The effect of continuous theta burst stimulation on antipsychotic-induced weight gain in first-episode drug-naive individuals with schizophrenia: a double-blind, randomized, sham-controlled feasibility trial.

Antipsychotic intake may induce weight gain in drug-naive individuals with schizophrenia, leading to poor compliance in clinical management. However, there is still a lack of effective approaches to treat or prevent this side-effect. Therefore, we conducted this pilot study to investigate the effect of continuous theta burst stimulation (cTBS), a non-invasive magnetic stimulation technique, on preventing olanzapine-induced weight gain. Thirty-nine first-episode drug-naive individuals with schizophrenia were randomly assigned to receive either the active or sham cTBS intervention for 25 sessions (5 times per day for 5 consecutive days). The primary outcomes were changes in body weight and body mass index (BMI). Secondary outcomes included psychiatric symptoms, eating behavior scales, behavior tasks, and metabolic measures. For the result, the body weight and BMI increased significantly in the sham group but not in the active group, with a significant group effect. The active group exhibited a selective increase in the cognitive restraint domain in the Three-Factor Eating Questionnaire (TFEQ-CR) and a decrease in stop-signal reaction time compared to the sham group. The effect of cTBS on body weight was mediated by TFEQ-CR. Our findings demonstrated the feasibility that cTBS intervention could be a potential method for preventing olanzapine-induced weight gain in drug-naive first-episode schizophrenia patients through enhancing cognitive restraint to food. Trial registration: clinical trial registered with clinicaltrials.gov (NCT05086133).

Association of Eating Behavior, Nutritional Risk, and Frailty with Sarcopenia in Taiwanese Rural Community-Dwelling Elders: A Cross-Sectional Study.

This cross-sectional study assessed the association of eating behavior, nutritional risk, and frailty with sarcopenia in 208 community-dwelling individuals aged ≥65 years who were recruited from random rural community care centers in Chiayi County, Taiwan. The participants' eating behavior was categorized into six categories. The gait speed (GS), grip strength, and appendicular skeletal muscle mass (ASM) were assessed based on these three parameters, which revealed that 50.9% of the participants had sarcopenia. In an adjusted model, water intake (odds ratio (OR) = 0.99, p = 0.044), dairy product intake (OR = 0.42, p = 0.049), body mass index (BMI) (OR = 0.77, p = 0.019), and marital status with widowed (OR = 0.31, p = 0.005) were significantly associated with sarcopenia. After eight steps of eliminating the least significant independent variable, age (p = 0.002), sex (p = 0.000), marital status with widowed (p = 0.001), water intake (p < 0.018), dairy product intake (p < 0.019), and BMI (p = 0.005) were found to be indispensable predictors of sarcopenia. The logistic regression model with these six indispensable variables had a predictive value of 75.8%. Longitudinal analyses are warranted to examine whether eating behavior is a risk factor for sarcopenia onset.

Three-Component Ring-Opening Reactions of Cyclic Ethers, α-Diazo Esters, and Weak Nucleophiles under Metal-Free Conditions.

A protocol for three-component reactions of cyclic ethers, α-diazo esters, and weak nitrogen, oxygen, carbon, and sulfur nucleophiles (p Ka = 2.2-14.8) to afford a variety of structurally complex α-oxyalkylated esters is reported. These reactions involve intermolecular activation of the cyclic ether (present in excess) by the α-diazo ester to form an oxonium ylide under metal-free conditions, followed by ring opening by the nucleophile.

Effects of culturing conditions on production of D-hydantoinase from recombinant Escherichia coli.

The effects of culturing conditions on D-hydantoinase production by a recombinant Escherichia coli strain were investigated using a controlled fed-batch fermentation system. Glucose concentration and pH of the culture broth were maintained at less than 3.3 g/L and at 7.0, respectively, in a 5 L jar fermentor. The optimal composition of the batch medium was glucose, 0.25%; yeast extract, 0.75%; (NH4)2SO4, 0.25%; KH2PO4, 0.2%. The optimal feeding solution was glucose, 60%; yeast extract, 30%; ammonia water, 9%. Following 25-h cultivation, 0.02 mM isopropyl-beta-D-thiogalactopyranoside was added to induce dht gene expression and the temperature was shifted from 32 to 27 degrees C to avoid inclusion body formation. The plasmid-harboring dht gene was found to be stably maintained in the E. coli. Under optimal conditions, a cell density of about 25 g dry cell weight/L and a high volumetric productivity of 8300 U/L/h could be achieved after 48 h culture at agitation and aeration rates of 1000 revolutions per minute and 1 vvm, respectively.