to 1.58, moderate quality evidence) and quality of life data were also equivocal (average Manchester Short Assessment of Quality of life (MANSA) score, 1 RCT n = 39, MD 0.00 CI -0.48 to 0.48, moderate quality evidence).  AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS: Based on predominantly moderate quality data, there is no evidence to support - or refute - the use of dance therapy in this group of people. This therapy remains unproven and those with schizophrenia, their carers, trialists and funders of research may wish to encourage future work to increase high quality evidence in this area.