Association between elevated serum matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and clinical symptoms in male patients with treatment-resistant and chronic medicated schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Inflammation has an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in male patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and chronic medicated schizophrenia (CMS), and the relationship with psychopathology. METHODS: The study enrolled 31 TRS and 49 cm male patients, and 53 healthy controls. Serum MMP-2 and TNF-α levels were measured by the Luminex liquid suspension chip detection method. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) scores were used to evaluate symptom severity and Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status was used to assess cognitive function. RESULTS: Serum TNF-α and MMP-2 levels differed significantly between TRS, CMS and healthy control patients (F = 4.289, P = 0.016; F = 4.682, P = 0.011, respectively). Bonferroni correction demonstrated that serum TNF-α levels were significantly elevated in CMS patients (P = 0.022) and MMP-2 levels were significantly higher in TRS patients (P = 0.014) compared to healthy controls. In TRS patients, TNF-α was negatively correlated with age (r=-0.435, P = 0.015) and age of onset (r=-0.409, P = 0.022). In CMS patients, MMP-2 and TNF-α were negatively correlated with PANSS negative and total scores, and TNF-α was negatively correlated with PANSS general psychopathology scores (all P < 0.05). MMP-2 levels were positively correlated with TNF-α levels (P < 0.05), but not with cognitive function (P > 0.05). CONCLUSION: The results indicate the involvement of inflammation in the etiology of TRS and CMS. Further studies are warranted.

Benefit finding among family caregivers of patients with advanced cancer in a palliative treatment: a qualitative study.

BACKGROUND: Benefit finding is the search for positive meaning from traumatic events, such as cancer. It can help caregivers have a positive experience in the caregiving process, relieve negative emotions, and reduce caregiving stress. The aim of this study was to explore benefit finding among caregivers of patients with advanced cancer in their palliative caregiving journey. METHODS: An exploratory qualitative design of phenomenology was used. Semistructured interviews were conducted with 19 caregivers of palliative care patients with advanced cancer. The Colaizzi 7-step analysis was used to analyse, summarize, and extract themes from the interview data. RESULTS: The study identified five themes of caregiver benefit finding in the caregiving process: personal growth, strengthened relationships with patients, adjustment and adaptation, perceived social support, and perceived meaning in life. Most caregivers reported a closer, more dependent relationship with the patient, and only one caregiver did not report any positive changes. CONCLUSIONS: Caregivers of palliative care patients with advanced cancer can have positive experiences in their care. Healthcare professionals should focus on supporting caregivers and helping them find positive experiences to cope with the challenges of caregiving and improve their quality of life.

A Soft Sensor Model of Sintering Process Quality Index Based on Multi-Source Data Fusion.

In complex industrial processes such as sintering, key quality variables are difficult to measure online and it takes a long time to obtain quality variables through offline testing. Moreover, due to the limitations of testing frequency, quality variable data are too scarce. To solve this problem, this paper proposes a sintering quality prediction model based on multi-source data fusion and introduces video data collected by industrial cameras. Firstly, video information of the end of the sintering machine is obtained via the keyframe extraction method based on the feature height. Secondly, using the shallow layer feature construction method based on sinter stratification and the deep layer feature extraction method based on ResNet, the feature information of the image is extracted at multi-scale of the deep layer and the shallow layer. Then, combining industrial time series data, a sintering quality soft sensor model based on multi-source data fusion is proposed, which makes full use of multi-source data from various sources. The experimental results show that the method effectively improves the accuracy of the sinter quality prediction model.

Characterizations and Nonlinear-Optical Properties of Pentanary Transition-Metal Oxysulfide Sr2CoGe2OS6.

As one type of material containing multiple anions, oxysulfides can combine the advantages of oxides and sulfides and are deeply studied as nonlinear-optical (NLO) materials. Herein, a new melilite-type pentanary oxysulfide Sr2CoGe2OS6 is studied. It crystallizes in the noncentrosymmetric tetragonal space group P4̅21m, and its structure features GeOS3 and CoS4 tetrahedra-built {[CoGe2OS6]4-}∞ layers. Its powder sample exhibits a moderate phase-matchable NLO response and a high laser-induced damage threshold. The NLO response is mainly determined by CoS4 tetrahedra according to the theoretical calculation results. This work indicates that transition-metal oxysulfides can also be considered as potential infrared NLO materials.

Second-Harmonic-Generation-Active Oxyhalides: CuSb2O3X (X = Cl, Br).

Metal oxyhalides have attracted broad interest recently because of their diverse structures and versatile properties. Here, two oxyhalides, CuSb2O3Cl (1) and CuSb2O3Br (2), were studied by focusing on their nonlinear-optical properties. They are crystallized in the noncentrosymmetric monoclinic Cc structure, and the layered structures could be derived from a 1:1 combination of CuX- (X = Cl, Br) and Sb2O3-type slabs. Their energy gaps were determined to be 2.76 and 2.64 eV. The second-harmonic-generation (SHG) test suggests that they are nonlinear-optical-active, and the effects are ascribed to the contribution of CuX3O units. Meanwhile, the SbO3 units' arrangement has a small contribution to the SHG effects. This work is the pioneer SHG investigation of the MI-MIII-O-X (MI = Cu, Ag; MIII = trivalent As, Sb, Bi; X = halogen) family.

Cation Regulation to Investigate the Chalcogenide Borate RE6Nb2MgSB8O26 (RE = La-Nd) Family.

Chalcogenide borates have been developed and are considered an attractive system due to their favorable physical properties such as magnetism and nonlinear optical effects. Here, isostructural RE6Nb2MgSB8O26 (RE = La-Nd) compounds in the title family have been obtained through cation regulation in rare-earth and VB group metals. This family crystalizes in the centrosymmetric P3̅ space group and features 3D frameworks formed by {[Mg(NbB4O13)2]16-}∞ polyanionic layers and QRE6 octahedra. The structural chemistry was characterized and theoretical calculations were performed to understand the structural merit of this family. In addition, RE6Nb2MgSB8O26 possess the largest band gaps among known rare-earth chalcogenide borates, and they all show antiferromagnetic-like behaviors.

Sn7 Br10 S2 : The First Ternary Halogen-Rich Chalcohalide Exhibiting a Chiral Structure and Pronounced Nonlinear Optical Properties.

Infrared nonlinear optical (IR NLO) materials are significant in laser technology for civil and military uses. Here, we report the synthesis, structural chemistry and NLO properties of a halogen-rich chalcohalide Sn7 Br10 S2 . Its noncentrosymmetric (NCS, P63 ) structure can be considered as partially aliovalent anion substitution of SnBr2 (P63 /m) induced centrosymmetric (CS) to NCS structural transformation. The 3D ∞ [Sn(1)6 Sn(2)6 Br6 X6 ]6- (X=Br/S) channel framework consists of Sn(1)BrX2 and Sn(2)X3 trigonal pyramids. It exhibits excellent NLO performance, including a strong phase-matchable NLO response of 1.5 × AgGaS2 and high laser-induced damage threshold of 6.3 × AgGaS2 .Investigation of the structure-NLO performance relationship confirms that the effective arrangement of Sn(1)BrX2 and Sn(2)X3 units predominantly contributes to the large SHG response. These results indicate Sn7 Br10 S2 is a potential IR NLO candidate and provides a new feasible system for promising NLO materials.

Clustering Cases of Chlamydia psittaci Pneumonia in Coronavirus Disease 2019 Screening Ward Staff.

We describe 4 cases of Chlamydia psittaci pneumonia among medical staff in a coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) screening ward, as well as the experience of dealing with this nosocomial infection event. Atypical pneumonia, in addition to COVID-19, should be considered when clustering cases occur, even during a COVID-19 pneumonia pandemic.

SnPQ3 (Q = S, Se, S/Se): A Series of Lone-Pair Cationic Chalcogenophosphates Exhibiting Balanced NLO Activity Originating from SnQ8 Units.

Two chalcogenophosphates, SnPS2.86Se0.14 (1) and SnPSe3 (2), are isostructural and crystallize in the monoclinic noncentrosymmetric space group Pn. Their three-dimensional (3D) structures are constructed by [Sn(1)Q8] hendecahedra and [Sn(2)Q8] dodecahedra by sharing Q vertices and edges, leaving cavities for isolated [P2Q6] (Q = S/Se, Se) dimers. A second-harmonic-generation (SHG) measurement indicates that 1 is phase-matchable with a response of approximately 1.2 × AgGaS2 (AGS), which is verified by the theoretical calculation result. The powder sample of 1 exhibits a high laser-induced damage threshold of 3.9 × AGS. For comparison, the known SnPS3 (3) was also synthesized and evaluated using the same method. The chemical composition-NLO performance relationship of 1-3 is also discussed. Dipole moment calculation results suggest that [SnQ8] polyhedra make the main contribution to their excellent nonlinear optical (NLO) performance.

Demographic Characteristics and Lifestyle Habits of Chinese Plasma Donors: A Multicenter Study.

BACKGROUND The demand for plasma and plasma products has increased in China, which has a short supply. Compared with whole blood donors, plasma donors and their donation behavior have received less attention. This study aimed to investigate the demographic characteristics and lifestyle habits of Chinese plasma donors. MATERIAL AND METHODS During 2018-2019, information on plasma donors was collected from blood product companies using a 25-item questionnaire, including sex, age, height, weight, blood group, donation frequency, occupation, smoking and drinking, and sleeping and dietary habits. RESULTS Among 15 497 plasma donors, 70.5% were women and 78.5% were aged 46-55 years. Among 4847 plasma donors, the average height of men was 169.5±6.2 cm and the average height of women was 157.0±4.6 cm. In addition, the average weight of men was 67.0±10.4 kg and the average weight of women was 60.0±8.3 kg. The prevalence of obesity (body mass index ≥30.0 kg/m²) of all donors was 14.8%; 14.7% of men were obese, and 15% of women were obese. Among all plasma donors, 88.8% were farmers and 60% were frequent donors with a donation history of at least 5 years. Among all donors, 84.0% did not smoke, 67.3% did not drink, and 95.1% reported good sleep quality. All respondents reported healthy dietary habits. CONCLUSIONS Healthy lifestyle habits considerably affect the health of plasma donors and the quality of source plasma. Chinese plasma donors in this study demonstrated imbalances in terms of characteristics, which became more marked with age.

A Series of Chalcogenide Borates RE6Ta2MgQB8O26 (RE = Sm, Eu, Gd; Q = S, Se) Featuring a B4O10 Cluster.

New compounds with multiple anions are receiving increasing interest in view of their diverse structures and physical properties. Here we report four isostructural hexanary RE6Ta2MgQB8O26 (RE = Sm, Eu, Gd; Q = S, Se), belonging to the rare chalcogenide borates. Their structures feature an unprecedented [B4O10]8- unit comprised of one BO4 and three BO3 units. Their 3D structures are constructed by the connection between QRE6 octahedra and the ∞{[Mg(TaB4O13)2]16-} polyanionic layer. Density functional theory calculations on the electronic structure and a birefringence of 4 are also performed.

Attenuation of intermittent hypoxia-induced apoptosis and fibrosis in pulmonary tissues via suppression of ER stress activation.

BACKGROUND: Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is associated with pulmonary fibrosis and endothelial apoptosis in pulmonary tissues. Chronic intermittent hypoxia (IH) is considered to be the primary player in OSA, but the mechanisms underlying its effect on pulmonary tissues are unknown. Endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress induced by IH treatment plays an important role in accelerating the process of fibrosis and induction of apoptosis. METHODS: Mice were placed in IH chambers for 4 weeks with an oscillating oxygen (O2) concentration between 5 and 21%, cycling every 90s for 8 h daily. Mice were randomly divided into four groups: control group (normal oxygen), tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) group (normal oxygen intraperitoneally injected with TUDCA), IH group and IH + TUDCA group. After 4 weeks, the proteins in three branch signaling pathways of ER stress, including protein kinase RNA (PKR)-like/Pancreatic ER kinase (PERK), activating transcription factor 6 (ATF-6) and inositol-requiring enzyme 1 (IRE-1), were evaluated. The cleaved caspase-3, caspase-12 and TUNNEL staining was assessed. Furthermore, the expression of transforming growth factor-ß1 (TGF-ß1) and thrombospondin-1(TSP-1), two extracellular matrix proteins that play critical role in fibrosis, were examined. Finally, Masson's trichrome staining was performed to detect the expression of collagen. RESULTS: After 4 weeks of IH treatment, the expressions of two ER stress markers, glucose regulated protein-78 (Grp78) and transcription factor C/EBP homologous protein (CHOP) were increased which was prevented by administration of the ER stress attenuator, TUDCA. The expressions of PERK, but not those of ATF-6 and IRE-1, were increased. The effects of IH were accompanied by an increased number of apoptotic cells and increased expressions of cleaved caspase-3 and caspase-12 in pulmonary tissues. In addition, histological examination suggested the presence of fibrosis after chronic IH treatment, indicated by increased expression of collagen, which was associated with the up-regulation of TGF-ß1 and TSP-1 that are known to promote fibrosis. Similarly, TUDCA could reduce the extent of fibrotic area and the expression levels of these proteins. CONCLUSIONS: It reveals the roles of ER stress, especially the PERK pathway, in IH induced apoptosis and fibrosis in pulmonary tissues that might underlie the pulmonary complications observed in OSA.

Plasma proteomic and autoantibody profiles reveal the proteomic characteristics involved in longevity families in Bama, China.

BACKGROUND: Chinese Bama Yao Autonomous County is a well-known longevity region in the world. In the past 30 years, population and genome studies were undertaken to investigate the secret of longevity and showed that longevity is the result of a combination of multiple factors, such as genetic, environmental and other causes. In this study, characteristics of the blood plasma proteomic and autoantibody profiles of people from Bama longevity family were investigated. METHODS: Sixty-six plasma donors from Chinese Bama longevity area were recruited in this study. Thirty-three offsprings of longevous families were selected as case studies (Longevous group) and 33 ABO (blood type), age, and gender-matched subjects from non-longevous families were selected as controls (Normal group). Each group contains 3 biological replicates. Tandem mass tag-based proteomic technique was used to investigate the differentially expressed plasma proteins between the two groups. The auto-reactive IgG antibody profiles of the 3 pooled samples in each group were revealed by human proteome microarrays with 17,000 recombinant human proteins. RESULTS: Firstly, 525 plasma proteins were quantified and 12 proteins were discovered differentially expressed between the two groups. Secondly, more than 500 proteins were recognized by plasma antibodies, 14 proteins ware differentially reacted with the autoantibodies in the two groups. Bioinformatics analysis showed some of the differential proteins and targeted autoantigens were involved in cancer, cardiovascular disease and immunity. CONCLUSIONS: Proteomic and autoantibody profiles varied between the offspring of longevous and normal families which are from the same area and shared the same environmental factors. The identified differences were reported to be involved in several physiological and pathological pathways. The identified proteins will contribute to a better understanding of the proteomic characteristics of people from Bama longevous area and a revelation of the molecular mechanisms of longevity.

Sn2Ga2S5: A Type of IR Nonlinear-Optical Material.

The deficiency of nonlinear-optical (NLO) materials in the IR region inspires strong research interest in this field. Here, Sn2Ga2S5 (1), crystallizing in the orthorhombic Pna21 space group, demonstrates obvious NLO activity, around a maximum of 1.6 times that of AgGaS2 and a strong laser-induced damage threshold of 9.7 times that of AGS. 1 represents the first NLO-active compound in the MII2MIII2Q5 (MII = divalent Ca, Sr, Ba, Pb, Sn, and Eu; MIII = B, Al, Ga, and In; Q = S and Se) family. The NLO performances of 1 are systematically studied experimentally and theoretically.

In-Fiber Closed Cavity Interferometric High-Resolution Aqueous Solution and Alcohol Gas Refractometer.

An optical fiber interferometric refractometer for alcohol gas concentration and low refractive index (RI) solution (with 1.33-1.38 RI range) measurement is theoretically and experimentally demonstrated. The refractometer is based on a single-mode thin-core single-mode (STS) interferometric structure. By embedding a suitably sized air cavity at the splicing point, high-order cladding modes are successfully excited, which makes the sensor more suitable for low RI solution measurement. The effect of the air cavity's diameter on the sensitivity of alcohol gas concentration was analyzed experimentally, which proved that RI sensitivity will increase with an enlarged diameter of the air cavity. On this basis, the air cavity is filled with graphene in order to improve the sensitivity of the sensor; and the measured sensitivity of the alcohol gas concentration is -1206.1 pm/%. Finally, the characteristics of the single-cavity structure, graphene-filled structure and double-cavity structure sensors are demonstrated, and the linear RI sensitivities are -54.593 nm/RIU (refractive index unit), -85.561 nm/RIU and 359.77 nm/RIU, respectively. Moreover, these sensor structures have the advantages of being compact and easily prepared.

[Diagnosis and treatment for 2 cases of tuberous sclerosis complex with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis].

To improve the diagnosis and treatment for tuberous sclerosis complex (TSC) with pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, a retrospective analysis was performed based on the clinical data of 2 patients with such disease. Both of them have typical thin-walled cystic lesion throughout the lung field, renal angioleiomyolipoma, and various degrees of skin lesions. Central nervous system is involved in one patient. Lesions in the lung and kidney in one patient were improved significantly after 5 months of rapamycin treatment. The clinical phenotypes were diverse in TSC patients. The CT imaging showed typical characteristics when the lung was invaded by the tumor. When a patient was diagnosed as pulmonary lymphangioleiomyomatosis, we should pay attention to the clinical screening of TSC. Rapamycin is an effective and safe treatment for this disease.

Cloning and expression of fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase derived from marine yeast Rhodosporidium diobovatum.

Fumarylacetoacetate hydrolase (FAH) catalyzes the hydrolytic cleavage of a carbon-carbon bond in fumarylacetoacetate to yield acetoacetate and fumarate as the final step in tyrosine degradation. In this study, the FAH genomic DNA and cDNA of Rhodosporidium. diobovatum were cloned by using the methods of degenerate polymerase chain reaction and RACE method. The results showed that the gene contained six exons, and that the encoded polypeptide held a sequence of 308 amino acid residues, containing a 75 residue N-terminal prosequence, a 216 residue proteinase domain, and a 17 residue C-terminal domain. Then, the expression vectors pET28a-FAH were constructed and expressed in Escherichia coli. The enzymatic activity of FAH protein was determined by monitoring the decrease in optical density at 330 nm of the substrate fumarylacetoacetate. The values for Km and Vmax of the purified enzyme was 1.4 µM and 2.3 µmol · min(-1) · mg(-1), respectively.

[Tauroursodeoxycholic acid suppresses endoplasmic reticulum stress in pulmonary tissues of intermittent hypoxia mice].

OBJECTIVE: To explore the mechanism of tauroursodeoxycholic acid (TUDCA) in suppressing apoptosis in pulmonary tissues of intermittent hypoxia (IH) mice model.
 METHODS: A total of 32 C57 mice were randomly divided into a control group, a TUDCA group, an IH group and an IH+TUDCA group (8 mice per group). The mice were put in specially designed chambers and exposed to IH treatment for 4 weeks. In the chambers, oxygen levels repeatedly decreased from 21% to 10% and recovered from 10% to 21%, lasting for 8 hours in every day. After 4 weeks of IH exposure, the expression levels of caspase-12 and cleaved caspase-3 in pulmonary tissues were detected by Western blot. Meanwhile, the expression levels of glucose regulated protein-78 (GRP78) and CCAAT/enhancer-binding protein homologous protein (CHOP) were quantified by Western blot, immunochemistry and real-time PCR.
 RESULTS: Compared with the control group, the expression levels of caspase-12, cleaved caspase-3, GRP78 and CHOP were increased in the IH group (all P<0.01). TUDCA treatment could reduce these proteins expression (all P<0.05).
 CONCLUSION: Endoplasmic reticulum stress-mediated apoptosis can be activated in pulmonary tissues after chronic IH exposure, and TUDCA can reduce the cellular apoptosis via suppressing endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Vitamin E: An assistant for black soldier fly to reduce cadmium accumulation and toxicity.

Cadmium (Cd) is a toxic heavy metal associated with osteoporosis, liver, and kidney disease. The black soldier fly (BSF) Hermetia illucens may be exposed to Cd during the transformation of livestock manure. The BSF has a high tolerance to Cd. In the previous work of the laboratory, we found that vitamin E (VE) may play a role in the tolerance of BSF to Cd exposure. The main findings are as follows: The BSF larvae pretreated with exogenous VE had heavier body weight, lower content and toxicity of Cd under similar Cd exposure. Even in high Cd exposure at the concentrations of 300 and 700 mg/kg, the BSF larvae pretreated with exogenous VE at a concentration of 100 mg/kg still reduced the Cd toxicity to 85.33 % and 84.43 %, respectively. The best-fitting models showed that metallothionein (MT) content, oxidative damage (8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine content, malondialdehyde content), antioxidant power (total antioxidant power, peroxidase activity) had a great influence on content and toxicity of Cd bioaccumulated in the larvae. The degree of oxidative damage was reduced in the larvae with exogenous VE pretreatments. This variation can be explained by their changed MT content and increased antioxidant power because of exogenous VE. These results reveal the roles of VE in insects defense against Cd exposure and provide a new option for the prevention and therapy of damage caused by Cd exposure.

PEGylated human catalase elicits potent therapeutic effects on H1N1 influenza-induced pneumonia in mice.

Therapeutic recombinant human catalase (rhCAT) can quench infection-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS), thereby alleviating the associated tissue damage. Although the intranasal route is efficient to deliver native rhCAT to the lung, the therapeutic effect is limited by rapid elimination from the blood. In this study, we modified rhCAT with the active polymer, polyethylene glycol monomethyl ether (PEG)-5000, and analyzed the pharmacokinetics of PEGylated rhCAT in mice. The high tetra-PEGylation ratio was about 60%, and PEGylation prolonged the half-life of rhCAT in serum (75 vs. 13.5 min for native rhCAT). The protective effects of PEG-rhCAT were investigated in a mouse model of influenza virus A (H1N1)-associated pneumonia. PEG-rhCAT was more effectively delivered than native rhCAT and was associated with higher survival ratio, less extensive lung injuries, reduced ROS levels, and lower viral replication. Collectively, these findings indicate that PEGylation can enhance the therapeutic efficacy of native rhCAT and suggest that PEGylated rhCAT may represent a novel complement therapy for H1N1 influenza-induced pneumonia.