Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4) induces chondrocyte degeneration via activation of the NF-κb signaling pathway.

The pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA) is still unclear. Fatty acid binding protein 4 (FABP4), a novel adipokine, has been found to play a role in OA. This study aimed to explore the role of NF-κB in FABP4-induced OA. In the in vivo study, four pairs of 12-week-old male FABP4 knockout (KO) and wild-type (WT) mice were included. The activation of NF-κB was assessed. In parallel, 24 6-week-old male C57/Bl6 mice were fed a high-fat diet (HFD) and randomly allocated to four groups: daily oral gavage with (1) PBS solution; (2) QNZ (NF-κB-specific inhibitor, 1 mg/kg/d); (3) BMS309403 (FABP4-specific inhibitor, 30 mg/kg/d); and (4) BMS309403 (30 mg/kg/d) + QNZ (1 mg/kg/d). The diet and treatment were sustained for 4 months. The knee joints were obtained to assess cartilage degradation, NF-κB activation, and subchondral bone sclerosis. In the in vitro study, a mouse chondrogenic cell line (ATDC5) was cultured. FABP4 was supplemented to stimulate chondrocytes, and the activation of NF-κB was investigated. In parallel, QNZ and NF-κB-specific siRNA were used to inhibit NF-κB. In vivo, the FABP4 WT mice had more significant NF-κB activation than the KO mice. Dual inhibition of FABP4 and NF-κB alleviated knee OA in mice. FABP4 has no significant effect on the activation of the JNK signaling pathway. In vitro, FABP4 directly activated NF-κB in chondrocytes. The use of QNZ and NF-κB-siRNA significantly alleviated the expression of catabolic markers of chondrocytes induced by FABP4. FABP4 induces chondrocyte degeneration by activating the NF-κB pathway.

Disruption of pulmonary microvascular endothelial barrier by dysregulated claudin-8 and claudin-4: uncovered mechanisms in porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus infection.

The pulmonary endothelium is a dynamic and metabolically active monolayer of endothelial cells. Dysfunction of the pulmonary endothelial barrier plays a crucial role in the acute lung injury (ALI) and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS), frequently observed in the context of viral pneumonia. Dysregulation of tight junction proteins can lead to the disruption of the endothelial barrier and subsequent leakage. Here, the highly pathogenic porcine reproductive and respiratory syndrome virus (HP-PRRSV) served as an ideal model for studying ALI and ARDS. The alveolar lavage fluid of pigs infected with HP-PRRSV, and the supernatant of HP-PRRSV infected pulmonary alveolar macrophages were respectively collected to treat the pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells (PMVECs) in Transwell culture system to explore the mechanism of pulmonary microvascular endothelial barrier leakage caused by viral infection. Cytokine screening, addition and blocking experiments revealed that proinflammatory cytokines IL-1ß and TNF-α, secreted by HP-PRRSV-infected macrophages, disrupt the pulmonary microvascular endothelial barrier by downregulating claudin-8 and upregulating claudin-4 synergistically. Additionally, three transcription factors interleukin enhancer binding factor 2 (ILF2), general transcription factor III C subunit 2 (GTF3C2), and thyroid hormone receptor-associated protein 3 (THRAP3), were identified to accumulate in the nucleus of PMVECs, regulating the transcription of claudin-8 and claudin-4. Meanwhile, the upregulation of ssc-miR-185 was found to suppress claudin-8 expression via post-transcriptional inhibition. This study not only reveals the molecular mechanisms by which HP-PRRSV infection causes endothelial barrier leakage in acute lung injury, but also provides novel insights into the function and regulation of tight junctions in vascular homeostasis.

Pathway from childhood trauma to nonsuicidal self-injury in adolescents with major depressive disorder: the chain-mediated role of psychological resilience and depressive severity.

This study aimed to explore the pathway from childhood trauma to nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) in adolescents with major depressive disorder (MDD) and to examine the chain-mediating role of psychological resilience and depressive symptoms in this pathway. A total of 391 adolescents with MDD were recruited in the present study. The Chinese version of the Childhood Trauma Questionnaire-Short Form (CTQ-SF), the Chinese version of the Symptoms Check List-90 (SCL-90), the Chinese version of the Conner-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), and the Ottawa Self-Injury Inventory Chinese Revised Edition (OSIC) were used to evaluate childhood trauma, depressive symptoms, psychological resilience and NSSI, respectively. Our results showed that 60.87% of adolescents with MDD had NSSI in the past month. Childhood trauma frequency was negatively correlated with psychological resilience but positively correlated with depressive symptoms and NSSI severity in adolescents with MDD. The stepwise logistic regression analysis identified that age, childhood trauma and depressive symptoms could independently predict the occurrence of NSSI, and the three-step hierarchical regression showed that childhood trauma, psychological resilience and depressive symptoms were all significantly associated with NSSI frequency in adolescents with MDD. Furthermore, the chain-mediation analysis revealed that psychological resilience and depression serially mediated the relationship between childhood trauma and NSSI in adolescents with MDD. Interventions targeted at improving resilience and depression may mitigate the impact of childhood trauma severity on NSSI risk in adolescents with MDD.

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).

Systemic inflammatory biomarkers in Schizophrenia are changed by ECT administration and related to the treatment efficacy.

Immune inflammation has long been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Despite as a rapid and effective physical therapy, the role of immune inflammation in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) for schizophrenia remains elusive. The neutrophils to lymphocytes (NLR), platelets to monocytes (PLR) and monocytes to lymphocytes (MLR) are inexpensive and accessible biomarkers of systemic inflammation. In this study, 70 schizophrenia patients and 70 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were recruited. The systemic inflammatory biomarkers were measured before and after ECT. Our results indicated schizophrenia had significantly higher peripheral NLR, PLR and MLR compared to health controls at baseline, while lymphocytes did not differ. After 6 ECT, the psychiatric symptoms were significantly improved, as demonstrated by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). However, there was a decline in cognitive function scores, as indicated by the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE). Notably, the neutrophils and NLR were significantly reduced following ECT. Although lymphocytes remained unchanged following ECT, responders had significantly higher lymphocytes compared to non-responders. Moreover, the linear regression analyses revealed that higher lymphocytes served as a predictor of larger improvement in positive symptom following ECT. Overall, our findings further highlighted the presence of systemic inflammation in schizophrenia patients, and that ECT may exert a therapeutic effect in part by attenuating systemic inflammation. Further research may therefore lead to new treatment strategies for schizophrenia targeting the immune system.

Circular RNA-circPan3 attenuates cardiac hypertrophy via miR-320-3p/HSP20 axis.

BACKGROUND: Circular RNAs are enriched in cardiac tissue and play important roles in the pathogenesis of heart diseases. In this study, we aimed to investigate the regulatory mechanism of a conserved heart-enriched circRNA, circPan3, in cardiac hypertrophy. METHODS: Cardiac hypertrophy was induced by isoproterenol. The progression of cardiomyocyte hypertrophy was assessed by sarcomere organization staining, cell surface area measurement, and expression levels of cardiac hypertrophy markers. RNA interactions were detected by RNA pull-down assays, and methylated RNA immunoprecipitation was used to detect m6A level. RESULTS: The expression of circPan3 was downregulated in an isoproterenol-induced cardiac hypertrophy model. Forced expression of circPan3 attenuated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy, while inhibition of circPan3 aggravated cardiomyocyte hypertrophy. Mechanistically, circPan3 was an endogenous sponge of miR-320-3p without affecting miR-320-3p levels. It elevated the expression of HSP20 by endogenously interacting with miR-320-3p. In addition, circPan3 was N6-methylated. Stimulation by isoproterenol downregulated the m6A eraser ALKBH5, resulting in N6-methylation and destabilization of circPan3. CONCLUSIONS: Our research is the first to report that circPan3 has an antihypertrophic effect in cardiomyocytes and revealed a novel circPan3-modulated signalling pathway involved in cardiac hypertrophy. CircPan3 inhibits cardiac hypertrophy by targeting the miR-320-3p/HSP20 axis and is regulated by ALKBH5-mediated N6-methylation. This pathway could provide potential therapeutic targets for cardiac hypertrophy.

Association between early-life mosquito repellents exposure and ADHD-like behaviours.

BACKGROUND: Limited research has explored the impact of mosquito repellents exposure during early life on ADHD symptoms. This study aimed to explore the associations of exposure to mosquito repellents from pregnancy to 3 years old and the prevalence of ADHD-like behaviours among children aged 3-9 years, and further identify the sensitive exposure period. METHODS: A cross-sectional study was conducted, including 12 275 children in Hefei City, China. Exposure was self-reported via primary caregivers. ADHD-like behaviours were measured by the Swanson, Nolan and Pelham, version IV scale (SNAP-IV), and Conners' Parent Rating Scale (CPRS). Cross-over analysis, binary logistic regression and linear regression were employed. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding variables, early-life exposure to mosquito repellents was associated with a higher risk of ADHD-like behaviours (OR = 1.81, 95% CI = 1.49-2.19). By comparing the strength of the association for each subgroup, we found exposure during 1-3 years old was a sensitive period (OR = 1.89, 95% CI = 1.25-2.87) by the cross-over analysis. Furthermore, we found a dose-response relationship in which the likelihood of ADHD-like behaviours increased with children's early-life mosquito repellents exposure dose. CONCLUSIONS: Early-life exposure to mosquito repellents is linked with an elevated risk of ADHD-like behaviours in children, with a sensitive period identified during 1-3 years old.

Sex differences and dietary patterns in the association of air pollutants and hypertension.

BACKGROUND: Hypertension is one of the major public health problems in China. Limited evidence exists regarding sex differences in the association between hypertension and air pollutants, as well as the impact of dietary factors on the relationship between air pollutants and hypertension. The aim of this study was to investigate the sex-specific effects of dietary patterns on the association between fine particulate matter (PM2.5), ozone(O3) and hypertension in adults residing in Jiangsu Province of China. METHODS: A total of 3189 adults from the 2015 China Adult Chronic Disease and Nutrition Surveillance in Jiangsu Province were included in this study. PM2.5 and O3 concentrations were estimated using satellite space-time models and assigned to each participant. Dietary patterns were determined by reduced rank regression (RRR), and multivariate logistic regression was used to assess the associations of the obtained dietary patterns with air pollutants and hypertension risk. RESULTS: After adjusting for confounding variables, we found that males were more sensitive to long-term exposure to PM2.5 (Odds ratio (OR) = 1.42 95%CI:1.08,1.87), and females were more sensitive to long-term exposure to O3 (OR = 1.61 95%CI:1.15,2.23). Traditional southern pattern identified through RRR exhibited a protective effect against hypertension in males (OR = 0.73 95%CI: 0.56,1.00). The results of the interaction between dietary pattern score and PM2.5 revealed that adherence to traditional southern pattern was significantly associated with a decreased risk of hypertension in males (P < 0.05), while no significant association was observed among females. CONCLUSIONS: Our findings suggested that sex differences existed in the association between dietary patterns, air pollutants and hypertension. Furthermore, we found that adherence to traditional southern pattern may mitigate the risk of long-term PM2.5 exposure-induced hypertension in males.

Associations of phthalates with accelerated aging and the mitigating role of physical activity.

Phthalates are positioned as potential risk factors for health-related diseases. However, the effects of exposure to phthalates on accelerated aging and the potential modifications of physical activity remain unclear. A total of 2317 participants containing complete study-related information from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2007-2010 were included in the current study. We used two indicators, the Klemera-Doubal method biological age acceleration (BioAgeAccel) and phenotypic age acceleration (PhenoAgeAccel), to assess the accelerated aging status of the subjects. Multiple linear regression (single pollutant models), weighted quantile sum (WQS) regression, Quantile g-computation, and Bayesian kernel machine regression (BKMR) models were utilized to explore the associations between urinary phthalate metabolites and accelerated aging. Three groups of physical activity with different intensities were used to evaluate the modifying effects on the above associations. Results indicated that most phthalate metabolites were significantly associated with BioAgeAccel and PhenoAgeAccel, with effect values (ß) ranging from 0.16 to 0.21 and 0.16-0.37, respectively. The WQS indices were positively associated with BioAgeAccel (0.33, 95% CI: 0.11, 0.54) and PhenoAgeAccel (0.50, 95% CI: 0.19, 0.82). Quantile g-computation indicated that phthalate mixtures were associated with accelerated aging, with effect values of 0.15 (95% CI: 0.02, 0.28) for BioAgeAccel and 0.39 (95% CI: 0.12, 0.67) for PhenoAgeAccel respectively. The BKMR models indicated a significant positive association between the concentrations of urinary phthalate mixtures with the two indicators. In addition, we found that most phthalate metabolites showed the strongest effects on accelerated aging in the no physical activity group and that the effects decreased gradually with increasing levels of physical activity (P < 0.05 for trend). Similar results were also observed in the mixed exposure models (WQS and Quantile g-computation). This study indicates that phthalates exposure is associated with accelerated aging, while physical activity may be a crucial barrier against phthalates exposure-related aging.

TRPV1+ neurons alter Staphylococcus aureus skin infection outcomes by affecting macrophage polarization and neutrophil recruitment.

BACKGROUND: The interaction between the nervous system and the immune system can affect the outcome of a bacterial infection. Staphylococcus aureus skin infection is a common infectious disease, and elucidating the relationship between the nervous system and immune system may help to improve treatment strategies. RESULTS: In this study, we found that the local release of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) increased during S. aureus skin infection, and S. aureus could promote the release of CGRP from transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1+) neurons in vitro. The existence of TRPV1+ neurons inhibited the recruitment of neutrophils to the infected region and regulated the polarization of macrophages toward M2 while inhibiting polarization toward M1. This reduces the level of inflammation in the infected area, which aggravates the local infection. Furthermore, this study demonstrates that TRPV1 may be a target for the treatment of S. aureus skin infections and that botulinum neurotoxin A (BoNT/A) and BIBN4096 may reverse the inhibited inflammatory effect of CGRP, making them potential therapeutics for the treatment of skin infection in S. aureus. CONCLUSIONS: In S. aureus skin infection, TRPV1+ neurons inhibit neutrophil recruitment and regulate macrophage polarization by releasing CGRP. BoNT/A and BIBN4096 may be potential therapeutic agents for S. aureus skin infection.

The association between inflammation and kynurenine pathway metabolites in electroconvulsive therapy for schizophrenia: Implications for clinical efficacy.

The kynurenine pathway (KP) of tryptophan has been implicated in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia and its interaction with the immune system has been suggested to play a role. In this study, 28 schizophrenia patients and 25 healthy controls were recruited and divided into different inflammatory subgroups using a two-step recursive clustering analysis. Cytokine gene expression and plasma KP metabolites were measured before, during and after treatment. Our findings indicated that schizophrenia patients had lower levels of Tryptophan (TRP), N-formylkynurenine (NFK), xanthinic acid (XA), quinolinic acid (QA), kynurenic acid (KYNA), KYNA/KYN and QA/KYNA, but higher levels of IL-18 mRNA, KYN/TRP compared to healthy controls (all p < 0.05). After electroconvulsive therapy (ECT), patients with low inflammation achieved better clinical improvement (PANSS scores) compared to those with high inflammation (F = 5.672, P = 0.025), especially in negative symptoms (F = 6.382, P = 0.018, η2 = 0.197). While IL-18 mRNA (F = 32.910, P < 0.0001) was significantly decreased following ECT, the KYN/TRP (F = 3.455, p = 0.047) and KYNA/TRP (F = 4.264, P = 0.026) only significantly decreased in patients with low inflammation. Correlation analyses revealed that baseline IL-18 gene expression significantly correlated with pre- (r = 0.537, p = 0.008) and post-KYNA/TRP (r = 0.443, p = 0.034), post-KYN/TRP (r = 0.510, p = 0.013), and post-negative symptoms (r = 0.525, p = 0.010). Moreover, baseline TRP (r = -0.438, p = 0.037) and XA (r = -0.516, p = 0.012) were negatively correlated with baseline PANSS, while post-KYN (r = -0.475, p = 0.022), 2-AA (r = -0.447, p = 0.032) and KYN/TRP (r = -0.566, p = 0.005) were negatively correlated with Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) following ECT. Overall, these findings suggested that the association between inflammation and kynurenine pathway plays an essential role in mechanism of ECT for schizophrenia and that the regulation of ECT on KP is influenced by inflammatory characteristics, which may relate to clinical efficacy in schizophrenia.

Rumination mediates the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia patients.

Rumination and childhood trauma are related to depressive symptoms in clinical and non-clinical individuals. This is the first study aimed to test the mediating effect of rumination on the relationship between childhood trauma and depressive symptoms in schizophrenia patients. A total of 313 schizophrenia patients were recruited in the present study. The 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) was adopted to evaluate depressive symptoms, the short-form Childhood Trauma Questionnaire (CTQ-SF) and the 10-item Ruminative response scale (RRS-10) were utilized to assess the childhood trauma and rumination in patients, respectively. Our results showed that 168 schizophrenia patients (53.67%) had comorbid depressive symptoms. These patients with depressive symptoms had higher levels of childhood trauma [both CTQ-SF total scores and emotional abuse (EA), emotional neglect (EN), physical neglect (PN) subscale scores] and rumination (both RRS-10 total scores and brooding, reflection subscale scores) compared to patients without depressive symptoms. The stepwise logistic regression analysis identified that EN (OR 1.196, P = 0.003), PN (OR 1.1294, P < 0.001), brooding (OR 1.291, P < 0.001) and reflection (OR 1.481, P < 0.001) could independently predict the depressive symptoms in schizophrenia patients. Moreover, RRS-10 and its subscale scores could mediate the relationship between depressive symptoms and childhood trauma, especially EA, EN and PN in schizophrenia. Our preliminary findings suggest that the rigorous assessment and psychosocial interventions of rumination are important to alleviate the influence of childhood trauma on depressive symptoms in schizophrenia patients.

Proton pump inhibitors induce changes in the gut microbiome composition of systemic lupus erythematosus patients.

BACKGROUND: Currently, few studies focus on the association between gut microbiota and systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), and much less studies consider the effect of drug usage. Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are commonly used to treat drug-related gastrointestinal damage in SLE patients. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to examine the gut microbiota of SLE patients using PPIs. METHODS: Fecal samples from 20 SLE patients with PPIs (P-SLE), 20 SLE patients without PPIs (NP-SLE) and 17 healthy controls (HCs) were obtained. The structure of the bacterial community in the fecal samples was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene sequencing. Redundancy analysis (RDA) was performed to observe the relationship between clinical variables and microbiome composition in P-SLE and NP-SLE patients. Based on the Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) database, functional capabilities of microbiota were estimated. Network analysis was performed to analyze the association of metabolic pathway alterations with altered gut microbiota in P-SLE and NP-SLE patients. RESULTS: P-SLE patients exhibited increased alpha-diversity and an altered composition of the gut microbiota compared with NP-SLE patients. The alpha-diversity of NP-SLE patients was significantly lower than HCs but also of P-SLE patients, whose alpha-diversity had become similar to HCs. Compared with NP-SLE patients, the relative abundances of Lactobacillus, Roseburia, Oxalobacter, and Desulfovibrio were increased, while those of Veillonella, Escherichia, Morganella, Pseudomonas and Stenotrophomonas were decreased in P-SLE patients. RDA indicated that PPI use was the only significant exploratory variable for the microbiome composition when comparing SLE patients. KEGG analysis showed that 16 metabolic pathways were significantly different between NP-SLE and P-SLE patients. These metabolic pathways were mainly associated with changes in Escherichia, Roseburia, Stenotrophomonas, Morganella and Alipipes as determined by the network analysis. CONCLUSIONS: PPI use is associated with an improved microbiome composition of SLE patients as it 1) increases alpha-diversity levels back to normal, 2) increases the abundance of various (beneficial) commensals, and 3) decreases the abundance of certain opportunistic pathogenic genera such as Escherichia. Validation studies with higher patient numbers are however recommended to explore these patterns in more detail.

Phospholipids in small extracellular vesicles: emerging regulators of neurodegenerative diseases and cancer.

Small extracellular vesicles (sEVs) are generated by almost all cell types. They have a bilayer membrane structure that is similar to cell membranes. Thus, the phospholipids contained in sEVs are the main components of cell membranes and function as structural support elements. However, as in-depth research on sEV membrane components is conducted, some phospholipids have been found to participate in cellular biological processes and function as targets for cell-cell communication. Currently, sEVs are being developed as part of drug delivery systems and diagnostic factors for various diseases, especially neurodegenerative diseases and cancer. An understanding of the physiological and pathological roles of sEV phospholipids in cellular processes is essential for their future medical application. In this review, the authors discuss phospholipid components in sEVs of different origins and summarize the roles of phospholipids in sEV biogenesis. The authors further collect the current knowledge on the functional roles of sEV phospholipids in cell-cell communication and bioactivities as signals regulating neurodegenerative diseases and cancer and the possibility of using sEV phospholipids as biomarkers or in drug delivery systems for cancer diagnosis and treatment. Knowledge of sEV phospholipids is important to help us identify directions for future studies.

Antipsychotic-induced gastrointestinal hypomotility and the alteration in gut microbiota in patients with schizophrenia.

AIM: Gut microbiota play an important role in the pathogenesis of gut hypomotility and are critical for the production of the intestinal immune system and the maintenance of the intestinal homeostasis. Patients with psychotic disorders are at a high risk of antipsychotic-induced constipation. However, the mechanisms might be more than neurotransmission properties of antipsychotics. METHODS: We recruited a total of 45 patients with constipation according to Rome IV criteria and objective test for colonic motility and the other 45 gender- and age-matching patients without constipation and investigated their differences in composition of gut microbiota. The demographic and serum metabolic indices were collected. The subjective constipation assessment scale (CAS) and the Bristol stool classification (BSS) were also used to evaluate the degree of constipation in both groups. The fecal samples were analysed using the 16S rRNA gene sequencing. RESULTS: The constipation group had a significantly increased alpha diversity in Observed species, Chao 1, and ACE as compared to the non-constipation group. At the phylum levels, the relative abundances of Bacteroidetes and Fusobacteria decreased significantly, while those of Firmicutes, Verrucomicrobia, and Synergistetes increased significantly in the constipation group. At the genus level, the relative abundances of Christensenella and Desulfovibrio were higher in the constipation group. The α-diversity indices of gut microbiota were correlated positively with the levels of serum total bile acid and correlated negatively with BSS scores. The BSS scores were positively correlated with the relative abundance of Bacteroidetes but negatively correlated with the relative abundance of Firmicutes. PICRUSt analysis revealed the potential metabolic pathways of lipopolysaccharide, vitamin B6, riboflavin, pyruvate, and propionate functions. CONCLUSIONS: The alternation of the gut microbiota in schizophrenia patients with antipsychotic-induced constipation indicates antipsychotic agents might affect gastrointestinal motility via varying microbiome-related metabolites, and the specific bacteria, such as Synergistetes which might act as an anti-inflammatory factor in the healthy human gut, related to colonic transit motility seem inconsistent to the findings from previous literature in gastroenterology. However, the causal effects are still unknown. Our study provides a new possibility to understand the mechanisms of antipsychotic-induced constipation.

Comparison of biological and mechanical properties of different paranasal sinus mucosa in goat.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was designed to explore endurable pressure intensity of different paranasal sinus mucosa in goats. METHOD: Mucosa commonly involved in maxillary sinus augmentation, including mucosa from maxillary sinus crest, maxillary sinus floor, and frontal sinus, were harvested in a computed tomography-guided manner. The obtained mucosa was then sectioned into square and irregular ones for maximum endurable pressure intensity determination and morphological observation, respectively. RESULTS: Thickness of paranasal sinus mucosa, as determined under morphological staining by an optical microscope with a graduated eyepiece, were calculated. And the results showed that the average thickness of maxillary sinus crest mucosa, floor mucosa, and frontal sinus mucosa in goats were 410.03 ± 65.97 µm, 461.33 ± 91.37 µm and 216.90 ± 46.47 µm, respectively. Significant differences between maxillary sinus crest and frontal sinus, maxillary sinus floor, and frontal sinus were observed (P < 0.05). Maximum endurable pressure intensity was determined by utilizing a self-made clamp device and the results revealed maximum endurable pressure intensity of maxillary sinus crest mucosa, floor mucosa and frontal sinus mucosa in goats were 260.08 ± 80.12Kpa, 306.90 ± 94.37Kpa and 121.72 ± 31.72Kpa, respectively. Also, a statistically significant difference was observed when comparing the endurable pressure intensity between maxillary sinus crest and frontal sinus, maxillary sinus floor, and frontal sinus (P < 0.05). Further correlation analysis also revealed a positive correlation between the thickness of mucosa of the maxillary sinus and frontal sinus and maximum endurable pressure intensity (P < 0.05). CONCLUSION: Mucosal thickness and maximum endurable pressure intensity of maxillary sinus crest and floor were larger than that of frontal sinus mucosa and a positive correlation between the thickness of mucosa and endurable pressure intensity was observed. Our results thus might provide an experimental basis and guidance for mucosa-related problems involved maxillary sinus augmentation.

Eye movement characteristics in male patients with deficit and non-deficit schizophrenia and their relationships with psychiatric symptoms and cognitive function.

BACKGROUND: The cognitive impairment pattern of deficit schizophrenia (DS) is centered on an impaired attention function. Previous studies have suggested that the exploratory eye movement (EEM) tests reflect attention deficits in patients with schizophrenia. However, no study has investigated the characteristics of eye movement in DS in the Chinese Han population. This study aimed to investigate the pattern of eye movement characteristics in DS patients and to examine whether eye movement characteristic is associated with serious negative symptoms and cognitive decline in this schizophrenia subtype. METHODS: A total of 86 male patients [37 DS and 49 non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS)] and 80 healthy controls (HC) participated in this study. Clinical symptoms were assessed using the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms (SAPS) and Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms (SANS). Cognitive function was assessed using the Mattis Dementia Rating Scale (MDRS-2). Eye movement data of subjects were collected using an eye movement tracking analyzer. RESULTS: There were significant differences in the overall eye movement data and cognitive test scores among the three groups (all P < 0.001). Both DS and NDS schizophrenia subgroups showed more severe eye movement and cognitive impairment compared with the control group. The number of eye fixations (NEF), total of eye scanning length (TESL), and cognitive function in DS patients were significantly lower than those in NDS patients. The discriminant analysis (D score) was higher than that of the control group (P < 0.001). In the DS group, the inattention factor of SANS was negatively correlated with the attention factor (r = - 0.545, P = 0.001) and structure factor of cognitive (r = - 0.389, P = 0.023), the affective flattening factor of SANS was negatively correlated with TESL (r = - 0.353, P = 0.041) and initiation/retention factor of cognitive (r = - 0.376,P = 0.028). TESL was found to positively correlate with the MDRS-2 total score (r = 0.427, P = 0.012), attention factor (r = 0.354, P = 0.040), and memory factor (r = 0.349, P = 0.043) in the DS group, whereas the mean of eye scanning length (MESL) positively correlated with cognitive impairments in the NDS group. The negative symptoms showed no significant correlation with cognition in the NDS group. CONCLUSIONS: Total of eye scanning length may be a characteristic eye movement symptom in DS patients, which is associated with serious negative symptoms and cognitive impairment in this schizophrenia subtype.

High-Q quadrupolar plasmonic lattice resonances in horizontal metal-insulator-metal gratings.

We propose a plasmonic platform for achieving out-of-plane quadrupolar plasmonic surface lattice resonances (SLRs) with large quality factors. The proposed platform is composed of a horizontal metal-insulator-metal (MIM) grating embedded in a homogeneous dielectric environment. Numerical results based on rigorous coupled-wave analysis show that under oblique incidences, high-Q out-of-plane quadrupolar SLRs can be excited at wavelengths of 1242 nm over a wide range of insulator widths, and the quality factor can reach 1036. As a comparison, under the same conditions, only dipolar SLRs with much lower quality factors of ∼300 can be excited in a vertical MIM grating, which has the same period and a quarter-turned unit cell. We expect that the proposed high-Q quadrupolar SLR platform will find applications in light-matter interactions on the nanoscale.

Inflammatory cytokines, complement factor H and anhedonia in drug-naïve major depressive disorder.

OBJECTIVE: Anhedonia is a core symptom of major depressive disorder (MDD) and often associated with poor prognosis. The main objective of the present study was to explore the relationship between complement factor H (CFH), inflammatory cytokines and anhedonia in drug-naïve MDD patients. METHODS: A total of 215 participants (61 MDD patients with anhedonia, 78 MDD patients without anhedonia, and 76 control subjects) were included. Severity of depression and levels of anhedonia were evaluated by Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression-17 (HAMD-17) and SHAPS (Snaith-Hamilton Pleasure Scale). Plasma levels of CFH, interleukin-6 (IL-6), IL-10 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. RESULTS: The plasma levels of CFH, IL-10 and TNF-α were higher in drug-naïve MDD patients than control subjects. Compared to MDD patients without anhedonia, patients with anhedonia showed higher levels of CFH and IL-6. The stepwise regression analysis revealed that IL-10, TNF-α, as well as IL-10 × TNF-α were associated with depressive symptoms measured by HAMD-17 in drug-naïve MDD patients, while only CFH levels were identified as a mediator factor for the severity of anhedonia in the patients. CONCLUSION: MDD patients with anhedonia showed different inflammatory characteristics compared to patients without anhedonia. Our results provide novel evidence suggesting that increased plasma CFH levels may be a potential biomarker of anhedonia of subtyping MDD.

A pragmatic eLCR for an ultrasensitive detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus in joint synovial fluid: superior to qPCR.

For periprosthetic joint infection (PJI) patients, an early and rapid detection of methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in joint synovial fluid is of great significance for receiving timely treatment and avoiding side effects. In clinical practice, the methods for detecting MRSA include the culture-based method and the PCR-based mecA gene detection method with fluorescent readout. However, the culture-based method requires up to 3-7 days for incubation and elaborative screening. The PCR-based molecular diagnosis, due to its high sensitivity, improves the detection time but sacrifices cost and gives false-positive results. Herein, a ligation chain reaction (LCR)-based electrochemical biosensor was developed to detect the mecA of MRSA with the advantages of rapidity, accuracy and low cost. In this system, an integrated dsDNA labeled with thiol and biotin at both terminals is generated only in the presence of the target DNA after LCR, followed by immobilization of the integrated dsDNAs on the bovine serum albumin (BSA)-coated gold electrode, and then the streptavidin horseradish peroxidase (SA-HRPs) is specifically bound to the biotin labels via biotin-streptavidin interaction, generating the catalytic amperometric readout. Impressively, the developed method achieved the detection of rare mecA in the joint synovial fluid of PJI patients (417-666 copies as quantified by qPCR). The proposed electrochemistry-based method is highly convenient for the point-of-care testing and was comparable with PCR in sensitivity, but superior in selectivity (single-base differentiation) and cost (nanomolar DNA probe consumption and simple device), demonstrating its huge potential in clinical applications for MRSA diagnosis.