Metabolic syndrome in drug-naïve and drug-free patients with schizophrenia and in their siblings.

Objectives: We tested the hypothesis that metabolic disturbances in people with schizophrenia exist as a part of the schizophrenic syndrome, even when the antipsychotic drug effect is eliminated. We aimed to determine the prevalence of metabolic syndrome among patients with schizophrenia who were antipsychotic drug-naive or drug-free and their siblings for comparison with healthy controls.

Methods: One-hundred-two patients with schizophrenia (drug-naïve or drug-free), 64 siblings and 70 age-matched healthy subjects were recruited for this case-control study.

Small-scale oxygen distribution determines the vinyl chloride biodegradation pathway in surficial sediments of riverbed hyporheic zones.

Surficial riverbed sediments are often characterized by sharp redox gradients between the aerobic benthic sediment and underlying anoxic sediment, potentially representing an ideal niche for aerobic and anaerobic vinyl chloride (VC) degraders. To test this, the fate of VC in aerobic and anaerobic microcosms containing surficial sediment of a riverbed hyporheic zone receiving VC-contaminated groundwater was explored. Quantitative PCR showed that Dehalococcoides 16S rRNA gene and VC reductive dehalogenase-encoding genes (vcrA, bvcA) were highly enriched in anaerobic microcosms, with stoichiometric conversion of VC to ethene.

Genotoxicity testing of four textile dyes in two crosses of Drosophila using wing somatic mutation and recombination test.

In this study, four textile dyes, namely Astrazon Yellow, Red, Blue, and Black, were tested for their genotoxic effects in the wing cells of Drosophila melanogaster. Two crosses were used, the standard cross (ST) and the improved high-bioactivation cross (HB), the latter being characterized by increased sensitivity to the genotoxic effects of promutagens and procarcinogens. Three-day-old larvae were exposed to different concentrations of dyes.