An open-label randomised comparison of aripiprazole, olanzapine and risperidone for the acute treatment of first-episode schizophrenia: Eight-week outcomes.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the efficacy and tolerability of aripiprazole, olanzapine and risperidone in first-episode schizophrenia (FES).

Methods: The eight-week, open, randomised study was conducted in six Chinese medical centres. Altogether, 498 FES subjects were randomised to aripiprazole ( = 165), olanzapine ( = 168) or risperidone ( = 165).

Identification of novel risk loci with shared effects on alcoholism, heroin, and methamphetamine dependence.

Different substance dependences have common effects on reward pathway and molecular adaptations, however little is known regarding their shared genetic factors. We aimed to identify the risk genetic variants that are shared for substance dependence (SD). First, promising genome-wide significant loci were identified from 3296 patients (521 alcoholic/1026 heroin/1749 methamphetamine) vs 2859 healthy controls and independently replicated using 1954 patients vs 1904 controls.

FGF1 protects against APAP-induced hepatotoxicity via suppression of oxidative and endoplasmic reticulum stress.

Acetaminophen (APAP) overdose/abuse is the leading cause of acute liver failure in many countries. Fibroblast growth factor 1 (FGF 1) is a metabolic regulator with several physiological functions. Previous studies suggested that FGF1 promotes differentiation and maturation of liver-derived stem cells.

Rates and predictors of one-year antipsychotic treatment discontinuation in first-episode schizophrenia: Results from an open-label, randomized, "real world" clinical trial.

Antipsychotic treatment discontinuation is a major challenge in the treatment of first-episode schizophrenia (FES) patients. However, the rate and predictors remain unclear. Five hundred and sixty-nine FES patients were randomized to risperidone (n = 190), olanzapine (n = 185) or aripiprazole (n = 194) in a six-site study in China with 1-year follow-up.

Association between hyperuricemia and metabolic syndrome in patients suffering from bipolar disorder.

Background: Clinical studies have shown that bipolar patients have increased serum uric acid levels. High serum uric acid levels could play a role contributing to high prevalence of metabolic syndrome. Metabolic syndrome is known to increase the risk of developing a number of life threatening diseases including coronary heart disease, hypertension, and type 2 diabetes.

Obesity, altered oxidative stress, and clinical correlates in chronic schizophrenia patients.

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is strongly obesogenic and is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these changes reflect psychopathology, antipsychotic efficacy, or some other factor is not known. Our study aims to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different BMI categories and to identify clinical symptomatology that may be paired with increased oxidative stress in a schizophrenia population.

CSF glutamate level decreases in heavy smokers and negatively correlates with BDI scores.

Glutamate is involved in mental disorders and nicotine addiction. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the relationship between cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) glutamate levels and mental status in Chinese heavy smokers. Participants comprised 41 non-smokers and 77 heavy smokers (n = 118).

Lack of correlation between CSF glutamate levels and PSQI scores in heavy smokers.

Objective: Glutamate is an excitatory neurotransmitter in the central nervous system that participates in initiation and maintenance of sleep and wakefulness. The mechanisms involved occur in the brainstem, lateral hypothalamus, and basal forebrain. Our previous study suggested that higher levels of glutamate in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) contributed to poorer sleep quality.

Combining gray matter volume in the cuneus and the cuneus-prefrontal connectivity may predict early relapse in abstinent alcohol-dependent patients.

Background: Developing more effective strategies to prevent relapse remains one of the major challenges of treating substance dependence. Previous studies have identified brain abnormalities in abstinent alcoholics. However, whether these persistent brain deficits in abstinence could predict early relapse to alcohol use has not been well established.

Cerebrospinal fluid FGF23 levels correlate with a measure of impulsivity.

Fibroblast growth factor 23 (FGF23) is a bone-derived protein produced mainly by osteocytes and osteoblasts and at low levels in specific parts of the brain. It has been shown to associate with mood regulation. Lithium treatment gives rise to significant elevations of serum FGF23 levels in depressive patients.

Correction: Prevalence and correlates of psychological distress among diabetes mellitus adults in the Jilin province in China: a cross-sectional study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.7717/peerj.2869.

Prevalence and clinical-demographic correlates of hyperhomocysteinemia in inpatients with bipolar disorder in a Han Chinese population.

Recent studies have reported that hyperhomocystinemia (HHcy) is highly prevalent in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), placing them at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and possibly serving as a disease biomarker. However, the correlation of HHcy with demographic or clinical parameters is not well known. In this study, we examined the prevalence of HHcy and its association with these parameters in a sample of Chinese BD patients.

Erratum: Electroconvulsive therapy-induced brain functional connectivity predicts therapeutic efficacy in patients with schizophrenia: a multivariate pattern recognition study.

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1038/s41537-017-0023-7.].

Enriched environment combined with fluoxetine ameliorates depression-like behaviors and hippocampal SYP expression in a rat CUS model.

Effects of enriched environment (EE) combined with fluoxetine in a chronic unpredictable stress (CUS) rat model were examined in our study. Thirty male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly divided into control group, CUS group, CUS+EE group, CUS+fluoxetine group, and CUS+EE+fluoxetine group (n=six per group). Rats in the CUS group were bred under conditions of CUS and separation for 6 weeks; Control group animals were bred in group cages (three rats per cage) under standard laboratory conditions for 6 weeks; Rats in CUS+EE group, CUS+fluoxetine group, and CUS+EE+fluoxetine groups were bred under the conditions of CUS and separation for 6 weeks and had an intervention of EE, an oral gavage of fluoxetine, and an intervention of EE+oral gavage of fluoxetine, respectively, every day for the final 3 weeks.

Anticholinergic use trends in 14,013 patients with schizophrenia from three national surveys on the use of psychotropic medications in China (2002-2012).

Our previous study demonstrated that there have been changes in the patterns of prescription antipsychotic use in China over the period from 2002 to 2012. The aim of this study was to evaluate whether time trends were present for the prescription of anticholinergic medications (ACMs) during the observation period. A total of 14,013 patients with schizophrenia treated in 45 psychiatric hospitals/centers nationwide were surveyed in 2002, 2006 and 2012.

Altered Brain Network Connectivity as a Potential Endophenotype of Schizophrenia.

Abnormal functional brain connectivity could be considered an endophenotype of psychosis in schizophrenia. Identifying candidate endophenotypes may serve as a tool for elucidating its biological and neural mechanisms. The present study investigated the similarities and differences of features of brain network connectivity between patients and their first-degree relatives.

Electroconvulsive therapy-induced brain functional connectivity predicts therapeutic efficacy in patients with schizophrenia: a multivariate pattern recognition study.

Previous studies suggested that electroconvulsive therapy can influence regional metabolism and dopamine signaling, thereby alleviating symptoms of schizophrenia. It remains unclear what patients may benefit more from the treatment. The present study sought to identify biomarkers that predict the electroconvulsive therapy response in individual patients.

Co-occurrence of DSM-IV mental disorders and alcohol use disorder among adult Chinese males.

Background: Studies from high-income countries report moderate-to-strong positive associations between alcohol use disorder (AUD) and other mental disorders, but there is little evidence about the comorbidity of AUD from low-and-middle-income countries.

Methods: A sample of 74 752 adults from five provinces that account for >12% of China's adult population was screened using the General Health Questionnaire, and the Structured Clinical Interview for DSM-IV was administered by psychiatrists to a subsample of 9619 males. The associations between AUD and other mental disorders at each site and the characteristics of men with AUD with and without comorbid mental disorders were estimated using logistic regression and summarized across sites using meta-analysis.

Negative correlation between CSF lactate levels and MoCA scores in male Chinese subjects.

Lactate is a product of glycolysis by astrocytes and can be generated as a primary metabolic energy source by neurons. Lactate plays multifunctional role in human brain energy metabolism and cognitive function. However, no direct evidence demonstrated the link between lactate and cognition in normal condition.