Fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations in sensory-motor networks and limbic system as a potential predictor of treatment response in patients with schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: Previous investigations have revealed substantial differences in neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and individuals diagnosed with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, we are not entirely sure how brain activity links to symptoms in schizophrenia, and there is a need for reliable brain imaging markers for treatment prediction. METHODS: In this longitudinal study, we examined 56 individuals diagnosed with 56 SCZ and 51 HCs. The SCZ patients underwent a three-month course of antipsychotic treatment. We employed resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) along with fractional Amplitude of Low Frequency Fluctuations (fALFF) and support vector regression (SVR) methods for data acquisition and subsequent analysis. RESULTS: In this study, we initially noted lower fALFF values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus, coupled with higher fALFF values in the left hippocampus and right putamen in SCZ patients compared to the HCs at baseline. However, when comparing fALFF values in brain regions with abnormal baseline fALFF values for SCZ patients who completed the follow-up, no significant differences in fALFF values were observed after 3 months of treatment compared to baseline data. The fALFF values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus and left postcentral gyrus, and the left postcentral gyrus were useful in predicting treatment effects. CONCLUSION: Our findings suggest that reduced fALFF values in the sensory-motor networks and increased fALFF values in the limbic system may constitute distinctive neurobiological features in SCZ patients. These findings may serve as potential neuroimaging markers for the prognosis of SCZ patients.

A Hybrid Model for Fetal Growth Restriction Assessment by Automatic Placental Radiomics on T2-Weighted MRI and Multifeature Fusion.

BACKGROUND: MRI-based placental analyses have been used to improve fetal growth restriction (FGR) assessment by complementing ultrasound-based measurements. However, these are still limited by time-consuming manual annotation in MRI data and the lack of mother-based information. PURPOSE: To develop and validate a hybrid model for accurate FGR assessment by automatic placental radiomics on T2-weighted imaging (T2WI) and multifeature fusion. STUDY TYPE: Retrospective. POPULATION: 274 pregnant women (29.5 ± $$ \pm $$ 4.0 years) from two centers were included and randomly divided into training (N = 119), internal test (N = 40), time-independent validation (N = 43), and external validation (N = 72) sets. FIELD STRENGTH/SEQUENCE: 1.5-T, T2WI half-Fourier acquisition single-shot turbo spin-echo pulse sequence. ASSESSMENT: First, the placentas on T2WI were manually annotated, and a deep learning model was developed to automatically segment the placentas. Then, the radiomic features were extracted from the placentas and selected by three-step feature selection. In addition, fetus-based measurement features and mother-based clinical features were obtained from ultrasound examinations and medical records, respectively. Finally, a hybrid model based on random forest was constructed by fusing these features, and further compared with models based on other machine learning methods and different feature combinations. STATISTICAL TESTS: The performances of placenta segmentation and FGR assessment were evaluated by Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) and the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUROC), respectively. A P-value <0.05 was considered statistically significant. RESULTS: The placentas were automatically segmented with an average DSC of 90.0%. The hybrid model achieved an AUROC of 0.923, 0.931, and 0.880 on the internal test, time-independent validation, and external validation sets, respectively. The mother-based clinical features resulted in significant performance improvements for FGR assessment. DATA CONCLUSION: The proposed hybrid model may be able to assess FGR with high accuracy. Furthermore, information complementation based on placental, fetal, and maternal features could also lead to better FGR assessment performance. TECHNICAL EFFICACY: Stage 2.

Differences in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and cognitive function between untreated major depressive disorder and schizophrenia with depressive mood patients.

BACKGROUND: Distinguishing untreated major depressive disorder without medication (MDD) from schizophrenia with depressed mood (SZDM) poses a clinical challenge. This study aims to investigate differences in fractional amplitude of low-frequency fluctuations (fALFF) and cognition in untreated MDD and SZDM patients. METHODS: The study included 42 untreated MDD cases, 30 SZDM patients, and 46 healthy controls (HC). Cognitive assessment utilized the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (rs-fMRI) scans were conducted, and data were processed using fALFF in slow-4 and slow-5 bands. RESULTS: Significant fALFF changes were observed in four brain regions across MDD, SZDM, and HC groups for both slow-4 and slow-5 fALFF. Compared to SZDM, the MDD group showed increased slow-5 fALFF in the right gyrus rectus (RGR). Relative to HC, SZDM exhibited decreased slow-5 fALFF in the left gyrus rectus (LGR) and increased slow-5 fALFF in the right putamen. Changes in slow-5 fALFF in both RGR and LGR were negatively correlated with RBANS scores. No significant correlations were found between remaining fALFF (slow-4 and slow-5 bands) and RBANS scores in MDD or SZDM groups. CONCLUSIONS: Alterations in slow-5 fALFF in RGR may serve as potential biomarkers for distinguishing MDD from SZDM, providing preliminary insights into the neural mechanisms of cognitive function in schizophrenia.

Reduction in Placental Metal and Metalloid in Preeclampsia: A Case-Control Study.

Preeclampsia is a primary placental disorder, with impaired placental vascularization leading to uteroplacental hypoperfusion. We aimed to investigate differences in metal and metalloid content between the placentas of women with preeclampsia and healthy controls. This was a case-control study in 63 women with preeclampsia and 113 healthy women. Clinical data were obtained from medical records. Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS) was used to measure the placental metals and metalloids content. Compared with healthy control subjects, preeclampsia was associated with a significantly lower concentration of essential elements (magnesium, calcium, iron, copper, zinc, and selenium) in the placental tissue. After multivariable adjustment, an interquartile range (IQR) increase in selenium concentration was associated with a reduced risk of preeclampsia with an OR of 0.50 (95% CI: 0.33-0.77). The joint effects of multiple selected metals and metalloids were associated with a reduced risk of preeclampsia. The lower placental magnesium, chromium, iron, zinc, and selenium concentrations of preeclampsia cases indicate a potential link to its pathogenesis. It also provides an intriguing avenue for future research in revealing the underlying mechanisms and potential intervention strategies for preeclampsia.

Effects of oregano essential oil Pickering emulsion and ZnO nanoparticles on the properties and antibacterial activity of konjac glucomannan/carboxymethyl chitosan nanocomposite films.

Green and environmentally friendly natural bio-based food packaging films are increasingly favored by consumers. This study incorporated carboxylated-cellulose nanocrystal stabilized oregano essential oil (OEO) Pickering emulsion and ZnO nanoparticles (ZNPs) into konjac glucomannan (KGM)/carboxymethyl chitosan (CMCS) complexes to develop active food packaging films. The effects of OEO Pickering emulsion and ZNPs on the physical, structural, and antimicrobial activities of the nanocomposite films were evaluated. The OEO Pickering emulsion had a droplet size of 48.43 ± 3.56 µm and showed excellent dispersion and stability. Fourier transform infrared and X-ray diffraction analyses suggested that the interactions between the Pickering emulsion, ZNPs and KGM/CMCS matrix were mainly through hydrogen bonding. SEM observations confirmed that the Pickering emulsion and ZNPs were well incorporated into the KGM/CMCS matrix, forming tiny pores within the nanocomposite films. The incorporation of the OEO Pickering emulsion and/or ZNPs obviously increased the light and water vapor barrier ability, thermal stability, mechanical strength and antimicrobial properties of the KGM/CMCS nanocomposite film. Notably, KGM/CMCS/ZNPs/OEO Pickering emulsion films exhibited the highest barrier, and mechanical and antimicrobial activities due to the synergistic effect between the OEO Pickering emulsion and ZNPs. These results suggest that KGM/CMCS/ZNPs/OEO Pickering emulsion films can be utilized as novel active food packaging materials to extend the shelf life of packaged foods.

PINK1 dominated mitochondria associated genes signature predicts abdominal aortic aneurysm with metabolic syndrome.

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is typically asymptomatic but a devastating cardiovascular disorder, with overall mortality exceeding 80 % once it ruptures. Some patients with AAA may also have comorbid metabolic syndrome (MS), suggesting a potential common underlying pathogenesis. Mitochondrial dysfunction has been reported as a key factor contributing to the deterioration of both AAA and MS. However, the intricate interplay between metabolism and mitochondrial function, both contributing to the development of AAA, has not been thoroughly explored. In this study, we identified candidate genes related to mitochondrial function in AAA and MS. Subsequently, we developed a nomoscore model comprising hub genes (PINK1, ACSL1, CYP27A1, and SLC25A11), identified through the application of two machine learning algorithms, to predict AAA. We observed a marked disparity in immune infiltration profiles between high- and low-nomoscore groups. Furthermore, we confirmed a significant upregulation of the expression of the four hub genes in AAA tissues. Among these, ACSL1 showed relatively higher expression in LPS-treated RAW264.7 cell lines, while CYP27A1 exhibited a notable decrease. Moreover, SLC25A11 displayed a significant upregulation in AngII-treated VSMCs. Conversely, the expression level of PINK1 declined in LPS-stimulated RAW264.7 cell lines but significantly increased in AngII-treated VSMCs. In vivo experiments revealed that the activation of PINK1-mediated mitophagy inhibited the development of AAA in mice. In this current study, we have innovatively identified four mitochondrial function-related genes through integrated bioinformatic analysis. This discovery sheds light on the regulatory mechanisms and unveils promising therapeutic targets for the comorbidity of AAA and MS.

AZD7762 induces CRBN dependent BAG3 degradation through ubiquitin-proteasome pathway.

Protein degraders are currently under rapid development as a promising modality for drug discovery. They are compounds that orchestrate interactions between a target protein and an E3 ubiquitin ligase, prompting intracellular protein degradation through proteasomal pathway. More protein degraders identification will greatly promote the development of this field. BAG3 is widely recognized as an excellent therapeutic target in cancer treatments. Exploring protein degraders that target BAG3 degradation has profound implications. Herein, molecular docking was applied to assess binding energy between 81 clinical phase I kinase inhibitors and BAG3. BAG3 protein and mRNA level were detected by western blot and quantitative real-time PCR. CCK8 assay and colony formation assay were applied to detect the cell viability and proliferation rate. Cell death was accessed using flow cytometry combined with PI and Annexin V double staining. AZD7762, a Chk1 kinase inhibitor, was identified to induce BAG3 degradation in a ubiquitin-proteasome pathway. AZD7762-induced BAG3 degradation was not dependent on Chk1 expression or activity. CRBN, an E3 ligase, was identified to bind to BAG3 and mediated BAG3 ubiquitination in the presence of AZD7762. By targeting Chk1 and BAG3, two ideal therapeutic targets in cancer treatment, AZD7762 would be a powerful chemotherapy agent in the future.

LincRNA01703 Facilitates CD81+ Exosome Secretion to Inhibit Lung Adenocarcinoma Metastasis via the Rab27a/SYTL1/CD81 Complex.

Metastasis, a major cause of cancer-related mortality worldwide, frequently occurs early in the diagnosis of lung adenocarcinoma (LUAD). However, the precise molecular mechanisms governing the aggressive metastatic behavior of LUAD remain incompletely understood. In this study, we present compelling evidence indicating that the long noncoding RNA linc01703 is significantly downregulated in metastatic lung cancer cells. Intriguingly, in vivo experiments revealed that Linc01703 exerted a profound inhibitory effect on lung cancer metastasis without discernible impact on the in vitro proliferation or invasion capacities of LUAD cells. Mechanistically, Linc01703 enhanced the interaction between Rab27a, SYTL1, and CD81, consequently promoting the secretion of CD81+ exosomes. These exosomes, in turn, suppressed the infiltration of immune cells within the tumor microenvironment, thereby impeding LUAD metastasis. Importantly, our analysis of lung cancer tissues revealed a correlation between reduced CD81 expression and an unfavorable patient prognosis. Collectively, our findings suggest that Linc01703 functions as a metastasis suppressor by facilitating the secretion of CD81+ exosomes through the formation of the Rab27a/SYTL1/CD81 complex.

Separation of binary and ternary oil/water mixtures from a highly hydrophobic metal mesh.

A highly hydrophobic metal mesh has great potential for its application in oil/water separation due to its special wettability. However, most current oil/water separation devices are simple with limited separation capacity. A separation device based on a highly hydrophobic metal mesh was constructed for different types of oil/water mixtures. Experimental results show that the device not only can be used for the continuous separation of binary oil/water mixtures of any density ratios but also can realize the simultaneous separation of heavy oil/water/light oil ternary mixtures. This achievement is meaningful for practical applications, which will gain great interest in the future.

Metabonomics Analysis of Brain Stem Tissue in Rats with Primary Brain Stem Injury Caused Death.

OBJECTIVES: To explore the potential biomarkers for the diagnosis of primary brain stem injury (PBSI) by using metabonomics method to observe the changes of metabolites in rats with PBSI caused death. METHODS: PBSI, non-brain stem brain injury and decapitation rat models were established, and metabolic maps of brain stem were obtained by LC-MS metabonomics method and annotated to the HMDB database. Partial least square-discriminant analysis (PLS-DA) and random forest methods were used to screen potential biomarkers associated with PBSI diagnosis. RESULTS: Eighty-six potential metabolic markers associated with PBSI were screened by PLS-DA. They were modeled and predicted by random forest algorithm with an accuracy rate of 83.3%. The 818 metabolic markers annotated to HMDB database were used for random forest modeling and prediction, and the accuracy rate was 88.9%. According to the importance in the identification of cause of death, the most important metabolic markers that were significantly up-regulated in PBSI group were HMDB0038126 (genipinic acid, GA), HMDB0013272 (N-lauroylglycine), HMDB0005199 [(R)-salsolinol] and HMDB0013645 (N,N-dimethylsphingosine). CONCLUSIONS: GA, N-lauroylglycine, (R)-salsolinol and N,N-dimethylsphingosine are expected to be important metabolite indicators in the diagnosis of PBSI caused death, thus providing clues for forensic medicine practice.

Alexithymia in chronic schizophrenia and its mediating effect between cognitive deficits and negative symptoms.

BACKGROUND: Although cognition is known to impact clinical symptoms of schizophrenia, few studies investigate the potential mediators of this relationship. This study aimed to examine the relationship between cognitive deficits and negative symptoms in schizophrenia, considering the mediating role of alexithymia as an important psychological variable. Moreover, the prevalence of alexithymia in patients with schizophrenia was investigated. METHODS: A total of 689 patients with schizophrenia were recruited from two psychiatric hospitals. All patients completed the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), 20-item Toronto Alexithymia Scale (TAS-20), and the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). We used structural equation modeling to examine the hypothesized mediated model. RESULTS: In total, 31.5 % of patients with schizophrenia were classified as alexithymia. The path analyses showed that two factors of alexithymia (i.e., the difficulty in identifying feelings and difficulty in describing feelings), played a mediating role in the pathway from cognitive deficits to negative symptoms (all p < .001). LIMITATIONS: Self-reported measurement for alexithymia may not be sufficiently reliable due to response bias. CONCLUSION: Our findings demonstrated a high occurrence of alexithymia in patients with schizophrenia. Moreover, the mediating role of alexithymia suggests that targeting emotion processing and cognition may be a feasible way to mitigate negative symptoms.

Developmental validation of a novel multiple genotyping assay with 24 Canine STR loci.

Canine individual identification and parentage testing are essential in various fields, including forensics and breeding programs. This study aimed to develop and validate the Canine 25 A kit, a multiplex polymerase chain reaction (PCR) system designed to address these critical requirements. This novel system enables the simultaneous amplification of 24 canine autosomal short tandem repeat (STR) loci and one sex-determining marker. Validation of the Canine 25 A kit was conducted following the Scientific Working Group on DNA Analysis Methods (SWGDAM) guidelines, demonstrating significant sensitivity, high inhibitor tolerance, canine specificity within a mixture, species specificity, and precision in genotype determination. The Canine 25 A kit was crucial in resolving several forensic cases, such as casework samples from a dog attack incident and parentage determination. Its effectiveness in genotyping these samples highlights its significance in forensic applications. Population genetic parameter analysis revealed a high discriminatory power, as indicated by the calculated combined discrimination power (CDP) values for each breed exceeding 0.999 999 999 999, while the combined power of exclusion (CPE) surpassed 0.9999. Overall, the Canine 25 A kit offers a precise and dependable tool for canine individual identification and parentage determination.

Comprehensive analyses of m6A RNA methylation patterns and related immune microenvironment in idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH) is a life-threatening disease with a poor prognosis and high heritability, characterized by elevated pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) and pulmonary artery pressure. N6-methyladenosine (m6A) RNA modification influences many RNA metabolism pathways. However, the position of m6A methylation regulators in IPAH remains unknown. Therefore, the study aims to disclose the function m6A regulators exert in the pathological mechanisms of IPAH and the immune microenvironment involved. The GSE117261 dataset was downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) to screen the differentially expressed genes (DEGs) between normal and IPAH samples. Functional and pathway enrichment analyses of DEGs were then conducted by Gene ontology (GO) analysis and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG). We also identified the differentially-expressed m6A (DEm6A) regulators between normal and IPAH samples. Key m6A regulators related to the prediction of IPAH were selected using the random forest model. The results showed that FMR1, RBM15, HNRNPA2B1 and IGFBP3 were upregulated in IPAH. In contrast, LRPPRC was downregulated. The single sample gene set enrichment analysis (ssGSEA) method was then adopted to estimate the immune microenvironment in distinct m6A clusters and m6A phenotype-related genes (PRGs) clusters, respectively. Furthermore, we calculated the m6A score via principal component analysis (PCA), and the Sankey diagram was selected to present the correlation among the m6A clusters, m6A PRGs clusters and m6A score. Finally, quantitative RT-PCR and Western blotting were used to validate the key genes in human pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) treated by human platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB). The relative mRNA and protein expression levels of FMR1 were significantly elevated, however, the relative mRNA and protein expression levels of LRPPRC were downregulated. Besides, the relative mRNA level of HNRNPA2B1 was increased. Generally, this bioinformatics analysis might provoke more insights into diagnosing and treating IPAH.

Deviant spontaneous neural activity as a potential early-response predictor for therapeutic interventions in patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: Previous studies have established significant differences in the neuroimaging characteristics between healthy controls (HCs) and patients with schizophrenia (SCZ). However, the relationship between homotopic connectivity and clinical features in patients with SCZ is not yet fully understood. Furthermore, there are currently no established neuroimaging biomarkers available for the diagnosis of SCZ or for predicting early treatment response. The aim of this study is to investigate the association between regional homogeneity and specific clinical features in SCZ patients. Methods: We conducted a longitudinal investigation involving 56 patients with SCZ and 51 HCs. The SCZ patients underwent a 3-month antipsychotic treatment. Resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI), regional homogeneity (ReHo), support vector machine (SVM), and support vector regression (SVR) were used for data acquisition and analysis. Results: In comparison to HCs, individuals with SCZ demonstrated reduced ReHo values in the right postcentral/precentral gyrus, left postcentral/inferior parietal gyrus, left middle/inferior occipital gyrus, and right middle temporal/inferior occipital gyrus, and increased ReHo values in the right putamen. It is noteworthy that there was decreased ReHo values in the right inferior parietal gyrus after treatment compared to baseline data. Conclusion: The observed decrease in ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and increase in ReHo values in the right putamen may represent distinctive neurobiological characteristics of patients with SCZ, as well as a potential neuroimaging biomarker for distinguishing between patients with SCZ and HCs. Furthermore, ReHo values in the sensorimotor network and right putamen may serve as predictive indicators for early treatment response in patients with SCZ.

Effects of Diets Containing Different Levels of Copper, Manganese, and Iodine on Rumen Fermentation, Blood Parameters, and Growth Performance of Yaks.

Copper, manganese, and iodine are part of a yak's required trace elements. However, knowledge about their dietary requirements is scarce. Therefore, an experiment was conducted to evaluate rumen fermentation, blood parameters, and growth performance and screen out the optimum levels of trace elements in yaks' diet. Here, 18 three-year-old castrated yaks were randomly divided into four groups, which fed with diets containing basal (CON: 4.40, 33.82, and 0 mg/kg) and low-level (LL: 10.00, 40.00, and 0.30 mg/kg), middle-level (ML: 15.00, 50.00, and 0.50 mg/kg), and high-level (HL: 20.00, 60.00, and 0.70 mg/kg) copper, manganese, and iodine for 30 days. With the increase in trace elements, yaks' daily weight gain (DWG), rumen pH, ammonia nitrogen, microbial protein (MCP), and volatile fatty acids levels and serum triglycerides and urea nitrogen levels showed firstly increasing and then decreasing trends and reached the highest values in ML, and serum ceruloplasmin and total superoxide dismutase (T-SOD) activities showed continuously increasing trends. Yaks' DWG, rumen MCP, butyrate, and valerate levels and serum triglycerides, urea nitrogen, ceruloplasmin, and T-SOD levels in ML were significantly higher than CON. Therefore, the recommended levels of copper, manganese, and iodine in growing yaks' diet are 15.00, 50.00, and 0.50 mg/kg (ML), respectively.

Genetic polymorphism and variability in the Guangdong Hakka, Teochew, and Cantonese groups: A comprehensive analysis of 19 X-STRs.

BACKGROUND: X chromosomeshort tandem repeat (X-STR) loci are playing an increasingly important role inforensic work, identifying female traces in male contamination and explainingcomplex kinship analyses. METHODS: In this study, we analyzed thegenetic polymorphism of 19 X-STR loci in the Guangdong Hakka, Teochew and Cantonese groups, respectively, aswell as in the Guangdong Hakka, Teochew andCantonese pooled Han. The genetic diversity and forensic characteristics of the19 X-STRs and 7 linkage groups were investigated, respectively. RESULTS: The experiments showed that the genetic diversity (GD) and polymorphism information content (PIC) in the pooledGuangdong Han ranged from 0.5320 to 0.9234 and 0.4369 to 0.9171, respectively, and the cumulative power of discrimination for males (PDM), power of discrimination for females (PDF) and mean paternity exclusion chance (MEC) were higher than 0.9999999, indicating that the 19 X-STRs had high geneticpolymorphism and discriminatory power. Genetic differences among Chinese Hansubgroups and among different Chinese populations were investigated byphylogenetic reconstruction and principal component analysis (PCA), respectively. Genetic analyses based on neighbor-joining (NJ) tree and principal component analysis plot showed that Cantonese, Teochew and Hakka were closely genetically related, and different populations with closer linguistic components had more genetic affinity. CONCLUSIONS: This study adds to the forensic X-STR database and demonstrates the forensic efficiency of 19 X-STRs for the Hakka, Teochewand Cantonese populations in Guangdong, and the pooled Han of Hakka, Teochewand Cantonese people in Guangdong.

Bennett fracture combined with hamate fracture: carpometacarpal joint 'diagonal' fracture and dislocation: a case report.

BACKGROUND: Multiple carpometacarpal fractures and dislocations are rare. This case report describes a novel multiple carpometacarpal injury, namely, 'diagonal' carpometacarpal joint fracture and dislocation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 39-year-old male general worker sustained a compression injury to his right hand in the dorsiflexion position. Radiography indicated a Bennett fracture, hamate fracture, and fracture at the base of the second metacarpal. Subsequent computed tomography and intraoperative examination confirmed an injury to the first to fourth carpometacarpal joint along a diagonal line. The normal anatomy of the patient's hand was successfully restored via open reduction combined with Kirschner wire and steel plate fixation. CONCLUSION: Our findings highlight the importance of taking the injury mechanism into account to avoid a missed diagnosis and to choose the best treatment approach. This is the first case of 'diagonal' carpometacarpal joint fracture and dislocation to be reported in the literature.

Effect of HD-tDCS on white matter integrity and associated cognitive function in chronic schizophrenia: A double-blind, sham-controlled randomized trial.

Schizophrenia is a disabling major mental disorder, which includes critical deficits in cognitive function, for which no effective intervention currently exists. The aim of our double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled trial was to evaluate the effects of high-definition transcranial direct current stimulation (HD-tDCS) on the cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. This study sample consisted of 56 individuals with chronic schizophrenia, randomly allocated to either the active stimulation or sham group. The treatment consisted of ten consecutive days of HD-tDCS, 20 min/day, applied over the left dorsolateral prefrontal lobe. Changes in clinical outcomes, cognitive assessments, and diffusion tensor imaging were evaluated pre- to post-intervention. Matched-healthy controls (HCs) were included to identify white matter changes in patients with schizophrenia before treatment. Compared to HCs, schizophrenia was associated with reduced integrity of the white matter tracts of the corpus callosum and corona radiata. HD-tDCS enhanced integrity in the corpus callosum and anterior and superior corona radiata, which was associated with the change in cognitive performance. HD-tDCS offers a potential approach to improve cognition deficits in schizophrenia through a modulatory effect on white matter tracts. Given the lack of approved treatments for cognitive deficits, these findings are clinically relevant.

Adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes of patients with history of recurrent miscarriage: a retrospective cohort study.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the associations between a history of recurrent miscarriage (RM) and adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in the subsequent pregnancy that progressed beyond 24 weeks. DESIGN: Retrospective cohort study. SETTING: A large tertiary maternity hospital. PATIENT(S): All women who booked for antenatal care and delivery between January 2014 and August 2021 were recorded. The study was limited to women with a singleton pregnancy, and to avoid intraperson correlation, we selected the first record of delivery from each mother in the study, leaving 108,792 deliveries for analysis. Obstetric and perinatal outcomes were compared among 1994 women (1.83%) with a history of ≥2 miscarriages (RM), 11,477 women (10.55%) with a history of 1 miscarriage, and 95,321 women (87.62%) with no history of miscarriage, respectively. INTERVENTION(S): Women with a history of ≥2 miscarriages or RM. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE(S): Obstetric complications included gestational diabetes mellitus, preeclampsia (subclassified as preterm and term preeclampsia), placenta previa, placenta accreta, and fetal distress. Perinatal outcomes included emergency cesarean section, elective cesarean section, induction, postpartum hemorrhage, preterm birth, stillbirth, Apgar score <7 at 5 minutes, neonatal asphyxia, neonatal sex, congenital; malformation, low birth weight, and neonatal death. RESULT(S): After adjusting for relevant confounders, there was an increased risk of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes in a subsequent pregnancy for women with a history of RM, specifically for placental dysfunction disorders: preterm preeclampsia (risk ratio [RR] = 1.58; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-2.32), preterm birth (RR = 1.34; 95% CI, 1.15-1.54)], and abnormal placentation, that is placenta previa (RR = 1.78; 95% CI, 1.36-2.28), and placenta accreta (RR = 4.19; 95% CI, 2.75-6.13). CONCLUSION(S): Significant associations existed between a history of RM and the occurrence of adverse obstetric and perinatal outcomes including placental dysfunction disorders and abnormal placentation. These findings may contribute to the early detection and appropriate intervention for placenta-associated diseases in women with a history of RM, with the goal of avoiding or reducing the associated detrimental effects.