bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mental health screening and brief assessments
Authors: Maloney Michael P. , Dvoskin Joel , Metzner Jeffrey L.
Published: May 2015

Screening and assessment are a core component of psychiatric care in any setting. In jails and prisons, the process, structure, content and timing of screenings and assessments are vital parts of the healthcare system. While the number of incarcerated persons is clear, the actual number of incarcerated prisoners who suffer from a mental disorder or independent psychiatric symptoms is difficult to determine because of methodological issues (e.g., different definitions of mental illness, different thresholds of severity, etc.) as well as wide variation in the nature (e.g. prison, jail, police lockup), size, and mental health service delivery systems of various settings. However, despite differences in methodology, geographic area, and other issues (e.g., types of facility, when studies were conducted, etc.), virtually every relevant study has concluded that a significant number of prisoners have serious mental illnesses and that the numbers of mentally ill prisoners are increasing. Because people with mental illnesses are at risk of suicide and exacerbations of their mental illnesses, correctional institutions need to identify such persons in a timely manner and provide appropriate clinical interventions. This chapter addresses the initial mental health screening of persons entering prisons and jails, with a special emphasis on suicide risk screening and follow-up clinical assessments of prisoners whose receiving or intake screening results suggest the likelihood that treatment or suicide prevention efforts will be necessary.
Population management
Authors: Trestman Robert L. , Appelbaum Kenneth L.
Published: May 2015

Jails and prisons share population management challenges with hotels: what beds are available meeting explicit requirements for which individuals? The management of large facilities and systems must incorporate ways to recognize a wide variety of safety and clinical demands in real time. Levels of security risk, medical, mental health and addictions treatment needs, and sex offender status, among others, must all be taken into account in placement decisions. Gang management and protective custody are added security factors that require consideration. Much of the work of population management is done at the time of admission into a facility. Court documents are reviewed and prior records retrieved. Custody, medical, and (where indicated) mental health staff interview the inmate on intake. Demographics, aliases, and criminal history are detailed. In a jail, the emphasis is on safety and basic medical/ mental health needs. On intake into a prison, additional concerns include educational activities, programming, and vocational needs. Increasing integration of evidence-based systems will likely occur in the future. This chapter discusses such pragmatic issues, particularly in the context of psychiatric management challenges these issues present.
Disciplinary infractions and restricted housing
Authors: Perrien Mary , O’Keefe Maureen L.
Published: May 2015

Misbehavior occurs within jails and prisons. It is generally handled by a formal disciplinary process. Symptoms and impairments associated with mental illness may play a role in such misbehaviour. One of the many concerns in correctional settings is the use of restricted housing units. Segregation units function as the prison within a prison. Designed for the dangerous and violent offender who cannot be managed safely within the general prison environment, segregation is characterized by single-cell confinement, with minimum time out of cell for showers and exercise (e.g., 5 hours per week). Other features include highly restricted movement, limited contact with others, and few privileges and services. Segregation has been criticized as an inhumane practice due to the degree of social isolation. Specifically, the lack of treatment, programs, and activities to engage the mind; restricted personal contact; lack of control over light and sound; lack of windows; and little or no access to the outdoors are considered to be more extreme than is required for the safe operation of prisons. The most significant issue is whether prisoners are able to psychologically adapt to the austere conditions for long periods, particularly those with mental illness. Because mentally ill inmates may be more prone to rule infractions due to manifestation of their illness, they are more likely to be segregated unless specific rules prohibit their placement. This chapter reviews segregation practices, the data on the potential impact of segregated housing on mental illness, and the role of psychiatry in the disciplinary process.
Community re-entry preparation/coordination
Authors: Dlugacz Henry A.
Published: May 2015

The transition from short-term incarceration in jail or longer-term prison sentences back to the community presents substantial challenges for those with mental illness. Approximately 97 percent of all inmates return to the community. This simple reality makes it in society’s enlightened self-interest to be concerned with the readiness of these former inmates to live a productive life. The criminal justice and correctional treatment systems affect an inmate’s behavior and opportunities upon release. Successful reentry planning considers multiple interrelated issues (entitlements, housing, treatment needs, and so forth) when building an individualized plan to address them. It begins at admission (or even sentencing) and continues after release. Rather than considering incarceration to be an isolated event, reentry planning views incarceration as part of a cycle to be disrupted through targeted intervention. Correctional mental health treatment is seen as part of a continuum of care extending to the community. Reentry planning for people with serious mental illness should be a primary focus of correctional mental health care integrated into the treatment function, not an afterthought to be considered only as release is imminent. While acceptance of personal responsibility is a critical antecedent to leading a lawful life, and self-determination a fundamental principle of recovery, it is unrealistic for service providers to rely on the individual to coordinate fragmented public systems. This is the job of those funded to provide services. This chapter presents the current understanding of transition support needs and practices to optimize successful community reentry.
Diagnostic review and revision
Authors: Zahedi Sohrab
Published: May 2015

The criminalization of people with mental illness is a sad commentary on the United States’ mental health system. Yet, the phenomenon presents the field of psychiatry with an opportunity that is now scarce in civil society: lengths of sentence in terms of weeks to years that allow for in-depth observation and treatment of the inmate with mental illness. A few days in a hospital fails to provide the needed opportunity for a detailed and accurate evaluation. Today, people with mental illness account for more than one million annual arrests and many among these individuals will spend weeks to months in jail before being either transferred to a prison for sentences beyond one year or released back into the community. At its core, psychiatric diagnosis relies on the subjective complaints of the patient and objective signs noted on examination. Considering the chronic and fluctuating course of most psychiatric diagnoses, a thorough assessment also requires a review of past documented behaviors. When someone is hospitalized for a psychiatric condition, the first goal is often observation, followed by diagnosis, and then treatment. Psychiatric hospitals are being greatly constrained in the amount of time available for observation and accurate diagnosis; the correctional setting, as an unintended consequence of mass incarceration, provides an extended opportunity to achieve improved diagnostic accuracy. This chapter reflects on the diagnostic opportunities that a jail or a prison setting affords.
Crisis assessment and management
Authors: Kapoor Reena
Published: May 2015

Crisis calls are a common occurrence in correctional settings. Psychiatrists are often called upon to triage and manage such events. Requests for urgent psychiatric evaluations can come from many sources, including security staff, non-psychiatric physicians, mental health staff, courts, attorneys, and family members. Psychiatrists responding to these requests for evaluation may feel tremendous pressure to reach a conclusion that is consistent with the opinions of the requesting party. However, maintaining an independent and therapeutic stance when conducting crisis evaluations is crucial. Some aspects of psychiatric evaluations in crisis situations are unique to the correctional environment: evaluations at cell-side, video recording, and leadership by security staff rather than medical professionals. Nonetheless, correctional psychiatrists should be guided by the same principles of medical ethics that apply to patient care in the community, placing the patient’s well-being above all other concerns. They should strive, when possible, to conduct a thorough assessment in a confidential setting. In considering how best to resolve the crisis and care for the patient, they should err on the side of caution and recommend placement in a safe and therapeutic setting, at least until a multidisciplinary team can consider other options. Finally, they should document the encounter carefully, articulating the rationale for the chosen course of action. This chapter reviews the pragmatics of evaluating and managing many common correctional events that lead to mental health crisis calls and discusses the range of concerns, the typical practices and procedures used in correctional settings, and the types of interventions that are best used.
Hospitalization
Authors: Norko Michael A. , Burns Craig G. , Dike Charles
Published: May 2015

A significant number of people with serious mentally illness are found in correctional settings and must be provided with clinical care commensurate with their needs. Many of those needs may be met within the mental health care systems established in jails and prisons. When clinical conditions are more complex and require more intensive management, the availability of hospital level of care becomes important. The relationship for care for an incarcerated patient between acute psychiatric care in jails and prisons on the one hand and forensic or community hospitals on the other varies by jurisdiction. While the decision to pursue hospitalization for an acutely ill inmate is driven chiefly by clinical considerations, it is also influenced by security and safety concerns. These factors need to be considered on an individual basis, weighing the advantages and disadvantages of treatment in an outside hospital versus management in the prison or jail with available resources. Involuntary medication and involuntary hospital transfer implicate important legal rights, the protection of which requires due process established by federal and state laws and case precedents. Clinicians working in corrections and in hospital settings that admit inmates and detainees need to be aware of the relevant procedures required for these involuntary treatment modalities. In all jurisdictions, hospital level care is necessary for a subset of sentenced inmates and jail detainees and must therefore be made available when appropriate. This chapter discusses a variety of models linking psychiatric care across institutional boundaries.
Hypnotic agents and controlled substances
Authors: Li Ingrid , Brewer Arthur , Reeves Rusty
Published: May 2015

Sleep medications are among the most frequently prescribed medications in the community. Many other Class II controlled substances, such as benzodiazepines and opiate medications, have become a major public health concern through overuse and abuse. Within correctional settings, these concerns are heightened and special considerations must be included in any treatment decision. Inmates abuse drugs at a prevalence many times higher than in the general population. A survey of practitioners in jails and prisons in the United States expresses the concern that sleep, opiate, and benzodiazepine medications can be abused or diverted. There has been little published as to the best correctional practice for the prescription of these medications. In general, sleep medications and controlled substances should be prescribed cautiously in a correctional setting, and wherever possible should be avoided as first-line treatment or as long-term treatment. Sleep medications are the most difficult to control since the quest for medications to treat sleep complaints is ubiquitous in corrections. Guidelines, thoughtful use of formulary controls, and a measure of flexibility will assist in the appropriate prescription of these medications. This chapter evaluates best practices in this arena of prescription practice.
Personality disorders
Authors: Virdi Sundeep , Trestman Robert L.
Published: May 2015

Personality disorders are highly prevalent and highly problematic in jails in prisons. Personality disorders, by definition, are associated with significant functional impairment of the affected individual and may negatively impact those around them. That impairment results from the way these individuals think and feel about themselves and others. Patients with personality disorder are often challenging to manage in the community. The difficulties associated with their care are accentuated in the confines and highly structured environments presented by jails and prisons. Inmates with personality disorders often require a disproportionate level of attention from correctional staff and their behavior can contribute to a dangerous environment inside a facility. Additionally, when compared to offenders with other psychiatric disorders or non-mentally disordered offenders, offenders with personality disorders have higher rates of violence, criminality, and recidivism. There are 4 personality disorders that are of particular clinical relevance to the correctional psychiatry setting: borderline personality disorder, antisocial personality disorder, narcissistic personality disorder, and paranoid personality disorder. Research also reflects that these disorders have the highest correctional prevalence rates among the personality disorders. For each of these four disorders, this chapter presents in turn a description and some management concerns and challenges, data on correctional prevalence, appropriate psychotherapy, and potential psychopharmacologic interventions.
Applicability of the recovery model in corrections
Authors: Pinals Debra A. , Andrade Joel T.
Published: May 2015

Mental health professionals and substance use providers have worked with “recovery” concepts for many years. President Bush’s New Freedom Commission on Mental Health spoke to important aspects of mental health care systems that were challenged, recognizing that “care must focus on increasing consumers’ ability to successfully cope with life’s challenges, on facilitating recovery, and on building resilience, [and] not just on managing symptoms.” Furthermore, the report went on to state that “recovery will be the common, recognized outcome of mental health services.” These words related to general mental health services, and yet correctional settings have become a place where mental health services are increasingly needed. Prisons and jails, however, are built around confinement and the general principles of sentencing that include retribution, deterrence, incapacitation, and rehabilitation. Thus it might seem that there is such a fundamental distinction between a prison or jail and a place of treatment that a “recovery” orientation seems inappropriate or unrealistic. In this chapter, we address recovery, describing various ways of defining this construct. We also review potential considerations related to recovery-oriented services that may be feasible and even helpful within correctional environments, and describe some of the tensions between recovery and responsibility in the context of working with an offender population. Finally, we present recommendations for combining evidence-based treatments for incarcerated individuals with a recovery based model for inmates with mental health needs.
Group psychotherapy
Authors: Chaiken Shama , Brizendine Brittany
Published: May 2015

Group psychotherapy has become a standard practice in community settings, prisons, and to a lesser degree in jails. While simple process groups may still play a limited role in some settings, the field of group therapy has evolved substantially, with some significant work adapting evidence-based therapies for use in correctional settings, or designing them de novo. Logistics and support of group therapy are critical core elements for successful implementation in jails or prisons. These elements include appropriate training and supervision of group facilitators, a structured approach to patient selection and pre-group interviewing, and appropriate support for cultural and language diversity. The specifics of group member confidentiality and development of groups for patients with severe mental illness, intellectual, or learning disabilities are particularly important in this context. Some of the unique challenges of correctional settings include the need for design of treatment modalities for those in maximum security and restricted housing environments. Gender-specific and trauma-informed care are important treatment options still in evolution for the incarcerated population. Implementation of evidence-based, manual-guided treatment in corrections is challenging but achievable with adequate planning and support. Integration of the recovery model, reentry planning groups, and other special purpose groups are becoming more common. This chapter presents the range of evidence based practices and best practices in use, and discusses issues of appropriate patient selection, therapist training required, sustainability, and outcomes.
Pharmacotherapy for substance use disorders within correctional facilities
Authors: Wakeman Sarah E. , Rich Josiah D.
Published: May 2015

Drug addiction treatment is increasingly complex. Only 5% of prisons and 34% of jails offer any detoxification services, and only 1% of jails offer methadone for opioid withdrawal. Even fewer facilities offer medication assisted therapy (MAT) for alcohol or substance use disorders despite the tremendous evidence base supporting the use of medications to treat addiction. Untreated opioid dependence both within corrections and in the community is associated with HIV, Hepatitis C, crime, and death by overdose. Substantial evidence argues that these risks are reduced through long-term treatment with agonist medications such as methadone and buprenorphine. Only a minority of prisoners receive any addiction treatment while incarcerated. Those that do are usually offered behavioral interventions, which when used alone have extremely poor outcomes. Although there are limited studies on the outcomes of drug treatment during incarceration, there are nearly 50 years of evidence documenting the efficacy of methadone given in the community in reducing opioid use, drug-related health complications, overdose, death, criminal activity, and recidivism. Buprenorphine is similarly an effective, safe, and cost-effective long-term treatment for opioid dependence that reduces other opioid use and improves health and quality of life outcomes. There is a growing role for MAT in jails, and to a lesser degree in prisons for the treatment of alcohol and opiate dependence. This chapter presents the current state of evidence based practice in correctional MAT models.
Developmental disabilities
Authors: McDermott Barbara E.
Published: May 2015

While the purpose of the correctional system is multi-faceted, including punishment and removal of the offender from society, one component is rehabilitation. With no offender does this seem more relevant than those with developmental disabilities. Although the research is inconsistent, most studies suggest that offenders with developmental delays commit less serious offenses, yet serve more time in prison than offenders without such delays. Opinions are mixed on whether appropriate services for such individuals should be provided on specialized units. Proponents of this approach cite the vulnerabilities of these offenders. However, all agree that specialized services must include appropriate assessment that takes into account culture and individualized approaches to habilitation. It cannot be presumed that services designed for the individual with mental illness will be appropriate for inmates with developmental disabilities. Little research has been conducted on the efficacy of specialized services for offenders with developmental disabilities. As such, correctional facilities must necessarily take guidance from research based on non-offender samples. An active collaboration between departments of corrections and agencies providing services for individuals with developmental disabilities can enhance service delivery and improve the integration of the offender into the community. This chapter outlines the progress that has been made in the identification and habilitation of individuals with developmental disabilities in the criminal justice system. Definitions, legal issues, and prevalence rates will be discussed, as well as the vulnerabilities individuals with developmental delays present to the criminal justice system. Finally, screening, management, and habilitation in corrections arising directly from these vulnerabilities are discussed.
Psychological testing
Authors: Packer Ira K. , Phillips Tasha R.
Published: May 2015

Psychological testing is of substantial value in a range of correctional situations and can be a helpful adjunct to standard clinical assessments. Tests provide additional sources of data for use in comprehensive assessments, but they do not substitute for clinical evaluations. This chapter discusses the rationales and purposes for using psychological testing, special issues in administering and interpreting these tests in correctional settings, and caveats about their proper use. Well-validated psychological tests can be an important adjunct to a comprehensive mental health assessment, and help to identify psychiatric symptoms and cognitive deficits that may impair functioning in correctional institutions. In addition, testing can assist in determining the validity of self-reported symptoms by inmates. Given the range of tests, with varying suitability to a correctional population, a qualified doctoral psychologist should make the decision about which tests to administer. The referral should identify the issues and questions to address, instead of requesting specific tests, to allow the psychologist to choose the best instruments. The psychologist should produce a report that explains the results, their applicability to the referral issues, and any caveats about their validity. The results can then be integrated into the diagnostic assessment and treatment plan for the inmate. This chapter will present some of the history and contexts for when it is done, when it can be done and when it should not be done on the basis of best practice and evidence based practice.
Responding to prisoner sexual assaults
Authors: Dumond Robert W. , Dumond Doris A.
Published: May 2015

Sexual abuse in detention has been called ‘the most serious and devastating of non-lethal offenses which occur in corrections,’ because its impact upon survivors of such abuse, and ultimately society, is so profound. Given the proper tools, training, and resources, corrections can and will eliminate prisoner sexual violence. However, we must realize that corrections is a subset of the body politic itself. It is subject to budget shortfalls, political pressure, and the broader attitudes of the public. Adequate financial and programmatic resources must be mobilized to ensure appropriate staff skill levels to keep jails and prisons safe. Safe, well-run jails and prisons can, if properly used, help keep communities safe. The general public will have to be convinced to join this dialogue if we are ever to have safe, constitutionally adequate correctional settings. Corrections can, and must, together with its community partners, respond with vision and leadership to make corrections facilities safe places where human rights and dignity are protected, and the most vulnerable among us can emerge stronger and healthier than they went in. This chapter will explore the status of sexual violence in United States correctional settings in the 21st Century; examine what is currently known about sexual victimization in America’s jails, prisons, and juvenile facilities; discuss the successes and promising practices facilitated by the Prison Rape Elimination Act (PREA) of 2003; consider the challenges that continue to exist; and make recommendations for addressing the issues.
Role of clinical trainees
Authors: Scott Charles L. , Holoyda Brian J.
Published: May 2015

Correctional settings are important and worthy training sites for medical students, general psychiatry residents, child and adolescent psychiatry residents, and forensic psychiatry fellows. Logically, educating future clinicians on how to best treat individuals with mental illness should occur in settings that most commonly treat them. In the United States, there are now more than three times as many persons with serious mental illness in jails and prisons than hospitals, making America’s jails and prisons the new and largest mental hospitals. Despite a resulting increased need for correctional psychiatrists, most general psychiatry residency programs do not provide training in a correctional site. In an online survey of U.S. general psychiatry residency program training directors, less than one third of responding programs reported that a correctional training site was mandatory for trainees. Correctional settings can provide appropriate and meaningful training opportunities for both medical school students and psychiatry residents. Despite a need for psychiatrists trained in correctional psychiatry, such training is not currently available in the majority of programs. Future educators interested in developing academic teaching affiliations should anticipate concerns by trainees and be prepared to address those concerns. The opportunity for matching current psychiatric training requirements with correctional settings abound. Providing care to individuals with mental illness where they live increasingly means providing care to those persons who are in incarcerated in jails and prisons.
International perspectives and practice differences
Authors: Thomson Lindsay D. G.
Published: May 2015

Across the developed world, services for those with mental disorder in prison have been established but are seldom equivalent to those found in the community. Prisoners are largely the socio-economically deprived with high rates of mental disorder. They have often been victimized. Prisons are our new asylums. In the United States three times as many mentally ill people are in prison than in psychiatric hospital. It is essential that whatever our geographical location, we learn from other jurisdictions and other systems. Rates of imprisonment, organization of psychiatric services, and location of treatment of mentally disordered offenders all vary; and it is easy to fall into the trap of assuming that the system with which you are familiar is the right one. There are major differences across the world in terms of rates of imprisonment, place of treatment of acutely ill prisoners, and the structure of our mental health services in prisons. Those requiring hospital care should be transferred out of prison for this. Independence of health services from correctional services would promote the development of the former. One challenging issue for correctional psychiatry in some jurisdictions is capital punishment and psychiatrists ethically should have no role in executions and be aware of the ethical stance of the World Psychiatric Association. This chapter examines correctional psychiatry in an international context and explores similarities and differences in our practices, and the cultural, political, and economic background to these.
The Future of Correctional Psychiatry
Authors: Appelbaum Kenneth L. , Trestman Robert L. , Metzner Jeffrey L.
Published: May 2015

Recent decades have seen many advances in the knowledge base and practice standards for correctional psychiatry. In many ways, however, the field remains in the early stages of development. As it continues to mature in the coming years, we hope and expect to see further progress. Establishment of evidence-based clinical practices and a firm foundation for ethical standards has begun, and the momentum will continue to build. The questions and dilemmas that we present do not all lend themselves to easy consensus. They do, however, require attention and resolution. Custodial and clinical practices in correctional settings continue to evolve and change. Some of those changes may occur in a rapid and dramatic way. Psychiatry should stake-out a place in the forefront of the ongoing debate. By being proactive instead of reactive we will have a greater chance of influencing the outcomes and we will fulfill our responsibilities for the inmate patients who we serve. No one can predict with certainty what the future holds. We feel safe, however, in predicting that changes, incremental and perhaps revolutionary, will occur. In this chapter we identify opportunities to expand the evidence-base of correctional psychiatry, the need to refine practice guidelines, and the role that psychiatry might play in influencing the use of incarceration. As part of our review we describe what we believe the future may hold in store for our subspecialty. We hope that this textbook contributes to a picture of where things stand and a vision of where we need to go.
Lymphoma
Authors: Provan Drew , Baglin Trevor , Dokal Inderjeet , de Vos Johannes
Published: May 2015

Non-Hodgkin lymphoma (NHL) - International Prognostic Index - Indolent lymphoma - Treatment of indolent lymphoma - Aggressive lymphomas - Initial treatment of aggressive lymphomas - Salvage therapy in aggressive lymphomas - Response criteria for lymphoma - Role of FDG-PET scanning in NHL diagnosis and treatment - CNS lymphoma - Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) - Treatment of HL
Haematological emergencies
Authors: Provan Drew , Baglin Trevor , Dokal Inderjeet , de Vos Johannes
Published: May 2015

Septic shock/neutropenic fever - Acute transfusion reactions - Delayed transfusion reaction - Post-transfusion purpura - Hypercalcaemia - Hyperviscosity - Disseminated intravascular coagulation - Overdosage of thrombolytic therapy - Heparin overdosage - Heparin-induced thrombocytopenia - Warfarin overdosage - Massive blood transfusion - Paraparesis/spinal collapse - Leucostasis - Thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura - Sickle crisis
Supportive care
Authors: Provan Drew , Baglin Trevor , Dokal Inderjeet , de Vos Johannes , Al-Sader Hassan
Published: May 2015

Quality of life - Pain management - Psychological support
Defense Responses to Mycotoxin-Producing Fungi Fusarium proliferatum, F. subglutinans, and Aspergillus flavus in Kernels of Susceptible and Resistant Maize Genotypes
Authors: Lanubile Alessandra , Maschietto Valentina , De Leonardis Silvana , Battilani Paola , Paciolla Costantino , Marocco Adriano
Published: May 2015

Developing kernels of resistant and susceptible maize genotypes were inoculated with Fusarium proliferatum, F. subglutinans, and Aspergillus flavus. Selected defense systems were investigated using real-time reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction to monitor the expression of pathogenesis-related (PR) genes (PR1, PR5, PRm3, PRm6) and genes protective from oxidative stress (peroxidase, catalase, superoxide dismutase and ascorbate peroxidase) at 72 h postinoculation. The study was also extended to the analysis of the ascorbate-glutathione cycle and catalase, superoxide dismutase, and cytosolic and wall peroxidases enzymes. Furthermore, the hydrogen peroxide and malondialdehyde contents were studied to evaluate the oxidation level. Higher gene expression and enzymatic activities were observed in uninoculated kernels of resistant line, conferring a major readiness to the pathogen attack. Moreover expression values of PR genes remained higher in the resistant line after inoculation, demonstrating a potentiated response to the pathogen invasions. In contrast, reactive oxygen species–scavenging genes were strongly induced in the susceptible line only after pathogen inoculation, although their enzymatic activity was higher in the resistant line. Our data provide an important basis for further investigation of defense gene functions in developing kernels in order to improve resistance to fungal pathogens. Maize genotypes with overexpressed resistance traits could be profitably utilized in breeding programs focused on resistance to pathogens and grain safety.
Small RNA Deep-Sequencing Analyses Reveal a New Regulator of Virulence in Agrobacterium fabrum C58
Authors: Dequivre M. , Diel B. , Villard C. , Sismeiro O. , Durot M. , Coppée J. Y. , Nesme X. , Vial L. , Hommais F.
Published: May 2015

Novel ways of regulating Ti plasmid functions were investigated by studying small RNAs (sRNAs) that are known to act as posttranscriptional regulators in plant pathogenic bacteria. sRNA-seq analyses of Agrobacterium fabrum C58 allowed us to identify 1,108 small transcripts expressed in several growth conditions that could be sRNAs. A quarter of them were confirmed by bioinformatics or by biological experiments. Antisense RNAs represent 24% of the candidates and they are over-represented on the pTi (with 62% of pTi sRNAs), suggesting differences in the regulatory mechanisms between the essential and accessory replicons. Moreover, a large number of these pTi antisense RNAs are transcribed opposite to those genes involved in virulence. Others are 5′- and 3′-untranslated region RNAs and trans-encoded RNAs. We have validated, by rapid amplification of cDNA ends polymerase chain reaction, the transcription of 14 trans-encoded RNAs, among which RNA1111 is expressed from the pTiC58. Its deletion decreased the aggressiveness of A. fabrum C58 on tomatoes, tobaccos, and kalanchoe, suggesting that this sRNA activates virulence. The identification of its putative target mRNAs (6b gene, virC2, virD3, and traA) suggests that this sRNA may coordinate two of the major pTi functions, the infection of plants and its dissemination among bacteria.
Spontaneous, Life-Threatening Hemorrhagic Cardiac Tamponade Secondary to Rivaroxaban
Authors: Kham Nang Mo , Song Mingchen
Published: May 2015

Bleeding is the most feared complication of anticoagulants. Rivaroxaban is a newer oral anticoagulant with a favorable regimen due to lack of frequent blood monitoring and fewer drug interactions. We report a case of spontaneous pericardial hemorrhage associated with rivaroxaban. Within 10 days of starting rivaroxaban for atrial fibrillation, the patient developed a life-threatening cardiac tamponade leading to shock and multiorgan failure. After urgent pericardiocentesis/drainage, the patient recovered. This case highlights the necessity of larger clinical trials and consensus guideline on monitoring the effects of novel oral anticoagulants and development of an antidote for reversal in cases of major bleeding events.
Functional and Genetic Analysis Identify a Role for Arabidopsis ARGONAUTE5 in Antiviral RNA Silencing
Authors: Brosseau Chantal , Moffett Peter
Published: May 2015

RNA silencing functions as an antiviral defense through the action of DICER-like (DCL) and ARGONAUTE (AGO) proteins. In turn, plant viruses have evolved strategies to counteract this defense mechanism, including the expression of suppressors of RNA silencing. Potato virus X (PVX) does not systemically infect Arabidopsis thaliana Columbia-0, but is able to do so effectively in mutants lacking at least two of the four Arabidopsis DCL proteins. PVX can also infect Arabidopsis ago2 mutants, albeit less effectively than double DCL mutants, suggesting that additional AGO proteins may mediate anti-viral defenses. Here we show, using functional assays, that all Arabidopsis AGO proteins have the potential to target PVX lacking its viral suppressor of RNA silencing (VSR), P25, but that only AGO2 and AGO5 are able to target wild-type PVX. However, P25 directly affects only a small subset of AGO proteins, and we present evidence indicating that its protective effect is mediated by precluding AGO proteins from accessing viral RNA, as well as by directly inhibiting the RNA silencing machinery. In agreement with functional assays, we show that Potexvirus infection induces AGO5 expression and that both AGO2 and AGO5 are required for full restriction of PVX infection in systemic tissues of Arabidopsis.
Structural analysis of the coordination of dinitrogen to transition metal complexes
Authors: Peigné Benjamin , Aullón Gabriel
Published: May 2015

Transition-metal complexes show a wide variety of coordination modes for the nitrogen molecule. A structural database study has been undertaken for dinitrogen complexes, and geometrical parameters around theLnM—N2unit are retrieved from the Cambridge Structural Database. These data were classified in families of compounds, according to metal properties, to determine the degree of lengthening for the dinitrogen bonding. The importance of the nature of the metal center, such as coordination number and electronic configuration, is reported. Our study reveals poor activation by coordination of dinitrogen in mononuclear complexes, always havingend-oncoordination. However, partial weakening of nitrogen–nitrogen bonding is found forend-onbinuclear complexes, whereasside-oncomplexes can be completely activated.
The modulated average structure of mullite
Authors: Birkenstock Johannes , Petříček Václav , Pedersen Bjoern , Schneider Hartmut , Fischer Reinhard X.
Published: May 2015

Homogeneous and inclusion-free single crystals of 2:1 mullite (Al4.8Si1.2O9.6) grown by the Czochralski technique were examined by X-ray and neutron diffraction methods. The observed diffuse scattering together with the pattern of satellite reflections confirm previously published data and are thus inherent features of the mullite structure. The ideal composition was closely met as confirmed by microprobe analysis (Al4.82 (3)Si1.18 (1)O9.59 (5)) and by average structure refinements. 8 (5) to 20 (13)% of the available Si was found in theT* position of the tetrahedra triclusters. The strong tendencey for disorder in mullite may be understood from considerations of hypothetical superstructures which would have to ben-fivefold with respect to the three-dimensional average unit cell of 2:1 mullite andn-fourfold in case of 3:2 mullite. In any of these the possible arrangements of the vacancies and of the tetrahedral units would inevitably be unfavorable. Three directions of incommensurate modulations were determined:q1= [0.3137 (2) 0 ½],q2= [0 0.4021 (5) 0.1834 (2)] andq3= [0 0.4009 (5) −0.1834 (2)]. The one-dimensional incommensurately modulated crystal structure associated withq1was refined for the first time using the superspace approach. The modulation is dominated by harmonic occupational modulations of the atoms in the di- and the triclusters of the tetrahedral units in mullite. The modulation amplitudes are small and the harmonic character implies that the modulated structure still represents an average structure in the overall disordered arrangement of the vacancies and of the tetrahedral structural units. In other words, when projecting the local assemblies at the scale of a few tens of average mullite cells into cells determined by either one of the modulation vectorsq1,q2orq3a weak average modulation results with slightly varying average occupation factors for the tetrahedral units. As a result, the real structure of mullite is locally ordered (as previously known), but on the long-range its average is not completely disordered, the modulated structure of mullite may be denoted the true `average structure of mullite'.
Octahedral tilting in the tungsten bronzes
Authors: Whittle Thomas A. , Schmid Siegbert , Howard Christopher J.
Published: May 2015

Possibilities for `simple' octahedral tilting in the hexagonal and tetragonal tungsten bronzes (HTB and TTB) have been examined, making use of group theory as implemented in the computer programISOTROPY. For HTB, there is one obvious tilting pattern, leading to a structure in space groupP63/mmc. This differs from the space groupP63/mcmfrequently quoted from X-ray studies – these studies have in effect detected only displacements of the W cations from the centres of the WO6octahedra. The correct space group, taking account of both W ion displacement and the octahedral tilting, isP6322 – structures in this space group and matching this description have been reported. A second acceptable tilting pattern has been found, leading to a structure inP6/mmmbut on a larger `2 × 2 × 2' unit cell – however, no observations of this structure have been reported. For TTB, a search at the special points of the Brillouin zones revealed only one comparable tilting pattern, in a structure with space-group symmetryI4/mon a `21/2 × 21/2by 2' unit cell. Given several literature reports of larger unit cells for TTB, we conducted a limited search along the lines of symmetry and found structures with acceptable tilt patterns inBbmmon a `21/22 × 21/2 × 2' unit cell. A non-centrosymmetric version has been reported in niobates, inBbm2 on the same unit cell.
Crystal structure of (E)-N-{2-[2-(4-methylbenzylidene)hydrazin-1-yl]-2-oxoethyl}-p-toluenesulfonamide
Authors: Purandara H. , Foro Sabine , Gowda B. Thimme
Published: May 2015

The title acylhydrazone derivative, C17H19N3O3S, containing an amino acid moiety and electron-donating substituents attached to both the phenyl rings, crystallized with two independent molecules (AandB) in the asymmetric unit. The molecules are bent at the S atom, with C—SO2—NH—CH2torsion angles of −67.3 (2) and 67.7 (3)° in moleculesAandB, respectively. Further, the dihedral angles between the sulfonylglycine segments and thep-toluenesulfonyl rings are 76.1 (1) and 85.8 (1)° in moleculesAandB, respectively. The central hydrazone segments and the toluene rings attached to them are almost co-planar with their mean planes being inclined to one another by 5.2 (2) (moleculeA) and 2.9 (2)° (moleculeB). The dihedral angles between the benzene rings are 86.83 (12) (moleculeA) and 74.00 (14)° (moleculeB). In the crystal, theAmolecules are linked by a pair of N—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with anR22(8) ring motif. The dimers are linkedviathree N—H...O hydrogen bonds involving theBmolecules, forming chains along [100] and enclosingR22(12) andR44(16) ring motifs. The chains are linkedviaC—H...O hydrogen bonds and a C—H...π interaction, forming sheets parallel to (010). There is a further C—H...π interaction and a slipped parallel π–π interaction [inter-centroid distance = 3.8773 (16) Å] between the sheets, leading to the formation of a three-dimensional framework.
Crystal structure of oryzalin
Authors: Kang Gihaeng , Kim Jineun , Jeon Youngeun , Kim Tae Ho
Published: May 2015

The title compound, C12H18N4O6S (systematic name: 4-dipropylamino-3,5-dinitrobenzenesulfonamide), is a sulfonamide with herbicidal properties marketed as oryzalin. The dihedral angles between the benzene ring and the mean planes of the nitro groups are 26.15 (11) and 54.80 (9)°. The propyl arms of the dipropylamino substituent lie on opposite sides of this ring plane. In the crystal, N—H...O and C—H...O hydrogen bonds generate a three-dimensional network.
Crystal structure of bis(prop-2-yn-1-yl) 5-nitroisophthalate
Authors: Ezhilarasi K. S. , Selvarani Sivasamy , Rajakumar Perumal , Revathi B. K. , Usha G.
Published: May 2015

The whole molecule of the title compound, C14H9NO6, is generated by twofold rotation symmetry; the twofold axis bisects the nitro group and the benzene ring. The nitro group is inclined to the benzene ring by 14.42 (9)°. The prop-2-yn-1-yl groups are inclined to the benzene ring by 13 (2)° and to each other by 24 (3)°; one directed above the plane of the benzene ring and the other below. In the crystal, molecules are linkedviapairs of C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming inversion dimers with anR22(18) ring motif. The dimers are linked by further C—H...O hydrogen bonds, forming sheets lying parallel to (100).
Crystal structure of tetraaquabis(3,5-diamino-4H-1,2,4-triazol-1-ium)cobalt(II) bis[bis(pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylato)cobaltate(II)] dihydrate
Authors: Johnson Atim , Mbonu Justina , Hussain Zahid , Loh Wan-Sin , Fun Hoong-Kun
Published: May 2015

The asymmetric unit of the title compound, [Co(C2H6N5)2(H2O)4][Co(C7H3NO4)2]2·2H2O, features 1.5 CoIIions (one anionic complex and one half cationic complex) and one water molecule. In the cationic complex, the CoIIatom is located on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two triazolium cations and four water molecules, adopting an octahedral geometry where the N atoms of the two triazolium cations occupy the axial positions and the O atoms of the four water molecules the equatorial positions. The two triazole ligands are parallel offset (with a distance of 1.38 Å between their planes). In the anionic complex, the CoIIion is six-coordinated by two N and four O atoms of the two pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate anions, exhibiting a slightly distorted octahedral coordination geometry in which the mean plane of the two pyridine-2,6-dicarboxylate anions are almost perpendicular to each other, making a dihedral angle of 85.87 (2)°. In the crystal, molecules are linked into a three-dimensional networkviaC—H...O, C—H...N, O—H...O and N—H...O hydrogen bonds.
Evaluation of corrosion inhibitors in acid medium
Authors: Mainier Fernando Benedicto , Baêsso e Silva Raphaela de Melo
Published: May 2015

Purpose

– The purpose of this paper is to evaluate the corrosion inhibitor performance in acid medium through the determination of Fe2+ ions present based on reaction kinetics of steel with the acid. The use of corrosion inhibitors has been an excellent technique for protecting carbon steel pipes acidizing operations in oil wells. The inhibitor forms a chemical barrier on the metal surface that prevents or reduces attack by the acidic media.

Design/methodology/approach

– The experimental study provides a methodology to evaluate the performance of corrosion inhibitors in an acid medium, preferentially of concentrated hydrochloric acid. The process consists essentially of total immersion coupons of carbon steel, with continuous stirring, controlled temperature and quantitative determinations of iron ions from the dissolution of steel. The additions of commercial corrosion inhibitor base of ethoxylated amines of high molecular weight in an acid medium showed excellent performance at a temperature ranging from 25 to 45°C.

Findings

– This paper presents the mechanisms of protection, performance graphs and calculations of the activation energies of the addition of corrosion inhibitors in an acidic medium.

Originality/value

– The originality of this essay is to evaluate and correlate the performance of corrosion inhibitors with the activation energy in experimental conditions.