Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) triggers a severe systemic inflammatory reaction in mammals, with the dimerization of TLR/MD-2 upon LPS stimulation serving as the pivotal mechanism in the transmission of inflammatory signals. Ginsenoside Rh (G-Rh), one of the active constituents of red ginseng, exerts potent anti-inflammatory activity. However, whether G-Rh can block the TLR dimerization to exert anti-inflammatory effects remains unclear.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIn the context of the COVID-19, inflammation emerges as a prominent characteristic. C-reactive protein (CRP) serves as a commonly employed marker for the evaluation of inflammation. This study aimed to examine the correlation between CRP levels and antipsychotic drug concentrations in patients diagnosed with SCZ during the COVID-19 pandemic.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFProg Neuropsychopharmacol Biol Psychiatry
March 2024
Background: The immune-inflammatory response system (IRS) and kynurenine pathway (KP) have been implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. Studies have shown inflammation-related effects on KP metabolism in patients with schizophrenia. This study investigated the relationship between KP metabolites, IRS, and the compensatory immune-regulatory reflex system (CIRS) in patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: (), a recently developing fungal disease with high virulence, easy transmission, and substantial medication resistance in hospitals, poses a growing danger to human health. In 2009, the initial documentation of this disease was made when it was discovered in the ear canal of an elderly Japanese patient. Since its initial isolation, the presence of across six continents has been a cause for severe concern among medical professionals and scientists.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSeveral studies have reported compromised white matter integrity, and that some inflammatory mediators may underlie this functional dysconnectivity in the brain of patients with schizophrenia. The immune-inflammatory response system and compensatory immune-regulatory reflex system (IRS/CIRS) are novel biomarkers for exploring the role of immune imbalance in the pathophysiological mechanism of schizophrenia. This study aimed to explore the little-known area regarding the composite score of peripheral cytokines, the IRS/CIRS, and its correlation with white matter integrity and the specific microstructures most affected in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFChuanxiong rhizoma (CX) has been utilized for centuries as a traditional herb to treat blood stasis syndromes. However, the pharmacological mechanisms are still not completely revealed. This research was aimed at exploring the molecular mechanisms of CX treatment for thrombosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Hypothesis: Low-grade neural and peripheral inflammation are among the proposed pathophysiological mechanisms of schizophrenia. White matter impairment is one of the more consistent findings in schizophrenia but the underlying mechanism remains obscure. Many cerebral white matter components are sensitive to neuroinflammatory conditions that can result in demyelination, altered oligodendrocyte differentiation, and other changes.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFJ Integr Plant Biol
September 2023
Flowering locus C (FLC) is a central transcriptional repressor that controls flowering time. However, how FLC is imported into the nucleus is unknown. Here, we report that Arabidopsis nucleoporins 62 (NUP62), NUP58, and NUP54 composed NUP62-subcomplex modulates FLC nuclear import during floral transition in an importin α-independent manner, via direct interaction.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFEur Neuropsychopharmacol
July 2023
Treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) patient respond poorly to antipsychotics. Inflammatory imbalance involving pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines may play an important role in the mechanism of antipsychotic-medication response. This study aimed to investigate immune imbalance and how the latter relates to clinical manifestations in patients with TRS.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground And Aims: Tumor immunohistochemical staining (IHC) of DNA mismatch repair (MMR) proteins is often used to guide germline genetic testing and variant classification for patients with suspected Lynch syndrome. This analysis examined the spectrum of germline findings in a cohort of individuals showing abnormal tumor IHC.
Methods: We assessed individuals with reported abnormal IHC findings and referred for testing with a six-gene syndrome-specific panel (n=703).
In plants, cortical microtubules anchor to the plasma membrane in arrays and play important roles in cell shape. However, the molecular mechanism of microtubule binding proteins, which connect the plasma membrane and cortical microtubules in cell morphology remains largely unknown. Here, we report that a plasma membrane and microtubule dual-localized IQ67 domain protein, IQD21, is critical for cotyledon pavement cell (PC) morphogenesis in Arabidopsis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjective: Previous studies have implicated intricate interactions between innate immunity and the brain in schizophrenia. Monocytic Toll-like receptor (TLR) 4 signaling, a crucial "sensor" of innate immunity, was reported to be over-activated in link with cognitive impairment in schizophrenia. As TLR4 is predominantly expressed on gliocytes prior to expression in neurons, we hypothesized that higher TLR4 levels may contribute to cognitive deterioration by affecting white matter microstructure.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe mechanism by which high homocysteine (HCY) may aggravate cognitive impairment in patients with schizophrenia is not well understood. We aimed to test the hypothesis that hyperhomocysteinaemia may exacerbate cognitive deficits by mediating the decrease in cortical thickness in patients with schizophrenia. One hundred and sixty-seven first-episode patients with schizophrenia (FEPS) and 120 healthy controls (HCs) were included.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Evidence indicates that cytokines are associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia; however, the underlying brain-behaviour mechanisms remain unclear. We hypothesized that aberrations in brain structural connectivity mediate the cytokine effect in schizophrenia.
Methods: In this study, we recruited patients with first-episode schizophrenia ( = 75, average illness duration 12.
MicroRNA (miR)-181b-5p is considered to be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia, and one of its regulatory target genes BCL-2 (B-cell lymphoma 2) is suggested to associate with cognition of schizophrenia. Cognitive deficit is a core trait of schizophrenia. However, it remains unclear whether miR-181b-5p affects cognition and its possible pathway in schizophrenia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFCognitive impairment is a core characteristic of schizophrenia, but its underlying neural mechanisms remain poorly understood. Reduced brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a protein critical for neural plasticity and synaptic signaling, is one of the few molecules consistently associated with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia although the etiological pathway leading to BDNF reduction in schizophrenia is unclear. We examined microRNA-195 (miR-195), a known modulator of BDNF protein expression, as a potential mechanistic component.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDepressive disorders are frequently managed with long-term use of antidepressant medication. Fluoxetine (FLX) is the first selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor to be widely available for the treatment of depression. The present study focuses on the effects and mechanisms of the lipid metabolism abnormalities caused by FLX in patients and in a mouse model of depression.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFMedicines (Basel)
September 2017
Tai chi (TC) has been reported as being beneficial for improving balance post stroke, yet its utility in upper limb rehabilitation remains unknown. Twelve chronic stroke survivors with persistent paresis of an upper limb underwent 60 minutes of adapted TC twice a week for eight weeks, with a 4-week follow up. A 10-min TC home program was recommended for the days without sessions.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFDNA alterations in the 1q43-q44 region are associated with syndromic neurodevelopmental disorders characterized by global developmental delay, intellectual disability, dysmorphic features, microcephaly, seizures, and agenesis of the corpus callosum. HNRNPU is located within the 1q43-q44 region and mutations in the gene have been reported in patients with early infantile epileptic encephalopathy. Here, we report on the clinical presentation of four patients with de novo heterozygous HNRNPU loss-of-function mutations detected by clinical whole exome sequencing: c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIncreased levels of high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hsCRP) have been reported in schizophrenia, but to date, no study is designed to examine serum hsCRP in acutely agitated patients with schizophrenia, an extreme state that requires immediate diagnosis and medical treatment. Serum hsCRP levels were assessed in 32 clinically acutely agitated patients and 42 healthy control subjects matched for demographic properties. Further, serum hsCRP levels in acutely agitated patients were compared with control subjects and with the levels after the patients were treated with anti-psychiatric medications.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFIntroduction: This study aimed at exploring the perceived benefits and drawbacks of practicing tai chi, an alternative therapy that can be implemented in the community, as part of upper-limb rehabilitation following stroke.
Methodology: Semistructured interviews were carried out with participants with chronic stroke (>6 months). The participants took part in 16 tai chi sessions over 8 weeks.
We describe a modification of the Koyanagi technique for hypospadias in an attempt to reduce complications and improve results. Between January 2005 and July 2012, 21 patients underwent treatment of proximal hypospadias using a modified hypospadias repair. The procedure involved making a U-incision similar to that in a Thiersch-Duplay repair to preserve the blood supply to the tubular neourethra.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe underlying genetic etiology of rhabdomyolysis remains elusive in a significant fraction of individuals presenting with recurrent metabolic crises and muscle weakness. Using exome sequencing, we identified bi-allelic mutations in TANGO2 encoding transport and Golgi organization 2 homolog (Drosophila) in 12 subjects with episodic rhabdomyolysis, hypoglycemia, hyperammonemia, and susceptibility to life-threatening cardiac tachyarrhythmias. A recurrent homozygous c.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFZhongguo Xiu Fu Chong Jian Wai Ke Za Zhi
November 2014
Objective: To explore the feasibility to repair defect on the neck and chest with the rectus abdominis flap which pedicle is lengthened by measuring the width, thickness, and the intercostal space of the inferior costicartilage using CT angiography (CTA).
Methods: Thirty cases receiving CTA and three-dimensional reconstruction between July and December 2013 were included in the study. Of 30 cases, 17 were male and 13 were female, aged 44-70 years (mean, 56 years).