A three-month longitudinal study of changes in day/night serum total antioxidant capacity in paranoid schizophrenia.

Free radicals and an oxidant/antioxidant imbalance have been involved in the schizophrenia pathophysiology. The total antioxidant capacity (TAC) is a measure of the antioxidant capacity of a system. Day/night changes are a biological characteristic of hormones such as melatonin or cortisol. There is little information about TAC day/night changes in schizophrenia patients. The aim of this research is to study if there are day/night changes in serum TAC levels of schizophrenia patients. Thirty-two DSM-IV schizophrenia paranoid patients were studied. Blood was sampled at 12:00 and 00:00 h at admission, discharge and three months after hospital discharge (TMAHD). TAC results are expressed as mmol of Trolox/L. Patients did not have day/night TAC differences at admission (12:00: 0.67±0.12 vs. 00:00: 0.61±0.14, p>0.14) or discharge (12:00: 0.65±0.15 vs. 00:00: 0.65±0.12, p>0.99). At TMHD, patients had significantly higher TAC levels at midday than midnight (12:00: 0.83±0.10 vs. 00:00: 0.74±0.12, p<0.006) as it has been reported in healthy subjects. There were no significant TAC differences at 12.00 and 00:00 between admission and discharge. At TMAHD, patients had significantly higher TAC levels than at admission and discharge, both at 12:00 and 00:00 h. In conclusion, the absence of day/night serum TAC changes when clinically relapsed and the normalization of day/night serum TAC changes at TMHD can be considered as a biological marker of schizophrenia evolution

Phylogenetic tree of ACCs in <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> and parasitic nematode species.

<p>A maximum likelihood tree made from predicted protein sequences identified using <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> (cel) ACCs as BLAST queries for similar sequences in <i>Haemonchus contortus</i> (Hco), <i>Ancylostoma ceylanicum</i> (Ace), <i>Necator americanus</i> (Nam), <i>Strongyloides ratti</i> (Sra), <i>Brugia malayi</i> (Bma), <i>Wuchereria bancrofti</i> (Wba), <i>Loa loa</i> (Llo), <i>Ascaris suum</i> (Asu), <i>Trichuris suis</i> (Tsu), <i>Trichuris trichiura</i> (Ttr), and <i>Trichinella spiralis</i> (Tsp). Bootstrap values out of 100 are indicated at ACC clade-defining branches. The tree was rooted to the α1 subunit of the torpedo nicotinic AChR [<a href="http://www.plosone.org/article/info:doi/10.1371/journal.pone.0138804#pone.0138804.ref081" target="_blank">81</a>]. Representative subunits from other <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> chloride-selective pLGIC clades (LGC-50, LGC-51, LGC-52, MOD-1, EXP-1, AVR-15, GAB-1, and GGR-2) were also included to ensure that predicted ACC orthologs from other species grouped with the celACCs instead of other <i>C</i>. <i>elegans</i> chloride channels. Inset: Phylogenetic relationship of nematodes species. Branch lengths are approximate.</p

Comparison of the demographic and clinical variables of both patients’ samples.

<p>Quantitative data are given as mean ± SD. Qualitative data are given as absolute frequency.</p

Bonferroni’s multiple comparisons of serum TAC levels.

<p>Day/night comparisons: a vs b, p: ns; c vs d, p: ns; e vs f, p < 0.006. Serum TAC levels comparisons of at the three time points in patients at midday and midnight: a vs c, p: ns; a vs e, p < 0.05; c vs e, p < 0.05; b vs d, p: ns; b vs f, p < 0.05; d vs f, p < 0.05.</p

Comparison of TAC concentrations at 12:00 and 00:00 between patients and the control group.

<p>Comparison of TAC concentrations at 12:00 and 00:00 between patients and the control group.</p

Prognostic value of malondialdehyde serum levels in severe sepsis: a multicenter study.

OBJECTIVE: The oxidant/antioxidant state in septic patients has only been studied in small series. We wished to determine whether malondialdehyde (MDA) serum levels were associated with severity and 30-day mortality in a large series of patients with sepsis. METHODS: We performed an observational, prospective, multicenter study in six Spanish Intensive Care Units. Serum levels of MDA were measured in a total of 228 patients (145 survivors and 83 non-survivors) with severe sepsis and 100 healthy controls. RESULTS: Serum levels of MDA were higher in severe septic patients than in healthy controls. Non-surviving septic patients had higher MDA values than survivors. MDA serum levels were associated with severity markers (lactic acid, SOFA, APACHE-II) and coagulation indices. Regression analysis showed that MDA serum levels were associated with 30-day survival (Hazard ratio = 1.05; 95% confidence interval = 1.009-1.091; p = 0.016). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that the area under curve of MDA serum levels to predict 30-day survival was 0.62 (95% CI = 0.56-0.69; P = 0.002). The risk of death in septic patients with MDA serum levels above 4.11 nmol/mL was higher than in patients with lower values (Hazard Ratio = 2.43; 95% CI = 1.49-3.94; p<0.001). CONCLUSIONS: The novel findings of our study on severe septic patients, to our knowledge the largest series providing data on the oxidative state, are that elevated MDA serum levels probably represent an unbalanced oxidant state and are related with poor prognosis in patients with severe sepsis

Cox regression analysis to predict survival at 30 days.

<p>APACHE-II = Acute Physiology and Chronic Health Evaluation-II; aPTT = Activated partial thromboplastin time.</p

Receiver operation characteristic analysis using MDA serum levels as predictor of mortality at 30 days in septic patients.

<p>Receiver operation characteristic analysis using MDA serum levels as predictor of mortality at 30 days in septic patients.</p