Electrospray Ionization Mass Spectrometry (ESI‐MS) technique and density functional theory (DFT) calculations were combined to study the formation of the complexes of lanthanides (Ln = La, Ce, Nd, ...Sm, Eu, Yb) and actinides (UO22+, Th4+) with CyMe4‐BTBP (6,6′‐bis(5,5,8,8‐tetramethyl‐5,6,7,8‐tetrahydro‐benzo‐1,2,4‐triazin‐3‐yl)‐2,2′bipyridine) to understand the mechanisms during the extraction process. Mass spectrometry titrations showed the formation of the complexation in acetonitrile. For lanthanides, only 1:2 complexes (Ln(L)23+, Ln(L)2(CH3CN)3+), Ln(L)2(NO3)2+) were found at low Ln/L concentration ratios, whereas the 1:1 complexes (Ln(L)(NO3)2+) were observed when the Ln/L concentration ratio reached 1.0. For uranyl complexes, 1:1 complex (UO2L(NO3)+) was the only species within the measuring range. Th4+ complexes had two compositions: 1:1 and 1:2, in which 1:2 species was the dominant complex. Collision‐induced dissociation (CID) was employed to characterize the fragmentation process. The fragmentation process was unfolded sequentially on both sides of CyMe4‐BTBP ligand with the loss of alkyl groups and cleavage of triazinyl rings. The CID results of CyMe4‐BTBP complexes revealed a slight difference depending on the metal center. The DFT calculations showed that the stable complexes formed in acetonitrile solution were consistent with the ESI‐MS results.
Non‐small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for approximately 85% of lung cancer. Cisplatin is commonly used in the treatment of many malignant tumours including NSCLC. The innate drug sensitivity ...greatly affects the clinical efficacy of cisplatin‐based chemotherapy. As a plasma membrane adhesion molecule, amphoterin‐induced gene and ORF‐2 (AMIGO2) initially identified as a neurite outgrowth factor has been recently found to play a crucial role in cancer occurrence and progression. However, it is still unclear whether AMIGO2 is involved in innate cisplatin sensitivity. In the present study, we provided the in vitro and in vivo evidences indicating that the alteration of AMIGO2 expression triggered changes of innate cisplatin sensitivity as well as cisplatin‐induced pyroptosis in NSCLC. Further results revealed that AMIGO2 might inhibit cisplatin‐induced activation of (caspase‐8 and caspase‐9)/caspase‐3 via stimulating PDK1/Akt (T308) signalling axis, resulting in suppression of GSDME cleavage and the subsequent cell pyroptosis, thereby decreasing the sensitivity of NSCLC cells to cisplatin treatment. The results provided a new insight that AMIGO2 regulated the innate cisplatin sensitivity of NSCLC through GSDME‐mediated pyroptosis.
The gap between the demand and delivery of mental health services in mainland China can be reduced by validating freely available and psychometrically sound psychological instruments. The present ...research examined the Chinese version of the 21-item Depression Anxiety Stress Scales (DASS-21). Study 1 administered the DASS-21 to 1,815 Chinese college students and found internal consistency indices (Cronbach's alpha) of .83, .80, and .82 for the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress subscales, respectively, and .92 for the total DASS total. Test-retest reliability over a 6-month interval was .39 to .46 for each of the 3 subscales and .46 for the total DASS. Moderate convergent validity of the Depression and Anxiety subscales was demonstrated via significant correlations with the Chinese Beck Depression Inventory (r = .51 at Time 1 and r = .64 at Time 2) and the Chinese State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (r = .41), respectively. Confirmatory factor analyses supported the original 3-factor model with 1 minor change (nonnormed fit index NNFI = .964, comparative fit index CFI = .968, and root mean square error of approximation RMSEA = .079). Study 2 examined the clinical utility of the Chinese DASS-21 in 166 patients with schizophrenia and 90 matched healthy controls. Patients had higher Depression and Anxiety but not Stress subscale scores than healthy controls. A discriminant function composed of the linear combination of 3 subscale scores correctly discriminated 69.92% of participants, which again supported the potential clinical utility of the DASS in mainland China. Taken together, findings in these studies support the cross-cultural validity of the DASS-21 in China.
Highlights • A decrease in BDNF and altered oxidative stress (OS) was found in schizophrenia patients. • A significant negative correlation between BDNF and SOD was noted only in patients. • The ...interaction between BDNF and CAT was associated with the PANSS cognitive factor. • Both BDNF and OS may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia.
Foshan is a major international ceramic center and the most polluted city in the Pearl River Delta (PRD). Here we present the results of the first long-term PM2.5 (particles <2.5μm) sampling and ...chemical characterization study of the city. A total of 2774 samples were collected at six sites from 2008 to 2014, and analyzed for water soluble species, elements and carbonaceous species. The major constituents of PM2.5 were sulfate, OC (Organic Carbon), nitrate, ammonium and EC (Elemental Carbon), which accounted for 50%–88% of PM2.5. PM2.5 and the most abundant chemical species decreased from 2008 to 2011, but rebounded in 2012–2013. After 2008, the chemical composition of PM2.5 changed dramatically due to the implementation of pollution control measures. From 2008 to 2011, SO42− and NO3− were the two largest components; subsequently, however, OC was the largest component. The respective contributions of SO42−, NO3− and OC to the sum of water soluble species and carbonaceous species were 30.5%, 22.9% and 19.9% in 2008; and 20.2%, 16.5% and 30.2% in 2014. Distinct differences in nitrate and sulfate, and in mass ratio NO3−/SO42− imply that mobile sources tended to more important in Foshan during 2012–2014. The results indicate that pollution control measures implemented during 2008–2014 had a large effect on anthropogenic elements (Pb, As, Cd, Zn and Cu) and water soluble species, but little influence on crustal elements (V, Mn, Ti, Ba and Fe) and carbonaceous species. The PMF method was used for source apportionment of PM2.5. Industry (including the ceramic industry and coal combustion), vehicles and dust were the three most important sources and comprised 39.2%, 20.0% and 18.4% of PM2.5 in 2008, respectively. However, secondary aerosols, vehicles and industry were the three most important sources and comprised 29.5%, 22.4% and 20.4% of PM2.5 in 2014, respectively. During the seven year study interval, the contributions of primary sources (industry and dust) decreased significantly, but secondary sources increased dramatically. Industry, dust and vehicles contributed 36.6μgm−3, 13.9μgm−3, and 9.2μgm−3 to the reduction of PM2.5, respectively.
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•Seven-years long characteristic of chemical and source of PM2.5 were investigated•PM2.5 and most of chemical species decreased significantly from 2008 to 2014•Sulfate and OC were the most important chemical species in 2008 and 2014•Primary sources decreased significantly, but secondary sources increased.•Continuous monitoring is an adequate strategy for air quality control policy
Lead (Pb) is one of the toxic heavy metals that have several toxicological implications including cytotoxicities and oxidative stress. The release of reactive oxygen species (ROS) usually initiates ...lipid peroxidation and resulting in inflammation and tissue injury. However, the detailed identification of the Pb-produced lipid hydroperoxides has received little attention. Furthermore, the mechanisms behind such effects are less informed. Therefore, this study firstly investigated Pb-produced lipid hydroperoxides in human HepG2 cells using LC/MS. The effects of Pb on the antioxidant enzymes were additionally examined using qPCR and their dependent activities. As a protection trial, the ameliorative effects of rosmarinic (RMA) and ascorbic (ASA) acids on Pb-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress and their regulatory effects on Nrf2/Keap1 pathway were investigated. The achieved results confirmed cytotoxicity and oxidative damage of Pb on HepG2 cells. In addition, 20 lipid hydroperoxides (LOOH) were identified including 11 phosphatidylcholine hydroperoxides (PCOOH), 5 triacylglycerol hydroperoxides (TGOOH) and 4 cholesteryl ester hydroperoxides (CEOOH). The most dominant LOOH species were PCOOH 34:2, PCOOH 34:3, PCOOH 38:7, TGOOH 60:14, TGOOH 60:15, CEOOH 18:3 and CEOOH 20:4. Pb significantly downregulated Nrf2-regulated antioxidant enzymes at both the pretranscriptional and functional levels. Co-exposure of HepG2 cells to RMA and ASA significantly reduced Pb-produced adverse outcomes. This protection occurred via activation Nrf2-Keap1 antioxidant pathway.
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•Lead (Pb) induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress production in HepG2 cells.•Lead produced 20 lipid hydroperoxides including TGOOH, CEOOH and PCOOH.•Lead downregulated antioxidant enzymes.•Ascorbic and Rosmarinic acids reduced Pb-induced cytotoxicity and oxidative stress.•Ascorbic and Rosmarinic acids enhanced antioxidant enzymes via Nrf2 activation.
Abstract
Although schizophrenia is a brain disorder, increasing evidence suggests that there may be body-wide involvement in this illness. However, direct evidence of brain structures involved in the ...presumed peripheral-central interaction in schizophrenia is still unclear. Seventy-nine previously treatment-naïve first-episode schizophrenia patients who were within 2-week antipsychotics initial stabilization, and 41 age- and sex-matched healthy controls were enrolled in the study. Group differences in subcortical brain regional structures measured by MRI and the subclinical cardiovascular, metabolic, immune, and neuroendocrine biomarkers as indexed by allostatic load, and their associations were explored. Compared with controls, patients with schizophrenia had significantly higher allostatic load (P = .001). Lateral ventricle (P < .001), choroid plexus (P < .001), and thalamus volumes (P < .001) were significantly larger, whereas amygdala volume (P = .001) was significantly smaller in patients. The choroid plexus alone was significantly correlated with higher allostatic load after age, sex, education level, and the total intracranial volume were taken into account (t = 3.60, P < .001). Allostatic load was also significantly correlated with PANSS positive (r = 0.28, P = .016) and negative (r = −0.31, P = .008) symptoms, but in opposite directions. The peripheral multisystemic and central nervous system abnormalities in schizophrenia may interact through the choroid plexus during the early stage of the illness. The choroid plexus might provide a sensitive structural biomarker to study the treatment and prevention of brain-periphery interaction abnormalities in schizophrenia.
The adaptive function of balanced time perspective is widely acknowledged within positive psychology, yet little is known regarding the expression of time perspective in clinical populations and its ...relation to clinical features. The current study aimed to examine the nature of time perspective in schizophrenia and to determine whether alterations in balanced time perspective is associated with maladaptive outcomes in terms of clinical and cognitive symptoms. A total of 104 patients with schizophrenia and 93 matched healthy controls participated in this study. Time perspective, negative symptoms, working memory and response inhibition was measured. Results showed that patients with schizophrenia manifested lower balanced time perspective with marginal significance in the context of impaired working memory but intact response inhibition. Correlation analyses revealed that deviation from balanced time perspective in schizophrenia was negatively associated with working memory capacity, as well as positively associated with negative symptoms such as affective blunting and anhedonia. Our findings point to working memory impairments as a candidate cognitive mechanism underpinning the deviation from balanced time perspective in schizophrenia. We further demonstrate a link between deviation from balanced time perspective and clinical symptomatology in schizophrenia, offering potential avenues for remediation strategies.
There are currently no objective biomarkers that allow the quantification of negative symptoms of schizophrenia. This study therefore explored the use of acoustic features in identifying the severity ...of negative symptoms in patients with schizophrenia.
We recruited 79 inpatients who were diagnosed with schizophrenia according to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, Fourth Edition (the schizophrenia group) at the Huilongguan Hospital in Beijing, China, and 79 healthy controls from the surrounding community (the control group). We assessed the clinical symptoms of the patients with schizophrenia using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and the Brief Negative Symptom Scale (BNSS) and recorded the voice of each participant as they read emotionally positive, neutral, and negative texts. The Praat software was used to analyse and extract acoustic characteristics from the recordings, such as jitter, shimmer, and pitch. The acoustic differences between the two groups of participants and the relationship between acoustic characteristics and clinical symptoms in the patient group were analysed.
There were significant differences between the schizophrenia and control groups in pitch, voice breaks, jitter, shimmer, and the mean harmonics-to-noise ratio (p < 0.05). Jitter was negatively correlated with the blunted affect and alogia subscale scores of the BNSS, both in the positive and neutral emotion conditions, but the correlation disappeared in the negative emotion condition. However, shimmer exhibited a stable negative correlation with the blunted affect and alogia subscale scores of the BNSS in all three emotion conditions. A linear regression analysis showed that pitch, jitter, shimmer, and age were statistically significant predictors of BNSS subscale scores.
Acoustic emotional expression differs between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. Some acoustic characteristics are related to the severity of negative symptoms, regardless of semantic emotions, and may therefore be objective biomarkers of negative symptoms. A systematic method for assessing vocal acoustic characteristics could provide an accurate and feasible means of assessing negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Acoustic emotional expression differs between patients with schizophrenia and healthy controls. A systematic method for assessing vocal acoustics could provide an accurate and feasible means of assessing negative symptoms in schizophrenia.
Highlights • Serum BDNF, TNFα, IL-2, 6 and 8 levels were analyzed in 92 patients and 60 controls. • Patients exhibited decreased BDNF and TNFα, but increased IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 levels. • A negative ...correlation of BDNF with IL-2 or IL-8 was noted only in patients. • The interaction of BDNF with TNFα was associated with the PANSS cognitive factor.
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