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Background Laccases and laccase-like multicopper oxidases (LMCOs) oxidize a vast array of phenolic compounds and amines, releasing water as a byproduct. Their low substrate specificity is responsible for their tremendous biotechnological interest, since they have been used for numerous applications. However, the laccases characterized so far correspond to only a small fraction of the laccase genes identified in fungal genomes. Therefore, the knowledge regarding the biochemistry and physiological role of minor laccase-like isoforms is still limited. Results In the present work, we describe the isolation, purification and characterization of two novel LMCOs, PcLac1 and PcLac2, from Pleurotus citrinopileatus. Both LMCOs were purified with ion-exchange chromatographic methods. PcLac2 was found to oxidize a broader substrate range than PcLac1, but both LMCOs showed similar formal potentials, lower than those reported previously for laccases from white-rot fungi. Proteomic analysis of both proteins revealed their similarity with other well-characterized laccases from Pleurotus strains. Both LMCOs were applied to the oxidation of ferulic and sinapic acid, yielding oligomers with possible antioxidant activity. Conclusions Overall, the findings of the present work can offer new insights regarding the biochemistry and variability of low-redox potential laccases of fungal origin. Low-redox potential biocatalysts could offer higher substrate selectivity than their high-redox counterparts, and thus, they could be of applied value in the field of biocatalysis.

Considerable cognitive heterogeneity is present within the schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD) population. Several subgroups characterised by more homogenous cognitive profiles have been identified. It is not yet clear however, whether these subgroups represent different points along a continuum of cognitive symptom severity, or whether they reflect unique profiles of the disorder. One way to determine this is by comparing subgroups on their non-cognitive characteristics. The aim of the present review was to systematically summarise our current understanding of the non-cognitive features of the cognitive subgroups of schizophrenia spectrum disorder (SSD). Thirty-five relevant studies were identified from January 1980 to March 2020. Cognitive subgroups were consistently compared on age, sex, education, age of illness onset, illness duration, positive, negative and disorganised symptoms, depression and psychosocial functioning. It was revealed that subgroups were consistently distinguished by education, negative symptom severity and degree of functional impairment; with subgroups characterised by worse cognitive functioning performing/rated worse on these characteristics. The lack of consistent subgroup differences for the majority of the non-cognitive characteristics provides partial support for the notion that cognitive subgrouping in SSD is not simply reflecting a rehash of previously identified clinical subtypes. However, as subgroups were consistently distinguished by three characteristics known to be associated with cognition, our understanding of the extent to which the cognitive subgrouping approach is representing separate subtypes versus subdivisions along a continuum of symptom severity is still not definitive.

Abstract The nature of the relationship between cognition and brain morphology in schizophrenia-spectrum disorders (SSD) and bipolar disorder (BD) is uncertain. This review aimed to address this, by providing a comprehensive systematic investigation of links between several cognitive domains and brain volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area in SSD and BD patients across early and established illness stages. An initial search of PubMed and Scopus databases resulted in 1486 articles, of which 124 met inclusion criteria and were reviewed in detail. The majority of studies focused on SSD, while those of BD were scarce. Replicated evidence for specific regions associated with indices of cognition was minimal, however for several cognitive domains, the frontal and temporal regions were broadly implicated across both recent-onset and established SSD, and to a lesser extent BD. Collectively, the findings of this review emphasize the significance of both frontal and temporal regions for some domains of cognition in SSD, while highlighting the need for future BD-related studies on this topic.

Biological heterogeneity presents a formidable challenge in understanding psychiatric illness, yet it remains underexplored at scale or in a pan-disease setting. We characterized biochemical and brain heterogeneity in 445,374 individuals, considering 9 psychiatric disorders and 30 non-psychiatric medical conditions. Psychiatric and non-psychiatric illnesses were characterized by greater biological heterogeneity than predicted by healthy variation. Notably, heterogeneity in psychiatric disorders was comparable to non-psychiatric illnesses and often diverged from diagnostic classification. Circulating glucose and glycated hemoglobin levels were the most heterogeneous traits in 65% of diagnoses, suggesting that glucose dysregulation is pervasive yet variable across diseases. Diagnosis-specific patterns also surfaced-e.g., in schizophrenia, developmental brain markers ranked among the most heterogeneous traits. These characterizations of biochemical and brain heterogeneity lay the groundwork for biological focal points to aid precision psychiatry research. To support this effort, we provide an interactive online resource for exploring and downloading illness-specific heterogeneity measures.

Most cognitive studies of bipolar disorder (BD) have examined case-control differences on cognitive tests using measures of central tendency, which do not consider intraindividual variability (IIV); a distinct cognitive construct that reliably indexes meaningful cognitive differences between individuals. In this study, we sought to characterize IIV in BD by examining whether it differs from healthy controls (HCs) and is associated with other cognitive measures, clinical variables, and white matter microstructure. Two hundred and seventeen adults, including 100 BD outpatients and 117 HCs, completed processing speed, sustained attention, working memory, and executive function tasks. A subsample of 55 BD participants underwent diffusion tensor imaging. IIV was operationalized as the individual standard deviation in reaction time on the Continuous Performance Test-Identical Pairs version. BD participants had significantly increased IIV compared to age-matched controls. Increased IIV was associated with poorer mean performance scores on processing speed, sustained attention, working memory, and executive function tasks, as well as two whole-brain white matter indices: fractional anisotropy and radial diffusivity. IIV is increased in BD and appears to correlate with other cognitive variables, as well as white matter measures that index reduced structural integrity and demyelination. Thus, IIV may represent a neurobiologically informative cognitive measure for BD research that is worthy of further investigation.

Despite a growing body of research, there is yet to be a cohesive synthesis of studies examining differences in brain morphology according to patterns of cognitive function among both schizophrenia-spectrum disorder (SSD) and bipolar disorder (BD) individuals. We aimed to provide a systematic overview of the morphological differences—inclusive of grey and white matter volume, cortical thickness, and cortical surface area—between cognitive subgroups of these disorders and healthy controls, and between cognitive subgroups themselves. An initial search of PubMed and Scopus databases resulted in 1486 articles of which 20 met inclusion criteria and were reviewed in detail. The findings of this review do not provide strong evidence that cognitive subgroups of SSD or BD map to unique patterns of brain morphology. There is preliminary evidence to suggest that reductions in cortical thickness may be more strongly associated with cognitive impairment, whilst volumetric deficits may be largely tied to the presence of disease.

A newly developed, silicone-based, marine antifouling coating, containing 0.56% immobilized Econea, was examined in terms of its anticorrosion performance. The novelty of the experimental formulation arises from the immobilization of the biocide which minimizes leaching and was accomplished via a newly developed functionalization method, based on reaction of the biocide with highly reactive isocyanate functionality. The painting system was applied on steel specimens, then scribed with a sharp cutter and examined for 12 weeks in cyclic salt spray exposure. Identification of the rust morphologies was done with XRD, Raman spectroscopy, SEM and EDS methods. The observed paint swelling during the experiment caused the formation of large, coarse rust agglomerates without adherence, which detached frequently causing reinitiation of the corrosion process. This procedure was revealed by the oxyhydroxide nature of the corrosion products. The basic corrosion morphology observed was a mixture of akaganeite and goethite. A commercial, silicone-based, foul-release coating served as a reference. The experimental formulation exhibited superior anticorrosion performance overall, since the reference system presented higher enlargement of the scribed areas, increased substrate material loss, a highly inhomogeneous corrosion layer with voids and smaller (stable) goethite amounts in the rust areas containing mainly akaganeite/goethite mixture.

3D surface-based computational mapping is more sensitive to localized brain alterations in neurological, developmental and psychiatric conditions than traditional gross volumetric analysis, providing fine-scale 3D maps of a wide range of surface-based features. Here we introduce a scalable toolkit for large-scale computational surface analysis, with efficient algorithms for multisite data integration, statistical harmonization, accelerated multivariate statistics, and visualization. We showcase the utility of the toolkit by mapping subcortical shape variations and factors that affect them across 21 international samples from the ENIGMA Bipolar Disorder Working Group (N=3,373).

Background: The use of conventional astaxanthin extraction methods, typically involving organic solvents, leads to a heightened environmental impact. The aim of this study was to explore the potential use of environmentally friendly extraction solvents, such as vegetable oils, for recovering the shrimp by-product astaxanthin. Methods: Ultrasound-assisted extraction (UAE) in vegetable oils, including olive oil (OO), sunflower oil (SO), and flaxseed oil (FO), was employed to extract astaxanthin. The astaxanthin antioxidant activity was evaluated using an ABTS assay, and a mixture of gum Arabic and soy lecithin was used to form coacervates to produce astaxanthin encapsulation. Results: A by-product–vegetable oil ratio of 1:60, extraction time of 210 min, 60% amplitude of the extraction process, and the use of OO as the extracting medium resulted in an astaxanthin yield of 235 ± 4.07 μg astaxanthin/g by-products. The astaxanthin encapsulation efficiency on day 0 and astaxanthin recovery on day 1 were recorded at 66.6 ± 2.7% and 94.4 ± 4.6%, respectively. Conclusions: The utilization of OO as an extraction solvent for astaxanthin from shrimp by-products in UAE represents a novel and promising approach to reducing the environmental impact of shrimp by-products. The effective astaxanthin encapsulation efficiency highlights its potential application in food industries.