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Jingyi Lao,1,* Yijie Zeng,1,* Zhangying Wu,1 Gaohong Lin,1 Qiang Wang,1 Mingfeng Yang,1 Si Zhang,1 Danyan Xu,1 Min Zhang,1 Kexin Yao,1 Shuang Liang,1 Qin Liu,1 Jiafu Li,1 Xiaomei Zhong,1 Yuping Ning1– 4 1Geriatric Neuroscience Center, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 4Key Laboratory of Neurogenetics and Channelopathies of Guangdong Province and the Ministry of Education of China, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuping Ning; Xiaomei Zhong, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No. 36, Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China, Email ningjeny@126.com; lovlaugh@163.comBackground: Late-life depression (LLD) is characterized by disrupted brain networks. Resting-state networks in the brain are composed of both stable and transient topological structures known as microstates, which reflect the dynamics of the neural activities. However, the specific pattern of EEG microstate in LLD remains unclear.Methods: Resting-state EEG were recorded for 31 patients with episodic LLD (eLLD), 20 patients with remitted LLD (rLLD) and 32 healthy controls (HCs) using a 64-channel cap. The clinical data of the patients were collected and the 17-Item Hamilton Rating Scale for Depression (HAMD) was used for symptom assessment. Duration, occurrence, time coverage and syntax of the four microstate classes (A-D) were calculated. Group differences in EEG microstates and the relationship between microstates parameters and clinical features were analyzed.Results: Compared with NC and patients with rLLD, patients with eLLD showe

Introduction: Patients with chemosensory dysfunction frequently report symptoms of depression. The current study aims to clarify whether the type (smell dysfunction, taste dysfunction, and mixed smell and taste dysfunction), severity, duration, or cause of dysfunction have differential impacts on the symptoms of depression. Methods: 899 patients with chemosensory disorders and 62 controls were included. Following a structured interview and an otorhinolaryngological examination, subjects underwent olfactory tests (Sniffin' Sticks), gustatory tests (taste sprays) and an assessment of depressive symptoms (Beck Depression Inventory). Information on the cause and duration of disorders was also collected. Results: Patients with combined olfactory/gustatory dysfunction had higher depression scores than patients with smell dysfunction only and controls, and no significant difference was found between the smell dysfunction and controls. Anosmia patients, but not hyposmia patients, exhibited higher depression scores than controls. Among various causes of chemosensory disorders, patients from the posttraumatic group had higher depression scores than patients with other causes of chemosensory dysfunction (sinonasal, idiopathic, or postinfectious). Multiple linear regression analyses suggested that reduced olfactory function was associated with enhanced depression scores in the olfactory disorders group (B = -0.326, t = -2.294, and p = 0.02) and in all patients with chemosensory disorders (B = -0.374, t = -2.550, p = 0.017). Discussion/Conclusion: Simultaneously decreased input of olfaction and gustation seems to have an additive effect on the exacerbation of emotional dysfunction. Early intervention should be considered for depression symptoms in patients with mixed olfactory/gustatory dysfunction in clinical practice.

Yuanyuan Huang,1,* Yongjie Zhou,2,* Yi Wei,1 Lingyun Zeng,2 Jiezhi Yang,3 Yi Li,2 Xiuli Song,4 Hehua Li,1 Hongbo He,1 Ting Li,1 Kai Wu,5 Mingzhe Yang,1 Fengchun Wu,1,6,7 Yuping Ning,1,7 Xiangyang Zhang1,8 1Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychiatry, Shenzhen Kangning Hospital, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 3Department of Psychiatry, Shenzhen Health Development Research Center, Shenzhen, People’s Republic of China; 4Clinical Psychology, Yantai Affiliated Hospital of Binzhou Medical University, Yantai, People’s Republic of China; 5Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology (scUT), Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Psychiatry, Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 7The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 8CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuping NingDepartment of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), 36 Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, 510370, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail ningjeny@126.comXiangyang ZhangCAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zhangxy@psych.ac.cnBackground: During the outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19), occupational differences were recognized with respect to psychological issues, but there are no reports regarding the insomnia

Yi Liu,1 Taiyong Bi,2 Qijie Kuang,1 Bei Zhang,3 Huawang Wu,1 Haijing Li,1 Bin Zhang,1 Jingping Zhao,4 Yuping Ning,1 Shenglin She,1 Yingjun Zheng1 1Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, Guangdong, 510370, People’s Republic of China; 2Centre for Mental Health Research in School of Management, Zunyi Medical University, Zunyi, Guizhou, 563000, People’s Republic of China; 3General and Experimental Psychology, Department of Psychology, LMU, Munich, Germany; 4Mental Health Institute of the Second Xiangya Hospital, Central South University; Chinese National Clinical Research Center on Mental Disorders; Chinese National Technology Institute on Mental Disorders; Hunan Key Laboratory of Psychiatry and Mental Health, Changsha, Hunan, 410011, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yingjun Zheng; Shenglin She Email brainzheng@gzhmu.edu.cn; shenglinshe@gzhmu.edu.cnObjective: Impaired face perception is considered as a hallmark of social disability in schizophrenia. It is widely believed that inverted faces and upright faces are processed by distinct mechanisms. Previous studies have identified that individuals with schizophrenia display poorer face processing than controls. However, the mechanisms underlying the face inversion effect (FIE) in patients with first-episode schizophrenia (FSZ) remain unclear.Methods: We designed an fMRI task to investigate the FIE mechanism in patients with schizophrenia. Thirty-four patients with FSZ and thirty-five healthy controls (CON) underwent task-related fMRI scanning, clinical assessment, anhedonia experience examination, and social function and cognitive function evaluation.Results: The patients with FSZ exhibited distinct functional activity regarding upright and inverted face processing within the cortical face and non-face network. These results suggest that the differences in quantitative processing might mediate the

Hehua Li,1,* Yaping Zhang,2,3,* Honggang Wang,4 Jing Liang,4 Yongjie Zhou,2,3 Yuanyuan Huang,1 Tianyi Zhai,1 Qiong Yang,1 Mingzhe Yang,1 Yuping Ning,1,5 Hongbo He,1 Kai Wu,6 Fengjuan Chen,7 Fengchun Wu,1,5,8 Xiangyang Zhang1,9 1Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 2Research Center for Psychological and Health Sciences, China University of Geosciences, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 3Affiliated Wuhan Mental Health Center, Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science & Technology, Wuhan, People’s Republic of China; 4Qingdao Mental Health Center, Qingdao University, Qingdao, People’s Republic of China; 5The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 6Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology (scUT), Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 7Department of Medical, Guangzhou Eighth People’s Hospital, Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 8Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of China; 9CAS Key Laboratory of Mental Health, Institute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Fengchun WuInstitute of Psychology, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Liwan District, Guangzhou 510370, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail 13580380071@163.comXiangyang ZhangInstitute of Psychology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, People’s Republic of ChinaEmail zhangxy@psych.ac.cnBackground: The pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has posed a threat to g

Chunyu Yang,1– 4,* Xiaomei Zhong,2,4,* Huarong Zhou,2,4 Zhangying Wu,2,4 Min Zhang,2,4 Yuping Ning1,2,4 1The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3The Third People’s Hospital of Zhongshan, Zhongshan, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 4Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuping NingThe Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Mingxin Road #36, Liwan District, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 20-8126-8720Fax +86 20-8189-1391Email ningjeny@126.comBackground: In people with psychosis, physical comorbidities are highly widespread and leading contributors to the untimely death encountered. Readmission rates in psychiatric patients are very high. Somatic comorbidities could be one of the considerable risk factors for psychiatric rehospitalization. Nevertheless, much less is known about the relation between physical comorbidities and psychiatric readmission. We aimed to investigate the association between physical comorbidities and psychiatric readmission in Han Chinese patients with psychiatric disorders.Methods: We used administrative data for January 1, 2009 to December 31, 2018 from the headquarters of the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University to identify adults with schizophrenia, unipolar depression or bipolar disorder discharged from hospital. Data were extracted on sociodemographic and clinical characteristics. The Charlson comorbidity index (CCI) was used to assess the existence of significant physical comorbidity. Cox proportional hazards regression estimated rehospitalizati

Wenying Yi,1,2 Shenglin She,2 Jie Zhang,2 Haibo Wu,2 Yingjun Zheng,2 Yuping Ning1,2 1The First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuping NingDepartment of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University, No. 36 Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-18922165368Fax +86-020-82068107Email ningjeny@126.comObjective: Previous studies suggest that clozapine is commonly underutilized and that its initiation is delayed in patients with first-episode schizophrenia. Knowledge regarding clozapine use among Chinese patients with early-stage schizophrenia is limited. The aim of the present study was to investigate the point prevalence of and patterns and factors associated with clozapine use in patients with early-stage schizophrenia discharged from a psychiatric hospital in China.Methods: A retrospective study was conducted to analyze the prescriptions of 867 consecutive patients with early-stage schizophrenia who were admitted to the Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University between Jan 1, 2011 and Dec 31, 2016.Results: At discharge from the hospital, 114 (13.1%) patients were prescribed clozapine. Among the patients taking clozapine, 93 patients (81.6%) were prescribed clozapine polypharmacy, and only 21 patients (18.4%) were prescribed clozapine monotherapy. None of the patients were prescribed an overdose of clozapine. The mean daily dosage of clozapine was 160.97 mg, 149.05 mg and 213.69 mg among all patients taking clozapine, patients taking clozapine polypharmacy and patients taking clozapine monotherapy, respectively. The antipsychotic most frequently combined with clozapine was risperidone. Logistic regression suggested that the length of hospital sta

Xingbing Huang, 1, 2,* Wenhua Ding, 2,* Fengchun Wu, 2 Sumiao Zhou, 2 Shuhua Deng, 2 Yuping Ning 1– 3 1First School of Clinical Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 2The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China; 3Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, Guangdong, People’s Republic of China*These authors contributed equally to this workCorrespondence: Yuping Ning 36 Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86 20 8189 1425Fax +86 20 8189 1391Email ningjeny@126.comObjective: Preclinical studies have reported that abnormal kynurenic acid (KYNA) may play a role in cognitive deficits. Schizophrenia (SCZ) is characterized by a wide range of cognitive deficits that may evolve from abnormal KYNA. This study aimed to explore the relationship between KYNA and cognitive impairment in SCZ, which has not yet been reported.Methods: We recruited 30 SCZ patients and 34 healthy controls, measured clinical symptoms by using the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale and performed cognitive tests using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery (MCCB). Plasma levels of tryptophan, kynurenine, and KYNA were determined by high-performance liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.Results: We found that plasma KYNA levels were significantly higher in patients than in healthy controls (p=0.009). The cognitive performance of patients in the total MCCB scores and the scores of all subscales were significantly lower than those in healthy controls (all P < 0.01). Correlation analysis showed that KYNA levels were negatively correlated with attention/vigilance (r=– 0.457, p=0.019) and social cognition (r=– 0.481, p=0.013) only in SCZ patients.Conclusion: Our results ind

Xing-Bing Huang, Xiong Huang, Hong-Bo He, Fang Mei, Bin Sun, Su-Miao Zhou, Su Yan, Wei Zheng, Yuping Ning The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaCorrespondence: Yuping Ning; Wei Zheng 36 Mingxin Road, Liwan District, Guangzhou, People’s Republic of ChinaTel +86-13322214239; +86-13322214239Fax +86-20-81891391; +86-20-81778169Email ningjeny@126.com; zhengwei0702@163.comObjective: Ketamine and propofol have become increasingly popular in electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) anaesthesia. This study was conducted to examine whether changes in serum levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) are associated with the antidepressant effects of ketofol, a combination of ketamine and propofol, in ECT for patients with treatment-resistant depression (TRD).Methods: Thirty patients with TRD (18– 65 years) were enrolled and underwent eight ECT sessions with ketamine (0.5 mg/kg) plus propofol (0.5 mg/kg) (ketofol). Symptom severity was monitored using the 17-item Hamilton Depression Rating Scale (HAMD-17) and the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale (BPRS), and serum levels of BDNF were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) at baseline and after 2, 4, and 8 ECT treatments. Serum levels of BDNF were also collected from thirty healthy controls.Results: At baseline, there were no significant differences in serum levels of BDNF between patients with TRD and healthy controls. The response and remission rates in patients with TRD were 100% (30/30) and 53.3% (16/30) after ECT treatment, respectively. Despite a significant reduction in HAMD-17 and BPRS scores after ECT, no changes in serum levels of BDNF were observed after ECT treatment when compared to baseline. No association was found between serum levels of BDNF and changes in illness severity.Conclusion: Serum levels of BDNF did not represent a suitable candidate biomarker for determining the antidepressa

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is strongly obesogenic and is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these changes reflect psychopathology, antipsychotic efficacy, or some other factor is not known. Our study aims to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different BMI categories and to identify clinical symptomatology that may be paired with increased oxidative stress in a schizophrenia population. To this end, we performed a cross-sectional study and recruited 89 long-term inpatients with schizophrenia and collected the following variables: plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), routine biochemical analysis, and psychopathology through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The results indicate that the levels of the lipid peroxidation product, MDA, were significantly higher in the high BMI group than the low (normal) BMI group. As expected, high BMI was associated with an atherogenic lipid profile; however, it was also associated with fewer psychopathological symptoms. Multiple regression analysis found that MDA levels, the PANSS general psychopathology subscore, and triglyceride levels (all p < 0.05) were independent contributors to the BMI in patients. These results suggested that oxidative stress may play an important role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Further investigations using the longitudinal design in first-episode schizophrenia patients are needed to explore the beneficial effect of antioxidants on the abnormal lipid metabolism mediated by antipsychotic treatment.

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is strongly obesogenic and is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these changes reflect psychopathology, antipsychotic efficacy, or some other factor is not known. Our study aims to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different BMI categories and to identify clinical symptomatology that may be paired with increased oxidative stress in a schizophrenia population. To this end, we performed a cross-sectional study and recruited 89 long-term inpatients with schizophrenia and collected the following variables: plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), routine biochemical analysis, and psychopathology through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The results indicate that the levels of the lipid peroxidation product, MDA, were significantly higher in the high BMI group than the low (normal) BMI group. As expected, high BMI was associated with an atherogenic lipid profile; however, it was also associated with fewer psychopathological symptoms. Multiple regression analysis found that MDA levels, the PANSS general psychopathology subscore, and triglyceride levels (all p < 0.05) were independent contributors to the BMI in patients. These results suggested that oxidative stress may play an important role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Further investigations using the longitudinal design in first-episode schizophrenia patients are needed to explore the beneficial effect of antioxidants on the abnormal lipid metabolism mediated by antipsychotic treatment.

Fengchun Wu,1,2,* Yue Zhang,2,3,* Yongzhe Yang,2–4 Xiaobing Lu,1,2 Ziyan Fang,1 Jianwei Huang,1 Lingyin Kong,3 Jun Chen,5,6 Yuping Ning,1,2 Xiaobo Li,7,8 Kai Wu2,3,5,6,9 1Department of Psychiatry, The Affiliated Brain Hospital of Guangzhou Medical University (Guangzhou Huiai Hospital), Guangzhou, China; 2Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Translational Medicine of Mental Disorders, Guangzhou, China; 3Department of Biomedical Engineering, School of Materials Science and Engineering, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, China; 4School of Medicine, South China University of Technology (SCUT), Guangzhou, China; 5Guangdong Engineering Technology Research Center for Diagnosis and Rehabilitation of Dementia, Guangzhou, China; 6National Engineering Research Center for Healthcare Devices, Guangzhou, China; 7Department of Biomedical Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ, USA; 8Department of Electric and Computer Engineering, New Jersey Institute of Technology, NJ, USA; 9Department of Nuclear Medicine and Radiology, Institute of Development, Aging and Cancer, Tohoku University, Sendai, Japan *These authors contributed equally to this work Background: Structural and functional brain abnormalities in schizophrenia (SZ) have been widely reported. However, a few studies have investigated both structural and functional characteristics in SZ patients at different stages to understand the neuropathology of SZ. Methods: In this study, we recruited 44 first-episode drug-naive SZ (FESZ) patients, 44 medicated chronic SZ (CSZ) patients, and 56 normal controls (NCs) and acquired their structural and resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). We then made group comparisons on structural and functional characteristics, including regional gray matter volume (GMV), regional homogeneity, amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation, and degree centrality. A linear support vector machine (SVM) combined with a recursive featu

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is strongly obesogenic and is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these changes reflect psychopathology, antipsychotic efficacy, or some other factor is not known. Our study aims to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different BMI categories and to identify clinical symptomatology that may be paired with increased oxidative stress in a schizophrenia population. To this end, we performed a cross-sectional study and recruited 89 long-term inpatients with schizophrenia and collected the following variables: plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), routine biochemical analysis, and psychopathology through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The results indicate that the levels of the lipid peroxidation product, MDA, were significantly higher in the high BMI group than the low (normal) BMI group. As expected, high BMI was associated with an atherogenic lipid profile; however, it was also associated with fewer psychopathological symptoms. Multiple regression analysis found that MDA levels, the PANSS general psychopathology subscore, and triglyceride levels (all p < 0.05) were independent contributors to the BMI in patients. These results suggested that oxidative stress may play an important role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Further investigations using the longitudinal design in first-episode schizophrenia patients are needed to explore the beneficial effect of antioxidants on the abnormal lipid metabolism mediated by antipsychotic treatment.

Antipsychotic pharmacotherapy is strongly obesogenic and is associated with increased oxidative stress in patients with schizophrenia. However, whether these changes reflect psychopathology, antipsychotic efficacy, or some other factor is not known. Our study aims to investigate the degree of oxidative stress in different BMI categories and to identify clinical symptomatology that may be paired with increased oxidative stress in a schizophrenia population. To this end, we performed a cross-sectional study and recruited 89 long-term inpatients with schizophrenia and collected the following variables: plasma malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), and glutathione peroxidase (GPx), routine biochemical analysis, and psychopathology through the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The results indicate that the levels of the lipid peroxidation product, MDA, were significantly higher in the high BMI group than the low (normal) BMI group. As expected, high BMI was associated with an atherogenic lipid profile; however, it was also associated with fewer psychopathological symptoms. Multiple regression analysis found that MDA levels, the PANSS general psychopathology subscore, and triglyceride levels (all p < 0.05) were independent contributors to the BMI in patients. These results suggested that oxidative stress may play an important role in antipsychotic-induced weight gain. Further investigations using the longitudinal design in first-episode schizophrenia patients are needed to explore the beneficial effect of antioxidants on the abnormal lipid metabolism mediated by antipsychotic treatment.

The reflectance spectra of the AI/double cermet Al-AIN/AIO(x)N(y) solar selective absorbing coating are simulated. Two methods have been found to effectively tune the position of reflectance transition of the Al-MN cermet solar selective absorbing coating, which is crucial to obtain a low emittance at elevated temperature. The position of reflectance transition is mainly determined by the high metal volume fraction (HMVF) cermet layer. It is effectively tuned to shift to lower wavelength by reducing the metal volume fraction or the thickness of the HMVF layer. This provides easy ways to tune the position of reflectance transition.

Long-term antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia is associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD), which is involved in increased cognitive impairment. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene associated with dopamine and norepinephrine systems influences cognition. Schizophrenia with TD have higher DBH activity than those without TD. This study examined whether DBH5′-insertion/deletion (-Ins/Del) polymorphism could influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with and without TD. The presence of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 345 schizophrenia with TD and 397 schizophrenia without TD. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess TD severity and cognition. The allele and genotype frequencies of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism did not differ between patients with and without TD (both p > 0.05). RBANS total score and subscales did not differ by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in patients with TD (all p > 0.05). However, attention score significantly differed by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in those without TD (p < 0.05). Patients without TD who were Del homozygous had significantly lower attention score than those without TD who were Ins alleles (p < 0.05). Immediate memory and attention scores were lower in patients with TD than without TD (both p < 0.05). This study indicated that DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism may not play a role in the susceptibility to TD and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia with TD, but it may influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with non-TD. Moreover, schizophrenia with TD experienced greater cognitive deficits than those with non-TD, especially in immediate memory and attention.

Long-term antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia is associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD), which is involved in increased cognitive impairment. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene associated with dopamine and norepinephrine systems influences cognition. Schizophrenia with TD have higher DBH activity than those without TD. This study examined whether DBH5′-insertion/deletion (-Ins/Del) polymorphism could influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with and without TD. The presence of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 345 schizophrenia with TD and 397 schizophrenia without TD. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess TD severity and cognition. The allele and genotype frequencies of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism did not differ between patients with and without TD (both p > 0.05). RBANS total score and subscales did not differ by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in patients with TD (all p > 0.05). However, attention score significantly differed by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in those without TD (p < 0.05). Patients without TD who were Del homozygous had significantly lower attention score than those without TD who were Ins alleles (p < 0.05). Immediate memory and attention scores were lower in patients with TD than without TD (both p < 0.05). This study indicated that DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism may not play a role in the susceptibility to TD and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia with TD, but it may influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with non-TD. Moreover, schizophrenia with TD experienced greater cognitive deficits than those with non-TD, especially in immediate memory and attention.

A novel Mo/ZrSiN/ZrSiON/SiO2 solar selective absorbing coating has been investigated, which was prepared by magnetron sputtering on stainless steel substrate. A high solar absorptance of 0.94 and a low thermal emittance of 0.06 at 25 degrees C were achieved. By proportionally decreasing the thicknesses of the ZrSiN, ZrSiON and SiO2 layers, the thermal emittance at 500 degrees C was decreased significantly from 0.19 to 0.12 (Delta epsilon = 0.07) while keeping the solar absorptance unchanged. The coating also showed high thermal stability at 500 degrees C in vacuum, implying that it is a promising candidate for high temperature concentrated solar power (CSP) applications.

Long-term antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia is associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD), which is involved in increased cognitive impairment. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene associated with dopamine and norepinephrine systems influences cognition. Schizophrenia with TD have higher DBH activity than those without TD. This study examined whether DBH5′-insertion/deletion (-Ins/Del) polymorphism could influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with and without TD. The presence of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 345 schizophrenia with TD and 397 schizophrenia without TD. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess TD severity and cognition. The allele and genotype frequencies of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism did not differ between patients with and without TD (both p > 0.05). RBANS total score and subscales did not differ by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in patients with TD (all p > 0.05). However, attention score significantly differed by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in those without TD (p < 0.05). Patients without TD who were Del homozygous had significantly lower attention score than those without TD who were Ins alleles (p < 0.05). Immediate memory and attention scores were lower in patients with TD than without TD (both p < 0.05). This study indicated that DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism may not play a role in the susceptibility to TD and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia with TD, but it may influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with non-TD. Moreover, schizophrenia with TD experienced greater cognitive deficits than those with non-TD, especially in immediate memory and attention.

Long-term antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia is associated with the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD), which is involved in increased cognitive impairment. Dopamine beta-hydroxylase (DBH) gene associated with dopamine and norepinephrine systems influences cognition. Schizophrenia with TD have higher DBH activity than those without TD. This study examined whether DBH5′-insertion/deletion (-Ins/Del) polymorphism could influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with and without TD. The presence of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism was determined in 345 schizophrenia with TD and 397 schizophrenia without TD. The Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale and Repeatable Battery for Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) were used to assess TD severity and cognition. The allele and genotype frequencies of DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism did not differ between patients with and without TD (both p > 0.05). RBANS total score and subscales did not differ by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in patients with TD (all p > 0.05). However, attention score significantly differed by DBH5′-Ins/Del genotype groups in those without TD (p < 0.05). Patients without TD who were Del homozygous had significantly lower attention score than those without TD who were Ins alleles (p < 0.05). Immediate memory and attention scores were lower in patients with TD than without TD (both p < 0.05). This study indicated that DBH5′-Ins/Del polymorphism may not play a role in the susceptibility to TD and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia with TD, but it may influence cognitive function in schizophrenia with non-TD. Moreover, schizophrenia with TD experienced greater cognitive deficits than those with non-TD, especially in immediate memory and attention.

A series of Al films with different thicknesses were deposited on polished stainless steel by direct current (DC) magnetron sputtering as a metal IR-reflector layer in solar selective absorbing coating (SSAC). The effects of the film thickness and the temperature on the thermal emittance of the Al films are studied. An optimal thickness 78 nm of the Al film for the lowest total thermal emittance is obtained. The thermal emittance of the optimal Al film keeps close to 0.02 from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C, which are low enough to satisfy the optical requirements in SSAC. The optical constants of the AI film are deduced by fitting the reflectance and transmission spectra using SCOUT software.

The thermal emittance of the Mo film, as an IR-refiector in solar selective absorbing coatings, is the most important property. The effects of the substrate material, the substrate surface roughness, the film thickness and the temperature on the thermal emittance of the Mo/substrate have been investigated. A series of Mo films with increasing film thickness were deposited on two types of substrate materials (glass and stainless steel). A saturated Mo thickness of 50 nm is found to produce the lowest thermal emittance. The thermal emittance of the Mo film is reduced by decreasing the substrate surface roughness. The emittance of the optimal Mo film remains 0.05 from 25 degrees C to 400 degrees C, which can meet the optical requirements for the IR-reflector.

For the applications in solar thermal power, the preparation and optimization of an Al/NbMoN/NbMoON/SiO2 multilayer solar selective absorbing coating are carried out by combining experiments with optical simulation. A series of NbMoN and NbMoON single layers are deposited by magnetron reactive sputtering method with different N-2/O-2 gas flowing rates. And then their optical constants are obtained by fitting their reflection (R) and transmission (T) spectra in the wavelength range of 300-2500 nm using SCOUT software. These optical constants are used to design the Al/NbMoN/NbMoON/SiO2 solar selective absorbing coating so as to get the ideal spectral selectivity, i.e. high alpha/epsilon ratio. According to the optical design of the coating structure, we prepared the all-layer coating, and the thickness of each layer was optimized until the best spectral selective properties are obtained. The experimental reflectance spectrum fits very well with the simulated result. The optimized solar absorbing coating deposited on stainless steel substrate exhibited high absorptance (alpha=0.948) and low emittance (epsilon=0.050) at 80 degrees C. It offers a good method to quickly reach the ideal spectral selectivity through optical simulation. The thermal stability of the coating is evaluated, and it exhibits a good thermal stability in vacuum at 400 degrees C.

In this work, the NbTiSiN and NbTiSiON layers are used instead of NbTiN and NbTiON layers to further improve the thermal stability of Al/NbTiN/NbTiON/SiO2 multilayer solar selective absorbing coating. The thermal stability of Si-doped individual layers and multilayer coatings are investigated. The X-ray diffraction (XRD) results show that Si incorporation into NbTiN (NbTiSiN) layer does not change its preferred orientation, and the Si-doped NbTiON (NbTiSiON) layer remains in amorphous phase. On the other hand, by introducing Si into NbTiN and NbTiON layers induce significant improvement of the oxidation resistance at 500 degrees C in air. After ageing in air at 500 degrees C for 2 h, the absorptance and emittance (at 400 degrees C) of Al/NbTiN/NbTiON/SiO2 and Al/NbTiSiN/NbTiSiON/SiO2 multilayer coatings change from 0.934/0.13 and 0.931/0.12 to 0.538/0.14 and 0.922/0.13, respectively. Meanwhile the surface roughness increases from 18.3 and 7.9 to 41.5 and 14.7 respectively, as atomic force microscopy (AFM) shows. The Al/NbTiSiN/NbTiSiON/SiO2 coating still has a high absorptance (0.910) and low emittance (0.13, at 400 degrees C) after ageing at 550 degrees C in vacuum for 100 h. It displays that Si-doping play an important role in the improvement of the thermal stability.