Increased GDF-15 in chronic male patients with schizophrenia: correlation with body mass index and cognitive impairment.

Growth Differentiation Factor-15 (GDF-15) is a pleiotropic cytokine that plays a significant role in metabolism and inflammation. Elevated serum levels of GDF-15 have been associated with mood disorders. We propose that GDF-15 may potentially influence cognitive impairment and metabolism in male patients with chronic schizophrenia (CS), although there is limited research on this topic.

Variations in inflammatory regulators in male patients with chronic schizophrenia associated with psychopathology and cognitive deficits.

Background: Immune dysregulation has been identified as a contributing factor in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. This study aimed to investigate variations in specific immune regulators and their correlation with psychopathology and cognitive functions in male patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Methods: Employing a cross-sectional design, this study included 72 male patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Elevated serum IGFBP-1 levels correlate with cognitive deficits in treatment-resistant and chronic medicated schizophrenia patients.

Background: Schizophrenia is a debilitating psychiatric disorder with diverse cognitive impairments. Insulin-like growth factor binding protein 1 (IGFBP-1), a ubiquitous negative regulator of IGF signaling, crosses the blood-brain barrier after peripheral synthesis. Given the crucial role of IGF signaling in cognitive function, we reasoned that altered serum IGFBP-1 concentrations might be associated with cognitive impairments in schizophrenia.

Association of serum interleukin-6 with negative symptoms in stable early-onset schizophrenia.

Background: Accumulating evidence suggests that the inflammatory cytokine interleukin-6 (IL-6) contributes to the pathophysiology of psychiatric disorders. However, there was no study concerning the relationship between IL-6 concentrations and clinical features in the chronic phase of early-onset schizophrenia (EOS).

Aim: To investigate the relationship between serum IL-6 concentration and the clinical features of EOS.

Decreased serum VEGF and NRG1β1 levels in male patients with chronic schizophrenia: VEGF correlation with clinical symptoms and cognitive deficits.

Background: Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and neuregulin1 (NRG1) are multifunctional trophic factors reported to be dysregulated in schizophrenia. However, the relationships between serum concentrations and schizophrenia symptoms have differed markedly across studies, possibly because schizophrenia is a highly heterogenous disorder. The aim of this study was to investigate the associations of serum VEGF and NRG1 with clinical symptoms and cognitive deficits specifically in male patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Variations to plasma HO levels and TAC in chronical medicated and treatment-resistant male schizophrenia patients: Correlations with psychopathology.

Accumulating evidence suggests that imbalanced oxidative stress (OS) may contribute to the mechanism of schizophrenia. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the associations of OS parameters with psychopathological symptoms in male chronically medicated schizophrenia (CMS) and treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) patients. Levels of hydrogen peroxide (HO), hydroxyl radical (·OH), peroxidase (POD), α-tocopherol (α-toc), total antioxidant capacity (TAC), matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) were assayed in males with CMS and TRS, and matched healthy controls.

Prevalence and correlates of sleep disturbance among adolescents in the eastern seaboard of China.

Background: Sleep disturbances are serious public health issues that warrant increased attention, especially in adolescents. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence and factors associated with sleep disorders among urban adolescents in China.

Methods: This study utilized an online survey to assess the demographic characteristics and mental health status of secondary school students in Lianyungang City.

Association between elevated serum matrix metalloproteinase-2 and tumor necrosis factor-α, and clinical symptoms in male patients with treatment-resistant and chronic medicated schizophrenia.

Background: Inflammation has an important role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. The aim of this study was to investigate the levels of tumor necrosis factor (TNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-2 (MMP-2) in male patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS) and chronic medicated schizophrenia (CMS), and the relationship with psychopathology.

Methods: The study enrolled 31 TRS and 49 cm male patients, and 53 healthy controls.

Identifying causal associations between women's reproductive traits and risk of schizophrenia: a multivariate validated two-sample Mendelian randomization analysis.

Background: A significant association between women's reproductive traits and the risk of schizophrenia (SCZ) has been discovered, but the causalities remain unclear. We designed a two-sample univariate Mendelian randomization (MR) study using female-specific SNPs collected from a large-scale genome-wide association study as a genetic tool to explore the causal effect of female reproductive traits on the risk of SCZ, and conducted a multivariate MR study to re-validate the above findings.

Methods: From extensive genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of people with European ancestry (n = 176,881 to 418,758 individuals), summary-level data on five female reproductive variables were extracted.

Variations of plasma oxidative stress levels in male patients with chronic schizophrenia. Correlations with psychopathology and matrix metalloproteinase-9: a case-control study.

Background: Accumulating evidence has indicated that oxidative stress (OS) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) may contribute to the mechanism of schizophrenia. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the associations of OS parameters and MMP-9 levels with psychopathological symptoms in male chronic schizophrenia patients.

Methods: This study was an observational, cross-sectional, retrospective case-control study.

Alterations of serum neuropeptide levels and their relationship to cognitive impairment and psychopathology in male patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Serum neuropeptide levels may be linked to schizophrenia (SCZ) pathogenesis. This study aims to examine the relation between five serum neuropeptide levels and the cognition of patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS), chronic stable schizophrenia (CSS), and in healthy controls (HC). Three groups were assessed: 29 TRS and 48 CSS patients who were hospitalized in regional psychiatric hospitals, and 53 HC.

Prevalence of and relevant factors for depression and anxiety symptoms among pregnant women on the eastern seaboard of China in the post-COVID-19 era: a cross-sectional study.

Background: Antenatal depression and anxiety symptoms may have negative consequences for both mothers and offspring, and upward trends in the prevalence of these symptoms were especially apparent during the COVID-19 epidemic. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of and relevant factors influencing depressive and anxiety symptoms in Chinese pregnant women in the post-COVID-19 era.

Methods: We conducted an online survey of 1,963 pregnant women in Jiangsu Province, using a cross-sectional design, and collected their general demographic data.

Lack of correlation between hippocampal substructure atrophy and attention dysfunction in deficit schizophrenia.

Hippocampal abnormalities are an established finding in the neuroimaging study of schizophrenia. However, no studies have examined the possibility of regional hippocampal abnormalities specific to deficit schizophrenia (DS) and associations with the unique symptoms of this schizophrenia subtype. This study compared 33 DS and 39 non-deficit schizophrenia (NDS) patients and 38 healthy subjects for hippocampal subfield volumetry.

Catalase and interleukin-6 serum elevation in a prediction of treatment-resistance in male schizophrenia patients.

Background: Oxidative stress (OS) and neuroinflammatory pathways play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia. The present study investigated the relationship between OS, inflammatory cytokines, and clinical features in male patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia (TRS).

Method: We measured plasma OS parameters, including manganese-superoxide dismutase (Mn-SOD), copper/zinc-containing SOD (CuZn-SOD), total-SOD (T-SOD), malondialdehyde (MDA), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px); and serum inflammatory cytokines, including interleukin (IL)- 1α, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and interferon (IFN)-γ, from 80 male patients with chronic schizophrenia (31 had TRS and 49 had chronic stable schizophrenia (CSS)), and 42 healthy controls.

Increased serum homocysteine in first episode and drug-naïve individuals with schizophrenia: sex differences and correlations with clinical symptoms.

Background: Accumulating evidence shows that homocysteine (Hcy) is implicated in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia, and plays an important role in clinical characteristics. This study evaluated the relationships between Hcy levels and clinical features in first-episode, Chinese Han, drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with schizophrenia.

Methods: FEDN individuals (119 with schizophrenia and 81 healthy controls matched for age, sex, education, and body mass index (BMI)) were enrolled.

Cognitive Impairment and Psychopathology Are Related to Plasma Oxidative Stress in Long Term Hospitalized Patients With Chronic Schizophrenia.

Background: The present study aimed to examine whether plasma oxidative stress is associated with cognitive impairment in long term hospitalized patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Method: Ninety-six chronic schizophrenia patients and 94 healthy unaffected subjects were enrolled. Plasma markers of oxidative stress, including malondialdehyde (MDA), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), were measured.

Antipsychotic drugs increase Neuregulin1β1 serum levels in first-episode drug-naïve patients and chronic schizophrenia with suggestions for improving the treatment of psychotic symptoms.

Background: Neuregulin1 (NRG1) plays a role in neuronal migration, regulation of synaptic plasticity, and neural survival, and has been considered to be among the candidate genes for schizophrenia. This study focused on the variations in serum NRG1β1 levels following antipsychotic treatment and the relationship between NRG1β1 levels and improvements in psychotic symptoms among first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) patients and patients with chronic schizophrenia.

Methods: A total of 100 patients with schizophrenia were recruited and compared with 79 matched healthy controls.

Prevalence of and risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms in a large sample of Chinese adolescents in the post-COVID-19 era.

Background: Depressive and anxiety symptoms are widespread among adolescents today, creating a large social problem. However, few previous studies have addressed depression and anxiety among adolescents in Chinese cohorts. The aim of this study was to evaluate the prevalence of and risk factors for depressive and anxiety symptoms among Chinese middle school adolescent students in the post-COVID-19 era.

Decreased neuregulin1β1 in first episode and drug-naïve patients with schizophrenia: Negative correlation with cognitive impairment.

Background: Neuregulin1β1 (NRG1β1) is essential for neuronal migration during development and for the ongoing neural plasticity underlying cognitive function. This study investigated the relationship between cognitive impairment and serum NRG1β1 concentration in first-episode drug-naïve (FEDN) patients with schizophrenia.

Method: We measured serum NRG1β1 from 65 FEDN schizophrenia patients and 67 healthy matched controls.