The efficacy and safety of sodium nitroprusside in the treatment of schizophrenia: a meta-analysis

ObjectiveSchizophrenia is a serious mental disease that brings not only serious burdens to patients and their families but also serious challenges to society. More research is needed to find better drugs to treat schizophrenia. This meta-analysis investigated the efficacy and safety of sodium nitroprusside in the treatment of schizophrenia.MethodsRandomized controlled trials comparing the efficacy and safety of sodium nitroprusside in the treatment of schizophrenia were searched via English and Chinese databases. The outcomes, including the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) and Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), were recorded. RevMan 5.3 was used for the meta-analysis.ResultsA total of six randomized controlled trials (174 patients) were included. The overall quality of the included studies was good. No statistically significant benefit of sodium nitroprusside over placebo was found when combined PANSS total and BPRS-18 (95% CI: −1.40, 0.02). Except for PANSS positive (95% CI: −1.86, −0.01), there was no significant difference in the scale score after sodium nitroprusside treatment compared with the control group in PANSS total (95% CI: −4.93, 0.23), PANSS general (95% CI: −2.53, 1.33), and PANSS negative (95% CI: −4.44, 0.89). The results of the sensitivity analysis excluding the study with clinical heterogeneity showed that sodium nitroprusside had no statistical benefit for the score of PANSS positive (95% CI: −2.19, 0.46). Moreover, there was also no significant difference in the BPRS-18 (95% CI: −3.23, −0.43).ConclusionWe conservatively believe that sodium nitroprusside does not alleviate the symptoms of schizophrenia compared with placebo. The subjects tolerated sodium nitroprusside well. Our findings provide a new idea for researchers to explore and solve the drug treatment of schizophrenia

Amino-Thiol Bifunctional Polysilsesquioxane/Carbon Nanotubes Magnetic Composites as Adsorbents for Hg(II) Removal

Amino-thiol bifunctional polysilsesquioxane/carbon nanotubes (PSQ/CNTs) magnetic composites were prepared by sol-gel method with two types of functional siloxanes coating on carboxyl CNTs simultaneously. The composites were served as efficient adsorbents for removing Hg(II) in aqueous solution and the adsorption properties were investigated systematically. The optimal pH of bifunctional composites for Hg(II) removal is at pH 4.5. The thermodynamic fitting curves are more consistent with the Langmuir model and the adsorption capacities of the bifunctional composites for Hg(II) varied from 1.63 to 1.94 mmol g−1 at 25°C according to the Langmuir model. The kinetics curves are more fitted to the pseudo-second-order model and the composites could selectively adsorb Hg(II) in a series of binary metal ions solution. The elution regeneration tests showed that the adsorption rate could still reach 78% after repeat cycle three times. It is expected that the bifunctional PSQ/CNTs magnetic composites can be potentially applied to remove low concentration Hg(II) from waste water

Improved Synthesis of 5-Substituted 1H-Tetrazoles via the [3+2] Cycloaddition of Nitriles and Sodium Azide Catalyzed by Silica Sulfuric Acid

A silica supported sulfuric acid catalyzed [3+2] cycloaddition of nitriles and sodium azide to form 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles is described. The protocol can provide a series of 5-substituted 1H-tetrazoles using silica sulfuric acid from nitriles and sodium azide in DMF in 72%–95% yield

Preparation and Properties of UV-Curable Waterborne Polyurethane Acrylate/MXene Nanocomposite Films

In this study, waterborne polyurethane acrylate (WPUA)/MXene nanocomposite films with varying MXene loadings were fabricated using UV-curing technology, where MXene (Ti3C2Tx) was employed as a nanofiller. The microstructure and chemical structure of the WPUA/MXene nanocomposite films were examined by XRD and FTIR, respectively. The water contact angle testing demonstrated that the incorporation of MXene into the nanocomposite films led to an increase in their hydrophilic properties. The tensile strength, the elongation at break, and Young’s modulus of the WPUA/MXene nanocomposite coatings exhibited an initial increase followed by a decrease with increasing MXene loadings. Compared to the pure WPUA film, the tensile strength and elongation at break of nanocomposites with 0.077 wt% MXene loading reached their maximum values, which increased by 39.9% and 38.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the glass transition temperature and the thermal stability were both enhanced by MXene to some extent. This study introduces a novel method for utilizing MXene in UV-curable waterborne coatings

Preparation and Mechanical Properties of UV-Curable Epoxy Acrylate/Modified Aramid Nanofiber Nanocomposite Films

In order to enhance the mechanical properties of UV-curable epoxy acrylate (EA)-based coatings, 3-(trimethoxysilyl)propyl methacrylate modified aramid nanofibers (T-ANFs) were synthesized and used as nanofillers to prepare EA/T-ANF nanocomposite films. The morphology of T-ANFs was characterized by transmission electron microscopy. The chemical structure of T-ANFs was analyzed via infrared spectroscopy, confirming successful grafting of methyl methacryloyloxy groups onto the surface of aramid nanofibers (ANFs). Real-time infrared spectroscopy was employed to investigate the influence of ANFs and T-ANFs on the photopolymerization kinetics of the EA film. The results revealed that the addition of ANFs and T-ANFs led to a decrease in the photopolymerization rate during the initial stage but had little impact on the final double bond conversion, with all samples exhibiting a conversion rate of over 83%. The incorporation of ANFs improved the tensile strength of the films while significantly reducing their Young’s modulus. In contrast, the addition of T-ANFs led to a substantial increase in both tensile stress and Young’s modulus of the films. For instance, the tensile strength and Young’s modulus of the 0.1 wt% of T-ANF film increased by 52.7% and 41.6%, respectively, compared to the pure EA film. To further study the dispersion morphology and reinforcement mechanism, the cross-sectional morphology of the films was characterized by scanning electron microscopy

Interactive Effects of Drought–Flood Abrupt Alternation on Morpho-Agronomic and Nutrient Use Traits in Rice

The frequent occurrence of drought–flood abrupt alternation (DFAA) in Huaibei Plain has shown a great impact on local rice production. Pot experiments were performed in 2016–2018 to investigate the effects of co-occurring drought and flooding stresses on dry weight (DW), grain yield, nitrogen (N), phosphorus (P) and potassium (K) uptake and use efficiencies (NUE, PUE and KUE) in rice. The results showed that DFAA changed the accumulation of biomass and nutrients among different organs in rice. Compared with control, DFAA significantly reduced the grain yield (−29.8%) and root DW (−30.0%), but increased the DW in stem and leaf (10.2% and 9.7%). The root/shoot ratio and morphological size of the root system in DFAA-treated plants was smaller than those of drought alone and flooding alone. Under DFAA stresses, the specific absorption rate of N, P and K increased significantly (47.9%, 31.8% and 32.8%, respectively), while NUE, PUE and KUE decreased significantly (−27.9%, −10.8% and −19.7%, respectively). The decrease of nutrient use efficiencies was mainly due to the redundant growth of branches and leaves, and the key factor limiting grain yield under DFAA conditions was the effective utilization of N. Compared with the earlier drought, the subsequent flooding might have more influence on rice growth, nutrient utilization and yield formation, but the interaction of the two weakened the cumulative effect of drought and flooding. These findings provide a scientific basis for establishing a nutrient and water management system of rice cultivation under transient soil moisture conditions

Biogas slurry application alters soil properties, reshapes the soil microbial community, and alleviates root rot of Panax notoginseng

Background Panax notoginseng is an important herbal medicine in China, where this crop is cultivated by replanting of seedlings. Root rot disease threatens the sustainability of P. notoginseng cultivation. Water flooding (WF) is widely used to control numerous soilborne diseases, and biogas slurry shows positive effects on the soil physiochemical properties and microbial community structure and has the potential to suppress soilborne pathogens. Hence, biogas slurry flooding (BSF) may be an effective approach for alleviating root rot disease of P. notoginseng; however, the underlying mechanism needs to be elucidated. Methods In this study, we conducted a microcosm experiment to determine if BSF can reduce the abundance of pathogens in soil and, alleviate root rot of P. notoginseng. Microcosms, containing soil collected from a patch of P. notoginseng showing symptoms of root rot disease, were subjected to WF or BSF at two concentrations for two durations (15 and 30 days), after which the changes in their physicochemical properties were investigated. Culturable microorganisms and the root rot ratio were also estimated. We next compared changes in the microbial community structure of soils under BSF with changes in WF and untreated soils through high-throughput sequencing of bacterial 16S rRNA (16S) and fungal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) genes amplicon. Results WF treatment did not obviously change the soil microbiota. In contrast, BSF treatment significantly altered the physicochemical properties and reshaped the bacterial and fungal communities, reduced the relative abundance of potential fungal pathogens (Fusarium, Cylindrocarpon, Alternaria, and Phoma), and suppressed culturable fungi and Fusarium. The changes in the microbial community structure corresponded to decreased root rot ratios. The mechanisms of fungal pathogen suppression by BSF involved several factors, including inducing anaerobic/conductive conditions, altering the soil physicochemical properties, enriching the anaerobic and culturable bacteria, and increasing the phylogenetic relatedness of the bacterial community. Conclusions BSF application can reshape the soil microbial community, reduce the abundance of potential pathogens, and alleviate root rot in P. notoginseng. Thus, it is a promising practice for controlling root rot disease in P. notoginseng

Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Activity of Chickweed [Stellaria media (L.) Vill.] Extracts in HepG2.2.15 Cells

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Restoration of Mature Etiolated Cucumber Hypocotyl Cell Wall Susceptibility to Expansin by Pretreatment with Fungal Pectinases and EGTA in Vitro1

Mature plant cell walls lose their ability to expand and become unresponsive to expansin. This phenomenon is believed to be due to cross-linking of hemicellulose, pectin, or phenolic groups in the wall. By screening various hydrolytic enzymes, we found that pretreatment of nongrowing, heat-inactivated, basal cucumber (Cucumis sativus) hypocotyls with pectin lyase (Pel1) from Aspergillus japonicus could restore reconstituted exogenous expansin-induced extension in mature cell walls in vitro. Recombinant pectate lyase A (PelA) and polygalacturonase (PG) from Aspergillus spp. exhibited similar capacity to Pel1. Pel1, PelA, and PG also enhanced the reconstituted expansin-induced extension of the apical (elongating) segments of cucumber hypocotyls. However, the effective concentrations of PelA and PG for enhancing the reconstituted expansin-induced extension were greater in the apical segments than in the basal segments, whereas Pel1 behaved in the opposite manner. These data are consistent with distribution of more methyl-esterified pectin in cell walls of the apical segments and less esterified pectin in the basal segments. Associated with the degree of esterification of pectin, more calcium was found in cell walls of basal segments compared to apical segments. Pretreatment of the calcium chelator EGTA could also restore mature cell walls' susceptibility to expansin by removing calcium from mature cell walls. Because recombinant pectinases do not hydrolyze other wall polysaccharides, and endoglucanase, xylanase, and protease cannot restore the mature wall's extensibility, we can conclude that the pectin network, especially calcium-pectate bridges, may be the primary factor that determines cucumber hypocotyl mature cell walls' unresponsiveness to expansin