Accumulating evidence has indicated that oxidative stress (OS) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) may contribute to the mechanism of schizophrenia. In the present study, we aimed to evaluate the associations of OS parameters and MMP-9 levels with psychopathological symptoms in male chronic schizophrenia patients.
This study was an observational, cross-sectional, retrospective case-control study. Plasma hydrogen peroxide (H2O2), malondialdehyde (MDA), superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px), serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases-1 (TIMP-1) levels were assayed in 80 male patients with chronic schizophrenia and 80 matched healthy controls. Schizophrenia symptoms were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). Multivariate regression was used to analyze relationships between OS parameters and MMP-9, and clinical symptoms.
Our results demonstrated that levels of antioxidant enzymes, SOD, GSH-Px, H2O2, and MDA were significantly decreased, whereas CAT and MMP-9 levels were increased in patients with schizophrenia, when compared with healthy controls (all P < 0.05). In schizophrenia patients, correlation analyses showed that H2O2 levels were significantly and positively correlated with PANSS positive scores, CAT and MDA levels were significant negatively correlated with PANSS negative scores and PANSS total scores, and MDA levels were significantly positively correlated with MMP-9 levels (all P < 0.05). However, we did not find that MMP-9 played an interaction role between OS parameters and PANSS total scores and subscales scores (all P > 0.05).
Our results showed that alterations of plasma OS parameters in male patients with chronic schizophrenia were associated with psychopathology and MMP-9, suggesting that OS and neuroinflammation may play important role in the mechanism of schizophrenia.

BACKGROUND: The current study estimated incident breakthrough seizures, serum matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), and perfusion magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) parameters in five- to 18-year-olds with neurocysticercosis (NCC) from colloidal or vesicular through calcified stages over at least 24 months\' follow-up.
METHODS: Single, colloidal, or vesicular parenchymal NCC cases were treated with albendazole and steroids and followed at a tertiary care north Indian hospital. Serum MMP-9 was estimated in colloidal or vesicular treatment-naive state and in a subset of calcified cases at six-month follow-up. The same subset of calcified cases also underwent perfusion MRI of the brain at six-month follow-up.
RESULTS: Among 70 cases, 70% calcified at six-month follow-up. Over a median follow-up of 30 months, the incidence of breakthrough seizures was 48.6% (61.2% in calcified and 19.2% in resolved, P = 0.001; 32.9% early [within six months] and 15.7% late [beyond six months], P = 0.02). Serum MMP-9 levels were higher in colloidal and vesicular compared with calcified stage (242.5 vs 159.8 ng/mL, P = 0.007); however, there was no significant association with breakthrough seizures and/or calcification in follow-up. In a subgroup of calcified cases (n = 31), the median relative cerebral blood volume on perfusion MRI in and around the lesion was lower in those with seizures (n = 12) than in those without (n = 19) (10.7 vs 25.2 mL/100 g, P = 0.05).
CONCLUSIONS: In post-treatment colloidal or vesicular NCC, incident breakthrough seizures decrease beyond six months. In calcified NCC with remote breakthrough seizures, significant perilesional hypoperfusion is seen compared with those without seizures.

BACKGROUND: Fragile-X syndrome(FXS) is a neurological disease caused by abnormal repeats in the 5\'untranslated region of the FMR1 gene leading to a defective fragile-X-messenger-ribonucleoprotein-1 (FMRP). Although relatively common in children, it is usually under-diagnosed especially in developing countries where genetic screening is not routinely practiced. So far, FXS lacks a laboratory biomarker that can be used for screening, severity scoring or therapeutic monitoring of potential new treatments.
METHODS: 110 subjects were recruited; 80 male children with suspected FXS and 30 matched healthy children. We evaluated the clinical utility of serum matrix metalloproteinase-9(MMP9) and amyloid-beta protein precursor(APP) as potential biomarkers for FXS.
RESULTS: Out of 80 suspected children, 14 had full mutation, 8 had the premutation and 58 children had normal genotypes. No statistically-significant difference was detected between children with different genotypes concerning age of onset(P = 0.658), main clinical presentation(P = 0.388), clinical severity-score(P = 0.799), patient\'s disease-course(P = 0.719) and intellectual disability(P = 0.351). Both MMP9 and APP showed a statistically significant difference when comparing different genotype subgroups(P = 0.019 and < 0.001, respectively). Clinically, MMP9 levels were highest in children presenting with language defects, while APP was highest in children with neurodevelopmental delay. In receiver operating curve analysis, comparing full and premutation with the normal genotype group, MMP9 has an area-under-the-curve of 0.701(95 % CI 0.557-0.845), while APP was marginally better at 0.763(95 % CI 0.620-0.906). When combined together, elevated MMP9 or APP had excellent sensitivity > 95 % for picking-up FXS cases in the clinical setting.
CONCLUSIONS: Screening for circulating biomarkers in the absence of FXS genetic diagnosis is justified. Our study is the first to evaluate both MMP9 and APP in FXS suspected children in a clinical setting and to assess their correlation with disease presentation and severity.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the peripheral level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) during rehabilitation therapy, combined with neurofeedback in schizophrenic patients, and to investigate whether these biomarkers are related to psychopathological symptoms, changes in auditory evoked potentials (AEPs), and quantitative EEG (QEEGs) mapping.
METHODS: The study involved two groups of patients diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia in partial remission who participated in a 3-month structured rehabilitation programme combined with neurofeedback (REH group) and a standard support group (CON group). The following parameters were assessed: BDNF and MMP-9 serum levels, AEPs, QEEGs, and psychopathological symptoms (PANSS).
RESULTS: A clinical improvement within the 3-month rehabilitation therapy course was correlated with the increase in BDNF and MMP-9 serum level. Despite the increase in BDNF and MMP-9 during the 3-month rehabilitation therapy, it was not possible to demonstrate any strong and significant correlation between the 2 examined neuropeptides. During the 3-month rehabilitation therapy, the theta waveform share reduction in QEEG, P50 latency reduction and amplitude increase correlated with PANSS Total and MMP-9 results.
CONCLUSIONS: All clinical (PANSS Positive, Negative, General, Total) and biochemical results (BDNF, MMP-9) of the REH group changed significantly over the 3-month period. Positive symptoms improved only in the CON group.

Background Polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) is an endocrine disease of women of reproductive age that impacts their oral and systemic well-being. This study aimed to compare the gingival inflammation indices and matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) of non-obese women with PCOS. Materials and methods This is a case-control study in which 78 women were referred to the Babol Clinic Hospital in Northern Iran between 2018 and 2019. They were divided into three groups: 26 women with PCOS and gingivitis, 26 women with PCOS with no gingivitis, and 26 women with no PCOS and no gingivitis as a control group. After recording the anthropometric and demographic variables, fasting saliva samples were taken from all participants before any periodontal intervention. These samples were transferred to Babol Molecular Cell Research Center under highly guaranteed cold-chain conditions to measure the serum levels of MMP-9. Periodontal status was evaluated for Gingival Index (GI), Plaque Index (PI), and Bleeding on Probing (BOP). Analysis of variance was used to compare the mean results for these indices. The significance level was considered when p ≤ 0.05. Results All the gingival indices were significantly higher for women with PCOS with gingivitis compared to the results for women from the other two groups. Similarly, women with PCOS showed high salivary MMP-9 levels but were within the normal reference ranges. Conclusion The gingival indices (GI, PI, and BOP) and salivary MMP-9 are higher in women with PCOS, regardless of the gingival status.

Matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) degrades the extracellular matrix, contributes to tumour cell invasion and metastasis, and its elevated level in brain tumour tissues indicates poor prognosis. High-risk tissue biopsy can be replaced by liquid biopsy; however, the blood-brain barrier (BBB) prevents tumour-associated components from entering the peripheral blood, making the development of blood-based biomarkers challenging. Therefore, we examined the MMP-9 content of small extracellular vesicles (sEVs)-which can cross the BBB and are stable in body fluids-to characterise tumours with different invasion capacity. From four patient groups (glioblastoma multiforme, brain metastases of lung cancer, meningioma, and lumbar disc herniation as controls), 222 serum-derived sEV samples were evaluated. After isolating and characterising sEVs, their MMP-9 content was measured by ELISA and assessed statistically (correlation, paired t-test, Welch\'s test, ANOVA, ROC). We found that the MMP-9 content of sEVs is independent of gender and age, but is affected by surgical intervention, treatment, and recurrence. We found a relation between low MMP-9 level in sEVs (<28 ppm) and improved survival (8-month advantage) of glioblastoma patients, and MMP-9 levels showed a positive correlation with aggressiveness. These findings suggest that vesicular MMP-9 level might be a useful prognostic marker for brain tumours.

The assessment of alteration of postmortem RNA expression has forensic significance in estimating postmortem interval. To evaluate wound healing progression and the effect of different postmortem intervals, histopathological changes, immunohistochemical matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9) expression, and long noncoding fatty acid oxidation (lncFAO), RNA expression was assessed in the incised cutaneous wound model. A full-thickness cutaneous wound was inflicted on 75 rats. All 15 rats were sacrificed at different post-infliction intervals (0, 2, 4, 8 and 10 days), and the cutaneous wounds (n = 5) were excised at different postmortem intervals (0, 5, and 24 h after euthanasia). The maximal inflammatory healing stage was detected at day 4 post-infliction, while near complete healing, thick mature collagen deposition was detected at day 10 post-infliction. LncFAO expression was significantly over-expressed with increasing wound age. MMP-9 was detectable on injury day with continuous elevation until 8 days post-wounding, which later decreased. Although histopathological and immunohistochemical examinations within 24 h postmortem did not show any remarkable changes, lncFAO RNA expression showed a significant negative correlation with hours passed since death. The combined use of histopathological changes, immunohistochemical expression of MMP-9, and molecular expression of lncFAO could be appropriate in wound dating verification. Among these factors, lncFAO could be a reliable indicator in postmortem interval estimation.

Matrix Metalloproteinases (MMPs) have been found to have important roles in vascular pathology and may be involved in the occurrence of pre-eclampsia. In this study, the serum levels of MMP-2, -7, -9 in normal pregnant women and pre-eclampsia patients were analyzed to assess their predictive value.
A total of 1563 pregnant women from Peking University Third Hospital, from February 2021 to October 2021, were enrolled. Serum samples were collected from patients one to three times, during the different trimesters. Among the 102 singleton pre-eclampsia patients, we collected samples from 33 patients in the first trimester (6-13 GW), 33 in the second trimester (14-28 GW), 41 in the third trimester (29-41 GW) and 28 after onset of pre-eclampsia. Samples from each trimester were collected before the onset of pre-eclampsia. Then we selected 35, 37, 43 and 25 samples from 124 healthy pregnant women by matching their age, BMI and gestational weeks, using these as the control groups. Serum levels of MMP-2, -7, -9 were detected by ELISA. The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve was used to evaluate their predictive value.
Except for the first trimester, MMP-2 and MMP-7 were significantly higher in the pre-eclampsia group (p < 0.5). Additionally, in the pre-eclampsia group, MMP-9 increased significantly in the first trimester and after the onset of pre-eclampsia but decreased significantly in the second and third trimesters (p < 0.5). The ROC curve indicated that MMP-9, MMP-2 and MMP-7 were the best indicators for predicting pre-eclampsia in the first, second and third trimesters, respectively.
Increased MMP-2 and MMP-7 levels and a decreased MMP-9 level seem to be related to the pathogenesis of pre-eclampsia and are expected to be potential predictors of pre-eclampsia.

Women with overactive bladder syndrome (OAB) have a lower urinary ratio of nerve growth factor (NGF) to its precursor (proNGF) compared to healthy controls. MicroRNAs related to NGF and proNGF metabolism and to their receptors may be present in urine and may possess diagnostic value. Urine and blood samples from 20 control and 20 OAB women (50-80 years) were obtained, together with validated questionnaires and other clinical parameters. The relative expression of urinary microRNAs was measured with RT-qPCR. MiR-491-5p, which negatively controls the translation of the matrix metalloproteinase-9 (MMP-9), the main enzyme degrading NGF, was significantly decreased in OAB. Similarly, miR-592, which represses p75NTR receptor synthesis, was down-regulated in OAB. Age, renal function and insulin resistance did not affect these results. ROC curves confirmed the high sensitivity of miR-491-5p and miR-592 for diagnosis. On the other hand, miRNAs involved in the expression of proNGF, of survival receptor TrkA and of markers of nerve integrity were similar between groups. The detection of miR-491-5p and miR-592 in urine could be a useful and non-invasive tool for the diagnosis of OAB syndrome in aging women.

UNASSIGNED: Alzheimer\'s disease (AD) and vascular dementia (VaD) are the two most common types of neurodegenerative dementia among the elderly with similar symptoms of cognitive decline and overlapping neuropsychological profiles. Biological markers to distinguish patients with VaD from AD would be very useful. We aimed to investigate the expression of blood-brain barrier (BBB)-related blood-borne factors of soluble low-density lipoprotein receptor-related protein 1 (sLRP1), cyclophilin A (CyPA), and matrix metalloproteinase 9 (MMP9) and its correlation with cognitive function between patients with AD and VaD.
UNASSIGNED: Plasma levels of sLRP1, CyPA, and MMP9 were analyzed in 26 patients with AD, 27 patients with VaD, and 27 normal controls (NCs). Spearman\'s rank correlation analysis was used to explore the relationships among biomarker levels, cognitive function, and imaging references. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve analysis was used to discriminate the diagnosis of AD and VaD.
UNASSIGNED: Among these BBB-related factors, plasma CyPA levels in the VaD group were significantly higher than that in the AD group (p < 0.05). Plasma sLRP1 levels presented an increasing trend in VaD while maintaining slightly low levels in patients with AD (p > 0.05). Plasma MMP9 in different diagnostic groups displayed the following trend: VaD group > AD group > NC group, but the difference was not statistically significant (p > 0.05). Furthermore, plasma sLRP1 levels were positively related to MoCA scores, and plasma CyPA levels were significantly correlated with MTA scores (p < 0.05) in the AD group. Plasma MMP9 levels were negatively correlated with MoCA scores (p < 0.05) in the VaD groups. No significant correlation was detected between the other factors and different cognitive scores (p > 0.05). ROC analysis showed a good preference of plasma CyPA [AUC = 0.725, 95% CI (0.586-0.865); p = 0.0064] in diagnosis.
UNASSIGNED: The plasma CyPA level is a reference index when distinguishing between an AD and subcortical ischemic vascular dementia (SIVD) diagnosis. Blood-derived factors associated with the BBB may provide new insights into the differential diagnosis of neurodegenerative dementia and warrant further investigation.