Participants

In this study, 141 outpatients with schizophrenia were recruited from Shanghai Mental Health Center. Each patient was diagnosed with schizophrenia in strict accordance with the structured clinical interview standard of DSM-5. The detailed patient inclusion criteria are as follows: 1) aged 18–60 years; 2) the course of the disease is more than 1 year; 3) junior high school or above education level; and 4) Chinese Han population. Patients were excluded if they met the following criteria: 1) received electroconvulsive therapy (ECT) within six months; 2) comorbidity with mental disorders caused by organic diseases, mental disorders caused by drugs or alcohol, and other mental disorders; 3) comorbidity with serious physical diseases and autoimmune diseases; 4) patients with infection, fever or use of drugs that affect the immune-inflammatory system within the last month; 5) pregnant or breastfeeding women; or 6) alcohol or substance abuse. Additionally, 67 HCs were matched with schizophrenia patients based on general demographic data and were recruited by word of mouth from the same catchment area as the patients. None of the healthy subjects presented with a personal or family history of mental disorders had fever, infection, or received any drugs that affect the immune-inflammatory system within the last month.

This study was approved by the Medical Ethics Committee of Shanghai Mental Health Center. All participants signed informed consent forms before performing all procedures related to this study. This study was conducted in strict conformity with the Declaration of Helsinki and other relevant national and international regulations.