ABSTRACT
Background: Sex differences may be presented in the clinical features or symptoms of schizophrenia patients but also affect the occurrence of hospital-acquired pneumonia (HAP). Modified electroconvulsive therapy (mECT) is a common treatment method for schizophrenia, used in combination with antipsychotics. This retrospective research explores the sex difference in HAP affecting patients with schizophrenia who have received mECT treatment during hospitalization. Methods: We included schizophrenia inpatients treated with mECT and antipsychotics between January 2015 and April 2022. Blood-related and demographic data collected on admission were analyzed. Influencing factors of HAP in male and female groups were assessed separately. Results: A total of 951 schizophrenia patients treated with mECT were enrolled in the study, including 375 males and 576 females, of which 62 patients experienced HAP during hospitalization. The risk period of HAP in these patients was found to be the first day after each mECT treatment and the first three sessions of mECT treatment. Statistically significant differences in the incidence of HAP were identified in male vs. female groups, with an incidence in men about 2.3 times higher than that in women (P < 0.001). Lower total cholesterol (Z = -2.147, P = 0.032) and the use of anti-parkinsonian drugs (χ2 = 17.973, P < 0.001) were found to be independent risk factors of HAP in male patients, while lower lymphocyte count (Z = -2.408, P = 0.016), hypertension (χ2 = 9.096, P = 0.003), and use of sedative-hypnotic drugs (χ2 = 13.636, P < 0.001) were identified in female patients. Conclusion: Influencing factors of HAP in schizophrenia patients treated with mECT have gender differences. The first day after each mECT treatment and the first three sessions of mECT treatment were identified to have the greatest risk for HAP development. Therefore, it would be imperative to monitor clinical management and medications during this period according to these gender differences.
ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVE: To investigate the potential curative effects of bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) overexpressing IL-10 for treating liver fibrosis by using a CCl4-induced rat model. METHODS: BMSCs were cultured and marked by DAPI staining of the cells' nuclei. Meanwhile, 60 Wistar rats were treated with CCl4 to induce liver fibrosis and randomly divided into three groups: A: injected with DAPI-marked BMSCs transfected with pcDNA3.0-IL-10; B: injected with DAPI-marked BMSCs; C: injected with phosphate-buffered saline. Histological analysis of excised livers was conducted to observe BMSCs (by DAPI marker) and fibrosis (by Masson's stain). Western blotting was used to detect IL-10 expression in BMSCs. Effects on expression of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNFa) were analyzed by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and on hydroxyproline (HYP) levels were analyzed by the acid hydrolysis method. RESULTS: Following CCl4-inducement, rat livers showed the characteristic pathological changes of fibrosis and DAPI-marked cells (BMSCs) were observed. Compared with group C (pulmonary fibrosis score: 3.15+/-0.96; HYP level: 1.89+/-1.03 mug/mg), the extent of liver fibrosis was significantly lower in group A (pulmonary fibrosis score: 1.01+/-0.35; HYP level: 0.73+/-0.29 mug/mg) and group B (pulmonary fibrosis score: 1.34+/-0.65; HYP level: 1.21+/-0.78 mug/mg). The therapeutic effects were significantly greater in group A than group B (q=-4.73, P less than 0.05). TNFa protein expression was significantly lower in group A (275.21+/-86.35) and group B (321.76+/-98.49) than in group C (476.23+/-126.43). The TNFa expression was significantly lower in group A than group B (q=-7.43, P less than 0.05). CONCLUSION: IL-10 gene-modified BMSCs are effective for treating liver fibrosis in a CCl4-induced rat model.
