Elevated triglycerides and low triiodothyronine: Key risk factors for coronary artery calcification in patients with schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVE: Coronary artery calcification (CAC) is a well-established independent predictor of coronary heart disease, and patients with schizophrenia have significantly higher rates compared to the general population. We performed this study to examine the population-specific risk factors associated with CAC in patients with schizophrenia. METHODS: In this cross-sectional study, patients with schizophrenia who underwent low-dose chest CT scans between January 2020 and December 2021 were analyzed. Ordinary CAC scores and results of routine blood tests were obtained. Logistic regression was used to calculate the odds ratio (OR) for potential risk factors in patients with and without CAC, while the negative binomial additive model was used to explore the dose-response relationship between risk factors and CAC score. RESULTS: Of the 916 patients, 233 (25.4 %) had CAC, while 683 (74.6 %) did not. After adjusting for confounding factors, higher triglyceride levels (OR = 1.20, 95 % confidence interval (CI): 1.04 to 1.38, p = 0.013) and low triiodothyronine levels (OR = 0.50, 95 % CI: 0.29 to 0.84; p = 0.010) were identified as risk factors for CAC. Both triglycerides (p = 0.021) and triiodothyronine (p = 0.010) were also found to have significant dose-response relationships with CAC scores according to the negative binomial additive model in the exploratory analysis. CONCLUSIONS: This study highlights elevated serum triglycerides and decreased triiodothyronine levels as population-specific risk factors for CAC in patients with schizophrenia, suggest the need for close monitoring of CAC in patients with schizophrenia and further prospective trials to provide additional evidence on this topic.

REST Targets JAK-STAT and HIF-1 Signaling Pathways in Human Down Syndrome Brain and Neural Cells.

Down syndrome (DS) is the most frequently diagnosed chromosomal disorder of chromosome 21 (HSA21) aneuploidy, characterized by intellectual disability and reduced lifespan. The transcription repressor, Repressor Element-1 Silencing Transcription factor (REST), which acts as an epigenetic regulator, is a crucial regulator of neuronal and glial gene expression. In this study, we identified and investigated the role of REST-target genes in human brain tissues, cerebral organoids, and neural cells in Down syndrome. Gene expression datasets generated from healthy controls and DS samples of human brain tissues, cerebral organoids, NPC, neurons, and astrocytes were retrieved from the Gene Ontology (GEO) and Sequence Read Archive (SRA) databases. Differential expression analysis was performed on all datasets to produce differential expression genes (DEGs) between DS and control groups. REST-targeted DEGs were subjected to functional ontologies, pathways, and network analyses. We found that REST-targeted DEGs in DS were enriched for the JAK-STAT and HIF-1 signaling pathways across multiple distinct brain regions, ages, and neural cell types. We also identified REST-targeted DEGs involved in nervous system development, cell differentiation, fatty acid metabolism and inflammation in the DS brain. Based on the findings, we propose REST as the critical regulator and a promising therapeutic target to modulate homeostatic gene expression in the DS brain.

The integrated understanding of structural and functional connectomes in depression: A multimodal meta-analysis of graph metrics.

BACKGROUND: From the perspective of information processing, an integrated understanding of the structural and functional connectomes in depression patients is important, a multimodal meta-analysis is required to detect the robust alterations in graph metrics across studies. METHODS: Following a systematic search, 952 depression patients and 1447 controls in nine diffusion magnetic resonance imaging (dMRI) and twelve rest state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) studies with high methodological quality met the inclusion criteria and were included in the meta-analysis. RESULTS: Regarding the dMRI results, no significant differences of meta-analytic metrics were found; regarding the rs-fMRI results, the modularity and local efficiency were found to be significantly lower in the depression group than in the controls (Hedge's g = -0.330 and -0.349, respectively). CONCLUSION: Our findings suggested a lower modularity and network efficiency in the rs-fMRI network in depression patients, indicating that the pathological imbalances in brain connectomes needs further exploration. LIMITATIONS: Included number of trials was low and heterogeneity should be noted.

Three-Dimensional Graphene-Supported Ni3Fe/Co9S8 Composites: Rational Design and Active for Oxygen Reversible Electrocatalysis.

The development of low-cost and efficient electrocatalysts with a bicomponent active surface for reversible oxygen electrode reactions is highly desirable and challenging. Herein, we develop an effective calcination-hydrothermal approach to fabricate graphene aerogel-anchored Ni3Fe-Co9S8 bifunctional electrocatalyst (Ni3Fe-Co9S8/rGO). The mutually beneficial Ni3Fe-Co9S8 bifunctional active components efficiently balance the performance of oxygen reduction and oxygen evolution reactions (ORR/OER), in which Co9S8 promotes the ORR and Ni3Fe facilitates the OER. This balance behavior has an obvious advantage over that of monocomponent Ni3Fe/rGO and Co9S8/rGO catalysts. Meanwhile, the additional synergy between porous rGO aerogels and Ni3Fe-Co9S8 endows the composite with more exposed active sites, faster electrons/ions transport rate, and better structural stability. Benefiting from the reasonable material selection and structural design, the Ni3Fe-Co9S8/rGO exhibits not only outstanding ORR activity with the high onset- and half-wave potentials ( Eonset = 0.91 V and E1/2 = 0.80 V) but also satisfactory OER activity with a low overpotential at 10 mA cm-2 (0.39 V). Moreover, rechargeable Zn-air cells equipped with Ni3Fe-Co9S8/rGO exhibit excellent rechargeability and a fast dynamic response.

Prevalence of hepatitis C virus infection and the IL28B genotype polymorphism among blood donors and high-risk populations

INTRODUCTION@#To study the prevalence of hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection in blood donor (BD), haemodialysis (HD) and intravenous drug user (IVDU) populations in Singapore and assess the IL28B polymorphism if HCV positive.@*METHODS@#The BD population were healthy volunteers, the HD population were patients who were on haemodialysis for at least six months of follow-up between January 2009 and December 2014. IVDU population was from inmates at halfway houses who consented.@*RESULTS@#Between 2011 and 2014, of 161,658 individuals who underwent screening prior to blood donation, 95 (0.059%) were positive for HCV. Of the 42 sera available, common genotypes (GTs) were GT-3 (47.6%) and GT-1 (31.0%). Of 1,575 HD patients, 2.2% were anti-HCV positive. The HCV GT distribution was HCV GT-1 (32.4%), HCV GT-3 (20.5%) and GT-6 (8.8%). 83 halfway house inmates were screened. Of the 47 IVDUs, 36.2% were anti-HCV positive with predominant GT-3 (%). IL28B polymorphism was noted to be CC predominantly 85.3%.@*CONCLUSION@#Prevalence of HCV infection has decreased in both the BD and HD populations. However, it remains high in the IVDU population. GT-1 remains the most common in the HD population; however, GT-3 infection is now more common among the BD population in Singapore. IL28B - CC is the predominant variant among the HCV-infected individuals in Singapore.

A Microribbon Hybrid Structure of CoOx-MoC Encapsulated in N-Doped Carbon Nanowire Derived from MOF as Efficient Oxygen Evolution Electrocatalysts.

Developing highly efficient electrocatalysts for oxygen evolution is vital for renewable and sustainable energy production and storage. Herein, nitrogen-doped carbon encapsulated CoOx-MoC heterostructures are reported for the first time as high performance oxygen evolution electrocatalysts. The composition can be tuned by the addition of a Mo source to form a nanowire-assembled hierarchically porous microstructure, which can enlarge the specific surface area, thus exposing more active sites, facilitating mass transport and charge transfer. Moreover, it is demonstrated that the formation of CoOx-MoC heterostructures and the resulting synergistic effect between MoC and Co facilitate the reaction kinetics, leading to significantly improved oxygen evolution reaction (OER) activity with an onset overpotential of merely 290 mV, and a low overpotential of 330 mV to afford a current density of 10 mA cm-2 . The well-constructed microarchitecture contributes to superior long term stability electrochemical behaviors. This work provides a facile strategy via composition tuning and structure optimization for the development of next-generation nonprecious metal-based OER electrocatalysts.

One-Step Electrodeposition of Polyallylamine-Functionalized Gold Nanodendrites and Their Application in Sensing.

The three-dimensional polyallylamine (PAH)-functionalized gold nanodendrites (PAH-3D-Au-NDs) were successfully synthesized through a simple, one-step electrodeposition method. SEM, TEM, energy-dispersive spectrum mapping, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy measurements were used to characterize the morphology, structure, and composition of PAH-3D-Au-NDs. The PAH-3D-Au-NDs were then used as the functional interface to effectively immobilize the ruthenium(III) ion through coordination interactions between the ruthenium(III) ion and PAH. The obtained RuIII /PAH-3D-Au-NDs/Au electrode showed excellent electrocatalytic activity towards iodate reduction. With the use of PAH-3D-Au-NDs, the proposed iodate electrochemical sensor displayed a fast response (less than 3 s), wide linear range (4.99×10-8 to 8.50×10-4 M), and low detection limit (1.66×10-8 M).

Genetic improvement of the microalga Phaeodactylum tricornutum for boosting neutral lipid accumulation.

To obtain fast growing oil-rich microalgal strains has been urgently demanded for microalgal biofuel. Malic enzyme (ME), which is involved in pyruvate metabolism and carbon fixation, was first characterized in microalgae here. Overexpression of Phaeodactylum tricornutum ME (PtME) significantly enhanced the expression of PtME and its enzymatic activity in transgenic P. tricornutum. The total lipid content in transgenic cells markedly increased by 2.5-fold and reached a record 57.8% of dry cell weight with a similar growth rate to wild type, thus keeping a high biomass. The neutral lipid content was further increased by 31% under nitrogen-deprivation treatment, still 66% higher than that of wild type. Transgenic microalgae cells exhibited obvious morphological changes, as the cells were shorter and thicker and contained larger oil bodies. Immuno-electron microscopy targeted PtME to the mitochondrion. This study markedly increased the oil content in microalgae, suggesting a new route for developing ideal microalgal strains for industrial biodiesel production.

Establishment of a transgenic mouse model with liver-specific expression of secretory immunoglobulin D.

Mutation of mevalonate kinase (MVK) is thought to account for most cases of hyperimmunoglobulinemia D syndrome (HIDS) with recurrent fever. However, its mechanism and the relationship between elevated serum immunoglobulin D (IgD) and the clinical features of HIDS are unclear. In this study, we generated by fusion PCR a vector to express high levels of chimeric secretory IgD (csIgD) specifically in the liver. We then generated seven founder lines of transgenic mice by co-microinjection, and verified them using genomic PCR and Southern blotting. We detected the expression of csIgD by reverse transcription PCR, quantitative PCR, western blotting, and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays. We demonstrated that csIgD could be specifically and stably expressed in the liver. We used flow cytometry to show that overexpression of csIgD in the bone marrow and spleen cells had no effect on B cell development. Morphologic and anatomical observation of the transgenic mice revealed skin damage, hepatosplenomegaly, and nephromegaly in some transgenic mice; in these mice, pathological sections showed high levels of cell necrosis and protein-like sediments in the liver, spleen, and kidney. We demonstrated that the genomic insertion sites of the transgenes did not disrupt the MVK gene on mouse chromosome 5. This transgenic mouse will be useful to explore the pathogenesis of HIDS.

Organization and expression of nitrogen-fixation genes in the aerobic nitrogen-fixing unicellular cyanobacterium Synechococcus sp. strain RF-1.

Sixteen nif and 'nif-associated' genes (expressed only under conditions of nitrogen fixation) in Synechococcus sp. strain RF-1 have been cloned and sequenced. All of the nif and nif-associated genes identified in Synechococcus RF-1 were arranged in a continuous cluster spanning approximately 18 kb and containing seven operons. The nifH operon (nifH-nifD-nifK) has been reported previously. nifB, fdxN, nifS, nifU and nifP were found to be located upstream of the nifH operon. nifB-fdxN-nifS-nifU were expressed as an operon. A nifP-like gene was found to be located just upstream of nifB. nifE, nifN, nifX, nifW and the nif-associated hesA, hesB and 'fdx' were found to be located downstream from nifK. The genes located downstream from nifK are arranged nifE-nifN-nifX-orf-nifW-hesA-hesB-'+ ++fdx' and span approximately 7 kb. The function of the ORF situated between nifX and nifW is not known. However, it was identified as a counterpart of ORF-2 in Anabaena sp. strain PCC 7120 based on the deduced amino acid sequence. Northern hybridization and primer extension analysis indicated that the nif and nif-associated genes are organized in nifE-nifN, nifX-orf, nifW-hesA-hesB and 'fdx'-containing operons, respectively. According to the results of this study and previous reports, the genes are expressed in a rhythmic pattern with peaks during the dark phase when the culture is grown in a 12 h light/12 h dark regimen. The rhythm persisted after the culture was transferred to continuous illumination.