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To explore the correlation of the DRD2 gene polymorphism with psychopathology and predict responses in patients with mania treated with lithium and olanzapine. Sixty patients with bipolar mania were treated with lithium combined with olanzapine for 8 weeks and assessed using YMRS, HAMD, and HAMA. The DRD2 gene polymorphism rs1800497 was tested. Eleven (24.4%) manic patients achieved an early effective response according to the reduction of the YMRS score of >20% in the 2nd week, with a lower HAMA score than the no early effective response group. Twenty-three (51.1%) manic patients achieved remission according to the reduction of the YMRS score of >75% at the 8th week with a higher dose of lithium at the 8th weekend (g/day) than in the no-remission group. Manic patients with genotype GG had lower YMRS scores and lower doses and serum concentrations of olanzapine than patients with genotype AA + AG from the 4th week to the 8th week. Manic patients with genotype GG had a higher relative change in the YMRS score than those with genotype AA + AG from the 2nd week to the 8th week. No differences in HAMA or HAMD were found between the groups with genotype GG and AA + AG. There were more patients who achieved an early effective response in the 2nd week and remission in the 8th in those with genotype GG compared to those with genotype AA + AG. Manic patients with genotype GG had a greater improvement in the YMRS score due to a greater early effective response and remission, which was not related to higher doses and serum concentrations of olanzapine and lithium. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Correction for 'New particle formation and growth from methanesulfonic acid, trimethylamine and water' by Haihan Chen et al., Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 2015, 17, 13699-13709.

Previous studies have shown that methanesulfonic acid (MSA) reacts with amines and ammonia to form particles, which is expected to be particularly important in coastal and agricultural areas. We present the first systematic study of temperature dependence of particle formation from the reactions of MSA with trimethylamine (TMA), dimethylamine (DMA), methylamine (MA), and ammonia over the range of 21-28 °C and 0.4-5.9 s in a flow reactor under dry conditions and in the presence of 3 × 1017 cm-3 water vapor. Overall activation energies (Eoverall) for particle formation calculated from the dependence of rates of particle formation on temperature for all of these bases are negative. The negative Eoverall is interpreted in terms of reverse reactions that decompose intermediate clusters in competition with the forward reactions that grow the clusters into particles. The average values of Eoverall for the formation of detectable particles are: TMA, -(168 ± 19) kcal mol-1; DMA, -(134 ± 30) kcal mol-1; MA, -(68 ± 23) kcal mol-1; NH3, -(110 ± 16) kcal mol-1 (±1σ). The strong inverse dependence of particle formation with temperature suggests that particle formation may not decline proportionally with concentrations of MSA and amines if temperature also decreases, for example at higher altitudes or in winter.

New particle formation from gas-to-particle conversion represents a dominant source of atmospheric particles and affects radiative forcing, climate and human health. The species involved in new particle formation and the underlying mechanisms remain uncertain. Although sulfuric acid is commonly recognized as driving new particle formation, increasing evidence suggests the involvement of other species. Here we study particle formation and growth from methanesulfonic acid, trimethylamine and water at reaction times from 2.3 to 32 s where particles are 2-10 nm in diameter using a newly designed and tested flow system. The flow system has multiple inlets to facilitate changing the mixing sequence of gaseous precursors. The relative humidity and precursor concentrations, as well as the mixing sequence, are varied to explore their effects on particle formation and growth in order to provide insight into the important mechanistic steps. We show that water is involved in the formation of initial clusters, greatly enhancing their formation as well as growth into detectable size ranges. A kinetics box model is developed that quantitatively reproduces the experimental data under various conditions. Although the proposed scheme is not definitive, it suggests that incorporating such mechanisms into atmospheric models may be feasible in the near future.