Neurohumoral markers that predict the efficiency of pharmacologic therapy of depressive disorders

We present a comprehensive clinical and biological study of 46 patients with depressive disorder (F32-F33: depressive episode and recurrent depressive disorder) during pharmacotherapy. Neurohumoral factors (cortisol, brain-derived neurotrophic factor, serotonin, DHEA and its sulfated form) were determined in serum by ELISA. The severity of the current depressive episode was evaluated using the 17-point Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HDRS-17); the pharmacotherapy efficacy was evaluated using the scale of the Clinical Global Impression (CGI Scale). We showed that before prescription of pharmacotherapy peripheral blood neurohumoral markers that characterize the state of stress-realizing and stress-limiting systems of the body may be considered as biological predictors of the effective pharmacotherapy of a current depressive episode and used as additional paraclinical examination methods. At higher concentrations of cortisol and serotonin associated with a decrease in the content of neurosteroid dehydroepiandrosterone, the high efficiency of the pharmacotherapy of depressive episode is predicted

Glutamate Concentration in the Serum of Patients with Schizophrenia

Glutamate is the major neurotransmitter with multiple functions in the central nervous system. Glutamate-mediated excitotoxicity is involved in the pathophysiological processes in schizophrenia. The purpose of this study was to determine the concentration of glutamate in the serum of patients with paranoid schizophrenia compared with healthy individuals, and depending on the duration of the schizophrenic process and leading clinical symptoms. We investigated the level of glutamate in the serum of 158 patients with paranoid schizophrenia and 94 healthy persons. Higher concentrations of glutamate in schizophrenic patients compared with healthy persons have been found. The maximum concentrations of glutamate were detected in patients with disease duration of more than ten years. Glutamate level in the serum does not depend on the prevailing negative or positive clinical symptoms. The increased concentration of glutamate can hypothetically contribute to dopaminergic and glutamatergic imbalance, leading to the development of psychotic symptoms and cognitive dysfunction

Multiclass classification using quantum convolutional neural networks with hybrid quantum-classical learning

Multiclass classification is of great interest for various applications, for example, it is a common task in computer vision, where one needs to categorize an image into three or more classes. Here we propose a quantum machine learning approach based on quantum convolutional neural networks for solving the multiclass classification problem. The corresponding learning procedure is implemented via TensorFlowQuantum as a hybrid quantum-classical (variational) model, where quantum output results are fed to the softmax activation function with the subsequent minimization of the cross entropy loss via optimizing the parameters of the quantum circuit. Our conceptional improvements here include a new model for a quantum perceptron and an optimized structure of the quantum circuit. We use the proposed approach to solve a 4-class classification problem for the case of the MNIST dataset using eight qubits for data encoding and four ancilla qubits; previous results have been obtained for 3-class classification problems. Our results show that the accuracy of our solution is similar to classical convolutional neural networks with comparable numbers of trainable parameters. We expect that our findings will provide a new step toward the use of quantum neural networks for solving relevant problems in the NISQ era and beyond

EMBRIOGENESIS OF NEURONAL ELENENTS (GLIOBLASTS AND GABAA RECEPTORS) IN THE HUMAN BRAIN NEUROIMMUNE SYSTEM UNDER PRENATAL ALCOHOL EXPOSURE

Exposure to alcohol causes imbalances in neuroimmune function and impaired brain development. Alcohol activates the innate immune signaling pathways in the brain. Neuroimmune molecules expressed and secreted by glial cells of the brain (microglia, oligodendroglia) alter the function of neurons and further stimulate the development of alcoholic behavior. Various signaling pathways and brain cells are involved in the transmission of neuroimmune signals. Glial cells are the main sources of immune mediators in the brain, which respond to and release immune signals in the central nervous system. The aim of this study was to study neuronal elements: morphometric parameters of glioblasts, synaptic structures and properties of synaptosomal GABAA-benzodiazepine receptors of the neuroimmune system in the embryogenesis of the human brain under perinatal exposure to alcohol. Changes in glioblasts in the brain tissue of human embryos and fetuses were revealed under conditions of chronic prenatal alcoholization with an increase in gestational age compared with control subgroups: a significant increase in the average number of glioblasts, the length of the perimeters of presynaptic terminal structures, postsynaptic density, presynaptic terminal regions were significantly less (p < 0.01) in the study group than in the control comparison group. Exposure to ethanol leads to a decrease in the affinity of GABAA-benzodiazepine receptors, which affects neuronal plasticity associated with the development and differentiation of progenitor cells (glioblasts and neuroblasts) during embryogenesis of the human brain and leads to suppression of GABAergic function in the brain. This causes a disruption in the interconnection of embryonic cells in the brain, leads to excessive apoptosis due to the activation of glial cells of the nervous tissue, disruption of neuroimmune function in the developing brain, changes in neuronal circuits, as well as a change in the balance of excitatory and inhibitory effects, which affects the functional activity in the central nervous system. Glial activation is a compensatory reaction caused by neuroplastic changes aimed at adapting the developing brain of the embryo and fetus under conditions of neurotoxicity and hypoxia under the influence of prenatal alcoholization of the maternal organism and the effect of ethanol on the fetus. The dynamics of changes in glial elements and receptor activity in the nervous tissue of human embryos and fetuses under conditions of prenatal exposure to alcohol indicates a more pronounced effect of alcohol on the earliest stages of human embryo development, which is of great practical importance in planning pregnancy and the inadmissibility of alcoholization of the mother in order to avoid negative consequences in offspring

Changes in Body Fat and Related Biochemical Parameters Associated With Atypical Antipsychotic Drug Treatment in Schizophrenia Patients With or Without Metabolic Syndrome

Background: Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a common problem in schizophrenia patients and associated with increased mortality due to cardiovascular disease. Second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) play an important role in facilitating MetS. Objective: The study aimed to assess weight changes and alterations of indicators of body fat composition and lipid-glucose metabolism induced by reinitiating atypical antipsychotics in patients with schizophrenia when with or without MetS. Methods: After giving informed consent, newly admitted patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10: F20) and an age between 18 and 55 years were included. MetS was diagnosed according to International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. At entry and after 6 weeks of treatment, anthropometry and biochemical analysis were carried out. Total and visceral fats were measured with the use of non-invasive bioimpedance analysis and subcutaneous fat with calculation of total adipose tissue with the use of caliperometry. Based on biochemical assessments low density (LDL) and very low-density lipoproteins (VLDL), atherogenic index and Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (IR-HOMA) were calculated. Statistical analysis was conducted using Wilcoxon signed-rank test, Mann-Whitney U-test, and chi-squared test. Differences were considered statistically significant at p < 0.05. Results: A total of 114 patients (59M/55F) with schizophrenia were examined; they were divided into two groups with (n = 43; 37.7%) and without (n = 71; 62.3%) MetS. After a 6-week SGA treatment, only the total fat fold, waist circumference, triglyceride level, and atherogenic index underwent statistically significant changes in patients with MetS. In those without MetS, statistically significant changes across all fat indicators were noted. Also, a significant increase in blood glucose and HOMA-IR parameters, triglyceride, and VLDL levels and atherogenic index was observed in this group. Discussion: The study illustrates the benefits of estimating both anthropometric and biochemical parameters shortly after (re)installing treatment of schizophrenia in order to minimize the risk of MetS development

Влияние динамических свойств ОПН на ограничение перенапряжений в распределительных сетях

One of the most efficient means of over-voltage reduction in arcing ground short-circuits is an application of   a nonlinear over-voltage limiter. It is necessary to take into account dynamic properties of the nonlinear over-voltage limiter in order to ensure authentic simulation of  over-voltage in the network A dynamic model of  the non-linear over-voltage limiter which takes a time lag constant   τ  into account during transition of the nonlinear over-voltage limiter into conducting state has been developed in the paper.Одним из наиболее эффективных средств снижения перенапряжений при дуговых замыканиях на землю является применение ОПН. Для  достоверного моделирования перенапряжений в сети необходимо учитывать динамические свойства ОПН. Разработана динамическая модель ОПН, которая учитывает постоянную времени запаздывания τ, при переходе ОПН в проводящее состояние

Comparative Characteristics of the Metabolic Syndrome Prevalence in Patients With Schizophrenia in Three Western Siberia Psychiatric Hospitals

Objective: The purpose of this study was to compare the prevalence of MetS and the associated sociodemographic, clinical, and pharmacotherapeutic characteristics of patients with schizophrenia in three psychiatric hospitals in the West Siberian region. Methods: Patients with a clinical diagnosis of schizophrenia (ICD-10: F20) and an age between 18 and 60 years were included in the study after giving informed consent. Metabolic syndrome was diagnosed according to the International Diabetes Federation criteria. This research was carried out at three Western Siberian psychiatric hospitals in Kemerovo, Tomsk, and Omsk. The study population included respectively 94, 131, and 91 inpatients with schizophrenia. We carried out schizophrenia symptoms assessment by PANSS, antipsychotic therapy evaluation, anthropometry, and biochemical analysis. Statistical Analysis included the Shapiro–Wilk test, non-parametric Kruskal–Wallis H-test for independent samples, Mann–Whitney U-test for independent samples, the chi-square test, stepwise multiple regression analyses. The level of significance was p < 0.05. Results: The metabolic syndrome prevalence was higher among patients in Tomsk (36.6%), compared with Kemerovo (20.2%, p = 0.008) or Omsk (18.7%, p = 0.004), mainly due to the high prevalence of abdominal obesity, while men from Tomsk were more susceptible to this condition than men from other regions (p < 0.05). Patients from Omsk had the highest severity schizophrenia symptoms according to PANSS, and patients from Tomsk had the lowest severity of positive symptoms according to PANSS. Patients from Tomsk had the minimum duration of antipsychotic therapy compared with the patient from Kemerovo (p = 0.017) and from Omsk (p = 0.000019), but most patients from Tomsk received second-generation atypical antipsychotics, while patients from Omsk received mainly conventional antipsychotics (p = 0.0001). Multiple regression analysis showed that metabolic syndrome associated with schizophrenia duration and body mass index, although the association was not so strong (adjusted R(2) = 0.2435, p < 0.0001). Discussion: The study illustrates that in different psychiatric hospitals within the same region, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome in patients with schizophrenia can vary significantly, which dictates the need to look for opportunities to minimize the risk of its occurrence, taking into account the experience of each hospital

Cytokine Level Changes in Schizophrenia Patients with and without Metabolic Syndrome Treated with Atypical Antipsychotics

The present study aims at comparing the change in cytokine levels in schizophrenia patients treated with atypical antipsychotics, with or without metabolic syndrome (MetS). The study included 101 patients with schizophrenia, 38 with and 63 without MetS, who received risperidone, quetiapine, olanzapine or aripiprazole for six weeks. We analyzed the concentration of 21 cytokines in the serum patients. The treatment with atypical antipsychotics changed some proinflammatory cytokine levels. It led to increased IFN-alpha 2 (p = 0.010), IL-1 alpha (p = 0.024) and IL-7 (p = 0.017) levels in patients with MetS, whereas the same treatment led to decreased levels of IFN-gamma (p = 0.011), IL-1 beta (p = 0.035), IL-12p40 (p = 0.011), IL-17A (p = 0.031), IL-6 (p = 0.043) and TNF-alpha (p = 0.012) in individuals without MetS. Our results demonstrated the effects of atypical antipsychotics on the immune-inflammatory parameters, depending on the metabolic disturbances in schizophrenia patients