Prevalence and clinical-demographic correlates of hyperhomocysteinemia in inpatients with bipolar disorder in a Han Chinese population.

Recent studies have reported that hyperhomocystinemia (HHcy) is highly prevalent in patients with bipolar disorder (BD), placing them at greater risk of cardiovascular disease and possibly serving as a disease biomarker. However, the correlation of HHcy with demographic or clinical parameters is not well known. In this study, we examined the prevalence of HHcy and its association with these parameters in a sample of Chinese BD patients. Fasting plasma homocysteine (Hcy) levels were determined in 198 BD inpatients and 84 healthy controls. HHcy was defined when Hcy concentration exceeded 15.0µmol/L. Affective symptomatology was assessed by the Young Mania Rating Scale, Hamilton Depression Rating Scale and the Clinical Global Impressions severity scale. Compared to healthy controls, BD patients had a significantly higher prevalence (34.85% vs. 19.05%) of HHcy and a higher absolute level of homocysteine. Logistic regression analysis demonstrated that BD patients with HHcy were more likely to be male, have elevated BMI, more frequent treatment on lithium but less on valproate. These results suggest that Chinese inpatients with bipolar disorder have a higher rate of HHcy than the general population, and those at greatest risk are male, have an elevated BMI, and take more lithium but less valproate therapy.

[Effects of drip irrigation under mulching on cotton root and shoot biomass and yield].

By using bidirectional sampling method with soil drill, the effects of different amounts of drip irrigation (2618, 2947, 3600 and 4265 m3 x hm(-2)) under mulching on the root distribution, aboveground growth, and yield of cotton was studied in field. The results indicated that irrigation amount affected the root and shoot growth significantly. In all irrigation treatments, cotton root was mainly distributed in mulched area, occupying 60.65%-73.45% of total root biomass, while only 39.35%-26.55% was distributed in bare area. Water stress increased rooting depth, root biomass, and the extent of lateral rooting. Significant differences were observed in the biological characteristics and the biomass accumulation and allocation of cotton plant among different irrigation treatments. Over-irrigation (4265 m3 x hm(-2)) increased plant height, width of inverse fourth leaf, and amounts of branch and bud, and thus, accelerated biomass accumulation rate. Over-irrigation also increased the root/shoot ratio and the proportion of biomass allocated to vegetative organs, but increased the fruit abscission rate and therefore reduced the economic yield. It was suggested that both excessive soil moisture content and water stress could affect the biomass accumulation and allocation in different cotton organs and at various life stages. Under the conditions of our experiment, 3600 m3 x hm(-2) was the optimal irrigation amount.