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The aim of the present paper is to investigate several third-order differential subordinations, differential superordination properties, and sandwich-type theorems of an integral operator Ws,bf(z) involving the Hurwitz–Lerch Zeta function. We make some applications of the operator Ws,bf(z) for meromorphic functions.

The pathophysiology of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia may involve the neuroinflammation mediated by cytokines. This study examined the IL-18 levels, the cognitive function, and their association in schizophrenia. We recruited 70 chronic patients and 75 normal controls and examined the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and IL-18 levels. Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS) was assessed in chronic patients. IL-18 levels were increased in chronic patients as compared to normal controls (p

Tardive dyskinesia (TD) is a serious side effect induced by the long-term administration of typical antipsychotics. The pathophysiology of TD remains unclear, but experimental evidence suggests that neurodegeneration caused by free radicals may play an important role in TD development. S100B is considered a potential biomarker of structural neural and glial damage. This study investigated S100B expression in TD-related brain regions and assessed the effect of antioxidants Gingko biloba leaf extract (EGb761) and vitamin E (VE) on S100B in TD rats. A total of 32 rats were randomly divided into 4 study groups: saline control (saline), haloperidol alone group (Hal), EGb761-haloperidol (EGb-Hal), and vitamin E-haloperidol (VE-Hal). Rats were treated with haloperidol intraperitoneal injections (2mg/kg/day) each day for 5 weeks. EGb761 (50mg/kg/day) and VE (20mg/kg/day) were then administered during a 5-week withdrawal period. We performed behavioral assessments and immunohistochemically analyzed S100B expression in four TD-related brain regions. Our findings demonstrated that haloperidol administration led to a progressive increase in VCMs and in S100B expression in all four brain regions. Both EGb761 and VE reversed these changes, and there were no group differences between the EGb761 and VE groups. Our results indicated that long-term administration of haloperidol may induce VCMs and increase S100B expression in TD-related brain regions, and S100B may be a significant biomarker related to TD pathophysiology. Moreover, the antioxidant capacity of EGb761 and VE coupled with the possible neuroprotective effects of S100B may account for their success in improving the symptoms of haloperidol-induced TD.

This study investigated gender differences in cognition in schizophrenia with and without diabetes. Cognition was assessed in 263 individuals with schizophrenia with age range (40–68): 67 males and 34 females with schizophrenia with diabetes; and 125 males and 37 females with schizophrenia without diabetes according to the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS). Fasting glucose, hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) and lipid levels were measured. Results showed that male individuals performed worse on most cognitive tasks, especially attention, in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. This result was not observed in female individuals. Also, individuals of both genders showed higher fasting glucose and HbA1c in schizophrenia with than without diabetes. In schizophrenia with diabetes, males had significantly worse cognition than females in all cognitive domains. Higher HbA1c, lower high-density lipoprotein, and an earlier age of onset of schizophrenia were found in males compared with female individuals. HbA1c was negatively associated with attention and the RBANS total score for males but not for females. In schizophrenia without diabetes, males showed worse performance in immediate and delayed memory than females. This study support cognition was worse for males with schizophrenia irrespective of whether they have diabetes. However, diabetes exemplified the gender differences, especially in attention.

Immune deregulation has been postulated to be one of the mechanisms underlying the pathogenesis of tardive dyskinesia (TD). We hypothesized that interleukins would have a link with TD in schizophrenia patients. In this study, the serum IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 levels were examined by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) in schizophrenia patients with TD (n=48) and without TD (n=45), and healthy controls (n=44). The psychopathological symptoms of schizophrenia were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). The severity of TD was evaluated using Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS). The results showed that serum IL-2, IL-6 and IL-8 levels were significantly different among schizophrenia patients with TD and without TD and normal controls. Moreover, IL-2 level was significantly correlated with PANSS positive subscale and general subscale in patients with TD and without TD. In addition, IL-2 level was positively correlated with AIMS score in TD patients. The results supported that immune disturbance is related to the schizophrenia patients, especially to the patients with TD and ILs might play an important role in the pathophysiology of schizophrenia patients with TD.

Long-term antipsychotic treatment for schizophrenia is often associated with the emergence of tardive dyskinesia (TD), and TD presence is also accompanied by more severe cognitive impairment. Oxidative stress-induced damage may be involved in the development of TD and contribute to cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. We examined the role of oxidative stress in relation to TD and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia using plasma manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD) as a biomarker. We recruited 83 male chronic patients with (n=32) and without TD (n=51) meeting DSM-IV criteria for schizophrenia, and 58 male control subjects. We examined the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and MnSOD activity for all subjects. Positive and Negative Symptom Scale (PANSS) and the Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) were assessed in the patients. MnSOD activity was lower in patients with TD than non-TD, and either TD or non-TD group had lower MnSOD levels than controls (all p

Free radical-mediated abnormalities may contribute toward the pathogenesis of tardive dyskinesia (TD). Many studies have reported the protective antioxidant and free radical-scavenging activities of extract of Ginkgo biloba (EGb761) against free radical-induced cell damage and dysfunction. This study aimed to compare the efficacy of EGb761 with that of vitamin E for the prevention and treatment of TD in a rat model. We carried out two studies. First, rats were injected with haloperidol (2 mg/kg intraperitoneally) daily for 5 weeks. EGb761 (50 mg/kg/day) or vitamin E (20 mg/kg/day) were then administered for another 5 weeks, and their effects on vacuous chewing movements (VCMs) were compared. Second, we compared 10 weeks of haloperidol alone with 10 weeks of haloperidol plus EGb761 or vitamin E. The administration of haloperidol led to a progressive increase in VCMs, which peaked at week 5. In study one, EGb761 and vitamin E, administered by an oral gavage for 5 weeks during withdrawal from chronic haloperidol treatment, decreased VCMs significantly, showing 83.8 and 91.0% reduction, respectively, compared with the haloperidol-alone group. In study two, the concomitant administration of EGb761 and vitamin E led to significantly fewer VCMs, by 64.4 and 73.9%, respectively, compared with the haloperidol-alone group. There was no significant difference in either study between EGb761 and vitamin E treatment. EGb761 shows promise for the prevention and treatment of TD in a rat model with a magnitude that was similar to that of vitamin E.

Alterations in the inflammatory and immune systems have been documented to occur from the earliest stages of schizophrenia, and have been associated with neurodevelopmental changes. Cognitive impairment is a core feature in the pathology of schizophrenia, and recent studies showed a significant increase in serum IL-18 in schizophrenia, and a putative role of IL-18 in neuroprogression and thus neurocognitive defects. The purpose of this study was to examine the association of IL-18 with cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. We recruited 77 first episode and drug naïve schizophrenic patients and 75 healthy control subjects and examined the Repeatable Battery for the Assessment of Neuropsychological Status (RBANS) and serum IL-18 in both groups. Schizophrenic symptoms were assessed using the positive and negative syndrome scale (PANSS). We found that IL-18 levels were non-significantly higher in patients than controls (206.0±92.9 pg/ml vs 193.2±41.8 pg/ml, p=0.28). Cognitive scores on the RBANS and nearly all of its five subscales (all p0.05) except for the Visuospatial/Constructional index (p0.05) were significantly lower in schizophrenic patients than normal controls. For the patients, IL-18 was positively associated with the Visuospatial/Constructional domain of cognitive deficits in schizophrenia. Our findings suggest that cognitive deficits occur during the acute stage of a schizophrenic episode, and IL-18 may be involved in Visuospatial/Constructional deficits of these patients.

Neurodegeneration may be involved in the development of tardive dyskinesia (TD), and low levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) may play a role. Ginkgo biloba (EGb761), a potent antioxidant, may have neuroprotective effects. We hypothesized that there would be decreased BDNF expression in TD, but that treatment with EGb761 would increase BDNF expression and reduce TD manifestations in a rat model. Forty rats were treated with haloperidol (2mg/kg/day via intraperitoneal injections) for 5weeks. EGb761 (50mg/kg/day) and vitamin E (20mg/kg/day) were then administered by oral gavage for another 5weeks, and we compared the effects of treatment with EGb761 or vitamin E on haloperidol-induced vacuous chewing movements (VCMs) and BDNF expression in four brain regions: prefrontal cortex (PFC), striatum (ST), substantia nigra (SNR), and globus pallidus (GP). Our results showed that haloperidol administration led to a progressive increase in VCMs, but both EGb761 and vitamin E significantly decreased VCMs. Haloperidol also decreased BDNF expression in all four brain regions, but both EGb761 and vitamin E administration significantly increased BDNF expression. Our results showed that both EGb761 and VE treatments exerted similar positive effects in a rat model of TD and increased BDNF expression levels in the four tested brain regions, suggesting that both EGb761 and vitamin E improve TD symptoms, possibly by enhancing BDNF in the brain and/or via their free radical-scavenging actions.

The operational performance of a full-scale subsurface-flow constructed wetland, which treated the mixed industrial and domestic wastewater with BOD5/COD mean ratio of 0.33 at Shatian, Shenzhen City was studied. The constructed wetland system consists of screens, sump, pumping station, and primary settling basin, facultative pond, first stage wetland and secondary stage wetland. The designed treatment capacity is 5000 m3/d, and the actual influent flow is in the range of2000 to10000 m3/d. Under normal operational conditions, the final effluent quality well met the National Integrated Wastewater Discharge Standard (GB 8978-1996), with the following parameters(mean values): COD 33.90 mg/L, BOD, 7.65 mg/L, TSS 7.92 mg/L, TN 9.11 mg/L and TP 0.56 mg/L. Seven species of plants were selected to grow in the wetland: Reed, Sweetcane flower Silvergrass, Great Bulrush, Powdery Thalia and Canna of three colours. The growing season is a whole year-round. The seasonal discrepancy could be observed and the plants growing in the wetland are vulnerable to lower temperature in winter. The recycling of the effluent in the first stage of the wetland system is an effective measure to improve the performance of the wetland system. The insufficient DO value in the wetland system not only had significant effect on pollutants removal in the wetland, but also was unfavourable to plant growth. The recycling of effluent to the inlet of wetland system and artificial pond to increase DO value of influent to the wetland is key to operate the subsurface constructed wetland steadily and effectively.

Background The clinical presentation of common symptoms during depressive episodes in bipolar disorder (BD) and major depressive disorder (MDD) poses challenges for accurate diagnosis. Disorder-specific neuroanatomical features may aid the development of reliable discrimination between these two clinical conditions. Methods For our sample of 16 BD patients, 19 MDD patients and 29 healthy volunteers, we adopted vertex-wise cortical based brain imaging techniques to examine cortical thickness and surface area, two components of cortical volume with distinct genetic determinants. Based on specific characteristics of neuroanatomical features, we then used support vector machine (SVM) algorithm to discriminate between patients with BD and MDD. Results Compared to MDD patients, BD patients showed significantly larger cortical surface area in the left bankssts, precuneus, precentral, inferior parietal, superior parietal and the right middle temporal gyri. In addition, larger volumes of subcortical regions were found in BD patients. In SVM discriminative analyses, the overall accuracy was 74.3 %, with a sensitivity of 62.5 % and a specificity of 84.2 % (p = 0.028). Compared to controls, larger surface area in the temporo-parietal regions were observed in BD patients, and thinner cortices in fronto-temporal regions were observed in MDD patients, especially in the medial orbito-frontal area. Conclusions These findings have demonstrated distinct spatially distributed variations in cortical thickness and surface area in patients with BD and MDD, suggesting potentially varying etiological and neuropathological processes in these two conditions. The employment of multimodal classification on disorder-specific biological features has shed light to the development of potential classification tools that could aid diagnostic decisions.