Bactericidal efficacy of non-thermal plasma activation against Aeromonas hydrophila and immunological responses of koi (Cyprinus carpio haematopterus).

In the aquaculture industry, an efficient and safe water purification system is important to prevent mass mortality by virulent pathogens. As extensive use of traditional methods (e.g.: povidone-iodine, ozone, ultraviolet irradiation, formalin, and chlorine dioxide) have adverse effects on cultured fish, an appropriate and alternative water purification method is vital for the sustainability of the industry. Non-thermal plasma technology has been successfully used for various biomedical purposes (e.g: food sterilization, medical device disinfection, wound healing, cancer therapy, etc.) and has great potential to be used as a sterilizing system. However, few studies have been conducted on its usefulness in the aquaculture industry. In this study, we investigated the bactericidal efficacy of plasma-activated water induced by non-thermal plasma and its histopathological as well as immunological adverse effects on koi. A highly virulent Aeromonas hydrophila SNU HS7, which caused massive mortality of koi, was used for this study. Non-thermal plasma was applied for 10 min to the fish tanks with 1.2 × 109 CFU/mL SNU HS7 using PLMB-20 system to confirm the sterilization efficacy and to observe the survival and immunological reaction of koi for 14 days. As a result, gross pathological, histopathological, and immunological investigations did not reveal any significant adverse effects in fish as compared to the control groups. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first study showing that non-thermal plasma can be used for sterilization of rearing water without giving significant physiological damage to the fish, even under the assumption of extreme situations. As plasma can effectively sterilize not only bacteria but also other unknown pathogens, the results of this study are showing a promising future in purifying water in aquaculture practice.

White-matter connectivity related to paliperidone treatment response in patients with schizophrenia.

The objective of this study was to examine whether white-matter (WM) connectivity of patients with schizophrenia at early stage of treatment is related to treatment response after paliperidone extended-release (ER) treatment. Forty-one patients with schizophrenia and 17 age- and sex-matched healthy control subjects were included in this study. Brain magnetic resonance scans at 3 Tesla were conducted at early stage of treatment. Voxel-wise statistical analysis of the fractional anisotropy (FA) data was performed using Tract-Based Spatial Statistics. At baseline and eight weeks after paliperidone treatment, patients were assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale, the Scale for the Assessment of Positive Symptoms and the Scale for the Assessment of Negative Symptoms. Among the patients with schizophrenia, the FA values of the corpus callosum, corona radiata, internal capsule, external capsule, superior longitudinal fasciculus and fronto-temporal WM regions showed significant negative correlations with scores of the treatment response. The current study suggests that the treatment response after paliperidone ER treatment may be associated with the fronto-temporo-limbic WM connectivity at early stage of treatment in patients with schizophrenia, and it could be used as a predictor of treatment response to paliperidone ER treatment after studies with large samples verify these results.

White matter alterations are associated with suicide attempt in patients with panic disorder.

BACKGROUND: Panic disorder (PD) is associated with an increased risk of suicide attempt (SA). However, no study has examined the neural correlates of SA in PD. The goal of this study was to evaluate alterations in white matter (WM) and gray matter (GM) in patients with PD with and without a history of SA. METHODS: Twelve patients with PD and a history of SA (PD+SA) and 24 patients with PD and no history of SA (PD-SA) underwent magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). All patients completed the Scale for Suicide Ideation (SSI), the Panic Disorder Severity Scale (PDSS), and the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). The groups were matched for age, sex, and BDI and PDSS scores. Voxel-based morphometry and tract-based spatial statistics were used for the imaging analysis. RESULTS: Although no GM or WM volume differences were observed, increased fractional anisotropy (FA) values were found in the WM tracts of the PD+SA group compared with the PD-SA group. The regions with increased FA included the internal capsule, splenium of the corpus callosum, superior and posterior corona radiata, thalamic radiations, sagittal stratum, and superior longitudinal fasciculus. The FA values for the internal capsule and thalamic radiations were significantly correlated with the SSI scores in the PD+SA group. LIMITATIONS: The results should be considered preliminary due to the relatively small sample size. CONCLUSIONS: Our data suggest that the aberrant WM integrity of the internal capsule and thalamic radiations may be the significant neural correlate of SA in patients with PD.

Effectiveness of mindfulness-based cognitive therapy as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder.

BACKGROUND: Mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) has been widely used to treat patients with depressive disorder to prevent relapse. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of newly developed MBCT program as an adjuvant to pharmacotherapy in the treatment of patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. METHODS: Forty-six patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder were assigned to either MBCT or an anxiety disorder education (ADE) program for a period of 8 weeks. The Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A), Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAM-D), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), and Symptom Checklist-90-Revised (SCL-90-R) were used to assess the patients at 0 week and after the two programs had been running for 2, 4, and 8 weeks. RESULTS: The MBCT group demonstrated significantly more improvement than the ADE group according to all anxiety (HAM-A, p<0.01; BAI, p<0.01; anxiety subscale of SCL-90-R, p=0.01) and depression (HAM-D, p<0.01; BDI, p<0.01; depression subscale of SCL-90-R, p<0.01) scale scores. The obsessive-compulsive and phobic subscales of the SCL-90-R also showed significantly more improvement in the MBCT group. However, no significant improvement was observed in the MBCT group versus the ADE group in terms of the somatization, interpersonal sensitivity, paranoid ideation, or psychoticism subscale scores of the SCL-90-R. CONCLUSIONS: MBCT may be effective at relieving anxiety and depressive symptoms in patients with panic disorder or generalized anxiety disorder. However, well-designed, randomized controlled trials are needed.