Association between the levels of toxic heavy metals and schizophrenia in the population of Guangxi, China: A case-control study.

The relationship between body levels of heavy metals and the risk of schizophrenia remains unclear. This study investigates the relationship between plasma levels of toxic heavy metals and the risk of schizophrenia among adults in Guangxi, China. Plasma concentrations of lead (Pb), cadmium (Cd), arsenic (As), and chromium (Cr) were measured using inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry (ICP-MS).

Exercise combined with administration of adipose-derived stem cells ameliorates neuropathic pain after spinal cord injury.

Experimental studies have shown that exercise and human adipose-derived stem cells (ADSCs) play positive roles in spinal cord injury (SCI). However, whether ADSCs and/or exercise have a positive effect on SCI-induced neuropathic pain is still unclear. Thus, there is a need to explore the effects of exercise combined with administration of ADSCs on neuropathic pain after SCI.

Two-Step Process of a Crystal Facet-Modulated BiVO Photoanode for Efficiency Improvement in Photoelectrochemical Hydrogen Evolution.

The photoactivity of nanoporous bismuth vanadate (BiVO, BVO) photoanodes that were fabricated by a two-step process (electrodeposition and then thermal conversion) in photoelectrochemical (PEC) hydrogen (H) evolution can be enhanced about 1.44-fold by improving the constitutive ratio of (111̅), (061), and (242̅) crystal facets. The PEC characterization was carried out to investigate the factors altering the performance, which revealed that the crystal facet modulation could improve the photoactivity of the BVO photoanodes.