Although specific risk factors for brain alterations in bipolar disorders (BD) are currently unknown, obesity impacts the brain and is highly prevalent in BD. Gray matter correlates of obesity in BD have been well documented, but we know much less about brain white matter abnormalities in people who have both obesity and BD. We obtained body mass index (BMI) and diffusion tensor imaging derived fractional anisotropy (FA) from 22 white matter tracts in 899 individuals with BD, and 1287 control individuals from 20 cohorts in the ENIGMA-BD working group. In a mega-analysis, we investigated the associations between BMI, diagnosis or medication and FA. Lower FA was associated with both BD and BMI in six white matter tracts, including the corpus callosum and thalamic radiation. Higher BMI or BD were uniquely associated with lower FA in three and six white matter tracts, respectively. People not receiving lithium treatment had a greater negative association between FA and BMI than people treated with lithium in the posterior thalamic radiation and sagittal stratum. In three tracts BMI accounted for 10.5 to 17% of the negative association between the number of medication classes other than lithium and FA. Both overweight/obesity and BD demonstrated lower FA in some of the same regions. People prescribed lithium had a weaker association between BMI and FA than people not on lithium. In contrast, greater weight contributed to the negative associations between medications and FA. Obesity may add to brain alterations in BD and may play a role in effects of medications on the brain.

• MeSH
• Anisotropy MeSH
• White Matter * pathology   diagnostic imaging   metabolism   MeSH
• Bipolar Disorder * pathology   metabolism   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Body Mass Index MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Brain pathology   MeSH
• Obesity * pathology   metabolism   complications   MeSH
• Gray Matter MeSH
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging methods   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

OBJECTIVE: The clinical diversity of schizophrenia is reflected by structural brain variability. It remains unclear how this variability manifests across different gray and white matter features. In this meta- and mega-analysis, the authors investigated how brain heterogeneity in schizophrenia is distributed across multimodal structural indicators. METHODS: The authors used the ENIGMA dataset of MRI-based brain measures from 22 international sites with up to 6,037 individuals for a given brain measure. Variability and mean values of cortical thickness, cortical surface area, cortical folding index, subcortical volume, and fractional anisotropy were examined in individuals with schizophrenia and healthy control subjects. RESULTS: Individuals with schizophrenia showed greater variability in cortical thickness, cortical surface area, subcortical volume, and fractional anisotropy within the frontotemporal and subcortical network. This increased structural variability was mainly associated with psychopathological symptom domains, and the schizophrenia group frequently displayed lower mean values in the respective structural measures. Unexpectedly, folding patterns were more uniform in individuals with schizophrenia, particularly in the right caudal anterior cingulate region. The mean folding values of the right caudal anterior cingulate region did not differ between the schizophrenia and healthy control groups, and folding patterns in this region were not associated with disease-related parameters. CONCLUSIONS: In patients with schizophrenia, uniform folding patterns in the right caudal anterior cingulate region contrasted with the multimodal variability in the frontotemporal and subcortical network. While variability in the frontotemporal and subcortical network was associated with disease-related diversity, uniform folding may indicate a less flexible interplay between genetic and environmental factors during neurodevelopment.

• MeSH
• Anisotropy MeSH
• White Matter pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging MeSH
• Brain * pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Schizophrenia * pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Gray Matter pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Diffusion Tensor Imaging MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Meta-Analysis MeSH

Echinococcus granulosus (Batsch, 1786), a cestode of the Teniidae family, causes human cystic echinococcosis (CE) also known as hydatid disease. Echinococcus granulosus sensu lato includes the G1, G3, G4, G5, G6/7 and G8/10 genotypes which are known to cause human CE. This study aimed to differentiate genotypes of E. granulosus s.l. complex by employing EmsB, a tandemly repeated multilocus microsatellite, using next-generation sequencing (MIC-NGS). Human and animal histopathology-confirmed hydatid cyst tissue samples and reference DNA samples of E. granulosus G1, G3, G4, G5, G6/7 and G10 underwent MIC-NGS assay with custom primers amplifying a 151 bp EmsB DNA fragment. NGS data were analysed using online Galaxy analysis pipeline, a phylogenetic tree was constructed by MEGA software, and haplotype networking was performed with PopArt 1.7. All sixty samples (49 from animals and 11 from humans) included were successfully identified and genotyped with a 100 % success rate. The study showed improved discrimination power to distinguish all study samples including closely related E. granulosus s.s. genotypes G1-G3. The maximum likelihood tree reaffirmed the monophyly of E. granulosus s.l. The median-joining haplotype networking revealed 12 distinct haplotypes. In conclusion, MIC-NGS assay was shown to be sensitive, specific and simple to apply to clinical samples offering a powerful discriminatory tool for the genotyping of E. granulosus s.l.

• MeSH
• Echinococcus granulosus * genetics   MeSH
• Echinococcosis * veterinary   parasitology   MeSH
• Phylogeny MeSH
• Genotype * MeSH
• Genotyping Techniques veterinary   MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Microsatellite Repeats * MeSH
• High-Throughput Nucleotide Sequencing * MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Asian sand dust (ASD), also called China dust or yellow dust, mainly occurs in East Asia during spring and autumn. Because ASD enters the body mainly through the respiratory system, it can cause respiratory disorders or worsen underlying diseases. Because of this, it has become an important health concern that threatens the well-being of humans and animals. In this study, we investigated the effects of 15 and 30 mg/kg of Pycnogenol (PYC15 and 30 groups), a pine bark extract, on ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation in mice. We evaluated the inflammatory cell counts, inflammatory cytokines, and matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 expression in animal models. PYC administration significantly decreased inflammatory cell infiltration into lung tissue; this was accompanied by a reduction in the levels of proinflammatory mediators including interleukin (IL)-1β (P < 0.01), IL-6 (P < 0.01) and tumour necrosis factor-α (P < 0.01) in bronchoalveolar lavage fluids of ASD-exposed mice (ASD group). Histological analysis revealed that PYC suppressed ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation. Moreover, PYC suppressed the levels of matrix-metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 in the lung tissue of ASD-exposed mice, indicating that PYC reduced ASD-induced pulmonary inflammation by suppressing MMP-9. Together, these results indicate that PYC as the potential to treat ASD-driven pulmonary inflammation.

Deficits in memory performance have been linked to a wide range of neurological and neuropsychiatric conditions. While many studies have assessed the memory impacts of individual conditions, this study considers a broader perspective by evaluating how memory recall is differentially associated with nine common neuropsychiatric conditions using data drawn from 55 international studies, aggregating 15,883 unique participants aged 15-90. The effects of dementia, mild cognitive impairment, Parkinson's disease, traumatic brain injury, stroke, depression, attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), schizophrenia, and bipolar disorder on immediate, short-, and long-delay verbal learning and memory (VLM) scores were estimated relative to matched healthy individuals. Random forest models identified age, years of education, and site as important VLM covariates. A Bayesian harmonization approach was used to isolate and remove site effects. Regression estimated the adjusted association of each clinical group with VLM scores. Memory deficits were strongly associated with dementia and schizophrenia (p < 0.001), while neither depression nor ADHD showed consistent associations with VLM scores (p > 0.05). Differences associated with clinical conditions were larger for longer delayed recall duration items. By comparing VLM across clinical conditions, this study provides a foundation for enhanced diagnostic precision and offers new insights into disease management of comorbid disorders.

• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH

Although the cerebellum contributes to higher-order cognitive and emotional functions relevant to posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD), prior research on cerebellar volume in PTSD is scant, particularly when considering subregions that differentially map on to motor, cognitive, and affective functions. In a sample of 4215 adults (PTSD n = 1642; Control n = 2573) across 40 sites from the ENIGMA-PGC PTSD working group, we employed a new state-of-the-art deep-learning based approach for automatic cerebellar parcellation to obtain volumetric estimates for the total cerebellum and 28 subregions. Linear mixed effects models controlling for age, gender, intracranial volume, and site were used to compare cerebellum volumes in PTSD compared to healthy controls (88% trauma-exposed). PTSD was associated with significant grey and white matter reductions of the cerebellum. Compared to controls, people with PTSD demonstrated smaller total cerebellum volume, as well as reduced volume in subregions primarily within the posterior lobe (lobule VIIB, crus II), vermis (VI, VIII), flocculonodular lobe (lobule X), and corpus medullare (all p-FDR < 0.05). Effects of PTSD on volume were consistent, and generally more robust, when examining symptom severity rather than diagnostic status. These findings implicate regionally specific cerebellar volumetric differences in the pathophysiology of PTSD. The cerebellum appears to play an important role in higher-order cognitive and emotional processes, far beyond its historical association with vestibulomotor function. Further examination of the cerebellum in trauma-related psychopathology will help to clarify how cerebellar structure and function may disrupt cognitive and affective processes at the center of translational models for PTSD.

• MeSH
• White Matter pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Deep Learning MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging * methods   MeSH
• Cerebellum * pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Stress Disorders, Post-Traumatic * pathology   physiopathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Gray Matter pathology   MeSH
• Organ Size MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Meta-Analysis MeSH

Converging evidence suggests that schizophrenia (SZ) with primary, enduring negative symptoms (i.e., Deficit SZ (DSZ)) represents a distinct entity within the SZ spectrum while the neurobiological underpinnings remain undetermined. In the largest dataset of DSZ and Non-Deficit (NDSZ), we conducted a meta-analysis of data from 1560 individuals (168 DSZ, 373 NDSZ, 1019 Healthy Controls (HC)) and a mega-analysis of a subsampled data from 944 individuals (115 DSZ, 254 NDSZ, 575 HC) collected across 9 worldwide research centers of the ENIGMA SZ Working Group (8 in the mega-analysis), to clarify whether they differ in terms of cortical morphology. In the meta-analysis, sites computed effect sizes for differences in cortical thickness and surface area between SZ and control groups using a harmonized pipeline. In the mega-analysis, cortical values of individuals with schizophrenia and control participants were analyzed across sites using mixed-model ANCOVAs. The meta-analysis of cortical thickness showed a converging pattern of widespread thinner cortex in fronto-parietal regions of the left hemisphere in both DSZ and NDSZ, when compared to HC. However, DSZ have more pronounced thickness abnormalities than NDSZ, mostly involving the right fronto-parietal cortices. As for surface area, NDSZ showed differences in fronto-parietal-temporo-occipital cortices as compared to HC, and in temporo-occipital cortices as compared to DSZ. Although DSZ and NDSZ show widespread overlapping regions of thinner cortex as compared to HC, cortical thinning seems to better typify DSZ, being more extensive and bilateral, while surface area alterations are more evident in NDSZ. Our findings demonstrate for the first time that DSZ and NDSZ are characterized by different neuroimaging phenotypes, supporting a nosological distinction between DSZ and NDSZ and point toward the separate disease hypothesis.

• MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging MeSH
• Cerebral Cortex diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Neuroimaging MeSH
• Schizophrenia * genetics   MeSH
• Syndrome MeSH
• Parietal Lobe MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Meta-Analysis MeSH

BACKGROUND: Obesity is highly prevalent and disabling, especially in individuals with severe mental illness including bipolar disorders (BD). The brain is a target organ for both obesity and BD. Yet, we do not understand how cortical brain alterations in BD and obesity interact. METHODS: We obtained body mass index (BMI) and MRI-derived regional cortical thickness, surface area from 1231 BD and 1601 control individuals from 13 countries within the ENIGMA-BD Working Group. We jointly modeled the statistical effects of BD and BMI on brain structure using mixed effects and tested for interaction and mediation. We also investigated the impact of medications on the BMI-related associations. RESULTS: BMI and BD additively impacted the structure of many of the same brain regions. Both BMI and BD were negatively associated with cortical thickness, but not surface area. In most regions the number of jointly used psychiatric medication classes remained associated with lower cortical thickness when controlling for BMI. In a single region, fusiform gyrus, about a third of the negative association between number of jointly used psychiatric medications and cortical thickness was mediated by association between the number of medications and higher BMI. CONCLUSIONS: We confirmed consistent associations between higher BMI and lower cortical thickness, but not surface area, across the cerebral mantle, in regions which were also associated with BD. Higher BMI in people with BD indicated more pronounced brain alterations. BMI is important for understanding the neuroanatomical changes in BD and the effects of psychiatric medications on the brain.

• MeSH
• Bipolar Disorder * pathology   diagnostic imaging   MeSH
• Adult MeSH
• Body Mass Index * MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Magnetic Resonance Imaging * MeSH
• Cerebral Cortex * diagnostic imaging   pathology   MeSH
• Obesity * pathology   MeSH
• Check Tag
• Adult MeSH
• Middle Aged MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Male MeSH
• Female MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Meta-Analysis MeSH

Cieľ: Cieľom štúdie bolo popísať výskyt HIV-1 subtypov a HIV-1 kmeňov rezistentných na antiretrovírusovú liečbu (ART) u HIV pozitívnych osôb novo diagnostikovaných na Slovensku v rokoch 2019–2021. Materiál a metódy: Študijnú skupinu tvorilo 184 HIV pozitívnych naivných pacientov novo diagnostikovaných na Slovensku v rokoch 2019–2021. Vírusová HIV-1 RNA bola izolovaná z plazmy pomocou QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Nemecko). Pre RT-PCR a sekvenovanie oblasti HIV pol sme použili interné postupy podľa protokolu ANRS AC11 pre RT (reverzná transkriptáza), PRO (proteáza) a IN (integráza) (ANRS AC11 Resistance Study Group, 2015). Analýzu sekvencií sme uskutočnili pomocou softvéru Sequencing Analysis Software v5.3 (Applied Biosystems®). HIV sekvencie boli manuálne upravené pomocou BioEdit (verzia 7.2.5), porovnané s konsenzuálnymi HIV-1 sekvenciami v Los Alamos Sequence Database (URL 2), zarovnané pomocou CLUSTAL W (Labarga et al., 2007) a softvérových balíkov BioEdit (verzia 7.2 .5) (Hall, 1999). Na vyhodnotenie sekvencie sme použili algoritmus HIVDB (verzia 9.0) Stanfordskej databázy HIV liekovej rezistencie (URL 1.). Na analýzu HIV-1 subtypov sme použili nástroj REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool (De Oliviera et al., 2005) a fylogenetickú analýzu sme vypracovali pomocou programu MEGA X (Kumar et al., 2018). Výsledky: Fylogenetickú analýzu sme vykonali zo vzoriek 184 osôb, kde sme odhalili najrozšírenejší subtyp B (129/184, 70,11 %) prevládajúci v populácii u mužov, ktorí majú sex s mužmi (MSM) (96/129 74,42 %). Čo sa týka non-B subtypov (55/184, 29,89 %), najrozšírenejší bol subtyp A (48/184, 26,09 %) v porovnaní so subtypom F (F1) (3; 1,63 %), C (1; 0,54 %) a cirkulujúcimi rekombinantnými formami CRF02_AG (2; 1,09 %), CRF01_AE (1; 0,54 %). U 9,24 % (17/184) vzoriek sme zistili prítomnosť 25 mutácií asociovaných s HIV rezistenciou na ART, z toho 7,07 % (13/184) na inhibítory reverznej transkriptázy, 1,66 % (3/181) na inhibítory proteázy a 1,32 % (2/151) na inhibítory integrázy. Okrem toho u 1,63 % (3/184) pacientov bola prítomná viactriedna rezistencia. Mutácie asociované s rezistenciou HIV na ART sa našli u 9,30 % osôb infikovaných podtypom B. Záver: Naša štúdia potvrdila pretrvávajúci najvyšší výskyt subtypu B s mierne klesajúcou tendenciou v porovnaní s minulými rokmi. Detekcia mutácií vytvárajúcich rezistenciu HIV na ART podčiarkuje potrebu testovania rezistencie u naivných pacientov ešte pred začatím ART na Slovensku.

Aim: The aim of the study was to describe the prevalence of HIV-1 subtypes and HIV-1 strains resistant to antiretroviral therapy (ART) in HIV-positive persons newly diagnosed in Slovakia in 2019–2021. Materials and Methods: The study group consisted of 184 HIV-positive na?ve patients newly diagnosed in Slovakia from 2019 to 2021. The viral HIV-1 RNA was isolated from plasma by the QIAamp Viral RNA Mini Kit (QIAGEN, Germany). For RT-PCR and sequencing of the HIV pol region, in-house procedures were used according to the ANRS AC11 protocol for RT (reverse transcriptase), PRO (protease), and IN (integrase) [ANRS AC11 Resistance Study Group, 2015]. Analysis of sequences was performed using Sequencing Analysis Software v5.3 (Applied Biosystems®). HIV sequences were manually edited using BioEdit (version 7.2.5), compared with consensus HIV-1 sequences in the Los Alamos Sequence Database (URL 2), aligned using CLUSTAL W [Labarga et al., 2007] and BioEdit software packages (version 7.2 .5) [Hall, 1999]. HIVDB Algorithm (version 9.0) of the Stanford HIV Drug resistance database (URL 1.) was used for sequence evaluation. For HIV-1 subtype analysis, the REGA HIV-1 Subtyping Tool [De Oliviera et al., 2005] and phylogenetic analysis MEGA X [Kumar et al., 2018] were used. Results: Phylogenetic analyses performed in samples of 184 persons revealed the most prevalent subtype B (129/184, 70.11%), detected to the greatest extent in the population of men who have sex with men (MSM) (96/129 74.42%). Concerning non-B subtypes (55/184, 29.89%), subtype A was found with the highest prevalence (48/184, 26.09%) compared to subtype F (F1) (3; 1.63%), C (1; 0.54%) and circulating recombinant forms CRF02_AG (2; 1.09%), CRF01_AE (1; 0.54%). In 9.24% (17/184) of samples, 25 mutations clinically relevant and associated with HIV resistance ART were detected, of which 7.07% (13/184) to reverse transcriptase inhibitors, 1.66% (3/181) to protease inhibitors and 1.32% (2/151) to integrase inhibitors. In addition, multiclass resistance was present in 1.63% (3/184) of patients. Mutations associated with HIV resistance to ART were found in 9.30 % of persons infected with subtype B. Conclusion: Our study confirmed ongoing highest prevalence of subtype B with a slightly decreasing trend compared to last years. Detection of mutations causing HIV resistance to ART underlines the need for resistance testing in na?ve patients even before the initiation of ART in Slovakia.

• MeSH
• Anti-Retroviral Agents therapeutic use   MeSH
• Genetic Techniques MeSH
• Genotype MeSH
• HIV Infections * epidemiology   drug therapy   transmission   MeSH
• HIV-1 genetics   drug effects   MeSH
• Clinical Studies as Topic MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Mutation genetics   MeSH
• Drug Resistance, Viral MeSH
• Check Tag
• Humans MeSH
• Geographicals
• Slovakia MeSH