Childhood maltreatment and personality disorders in adolescents and adults with psychotic or non-psychotic disorders.

Introduction: While the attention to personality disorders (PD) and childhood maltreatment (CM) has grown in recent years, there remains limited understanding of the prevalence and distinctions of PD and CM in clinical populations of Chinese adolescents in comparison to adults. Methods: A total of 1,417 participants were consecutively sampled from patients diagnosed with either psychotic or non-psychotic disorders in the psychiatric and psycho-counseling clinics at Shanghai Mental Health Center. The participants were categorized into two groups based on their age: adolescents (aged 15-21 years) and adults (aged 22-35 years). PDs were evaluated using a self-reported personality diagnostic questionnaire and a structured clinical interview, while CMs were assessed using the Chinese version of the Child Trauma Questionnaire Short Form. Results: When comparing self-reported PD traits and CM between adolescents and adults, differences emerge. Adolescents, particularly in the psychotic disorder group, exhibit more pronounced schizotypal PD traits (p=0.029), and this pattern extends to non-psychotic disorders (p<0.001). Adolescents in the non-psychotic disorder group also report higher levels of emotional abuse (p=0.014), with a notable trend in physical abuse experiences compared to adults (p=0.057). Furthermore, the most prevalent PDs in the clinical sample are avoidant, borderline, and obsessive-compulsive PDs. Among patients with psychotic disorders, adolescents exhibit higher rates of schizoid, schizotypal, and obsessive-compulsive PDs compared to adults. Logistic regression analyses highlight distinct predictors for psychotic and non-psychotic disorders in adolescents and adults. Discussion: The findings emphasize distinct differences in PDs and CMs between adolescent and adult groups, shedding light on their potential roles in psychotic and non-psychotic disorders.

FOXA1 regulates ribosomal RNA transcription in prostate cancer.

BACKGROUND: Ribosome biogenesis is excessively activated in tumor cells, yet it is little known whether oncogenic transcription factors (TFs) are involved in the ribosomal RNA (rRNA) transactivation. METHODS: Nucleolar proteomics data and large-scale immunofluorescence were re-analyzed to jointly identify the proteins localized at nucleolus. RNA-Seq data of five prostate cancer (PCa) cohorts were combined and integrated with multi-dimensional data to define the upregulated nucleolar TFs in PCa tissues. Then, ChIP-Seq data of PCa cell lines and two PCa clinical cohorts were re-analyzed to reveal the TF binding patterns at ribosomal DNA (rDNA) repeats. The TF binding at rDNA was validated by ChIP-qPCR. The effect of the TF on rRNA transcription was determined by rDNA luciferase reporter, nascent RNA synthesis, and global protein translation assays. RESULTS: In this study, we reveal the role of oncogenic TF FOXA1 in regulating rRNA transcription within nucleolar organization regions. By analyzing human TFs in prostate cancer clinical datasets and nucleolar proteomics data, we identified that FOXA1 is partially localized in the nucleolus and correlated with global protein translation. Our extensive FOXA1 ChIP-Seq analysis provides robust evidence of FOXA1 binding across rDNA repeats in prostate cancer cell lines, primary tumors, and castration-resistant variants. Notably, FOXA1 occupancy at rDNA repeats correlates with histone modifications associated with active transcription, namely H3K27ac and H3K4me3. Reducing FOXA1 expression results in decreased transactivation at rDNA, subsequently diminishing global protein synthesis. CONCLUSIONS: Our results suggest FOXA1 regulates aberrant ribosome biogenesis downstream of oncogenic signaling in prostate cancer.

Magnetic Seizure Therapy vs Modified Electroconvulsive Therapy in Patients With Bipolar Mania: A Randomized Clinical Trial.

Importance: Bipolar mania is a common disabling illness. Electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) is an effective treatment for patients with severe mania, though it is limited by the risk of cognitive adverse effects. Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) as an alternative treatment to ECT for bipolar mania has not yet been reported. Objective: To compare the effectiveness and cognitive adverse effects of MST and ECT in bipolar mania. Design, Setting, and Participants: This randomized clinical trial was conducted at the Shanghai Mental Health Center from July 1, 2017, through April 26, 2021. Forty-eight patients with bipolar mania were recruited and randomly allocated to receive MST or ECT. The data analysis was performed from June 5, 2021, through August 30, 2023. Interventions: Patients completed 2 or 3 sessions of MST or ECT per week for a total of 8 to 10 sessions. The MST was delivered at 100% device output with a frequency of 75 Hz over the vertex. Main Outcomes and Measures: The primary outcomes were reduction of total Young Manic Rating Scale (YMRS) score and response rate (more than 50% reduction of the total YMRS score compared with baseline). An intention-to-treat (ITT) analysis and repeated-measures analyses of variance were conducted for the primary outcomes. Results: Twenty patients in the ECT group (mean [SD] age, 31.6 [8.6] years; 12 male [60.0%]) and 22 patients in the MST group (mean [SD] age, 34.8 [9.8] years; 15 male [68.2%]) were included in the ITT analysis. The response rates were 95.0% (95% CI, 85.4%-100%) in the ECT group and 86.4% (95% CI, 72.1%-100%) in the MST group. The YMRS reduction rate (z = -0.82; 95% CI, -0.05 to 0.10; P = .41) and response rate (χ2 = 0.18; 95% CI, -0.13 to 0.31; P = .67) were not significantly different between the groups. The time-by-group interaction was significant for the language domain (F1,24 = 7.17; P = .01), which was well preserved in patients receiving MST but worsened in patients receiving ECT. No serious adverse effects were reported in either group. Conclusions and Relevance: These findings suggest that MST is associated with a high response rate and fewer cognitive impairments in bipolar mania and that it might be an alternative therapy for the treatment of bipolar mania. Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03160664.

Correlative relationship between body mass index and heart rate variability in psychiatric disorders.

OBJECTIVE: Indicators of heart rate variability (HRV) have been used to assess the autonomic activity. However, the influence of obesity on HRV in these patients remains to be determined. This study aimed to examine how obesity (measured with the body mass index [BMI]) affects HRV and determine whether the effect varies among different psychiatric disorders. We recruited 3159 consecutive patients, including 1744 with schizophrenia, 966 with mood disorders, and 449 with anxiety disorders. Patients were divided into four groups based on BMI: underweight (< 18.5), normal weight (18.5-23.9), overweight (24-27.9), and obese (≥ 28). The cardiovascular status was assessed using several time- and frequency-based HRV indicators, measured via electrocardiogram signals recorded for 5 min. The mean BMI of the participants was 23.6 ± 4.0. The patients in the overweight and obese groups were 29.4% and 13.6% of the total, respectively. The HRV indicators were higher in underweight and normal-weight patients than in the overweight and obese ones. After stratification based on the psychiatric diagnosis, the patients with mood disorders showed lower HRV than those with schizophrenia or anxiety disorder in the normal-weight group. In contrast, in the overweight and obese groups the patients with mood disorders showed higher HRV than those with the other disorders. The HRV variables were significantly associated with BMI, and higher BMI was associated with higher heart rates and lower HRV. These results indicate that weight gain in psychiatric disorders is associated with an imbalance in autonomic nerve activity. However, the relationship between autonomic activity, weight gain, and psychiatric disorders warrants further investigation.

Pathological Characteristics and Classification of Unstable Coronary Atherosclerotic Plaques.

Important forensic diagnostic indicators of sudden death in coronary atherosclerotic heart disease, such as acute or chronic myocardial ischemic changes, sometimes make it difficult to locate the ischemic site due to the short death process, the lack of tissue reaction time. In some cases, the deceased died of sudden death on the first-episode, resulting in difficulty for medical examiners to make an accurate diagnosis. However, clinical studies on coronary instability plaque revealed the key role of coronary spasm and thrombosis caused by their lesions in sudden coronary death process. This paper mainly summarizes the pathological characteristics of unstable coronary plaque based on clinical medical research, including plaque rupture, plaque erosion and calcified nodules, as well as the influencing factors leading to plaque instability, and briefly describes the research progress and technique of the atherosclerotic plaques, in order to improve the study on the mechanism of sudden coronary death and improve the accuracy of the forensic diagnosis of sudden coronary death by diagnosing different pathologic states of coronary atherosclerotic plaques.

Parental betaine supplementation promotes gosling growth with epigenetic modulation of IGF gene family in the liver.

Betaine is widely used as a feed additive in the chicken industry to promote laying performance and growth performance, yet it is unknown whether betaine can be used in geese to improve the laying performance of goose breeders and the growth traits of offspring goslings. In this study, laying goose breeders at 39 wk of age were fed basal (Control, CON) or betaine-supplemented diets at low (2.5 g/kg, LBT) or high (5 g/kg, HBT) levels for 7 wk, and the breeder eggs laid in the last week were collected for incubation. Offspring goslings were examined at 35 and 63 d of age. The laying rate tended to be increased (P = 0.065), and the feed efficiency of the breeders was improved by betaine supplementation, while the average daily gain of the offspring goslings was significantly increased (P < 0.05). Concentrations of insulin-like growth factor 2 (IGF-2) in serum and liver were significantly increased in the HBT group (P < 0.05), with age-dependent alterations of serum T3 levels. Concurrently, hepatic mRNA expression of the IGF gene family was significantly increased in goslings derived from betaine-treated breeders (P < 0.05). A higher ratio of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA)-immunopositive nuclei was found in the liver sections of the HBT group, which was confirmed by significantly upregulated hepatic expression of PCNA mRNA and protein (P < 0.05). Moreover, hepatic expression of thyroxine deiodinase type 1 (Dio1) and thyroid hormone receptor ß (TRß) was also significantly upregulated in goslings of the HBT group (P < 0.05). These changes were associated with significantly higher levels of global DNA 5-mC methylation, together with increased expression of methyl transfer genes (P < 0.05), including betaine-homocysteine methyltransferase (BHMT), glycine N-methyltransferase (GNMT), and DNA (cytosine-5-)-methyltransferase 1 (DNMT1). The promoter regions of IGF-2 genes, as well as the predicted TRß binding site on the IGF-2 gene, were significantly hypomethylated (P < 0.05). These results indicate that gosling growth can be improved by dietary betaine supplementation in goose breeders via epigenetic modulation of the IGF gene family, especially IGF-2, in the liver.

The goose industry plays important roles in economics, cultures, and ecosystems, yet the low laying and growth rates of many indigenous breeds hinders the development of the goose farming. Betaine, an important methyl donor, is commonly used as a feed additive in livestock and poultry to enhance animal growth. Dietary supplementation of betaine in laying hens or gestational sows has been reported to promote the growth of their offspring. Here, we sought to investigate whether and how dietary betaine supplementation affects the growth and development of offspring goslings. In this study, goose breeders, both male and female, were fed a basal diet supplemented respectively with 0, 2.5, or 5 g/kg betaine for 7 wk. Goslings hatched from the breeder eggs of different groups were raised under the same standard condition for assessing the growth performance. Parental betaine increases the growth rate of offspring goslings with decreased DNA methylation on the IGF-2 gene promoter and increased expression of the IGF-2 gene in the liver. These results provide scientific evidence for the inter-generational effect of betaine on gosling growth.

A Review of Chronic Lateral Ankle Instability and Emerging Alternative Outcome Monitoring Tools in Patients following Ankle Ligament Reconstruction Surgery.

Ankle sprains are exceedingly common injuries in both athletes and the general population. They account for 10 to 30% of all sports injuries. Although the vast majority of lateral ankle ligament injuries respond successfully to conservative management, the absolute number of those that progress to chronic lateral ankle instability (CLAI) remains considerably important. This condition is characterized by persistent symptoms and may be associated with short-term and long-term complications and functional deficits. There is still a lack of ideal postoperative management of CLAI patients. Furthermore, an evidence-based rehabilitation phasing does not exist and most of the published studies regarding this subject suggest some protocols based on a wide variety of functional assessment scores and other modalities that are not accurate enough. Moreover, the literature that assesses the ability to return to work (RTW) and return to sport (RTS) in the general population and athletes operated for CLAI most commonly shows aggregated results with global rates of RTW or RTS without describing a detailed timeline based on the readiness of patients to return to each level of activity. Although stress radiographs and MRI have been assessed as potential tools to improve postoperative management of CLAI patients, the first modality is limited by its low sensitivity to detect laxity and the second one by its static character and its inability to predict neither the healing process phase nor the mechanical properties of the repaired/reconstructed ligaments. Bioelectrical impedance, mechanical impedance and near-infrared spectroscopy are non-invasive methods of measurement that could be potential assessment tools to help surgeons improve the postoperative management of patients after CLAI surgery.

A high-quality chromosome-level wild rice genome of Oryza coarctata.

Oryza coarctata (2n = 4X = 48, KKLL) is an allotetraploid, undomesticated relative of rice and the only species in the genus Oryza with tolerance to high salinity and submergence. Therefore, it contains important stress and tolerance genes/factors for rice. The initial draft genome published was limited by data and technical restrictions, leading to an incomplete and highly fragmented assembly. This study reports a new, highly contiguous chromosome-level genome assembly and annotation of O. coarctata. PacBio high-quality HiFi reads generated 460 contigs with a total length of 573.4 Mb and an N50 of 23.1 Mb, which were assembled into scaffolds with Hi-C data, anchoring 96.99% of the assembly onto 24 chromosomes. The genome assembly comprises 45,571 genes, and repetitive content contributes 25.5% of the genome. This study provides the novel identification of the KK and LL genome types of the genus Oryza, leading to valuable insights into rice genome evolution. The chromosome-level genome assembly of O. coarctata is a valuable resource for rice research and molecular breeding.

Effect of 12-week shen-based qigong exercise on the residual symptoms of schizophrenia: Study protocol for a single-centre randomised controlled trial.

Introduction: Negative symptoms and cognitive impairment are common residual symptoms of schizophrenia that seriously affect the quality of life and social function of patients. The intervention of residual symptoms is an important part of schizophrenia rehabilitation. Traditional Chinese exercise has been applied as a supplementary rehabilitation method for schizophrenia. However, research on its use and pertinence in the rehabilitation of residual symptoms remains lacking. In this study, we will verify the intervention effect of a new method, namely, shen-based qigong exercise, on the residual symptoms of schizophrenia, in the hopes of finding a safe and effective rehabilitation method for the residual symptoms of schizophrenia. Methods: This is a single-centre randomised controlled trial. A total of 60 schizophrenics who meet the criteria will be randomly divided into the control and intervention groups in accordance with the ratio of 1:1. Conventional drug treatment will remain unchanged in both groups. In this case, the control group will be given daily rehabilitation, whereas the intervention group will be given daily rehabilitation and shen-based qigong exercise intervention. The intervention period will be 12 weeks. The primary outcome will be negative symptoms assessed by the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. The secondary outcome will be the global cognitive function assessed by the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status and event-related potential P300. Other outcomes will include specific cognitive domain (i.e. working memory), quality of life and social function. The results will be measured within 1 week before and after the intervention. Discussion: The results of this study will likely help find an economical and convenient rehabilitation method for the residual symptoms of schizophrenia and, at the same time, may promote the popularisation and application of traditional Chinese exercises and traditional Chinese medicine theories in the treatment of mental diseases. Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov registry number: NCT05310955.

Cancer stem cells promote lymph nodes metastasis of breast cancer by reprogramming tumor microenvironment.

Breast cancer progression and metastasis are governed by a complex interplay within the tumor immune microenvironment (TIME), involving numerous cell types. Lymph node metastasis (LNM) is a key prognostic marker associated with distant organ metastasis and reduced patient survival, but the mechanisms underlying its promotion by breast cancer stem cells (CSCs) remain unclear. Our study sought to unravel how CSCs reprogram TIME to facilitate LNM. Utilizing single-cell RNA sequencing, we profiled TIME in primary cancer and corresponding metastatic lymph node samples from patients at our institution. To verify the derived data, we cultured CSCs and performed validation assays employing flow cytometry and CyTOF. Our analysis revealed distinct differences in cellular infiltration patterns between tumor and LNM samples. Importantly, RAC2 and PTTG1 double-positive CSCs, which exhibit the highest stem-like attributes, were markedly enriched in metastatic lymph nodes. These CSCs are hypothesized to foster metastasis via activation of specific metastasis-related transcription factors and signaling pathways. Additionally, our data suggest that CSCs might modulate adaptive and innate immune cell evolution, thereby further contributing to metastasis. In summary, this study illuminates a critical role of CSCs in modifying TIME to facilitate LNM. The enrichment of highly stem-like CSCs in metastatic lymph nodes offers novel therapeutic targeting opportunities and deepens our understanding of breast cancer metastasis.

Amygdala's T1-weighted image radiomics outperforms volume for differentiation of anxiety disorder and its subtype.

Introduction: Anxiety disorder is the most common psychiatric disorder among adolescents, with generalized anxiety disorder (GAD) being a common subtype of anxiety disorder. Current studies have revealed abnormal amygdala function in patients with anxiety compared with healthy people. However, the diagnosis of anxiety disorder and its subtypes still lack specific features of amygdala from T1-weighted structural magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. The purpose of our study was to investigate the feasibility of using radiomics approach to distinguish anxiety disorder and its subtype from healthy controls on T1-weighted images of the amygdala, and provide a basis for the clinical diagnosis of anxiety disorder. Methods: T1-weighted MR images of 200 patients with anxiety disorder (including 103 GAD patients) as well as 138 healthy controls were obtained in the Healthy Brain Network (HBN) dataset. We extracted 107 radiomics features for the left and right amygdala, respectively, and then performed feature selection using the 10-fold LASSO regression algorithm. For the selected features, we performed group-wise comparisons, and use different machine learning algorithms, including linear kernel support vector machine (SVM), to achieve the classification between the patients and healthy controls. Results: For the classification task of anxiety patients vs. healthy controls, 2 and 4 radiomics features were selected from left and right amygdala, respectively, and the area under receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of linear kernel SVM in cross-validation experiments was 0.6739±0.0708 for the left amygdala features and 0.6403±0.0519 for the right amygdala features; for classification task for GAD patients vs. healthy controls, 7 and 3 features were selected from left and right amygdala, respectively, and the cross-validation AUCs were 0.6755±0.0615 for the left amygdala features and 0.6966±0.0854 for the right amygdala features. In both classification tasks, the selected amygdala radiomics features had higher discriminatory significance and effect sizes compared with the amygdala volume. Discussion: Our study suggest that radiomics features of bilateral amygdala potentially could serve as a basis for the clinical diagnosis of anxiety disorder.

MYC reshapes CTCF-mediated chromatin architecture in prostate cancer.

MYC is a well characterized oncogenic transcription factor in prostate cancer, and CTCF is the main architectural protein of three-dimensional genome organization. However, the functional link between the two master regulators has not been reported. In this study, we find that MYC rewires prostate cancer chromatin architecture by interacting with CTCF protein. Through combining the H3K27ac, AR and CTCF HiChIP profiles with CRISPR deletion of a CTCF site upstream of MYC gene, we show that MYC activation leads to profound changes of CTCF-mediated chromatin looping. Mechanistically, MYC colocalizes with CTCF at a subset of genomic sites, and enhances CTCF occupancy at these loci. Consequently, the CTCF-mediated chromatin looping is potentiated by MYC activation, resulting in the disruption of enhancer-promoter looping at neuroendocrine lineage plasticity genes. Collectively, our findings define the function of MYC as a CTCF co-factor in three-dimensional genome organization.

Experiment Study on the Effect of Aluminum Sulfate-Based Alkali-Free Accelerator and the w/c on Cement Hydration and Leaching.

The alkali-free accelerator based on aluminum sulfate is widely used in shotcrete in tunnels. Long-term Ca-leaching of shotcrete may adversely affect the tunnels in a water-rich mountain. It is necessary to examine further the impact of the AS accelerator and w/c on cement hydration and leaching. In this study, all the cement pastes were cured in the environment with R.H. > 95% and 20 ± 1 °C for 60 days and leached in a running water test with 6 M NH4Cl at 1 cm/s. The hydration kinetics was characterized by isothermal calorimetry. Additionally, the microstructural and mineralogical alterations were characterized by XRD, SEM, MIP, and N2 absorption. The results show that (1) the AS accelerator affected the hydration kinetics of cement by stimulating early hydration and delaying the late silicate hydration, resulting in AS-accelerated cement pastes with rougher pore structure. As a result, the higher the dose of AS accelerator, the faster the cement pastes will leach. (2) Hydration kinetics of the accelerated cement are not affected by the w/c. The AS-accelerated cement pastes with lower w/c have a denser pore structure. So, the reduction in the w/c contributes to leaching resistance.

Distinct Responses of Modeling- and Remodeling-Based Bone Formation to the Discontinuation of Intermittent Parathyroid Hormone Treatment in Ovariectomized Rats.

Anabolic agents, such as intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH), exert their treatment efficacy through activation of two distinct bone formation processes, namely, remodeling-based bone formation (RBF, bone formation coupled with prior bone resorption) and modeling-based bone formation (MBF, bone formation without prior activation of bone resorption). However, if not followed by an antiresorptive agent, treatment benefit was quickly lost upon withdrawal from anabolic agents. By using in vivo micro-computed tomography imaging and multiplex cryohistology with sequential immunofluorescence staining, we investigated the temporal response of newly formed bone tissue from MBF and RBF and the preexisting bone tissue to withdrawal from PTH treatment and the associated cellular activity in an ovariectomized (OVX) rat model. We first demonstrated continued mineral apposition at both RBF and MBF sites following PTH discontinuation, resulting in an extended anabolic effect after 1-week withdrawal from PTH. It was further discovered that MBF sites had a greater contribution than RBF sites to the extended anabolic effect upon early withdrawal from PTH, evidenced by a higher percentage of alkaline phosphatase-positive (ALP+) surfaces and far greater bone formation activity at MBF versus RBF sites. Furthermore, significant bone loss occurred after 3 weeks of discontinuation from PTH, resulting from marked loss of newly formed bone tissue from RBF and preexisting bone tissue prior to treatment. In contrast, MBF surfaces had a delayed increase of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase activity following PTH discontinuation. As a result, newly formed bone tissue from MBF had greater resistance to PTH discontinuation-induced bone loss than those from RBF and preexisting bone. Understanding various responses of two distinct bone formation types and preexisting bone to anabolic treatment discontinuation is critical to inform the design of follow-up treatment or cyclic treatment strategies to maximize treatment benefit of anabolic agents. © 2022 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

The Effect of SBIRT on Harmful Alcohol Consumption in the Community Health Centers of Shanghai, China: A Randomized Controlled Study.

OBJECTIVE: The present study was a randomized controlled trial with a longitudinal design aimed at examining the effectiveness of Screening, Brief Intervention and Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) on harmful alcohol use in the community health centres in Shanghai, China, and further compared the effects of a multi-session brief intervention (MBI) and a single-session brief intervention (SBI). METHODS: A total of 362 participants were recruited from four districts of Shanghai and randomly assigned to MBI, SBI and routine care (RC) groups. The MBI group received the brief intervention twice. Follow-up assessments were conducted at 1 and 3 months after the intervention. RESULTS: Compared with the SBI and the RC groups, the Alcohol, Smoking and Substance Involvement Screening Test (ASSIST) scores (F = 6.422, P = 0.002), SDS scores (F = 5.779, P = 0.003) and SAS scores (F = 4.004, P = 0.019) were significant improved in the MBI group at 1and 3-month follow-up assessment. In the SBI group, the SDS scores decreased significantly compared with the RC group, and there were no significant differences in ASSIST scores, drinking knowledge scores and SAS scores 1-month follow-up assessment. CONCLUSION: The findings suggested that SBIRT with two sessions of BI had considerable effects on individuals with harmful alcohol use. It provided clinical evidence for future use in China and other Asian countries with similar situations.

A rapid and sensitive ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry method for determination of anlotinib in plasma and dried blood spots: Method development, validation, and clinical application.

RATIONALE: Anlotinib is a multi-target tyrosine kinase inhibitor, approved in China for treating several cancer types. Dose individualization based on therapeutic drug monitoring (TDM) is a useful tool to reduce toxicity. However, it is not convenient for patients to go to hospital for routine TDM via venous blood sampling at a certain time. METHODS: An ultra-performance liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (UPLC-MS/MS) method was developed and validated for determination of anlotinib in human plasma and dried blood spot (DBS), characterized by simple sample preparation, high sensitivity, and short analysis time. The assay was validated in the concentration range of 0.2-200 ng/mL in plasma and 5-1000 ng/mL in DBS. This method was applied to monitor anlotinib exposure levels in patients with advanced biliary tract cancer (BTC) and non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). RESULTS: The trough plasma concentration (Ctrough ) of anlotinib was highly variable among BTC patients with coefficients of variation (CV) of 47.5%. DBS and venous blood samples were also collected from NSCLC patients to determine whether DBS sampling is a viable alternative sampling approach. Pearson correlation coefficient (R) between DBS and plasma concentration was 0.985. Bland-Altman plot demonstrated that the difference between estimated and measured plasma concentration was -2.9%. And 87% of sample pairs had a maximal deviation of ±20%. CONCLUSIONS: Anlotinib exhibits a high inter-individual variability in plasma exposure, and DBS sampling could be a promising tool for TDM of anlotinib.

Instrumented nanoindentation in musculoskeletal research.

Musculoskeletal tissues, such as bone, cartilage, and muscle, are natural composite materials that are constructed with a hierarchical structure ranging from the cell to tissue level. The component differences and structural complexity, together, require comprehensive multiscale mechanical characterization. In this review, we focus on nanoindentation testing, which is used for nanometer to sub-micrometer length scale mechanical characterization. In the following context, we will summarize studies of nanoindentation in musculoskeletal research, examine the critical factors that affect nanoindentation testing results, and briefly summarize other commonly used techniques that can be conjoined with nanoindentation for synchronized imaging and colocalized characterization.

The role of white matter abnormality in the left anterior corona radiata: In relation to formal thought disorder in patients with schizophrenia.

White matter abnormality has been widely reported in patients with schizophrenia (Sz). However, few studies have focused on the relationship between the white matter deficit and formal thought disorder (FTD). Moreover, the role of genetic high risk in FTD-related white matter deficit remains unclear. The present study recruited 46 Sz patients, 18 unaffected first-degree relatives of Sz patients, and 29 healthy controls. There was a widespread fractional anisotropy (FA) reduction in Sz. In addition, reduced FA in the left anterior corona radiata was related to more severe FTD symptoms in Sz. However, the genetic high-risk group only showed lower mean FA in the left anterior limb of the internal capsule than healthy controls. Our findings suggest that abnormality in the left anterior corona radiata may only occur in Sz but not in the genetic high-risk group. Such an abnormality might be associated with the severity of FTD symptoms. Meanwhile, genetic vulnerability may contribute to the abnormality in the left anterior limb of the internal capsule. Better analytical methods are needed to validate our results.

Short Cyclic Regimen With Parathyroid Hormone (PTH) Results in Prolonged Anabolic Effect Relative to Continuous Treatment Followed by Discontinuation in Ovariectomized Rats.

Despite the potent effect of intermittent parathyroid hormone (PTH) treatment on promoting new bone formation, bone mineral density (BMD) rapidly decreases upon discontinuation of PTH administration. To uncover the mechanisms behind this adverse phenomenon, we investigated the immediate responses in bone microstructure and bone cell activities to PTH treatment withdrawal and the associated long-term consequences. Unexpectedly, intact female and estrogen-deficient female rats had distinct responses to the discontinuation of PTH treatment. Significant tibial bone loss and bone microarchitecture deterioration occurred in estrogen-deficient rats, with the treatment benefits of PTH completely lost 9 weeks after discontinuation. In contrast, no adverse effect was observed in intact rats, with sustained treatment benefit 9 weeks after discontinuation. Intriguingly, there is an extended anabolic period during the first week of treatment withdrawal in estrogen-deficient rats, during which no significant change occurred in the number of osteoclasts, whereas the number of osteoblasts remained elevated compared with vehicle-treated rats. However, increases in number of osteoclasts and decreases in number of osteoblasts occurred 2 weeks after discontinuation of PTH treatment, leading to significant reduction in bone mass and bone microarchitecture. To leverage the extended anabolic period upon early withdrawal from PTH, a cyclic administration regimen with repeated cycles of on and off PTH treatment was explored. We demonstrated that the cyclic treatment regimen efficiently alleviated the PTH withdrawal-induced bone loss, improved bone mass, bone microarchitecture, and whole-bone mechanical properties, and extended the treatment duration. © 2021 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research (ASBMR).

Magnetic Seizure Therapy Compared to Electroconvulsive Therapy for Schizophrenia: A Randomized Controlled Trial.

Background: Magnetic seizure therapy (MST) is a potential alternative to electroconvulsive therapy (ECT). However, reports on the use of MST for patients with schizophrenia, particularly in developing countries, which is a main indication for ECT, are limited. Methods: From February 2017 to July 2018, 79 inpatients who met the DSM-5 criteria for schizophrenia were randomized to receive 10 sessions of MST (43 inpatients) or ECT (36 inpatients) over the course of 4 weeks. At baseline and 4-week follow-up, the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess symptom severity and cognitive functions, respectively. Results: Seventy-one patients who completed at least half of the treatment protocol were included in the per-protocol analysis. MST generated a non-significant larger antipsychotic effect in terms of a reduction in PANSS total score [g = 0.17, 95% confidence interval (CI) = -0.30, 0.63] and response rate [relative risk (RR) = 1.41, 95% CI = 0.83-2.39]. Twenty-four participants failed to complete the cognitive assessment as a result of severe psychotic symptoms. MST showed significant less cognitive impairment over ECT in terms of immediate memory (g = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.63-1.89), language function (g =1.14, 95% CI = 0.52-1.76), delayed memory (g = 0.75, 95% CI = 0.16-1.35), and global cognitive function (g = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.45-1.68). The intention-to-treat analysis generated similar results except for the differences in delayed memory became statistically insignificant. Better baseline cognitive performance predicted MST and ECT response. Conclusions: Compared to bitemporal ECT with brief pulses and age-dose method, MST had similar antipsychotic efficacy with fewer cognitive impairments, indicating that MST is a promising alternative to ECT as an add-on treatment for schizophrenia. Clinical Trial Registration: ClinicalTrials.gov, identifier: NCT02746965.