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Objective: This study investigated relationships between Neuropeptide Y levels and severity of psychiatric symptoms in first-episode schizophrenia patients, and explore the sexual heterogeneity in them. Methods: We recruited 115 first-episode schizophrenia patients and 58 matched healthy controls, and measured serum Neuropeptide Y levels of them at baseline and again after 10 weeks of risperidone treatment in patient group. Patients were also evaluated with the Positive and Negative Symptoms Scale (PANSS) to reveal the severity of symptoms. Results: 95 patients completed the whole experiment. We find that mean Neuropeptide Y levels at baseline were significantly higher in patients than in controls (p<0.001), no matter in males or females. In males, there are positive correlations between Neuropeptide Y levels and PANSS scores at baseline (p<0.01), and between the change of them (p<0.05). However, we do not find these correlations in female patients. Furthermore, the interaction terms of NPY × sex were highly significant taking PANSS as dependent variable(p<0.001). Conclusion: Neuropeptide Y plays a significant role in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. In male patients, Neuropeptide Y is positively correlated with the severity of symptoms, while this correlation is not found in females. Continued efforts are needed to determine the sexual dimorphism in pathogeneses of schizophrenia. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Photocatalytic CO2 reduction to syngas (a mixture of CO and H2) with adjustable composition is a prospective way to mitigate the energy shortage and the greenhouse effect. Herein, we synthesize a thermally stable two-dimensional cobalt-based metal–organic framework (denoted as "Co-TBAPy") consisting of cobalt metal centers and H4TBAPy (1,3,6,8-tetrakis(p-benzoic acid) pyrene) as an organic linker, which exhibits superior CO2 adsorption capability and a considerable specific surface area. In accordance with the energy levels of [Ru(bpy)3]Cl2·6H2O as a sensitizer, Co-TBAPy is active for photocatalytic reduction of CO2 to syngas with a wide controllable ratio range between 0.14 and 1.65 under visible-light irradiation. Moreover, the proportion of CO : H2 = 1 : 2 and 1 : 3 favorable for the synthesis of methanol and methane, respectively, can be precisely regulated, which few MOF-based photocatalysts have achieved so far. Furthermore, combined with DFT calculation, we reveal the influence of the water content of the reaction system in the process of photocatalytic CO2 reduction to produce a controllable proportion of syngas, which is often a profound while elusive factor in photoreduction reactions. This work provides a feasible concept for the design and application of Co-MOF materials for the photoreduction of CO2 to syngas in practical industrial fields. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objective: Cognitive impairment is prevalent in schizophrenia. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor which is released into the circulation under stress or inflammation, is associated with cognition and also plays an important role in immunity. However, no study has investigated the relationship between macrophage migration inhibitory factor and cognitive function in first-episode schizophrenia patients at baseline or after treatment. This study investigated the pre- and post-risperidone treatment correlations between serum macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels and cognitive function in first-episode schizophrenia patients. Methods: A total of 83 first-episode schizophrenia patients who received risperidone monotherapy and 57 healthy controls – matched for sex, age, smoking status, education (years), marital status and waist-to-hip ratio – were included. Macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels were measured before and 10 weeks after treatment in the patient group and at baseline in the controls. Pre- and post-treatment cognitive functions in patients were assessed using the MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery. Results: At baseline, macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels were significantly higher in first-episode schizophrenia patients than those in healthy controls (p < 0.01) and decreased in patients after 10 weeks of risperidone treatment compared with baseline (p < 0.05). The MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery total score and the sub-scores for the Trail Making Test, Symbol Coding, Letter Number Sequence, Maze and Brief Visuospatial Memory Test–Revised improved significantly after risperidone treatment. After controlling for age, sex, education, waist-to-hip ratio and smoking status, partial correlation analysis showed a positive correlation between baseline macrophage migration inhibitory factor levels and patients' baseline MATRICS Consensus Cognitive Battery verbal memory scores (r = 0.29, p = 0.01). Macrophage migration inhibitory factor changes correlated negatively with verbal memory changes (r = −0.26, p = 0.04). Multiple linear regression analysis identified a definite correlation between the changes in word memory test score and macrophage migration inhibitory factor level (β = −0.09, p = 0.04). Conclusion: Macrophage migration inhibitory factor may be involved in the process of cognitive impairment in first-episode schizophrenia and repair mechanisms following risperidone treatment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Three undescribed sesquiterpenes, designed as pichinenoid A-C (1 – 3), along with nine known ones (4 – 12) were isolated from the stems and leaves of Picrasma chinensis. The new isolates including their absolute configurations were elucidated based on extensive spectroscopic methods, single crystal X-ray diffraction, and electronic circular dichroism (ECD) experiments, as well as comparison with literature data. Structurally, compounds 1 and 2 are descending sesquiterpenes, while pichinenoid C (3) is a rare sesquiterpene bearing a 2-methylenebut-3-enoic acid moiety at the C-6 side chain. All the isolated compounds were tested for their neuroprotective effects against the H 2 O 2 -induced damage on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, and most of them showed moderate neuroprotective activity. Especially, compounds 1 , 3 – 5 , and 7 showed a potent neuroprotective effect at 25 or 50 μM. Moreover, the neuroprotective effects of compounds 1 and 4 were tested on a 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP)-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) mouse model. Results of western blot and immunofluorescence indicated that compound 4 significantly counteract the toxicity of MPTP, and reversed the expression of tyrosine hydroxylase (TH) in substantia nigra (SN) and striatum (ST) of the mouse brain. Interestingly, western blot data suggested compound 4 also enhanced B-cell lymphoma-2 (Bcl-2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) expressions in the brain tissues from MPTP damaged mouse. [Display omitted] [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Spinning coding masks, recognized for their fast modulation rate and cost-effectiveness, are now often used in real-time single-pixel imaging (SPI). However, in the photon-counting regime, they encounter difficulties in synchronization between the coding mask patterns and the photon detector, unlike digital micromirror devices. To address this issue, we propose a scheme that assumes a constant disk rotation speed throughout each cycle and models photon detection as a non-homogeneous Poisson process (NHPP). This effectively resolves synchronization problems and compensates for speed fluctuations. To validate this method, we designed and fabricated a single-pixel camera prototype that can capture images under an illumination of less than one photon per pixel, with a modulation rate of approximately 100 kHz and an imaging speed of 28 frames per second. The camera is compact, lightweight, and low cost and should find many practical applications for imaging under extremely low-light conditions.

The neuromorphic vision system that utilizes spikes as information carriers is crucial for the formation of spiking neural networks. Here, we present a bioinspired flexible artificial spiking photoreceptor (ASP), which is realized by using a single VO 2 Mott memristor that can simultaneously sense and encode the stimulus light into spikes. The ASP has high spike-encoded photosensitivity and ultrawide photosensing range (405-808 nm) with good endurance (>7 × 10 7 ) and high flexibility (bending radius ∼5 mm). Then, we put forward an all-spike electronic retina architecture that comprises one layer of ASPs and one layer of artificial optical nerves (AONs) to process the spike information. Each AON consists of a single Mott memristor connected in series with a neuro-transistor that is a multiple-input floating-gate MOS transistor. Simulation results demonstrate that the all-spike electronic retina can successfully segment images with high Shannon entropy, thus laying the foundation for the development of a spike-based neuromorphic vision system.

Aim: This population-based analysis aimed to explore the associations among marital status, prognosis and treatment of stage I non-small-cell lung cancer. Materials & methods: The propensity score matching (PSM), logistic regression and Cox proportional hazards model were used in this study. Results: A total of 13,937 patients were included. After PSM, 10579 patients were co-insured. The married were more likely to receive surgical treatment compared with the unmarried patients (OR: 1.841, p < 0.001), and patients who underwent surgery also tended to have better survival (HR: 0.293, p < 0.001). Conclusion: Compared with unmarried patients, a married group with stage I NSCLC had timely treatment and more satisfactory survival. This study highlights the importance of prompt help and care for unmarried patients., Competing Interests: The authors have no competing interests or relevant affiliations with any organization or entity with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties., (© 2023 The Authors.)

Supramolecular cage chemistry is of lasting interest because, as artificial blueprints of natural enzymes, the self-assembled cage structures not only provide substrate-hosting biomimetic environments but also can integrate active sites in the confined nanospaces for function synergism. Herein, we demonstrate a vertex-directed organic-clip chelation assembly strategy to construct a metal-organic cage Fe 4 L 6 8+ (MOC-63) incorporating 12 imidazole proton donor-acceptor motifs and four redox-active Fe centers in an octahedral coordination nanospace. Different from regular supramolecular cages assembled with coordination metal vertices, MOC-63 comprises six ditopic organic-clip ligands as vertices and four tris-chelating Fe(N∩N) 3 moieties as faces, thus improving its acid, base, and redox robustness by virtue of cage-stabilized dynamics in solution. Improved dehydrogenation catalysis of 1,2,3,4-tetrahydroquinoline derivatives is accomplished by MOC-63 owing to a supramolecular cage effect that synergizes multiple Fe centers and radical species to expedite intermediate conversion of the multistep reactions in a cage-confined nanospace. The acid-base buffering imidazole motifs play a vital role in modulating the total charge state to resist pH variation and tune the solubility among varied solvents, thereby enhancing reaction acceleration in acidic conditions and rendering a facile recycling catalytic process.