bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Common practice elements of school-based trauma interventions for children and adolescents exhibiting symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder: a systematic review
Authors: du Mello Kenyon Georgina , Schirmer Jim
Published: April 2020

The prevalence of post-traumatic stress disorder symptoms in children and adolescents requires school psychologists and counsellors to be informed of evidence-based elements of interventions through which they can tailor their treatment to the individual in a school context. This meta-analysis identified common practice elements within evidence-based trauma interventions for schools. A small to medium effect size was identified in the 10 randomised controlled trials (RCTs) included in this meta-analysis. Within these RCTs, 31 common practice elements were identified, with social skills training, coping skills training, relaxation techniques, psychoeducation, mind-body techniques, group work and creative-expressive techniques correlating with the most effective outcomes. The findings suggest that common practice elements exist across multiple school-based trauma interventions of varying modalities.
The longitudinal effect of antipsychotic burden on psychosocial functioning in first-episode psychosis patients: the role of verbal memory
Authors: Ballesteros Alejandro , Sánchez Torres Ana M. , López-Ilundáin Jose , Mezquida Gisela , Lobo Antonio , González-Pinto Ana , Pina-Camacho Laura , Corripio Iluminada , Vieta Eduard , de la Serna Elena , Mané Anna , Bioque Miquel , Moreno-Izco Lucía , Espliego Ana , Lorente-Omeñaca Ruth , Amoretti Silvia , Bernardo Miguel , Cuesta Manuel J. ,   PEPs Group
Published: April 2020

Background

Previous literature supports antipsychotics’ (AP) efficacy in acute first-episode psychosis (FEP) in terms of symptomatology and functioning but also a cognitive detrimental effect. However, regarding functional recovery in stabilised patients, these effects are not clear. Therefore, the main aim of this study is to investigate dopaminergic/anticholinergic burden of (AP) on psychosocial functioning in FEP. We also examined whether cognitive impairment may mediate these effects on functioning.

Methods

A total of 157 FEP participants were assessed at study entry, and at 2 months and 2 years after remission of the acute episode. The primary outcomes were social functioning as measured by the functioning assessment short test (FAST). Cognitive domains were assessed as potential mediators. Dopaminergic and anticholinergic AP burden on 2-year psychosocial functioning [measured with chlorpromazine (CPZ) and drug burden index] were independent variables. Secondary outcomes were clinical and socio-demographic variables.

Results

Mediation analysis found a statistical but not meaningful contribution of dopaminergic receptor blockade burden to worse functioning mediated by cognition (for every 600 CPZ equivalent points, 2-year FAST score increased 1.38 points). Regarding verbal memory and attention, there was an indirect effect of CPZ burden on FAST (b = 0.0045, 95% CI 0.0011–0.0091) and (b = 0.0026, 95% CI 0.0001–0.0006) respectively. However, only verbal memory post hoc analyses showed a significant indirect effect (b = 0.009, 95% CI 0.033–0.0151) adding premorbid IQ as covariate. We did not find significant results for anticholinergic burden.

Conclusion

CPZ dose effect over functioning is mediated by verbal memory but this association appears barely relevant.
Rational lines on cubic hypersurfaces
Authors: BRANDES JULIA , DIETMANN RAINER
Published: April 2020

We show that any smooth projective cubic hypersurface of dimension at least 29 over the rationals contains a rational line. A variation of our methods provides a similar result over p-adic fields. In both cases, we improve on previous results due to the second author and Wooley.

We include an appendix in which we highlight some slight modifications to a recent result of Papanikolopoulos and Siksek. It follows that the set of rational points on smooth projective cubic hypersurfaces of dimension at least 29 is generated via secant and tangent constructions from just a single point.
Changes in nesting numbers and breeding success of African White-backed Vulture Gyps africanus in north-central Botswana
Authors: LEEPILE LEUNGO B. L. , MAUDE GLYN , HANCOCK PETE , READING RICHARD P. , BRIDGES BRIAN , HARTLEY ROBYN , AMAR ARJUN
Published: April 2020

African White-backed Vultures were recently uplisted to ‘Critically Endangered’ by IUCN due to declines across their range. Poisoning is widely accepted as the major reason for these declines. Botswana supports a high number of this species (breeding pairs > c.1,200), but as yet no published information exists on their breeding success in the country. However, mass poisonings within Botswana and neighbouring countries have killed thousands of White-backed Vultures in recent years. We therefore expected that nesting numbers may have declined in this region if these poisoning events killed local breeding birds. We used information from aerial surveys conducted between 2006 and 2017 in Khwai and Linyanti, two important breeding areas for this species in north-central Botswana, to determine if there was any change in nesting numbers and breeding success of White-backed Vultures. Results showed an overall 53.5% decline in nesting numbers, with a greater decline in Linyanti than in Khwai. In both areas, breeding success was significantly lower in 2017 than it was 10 ten years earlier. We recommend that similar repeat surveys are continued to provide greater confidence in the trends of both nesting numbers and breeding performance. Population viability analysis suggested that if the productivity levels detected in 2017 were a true indication of current productivity levels for this population, and if recent high poisoning rates continue, this population could be extirpated from the area in the next 13 years.
113 Phase 3, Randomized, Double-Blind, Placebo-Controlled Study (P303) Assessing Efficacy and Safety of Extended-Release Viloxazine in Children with ADHD
Authors: Nasser Azmi , Hull Joseph T. , Chowdhry Fatima A. , Adewole Toyin , Liranso Tesfaye , Schwabe Stefan
Published: April 2020

Study Objective:

SPN-812 (extended-release viloxazine) is a structurally distinct, bicyclic, Serotonin Norepinephrine Modulating Agent (SNMA) in development as a treatment for attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in children and adolescents. This Phase 3, randomized, double-blind study (P303) evaluated the efficacy and safety of once-daily SPN-812 at doses of 200 and 400 mg compared to placebo in children ages 6-11yrs with ADHD.

Method:

Inclusion criteria required subjects have a confirmed Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, 5th edition (DSM-5) ADHD diagnosis, ADHD-Rating Scale-5 (ADHD-RS-5) score ≥28, Clinical Global Impression-Severity score ≥4, and be free of ADHD medication ≥1 week before randomization. Subjects were enrolled at 31 study sites in the United States. Subjects (N=313) were randomized 1:1:1 to placebo:200 mg SPN-812:400 mg SPN-812. Treatment included up to 3 weeks of titration and 5 weeks of maintenance (intent-to-treat population: N=301; placebo=97, 200 mg=107, 400 mg=97). The primary efficacy endpoint was change from baseline (CFB) at end of study (EOS) in ADHD-RS-5 total score. Key secondary endpoints included Clinical Global Impression-Improvement (CGI-I) score at EOS, and CFB at EOS in Conners 3-Parent Short Form (Conners 3-PS) Composite T-score and in Weiss Functional Impairment Rating Scale-Parent Form (WFIRS-P) total average score. Safety assessments included adverse events (AEs) among other measures.

Results:

Compared to placebo, a significantly greater improvement in ADHD-RS-5 total score was observed in the 200 mg and 400 mg SPN-812 treatment group at EOS (p=0.0038, p=0.0063; respectively). Significant improvement in CGI-I score at EOS for both 200 mg and 400 mg SPN-812 was also observed (p=0.0028, p=0.0099; respectively). Significant improvement was observed for the 200 mg SPN-812 dose compared to placebo in the Conners 3-PS Composite T-score (p=0.0064), but not for the 400 mg dose (p=0.0917). No significant improvement was observed in either dose group in the WFIRS-P total average score (p=0.0651, p=0.1680; respectively). The most common (≥5%) treatment-related AEs were somnolence, decreased appetite, fatigue, headache, and upper abdominal pain.

Conclusions:

In this study, SPN-812 met the primary objective for both the 200 and 400 mg doses and the key secondary objective (CGI-I) for both the 200 and 400 mg doses with statistical significance. A second key secondary objective (Conners 3-PS) for the 200 mg dose was also met. AE-related dropouts were ≤5%, indicating SPN-812 treatment was well tolerated.

This study is an encore of a poster presentation at the 2019 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry (AACAP).

Funding Acknowledgements:

This research was funded by Supernus Pharmaceuticals, Inc., Rockville, MD.
123 Long-Term Outcomes with Valbenazine 40 mg/day in Adults With Tardive Dyskinesia
Authors: Chepke Craig , Marder Stephen R. , Comella Cynthia L. , Singer Carlos , Farahmand Khodayar , Lundt Leslie
Published: April 2020

Study Objective:

Tardive dyskinesia (TD), a persistent and potentially disabling movement disorder, is associated with prolonged exposure to antipsychotics and other dopamine receptor blocking agents. Valbenazine (VBZ) is a novel and highly selective vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) inhibitor approved for the treatment of TD in adults. Using data from two long-term phase 3 studies (KINECT 3 [K3], NCT02274558; KINECT 4 [K4], NCT02405091) and a rollover study (1506, NCT02736955), the long-term outcomes of once-daily VBZ on TD were examined in participants who received 40mg or had a dose reduction from 80 to 40mg.

Methods:

The effects of VBZ 40mg (as well as VBZ 80mg) were evaluated in the following studies: the pivotal K3 study (6 weeks double-blind, placebo controlled), the extension phase of K3 (42 additional weeks of VBZ, 4 week discontinuation), and the open-label K4 study (48 weeks of VBZ, 4 week discontinuation). Completers from K3 extension and K4 were invited to participate in 1506 (up to 72 additional weeks of VBZ or until commercial availability of VBZ). Few participants reached Week 60 (n=4) or Week 72 (n=0) in the 1506 study before termination. Analyses focused on VBZ 40mg in two populations: pooled K3/K4 (participants who received VBZ 40mg throughout K3 or K4 or who had a dose reduction [80/40mg] during K3 or K4); and 1506 (participants who received VBZ 40mg from beginning of K3 or K4 to last visit in 1506 or who had a dose reduction [80/40mg] at any time). Outcomes for the K3/K4 population included mean change from baseline (CFB) in Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) total score (sum of items 1-7) and AIMS response (≥50% total score improvement from baseline) at Week 48 of K3 or K4. Outcomes for the 1506 population included a Clinical Global Impression of Severity-Tardive Dyskinesia (CGIS-TD) score ≤2 (“normal, not at all ill” or “borderline ill”).

Results:

In the K3/K4 population, AIMS CFB to Week 48 indicated mean TD improvements in participants who received 40mg continuously (40mg, -5.7 [n=54]) and in those who had a dose reduction to 40mg (80/40mg, -6.2 [n=13]). In addition, a majority of these participants had an AIMS response after 48 weeks of treatment (40mg, 53.7%; 80/40mg, 53.8%). In the 1506 population, the percentage of participants who had a CGIS-TD score ≤2 (rating of “normal, not at all ill” or “borderline ill”) at Week 12 was 63.6% (7/11) in the 40mg group and 30.8% (4/13) in the 80/40mg group. Data from Weeks 24 to 60 of 1506 were limited by the small sample sizes (<10 participants each in 40mg or 80/40mg group at each of these visits).

Conclusions:

Based on these analyses and results from published studies, VBZ 40mg may be an effective long-term option for some TD patients. Dose reductions from 80 to 40mg, if necessary, did not appear to compromise long-term benefit.

Funding Acknowledgements:

This study was sponsored by Neurocrine Biosciences, Inc.
131 A Marionettist Pulling My Strings: A Case of Buprenorphine-induced Chorea
Authors: Patel Dev , Gandhi Ishandeep , Malek Faisal , Olechowski Camille , Hirsch Alan R.
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

Choreaform movements provoked by opiates is an infrequent adverse event. Buprenorphine induction of chorea has not heretofore been described. Such a case is presented.

METHOD:

Case Study: A 38-year-old female presented with a decade long history of alcohol, cocaine, benzodiazepine, and heroin abuse. The patient was insufflating 1.5 grams of heroin daily. On presentation, she was actively withdrawing, scoring 17 on the Clinical Opioid Withdrawal Scale. Urine toxicology screening was positive for opiates, cocaine, and cannabinoids. Buprenorphine 4 mg sublingual was initiated. Within one hour, she observed, “My legs were moving uncontrollably as if I was a marionette.” These dance-like movements were isolated to both legs and gradually resolved after discontinuation of buprenorphine: most of the movements manifested in the first 8 hours, and dissipated over the next 2 days. She did have similar movements after treatment with quetiapine during a previous hospitalization, years earlier.

RESULTS:

Abnormalities in physical examination: General: goiter, bilateral palmar erythema. Neurological examination: Cranial Nerve (CN) Examination: CN I: Alcohol Sniff Test: 2 (anosmia). Motor Examination: Drift testing: mild right pronator drift. Reflexes: 3+ bilateral lower extremities. Neuropsychiatric Examination: Clock Drawing Test: 3 (abnormal). Animal Fluency Test: 18 (normal). Go-No-Go Test 6/6 (normal).

DISCUSSION:

Buprenorphine induced chorea could be a result of partial mu-opioid agonism, or kappa and delta receptor antagonism (Burke, 2018; Cowan, 1977). Mu-opioid receptor activation causes increased dopamine turnover in the nigrostriatum, which is responsible for locomotor sensitization (Campos-Jurado, 2017). With the addition of mu-opioid receptor modulation of dopamine release, kappa-opioid receptor alters various neurotransmitters in the basal ganglia, potentiating hyperkinetic movements. Buprenorphine’s choreiformogenic action may be due to kappa-opioid receptors ability to augment neurotransmission in the striatum (Escobar, 2017; Bonnet, 1998). The combination of simultaneous activity of these three opioid receptors may cause chorea, since they act to modulate dopamine, glutamate, and GABA in the direct and indirect pathways within the basal ganglia (Abin, 1989; Cui, 2013; Allouche, 2014; Trifilieff, 2013). This patient’s history of heroin and cocaine use may have caused supersensitization of dopamine receptors (Memo, 1981), provoking hyperkinesia. Involvement of substance-induced sensitization with concurrent kappa-opioid receptor neurotransmitter augmentation in direct and indirect pathways in the basal ganglia may have primed our patient to the development of chorea after buprenorphine administration. Further investigation for the presence of extrapyramidal movements in those undergoing buprenorphine treatment is warranted.
132 Treating Comorbid Childhood Bipolar Disorder and ADHD
Authors: Nemeth Darlyne G. , Mckenzie Chustz Kayla
Published: April 2020

Objectives:

According to Nemeth et al. (2011), pediatric mania is difficult to distinguish from childhood hyperactivity. Both share 3 common symptoms: distractibility, motoric hyperactivity, and talkativeness (Biederman, 2000). Oftentimes, children are referred from their pediatrician due to a lack of appropriate response to stimulant medication. Pediatricians have learned that merely raising the dose or changing the stimulant does not work. A thorough neuropsychological evaluation often reveals Bipolar Mania. They may have comorbid Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. This poster paper will examine measures that can assist in this important differential diagnosis as well as offer treatment options, including medication management.

Methods:

This case study includes three pediatric patients diagnosed with Childhood Bipolar Disorder and ADHD. A comprehensive psychoeducational assessment was conducted for each of the patients, which resulted in this comorbid diagnosis.

Results:

One of the most helpful measures was the TOVA. When a child’s attention and impulsivity scores are normal, and response time and variability scores are abnormal, both on and off medication, that is an indication of a mood disorder (Nemeth et al., 2007). These children also performed poorly on measures of processing speed, and verbal learning and interference tasks (Henin et al., 2007). Measures of affect and personality were important diagnostically. A combination of Amantadine and either Clonidine HCL ER or Propranolol, as prescribed by a medical psychologist, were found to be effective in controlling the symptoms of this comorbid diagnosis.

Conclusions:

An evaluation of children’s intellectual, attentional, behavioral, mood, and personality functioning is crucial for a differential diagnosis. In cases of comorbidity, ADHD and Childhood Bipolar Disorder, the sooner the child is on appropriate medications, the better. When just the surface diagnosis of ADHD is medicated, the outcome is often problematic. There may be a poor response to treatment and a higher rate of suicide.
136 Repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation as a Protective Measure Against Early-Onset Alzheimer’s Disease: A Case Report
Authors: Garland Jared S , Tsui Megan , Jaskot Emilia-Marie , Knoll Martin , Taylor Jerika , Buccellato Kiara , Swanberg Margaret , Pasquina Paul F
Published: April 2020

Disclaimer:

The views expressed in this abstract are those of the authors and do not reflect the official policy of the Department of Army/Navy/Air Force, Department of Defense, or U.S. Government.

Background:

Alzheimer s disease (AD) is a progressive neurodegenerative disease leading to cognitive decline and eventually death. Degradation of cortical neuroplasticity is thought to be a major catalyst of AD-related cognitive decline. Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS), which uses pulsed magnetism to stimulate neurons, increases cortical plasticity and induces long-lasting neuroplastic changes. Patients have benefited from rTMS to treat AD, especially when done in conjunction with cognitive training exercises. This case report presents a 31-year-old male who tested positive for an autosomal dominant mutation implicated in early-onset AD. rTMS and cognitive training were employed to assist in the delay of early-onset AD manifestation in two cycles.

Methods:

Prior to each treatment cycle, the patient completed questionnaires and interviews designed to test his cognitive functioning; his spouse was interviewed to provide a third-party assessment of his functioning. Following pre-treatment data collection, 30 daily rTMS/cognitive training sessions were completed in the first cycle and 35 daily rTMS/cognitive training sessions were completed in the second cycle. The bilateral dorsolateral prefrontal cortices each received 1,000 pulses (10 Hz, 110% SMT). Tolerability and side effect data were collected after each treatment. Immediately following rTMS, the patient played cognitive training games at our Brain Fitness Center. All pre-treatment assessments were repeated after completion of the 30 sessions in the first cycle and the 35 sessions in the second cycle for comparison of pre- to post-treatment cognitive functionality.

Results:

Pre-treatment testing indicated the patient was asymptomatic before each cycle. The patient completed 30 daily rTMS sessions in the first cycle and 35 daily rTMS sessions in the second cycle. Tolerability/side effect data showed he tolerated treatment well and experienced only minor pain. The patient also completed 30 cognitive training sessions in the first cycle and 35 cognitive training sessions in the second cycle and showed moderate improvement across all cognitive domains. Post-treatment assessments indicated no change in functioning except to note the patient s improved sleep. A third treatment cycle is scheduled to begin in February 2020.

Conclusions:

This case report supports rTMS paired with cognitive training to be a safe and tolerable treatment for early-onset AD. However, more treatment cycles must be completed before conclusions about its efficacy can be determined.
166 Post Market Rate of Seizures During TMS Treatment with NeuroStar® System Appears to Be Lower than Previously Estimated
Authors: Janicak Paul , Heart Karen , McGugan Bridget
Published: April 2020

Objective: NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy System is a transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) device with FDA-clearance for the treatment of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD) in adult patients who have failed to receive satisfactory improvement from prior antidepressant medication in the current episode. With TMS, magnetic pulses are transmitted into the brain. Though the exact mechanism of action is unknown, it is postulated that resulting neuronal depolarization and changes in brain functional activity may be associated with various physiologic changes that lead to relief of depression in the indicated population. The type of magnetic field generated with TMS is not intended to induce a seizure during therapeutic use, but unintentional seizures have been reported during TMS treatment.

No seizures were reported with the use of the NeuroStar® system in clinical trials conducted prior to FDA clearance. The estimated risk of seizure in the NeuroStar® label is approximately 1 in 30,000 treatments or 1 in 1,000 patients. Since introduction of the NeuroStar® system into clinical practice, the rate at which seizures have been reported is even lower.

Methods:

We conducted a review of literature that named the NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy System as the device used for TMS treatment and reviewed all seizure events reported to Neuronetics, Inc., directly or through FDA MedWatch through June 30, 2019. Articles reporting seizures in subjects with epilepsy during TMS treatment were excluded.

Results:

Previous comprehensive reviews of seizures induced by treatment with any TMS device by Wasserman et al. (1998) and Rossi et al. (2009) revealed that the rate of seizures is low. Many subjects that developed seizures during TMS had either received stimulation at parameters beyond current recommendations or had been predisposed to develop seizures in some way. Some of the events reported as seizures may, in fact, have been non-epileptic events.

Our literature review and analysis of seizures reported to Neuronetics, Inc. revealed that the rate of seizures during TMS treatment with the NeuroStar® appears to be lower than the rate that is published in the NeuroStar® Advanced Therapy prescribing information.

Conclusions:

Seizures that take place during TMS treatment with the NeuroStar® system are rare. The rate of seizures reported directly to Neuronetics, Inc. is lower than that included in the NeuroStar® prescribing information. Our literature review validated seizures during TMS treatment with the NeuroStar® system reported in published literature have described either non-epileptic events (syncope) or occurred with risk factors for seizure induction, such as other predisposing clinical factors or treatment parameters outside the guideline recommend “safe” ranges.

Funding Acknowledgements:

Neuronetics, Inc.
167 Randomized, Double-Blind, Active-Controlled Study of Starting Aripiprazole Lauroxil with 1-Day Initiation in Acutely Ill Patients with Schizophrenia
Authors: Weiden Peter J. , Claxton Amy , Du Yangchun , Yagoda Sergey , Walling David , Kunovac Jelena
Published: April 2020

Objective:

Evaluate efficacy and safety of a 2-month dose of aripiprazole lauroxil (AL) with a 1-day initiation regimen during hospitalization for an acute exacerbation of schizophrenia.

Methods:

In the phase 3b double-blind ALPINE study, adults with schizophrenia were randomized to AL (AL NanoCrystal® Dispersion + oral aripiprazole 30 mg day 1; AL 1064 mg day 8 and every 8 weeks) or paliperidone palmitate (PP 234 mg day 1; PP 156 mg day 8 and every 4 weeks). Patients were discharged after 2 weeks of hospitalization and followed through week 25. Primary endpoint was within-group changes in PANSS total score from baseline to week 4 (observed cases). Secondary analyses included within-group changes at weeks 9 and 25 (observed) and between-group comparisons at weeks 4, 9, and 25 (MMRM). Adverse events (AEs) were monitored throughout the study.

Results:

200 patients were randomized (AL, n=99; PP, n=101); 56.6% and 42.6%, respectively, completed the study. Within-group changes from baseline in PANSS were −17.4 for AL and −20.1 for PP at week 4 (both groups, P<0.001) and continued to decline at weeks 9 (AL, −19.8; PP, −22.5) and 25 (AL, −23.3; PP, −21.7). The change in PANSS over time was similar between groups. AEs occurring in ≥10% of patients in either group were injection site pain (AL, 17.2%; PP, 24.8%), akathisia (AL, 9.1%; PP, 10.9%), and weight increased (AL, 9.1%; PP, 16.8%).

Conclusions:

AL and PP were effective and well-tolerated for initiating treatment of schizophrenia in the hospital and continuing in the outpatient setting.

Funding Acknowledgements:

This study was funded by Alkermes, Inc.
168 Effect of Dasotraline on Body Weight in Patients with Binge-Eating Disorder
Authors: Citrome Leslie , Goldman Robert , Tsai Joyce , Deng Ling , Grinnell Todd , Pikalov Andrei
Published: April 2020

Background:

Binge-eating disorder (BED) is associated with obesity (BMI ≥30) in approximately 40-45% of patients. Dasotraline is a long-acting dopamine/norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor with a PK profile characterized by slow absorption and an elimination half-life of 47-77 hours, permitting once-daily dosing. In a recent placebo-controlled, flexible-dose study, dasotraline demonstrated significant efficacy in patients with BED. We now report an analysis from this study of the effect of dasotraline on body weight.

Method:

Patients with moderate-to-severe BED, based on DSM-5 criteria, were randomized to 12 weeks of double-blind flexible-dose treatment with dasotraline (4-8 mg/d) vs. placebo. The primary efficacy outcome was number of binge-eating days/week. Mean change in body weight at Week 12 (assessed as a safety outcome) was analyzed by baseline body mass index (BMI, kg/m2) category. Inferential statistics were not performed.

Results:

The safety population consisted of 317 patients (female, 84%; mean age, 38.2 years; mean weight, 97.3 kg). At baseline, the proportions of patients in each BMI category were as follows: normal (<25 kg/m2: 5.7%), overweight (25 to <30 kg/m2: 18.3%), obesity class I (30 to <35 kg/m2: 24.9%), class II (35 to <40 kg/m2: 29.3%), and class III (≥40 kg/m2: 21.8%). For the overall patient sample, treatment with dasotraline significantly reduced the number of binge-eating days per week vs. placebo (-3.74 vs. -2.75; P<0.0001; effect size = 0.74). Mean changes at Week 12 in weight (kg) for completers treated with dasotraline vs. placebo, by baseline BMI category, were as follows: normal weight (-4.6 vs. -0.2), overweight (-5.8 vs. +1.3), and combined obesity classes I-III (-6.2 vs. +0.3). Among obese patients (Class I-III, combined) treated with dasotraline, weight reduction (≥5%) was observed in 45.3% of patients (vs. 4.1% on placebo); and weight reduction ≥10% in approximately 13.7% of patients (vs. none on placebo). Weight-related adverse events, for dasotraline vs. placebo, consisted of decreased appetite (19.7% vs. 6.9%), decreased weight (12.1% vs. 0%), and increased weight (0.6% vs. 1.3%).

Conclusion:

Among patients completing 12 weeks of treatment with dasotraline, weight reduction ≥5% was observed in 45% of obese patients with a BMI ≥30. The most frequent weight-related adverse event was decreased appetite, reported in approximately one in five patients treated with dasotraline.

Clinicaltrials.gov number: NCT02564588

Funding Acknowledgements:

Supported by funding from Sunovion Pharmaceuticals Inc.
188 Challenges in Differentiating Between Obsession and Delusion in Schizophrenic Patients: A Case Report
Authors: Yen Po Yu , Zaidi Muhammad , Naqvi Syed
Published: April 2020

Schizophrenia is a serious, chronic mental illness that manifests a variety of symptoms: hallucinations, delusion of grandiose, disorganized behaviors, and neurocognitive decline after each episode. Among the patients with schizophrenia, obsessive- compulsive symptoms (OCS) or obsessive- compulsive disorder (OCD) are two relatively common comorbidities (25% and 12.5%, respectively). The appearance of these comorbidities complicates patient management: selecting the suitable pharmacological treatment may be challenging as delusion and obsession have similar presentation in this population. We would like to present a case which we suggest that differentiation between obsession and delusion will result in a positive impact on disease management.

Patient was a middle- aged male with history of Schizophrenia and status post skin grafting. He presented with delusions, auditory hallucinations and disorganized behavior. During his hospitalization, he spent much portion of a day slapping or hitting his wound. He would not follow staffs’ recommendations regarding wound care as he believed that his behavior would lead to diminishing his pain from skin grafting and shorten the recovery time. He was treated with psychotropic medications, anti-depressants aided with medication for pain. Despite adequate pain management, appropriate dosage of anti-depressants and psychotherapy his self- injurious behavior persisted throughout the course of his hospitalization.

In this report, we presented the challenges in managing compulsive behavior in a patient with Schizophrenia. To date, OCD and OCS are diagnosed based on clinical presentations, which results in difficulty in patient management especially when the illness is complicated by Schizophrenia. Patient was accessed with Yale- Brown Obsessive- Compulsive Scale on multiple occasions which the results indicated that he had subclinical OCD. However, the validity of the test is questionable as it is a test for severity of OCD; If his compulsive behavior was due to delusion rather than obsession, YBOCS should not be applied since it is limited to the patients with OCD.

We propose that there is a necessity of developing a diagnostic intervention that may aid the differentiation between delusion and obsession in Schizophrenic patients. Genetic testing, for example, may be one of the potential diagnostic interventions to utilize clinically: A recent study, “Serotonin system genes and obsessive- compulsive trait dimensions in a population- based, pediatric sample: a genetic association study” by Sinopoli et al, has demonstrated a possible correlation between obsessive- compulsive spectrum disorders and serotonin gene variants. Although genetic testing of OCD is at its early stages and many aspects are yet to be discovered, it is optimistic to believe that potential benefits of the genetic test is tremendous as it will provide physicians a clearer picture in designing a treatment plan for this patient population.
191 Lamotrigine Overdose with urine Toxicology Positive for Phencyclidine: A Case Report of Possible Cross-Reactivity
Authors: Kraut Jennifer , Dunn Norma , Swift Ronnie
Published: April 2020

Introduction:

False-positives can occur when a medication has a cross-reactivity with the immunoassay, often due to similarity in structure of the parent medication or one of its metabolites to the tested drug. The occurrence of false-positives is mostly affected by the type of immunoassay used and the particular agent being tested. We present a case of a 13 year old female who was status post overdose with lamotrigine with positive urine toxicology with PCP (Phencyclidine.)

Case Report:

Ms. A is a 13 year old female, with significant psychiatric history of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. She denied any psychoactive substances of abuse including PCP. Her history was collaborated by her mother. History revealed that patient was found unresponsive in bed with a suicide note and bottles at her bedside with 13 of 100mg pills of lamotrigine missing and 13 of 50mg pills sertraline. She was brought to pediatric emergency room by ambulance activated by her mother. On arrival to the hospital, the patient was not verbally responsive; she was responsive only to tactile stimuli. Her vital signs were within normal limits. Her urine toxicology was positive for PCP. Her Basic Metabolic Panel, Liver Function Test, and Complete Blood Count were within normal. She was stabilized after two days and was transferred to child and adolescent psychiatry unit for continued treatment. She was treated with Zoloft 100mg daily, Seroquel 150mg daily, and Valproic Acid of 750mg po total daily dose (blood level 68.1 μg/mL) with good effects on her impulse control and mood lability.

Discussion:

The literature describes that lamotrigine can cause false positive urine toxicology for PCP. In Our case report, our patient denied any history of substance abuse and it was known that she overdosed on lamotrigine. Although a repeat urine toxicology was not done because of patient refusal to cooperate at that time, the suspicion that the positive urine toxicology for PCP was most likely from medication cross reactivity in a patient who has no clinical history of PCP use.
On Global Time in Revolutionary Japan
Authors: Ghadimi Amin
Published: April 2020

This article reveals how Japanese anti-regime rebels in the mid-1870s deployed news of the Ottoman Empire and the Russo-Turkish War of 1877 in a burgeoning national public sphere to justify and encourage violent revolution against the Meiji government. It focuses especially on commentary in Hyōron shinbun and its successor publications Chūgai hyōron and Bunmei shinshi, short-lived radical newspapers linked to what became the Kagoshima and Kumamoto rebel factions in the Japanese civil war of 1877. Anti-government agitators drew from French and American theory and history and constructed Turkey as a hidebound violator of freedom and civil rights, casting the Turkish case as a parable for what would befall the Meiji government, supposedly a similar wielder of despotism. They inveighed at the same time against European powers for seizing on “Asian” weakness to expand their empires in Asia. Newspapers thus produced a sense of global simultaneity, intimating to readers that they lived in the same empirical moment as people across the world, but as they constructed this empirical simultaneity, they produced also a sense of theoretical nonsynchronicity, in which the histories of some nations acted as the futures of others. Violent revolution, the journalists suggested, provided the best means of reconciling these dual temporalities of global time.
Taking the German Muse out of Music:The Chronicleand US Musical Opinion in World War I
Authors: BOMBERGER E. DOUGLAS
Published: April 2020

The case of conductor Karl Muck and the Boston Symphony Orchestra during World War I is notorious for its combination of nationalist patriotism and opposition to international influence on US concert organizations. Although it seemed on the surface to be a spontaneous uprising against a foreign musician who refused to play “The Star-Spangled Banner,” the public outcry against Muck was part of a larger campaign orchestrated by a shadowy propaganda magazine namedThe Chronicle, published in New York from March 1917 to November 1918. This journal was marketed to the United States’ wealthy elite and was available to subscribers by invitation only. By strategic publication of fake news stories and xenophobic opinion pieces, editor Richard Fletcher spread fear and suspicion through the most rarefied strata of US society. The journal was instrumental in blacklisting suspicious arts organizations and fomenting prejudice against enemy aliens. This article examines for the first time the role of this magazine in the banning of German-language operas at the Met, the internment of Muck, and the near-elimination of German repertoire from US orchestral programs.
North Pacific Gyre Oscillation Closely Associated With Spring Arctic Sea Ice Loss During 1998–2016
Authors: Yu Lejiang , Zhong Shiyuan , Vihma Timo , Sui Cuijuan , Qiu Yubao , Liang Xi
Published: April 2020

The relative importance of the factors contributing to Arctic spring sea ice decline remains an open question. Here we suggest a new major factor. In spring the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation (NPGO) shows a significantly increasing trend during 1998–2016, in contrast to the insignificant trend of the Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) index. Nearly 40% of Arctic springtime sea ice concentration trend is statistically related to the increase of the NPGO index but only 4% to the PDO trend. Through the destructive linear interference with climatological Aleutian low, the increasing NPGO index tends to weaken the upward propagation of planetary waves, which enhances the strength of the stratospheric Arctic vortex and the Arctic Oscillation (AO). The positive AO anomalies influence the surface wind field and temperature pattern anomalies, contributing to negative sea ice anomalies in the Arctic.
Control of Vent Geometry on the Fluid Dynamics of Volcanic Plumes: Insights From Numerical Simulations
Authors: Suzuki Y. J. , Costa A. , Koyaguchi T.
Published: April 2020

We present three‐dimensional numerical simulations of eruption clouds from circular to linear fissure vents to investigate the control of vent shape on the height and stability of volcanic plumes during large explosive eruptions. Our results show that clouds ejected from circular or low‐aspect‐ratio (nearly square‐like) fissure vents can be associated with radially suspended flow (RSF) at the top of the jet region, whereas those emitted from narrow‐fissure vents are not. Non‐RSF plumes are more stable than those associated with RSF because the highly concentrated parts of the ejected mixture are easily dissipated and mixed with air near the vent. Plume height in the RSF regime decreases while that in the non‐RSF regime increases with increasing aspect ratio, even for a fixed magma flow rate. These observations suggest that the efficiency of air entrainment is influenced by the vent shape, which in turn controls the dynamics of eruption plumes.
Author Correction: SmMYC2a and SmMYC2b played similar but irreplaceable roles in regulating the biosynthesis of tanshinones and phenolic acids in Salvia miltiorrhiza
Authors: Zhou Yangyun , Sun Wei , Chen Junfeng , Tan Hexin , Xiao Ying , Li Qing , Ji Qian , Gao Shouhong , Chen Li , Chen Shilin , Zhang Lei , Chen Wansheng
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Rapid Characterization of Biomolecules’ Thermal Stability in a Segmented Flow-Through Optofluidic Microsystem
Authors: Fohlerova Zdenka , Zhu Hanliang , Hubalek Jaromir , Ni Sheng , Yobas Levent , Podesva Pavel , Otahal Alexandr , Neuzil Pavel
Published: April 2020

Optofluidic devices combining optics and microfluidics have recently attracted attention for biomolecular analysis due to their high detection sensitivity. Here, we show a silicon chip with tubular microchannels buried inside the substrate featuring temperature gradient (∇T) along the microchannel. We set up an optical fluorescence system consisting of a power-modulated laser light source of 470 nm coupled to the microchannel serving as a light guide via optical fiber. Fluorescence was detected on the other side of the microchannel using a photomultiplier tube connected to an optical fiber via a fluorescein isothiocyanate filter. The PMT output was connected to a lock-in amplifier for signal processing. We performed a melting curve analysis of a short dsDNA – SYBR Green I complex with a known melting temperature (TM) in a flow-through configuration without gradient to verify the functionality of the proposed detection system. We then used the segmented flow configuration and measured the fluorescence amplitude of a droplet exposed to ∇T of ≈ 2.31 °C mm−1, determining the heat transfer time as ≈ 554 ms. The proposed platform can be used as a fast and cost-effective system for performing either MCA of dsDNAs or for measuring protein unfolding for drug-screening applications.
Scope for non-crop plants to promote conservation biological control of crop pests and serve as sources of botanical insecticides
Authors: Amoabeng B. W. , Stevenson P. C. , Mochiah B. M. , Asare K. P. , Gurr G. M.
Published: April 2020

Besides providing food and shelter to natural enemies of crop pests, plants used in conservation biological control interventions potentially provide additional ecosystem services including providing botanical insecticides. Here we concurrently tested the strength of these two services from six non-crop plants in managing cabbage pests in Ghana over three successive field seasons. Crop margin plantings of Ageratum conyzoides, Tridax procumbens, Crotalaria juncea, Cymbopogon citratus, Lantana camara and Talinum triangulare were compared with a bare earth control in a three-way split plot design such that the crop in each plot was sprayed with either a 10% (w/v) aqueous extract from the border plant species, a negative control (water) and a positive control (emamectin benzoate ‘Attack’ insecticide). Pests were significantly less numerous in all unsprayed treatments with non-crop plant margins and in corresponding sprayed treatments (with botanical or synthetic insecticide positive control) while treatments with bare earth margin or sprayed with water (negative controls) had the highest pest densities. Numbers of predators were significantly depressed by synthetic insecticide but higher in other treatments whether unsprayed or sprayed with botanical insecticide. We conclude that some plant species have utility in both conservation biological control and as source of botanical insecticides that are relatively benign to natural enemies. In this crop system, however, the additional cost associated with using botanical insecticides was not justified by greater levels of pest suppression than achieved from border plants alone.
Author Correction: Comparative Mitochondrial Genome Analysis of Eligma narcissus and other Lepidopteran Insects Reveals Conserved Mitochondrial Genome Organization and Phylogenetic Relationships
Authors: Dai Li-Shang , Zhu Bao-Jian , Zhao Yue , Zhang Cong-Fen , Liu Chao-Liang
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: Widespread ground motion distribution caused by rupture directivity during the 2015 Gorkha, Nepal earthquake
Authors: Koketsu Kazuki , Miyake Hiroe , Guo Yujia , Kobayashi Hiroaki , Masuda Tetsu , Davuluri Srinagesh , Bhattarai Mukunda , Adhikari Lok Bijaya , Sapkota Soma Nath
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
Author Correction: Characterization of the Complete Mitochondrial Genome of Leucoma salicis (Lepidoptera: Lymantriidae) and Comparison with Other Lepidopteran Insects
Authors: Sun Yu-Xuan , Wang Lei , Wei Guo-Qing , Qian Cen , Dai Li-Shang , Sun Yu , Abbas Muhammad Nadeem , Zhu Bao-Jian , Liu Chao-Liang
Published: April 2020

An amendment to this paper has been published and can be accessed via a link at the top of the paper.
A simple method based on confocal microscopy and thick sections recognizes seven subphases in growth plate chondrocytes
Authors: Fernández-Iglesias Ángela , Fuente Rocío , Gil-Peña Helena , Alonso-Duran Laura , García-Bengoa María , Santos Fernando , López José M.
Published: April 2020

This manuscript reports a novel procedure to imaging growth plate chondrocytes by using confocal microscopy. The method is based on fixed undecalcified bone samples, in-block staining with eosin, epoxy resin embedding and grinding to obtain thick sections. It is simple, inexpensive and provides three-dimensional images of entire chondrocytes inside their native lacunae. Quantitative analysis of volume, shape and cytoplasm density of chondrocytes at different strata of the growth plate allowed to objectively grade chondrocytes of the growth plate in seven different clusters. These seven categories of chondrocytes were subsequently evaluated by immunohistochemistry of some well-defined molecular landmarks of chondrocyte differentiation. Furthermore, immunohistochemical analysis of proteins responsible for ionic changes and water transport allowing chondrocyte swelling during hypertrophy was also performed. Results obtained indicate that four subphases can be defined in the pre-hypertrophic zone and three subphases in the hypertrophic zone, a fact that raises that chondrocytes of the growth plate are less homogeneous than usually considered when different zones are defined according to subjective cell morphological criteria. Results in the present study provide a technological innovation and gives new insights into the complexity of the process of chondrocyte differentiation in the growth plate.
Continuity of chronic predation risk determines changes in prey physiology
Authors: Jermacz Łukasz , Kletkiewicz Hanna , Nowakowska Anna , Dzierżyńska-Białończyk Anna , Klimiuk Maciej , Kobak Jarosław
Published: April 2020

Prey reconfigure their physiology to avoid costs of prolonged predator pressure. However, these changes might not occur under periodic predation risk, with repeating acute phases. To test the effect of predation risk continuity on changes in prey physiology, we exposed amphipods: Dikerogammarus villosus and Gammarus jazdzewskii to periodic and constant predation cue. After one week, we measured: cellular defence systems: total antioxidant status (TAS), heat shock proteins (Hsp70); intracellular damage marker: lipid peroxidation (TBARS); condition index: glycogen concentration. Predator presence reduced TAS level in G. jazdzewskii independent of its continuity and in D. villosus after periodic exposure. Amphipods showed downregulation of Hsp70 when exposed to periodic (D. villosus) or constant (G. jazdzewskii) predation risk. Exposure to predators reduced TBARS level in D. villosus (irrespective of the continuity) and G. jazdzewskii (periodic exposure). Glycogen concentration in both species was not affected by predator presence. Thus, the continuity of the predator cue shaped prey physiology reconfiguration, optimizing costs of physiological adjustments under challenging conditions. Nevertheless, the lack of negative consequences of the prolonged exposure to the predator cue, whether constant or periodic, shows that amphipods can thrive under chronic predation risk, which is a constant part of the wild environment.
Effective object proposals: size prediction for pedestrian detection in surveillance videos
Authors: Qiu Ji , Wang Lide , Hu Yuhen , Wang Yin
Published: April 2020

Though detectors based on deep networks have witnessed a significant boost in pedestrian detection performance, small‐scale pedestrian detection remains to be a challenging task. To this end, the authors propose a scale prediction method to eliminate the dependence of most existing detectors on pre‐defined anchor boxes. Due to projective transformation, a pedestrian standing afar will appear smaller than one standing closeby. For a stationary surveillance camera, different blocks on the image correspond to the views of various depths leadings to diverse sizes of object proposals. A neural network structure is developed to empirically estimate the size of a pedestrian candidate in the pixel coordinates given its central location. Comprehensive sets of experiments on two real‐world datasets demonstrate that the proposed method achieves superior performance with state‐of‐the‐art methods. Besides, significant performance advantages on small pedestrian detection are observed.