Duration of untreated bipolar disorder: A multicenter study

Little is known about the demographic and clinical differences between short and long duration of untreated bipolar disorder (DUB) in Chinese patients. This study examined the demographic and clinical features of short (≤2 years) and long DUB (\u3e2 years) in China. A consecutively recruited sample of 555 patients with bipolar disorder (BD) was examined in 7 psychiatric hospitals and general hospital psychiatric units across China. Patients’ demographic and clinical characteristics were collected using a standardized protocol and data collection procedure. The mean DUB was 3.2 ± 6.0 years; long DUB accounted for 31.0% of the sample. Multivariate analyses revealed that longer duration of illness, diagnosis of BD type II, and earlier misdiagnosis of BD for major depressive disorder or schizophrenia were independently associated with long DUB. The mean DUB in Chinese BD patients was shorter than the reported figures from Western countries. The long-term impact of DUB on the outcome of BD is warranted

Prevalence of smoking in patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder and schizophrenia and their relationships with quality of life

Few studies have compared the prevalence of smoking between patients with bipolar disorder, major depressive disorder (MDD) and schizophrenia. This study examined the prevalence of smoking and its relationships with demographic and clinical characteristics, and quality of life (QOL) in patients with these psychiatric disorders. A total of 1,102 inpatients were consecutively screened. Psychopathology and QOL were measured with standardized instruments. The prevalence of current smoking in the whole sample was 16.7%; 17.5% in bipolar disorder, 10.6% in MDD and 18.5% in schizophrenia. The rates of smoking in bipolar disorder (p = 0.004, OR = 2.5, 95%CI: 1.3–4.7) and schizophrenia (p = 0.03, OR = 2.0, 95%CI: 1.06–3.8) were significantly higher than in MDD, while no difference was found between bipolar disorder and schizophrenia. Smokers had a higher mental QOL than non-smokers (p = 0.007) in MDD, but no difference was found in the other two groups. Male gender, living alone, higher personal income, older age of onset, health insurance coverage, and first episode was significantly associated with smoking in one or more diagnostic groups. Smoking appears more common in bipolar disorder and schizophrenia than in MDD in China. The figures in all disorders were lower than that reported in most of other countries

Liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly associated with Schistosoma mansoni in a Sudanese woman in Malaysia : A case report

We report a case of a patient with Schistosoma mansoni infection who presented with liver cirrhosis and splenomegaly. She was diagnosed by a serological test and Kato-Katz thick smear stool examination. The patient was a 52-year-old woman from Sudan who came to Malaysia for a week to visit her sons. The patient lives in the middle of Rabak region, Sudan, a highly endemic area for schistosomiasis where her daily routine includes rearing of cows and farming. The site of toilet and sources of drinking water are canals and wells; both infested with snails. Patient had a long history of exposure and coming into contact with water from these canals and wells

Lack of association between genetic polymorphisms within DUSP12 - ATF6 locus and glucose metabolism related traits in a Chinese population

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Genome-wide linkage studies in multiple ethnic populations found chromosome 1q21-q25 was the strongest and most replicable linkage signal in the human chromosome. Studies in Pima Indian, Caucasians and African Americans identified several SNPs in <it>DUSP12 </it>and <it>ATF6</it>, located in chromosome 1q21-q23, were associated with type 2 diabetes.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>We selected 19 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) that could tag 98% of the SNPs with minor allele frequencies over 0.1 within <it>DUSP12-ATF6 </it>region. These SNPs were genotyped in a total of 3,700 Chinese Han subjects comprising 1,892 type 2 diabetes patients and 1,808 controls with normal glucose regulation.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>None of the SNPs and haplotypes showed significant association to type 2 diabetes in our samples. No association between the SNPs and quantitative traits was observed either.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>Our data suggests common SNPs within <it>DUSP12</it>-<it>ATF6 </it>locus may not play a major role in glucose metabolism in the Chinese.</p

PPARG, KCNJ11, CDKAL1, CDKN2A-CDKN2B, IDE-KIF11-HHEX, IGF2BP2 and SLC30A8 Are Associated with Type 2 Diabetes in a Chinese Population

Recent advance in genetic studies added the confirmed susceptible loci for type 2 diabetes to eighteen. In this study, we attempt to analyze the independent and joint effect of variants from these loci on type 2 diabetes and clinical phenotypes related to glucose metabolism.Twenty-one single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from fourteen loci were successfully genotyped in 1,849 subjects with type 2 diabetes and 1,785 subjects with normal glucose regulation. We analyzed the allele and genotype distribution between the cases and controls of these SNPs as well as the joint effects of the susceptible loci on type 2 diabetes risk. The associations between SNPs and type 2 diabetes were examined by logistic regression. The associations between SNPs and quantitative traits were examined by linear regression. The discriminative accuracy of the prediction models was assessed by area under the receiver operating characteristic curves. We confirmed the effects of SNPs from PPARG, KCNJ11, CDKAL1, CDKN2A-CDKN2B, IDE-KIF11-HHEX, IGF2BP2 and SLC30A8 on risk for type 2 diabetes, with odds ratios ranging from 1.114 to 1.406 (P value range from 0.0335 to 1.37E-12). But no significant association was detected between SNPs from WFS1, FTO, JAZF1, TSPAN8-LGR5, THADA, ADAMTS9, NOTCH2-ADAM30 and type 2 diabetes. Analyses on the quantitative traits in the control subjects showed that THADA SNP rs7578597 was association with 2-h insulin during oral glucose tolerance tests (P = 0.0005, empirical P = 0.0090). The joint effect analysis of SNPs from eleven loci showed the individual carrying more risk alleles had a significantly higher risk for type 2 diabetes. And the type 2 diabetes patients with more risk allele tended to have earlier diagnostic ages (P = 0.0006).The current study confirmed the association between PPARG, KCNJ11, CDKAL1, CDKN2A-CDKN2B, IDE-KIF11-HHEX, IGF2BP2 and SLC30A8 and type 2 diabetes. These type 2 diabetes risk loci contributed to the disease additively

Statistical Optimization of Process Variables for Antibiotic Activity of Xenorhabdus bovienii

The production of secondary metabolites with antibiotic properties is a common characteristic to entomopathogenic bacteria Xenorhabdus spp. These metabolites not only have diverse chemical structures but also have a wide range of bioactivities of medicinal and agricultural interests. Culture variables are critical to the production of secondary metabolites of microorganisms. Manipulating culture process variables can promote secondary metabolite biosynthesis and thus facilitate the discovery of novel natural products. This work was conducted to evaluate the effects of five process variables (initial pH, medium volume, rotary speed, temperature, and inoculation volume) on the antibiotic production of Xenorhabdus bovienii YL002 using response surface methodology. A 25–1 factorial central composite design was chosen to determine the combined effects of the five variables, and to design a minimum number of experiments. The experimental and predicted antibiotic activity of X. bovienii YL002 was in close agreement. Statistical analysis of the results showed that initial pH, medium volume, rotary speed and temperature had a significant effect (P<0.05) on the antibiotic production of X. bovienii YL002 at their individual level; medium volume and rotary speed showed a significant effect at a combined level and was most significant at an individual level. The maximum antibiotic activity (287.5 U/mL) was achieved at the initial pH of 8.24, medium volume of 54 mL in 250 mL flask, rotary speed of 208 rpm, temperature of 32.0°C and inoculation volume of 13.8%. After optimization, the antibiotic activity was improved by 23.02% as compared with that of unoptimized conditions

Genetic Signatures in the Envelope Glycoproteins of HIV-1 that Associate with Broadly Neutralizing Antibodies

A steady increase in knowledge of the molecular and antigenic structure of the gp120 and gp41 HIV-1 envelope glycoproteins (Env) is yielding important new insights for vaccine design, but it has been difficult to translate this information to an immunogen that elicits broadly neutralizing antibodies. To help bridge this gap, we used phylogenetically corrected statistical methods to identify amino acid signature patterns in Envs derived from people who have made potently neutralizing antibodies, with the hypothesis that these Envs may share common features that would be useful for incorporation in a vaccine immunogen. Before attempting this, essentially as a control, we explored the utility of our computational methods for defining signatures of complex neutralization phenotypes by analyzing Env sequences from 251 clonal viruses that were differentially sensitive to neutralization by the well-characterized gp120-specific monoclonal antibody, b12. We identified ten b12-neutralization signatures, including seven either in the b12-binding surface of gp120 or in the V2 region of gp120 that have been previously shown to impact b12 sensitivity. A simple algorithm based on the b12 signature pattern was predictive of b12 sensitivity/resistance in an additional blinded panel of 57 viruses. Upon obtaining these reassuring outcomes, we went on to apply these same computational methods to define signature patterns in Env from HIV-1 infected individuals who had potent, broadly neutralizing responses. We analyzed a checkerboard-style neutralization dataset with sera from 69 HIV-1-infected individuals tested against a panel of 25 different Envs. Distinct clusters of sera with high and low neutralization potencies were identified. Six signature positions in Env sequences obtained from the 69 samples were found to be strongly associated with either the high or low potency responses. Five sites were in the CD4-induced coreceptor binding site of gp120, suggesting an important role for this region in the elicitation of broadly neutralizing antibody responses against HIV-1

Neuronal Deletion of Caspase 8 Protects against Brain Injury in Mouse Models of Controlled Cortical Impact and Kainic Acid-Induced Excitotoxicity

system. mice demonstrated superior survival, reduced seizure severity, less apoptosis, and reduced caspase 3 processing. Uninjured aged knockout mice showed improved learning and memory, implicating a possible role for caspase 8 in cognitive decline with aging.Neuron-specific deletion of caspase 8 reduces brain damage and improves post-traumatic functional outcomes, suggesting an important role for this caspase in pathophysiology of acute brain trauma

Robust estimation of bacterial cell count from optical density

Optical density (OD) is widely used to estimate the density of cells in liquid culture, but cannot be compared between instruments without a standardized calibration protocol and is challenging to relate to actual cell count. We address this with an interlaboratory study comparing three simple, low-cost, and highly accessible OD calibration protocols across 244 laboratories, applied to eight strains of constitutive GFP-expressing E. coli. Based on our results, we recommend calibrating OD to estimated cell count using serial dilution of silica microspheres, which produces highly precise calibration (95.5% of residuals &lt;1.2-fold), is easily assessed for quality control, also assesses instrument effective linear range, and can be combined with fluorescence calibration to obtain units of Molecules of Equivalent Fluorescein (MEFL) per cell, allowing direct comparison and data fusion with flow cytometry measurements: in our study, fluorescence per cell measurements showed only a 1.07-fold mean difference between plate reader and flow cytometry data