Changes in Inflammatory Biomarkers in Patients with Schizophrenia: A 3-Year Retrospective Study.

Objective: Accumulating evidence suggested that immune system activation might be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio (NLR), monocyte/lymphocyte ratio (MLR), platelet/lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) can measure inflammation. This study aimed to investigate the inflammatory state in patients with schizophrenia by using these indicators.

Prediction of treatment response to antipsychotic drugs for precision medicine approach to schizophrenia: randomized trials and multiomics analysis.

Background: Choosing the appropriate antipsychotic drug (APD) treatment for patients with schizophrenia (SCZ) can be challenging, as the treatment response to APD is highly variable and difficult to predict due to the lack of effective biomarkers. Previous studies have indicated the association between treatment response and genetic and epigenetic factors, but no effective biomarkers have been identified. Hence, further research is imperative to enhance precision medicine in SCZ treatment.

Vocal Acoustic Features as Potential Biomarkers for Identifying/Diagnosing Depression: A Cross-Sectional Study.

Background: At present, there is no established biomarker for the diagnosis of depression. Meanwhile, studies show that acoustic features convey emotional information. Therefore, this study explored differences in acoustic characteristics between depressed patients and healthy individuals to investigate whether these characteristics can identify depression.

TGF-β1 is associated with deficits in cognition and cerebral cortical thickness in first-episode schizophrenia.

Background: 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.

The Effect of Cognitive Impairment on the Prognosis of Major Depressive Disorder.

The study recruited 168 patients diagnosed with major depressive disorder (MDD). The nine-item Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ-9) and Perceived Deficits Questionnaire for Depression (PDQ-D) were lower and the Digit Symbol Substitution Test (DSST) was higher in the community volunteers than those in MDD patients. Depression-related scores (17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale [HAMD-17], Clinical Global Impressions-Severity of Illness Scale [CGI-S], and PHQ-9), functioning-related scores (Sheehan Disability Scale [SDS]), and Work Efficiency and Activity Damage-Specific Health Problems questionnaire work productivity loss were decreased, and the quality of life-related scores (European Quality of life-5 Dimensions [EQ-5D] utility score) were increased in the MDD patients.

Microglial regional heterogeneity and its role in the brain.

Microglia have been recently shown to manifest a very interesting phenotypical heterogeneity across different regions in the mammalian central nervous system (CNS). However, the underlying mechanism and functional meaning of this phenomenon are currently unclear. Baseline diversities of adult microglia in their cell number, cellular and subcellular structures, molecular signature as well as relevant functions have been discovered.

Patients With Drug-Naive Bipolar Disorder in Remission After 8 Weeks of Treatment Had Decreased Serum Uric Acid Concentrations.

Evidence indicates that the serum concentration of uric acid (UA) in patients may relate both to the pathophysiology and therapeutics of bipolar disorder (BPD). The purpose of this study was to examine the changes and clinical significance of serum UA concentrations in first-episode manic patients suffering from BPD. Seventy-six drug-naive patients with first-episode bipolar mania and 76 age- and gender-matched healthy subjects were recruited.

Choroid Plexus Enlargement and Allostatic Load in Schizophrenia.

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.

Brain Abnormalities in Different Phases of Working Memory in Schizophrenia: An Integrative Multi-Modal MRI Study.

The current study aimed to examine both gray matter and functional activity changes in schizophrenia by combing both structural and task-related functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). Nineteen patients with schizophrenia and 17 controls were recruited. The fMRI scan was performed while performing a working memory (WM) task.

Interaction of BDNF and cytokines in executive dysfunction in patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Multiple lines of evidence indicate that patients with chronic schizophrenia (SCZ) display executive dysfunction across the illness course. However, the potential molecular pathophysiologic mechanisms remain poorly elucidated. Neurodevelopmental changes caused by alterations of inflammatory mediators and neurotrophins have been shown to occur in the earliest stages of SCZ, and be associated with executive dysfunction (ED) in SCZ.

Fluoxetine induces lipid metabolism abnormalities by acting on the liver in patients and mice with depression.

Depressive 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.

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha -1031T/C polymorphism is associated with cognitive deficits in chronic schizophrenia patients versus healthy controls.

Recent compelling research has demonstrated a pathophysiologic role for proinflammatory cytokines of microglial origin in decreasing neurocognitive function. Psychiatric diseases are already known to have reduced cognitive function and are also associated with increased inflammation. To elaborate on these data, our study aims to investigate how a particular polymorphism of the tumor necrosis factor gene, TNF-α -1031T/C, affects neurocognitive performance in patients with schizophrenia.

Interleukin-3, symptoms and cognitive deficits in first-episode drug-naïve and chronic medicated schizophrenia.

Previous studies consistently showed that IL-3 signaling may be involved in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. However, investigations of associations between IL-3 and the neurocognitive impairments are lacking, including the study of how this may vary with stage of illness. We recruited 45 first-episode drug-naïve (FE-Sz), 35 chronic medicated schizophrenia (Ch-Sz) and 40 healthy controls (HC) and examined the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and serum IL-3.

P50 suppression deficits and psychopathology in Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Objective: Numerous studies have reported P50 gating deficits in schizophrenia, though with mixed results. Moreover, few studies have explored the association between P50 gating deficits and psychopathology in Chinese patients with schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the P50 auditory sensory gating patterns and their correlations with clinical symptoms in a large sample of Han Chinese patients with schizophrenia.

Treatment satisfaction with paliperidone extended-release tablets: open-label study in schizophrenia patients dissatisfied with previous antipsychotic medication.

Objective: The aim of this study was to evaluate the changes in treatment satisfaction after switching to paliperidone extended-release (ER) in Chinese schizophrenia patients dissatisfied with their previous antipsychotic treatment.

Methods: In this 8-week, open-label, single-arm, multicenter, prospective study, 1,693 patients dissatisfied with previous antipsychotic medication were enrolled and switched to paliperidone ER tablets (3-12 mg/d) based on clinical judgment. The primary efficacy end point was change in Medication Satisfaction Questionnaire (MSQ) score from baseline to week 8.

Ginkgo biloba leaf extract and alpha-tocopherol attenuate haloperidol-induced orofacial dyskinesia in rats: Possible implication of antiapoptotic mechanisms by preventing Bcl-2 decrease and Bax elevation.

Background: Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious side effect of long-term administration of typical neuroleptics, such as haloperidol. The pathophysiology of TD remains unclear, but the experimental evidence suggests that free radical-induced neuronal apoptosis in the basal ganglia may play an important role.

Purpose: This study was to investigate changes in Bax and Bcl-2 expression levels in TD-associated brain regions and the effects of the antioxidant EGb761 on Bax and Bcl-2 levels in an animal model of TD.

Novel chinmedomics strategy for discovering effective constituents from ShenQiWan acting on ShenYangXu syndrome.

Elucidation of the efficacy of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) is of importance for scientists of modern medicine to understand the value of TCM clinical experience, and it is necessary to have a biological language to scientifically describe the efficacy of TCM. With this background?Chinmedomics has been proposed by our team, which includes integrating serum pharmacochemistry and metabolomics technology, defining theory and research methods for expressing the efficacy of TCMs based on the biomarkers discovery of TCM syndrome and elucidating the efficacy of TCM formulae, discovering effective constituents, and finally elucidating the scientific value of TCM. In the present study, the innovative chinmedomics strategy was conducted to evaluate the therapeutic effects of ShenQiWan (SQW) acting on ShenYangXu (kidney-yang deficiency syndrome, KYDS).

BDNF Polymorphisms Are Associated With Cognitive Performance in Schizophrenia Patients Versus Healthy Controls.

Background: Accumulating evidence has shown that brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may be involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Moreover, BDNF genetic variants, especially the Val66Met polymorphism, may influence specific aspects of human cognition. This study aimed to investigate the potential association of BDNF gene polymorphisms with susceptibility to schizophrenia and cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia in a Han Chinese population.

Association of catechol-O-methyltransferase Val(108/158) Met genetic polymorphism with schizophrenia, P50 sensory gating, and negative symptoms in a Chinese population.

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT), an enzyme involved in the degradation and inactivation of the neurotransmitter dopamine, is associated with the sensory gating phenomenon, protecting the cerebral cortex from information overload. The COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism is essential for prefrontal cortex processing capacity and efficiency. The current study was designed to investigate the role of COMT Val(108/158)Met polymorphism in development, sensory gating deficit, and symptoms of schizophrenia in Han Chinese population.