A Preliminary Comparison of Plasma Tryptophan Metabolites and Medium- and Long-Chain Fatty Acids in Adult Patients with Major Depressive Disorder and Schizophrenia.

Background and Objectives: Disturbance of tryptophan (Trp) and fatty acid (FA) metabolism plays a role in the pathogenesis of psychiatric disorders. However, quantitative analysis and comparison of plasma Trp metabolites and medium- and long-chain fatty acids (MCFAs and LCFAs) in adult patients with major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia (SCH) are limited. Materials and Methods: Clinical symptoms were assessed and the level of Trp metabolites and MCFAs and LCFAs for plasma samples from patients with MDD (n = 24) or SCH (n = 22) and healthy controls (HC, n = 23) were obtained and analyzed. Results: We observed changes in Trp metabolites and MCFAs and LCFAs with MDD and SCH and found that Trp and its metabolites, such as N-formyl-kynurenine (NKY), 5-hydroxyindole-3-acetic acid (5-HIAA), and indole, as well as omega-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (N3) and the ratio of N3 to omega-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (N3: N6), decreased in both MDD and SCH patients. Meanwhile, levels of saturated fatty acids (SFA) and monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) decreased in SCH patients, and there was a significant difference in the composition of MCFAs and LCFAs between MDD and SCH patients. Moreover, the top 10 differential molecules could distinguish the two groups of diseases from HC and each other with high reliability. Conclusions: This study provides a further understanding of dysfunctional Trp and FA metabolism in adult patients with SCH or MDD and might develop combinatorial classifiers to distinguish between these disorders.

The impact of quetiapine on the brain lipidome in a cuprizone-induced mouse model of schizophrenia.

The antipsychotic effect of Quetiapine (Que) has been extensively studied and growing evidence suggests that Que has a beneficial effect, improving cognitive functions and promoting myelin repair. However, the effects of Que on the brain lipidome and the association between Que-associated cognitive improvement and changes in lipids remain elusive. In the present study, we assessed the cognitive protective effects of Que treatment and used a mass spectrometry-based lipidomic approach to evaluated changes in lipid composition in the hippocampus, prefrontal cortex (PFC), and striatum in a mouse model of cuprizone (CPZ)-induced demyelination. CPZ induces cognitive impairment and remarkable lipid changes in the brain, specifically in lipid species of glycerophospholipids and sphingolipids. Moreover, the changes in lipid classes of the PFC were more extensive than those observed in the hippocampus and striatum. Notably, Que treatment ameliorated cuprizone-induced cognitive impairment and partly normalized CPZ-induced lipid changes. Taken together, our data suggest that Que may rescue cognitive behavioral changes from CPZ-induced demyelination through modulation of the brain lipidome, providing new insights into the pharmacological mechanism of Que for schizophrenia.

Rapid Identification of Dendrobium officinale from Other Species Using 3D Front-Face Fluorescence Technique.

Dendrobium officinale is a rare and endangered perennial herb in China, which have been used in preparing Chinese tonic medicine for hundreds of years. The severe shortage of this herb and high price have caused that many similar plants were processed as an adulterant and it became difficult to distinguish genuine D. officinale by traditional authentication methods. A sensitive, convenient, and specific method for rapid identification of D. officinale is urgently needed. In the present study, 3D front-face fluorescence technique merged with Independent Component Analysis was used to get the "pure" independent fluorescence signals. The overall 3D-FFF spectra were decomposed into seven independent components (IC). To distinguish D. officinale from other species, IC1 and IC4 were chosen as fluorescence markers and the fluorescence intensity (FI) value at 340 nm/ 442 nm (excitation /emission wavelength) of IC1and 315 nm/ 468 nm of IC4 were used to build a linear model for identifying D. officinale successfully. Compared with other Dendrobium species, D. officinale showed much higher FI1 and FI4 value which is a direct criterion for identification. Meanwhile, even though the FI values of D. officinale may fluctuate due to the difference of growing conditions, the relation between FI1 and FI4 amazingly always fit the linear model constructed (FI4 = 9.9046 + 0.6119FI1, R2 = 0.9811). The linear model is an important finding and specific for D. officinale. Based on the FI value and the goodness of fit in the linear model, D. officinale can be identified quickly.

Clustered repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation for the prevention of depressive relapse/recurrence: a randomized controlled trial.

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) may have the potential to prevent depressive relapse. This assessor-blinded, randomized controlled study was designed to evaluate the efficacy and safety of rTMS as a mono- and combination therapy in the prevention of depressive relapse/recurrence. A total of 281 depressed patients who had achieved stable full or partial remission on a 6-month antidepressant (ADP) run-in treatment were randomly assigned to an rTMS (n = 91), ADP (n = 108), or combined (rTMS + ADP, n = 82) treatment group for 12 months. Monthly clustered rTMS was conducted in 5-10 sessions over a 3-5-day period. Maintenance outcomes were assessed using time to relapse/recurrence and relapse/recurrence rate. Overall, 71.2% (200/281) of the participants completed the treatment per the protocol. rTMS + ADP and rTMS significantly reduced the risk of relapse/recurrence compared with ADP (P = 0.000), with hazard ratios of 0.297 and 0.466, respectively. Both rTMS-containing regimens produced significantly lower relapse/recurrence rates than ADP (15.9% and 24.2% vs. 44.4%, P < 0.001). In the relapsed/recurrent subgroup, first-episode depressed, rTMS-treated patients had a markedly lower relapse/recurrence rate than ADP-treated patients. Five patients on the ADP-containing regimens, but none on rTMS alone, developed acute mania. The rTMS-containing regimens had considerably more certain side effects than did the ADP group. We concluded that TMS, whether as a mono- or additional therapy, is superior to antidepressants in preventing depressive relapse/recurrence, particularly in first-episode depressed patients. The treatment does not increase the risk of manic switch, but may increase the risk of certain side effects.