The identification of an ultra-high risk (UHR) profile for psychosis and a greater understanding of its prodrome have led to increasing interest in early intervention to delay or prevent the onset of psychotic illness. In a randomized placebo-controlled trial, we have identified long-chain ω-3 (ω-3) polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation as potentially useful, as it reduced the rate of transition to psychosis by 22.6% 1 year after baseline in a cohort of 81 young people at UHR of transition to psychosis. However, the mechanisms whereby the ω-3 PUFAs might be neuroprotective are incompletely understood. Here, we report on the effects of ω-3 PUFA supplementation on intracellular phospholipase A2 (inPLA(2)) activity, the main enzymes regulating phospholipid metabolism, as well as on peripheral membrane lipid profiles in the individuals who participated in this randomized placebo-controlled trial. Patients were studied cross-sectionally (n=80) and longitudinally (n=65) before and after a 12-week intervention with 1.2 g per day ω-3 PUFAs or placebo, followed by a 40-week observation period to establish the rates of transition to psychosis. We investigated inPLA(2) and erythrocyte membrane FAs in the treatment groups (ω-3 PUFAs vs placebo) and the outcome groups (psychotic vs non-psychotic). The levels of membrane ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs and inPLA(2) were significantly related. Some of the significant associations (that is, long-chain ω-6 PUFAs, arachidonic acid) with inPLA(2) activity were in opposite directions in individuals who did (a positive correlation) and who did not (a negative correlation) transition to psychosis. Supplementation with ω-3 PUFA resulted in a significant decrease in inPLA(2) activity. We conclude that ω-3 PUFA supplementation may act by normalizing inPLA(2) activity and δ-6-desaturase-mediated metabolism of ω-3 and ω-6 PUFAs, suggesting their role in neuroprogression of psychosis.

Objectives: Plasma medicine focuses on the application of cold atmospheric pressure plasmas (CAPs) in or on the human body. So far, plasmas have been used to sterilize implant materials or other thermally unstable medical products and have been applied for chemical surface modifications. This study investigates the antimicrobial effect of physical plasmas on microorganisms which cause skin infections, such as Staphylococcus aureus, Pseudomonas aeruginosa and Candida albicans, depending on the plasma source and the kind of plasma excitation used. Materials: Microorganisms were plated onto MH2 agar plates. Plasma treatment was performed using the plasma sources BLASTER MEF and kinpen 09. To investigate the antimicrobial effects, the following plasma parameters have been varied: working gas, distance from nozzle to surface, electrical power, grid spacing of treatment lines, number of treatments and work piece velocity. Results: The generated plasmas had an antimicrobial effect that depended on the chosen plasma parameters, in particular on the process gas used, the plasma power and the number of treatments performed. Thus, different reactive species were observed by optical emission spectroscopy measurement in the generated plasmas. Conclusions: The study showed that CAPs exhibit profound bactericidal and fungicidal properties in vitro. However, an important factor for the antimicrobial efficacy is the composition of the ‘chemical soup' supplied by the CAP system which can be regulated by the process gases used.

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The study showed that CAPPs demonstrate strong bactericidal and fungicidal properties in vitro. The selective application of CAPPs for the treatment of wound infections may offer a promising supplementary tool alongside current therapies.