Changes in the physicochemical, antioxidant and antibacterial properties of honeydew honey subjected to heat and ultrasound pretreatments.

The objective of this study was to examine the effect of different treatments on the physicochemical, antioxidant, and antibacterial properties of honeydew honey. Honeydew honey was subjected to heat treatment and 9 different ultrasound treatments. Our results showed that the following parameters were significantly changed: water content, pH, electrical conductivity, diastase activity, HMF content and water activity. The ultrasound resulted in an increase in the total phenol content and the antioxidant capacity (DPPH, FRAP, and ABTS tests) in comparison with the conventional thermal technique. In most cases, the samples subjected to ultrasound improved the antibacterial activity; the heat treatment resulted in a significant reduction of the antibacterial activity, and sample 4 (ultrasound 30 °C, 5 min) showed the best antibacterial activity. The ultrasound treatment, especially at lower temperatures, represents a technique that enables the preservation and improvement of the biological properties of honeydew honey.

Impact of treatment with iron chelation therapy in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes participating in the European MDS registry.

Iron overload due to red blood cell (RBC) transfusions is associated with morbidity and mortality in lower-risk myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) patients. Many studies have suggested improved survival after iron chelation therapy (ICT), but valid data are limited. The aim of this study was to assess the effect of ICT on overall survival and hematologic improvement in lower-risk MDS patients in the European MDS registry. We compared chelated patients with a contemporary, non-chelated control group within the European MDS registry, that met the eligibility criteria for starting iron chelation. A Cox proportional hazards model was used to assess overall survival (OS), treating receipt of chelation as a time-varying variable. Additionally, chelated and non-chelated patients were compared using a propensity-score matched model. Of 2,200 patients, 224 received iron chelation. The hazard ratio and 95% confidence interval for OS for chelated patients, adjusted for age, sex, comorbidity, performance status, cumulative RBC transfusions, Revised-International Prognostic Scoring System (IPSS-R), and presence of ringed sideroblasts was 0.50 (0.34-0.74). The propensity-score analysis, matched for age, sex, country, RBC transfusion intensity, ferritin level, comorbidity, performance status, and IPSS-R, and, in addition, corrected for cumulative RBC transfusions and presence of ringed sideroblasts, demonstrated a significantly improved OS for chelated patients with a hazard ratio of 0.42 (0.27-0.63) compared to non-chelated patients. Up to 39% of chelated patients reached an erythroid response. In conclusion, our results suggest that iron chelation may improve OS and hematopoiesis in transfused lower-risk MDS patients. This trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov identifier: 00600860.

Impact of red blood cell transfusion dose density on progression-free survival in patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes.

Progression-free survival (PFS) of patients with lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes (MDS) treated with red blood cell transfusions is usually reduced, but it is unclear whether transfusion dose density is an independent prognostic factor. The European MDS Registry collects prospective data at 6-monthly intervals from newly diagnosed lower-risk myelodysplastic syndromes patients in 16 European countries and Israel. Data on the transfusion dose density - the cumulative dose received at the end of each interval divided by the time since the beginning of the interval in which the first transfusion was received - were analyzed using proportional hazards regression with time-varying co-variates, with death and progression to higher-risk MDS/acute myeloid leukemia as events. Of the 1,267 patients included in the analyses, 317 died without progression; in 162 patients the disease had progressed. PFS was significantly associated with age, EQ-5D index, baseline World Health Organization classification, bone marrow blast count, cytogenetic risk category, number of cytopenias, and country. Transfusion dose density was inversely associated with PFS (P<1×10-4): dose density had an increasing effect on hazard until a dose density of 3 units/16 weeks. The transfusion dose density effect continued to increase beyond 8 units/16 weeks after correction for the impact of treatment with erythropoiesis-stimulating agents, lenalidomide and/or iron chelators. In conclusion, the negative effect of transfusion treatment on PFS already occurs at transfusion densities below 3 units/16 weeks. This indicates that transfusion dependency, even at relatively low dose densities, may be considered as an indicator of inferior PFS. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00600860.

DNA Intercalating Near-Infrared Luminescent Lanthanide Complexes Containing Dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine (dppz) Ligands: Synthesis, Crystal Structures, Stability, Luminescence Properties and CT-DNA Interaction.

In order to create near-infrared (NIR) luminescent lanthanide complexes suitable for DNA-interaction, novel lanthanide dppz complexes with general formula [Ln(NO3)3(dppz)2] (Ln = Nd3+, Er3+ and Yb3+; dppz = dipyrido[3,2-a:2',3'-c]phenazine) were synthesized, characterized and their luminescence properties were investigated. In addition, analogous compounds with other lanthanide ions (Ln = Ce3+, Pr3+, Sm3+, Eu3+, Tb3+, Dy3+, Ho3+, Tm3+, Lu3+) were prepared. All complexes were characterized by IR spectroscopy and elemental analysis. Single-crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of the complexes (Ln = La3+, Ce3+, Pr3+, Nd3+, Eu3+, Er3+, Yb3+, Lu3+) showed that the lanthanide's first coordination sphere can be described as a bicapped dodecahedron, made up of two bidentate dppz ligands and three bidentate-coordinating nitrate anions. Efficient energy transfer was observed from the dppz ligand to the lanthanide ion (Nd3+, Er3+ and Yb3+), while relatively high luminescence lifetimes were detected for these complexes. In their excitation spectra, the maximum of the strong broad band is located at around 385 nm and this wavelength was further used for excitation of the chosen complexes. In their emission spectra, the following characteristic NIR emission peaks were observed: for a) Nd3+: 4F3/2 → 4I9/2 (870.8 nm), 4F3/2 → 4I11/2 (1052.7 nm) and 4F3/2 → 4I13/2 (1334.5 nm); b) Er3+: 4I13/2 → 4I15/2 (1529.0 nm) c) Yb3+: 2F5/2 → 2F7/2 (977.6 nm). While its low triplet energy level is ideally suited for efficient sensitization of Nd3+ and Er3+, the dppz ligand is considered not favorable as a sensitizer for most of the visible emitting lanthanide ions, due to its low-lying triplet level, which is too low for the accepting levels of most visible emitting lanthanides. Furthermore, the DNA intercalation ability of the [Nd(NO3)3(dppz)2] complex with calf thymus DNA (CT-DNA) was confirmed using fluorescence spectroscopy.

Differences in Facial Emotional Recognition Between Patients With the First-Episode Psychosis, Multi-episode Schizophrenia, and Healthy Controls.

OBJECTIVES: The aim of our study was to assess the differences in facial emotional recognition (FER) between patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP), patients with multi-episode schizophrenia (SCH), and healthy controls (HC) and to find possible correlations of FER with psychopathology in the two patient groups. METHODS: We performed a cross-sectional study enrolling 160 patients from two psychiatric hospitals in Croatia (80 FEP and 80 SCH) and 80 HC during the period from October 2015 until October 2017. Patients were assessed once during their hospital treatment, using the Penn Emotion Recognition Task for assessment of FER, rating scales for psychopathology and depression and self-reporting questionnaires for impulsiveness, aggression, and quality of life. RESULTS: The number of correctly identified emotions significantly decreased from HC to FEP [Δ -7%; 95% confidence interval (CI) [-12% to -3%], effect size r = 0.30] and more markedly in SCH (Δ -15%; 95% CI [-25% to -10%], effect size r = 0.59) after the adjustment for age and gender and correction for multiple testing. Correct FER for negative emotions, but not for happiness and neutral emotions, had a statistically significant negative correlation with some features on the scales of psychopathology, impulsivity and aggression in both patient groups. CONCLUSIONS: Impairment of FER is present from the first episode of schizophrenia and increases further with multiple psychotic episodes, but it may depend on or contribute to clinical symptoms. Therefore, assessment of FER should be included in the clinical assessment and integrated in the plan of treatment from the beginning of the illness. (JINS, 2019, 25, 165-173).

New platinum(II) and palladium(II) complexes with substituted terpyridine ligands: synthesis and characterization, cytotoxicity and reactivity towards biomolecules.

A series of palladium(II) (1-3) and platinum(II) chloride complexes (4 and 5) with 2,2':6',2″-terpyridine (terpy) derivatives substituted at the 4' position, was synthesized and fully characterized. Single crystal X-ray diffraction analysis of complexes 2, 3 and 5 showed tridentate coordination of the 4'-substituted terpyridine (terpy) ligands to the metal center. Moreover, in vitro cytotoxic activity of these complexes toward a panel of human cancer cell lines (lung cancer A549, colorectal cancer HCT116, ovarian cancer IGROV-1) and toward normal cell line HDF (dermal fibroblast) was determined by Trypan Blue exclusion assay. Overall, the tested compounds manifested a relevant cytotoxicity for the selected cancer cell lines with complex 4 also showing a modest cytotoxicity on the normal cell lines. To better understand the mode of action of these metal complexes, their reactivity with three model proteins, i.e. hen egg white lysozyme (HEWL), cytochrome c (cyt c) and ribonuclease A (RNase A) were comparatively investigated through ESI-MS analysis. The results highlighted a different behavior between the two series of complexes being platinum compounds more reactive toward RNase and cyt c than palladium compounds. Based on the obtained results, it is proposed that in presence of RNase A and cyt c, the platinum complexes undergo activation through release of labile ligands followed by binding to the protein. In contrast, palladium complexes revealed a far lower reactivity implying the likely occurrence of a different mechanism of action.

Neurocognitive Profiles of Patients with the First Episode of Psychosis and Schizophrenia Do not Differ Qualitatively: a Nested Cross-Sectional Study.

BACKGROUND: The aim of study was to analyze neurocognitive profiles in patients with first-episode psychosis (FEP) and patients with schizophrenia (SCH), and their correlations with other clinical features. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: We performed a multicentric cross sectional study including 100 FEP and 100 SCH recruited from three Croatian hospitals during 2015-2017. Assessment included a set of neurocognitive tests, psychiatric scales and self-reporting questionnaires. The main analysis was done by multigroup latent profile analysis. RESULTS: Multigroup latent profile analysis resulted in three structurally equivalent neurocognitive profiles ("Best", "Medium", "Worst"), with differences in the severity of neurocognitive deficits measured with successfulness in solving domain specific tasks. The "Best" profile was statistically significantly more prevalent in FEP and "Worst" profile in the SCH. Negative symptom score was the highest in patients with the "Worst" profile and the lowest among those with the "Best" profiles. CONCLUSIONS: Differences in neurocognitive profiles between FEP and SCH appear to be quantitative rather than qualitative nature, possibly reflecting a specific trait of illness that may progress over time. Defining neurocognitive profiles from the first episode of psychosis could help in tailoring individualized treatment options with focus on neurocognitive and negative symptoms and possible influence on patients' overall clinical outcome.

Integration of complementary biomarkers in patients with first episode psychosis: research protocol of a prospective follow up study.

In this project, we recruited a sample of 150 patients with first episode of psychosis with schizophrenia features (FEP) and 100 healthy controls. We assessed the differences between these two groups, as well as the changes between the acute phase of illness and subsequent remission among patients over 18-month longitudinal follow-up. The assessments were divided into four work packages (WP): WP1- psychopathological status, neurocognitive functioning and emotional recognition; WP2- stress response measured by saliva cortisol during a stress paradigm; cerebral blood perfusion in the resting state (with single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) and during activation paradigm (with Transcranial Ultrasonography Doppler (TCD); WP3-post mortem analysis in histologically prepared human cortical tissue of post mortem samples of subjects with schizophrenia in the region that synaptic alteration was suggested by WP1 and WP2; WP4- pharmacogenetic analysis (single gene polymorphisms and genome wide association study (GWAS). We expect that the analysis of these data will identify a set of markers that differentiate healthy controls from patients with FEP, and serve as an additional diagnostic tool in the first episode of psychosis, and prediction tool which can be then used to help tailoring individualized treatment options. In this paper, we describe the project protocol including aims and methods and provide a brief description of planned post mortem studies and pharmacogenetic analysis.

Antioxidative and antifungal response of woody species to environmental conditions in the urban area.

The complexity of ecological conditions in urban areas imposes the plant species need for the development of various biochemical and physiological adaptive strategies. The aim of our research was to examine the antioxidative and antifungal metabolism of species Pinus nigra, Picea omorika, Tilia cordata and Betula pendula from the area of Banja Luka City (urban area) during two vegetation seasons (spring and autumn) and compared with the same species from forest habitats. Changes in the protein concentration, activity and isoenzyme profiles of peroxidases (POD, EC 1.11.1.7), content and antioxidative activity of total phenols and antifungal activity in leaves and needles of the plants from the urban area and forest habitats were monitored. The obtained results indicate that urban areas induce changes in antioxidative metabolism in all examined species, but that the response is species specific. The most sensitive parameter that indicates different adaptation strategy of Pinus nigra, Picea omorika, Tilia cordata and Betula pendula to environment conditions in the urban area were peroxidase isoenzyme patterns. Less specific parameter was phenol content even though there are some indications for role of their antioxidative capacity in the adjustment to specific habitat. In addition, each species had different metabolic strategy to cope with the changes caused by the urban environment.

Choline and N-acetyl aspartate levels in the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex at the beginning of the recovery phase as markers of increased risk for depressive episode recurrence under different duration of maintenance therapy and after it: a retrospective cohort study.

AIM: To evaluate the relationship between the dynamics of proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H-MRS) brain metabolite levels at the beginning of the recovery phase of the index depressive episode and the time to the recurrence of depression. METHODS: This retrospective cohort study analyzed the changes in N-acetyl aspartate (NAA), choline (Cho), and glutamate-glutamine in 48 patients with recurrent depression treated with maintenance antidepressant monotherapy at a stable dose. 1H-MRS was performed at the start of the recovery phase and 6 months later. 1H-MRS parameters, index episode descriptors, and depressive disorder course were analyzed by Cox proportional hazards model. RESULTS: NAA and Cho decrease six months after the beginning of the recovery period were time-independent risk factors for depressive episode recurrence. Hazard ratio associated with NAA decrease was 2.02 (95% confidence interval 1.06-3.84) and that associated with Cho decrease was 2.06 (95% confidence interval 1.02-4.17). These changes were not related to symptoms severity, as Montgomery-Asberg Depression Scale score remained generally unchanged (mean -0.01; standard deviation 1.6) over the first 6 months of recovery. CONCLUSION: Patients receiving maintenance antidepressant therapy after recovery who experience a decrease in NAA or Cho levels early in the recovery phase have a double risk of depressive episode recurrence. Sustained NAA and Cho levels at the beginning of the recovery phase may indicate increased brain resilience conferred by antidepressant therapy, while NAA and Cho decrease may indicate only the trait-related temporal effect of therapy in another stratum of patients.

Integrated Specialized Early-Course Psychosis Treatment Services - University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce Model.

First episode of psychosis presents a critical period in terms of numerous associated risks, but also possibilities for effective therapeutic interventions. There is a continued focus on early interventions in prodromal states and early course of frank psychosis, aimed at ensuring faster remission, reducing relapses, achieving better long-term functioning, and preventing adverse outcomes linked to untreated psychosis and chronic psychotic disorders. A number of different specialized treatment models and services exist trying to close knowledge gaps and provide clinical interventions to first-episode psychosis (FEP) patients, but there is still no generally accepted standard of care informing our every-day practice. FEP and early-course psychosis specialized treatment model developed in 2004 in University Psychiatric Hospital Vrapce rests on integration of care across different organization units and clinical presentation acuity levels and patient needs (intensive care, FEP inpatient unit, FEP outpatient services including day hospital). Such integration of FEP services allows for flexible entry point on multiple levels, earlier structuring of therapeutic alliance for those requiring inpatient care, reduction of risks associated with FEP, quicker formation of long-term treatment plans, reduction of delay in accessing specialized services, and a more coordinated diagnostic process and recruitment of FEP patient population. Detailed evaluations of outcomes and comparisons with different treatment models are necessary in order to assess strengths and weaknesses of each specific model and inform modifications to current practice models.

Approach to Emergencies in Schizophrenia in University Hospital "Vrapce".

BACKGROUND: An emergency in psychiatric setting is any disorder in thought process, feelings and/or behavior of the patient that requires urgent therapeutic intervention. In general, we can observe an increase in numbers of psychiatric emergencies throughout the world and in Croatia as well. Agitation and aggression are one of the most common causes of emergency in psychiatry. Agitation is common and frequent in patients suffering from schizophrenia. Patient can be agitated in various levels such as: mild, moderate or severe and can alternate between these levels in the same presentation. Agitated patients often require hospitalization that includes pharmacotherapy and sometimes physical restraining, in order to treat the cause of agitation and prevent auto and/or heterodestructive behavior. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: In this paper we focus on patients suffering from schizophrenia that were admitted in University Hospital "Vrapce" in 2017, and assess the numbers through the criteria of voluntary vs. involuntary admissions and physical restraint usage. RESULTS: Out of total observations, 130 (35.6%) were patients admitted for the first time and 179 (49%) were patients later diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Court ordered involuntary hospitalization was ordered for 35 (2.8%) patients out of total admitted patients, and 68.6% (N24) of them were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. Physical restraint was used for 122 patients out of total admissions and 28.7% (N35) of restrained patients were diagnosed with schizophrenia spectrum and other psychotic disorders. CONCLUSIONS: Emergencies in patient suffering from schizophrenia are extremely delicate and demanding situations in every-day clinical practice of psychiatrist. There is an increased risk involved for the patient but for the staff as well. All interventions should be individualized and patient should carefully monitored throughout the entire process. All professionals involved in care for a patient should be up to date with medical and legal issues.

Disease evolution and outcomes in familial AML with germline CEBPA mutations.

In-depth molecular investigation of familial leukemia has been limited by the rarity of recognized cases. This study examines the genetic events initiating leukemia and details the clinical progression of disease across multiple families harboring germ-line CEBPA mutations. Clinical data were collected from 10 CEBPA-mutated families, representing 24 members with acute myeloid leukemia (AML). Whole-exome (WES) and deep sequencing were performed to genetically profile tumors and define patterns of clonal evolution. Germline CEBPA mutations clustered within the N-terminal and were highly penetrant, with AML presenting at a median age of 24.5 years (range, 1.75-46 years). In all diagnostic tumors tested (n = 18), double CEBPA mutations (CEBPAdm) were detected, with acquired (somatic) mutations preferentially targeting the C-terminal. Somatic CEBPA mutations were unstable throughout the disease course, with different mutations identified at recurrence. Deep sequencing of diagnostic and relapse paired samples confirmed that relapse-associated CEBPA mutations were absent at diagnosis, suggesting recurrence was triggered by novel, independent clones. Integrated WES and deep sequencing subsequently revealed an entirely new complement of mutations at relapse, verifying the presentation of a de novo leukemic episode. The cumulative incidence of relapse in familial AML was 56% at 10 years (n = 11), and 3 patients experienced ≥3 disease episodes over a period of 17 to 20 years. Durable responses to secondary therapies were observed, with prolonged median survival after relapse (8 years) and long-term overall survival (10-year overall survival, 67%). Our data reveal that familial CEBPA-mutated AML exhibits a unique model of disease progression, associated with favorable long-term outcomes.

Altered global brain signal in schizophrenia.

Neuropsychiatric conditions like schizophrenia display a complex neurobiology, which has long been associated with distributed brain dysfunction. However, no investigation has tested whether schizophrenia shows alterations in global brain signal (GS), a signal derived from functional MRI and often discarded as a meaningless baseline in many studies. To evaluate GS alterations associated with schizophrenia, we studied two large chronic patient samples (n = 90, n = 71), comparing them to healthy subjects (n = 220) and patients diagnosed with bipolar disorder (n = 73). We identified and replicated increased cortical power and variance in schizophrenia, an effect predictive of symptoms yet obscured by GS removal. Voxel-wise signal variance was also increased in schizophrenia, independent of GS effects. Both findings were absent in bipolar patients, confirming diagnostic specificity. Biologically informed computational modeling of shared and nonshared signal propagation through the brain suggests that these findings may be explained by altered net strength of overall brain connectivity in schizophrenia.

Early-course unmedicated schizophrenia patients exhibit elevated prefrontal connectivity associated with longitudinal change.

Strong evidence implicates prefrontal cortex (PFC) as a major source of functional impairment in severe mental illness such as schizophrenia. Numerous schizophrenia studies report deficits in PFC structure, activation, and functional connectivity in patients with chronic illness, suggesting that deficient PFC functional connectivity occurs in this disorder. However, the PFC functional connectivity patterns during illness onset and its longitudinal progression remain uncharacterized. Emerging evidence suggests that early-course schizophrenia involves increased PFC glutamate, which might elevate PFC functional connectivity. To test this hypothesis, we examined 129 non-medicated, human subjects diagnosed with early-course schizophrenia and 106 matched healthy human subjects using both whole-brain data-driven and hypothesis-driven PFC analyses of resting-state fMRI. We identified increased PFC connectivity in early-course patients, predictive of symptoms and diagnostic classification, but less evidence for "hypoconnectivity." At the whole-brain level, we observed "hyperconnectivity" around areas centered on the default system, with modest overlap with PFC-specific effects. The PFC hyperconnectivity normalized for a subset of the sample followed longitudinally (n = 25), which also predicted immediate symptom improvement. Biologically informed computational modeling implicates altered overall connection strength in schizophrenia. The initial hyperconnectivity, which may decrease longitudinally, could have prognostic and therapeutic implications.

Fluorescence-Detected Linear Dichroism of Wood Cell Walls in Juvenile Serbian Spruce: Estimation of Compression Wood Severity.

Fluorescence-detected linear dichroism (FDLD) microscopy provides observation of structural order in a microscopic sample and its expression in numerical terms, enabling both quantitative and qualitative comparison among different samples. We applied FDLD microscopy to compare the distribution and alignment of cellulose fibrils in cell walls of compression wood (CW) and normal wood (NW) on stem cross-sections of juvenile Picea omorika trees. Our data indicate a decrease in cellulose fibril order in CW compared with NW. Radial and tangential walls differ considerably in both NW and CW. In radial walls, cellulose fibril order shows a gradual decrease from NW to severe CW, in line with the increase in CW severity. This indicates that FDLD analysis of cellulose fibril order in radial cell walls is a valuable method for estimation of CW severity.

The relationship of physicochemical properties to the antioxidative activity of free amino acids in Fenton system.

Herein we compared antioxidative activities (AA) of 25 free L-amino acids (FAA) against Fenton system-mediated hydroxyl radical (HO(•)) production in aqueous solution, and examined the relation between AA and a set of physicochemical properties. The rank order according to AA was: Trp > norleucine > Phe, Leu > Ile > His >3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine, Arg > Val > Lys, Tyr, Pro > hydroxyproline > α-aminobutyric acid > Gln, Thr, Ser > Glu, Ala, Gly, Asn, Asp. Sulfur-containing FAA generated different secondary reactive products, which were discriminated by the means of electron paramagnetic resonance spin-trapping spectroscopy. AA showed a general positive correlation with hydrophobicity. However, when taken separately, uncharged FAA exhibited strong positive correlation of AA with hydrophobicity whereas charged FAA showed negative or no significant correlation depending on the scale applied. A general strong negative correlation was found between AA and polarity. Steric parameters and hydration numbers correlated positively with AA of nonpolar side-chain FAA. In addition, a decrease of temperature which promotes hydrophobic hydration resulted in increased AA. This implies that HO(•)-provoked oxidation of FAA is strongly affected by hydrophobic hydration. Our findings are important for the understanding of oxidation processes in natural and waste waters.

Reactions of cytotoxic metallodrugs with lysozyme in pure DMSO explored through UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and ESI MS.

The reactions of four representative metallodrugs with the model protein HEWL were investigated within a non-aqueous environment-i.e. in pure DMSO- through UV-Vis absorption spectroscopy and ESI MS analysis. Notably, formation of a variety of metallodrug-protein adducts was clearly documented. This is the first example for this kind of protein metalation reactions carried out within a pure organic solvent. It is shown that the applied solution conditions greatly affect the nature of the formed adducts, this being well accounted for by the fact that the overall protein conformation is greatly perturbed within pure DMSO; in addition, the activation profiles of the studied metallodrugs are also highly dependent on the nature of the solvent. The implications of these results are discussed.

Characterizing thalamo-cortical disturbances in schizophrenia and bipolar illness.

Schizophrenia is a devastating neuropsychiatric syndrome associated with distributed brain dysconnectivity that may involve large-scale thalamo-cortical systems. Incomplete characterization of thalamic connectivity in schizophrenia limits our understanding of its relationship to symptoms and to diagnoses with shared clinical presentation, such as bipolar illness, which may exist on a spectrum. Using resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging, we characterized thalamic connectivity in 90 schizophrenia patients versus 90 matched controls via: (1) Subject-specific anatomically defined thalamic seeds; (2) anatomical and data-driven clustering to assay within-thalamus dysconnectivity; and (3) machine learning to classify diagnostic membership via thalamic connectivity for schizophrenia and for 47 bipolar patients and 47 matched controls. Schizophrenia analyses revealed functionally related disturbances: Thalamic over-connectivity with bilateral sensory-motor cortices, which predicted symptoms, but thalamic under-connectivity with prefrontal-striatal-cerebellar regions relative to controls, possibly reflective of sensory gating and top-down control disturbances. Clustering revealed that this dysconnectivity was prominent for thalamic nuclei densely connected with the prefrontal cortex. Classification and cross-diagnostic results suggest that thalamic dysconnectivity may be a neural marker for disturbances across diagnoses. Present findings, using one of the largest schizophrenia and bipolar neuroimaging samples to date, inform basic understanding of large-scale thalamo-cortical systems and provide vital clues about the complex nature of its disturbances in severe mental illness.