The Relationship Between Cognitive Dysfunction and Symptom Dimensions Across Schizophrenia, Bipolar Disorder, and Major Depressive Disorder

Background: Cognitive dysfunction is considered a core feature among schizophrenia (SZ), bipolar disorder (BD), and major depressive disorder (MDD). Despite abundant literature comparing cognitive dysfunction among these disorders, the relationship between cognitive dysfunction and symptom dimensions remains unclear. The study aims are a) to identify the factor structure of the BPRS-18 and b) to examine the relationship between symptom domains and cognitive function across SZ, BD, and MDD.Methods: A total of 716 participants [262 with SZ, 104 with BD, 101 with MDD, and 249 healthy controls (HC)] were included in the study. One hundred eighty participants (59 with SZ, 23 with BD, 24 with MDD, and 74 HC) completed the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB), and 507 participants (85 with SZ, 89 with BD, 90 with MDD, and 243 HC) completed the Wisconsin Card Sorting Test (WCST). All patients completed the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS).Results: We identified five BPRS exploratory factor analysis (EFA) factors (“affective symptoms,” “psychosis,” “negative/disorganized symptoms,” “activation,” and “noncooperation”) and found cognitive dysfunction in all of the participant groups with psychiatric disorders. Negative/disorganized symptoms were the most strongly associated with cognitive dysfunctions across SZ, BD, and MDD.Conclusions: Our findings suggest that cognitive dysfunction severity relates to the negative/disorganized symptom domain across SZ, BD, and MDD, and negative/disorganized symptoms may be an important target for effective cognitive remediation in SZ, BD, and MDD

Research of Cu-bearing stainless steel with inhibition function of biofouling formation in freshwater environment

316L SS is widely used but is prone to algae adhesion, making biofouling a big challenge for the long-term functionality and reliability in freshwater. Most reported organic antifouling coatings are not suitable for use in freshwater environments, making copper-containing stainless steels a good candidate for freshwater antifouling. Anti-fouling resistance of 316L-Cu SS and 316L SS was compared using a self-built natural simulation ecosystem in this study. The results demonstrated that the algae adhesion percentage on 316L-Cu SS is much lower than that on 316L SS from both macro and micro perspectives using a single-lens reflex camera and high sensitivity structured illumination microscope. Results of this study clearly revealed that the mechanism of algae resistance for 316L-Cu SS is the release of Cu2+ can inhibit the adhesion of proteins and polysaccharides, weakening the adhesion of the extracellular polymeric substances to the metal substrate and even make the attached diatoms fracture or damage. This study provides a novel strategy to prevent algae adhesion on metal surface for an array of underwater equipment used in freshwater and contributes towards the advancement of materials used for underwater equipment, fostering enhanced performance and reduced maintenance in freshwater applications and the mitigation of algae fouling in aquatic environments

The unfolded von Willebrand factor response in bloodstream: the self-association perspective

Abstract von Willebrand factor (vWF) is a multimeric glycoprotein essential for hemostasis after vascular injury, which modulates platelet-surface and platelet–platelet interactions by linking platelet receptors to the extracellular matrix and to each other. The crucial role of vWF in platelet function is particularly apparent when hemodynamic conditions create blood flow with high shear stress. Through multiple functional domains, vWF mediates the attachment of platelets to exposed tissues, where immobilized vWF is able to support a homotypic and/or heterotypic self-association. The self-association of vWF is also supported by a rapidly expanding reservoir of novel evidences that the thiol/disulfide exchange regulates vWF multimer size in the blood circulation. Moreover, in addition to proteolysis and reduction of ADAMTS13 (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13), the regulation of vWF multimer size and self-association may depend on a disulfide bond reductase activity ascribed to thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1). Along with the classical signaling pathways in activated platelets, evidence is emerging that lipid rafts also play important roles in various phases of hemostasis and thrombosis and facilitate the interaction between the key signaling molecules. Developments in these areas will refine our understanding of the role played by vWF self-association in physiological hemostasis and pathological thrombosis.</p

Association between United States Environmental Contaminants and the Prevalence of Psoriasis Derived from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey

(1) Background: Prolonged coexposure to environmental contaminants is reportedly associated with adverse impacts on skin health. However, the collective effects of contaminant mixtures on psoriasis prevalence remain unclear. (2) Methods: A nationally representative cohort study was conducted using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2003–2006 and 2009–2014. The association between contaminant exposures and psoriasis prevalence was analyzed through weighted quantile sum regressions, restricted cubic splines, and multivariable logistic regression. (3) Results: 16,453 participants and 60 contaminants in 8 groups were involved. After adjusting for demographics and comorbidities, exposure to urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate mixtures (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.21) demonstrated a significant positive linear association with psoriasis prevalence. Ethyl paraben (OR: 1.21, 95% CI: 1.02–1.44) exhibited a significant positive correlation with psoriasis risk as an individual contaminant. The association between blood cadmium, lead, and mercury mixtures (OR: 1.10, 95% CI: 1.00–1.21), urinary perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate mixtures (OR: 1.16, 95% CI: 1.00–1.34), and psoriasis prevalence was more pronounced in the lower healthy lifestyle score subgroup. (4) Conclusions: Exposure to perchlorate, nitrate, and thiocyanate mixtures, and ethyl paraben was associated with an elevated psoriasis prevalence. Furthermore, the association between cadmium and lead and mercury mixtures as well as perchlorate, nitrate and thiocyanate mixtures, and psoriasis prevalence was more pronounced in individuals with less healthy lifestyles

Associations of lifestyle characteristics with circulating immune markers in the general population based on NHANES 1999 to 2014

Abstract Lifestyles maybe associated with the immune and inflammatory state of human body. We aimed to comprehensively explore the relationship between lifestyles and circulating immune-inflammatory markers in the general population. Data from NHANES 1999–2014 was used. Lifestyle factors included leisure-time physical activity (LTPA), diet quality (Healthy Eating Index-2015, HEI-2015), alcohol consumption, cigarettes smoking, sleep hour and sedentary time. Immune makers included C-reactive protein (CRP), neutrophil–lymphocyte ratio (NLR), systemic immune-inflammation index (SII), platelet–lymphocyte ratio (PLR) and monocyte–lymphocyte ratio (MLR). Generalized linear regression models were used to adjust confounders. Regressions of restricted cubic splines were utilized to evaluate the potentially non-linear relationships between exposures and outcomes. As results, HEI was negatively associated with CRP (P < 0.001), SII (P < 0.001), and NLR (P < 0.001). Cigarettes per day was positively associated with CRP (P < 0.001), SII (P < 0.001), and NLR (P = 0.008). Alcohol consumption was negatively associated with CRP (P < 0.001), but positively associated with PLR (P = 0.012) and MLR (P < 0.001). Physical activity was negatively associated with CRP (P < 0.001), SII (P = 0.005), and NLR (P = 0.002), but positively associated with PLR (P = 0.010). Participants with higher healthy lifestyle score had significantly lower CRP, SII and NLR (all P values < 0.05). Most of the sensitivity analyses found similar results. In conclusion, we found significant associations between lifestyles and immune markers in the general population, which may reflect a systemic inflammatory response to unhealthy lifestyles

Assessment of the Sphericity of Submicrometer Particles Using a Single-particle Polar Nephelometer at an Urban Site in Japan

he sphericity of particles must be considered when evaluating their effects on the climate and human health. Thus, to examine this property and its controlling factors, this study measured the scattering angular distributions of both thermodenuded and non-thermodenuded individual particles with a diameter of 500 nm in real time using a home-made polar nephelometer in Nagoya, Japan. Estimating the sphericities based on the depths of the local minima in the scattering angular distributions, we found the ambient aerosols to be external mixtures of at least two types of particles, one with relatively high and the other with relatively low sphericity. Although most of the particles exhibiting high sphericity were removed as they passed through the thermodenuder, approximately one-third of the fraction exhibiting low sphericity remained. During the daytime, the proportion of the low-sphericity particles decreased, whereas the average sphericity of the high-sphericity particles increased, which can be attributed to photochemical formation and/or aging processes. On days with extremely high relative humidity, the diurnal variation in the average sphericity displayed another peak during the early morning, which may have been due to the secondary formation of nitrate

Water Solubility Distribution of Organic Matter Accounts for the Discrepancy in Hygroscopicity among Sub- and Supersaturated Humidity Regimes

Water uptake properties of organic matter (OM) are critical for aerosol direct and indirect effects. OM contains various chemical species that have a wide range of water solubility. However, the role of water solubility on water uptake by OM has poorly been investigated. We experimentally retrieved water solubility distributions of water-soluble OM (WSOM) from combustion of mosquito coil and tropical peat using the 1-octanol–water partitioning method. In addition, hygroscopic growth and cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) activity of solubility-segregated WSOM were measured. The dominant fraction of WSOM from mosquito coil smoldering was highly soluble (water solubility (S) > 10–2 g cm–3), while that from peat combustion contained ∼40% of less-soluble species (S –3 g cm–3). The difference in water solubility distributions induced changes in the roles of less water-soluble fractions (S < 10–3 g cm–3) on CCN activity. Namely, the less water-soluble fraction from mosquito coil combustion fully dissolved at the point of critical supersaturation, while that for tropical peat smoldering was limited by water solubility. The present result suggests that water solubility distributions of OM, rather than its bulk chemical property, need to be quantified for understanding the water uptake process