Subjective social status, health and well-being among older adults in China and South Korea: a cross-sectional analysis.

INTRODUCTION: Social status, which encompasses various psychosocial dimensions, such as income, education and social relationships, can have a significant impact on physical and mental health outcomes. The study aims to explore the association among subjective social status, health and well-being among individuals aged 55 years and older in China and South Korea. PARTICIPANTS: Sample population included individuals aged 55 years and older: China (n=1779) and South Korea (n=421). OUTCOME MEASURES: Outcome measures included self-reported health status and well-being which were assessed by life satisfaction and general happiness. RESULTS: The percentage of participants who reported a 'very good' health condition was higher in South Korea (14.5%) than in China (11.0%). The percentage of participants who reported feeling very satisfied (14.7%) with their life was lower in South Korea (11.8%). In China, 6.7% of the respondents reported their health as 'very bad' (rating 5), while in South Korea, this percentage was higher at 18.1%. Regression analysis revealed an inverse association among higher social status and poorer health, lower life satisfaction and lower happiness levels. For example, individuals who placed themselves in the highest social status category had 0.26 times lower odds (95% CI=0.13 to 0.55) of reporting poorer self-rated health status than those in the lowest category. Similarly, compared with individuals who place themselves in the lowest social status category, those who place themselves in the highest social status category have 0.03 times lower odds of reporting lower life satisfaction (95% CI=0.02 to 0.07). CONCLUSION: Overall, the results highlight a significant association among social status, subjective health, life satisfaction and general happiness in both the countries. Health policymakers should identify effective strategies to promote healthy ageing and reduce disparities in health and well-being outcomes among older adults from different social backgrounds.

Comparative efficacy of interventional therapies and devices for coronary in-stent restenosis: A systematic review and network meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials.

Background: In-stent restenosis (ISR) has become a significant obstacle to interventional therapy for atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease. The optimal percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) strategy for patients with coronary ISR remains controversial. This network meta-analysis (NMA) was aimed to compare and estimate the effectiveness of different PCI strategies and commercial devices for the treatment of patients with coronary ISR. Methods: In present study, we systematically searched PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Cochrane Library from database inception to October 20, 2022, to identify randomized controlled trials. We included studies comparing various PCI strategies for the treatment of any type of coronary ISR. The study was registered with PROSPERO, CRD 42022364308. Results: We included 44 eligible trials including 8479 patients, 39 trials comparing the treatment effects of 10 PCIs, and 5 trials comparing the efficacy between different types of drug-eluting stent (DES) or drug-coated balloon (DCB) devices. Among the PCIs, everolimus-eluting stent was the optimal strategy considering target lesion revascularization (TLR), percent diameter stenosis (%DS), and binary restenosis (BR), and sirolimus-coated balloon was the optimal strategy considering late lumen loss (LLL). In the comparison of commercial devices, the combination strategy excimer laser coronary angioplasty plus SeQuent Please paclitaxel-coated balloon showed promising therapeutic prospects. Conclusions: DCB and DES remain the preferred treatment strategies for coronary ISR, considering both the primary clinical outcome (TLR) and the angiographic outcomes (LLL, BR, %DS). Personalized combination interventions including DCB or DES hold promise as a novel potential treatment pattern for coronary ISR.

A stronger association of mental disorders with smaller particulate matter and a modifying effect of air temperature.

Mental disorders (MDs) can be triggered by adverse weather conditions and particulate matter (PM) such as PM2.5 and PM10 (aerodynamic diameter ≤2.5 µm and ≤10 µm). However, there is a dearth of evidence on the role of smaller PM (e.g. PM1, aerodynamic diameter ≤1 µm) and the potential modifying effects of weather conditions. We aimed to collect daily data on emergency department visits and hospitalisations for schizophrenia-, mood-, and stress-related disorders in a densely populated Chinese city (Hefei) between 2016 and 2019. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis was used to examine the short-term association of MDs with PM1, PM2.5, and PM10. The potential modifying effects of air temperature conditions (cold and warm days) were also explored. The three size-fractioned PMs were all associated with an increased risk of MDs; however, the association differed between emergency department visit and hospitalisation. Specifically, PM1 was primarily associated with an increased risk of emergency department visit, whereas PM2.5 was primarily associated with an increased risk of hospitalisation, and PM10 was associated with an increased risk of both emergency department visit and hospitalisation. The PM-MD association appeared to be greatest (although not significant) for PM1 (odds ratio range: 1.014-1.055), followed by PM2.5 (odds ratio range: 1.001-1.009) and PM10 (odds ratio range: 1.001-1.006). Furthermore, the PM-MD association was observed on cold days; notably, the association between PM and schizophrenia-related disorders was significant on both cold and warm days. Our results suggest that the smaller the PM, the greater the risk of MDs, and that the PM-MD association could be determined by air temperature conditions.

Rictor mediates p53 deactivation to facilitate the malignant transformation of hepatocytes and promote hepatocarcinogenesis.

BACKGROUND: Mutations in TP53 gene is considered a main driver of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). While TP53 mutations are the leading cause of p53 dysfunction, their occurrence rates may drop to approximately 10% in cohorts without hepatitis B virus and aflatoxin exposure. This observation suggests that the deactivation of wild-type p53 (p53wt) may be a critical factor in the majority of HCC cases. However, the mechanism undermining p53wt activity in the liver remains unclear. METHODS: Microarray analysis and luciferase assay were utilized to confirm target associations. Gain- and/or loss-of-function methods were employed to assess alterations in signaling pathways. Protein interactions were analyzed by molecular immunological methods and further visualized by confocal microscopy. Bioinformatic analysis was performed to analyze clinical significance. Tumor xenograft nude mice were used to validate the findings in vivo. RESULTS: Our study highlights the oncogenic role of Rictor, a key component of the mammalian target of rapamycin complex 2 (mTORC2), in hepatocytes. Rictor exerts its oncogenic function by binding to p53wt and subsequently blocking p53wt activity based on p53 status, requiring the involvement of mTOR. Moreover, we observed a dynamic nucleocytoplasmic distribution pattern of Rictor, characterized by its translocation from the nucleus (in precancerous lesions) to the cytoplasm (in HCCs) during malignant transformation. Notably, Rictor is directly targeted by the liver-enriched microRNA miR-192, and the disruption of the miR-192-Rictor-p53-miR-192 signaling axis was consistently observed in both human and rat HCC models. Clinical analysis associated lower miR-192/higher Rictor with shorter overall survival and more advanced clinical stages (P < 0.05). In mice, xenograft tumors overexpressing miR-192 exhibited lower Rictor expression levels, leading to higher p53 activity, and these tumors displayed slower growth compared to untreated HCC cells. CONCLUSIONS: Rictor dynamically shuttles between the nucleus and cytoplasm during HCC development. Its pivotal oncogenic role involves binding and inhibiting p53wt activity within the nucleus in early hepatocarcinogenesis. Targeting Rictor presents a promising strategy for HCC based on p53 status.

Intricate role of intestinal microbe and metabolite in schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The brain-gut axis has gained increasing attention due to its contribution to the etiology of various central nervous system disorders. This study aims to elucidate the hypothesis that schizophrenia is associated with disturbances in intestinal microflora and imbalance in intestinal metabolites. By exploring the intricate relationship between the gut and the brain, with the goal of offering fresh perspectives and valuable insights into the potential contribution of intestinal microbial and metabolites dysbiosis to the etiology of schizophrenia. METHODS: In this study, we used a 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene sequence-based approach and an untargeted liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry-based metabolic profiling approach to measure the gut microbiome and microbial metabolites from 44 healthy controls, 41 acute patients, and 39 remission patients, to evaluate whether microbial dysbiosis and microbial metabolite biomarkers were linked with the severity of schizophrenic symptoms. RESULTS: Here, we identified 20 dominant disturbances in the gut microbial composition of patients compared with healthy controls, with 3 orders, 4 families, 9 genera, and 4 species. Several unique bacterial taxa associated with schizophrenia severity. Compared with healthy controls, 145 unusual microflora metabolites were detected in the acute and remission groups, which were mainly involved in environmental information processing, metabolism, organismal systems, and human diseases in the Kyoto encyclopedia of genes and genomes pathway. The Sankey diagram showed that 4 abnormal intestinal and 4 anomalous intestinal microbial metabolites were associated with psychiatric clinical symptoms. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest a possible interactive influence of the gut microbiota and their metabolites on the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.

Impacts of PM2.5 before and after COVID-19 outbreak on emergency mental disorders: A population-based quasi-experimental and case-crossover study.

The ongoing COVID-19 pandemic is a great challenge to mental health, but fine particulate matter (PM2.5), an increasingly reported risk factor for mental disorders, has been greatly alleviated during the pandemic in many countries. It remains unknown whether COVID-19 outbreak can affect the association between PM2.5 exposure and the risk of mental disorders. This study aimed to investigate the associations of total and cause-specific mental disorders with PM2.5 exposure before and after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. Data on daily emergency department visits (EDVs) and hospitalizations of mental disorders from 2016 to 2021 were obtained from Anhui Mental Health Center for Hefei city. An interrupted time series analysis was used to quantify the impact of COVID-19 outbreak on EDVs and hospitalizations of mental disorders. A time-stratified case-crossover analysis was employed to evaluate the association of mental disorders with PM2.5 exposure before and after the COVID-19 outbreak, especially in the three months following the COVID-19 outbreak. After COVID-19 outbreak, there was an immediate and significant decrease in total mental disorders, including a reduction of 15% (95% CI: 3%-26%) in EDVs and 44% (95% CI: 36%-51%) in hospitalizations. PM2.5 exposure was associated with increased risk of EDVs and hospitalizations for total and cause-specific mental disorders (schizophrenia, schizotypal and delusional disorders; neurotic, stress-related, and somatoform disorders) before COVID-19 outbreak, but this PM2.5-related risk elevation significantly decreased after COVID-19 outbreak, with greater risk reduction at the first month after the outbreak. However, young people (0-45 years) were still vulnerable to PM2.5 exposure after the COVID-19 outbreak. This study first reveals that the risk of PM2.5-related emergency mental disorders decreased after the COVID-19 outbreak in China. The low concentration of PM2.5 might benefit mental health and greater efforts are required to mitigate air pollution in the post-COVID-19 era.

Automatic Thoughts, Self-Stigma, and Resilience Among Schizophrenia Patients with Metabolic Syndrome: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Purpose: The study aims to clarify the negative psychological state and resilience impairments of schizophrenia (SCZ) with metabolic syndrome (MetS) while evaluating their potential as risk factors. Patients and Methods: We recruited 143 individuals and divided them into three groups. Participants were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)-24, Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA)-14, Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire (ATQ), Stigma of Mental Illness scale and Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC). Serum biochemical parameters were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. Results: The score of ATQ was highest in the MetS group (F = 14.5, p < 0.001), and the total score of CD-RISC, subscale tenacity score and subscale strength score of CD-RISC were lowest in the MetS group (F = 8.54, p < 0.001; F = 5.79, p = 0.004; F = 10.9, p < 0.001). A stepwise regression analysis demonstrated that a negative correlation was observed among the ATQ with employment status, high-density lipoprotein (HDL-C), and CD-RISC (ß=-0.190, t=-2.297, p = 0.023; ß=-0.278, t=-3.437, p = 0.001; ß=-0.238, t=-2.904, p = 0.004). A positive correlation was observed among the ATQ with waist, TG, WBC, and stigma (ß=0.271, t = 3.340, p = 0.001; ß=0.283, t = 3.509, p = 0.001; ß=0.231, t = 2.815, p = 0.006; ß=0.251, t=-2.504, p = 0.014). The area under the receiver-operating characteristic curve analysis showed that among all independent predictors of ATQ, the TG, waist, HDL-C, CD-RISC, and stigma presented excellent specificity at 0.918, 0.852, 0.759, 0.633, and 0.605, respectively. Conclusion: Results suggested that the non-MetS and MetS groups had grievous sense of stigma, particularly, high degree of ATQ and resilience impairment was shown by the MetS group. The TG, waist, HDL-C of metabolic parameters, CD-RISC, and stigma presented excellent specificity to predict ATQ, and the waist showed excellent specificity to predict low resilience level.

Comparison of Inflation and Ventilation with Hydrogen Sulfide during the Warm Ischemia Phase on Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury in a Rat Model of Non-Heart-Beating Donor Lung Transplantation.

Donor lung ventilation and inflation during the warm ischemia could attenuate ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) after lung transplantation. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S), as a kind of protective gas, has demonstrated the antilung IRI effect. This study is aimed at observing the different methods of administering H2S in the setting of warm ischemia, ventilation, and inflation on the lung graft from a rat non-heart-beating donor. After 1 h of cardiac arrest, donor lungs in situ were inflated with 80 ppm H2S (FS group), ventilated with 80 ppm H2S (VS group), or deflated (control group) for 2 h. Then, the lung transplantation was performed after 3 h cold ischemia. The rats without ischemia and reperfusion were in the sham group. Pulmonary surfactant in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid was measured in donor lung. The inflammatory response, cell apoptosis, and lung graft function were assessed at 3 h after reperfusion. The lung injury was exacerbated in the control group, which was attenuated significantly after the H2S treatment. Compared with the FS group, the pulmonary surfactant in the donor was deteriorated, the lung oxygenation function was decreased, and the inflammatory response and cell apoptosis were increased in the graft in the VS group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, H2S inflation during the warm ischemia phase improved the function of lung graft via regulating pulmonary surfactant stability and decreased the lung graft IRI via decreasing the inflammatory response and cell apoptosis.

Intermediary roles of prospective memory and retrospective memory in the comorbidity of depression and pain.

Background: Patients who suffer comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain (CP) maintain a complex interplay between maladaptive prospective memory (PM) and retrospective memory (RM) with physical pain, and their complications are still unknown. Aims: We aimed to focus on the full cognitive performance and memory complaints in patients with MDD and CP, patients with depression without CP, and control subjects, considering the possible influence of depressed affect and chronic pain severity. Methods: According to the fifth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the criteria given by the International Association of Pain, a total of 124 participants were included in this cross-sectional cohort study. Among them, 82 depressed inpatients and outpatients from Anhui Mental Health centre were divided into two groups: a comorbidity group(patients with MDD and CP) (n=40) and a depression group (patients with depression without CP) (n=42). Meanwhile, 42 healthy controls were screened from the hospital's physical examination centre from January 2019 to January 2022. The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale-24 (HAMD-24) and Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) were used to evaluate the severity of depression. The Pain Intensity Numerical Rating Scale (PI-NRS), Short-Form McGill Pain Questionnaire-2 Chinese version (SF-MPQ-2-CN), Montreal Cognitive Assessment-Basic Section (MoCA-BC), and Prospective and Retrospective Memory Questionnaire (PRMQ) were used to assess pain-related features and the global cognitive functioning of study participants. Results: The impairments in PM and RM differed remarkably among the three groups (F=7.221, p<0.001; F=7.408, p<0.001) and were severe in the comorbidity group. Spearman correlation analysis revealed the PM and RM were positively correlated with continuous pain and neuropathic pain (r=0.431, p<0.001; r=0.253, p=0.022 and r=0.415, p<0.001; r=0.247, p=0.025), respectively. Regression analysis indicated a significant positive relationship between affective descriptors and total BDI-II score (ß=0.594, t=6.600, p<0.001). Examining the mediator pathways revealed the indirect role of PM and RM in patients with comorbid MDD and CP. Conclusions: Patients with comorbid MDD and CP presented more PM and RM impairments than patients with MDD without CP. PM and RM are possibly mediating factors that affect the aetiology of comorbid MDD and CP. Trial registration number: chiCTR2000029917.

The predictive value of nontraditional lipid parameters for intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis: a hospital-based observational study in China.

BACKGROUND: Ischemic strokes are primarily caused by intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. Nontraditional lipid parameters broaden traditional lipid profiles, better reflect the metabolism and interaction between different lipid components, and optimize the predictive ability of lipid profiles for atherosclerotic diseases. This research was carried out to investigate the predictive value of nontraditional lipid parameters for intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. METHODS: The investigation collected data from inpatients who underwent cervical vascular ultrasonography, carotid CTA, cerebral artery CTA or MRA, and brain MRI or CT from December 2014 to December 2021. The nontraditional lipid parameters were calculated by collecting traditional lipid parameters. To evaluate the predictive power of nontraditional lipid parameters, logistic regression and receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) analyses were performed. RESULTS: Based on the inclusion and exclusion criteria, 545 patients were included. According to the imaging results, inpatients were divided into two groups, including no intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (n = 250) and intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (AS, n = 295). Among them, AS was further divided into three subgroups: intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ICAS), extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (ECAS) and combined intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (IECAS). Logistic regression analysis showed that nontraditional lipid parameters, including the atherogenic index of plasma (AIP), TG/HDL-C, remnant cholesterol (RC), nonhigh-density lipoprotein cholesterol (non-HDL-C), lipoprotein combine index (LCI), atherogenic coefficient (AC), Castelli's index-I (CRI-I) and Castelli's index-II (CRI-II), were significantly correlated with intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis (P < 0.05). Compared with other nontraditional lipid parameters, regardless of adjusting for potential confounding factors, AIP had a greater OR value in ICAS (OR = 4.226, 95% CI: 1.681-10.625), ECAS (OR = 2.993, 95% CI: 1.119-8.003) and IECAS (OR = 4.502, 95% CI: 1.613-12.561). ROC curve analysis revealed that nontraditional lipid parameters had good predictive power for intracranial or extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis. CONCLUSIONS: This Chinese hospital-based study demonstrates that nontraditional lipid parameters (AIP, LCI, RC, CRI-II, AC, CRI-I and non-HDL-C) are effective predictors of intracranial and extracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, of which AIP may be a significant risk factor for predicting atherosclerotic arterial stenosis in the intracranial or extracranial regions.

Mechanism of HMBR in Reducing Membrane Fouling under Different SRT: Effect of Sludge Load on Microbial Properties.

Extracellular polymeric substances (EPS) are the main causative agents of membrane fouling, and the use of a hybrid membrane bioreactor (HMBR) can mitigate this by reducing the EPS content. Four bench scale sets of HMBRs were used simultaneously to treat domestic wastewater. The effect of sludge retention times (SRT) on membrane fouling in HMBRs and the underlying mechanism were investigated by comparing and analyzing the changes in sludge load, microbial characteristics, EPS distribution characteristics, and transmembrane pressure under different SRTs. Results revealed that, among the four SRTs (10 d, 20 d, 30 d, and 60 d), the best removal rates of chemical oxygen demand and total nitrogen were observed for an SRT of 30 d, with average removal rates of 95.0% and 57.1%, respectively. The best results for ammonia nitrogen and total phosphorus removal were observed at an SRT of 20 d, with average removal rates of 84.3% and 99.5%, respectively. SRT can affect sludge load by altering the biomass, which significantly impacts the microbial communities. The highest microbial diversity was observed at an SRT of 30 d (with a BOD sludge load of 0.0310 kg/kg∙d), with Sphingobacteriales exhibiting the highest relative abundance at 19.6%. At this SRT setting, the microorganisms produced the least amount of soluble EPS and loosely bond EPS by metabolism, 3.41 mg/g and 4.52 mg/g, respectively. Owing to the reduced EPS content, membrane fouling was effectively controlled and the membrane module working cycle was effectively enhanced up to 99 d, the longest duration among the four SRTs.

Potential Role of Pain Catastrophic Thinking in Comorbidity Patients of Depression and Chronic Pain.

Background: Although comorbidity of major depressive disorder (MDD) and chronic pain (CP) has been well-studied, their association with pain catastrophizing is largely elusive. This study aimed to investigate the potential effects of pain catastrophizing in patients with a comorbidity. Methods: In total, 140 participants were included in this study and divided into three groups according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders and the International Association for the study of pain (i.e., the comorbidity group: patients with depression with chronic pain, n = 45; depression group: patients with depression without chronic pain, n = 47; and healthy controls: n = 48). The Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD)-24 and Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAMA)-14 were used by professional psychiatrists to evaluate the severity of depression and anxiety. Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) were conducted by patients' self-report to assess the symptom severity. The pain intensity numerical rating scale (PI-NRS) was used to assess the pain intensity. Pain Catastrophizing Scale (PCS) and Pain Anxiety Symptoms Scale (PASS) were used to estimate pain-related negative thinking. Results: The results showed that PASS and PCS scores were significantly different among the three groups. Particularly, the scores in the comorbidity group were the highest. The Pearson correlation analysis revealed a positive correlation between PCS (including the patients' helplessness, magnification, rumination, and total scores) and the severity of depression symptoms, anxiety symptoms, and pain intensity (P < 0.05). A stepwise regression analysis further demonstrated that the total PCS score, high monthly income level, and BDI score had positive impacts on PASS (P < 0.05). We also found that the total BDI score, disease course ≥1 year, and pain intensity had positive effects on PCS (P < 0.05), whereas years of education (≤ 12 years) had a negative effect on PCS (P = 0.012). In all, we have clearly demonstrated that PCS and PASS could serve as potentially predictive factors in patients suffering from comorbidity of MDD and CP. Conclusion: Our results suggested that the pain-related catastrophic thinking and anxiety were more severe in the comorbidity group than in MDD-only group and healthy group. Pain-related catastrophizing thoughts and anxiety may have potentially effects on the comorbidity of depression and chronic pain.

Exploring the link between cognitive deficit, self-esteem, alexithymia, and depressive symptom of schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: To the best of our knowledge, studies have been rarely conducted to assess the correlation between cognitive deficit, self-esteem, and alexithymia in the depressive symptoms of schizophrenia (SCZ). Therefore, this study aims to explore the risk factors associated with impairment of cognitive function, alexithymia, and self-esteem among a representative sample of first-episode schizophrenic patients. METHOD: We recruited 107 first-episode schizophrenic patients (48.6% male, 51.4% female, 36.94 ± 10.73 years) into the research group, according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (5th edition). A total of 45 healthy people (51.1% male, 48.9% female, 32.47 ± 10.94 years) were enlisted in the healthy control group. Psychotic symptoms were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Cognitive functions were estimated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale (MoCA). The feelings of respect and self-acceptance were tested using the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES). Emotion of identifying and describing were measured by self-report scale of Toronto Alexithymia Scale-20 (TAS-20). RESULTS: Overall cognitive impairment and alexithymia were found more serious in the patients of SCZ than the healthy group (p < .001, respectively). The patients of SCZ have higher self-esteem than the healthy group (p = .013). Total score of MoCA, ability of visual space and executive function, and delayed recall were explored had negatively correlation with alexithymia (r = -.319, p = .001; r = -.248, p = .010; r = -0.263, p = .006). Total score of RSES and depressive symptoms of PANSS had a positive correlation with alexithymia (r = .394, p = .001; r = .208, p = .032). Stepwise regression analyses have shown a positive relationship between difficulty describing feelings and depression subscale of PANSS (ß = .188, t = -2.007, p = .047) while a negative relationship between externally oriented thinking and depression subscale of PANSS (ß = -.244, t = -2.603, p = .011). A positive link correlation also was found between the total scores of TAS and RSES (ß = .372, t = 4.144, p = .001). A negative relevance was found between the total scores of TAS and scores of MoCA (ß = -.305, t = -3.348, p = .001). CONCLUSION: Overall impairment of cognitive function and alexithymia are commonly encountered in SCZ patients. Poor cognitive function, alexithymia, and high level self-esteem may be specific detective risk factors for the depressive symptoms of SCZ.

The Predictive Role of Aberrant Metabolic Parameters and Negative Automatic Thinking on the Cognitive Impairments Among Schizophrenia Patients with Metabolic Syndrome.

Purpose: The study aimed to clarify the cognitive impairments of schizophrenia with metabolic syndrome while evaluating their potential as risk factors. Patients and Methods: We recruited 153 participants and divided them into three groups according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fifth Edition, criteria and the guideline standards for the prevention and treatment of dyslipidemia in Chinese adults in 2007 for metabolic syndrome, as follows: healthy control group (n = 47); nonmetabolic syndrome group (n = 58); and metabolic syndrome group (n = 48). Psychotic symptoms were evaluated using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale. Cognitive function and automatic thinking were estimated using the Montreal Cognitive Assessment Scale, Verbal Fluency Test, and Automatic Thoughts Questionnaire. Serum biochemical parameters were measured by automatic biochemistry analyzer. Results: One-way ANOVA analysis revealed that differential cognition impairments in schizophrenia patients compared to controls. Furthermore, results of multiple comparisons showed that more serious barriers in orientation, language fluency, and negative automatic thinking existed in the metabolic syndrome group than in the healthy and non-metabolic syndrome groups. Spearman correlation and stepwise linear regression analyses showed that psychopathological symptoms, high waist circumference, and high triglyceride were the predictive factors for negative automatic thoughts, orientation, and language fluency. Those results collectively revealed that high waist circumference, high triglyceride and negative automatic thinking had validity and effectiveness in predicting the cognitive function impairments of the metabolic syndrome group. Conclusion: The present findings strongly supported the notion that aberrant parameters of high waist circumference, high triglyceride and high negative automatic thoughts had validity and effectiveness predictive role for cognitive impairments in the schizophrenics with metabolic syndrome. The schizophrenia patients with metabolic syndrome should receive regular monitoring and adequate treatment for metabolic and psychological risk factors.

Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair of Highly Tapered Type B Aortic Dissection with Proximal Tapered Stent Grafts and Distal Restrictive Stent Grafts.

BACKGROUND: This study evaluated aortic remodeling in highly tapered type B aortic dissection (TBAD) patients who underwent thoracic endovascular aortic repair (TEVAR) with a proximal tapered stent graft plus a distal restrictive stent graft to maximize thoracic coverage while avoiding distal excessive oversizing. METHODS: Thirty-four patients presenting with highly tapered TABD were randomized to restricted TEVAR (r-TEVAR) and standard TEVAR groups. Highly tapered TBAD was defined as the maximal diameter of the true lumen at proximal and distal thoracic aorta landing zone tapers greater than 8 mm or taper ratio greater than 20%. Patients in the r-TEVAR group underwent proximal tapered stent grafts plus distal restrictive stent grafts, to match the taper ratio of the descending thoracic aorta (DTA) and extend the length of stent coverage. Patients in the standard TEVAR group underwent proximal tapered stent grafts implantation without distal restrictive stent grafts. Aortic remodeling was estimated by computed tomography angiography (CTA) during the follow-up. RESULTS: In total, 16 patients underwent r-TEVAR, and 18 patients underwent standard TEVAR. The taper ratio of the stent graft matched the DTA in the r-TEVAR group (24.7 ± 3.4% vs. 27.3 ± 4.2%, P = 0.068), but did not match that in the standard TEVAR group (13.5 ± 3.3% vs. 30.5 ± 9.6%, P < 0.001). The length of stent graft coverage in the r-TEVAR group was longer than that in the standard TEVAR group (220.4 ± 21.1 mm vs. 175.3 ± 17.8 mm, P < 0.001). Compared with the standard TEVAR group, the r-TEVAR group had better complete remodeling of the DTA at 6 months (40% vs. 5.6%, P = 0.03), 12 months (60% vs. 16.7%, P = 0.027), and 24 months (78.6% vs. 41.2%, P = 0.036) after the operation. There was no difference in the cumulative survival rate between the r-TEVAR and standard TEVAR groups (P = 0.166). CONCLUSIONS: The r-TEVAR with overlapping proximal tapered stent grafts and distal restrictive stent grafts can match the taper of highly tapered TABD, extend the length of stent graft coverage, and lead to better remodeling of the DTA than standard TEVAR.

Network Association of Biochemical and Inflammatory Abnormalities With Psychiatric Symptoms in First-Episode Schizophrenia Patients.

Background: Cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors such as dyslipidemia and systemic aberrant inflammatory processes may occur in patients with psychotic disorders, which may cause increased mortality. The interplay between immune and metabolic markers and its contribution to the clinical symptoms of schizophrenia (SCZ) remain unclear. This study aimed to examine the association of a series of inflammatory factors, plasma biochemical indicators, and SCZ clinical symptomatology with the severity of SCZ symptoms. Methods: A total of 115 participants, including 79 first-episode drug-naïve patients with SCZ and 36 healthy controls, were enrolled in this study. Semi-structured interviews were used to collect sociodemographic data, family history of SCZ, and medical and psychiatric history. The Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS) and the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) were administered by a clinical psychiatrist to evaluate the symptom severity of patients with SCZ. Plasma inflammatory cytokines were measured by a fully automated electrochemiluminescent immunoassay (Meso Scale Discovery). Results: Blood routine, biochemical, and inflammation cytokine test results showed that the levels of white blood cell count, neutrophil count, natrium, CRP, IL-8, IL-6, IL-13, and IL-16 significantly increased in the case group than in the healthy controls (p < 0.05), whereas levels of red blood cell count, hemoglobin concentration, mean corpuscular hemoglobin concentration, total protein, albumin, total bile acid, high-density lipoprotein (HDL), apolipoprotein A1, blood urea nitrogen, kalium and IL-15 were lower than in the healthy controls (p < 0.05). Correlation network analysis results shown that the natrium, HDL and red blood cell count were the top 3 factors closely to with BPRS and PANSS related clinical symptoms among of correlation network (degree = 4). ROC curve analysis explored the IL-16, IL-8, IL-13, IL-15, natrium, and HDL had highly sensitivity and specificity to the predictive validity and effectiveness for SCZ symptoms. Conclusion: Our study revealed a complex interactive network correlation among the cardiovascular risk factors, biological immunity profiles, and psychotic symptoms in first-episode patients. Abnormal inflammatory factors and CVD risk factors had high sensitivity and specificity for predicting SCZ symptoms. Generally, our study provided novel information on the immune-related mechanisms involved in early CVD risk in patients with psychotic disorders.

Efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloon versus non-drug-coated balloon combined with bare metal stent implantation in treatment of patients with occlusions of the superficial femoral artery: a retrospective study in clinical practice.

OBJECTIVE: To assess the efficacy and safety of drug-coated balloon and non-drug-coated balloon combined with bare metal stent implantation for the treatment of patients with occlusions of the superficial femoral artery. METHODS: In this retrospective study, 83 patients with occlusions of the superficial femoral artery were included. Among them, 41 patients received paclitaxel drug coated balloon treatment combined with bare metal stent implantation treatment (experimental group), the remaining 42 received non-drug-coated balloon treatment (control group). Patients were followed up at 1, 6, and 12 months after surgery. The primary clinical assessments, including ankle brachial index (ABI), RutherFord grade, Doppler ultrasound, or CT angiography (CTA), were used to observe the patency of target vessels, perioperative and postoperative complications. RESULTS: All the diseased vessels were successfully opened. There were no serious intraoperative complications such as vascular rupture or acute thrombosis. There was no significant difference in ankle brachial index, RutherFord grade, and total score between the two groups at one month and six months after operation (P>0.05). There was no significant difference in mortality, amputation rate, or thrombosis between the two groups (P>0.05). Twelve months after the operation, the ankle brachial index, Rutherford grade and total score of the experimental group were better than those of the control group (P<0.05). There was no significant difference in mortality, amputation rate, or thrombosis between the two groups (P>0.05). CONCLUSION: Paclitaxel coated balloon is safe and effective in the treatment of superficial femoral arteriosclerosis occlusion. It can significantly improve the ABI and Rutherford grades of patients, and it had a higher patency rate and lower reconstruction rate, but it may affect the healing ability of foot ulcer.

Evaluation of Melatonin Therapy in Patients with Myocardial Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.

Objectives: We conducted a meta-analysis to quantitatively evaluate the effect of melatonin therapy on patients with myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury (MIRI) and explore the influencing factors. Background: Although preclinical studies have shown that melatonin can alleviate MIRI, its protective effect on MIRI in patients remains controversial. Methods: We searched PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and Embase. The primary outcome was cardiac function (left ventricular ejection fraction [LVEF], left ventricular end-diastolic volume [LVEDV], and left ventricular end-systolic volume [LVESV]) and myocardial infarct parameters (total left ventricular mass and infarct size). Results: We included nine randomized controlled clinical trials with 631 subjects. Our results showed that melatonin had no significant effects on the primary outcome, but subgroup analyses indicated that when melatonin was administered by intravenous and intracoronary injection at the early stage of myocardial ischemia, LVEF was improved (<3.5 h; standardized mean difference [SMD]:0.50; 95% CI: 0.06 to 0.94; P = 0.03) and the infarct size was reduced (<2.5 h, SMD: -0.86; 95% CI: -1.51 to -0.22; P = 0.01), whereas when melatonin was injected at the late stage of myocardial ischemia (≥3.5 h or 2.5 h), the results were the opposite. Furthermore, melatonin intervention reduced the level of cardiac injury markers, inflammatory cytokines, oxidation factors, and increased the level of antioxidant factors (P < 0.001). Conclusions: The results indicated that the cardioprotective function of melatonin for MIRI was influenced by the route and timing regimen of melatonin administration; the mechanism of which may be associated with the production of inflammatory cytokines, the balance of oxidation, and antioxidant factors.

Quantitative proteomic analysis reveals the metabolic characteristics and adaptive mechanism of Cupriavidus oxalaticus T2 in the process of simultaneous nitrogen and phenol removal.

Phenol and ammonia in wastewater pose a serious threat to ecosystems and human health. However, the currently limited studies on single bacterium simultaneously removing phenol and nitrogen pollution have not fully elucidated the relevant metabolic mechanisms. The differences in proteomic profile after supplementing with phenol and ammonia for 6 and 24 h, respectively, were evaluated to explore the metabolic characteristics and adaptive mechanism of Cupriavidus oxalaticus T2 during the simultaneous removal process of phenol and nitrogen. Results revealed that a new potential phenol para-degradation pathway appeared in T2. Phenol induced changes in nitrogen metabolism, resulting in increased denitrification and decreased synthesis of glutamate from ammonia at 6 h. In addition, phenol exposure enhanced the expression of cytochrome oxidases with high oxygen affinity and increased ATP synthesis. The increase in chemotaxis and flagellar assembly was conducive to the uptake and utilization of phenol. The synthesis of lipoic acid and biotin was also promoted to resist phenol toxicity. Moreover, phenol triggered cellular stress response, thereby leading to the upregulation of anti-stress proteins, such as universal stress protein, iron­sulfur cluster protein, and chaperones. This study contributes to revealing the metabolic characteristics and adaptive mechanism of T2 during simultaneous nitrogen and phenol removal. SIGNIFICANCE: Phenol and ammonia often co-exist in wastewater, causing serious environmental problems. The information on the metabolic mechanism of simultaneously removing these two pollutants by bacteria is insufficient at present. Moreover, phenol is toxic to microbial and causes cells damage. Therefore, exploring the response mechanism of bacteria to phenol stress is conducive to understand their tolerance mechanism to aromatic compounds. In this study, the metabolic characteristics and adaptive mechanism of C. oxalaticus T2 during the simultaneous removal of phenol and nitrogen process were evaluated by comparing the proteome profiles at different stages. The results revealed the degradation pathways of phenol and nitrogen by strain T2. A variety of phenol response mechanisms were determined, including enhanced energy production, improved cell motility, increased the synthesis of lipoic acid and biotin, and combined action of multiple anti-stress proteins. This study is potentially useful to future phenol and nitrogen co-pollution bioremediation strategies and provides insight into the phenolic compound resistance mechanism in bacteria.

Molecular Immune Mechanism of Intestinal Microbiota and Their Metabolites in the Occurrence and Development of Liver Cancer.

Intestinal microorganisms are closely associated with immunity, metabolism, and inflammation, and play an important role in health and diseases such as inflammatory bowel disease, diabetes, cardiovascular disease, Parkinson's disease, and cancer. Liver cancer is one of the most fatal cancers in humans. Most of liver cancers are slowly transformed from viral hepatitis, alcoholic liver disease, and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. However, the relationship between intestinal microbiota and their metabolites, including short-chain fatty acids, bile acids, indoles, and ethanol, and liver cancer remains unclear. Here, we summarize the molecular immune mechanism of intestinal microbiota and their metabolites in the occurrence and development of liver cancer and reveal the important role of the microbiota-gut-liver axis in liver cancer. In addition, we describe how the intestinal flora can be balanced by antibiotics, probiotics, postbiotics, and fecal bacteria transplantation to improve the treatment of liver cancer. This review describes the immunomolecular mechanism of intestinal microbiota and their metabolites in the occurrence and development of hepatic cancer and provides theoretical evidence support for future clinical practice.