Reduced Cell-Free Mitochondrial DNA Levels Were Induced by Antipsychotics Treatment in First-Episode Patients With Schizophrenia.

Cell-free mitochondrial DNA (cf-mtDNA) is a damage-associated molecular pattern that boosts the release of cytokines and induces the immune response of the body; therefore, it is closely related to mental diseases. This study aims to evaluate a potential link between cf-mtDNA and clinical progression in first-episode patients with schizophrenia. In this study, plasma cf-mtDNA levels in 34 first-episode patients with schizophrenia before and after 8 weeks of antipsychotic treatment were examined. In addition, the clinical progression of first-episode schizophrenia was assessed using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The copy number changes in the plasma cf-mtDNA (Δcf-mtDNA) were significantly correlated with changes in the PANSS scale scores (ΔPANSS) in first-episode patients with schizophrenia (ΔPANSS total score, P = 0.002; ΔPANSS positive score, P = 0.01). Plasma cf-mtDNA may represent a relevant tool in the future to assist in the assessment of clinical progression in first-episode patients with schizophrenia.

Aptasensors for rapid detection of Escherichia coli O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium.

Herein we reported the development of aptamer-based biosensors (aptasensors) based on label-free aptamers and gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) for detection of Escherichia coli (E. coli) O157:H7 and Salmonella typhimurium. Target bacteria binding aptamers are adsorbed on the surface of unmodified AuNPs to capture target bacteria, and the detection was accomplished by target bacteria-induced aggregation of the aptasensor which is associated as red-to-purple color change upon high-salt conditions. By employing anti-E. coli O157:H7 aptamer and anti-S. typhimurium aptamer, we developed a convenient and rapid approach that could selectively detect bacteria without specialized instrumentation and pretreatment steps such as cell lysis. The aptasensor could detect as low as 105colony-forming units (CFU)/ml target bacteria within 20 min or less and its specificity was 100%. This novel method has a great potential application in rapid detection of bacteria in the near future.

[Detection of WU polyomavirus in children with low respiratory tract infections using real-time fluorescent quantitative PCR].

OBJECTIVE: Development and application of a real time fluorescent quantitative PCR (FQ-PCR) assay for detecting WU polyomavirus in children with low respiratory tract infections. METHODS: The VP2 gene of WU polyomavirus was selected as the detection target, from which the real time primers and probes were designed. The standard curve was established by using recombinant plasmid as template. And the FQ-PCR assay for specific detection of WU polyomavirus was established. The specificity, sensitivity and reproducibility of the method were evaluated. Furthermore, the clinical specimens from children with respiratory tract infections collected in Wenling First People's Hospital were quantitatively detected using this method. RESULTS: In this study, the FQ-PCR method was established to detect a specific fragment in VP2gene of WU polyomavirus. The standard curve coefficient R2 was 0.998. And this method can detect as low as 50 copies recombinant plasmid. The clinical specimens of sputum and throat swab from children with respiratory tract infections were quantitatively detected using this method. 7 sputum specimens were detected as WU polyomavirus positive in 700 sputum specimens, the positive ratio was 1.00%. No positive specimens were detected in 146 specimens of throat swabs and 846 blood samples from same patient population. CONCLUSION: The results indicated that the FQ-PCR assay method established in this study was specific, rapid and sensitive for detecting WU polyomavirus in children with lower respiratory tract infections. The sputum specimen is more suitable to be used for gene detection of WU polyomavirus than throat swab or blood.

Polymorphisms in the vitamin D receptor gene and type 1 diabetes mellitus risk: an update by meta-analysis.

Four well known polymorphisms (BsmI, FokI, ApaI, TaqI) in the VDR gene have been implicated in susceptibility to type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM), but the results to date have been inconclusive. The aim of this study was to investigate the association between polymorphisms in the VDR gene and T1DM risk by meta-analysis. A total of 57 case-control studies in 26 published studies were included. The results indicated that the BsmI polymorphism is associated with increased risk of T1DM (BB+Bb vs. bb: OR=1.30, 95% CI=1.03-1.63), while the FokI, ApaI and TaqI polymorphisms were not. In the subgroup analysis by ethnicity, the increased risk of T1DM remained in the Asian subgroup for the BsmI polymorphism; whereas no significant association was found in other populations for other polymorphisms. Results from the current study suggest that the BsmI polymorphism is associated with increased risk of T1DM, especially in Asians. Further studies are needed to confirm our results.