Limei zhang

BACKGROUND: It is difficult to improve negative symptoms and cognitive impairments in schizophrenia. A previous pilot study has shown that minocycline, a semi-synthetic second-generation tetracycline, is effective in treating for negative and/or cognitive symptoms in schizophrenia.

OBJECTIVES: The present study was designed to examine the efficacy and safety of minocycline for the treatment of negative symptoms and cognitive impairments in patients with schizophrenia.

METHODS: Ninety-two ...

The use of the potent neurotoxin MPTP in producing a model for Parkinson's disease (PD) has allowed us to dissect the cellular processes responsible for both selective neuronal vulnerability and neuroprotection in idiopathic PD. It has been suggested that vesicular monoamine transporters (VMATs) play a critical neuroprotective role in MPP+ toxicity. However, little is known about how this detoxificative sequestration in dopaminergic (DAergic) neurons is regulated at the molecular and ...

Limited population-based cancer registry data available in China until now has hampered efforts to inform cancer control policy. Following extensive efforts to improve the systematic cancer surveillance in this country, we report on the largest pooled analysis of cancer survival data in China to date. Of 21 population-based cancer registries, data from 17 registries (n = 138,852 cancer records) were included in the final analysis. Cases were diagnosed in 2003-2005 and followed until the ...

Aspergillus flavus is one of the most important opportunistic pathogens of crops and animals. The carcinogenic mycotoxin, aflatoxins produced by this pathogen cause a health problem to human and animals. Since cyclic AMP signaling controls a range of physiological processes, like fungal development and infection when responding to extracellular stimuli in fungal pathogens, in this study, we investigated the function of adenylate cyclase, a core component of cAMP signaling, in aflatoxins ...

A Gram-staining-negative, rod-shaped, strictly aerobic, non-motile, non-spore-forming, orange bacterium, which was designated strain YL28-9T, was isolated from sandy soil in the district of Yulin, Shaanxi province, PR China, and was characterized by using a polyphasic taxonomic approach. The optimal growth conditions of the strain were 30 °C, pH 7.0, 0 % (w/v) NaCl. Phylogenetic analysis, based on the 16S rRNA gene sequence, revealed that YL28-9T represented a member of the genus ...

Background: The neuronal injury and cognitive dysfunction after liver transplantation have severe effects on the prognosis and life quality of patients. Accumulating evidence suggests that both exosomes and pyroptosis could participate in hepatic ischemia-reperfusion injury (HIRI) and play key roles in neuronal death. However, the link between exosomes and neuronal pyroptosis in HIRI awaits further investigation.

Methods: After establishing the HIRI rat models, we primarily studied the ...

A multi-vitamin auxotrophic Torulopsis glabrata strain, a pyruvate producer, was further engineered to produce fumaric acid. Using the genome-scale metabolic model iNX804 of T. glabrata, four fumaric acid biosynthetic pathways, involving the four cytosolic enzymes, argininosuccinate lyase (ASL), adenylosuccinate lyase (ADSL), fumarylacetoacetase (FAA), and fumarase (FUM1), were found. Athough single overexpression of each of the four enzymes in the cytosol improved fumaric acid ...

Lindera glauca (Lauraceae) is a tree of economic and ecological significance that reproduces sexually and asexually via apomictic seeds. It is widely distributed in the low-altitude montane forests of East Asia. Despite the potential implications of a mixed reproductive system in terms of genetic diversity, few studies have focused on this aspect. In this study, the genetic structure of wild populations of L. glauca was investigated via genetic analyses. Overall, 13 nuclear ...

Climate change and human activities are the two major driving factors that affect the hydrological cycle. This study analysed the streamflow changes during 1958–2015 and related them to climate and land surface alterations in the Bahe River watershed of the Qinling Mountains by using the Budyko framework. The Pettit test method was used to investigate abrupt changes, and the Mann–Kendall test method was employed to assess monotonic trends. The results showed that annual runoff exhibited ...

BACKGROUND: Genetic factors and early-life adversity are critical in the etiology of mood disorders and substance abuse. Because of their role in the transduction of stress responses, glucocorticoid hormones and their receptors could serve as both genetic factors and mediators of environmental influences. We have shown that constitutive overexpression of the glucocorticoid receptor (GR) in forebrain results in increased emotional reactivity and lability in mice. Here, we asked whether ...

AIMS AND OBJECTIVES: To explore: the selection criteria for first responder nurses during disaster; scope of practice for disaster relief nurses; appropriate nurse - medical practitioner ratio at the disaster site.

BACKGROUND: Nurses are key members of disaster response medical teams. A scarcity of literature exists relating to nurses attending disasters, their qualifications, experience, scope of practice and appropriate staffing ratios.

DESIGN: Qualitative and quantitative data were ...

Objective: This study aims to figure out the mechanism of astragaloside IV (AS-IV) in the protection of podocyte apoptosis in diabetic nephropathy (DN) rats.

Materials and methods: Streptozotocin (STZ) was used to induce diabetes in rats, and the diabetic rats were treated with 5 mg/kg/d of AS-IV for 12 weeks. Albuminuria level, relative TUG1 and TRAF5 levels, and TRAF5 and cleaved-caspase-3 protein levels were examined by ELISA, quantitative reverse transcription (qRT)-PCR, and Western ...

Schisandrin, an active component extracted from Schisandra chinensis (Turcz.) Baill has been reported to alleviate the cognitive impairment in neurodegenerative disorder like Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the mechanism by which schisandrin regulates the cognitive decline is still unclear. In our study, intracerebroventricular injection of streptozotocin (STZ) was employed to establish AD model in male Wistar rats, and indicated dose of schisandrin was further administered. The ...

GdAl3(BO3)4:Ln3+ (Ln3+:Eu3+, Tb3+, Dy3+) nano-phosphors were prepared by sol–gel method. The structure properties of the phosphors are characterized by XRD, and GdAl3(BO3)4:Ln3+ nano-phosphors have average sizes around 40 nm. The doping concentrations of Eu3+, Tb3+ and Dy3+ ions in GdAl3(BO3)4 nano-phosphors are from 1 to 9 mol% for Eu3+ ions, from 2 to 12 mol% for Tb3+ ions and from 1 to 5 mol% for Dy3+ ions, respectively. The luminescent properties of rare-earth ions doped GdAl3(BO3)4 ...

Genipin-crosslinked complex microspheres made of the combination of two polymers, ethyl cellulose and chitosan, were prepared by spray drying method. Rifabutin, an anti-tuberculosis agent was used as a model drug. Effects of various specifications of ethyl cellulose and chitosan, different drug/polymers ratios and crosslinking effect of genipin on complex microspheres and drug release characteristics were compared to obtain optimized manufacturing parameters. The complex microspheres ...