CSF dopamine is elevated in first-episode psychosis and associates to symptom severity and cognitive performance.

Background: The hypothesis of dopamine dysfunction in psychosis has evolved since the mid-twentieth century. However, clinical support from biochemical analysis of the transmitter in patients is still missing. The present study assessed dopamine and related metabolites in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of first-episode psychosis (FEP) subjects.

Phonon-Assisted Tunneling through Quantum Dot Systems Connected to Majorana Bound States.

We theoretically analyze phonon-assisted tunneling transport in a quantum dot side connected to a Majorana bound state in a topological superconducting nanowire. We investigate the behavior of the current through the dot, for a range of experimentally relevant parameters, in the presence of one long-wave optical phonon mode. We consider the current-gate voltage, the current-bias voltage and the current-dot-Majorana coupling characteristics under the influence of the electron-phonon coupling.

Changes in rates of psychiatric beds and prison populations in sub-Saharan Africa from 1990 to 2020.

Background: Psychiatric bed numbers (general, forensic, and residential) and prison populations have been considered indicators of institutionalization. The present study aimed to assess changes of those indicators across sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) from 1990 to 2020.

Methods: We retrospectively obtained data on psychiatric bed numbers and prison populations from 46 countries in SSA between 1990 and 2020.

Optimal Growth Conditions for R. Brown: Impacts of Light Intensity, Nitrogen Addition, pH Control, and Humidity.

Nitrogen pollution from agriculture is a major challenge facing our society today. Biological nitrogen fixation is key to combat the damage that is caused by synthetic nitrogen. spp.

Controlled Heat and Humidity-Based Treatment for the Reuse of Personal Protective Equipment: A Pragmatic Proof-of-Concept to Address the Mass Shortage of Surgical Masks and N95/FFP2 Respirators and to Prevent the SARS-CoV2 Transmission.

The coronavirus infectious disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has led to an unprecedented shortage of healthcare resources, primarily personal protective equipment like surgical masks, and N95/filtering face piece type 2 (FFP2) respirators. Reuse of surgical masks and N95/FFP2 respirators may circumvent the supply chain constraints and thus overcome mass shortage. Methods, design, setting, and measurement: Herein, we tested the effects of dry- and moist-air controlled heating treatment on structure and chemical integrity, decontamination yield, and filtration performance of surgical masks and FFP2 respirators.

Nonequilibrium Kondo effect in a graphene-coupled quantum dot in the presence of a magnetic field.

Quantum dots connected to larger systems containing a continuum of states like charge reservoirs allow the theoretical study of many-body effects such as the Coulomb blockade and the Kondo effect. Here, we analyze the nonequilibrium Kondo effect and transport phenomena in a quantum dot coupled to pure monolayer graphene electrodes under external magnetic fields for finite on-site Coulomb interaction. The system is described by the pseudogap Anderson Hamiltonian.

A Framework for Understanding the Evasion of Host Immunity by Biofilms.

biofilms are a major cause of nosocomial morbidity and mortality. The mechanism by which biofilms evade the immune system remains unknown. In this perspective, we develop a theoretical framework of the three, not mutually exclusive, models, which could explain biofilm evasion of host immunity.

Essential oils and their components are a class of antifungals with potent vapour-phase-mediated anti-Candida activity.

Multi-resistant microorganisms continue to challenge medicine and fuel the search for new antimicrobials. Here we show that essential oils and their components are a promising class of antifungals that can have specific anti-Candida activity via their vapour-phase. We quantify the vapour-phase-mediated antimicrobial activity (VMAA) of 175 essential oils and 37 essential oil components, representing more than a 1,000 unique molecules, against C.

[The safety of anti-diabetic drugs in heart failure].

The association of diabetes and heart failure is very common, furthermore, the pathophysiology and clinical course of the two entities have many crossing-points. Today, the spectrum of available anti-diabetic drugs is extremely wide, ranging from the classical (insulin, biguanides, sulphonylureas) to the most recent agents (gliptins, gliflozins). The cardiovascular effects of these drugs are multiple, their knowledge is important in the everyday practice, as the use of safe drugs regarding of heart failure is preferred.

[A rare ECG manifestation of left sided pneumothorax: inferior STEMI with precordial Brugada pattern].

Recognition and identification of the cause of non-coronary ST elevation is important in daily practice, mainly for avoiding unnecessary diagnostic and therapeutic procedures. In this case, a rare cause, spontaneous, left sided tension pneumothorax was in the background of the suddenly appearing, complex ECG changes - ST elevation mimicking inferior wall myocardial infarction associated with type 1 Brugada pattern ("coved" ST-segment elevation ≥ 2 mm) in the precordial leads. The clinical picture and course, the differential diagnostic problems related to the case and the possible causes of the ECG changes will be presented.

The prevalence and clinical significance of anemia in patients hospitalized with acute heart failure.

In a cohort of patients hospitalized with acute heart failure (AHF) the prevalence of anemia and the existence of a correlation between anemia and the severity of the clinical picture were assessed. 50 consecutive patients (34 men, 16 women, mean age 67.5 years) hospitalized with AHF were enrolled.

Recent insights into Candida albicans biofilm resistance mechanisms.

Like other microorganisms, free-living Candida albicans is mainly present in a three-dimensional multicellular structure, which is called a biofilm, rather than in a planktonic form. Candida albicans biofilms can be isolated from both abiotic and biotic surfaces at various locations within the host. As the number of abiotic implants, mainly bloodstream and urinary catheters, has been increasing, the number of biofilm-associated bloodstream or urogenital tract infections is also strongly increasing resulting in a raise in mortality.

Identification of multiple interacting alleles conferring low glycerol and high ethanol yield in Saccharomyces cerevisiae ethanolic fermentation.

Background: Genetic engineering of industrial microorganisms often suffers from undesirable side effects on essential functions. Reverse engineering is an alternative strategy to improve multifactorial traits like low glycerol/high ethanol yield in yeast fermentation. Previous rational engineering of this trait always affected essential functions like growth and stress tolerance.

Quantitative trait analysis of yeast biodiversity yields novel gene tools for metabolic engineering.

Engineering of metabolic pathways by genetic modification has been restricted largely to enzyme-encoding structural genes. The product yield of such pathways is a quantitative genetic trait. Out of 52 Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains phenotyped in small-scale fermentations, we identified strain CBS6412 as having unusually low glycerol production and higher ethanol yield as compared to an industrial reference strain.

Synergistic activation of mitogen-activated protein kinase by insulin and adenosine triphosphate in liver cells: permissive role of Ca2+.

We have previously demonstrated that insulin and G(q)-coupled receptor agonists individually activate mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in liver cells and both effects involve an influx of extracellular Ca(2+). Yet, these agonists have opposing physiological actions on hepatocyte glucose metabolism. We thus investigated the interaction between insulin and the P2Y(2) purinergic agonist adenosine triphosphate (ATP) on MAPK in HTC cells, a model hepatocyte cell line, and determined the involvement of cytosolic Ca(2+).

Pseudomonas stutzeri soluble nitrate reductase alphabeta-subunit is a soluble enzyme with a similar electronic structure at the active site as the inner membrane-bound alphabetagamma holoenzyme.

A two-subunit (alphabeta) form of dissimilatory nitrate reductase from Pseudomonas stutzeri strain ZoBell was separated from the membrane-residing gamma-subunit by a heat solubilization step. Here we present an optimized purification protocol leading to a soluble alphabeta form with high specific activity (70 U/mg). The soluble form has the stoichiometry alpha(1)beta(1) consisting of the 130 kDa alpha-subunit and the 58 kDa beta-subunit.

Insulin induces cation fluxes and increases intracellular calcium in the HTC rat hepatoma cell line.

Background/aims: Rat hepatoma HTC cells were used to study conductive pathways implicated in insulin-induced cation and calcium influx into liver cells.

Methods: Membrane potentials and currents were measured by whole-cell patch clamp. Cytosolic calcium was measured using FURA-2 fluorescence.

Gastric hyalinization as a possible consequence of corrosive injury.

We report a case of gastric obstruction due to hyalinization of the antrum. The endoscopic appearance of the lesion was suggestive of Crohn's disease or gastric neoplasm. Biopsy showed pseudopolypous gastritis with ulceration and fibroid granulation.

Modulation of liver cell membrane NHE-1, Na+-K+ ATPase, and GLUT-2 protein content after cold preservation and rewarming.

Liver cell pH and volume regulation are perturbed by prolonged cold storage in University of Wisconsin solution and subsequent rewarming, but the molecular basis of this effect remains unknown. We prepared membranes from hepatocytes subjected to variable periods of cold preservation with or without subsequent rewarming and probed them by Western blotting with specific antibodies against the Na+ -H+ exchanger isoform NHE-1 and the Na+ -K+ ATPase alpha subunit. Results were compared with the content of GLUT-2, an abundant basolateral protein.

Insulin induces Ca2+ influx into isolated rat hepatocyte couplets.

Isolated rat hepatocyte couplets were used to study the direct effect of insulin on intracellular Ca2+ homeostasis. Insulin induced a dose-dependent increase in hepatocellular Ca2+ that was gradual, generally monophasic, and reversible. Chelation of extracellular Ca2+ abolished the insulin-induced Ca2+ response, and this suppression was not related to an effect on insulin binding, as indicated by displacement studies.