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- Gurholt, Tiril P., et al.
(author)
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Intracranial and subcortical volumes in adolescents with early‐onset psychosis : A multisite mega‐analysis from the ENIGMA consortium
- 2020
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In: Human Brain Mapping. - Stockholm : Wiley. - 1065-9471 .- 1097-0193. ; 43:1, s. 373-384
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Early-onset psychosis disorders are serious mental disorders arising before the age of 18 years. Here, we investigate the largest neuroimaging dataset, to date, of patients with early-onset psychosis and healthy controls for differences in intracranial and subcortical brain volumes. The sample included 263 patients with early-onset psychosis (mean age: 16.4 ± 1.4 years, mean illness duration: 1.5 ± 1.4 years, 39.2% female) and 359 healthy controls (mean age: 15.9 ± 1.7 years, 45.4% female) with magnetic resonance imaging data, pooled from 11 clinical cohorts. Patients were diagnosed with early-onset schizophrenia (n = 183), affective psychosis (n = 39), or other psychotic disorders (n = 41). We used linear mixed-effects models to investigate differences in intracranial and subcortical volumes across the patient sample, diagnostic subgroup and antipsychotic medication, relative to controls. We observed significantly lower intracranial (Cohen's d = −0.39) and hippocampal (d = −0.25) volumes, and higher caudate (d = 0.25) and pallidum (d = 0.24) volumes in patients relative to controls. Intracranial volume was lower in both early-onset schizophrenia (d = −0.34) and affective psychosis (d = −0.42), and early-onset schizophrenia showed lower hippocampal (d = −0.24) and higher pallidum (d = 0.29) volumes. Patients who were currently treated with antipsychotic medication (n = 193) had significantly lower intracranial volume (d = −0.42). The findings demonstrate a similar pattern of brain alterations in early-onset psychosis as previously reported in adult psychosis, but with notably low intracranial volume. The low intracranial volume suggests disrupted neurodevelopment in adolescent early-onset psychosis.
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- Rolles, D., et al.
(author)
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Femtosecond x-ray photoelectron diffraction on gas-phase dibromobenzene molecules
- 2014
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In: Journal of Physics B: Atomic, Molecular and Optical Physics. - : IOP Publishing. - 0953-4075 .- 1361-6455. ; 47:12
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- We present time-resolved femtosecond photoelectron momentum images and angular distributions of dissociating, laser-aligned 1,4-dibromobenzene (C6H4Br2) molecules measured in a near-infrared pump, soft-x-ray probe experiment performed at an x-ray free-electron laser. The observed alignment dependence of the bromine 2p photoelectron angular distributions is compared to density functional theory calculations and interpreted in terms of photoelectron diffraction. While no clear time-dependent effects are observed in the angular distribution of the Br(2p) photoelectrons, other, low-energy electrons show a pronounced dependence on the time delay between the near-infrared laser and the x-ray pulse.
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- Toffoli, D., et al.
(author)
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Electronic Structure Characterization of a Thiophene Benzo-Annulated Series of Common Building Blocks for Donor and Acceptor Compounds Studied by Gas Phase Photoelectron and Photoabsorption Synchrotron Spectroscopies
- 2018
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In: Journal of Physical Chemistry A. - : American Chemical Society. - 1089-5639 .- 1520-5215. ; 122:44, s. 8745-8761
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The near-edge x-ray-absorption fine-structure (NEXAFS) and Xray photoelectron spectroscopy (XPS) spectra of benzo[b]thiophene (BBT) and dibenzothiophene (DBT) in the gas phase have been measured at the carbon Kedge and sulfur L-II,L-III-edge regions. The assignment of the spectral features has been provided by theoretical calculations based on density functional theory (DFT) and its time-dependent generalization (TDDFT) in the linear response regime. Observed trends in computed C 1s and S 2p ionization potentials (IPs) have been rationalized in terms of both the inductive effects due to the presence of S and the increased pi-electrons delocalization arising from the benzoannulation process. The analysis of the NEXAFS carbon K-edge and sulfur L-II,L-III-edge regions regions provided information on both low-lying delocalized virtual pi orbitals, and higher-lying localized sigma*(C-S) states. The evolution of the NEXAFS carbon K-edge spectral features along the series thiophene (T) and derivatives, BBT and DBT, is informative of a stabilizing effect due to increased aromaticity. This effect is however more pronounced in going from T to BBT compared to the introduction of a second annulated phenyl ring in DBT. The nature of the most intense sulfur L-II,L-III-edge NEXAFS spectral features is instead conserved along the series reflecting thus the localized nature of the virtual states involved in the S 2p core-excitation process.
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4. |
- Barth, Claudia, et al.
(author)
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In vivo white matter microstructure in adolescents with early-onset psychosis : a multi-site mega-analysis
- 2023
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In: Molecular Psychiatry. - : Springer Nature. - 1359-4184 .- 1476-5578. ; 28, s. 1159-1169
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Emerging evidence suggests brain white matter alterations in adolescents with early-onset psychosis (EOP; age of onset <18 years). However, as neuroimaging methods vary and sample sizes are modest, results remain inconclusive. Using harmonized data processing protocols and a mega-analytic approach, we compared white matter microstructure in EOP and healthy controls using diffusion tensor imaging (DTI). Our sample included 321 adolescents with EOP (median age=16.6 years, interquartile range (IQR)=2.14, 46.4% females) and 265 adolescent healthy controls (median age=16.2 years, IQR=2.43, 57.7% females) pooled from nine sites. All sites extracted mean fractional anisotropy (FA), mean diffusivity (MD), radial diffusivity (RD), and axial diffusivity (AD) for 25 white matter regions of interest per participant. ComBat harmonization was performed for all DTI measures to adjust for scanner differences. Multiple linear regression models were fitted to investigate case-control differences and associations with clinical variables in regional DTI measures. We found widespread lower FA in EOP compared to healthy controls, with the largest effect sizes in the superior longitudinal fasciculus (Cohen's d=0.37), posterior corona radiata (d=0.32), and superior fronto-occipital fasciculus (d=0.31). We also found widespread higher RD and more localized higher MD and AD. We detected significant effects of diagnostic subgroup, sex, and duration of illness, but not medication status. Using the largest EOP DTI sample to date, our findings suggest a profile of widespread white matter microstructure alterations in adolescents with EOP, most prominently in male individuals with early-onset schizophrenia and individuals with a shorter duration of illness.
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5. |
- Bernes, E., et al.
(author)
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S 2p and P 2p Core Level Spectroscopy of PPT Ambipolar Material and Its Building Block Moieties
- 2020
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In: The Journal of Physical Chemistry C. - : AMER CHEMICAL SOC. - 1932-7447 .- 1932-7455. ; 124:127, s. 14510-14520
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- The near-edge X-ray absorption fine structure (NEXAFS and X-ray photoelectron (XP) spectra of gas-phase 2,8-bis-(diphenylphosphoryl)dibenzo[b,d]thiophene (PPT) and triphenylphosphine oxide (TPPO) have been measured at the S and P L-II,L-III-edge regions. The time-dependent density functional theory (TDDFT) based on the relativistic two-component zeroth-order regular approximation approach has been used to provide an assignment of the experimental spectra, giving the contribution of the spin-orbit splitting and of the molecular-field splitting to the sulfur and phosphor binding energies. Computed XP and NEXAFS spectra agree well with the experimental measurements. In going from dibenzothiophene and TPPO to PPT, the nature of the most intense S 2p and P 2p NEXAFS features are preserved; this trend suggests that the electronic and geometric behaviors of the S and P atoms in the two building block moieties are conserved in the more complex system of PPT. This work enables us to shed some light onto the structure of the P-O bond, a still highly debated topic in the chemical literature. Since the S 2p and P 2p NEXAFS intensities provide specific information on the higher-lying localized sigma*(C-S) and sigma*(P-O) virtual MOs, we have concluded that P 3d AOs are not involved in the formation of the P-O bond. Moreover, the results support the mechanism of negative hyperconjugation, by showing that transitions toward sigma*(P-O) states occur at lower energies with respect to those toward it pi*(P-O) states.
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- Fornes, R., et al.
(author)
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Mice exposed to maternal androgen excess and diet-induced obesity have altered phosphorylation of catechol-O-methyltransferase in the placenta and fetal liver
- 2019
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In: International Journal of Obesity. - : Springer Science and Business Media LLC. - 0307-0565 .- 1476-5497. ; 43:11, s. 2176-2188
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Background/objectives Maternal obesity together with androgen excess in mice negatively affects placental function and maternal and fetal liver function as demonstrated by increased triglyceride content with dysfunctional expression of enzymes and transcription factors involved in de novo lipogenesis and fat storage. To identify changes in molecular pathways that might promote diseases in adulthood, we performed a global proteomic analysis using a liquid-chromatography/massspectrometry system to investigate total and phosphorylated proteins in the placenta and fetal liver in a mouse model that combines maternal obesity with maternal androgen excess. Methods After ten weeks on a control diet (CD) or high fat/high sugar-diet, dams were mated with males fed the CD. Between gestational day (GD) 16.5 and GD 18.5, mice were injected with vehicle or dihydrotestosterone (DHT) and sacrificed at GD 18.5 prior to dissection of the placentas and fetal livers. Four pools of female placentas and fetal livers were subjected to a global proteomic analysis. Total and phosphorylated proteins were filtered by ANOVA q < 0.05, and this was followed by two-way ANOVA to determine the effect of maternal obesity and/or androgen exposure. Results In placenta, phosphorylated ATP-citrate synthase was decreased due to maternal obesity, and phosphorylated catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) was differentially expressed due to the interaction between maternal diet and DHT exposure. In fetal liver, five total proteins and 48 proteins phosphorylated in one or more sites, were differentially expressed due to maternal obesity or androgen excess. In fetal liver, phosphorylated COMT expression was higher in fetus exposed to maternal obesity. Conclusion These results suggest a common regulatory mechanism of catecholamine metabolism in the placenta and the fetal liver as demonstrated by higher phosphorylated COMT expression in the placenta and fetal liver from animals exposed to dietinduced maternal obesity and lower expression of phosphorylated COMT in animals exposed to maternal androgen excess.
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- MacPherson, H., et al.
(author)
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Unanticipated Insights into Biomedicine from the Study of Acupuncture
- 2016
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In: Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. - : Mary Ann Liebert Inc. - 1075-5535 .- 1557-7708. ; 22:2, s. 101-107
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Journal article (peer-reviewed)abstract
- Research into acupuncture has had ripple effects beyond the field of acupuncture. This paper identifies five exemplars to illustrate that there is tangible evidence of the way insights gleaned from acupuncture research have informed biomedical research, practice, or policy. The first exemplar documents how early research into acupuncture analgesia has expanded into neuroimaging research, broadening physiologic understanding and treatment of chronic pain. The second describes how the acupuncture needle has become a tool to enhance biomedical knowledge of connective tissue. The third exemplar, which illustrates use of a modified acupuncture needle as a sham device, focuses on emergent understanding of placebo effects and, in turn, on insights into therapeutic encounters in treatments unrelated to acupuncture. The fourth exemplar documents that two medical devices now in widespread use were inspired by acupuncture: transcutaneous electrical nerve stimulators for pain control and antinausea wrist bands. The final exemplar describes how pragmatic clinical trial designs applied in acupuncture research have informed current general interest in comparative effectiveness research. In conclusion, these exemplars of unanticipated outcomes of acupuncture research comprise an additional rationale for continued support of basic and clinical research evaluating acupuncture and other under-researched therapies.
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