bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Variation of Secondary Metabolites in the Aerial Biomass of Cryptocarya alba
Authors: Giordano Ady , Fuentes-Barros Gonzalo , Castro-Saavedra Sebastián , González-Cooper Antonia , Suárez-Rozas Cristian , Salas-Norambuena Julio , Acevedo-Fuentes Williams , Leyton Felipe , Tirapegui Cristian , Echeverría Javier , Claros Sandra , Cassels Bruce K.
Published: June 2019

Cryptocarya alba is an important tree species in the Chilean sclerophyllous forest. Its leaves and bark are used in traditional medicine to treat liver diseases and rheumatism. Analyses of the essential oil (EO) show serious discrepancies, and information on other constituents is limited. The aerial biomass of individual trees from 3 wild populations, some old trees, and farmed saplings were analyzed ( n = 132). The EO profiles were studied by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The alkaloidal and polyphenol compositions were determined by ultra-high-performance liquid chromatography (UHPLC)/MS-MS. The total polyphenol content, the total flavonoid content, and the antioxidant capacity (diphenylpicrylhydrazyl, azinobisethylbenzothiazolinesulfonic acid, and ferric reducing antioxidant power: DPPH, ABTS, and FRAP respectively) were determined by standard methods. Significant differences were found at the individual and population levels in the contents of polyphenols, total flavonoids, antioxidant capacity, and specific alkaloids for leaves, bark, and wood. Farmed saplings grown under less light showed higher concentrations of higenamine, N-methylcoclaurine, N-methyllaurotetanine, and isocorydine, while those receiving more light were richer in laurolitsine, boldine, coclaurine, catechin, quercetin, epicatechin, quercitrin, and procyanidins. Important variations were found according to the season, age of the tree and of the leaves. The EO composition also varied considerably. These results support the idea that the natural variability of medicinal species is an important subject for study.
Coprescription of QT interval-prolonging antipsychotics with potentially interacting medications in Thailand
Authors: Waleekhachonloet Onanong , Limwattananon Chulaporn , Rattanachotphanit Thananan
Published: June 2019

Background:

The US FDA has designated pimozide, thioridazine, and ziprasidone as contraindicated for patients at risk of QT interval prolongation, and assigned haloperidol, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, and risperidone as associated with a significant risk of QT prolongation. This study aimed to examine trends and hospital variations in concomitant prescribing among these eight selected antipsychotics, and coprescription with interacting drugs known to increase QT prolongation risk.

Methods:

Data on outpatient antipsychotic prescriptions during 2012–2015 were obtained from 16 general hospitals and 10 university hospitals nationwide. A time-series analysis was used for estimating trends in coprescription that led to drug interactions.

Results:

Coprescribing among the eight antipsychotics ranged from 7.5% for quetiapine to 33.1% for thioridazine. The rate of coprescription with contraindicated interacting drugs was 9.7% for thioridazine and 21.9% for pimozide, and increased by 1.1 and 1.4 percentage points (% pt.) yearly for thioridazine in general and university hospitals, respectively. Coprescribing with interacting drugs with precautions was 2.8% for quetiapine, 7.4% for ziprasidone, and 27.9% for risperidone; these percentages increased yearly by 1.7% pt. for ziprasidone and 2.6% pt. for risperidone in general hospitals, as well as by 1.0% pt. for risperidone in university hospitals. The median proportion of patients exposed to a QT-prolonging interaction was 12.3% across hospitals (interquartile range, 9.9–19.5%). Wide interhospital variation was found in percentages of drug interactions among patients receiving thioridazine, ziprasidone, paliperidone, or olanzapine in general hospitals, and among patients receiving paliperidone or pimozide in university hospitals.

Conclusions:

Coprescription of antipsychotics with interacting drugs that could increase the risk of QT prolongation was common in Thailand, and thioridazine, ziprasidone, and risperidone showed increasing trends. We urge the incorporation of a unified list of QT-prolonging antipsychotics and interacting drugs into a computerized drug interaction warning system, and existing national rational drug use campaigns should cover this important issue.
Wiping your conscience clean
Authors: Khan Mahreen , Grisham Jessica R.
Published: June 2019

The Macbeth effect is a proposed phenomenon, whereby feelings of immorality activate a desire to cleanse. Extensions of this theory suggest that cleansing alleviates immoral feelings, thus reducing the urge to engage in compensatory behaviors, such as volunteering. We examined the Macbeth effect and volunteerism in undergraduate students with high levels of obsessive-compulsive disorder contamination concerns ( n = 164). Participants underwent an immorality, anxiety, or neutral emotion-induction condition and subsequently cleansed their hands or performed a control task. For participants in the immorality condition, increased ratings of distress were associated with increased accessibility of cleansing words. Furthermore, individuals in the immorality condition who cleansed volunteered for significantly less time than those who did not cleanse. We discuss findings in relation to the literature on the Macbeth effect and mental contamination.
Mechanisms of change in metacognitive and cognitive behavioral therapy for treatment-resistant anxiety
Authors: Hoffart Asle , Johnson Sverre Urnes , Nordahl Hans Morten , Wells Adrian
Published: June 2019

Metacognitive therapy (MCT) has shown promising outcomes across disorders, but, currently, little is known about the mechanisms of change in MCT as well as their specificity compared to those of cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT). The main purpose of this study was to examine the within-person relationships between features of the cognitive attentional syndrome (CAS)—the thinking style supposed to maintain clinical disorders according to the MCT model—and anxiety over the course of MCT and CBT for comorbid anxiety disorders. Seventy-four inpatients had been randomized to either MCT or CBT and actually started treatment. CAS features and anxiety were assessed weekly during treatment. These measures were disaggregated to their within- and between-person components and used as predictors in mixed models. All CAS features—coping activities, negative metacognitive beliefs, and positive metacognitive beliefs—decreased over the course of treatment. Negative and positive beliefs decreased more in MCT than in CBT. Time-specific changes in positive metacognitive beliefs predicted variations in subsequent anxiety across the two treatments (within-person effect). The finding of a within-person relationship between positive metacognitive beliefs and subsequent anxiety has the clinical implication that reduction in these beliefs may be important for treatment response.
Do safety behaviors preserve threat expectancy?
Authors: van Uijen Sophie L. , Dalmaijer Edwin S. , van den Hout Marcel A. , Engelhard Iris M.
Published: June 2019

Empirical evidence for the detrimental effect of safety behaviors on fear extinction is inconsistent. This fear conditioning study investigated whether the negative effects of safety behavior on extinction learning depend on whether safety behavior precludes the occurrence of threat. In two experiments, participants first underwent fear acquisition. During a subsequent extinction procedure, participants used safety behavior that precluded the occurrence of threat, safety behavior that reduced threat, or no safety behavior. Safety behavior that precluded the occurrence of threat prevented extinction learning in the first and second experiments. Additionally, in the second experiment, safety behavior that reduced threat severity did not prevent extinction for several participants but did prevent it for others. The findings suggest that safety behavior that prevents the possibility of threat prevents extinction, whereas safety behavior that reduces threat does not prevent extinction consistently.
From the laboratory to the clinic (and back again): How experiments have informed cognitive–behavior therapy for obsessive–compulsive disorder
Authors: Gagné Jean-Philippe , Kelly-Turner Kenneth , Radomsky Adam S.
Published: June 2019

Behavioral and cognitive models—as well as complementary theories such as the inference-based, mood-as-input, and seeking proxies for internal states approaches—have been put forward to explain the development and maintenance of obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD). Although theory is important to inform the conceptualization and treatment of OCD, experimental research is essential to provide empirical support for these different theoretical approaches. Experiments allow an increased understanding of the mechanisms (e.g., maladaptive beliefs) associated with the etiology and maintenance of OCD symptoms and, in this way, directly contribute to the expansion and creation of cognitive–behavioral treatment strategies. This selective review demonstrates how foundational and sometimes groundbreaking experiments pertaining to core OCD symptoms (i.e., checking/reassurance seeking, obsessions, contamination, and ordering/arranging) have informed the improvement of cognitive–behavior therapy for this debilitating mental illness. The relevance of experiments with both clinical and analog samples is discussed, and recommendations for future experimental work are provided.
Coping with negative mental images in social anxiety disorder: Investigating the potential benefits of image morphing
Authors: Vidovic Vanja , Romano Mia , Moscovitch David A.
Published: June 2019

Negative mental imagery contributes to symptom maintenance in social anxiety disorder (SAD). Here, we investigated the effects of image morphing, a brief mental strategy designed to facilitate access to positive images. Participants with SAD and healthy control (HC) participants were randomly assigned to receive either image morphing or supportive counseling. Although initial training and 1-week daily practice were successful in equipping morphing participants across groups with the required skill, those assigned to morphing failed to demonstrate differential improvements in positive affect, negative affect, or self-perception relative to control participants during a subsequent social stress task. Ancillary analyses revealed that the number of positive details contained in retrieved or morphed images prior to the task significantly predicted the level of positive affect reported after the task, but this effect was observed only for HC participants. We discuss the need for future research to refine innovative imagery-based psychotherapeutic strategies for social anxiety.
Acceptance and efficacy of a metacognitive self-help intervention in an Arabic-speaking mixed patient sample with depression and/or obsessive–compulsive disorder: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Moritz Steffen , Irshaid Schaimaa , Beiner Annabel , Hauschildt Marit , Miegel Franziska
Published: June 2019

Objective:

In Arabic-speaking countries, most individuals with depression or obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD) do not seek or receive evidence-based treatment due to a dearth of facilities, shame/self-stigma, or religious concerns. The feasibility and effectiveness of “Western” psychotherapeutic concepts have rarely been evaluated for Arabic-speaking populations. The present study examined the efficacy of My Metacognitive Training (myMCT), a trans-therapeutic self-help manual, in a mixed sample of participants with depression and/or OCD. We considered both participants with depression and/or OCD because a number of cognitive biases and dysfunctional beliefs are shared by the two disorders.

Method:

The myMCT manual was translated into Arabic. A total of 160 individuals with either self-reported OCD and/or self-reported depression were recruited. Individuals were assessed at baseline and then randomized either to myMCT ( n = 84) or to a wait-list control condition ( n = 76). Six weeks later, individuals were invited to the post assessment. The Beck Depression Inventory (BDI-II) served here as the primary outcome. Secondary outcomes were the Obsessive–Compulsive Inventory–Revised (OCI-R) and the self-rating version of the Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (OCD patients only). Individuals were reimbursed with a 17€ voucher.

Results:

Completion rates were similarly low in the two groups (myMCT: 37%, controls: 35%). Presumably because of the high rate of noncompletion and nonadherence (29%), the intention-to-treat analyses failed to yield a significant effect. Those who had at least started the myMCT intervention improved significantly on the BDI-II at a large effect size. A significantly larger improvement among those who had started or completed the myMCT intervention was also seen on the OCI-R at a large effect size.

Conclusions:

Individuals who studied the myMCT manual showed large improvement on the BDI-II, irrespective of their primary symptomatology. However, the results are seriously compromised by the low completion rates in both conditions. Importantly, evaluations using the same manual in other language populations (and with other background cultures) produced good to excellent retention rates. The study demonstrates that self-help manuals may not represent a suitable medium for large-scale dissemination of evidence-based self-help material in an Arab population and corroborates prior findings suggesting low adherence in this population. Whether smartphone apps and Internet interventions represent more viable alternatives than self-help manuals needs to be tested, as well as specific barriers preventing dissemination and completion in this population.
Depression and reduced emotional experience in schizophrenia: Correlations with self-reported and informant-rated everyday social functioning
Authors: Harvey Philip D. , Deckler Elizabeth , Jones Mackenzie T. , Jarskog L. Fredrik , Penn David L. , Pinkham Amy E.
Published: June 2019

Negative symptoms and depression persist in one third of patients with schizophrenia. Previous studies suggested that depression has more impact on self-perceived compared to observer-rated social functions. Reduced emotional experience, a subdomain of negative symptoms, predicts social functioning deficits, although its role in self-assessment is unclear. We examined depression and reduced emotional experience and self-reports and informant ratings of social functioning and social cognitive abilities in 135 patients with schizophrenia. Discrepancies between sources were used to index the accuracy and bias in self-assessment. Less severe depression was associated with self-reports of reduced impairments in social functioning and better social cognitive abilities. Reduced emotional experience was related to informant ratings and self-reports of social functioning. Neither reduced emotional experience nor depression was correlated with discrepancies between sources, despite the bias of patients with lower depression to report that they were higher functioning and more competent. These findings suggest that patients with schizophrenia make global judgments about functioning based on current mood states. There was minimal association between the depression severity and the accuracy of self-assessment, despite positive biases associated with lower depression severity. The determinants of accuracy and bias in self-assessment requires more detailed examination and subdivision of patients based on their depression.
Metaperception of personality in schizophrenia
Authors: Pinkham Amy E. , Shasteen Jonathon R. , Ackerman Robert A.
Published: June 2019

Individuals with schizophrenia (SCZ) form less accurate mental representations of the self and others, which contributes to social dysfunction. It remains unclear, however, whether such deficits extend to metaperception (MP), the ability to understand how others view one’s own personality. In Phase 1 of this study, 30 individuals with SCZ and 30 healthy controls (HCs) had a videotaped conversation with an experimenter and then completed a Big Five trait questionnaire, with the goal of predicting how strangers who view their videos would rate them on the five personality traits. In Phase 2, separate participants watched the videos and rated targets’ personalities. These ratings served as “The Truth” to which Phase 1 MPs were compared for Tracking Accuracy (i.e., extent to which The Truth predicts MPs) and Directional Bias (i.e., extent to which MPs overestimate or underestimate the truth). Tracking Accuracy was weaker in SCZ than in HC for Openness, Conscientiousness, and Agreeableness. Moreover, Tracking Accuracy and Directional Bias of MPs in SCZ were unrelated to mentalizing abilities and clinical insight. Our results suggest that the capacity to understand how others view one’s own personality is impaired in SCZ and may be a distinct component of the social cognitive system.
A randomized controlled trial of Internet-delivered CBT and attention bias modification for early intervention of depression
Authors: McDermott Rebecca , Dozois David J. A.
Published: June 2019

The conceptualization and empirical knowledge base related to major depression has increased dramatically in recent years. We now have well-developed and validated models of depression from a range of theoretical perspectives. These models have significantly enhanced the development of effective treatments and preventative interventions. Although various prevention programs are available, Web-based protocols can enhance accessibility to evidence-based prevention programs. The current study involved a randomized controlled trial focused on the prevention and treatment of depression in high-risk first- and second-year undergraduate students. Three Internet-delivered preventative programs were compared: cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT; MoodGym), attentional bias modification, and an active attentional control condition. Participants ( n = 350) completed symptom measurement pre- and post-intervention (6 weeks) and again at a 4-month follow-up, when they were also administered a structured diagnostic interview. Participants in the CBT condition showed more dramatic and continuous depressive symptom improvement between baseline and follow-up than did participants in the other two conditions. In addition, significantly fewer individuals in CBT condition met diagnostic criteria for major depression at follow-up than in the other conditions. These findings have important implications for future early intervention research and practice.
Association between general and central adiposity and development of hypertension in early childhood
Authors: Ortiz-Pinto Maira A , Ortiz-Marrón Honorato , Ferriz-Vidal Isabel , Martínez-Rubio María V , Esteban-Vasallo María , Ordobás-Gavin María , Galán Iñaki
Published: June 2019

Objectives

To evaluate the association of general and abdominal obesity with high blood pressure in young children.

Methods

A longitudinal study including 1796 participants from the Madrid region (Spain) with baseline at age 4 years and a follow-up 2 years later. Blood pressure, body mass index and waist circumference were measured during a physical examination. We evaluated the association between obesity at baseline and weight changes between the ages of 4 and 6 years and high blood pressure. Data were analysed using linear and logistic regressions adjusted for covariates.

Results

Obese 4 year olds (general or abdominal obesity) experienced an average 4–5 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure and a 2.5–3 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure by the age of 6 years. Compared to children maintaining a non-excess weight (based on body mass index) during follow-up incident and persistent cases of excess weight (overweight or obesity) had an odds ratio (OR) for high blood pressure of 2.49 (95% confidence interval (CI) 1.50–4.13) and OR 2.54 (95% CI 1.27–5.07), respectively. Regarding abdominal obesity we estimated OR 2.81 (95% CI 0.98–8.02) for incident cases and OR 3.42 (95% CI 1.38–8.49) for persistent cases. Similar estimates for the waist–height ratio were observed. Individuals who experienced remission to non-excess weight did not have an increased risk of high blood pressure.

Conclusions

We observed an increased risk for high blood pressure among 4-year-olds who presented with persistent or incident cases of excess weight (body mass index) or abdominal obesity after 2 years of follow-up. Children with excess weight or obesity at baseline who remitted to non-excess weight did not exhibit an increased risk of high blood pressure.
Investigation of air pollution and noise on progression of thoracic aortic calcification: results of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study
Authors: Hennig Frauke , Moebus Susanne , Reinsch Nico , Budde Thomas , Erbel Raimund , Jöckel Karl-Heinz , Lehmann Nils , Hoffmann Barbara , Kälsch Hagen ,   on behalf of the Heinz Nixdorf Recall Study Investigative Group
Published: June 2019

Aims

Air pollution and noise are potential risk factors for subclinical atherosclerosis. Longitudinal analyses, especially on the interplay of these environmental factors, are scarce and inconsistent. Hence we investigated long-term traffic-related exposure to air pollution and noise with the development and progression of thoracic aortic calcification, a marker of subclinical atherosclerosis.

Methods

We used baseline (2000–2003) and follow-up (2006–2008) data from the German Heinz Nixdorf Recall cohort study, including 4814 middle-aged adults. Residence-based air pollution (PM2.5 (aerodynamic diameter ≤ 2.5 µm), PM10, nitrogen dioxide and particle number), and noise was assessed with dispersion models. Thoracic aortic calcification was quantified from non-contrast enhanced electron beam computed tomography. The presence and extent of thoracic aortic calcification progression were analysed with multiple logistic and linear regression models, respectively, adjusting for age, sex, lifestyle variables, socioeconomic status and respective co-exposure.

Results

We observed no association in the full study sample ( n = 3155, mean age 59.1 (±7.6) years, 52.8% women). While an interquartile range in particle number and night-time noise yielded odds ratios of 1.20 (1.03, 1.40) and 1.21 (1.00, 1.46) for binary thoracic aortic calcification progression, and 0.02 (–0.01, 0.05) and 0.04 (0.00, 0.07) higher growth rates of thoracic aortic calcification in participants with baseline thoracic aortic calcification less than 10, negative findings were observed in those with baseline thoracic aortic calcification of 10 or greater. Results were similar for other pollutants and daytime noise.

Conclusion

Our study shows no overall associations. Subgroup analyses suggest independent associations of traffic-related air pollution and noise with the development and progression of subclinical atherosclerosis in participants with no or minor thoracic aortic calcification at baseline, in contrast to negative findings in those with advanced calcification.
National Level Social Determinants of Health and Outcomes: Longitudinal Analysis of 27 Industrialized Countries
Authors: Park Myung-Bae , Nam Eun Woo
Published: June 2019

To improve health, it is important to understand the social determinants of health (SDH). This study aimed to identify the SDH through national-level indices in industrialized countries. To examine the SDH, we conducted a longitudinal analysis using a panel regression. We sampled from 27 Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) member countries. We chose 19 indices across four categories of health outcomes, which are the socioeconomic environment, the physical environment, health behavior, and health services. Japan ranked in the highest tier for all outcome categories, followed by Iceland, Sweden, and Switzerland. Gross domestic product (GDP, per capita), unemployment, nitrogen oxides (NOX, kilograms per capita), tobacco consumption (SMO, grams per capita [15+]), sugar intake, fat intake, and number of doctors (DOC, per 1,000) had statistically significant effects on life expectancy at birth. GDP, NOX, alcohol consumption, SMO, DOC, total health expenditure (THE, GDP percent), and vaccination coverage for measles (VACCINE, percent) were associated with mortality. In the case of potential years of life lost (PYLL), GDP, NOX, alcohol consumption (ALC, liters per capita [15+]), SMO, DOC, THE, and VACCINE were statistically significant. GDP, school life expectancy, wastewater treatment rate, and VACCINE were associated with the infant mortality rate (IMR). Combining all of the results shows that to improve national-level health outcomes, tobacco and alcohol controls and nutritional policies should be strengthened first, as they will contribute more to mortality and PYLL. Vaccinations will contribute more to IMR and PYLL reductions.
Development and Maintenance of Self-Disclosure on Facebook: The Role of Personality Traits
Authors: Caci Barbara , Cardaci Maurizio , Miceli Silvana
Published: June 2019

This study explored the relationships between Facebook self-disclosure and personality traits in a sample of Italian users. The aim was to analyze the predictive role of Big Five personality traits on different parameters of breadth and depth of self-disclosed behaviors online. Facebook users, aged between 18 and 64 years of age ( Mage = 25.3 years, SD = 6.8; N = 958), of which 51% were female, voluntarily completed an online survey assessing personality traits and Facebook self-disclosure. Results at a series of hierarchical regression analyses significantly corroborated the hypotheses that high extroverted and openness people tend to disclose on Facebook a significant amount of personal information, whereas high consciousness and agreeableness users are less inclined to do it. Furthermore, more extroverts and agreeableness people develop less intimacy on Facebook, differently from those with high levels of openness. Results also corroborated the hypothesis of a full mediation of time usage in the relationship between personality factors such as extroversion and conscientiousness with breadth of Facebook self-disclosure. Overall, according to the findings of the current study, personality traits and Facebook self-disclosure become central both as predictive variables for depicting the different profiles of potential addicted and as variables to help educators, teachers, and clinicians to develop training or therapeutic programs aimed at preventing the risk of Internet addiction. Limitations of the study are discussed, and directions for future research are suggested.
Nonpharmacological Self-Management of Migraine Across Social Locations: An Equity-Oriented, Qualitative Analysis
Authors: Befus Deanna R , Hull Sharon , Strand de Oliveira Justine , Schmidler Gillian Sanders , Weinberger Morris , Coeytaux Remy R
Published: June 2019

Background

Migraine is a disabling neurological disorder and the sixth biggest cause of disability worldwide. The World Health Organization has declared migraine a major public health problem due to a paucity of knowledge about cause and effective treatment options. Both in incidence and severity, migraine disproportionately affects people occupying marginalized social locations (SL). Managed pharmacologically, migraine is treated with daily preventive and as-needed abortive medications. Both come with high literal and figurative costs: intolerable side effects, medication interactions, and prohibitive prices. Cost prohibitive, ineffective, and unsustainable pharmacological treatment options have contributed to high levels of interest in complementary approaches by people with migraine, but little is known about their motivations, patterns of use or access, or how these may vary by SL.

Method

We conducted focus groups with 30 people with migraine to explore their desires and recommendations for migraine clinicians and researchers. We used qualitative content analysis to identify themes. Outcomes: We identified 4 themes: a more holistic, collaborative, long-term treatment approach; medication as a short-term solution; high personal and economic costs of medication; and desire for more information and access to natural approaches. Across SL, participants expressed keen interest in integrative approaches and wanted better access to complementary modalities. Participants in marginalized SL described reliance on traditional/folk remedies, including engagement with family and community healers, who they described as more affordable and culturally accessible.

Conclusions

Holistic and integrative approaches were preferred over medication as long-term migraine management strategies. However, people in marginalized SL, while disproportionately disabled by migraine, did not feel as comfortable accessing integrative approaches through currently available channels. Engaging with these communities and using a critical lens to explore barriers to access can develop options to make complementary modalities more approachable, while also attending to systemic blind spots that may unintentionally alienate socially marginalized groups.
Siblings’ Appraisals of Fairness and Jealousy in Response to Parental Differential Treatment: Longitudinal Links to Mexican-Origin Emerging Adults’ Adjustment
Authors: Padilla Jenny , Sang Samantha A. , Updegraff Kimberly A. , McHale Susan M. , Umaña-Taylor Adriana J. , De Jesús Sue A. Rodríguez
Published: June 2019

Parents’ differential treatment (PDT) and their children’s appraisals of its fairness have been linked to adjustment across childhood and adolescence, primarily in Anglo American families. We extend this literature by studying Mexican-origin siblings’ appraisals of PDT fairness and jealousy toward siblings and their longitudinal links with emerging adult adjustment. Siblings’ familism values, sibling dyad gender constellation, and birth order were examined as moderators of these linkages. Participants were mothers, fathers, and two siblings from 246 Mexican-origin families who completed home interviews at three points in time across 8 years. Appraisals of mothers’ and fathers’ fairness in late adolescence (younger siblings)/emerging adulthood (older siblings) predicted siblings’ depressive symptoms 2 years later, but no relations emerged with jealousy. Familism values and sibling dyad gender constellation did not moderate these associations. Mothers’ and fathers’ differential conflict in early-/mid-adolescence predicted siblings’ risky behaviors in emerging adulthood. Discussion highlights the importance of PDT dynamics for emerging adults’ adjustment.
A Cross-Sectional Study of Stress and the Perceived Style of Decision-Making in Clinicians and Patients With Cancer
Authors: Vivian Elaina , Oduor Hellen , Lundberg Laurie , Vo Allison , Mantry Parvez S
Published: June 2019

Background and Aims:

Perceived stress and mindfulness can impact medical decision-making in both patients and clinicians. The aim of this study was to conduct a cross-sectional evaluation of the relationships between stress, mindfulness, self-regulation, perceptions of treatment conversations, and decision-making preferences among clinicians. Also, perceptions of treatment conversations and decision-making preferences among patients with cancer were evaluated.

Methodology:

Survey instruments were developed for clinicians and patients incorporating previously published questions and validated instruments. Institutional review board approval was obtained. Patients, physicians, and advanced practice providers from a tertiary referral center were asked to complete surveys. Continuous variables were evaluated for normality and then bivariate relationships between variables were evaluated using χ2, Fisher's exact test, Cochran-Mantel-Haenszel (CMH) row mean scores differ statistic, or Kruskal-Wallis tests, where appropriate. Significance was defined at P < .05. All tests were conducted using SAS v.9.4.

Results:

77 patients and 86 clinicians (60.1% and 43% response rates, respectively) participated in the surveys. More clinicians who reported feeling “great/good” said they always/sometimes had enough time to spend with patients (66.1%) compared to those that hardly ever/never had enough time (26.3%), χ2(1, N = 75) = 6.62, P = .0101; CMH row mean scores differ statistic). Interestingly, 40.3% of patients preferred a paternalistic style of decision-making compared to 6.3% of clinicians, χ2(2, N = 146) = 27.46, P < .0001; χ2 test. Higher levels of dispositional mindfulness (Mindful Attention Awareness Scale) were found among clinicians who reported they felt “great/good” (median = 4.5) as compared to those who reported that they were “definitely stressed/stressed out” (3.3), χ2(2, N = 80) = 10.32, P = .0057; Kruskal-Wallis test. Higher levels of emotional self-regulation (Emotional Regulation Questionnaire—Cognitive Reappraisal facet) were found among clinicians who reported they felt “great/good” (median = 31.0) compared to those who reported that they were “definitely stressed/stressed out” (20.0), χ2(2, N = 79) = 8.88, P = .0118; Kruskal-Wallis test.

Conclusion:

In order to have meaningful conversations about treatment planning, an understanding of mental well-being and its relationship to decision-making preferences is crucial for both oncology patients and clinicians. Our results show that for clinicians, lower perceived stress was associated with higher levels of mindfulness (experiencing the present moment), emotional self-regulation, and spending more time with patients. Larger prospective studies are needed to validate these findings.
Ten-day and four-week toxicity and toxicokinetics studies of alpha-glycosyl isoquercitrin in juvenile Göttingen minipigs
Authors: Maronpot Robert R , Ramot Yuval , Koyanagi Mihoko , Dias Nicola , Cameron David , Eniola Samuel , Nyska Abraham , Hayashi Shim-mo
Published: June 2019

Background:

Alpha-glycosyl isoquercitrin (AGIQ) is widely used as an anti-oxidative food additive in many products. Nevertheless, information on its safety and toxicity is still very limited. A 90-day toxicity study in rats and comprehensive genotoxic studies have proven AGIQ to be safe.

Aim:

The goal of this study was to assess the safety of use of AGIQ in infant formula. To test for potential adverse effects on growth or other safety issues specific for young animals, we performed a 10-day and a 4-week study in preweaning Göttingen minipigs.

Method:

Newborn minipigs were treated four times per day with oral AGIQ (0, 100, 300, or 1000 mg/kg/day) for 10 days or 4 weeks.

Results:

All animals remained in good health throughout both studies, and there were no treatment-related signs of toxicity or abnormal findings in blood parameters. In the 4-week study, yellow coloration of the bones was seen in all animals in the high-dose group with no related histological findings. Hepatocellular and sinusoidal/Kupffer cell iron deposition was seen in the liver of all animals in both studies, as expected after the routine administration of supplemental iron to newborn animals. There was sufficient evidence of systemic exposure based on plasma levels of AGIQ metabolites.

Conclusion:

Taken together, these findings show that oral administration of AGIQ in reconstituted milk supplement to preweaning Göttingen minipigs for 4 weeks at up to 1000 mg/kg/day does not result in any adverse treatment-related effects and further support the safety of AGIQ as a food additive.
Pulmonary vascular density: comparison of findings on computed tomography imaging with histology
Authors: Rahaghi Farbod N. , Argemí Gemma , Nardelli Pietro , Domínguez-Fandos David , Arguis Pedro , Peinado Víctor I. , Ross James C. , Ash Samuel Y. , de La Bruere Isaac , Come Carolyn E. , Diaz Alejandro A. , Sánchez Marcelo , Washko George R. , Barberà Joan Albert , San José Estépar Raúl
Published: June 2019

Background

Exposure to cigarette smoke has been shown to lead to vascular remodelling. Computed tomography (CT) imaging measures of vascular pruning have been associated with pulmonary vascular disease, an important morbidity associated with smoking. In this study we compare CT-based measures of distal vessel loss to histological vascular and parenchymal changes.

Methods

A retrospective review of 80 patients who had undergone lung resection identified patients with imaging appropriate for three-dimensional (3D) vascular reconstruction (n=18) and a second group for two-dimensional (2D) analysis (n=19). Measurements of the volume of the small vessels (3D) and the cross-sectional area of the small vessels (<5 mm2cross-section) were computed. Histological measures of cross-sectional area of the vasculature and loss of alveoli septa were obtained for all subjects.

Results

The 2D cross-sectional area of the vasculature on CT imaging was associated with the histological vascular cross-sectional area (r=0.69; p=0.001). The arterial small vessel volume assessed by CT correlated with the histological vascular cross-sectional area (r=0.50; p=0.04), a relationship that persisted even when adjusted for CT-derived measures of emphysema in a regression model.

Conclusions

Loss of small vessel volume in CT imaging of smokers is associated with histological loss of vascular cross-sectional area. Imaging-based quantification of pulmonary vasculature provides a noninvasive method to study the multiscale effects of smoking on the pulmonary circulation.
Systematic review on the comparative effectiveness of foot orthoses in patients with rheumatoid arthritis
Authors: Tenten‐Diepenmaat Marloes , Dekker Joost , Heymans Martijn W. , Roorda Leo D. , Vliet Vlieland Thea P. M. , van der Leeden Marike
Published: June 2019

Background

Foot orthoses (FOs) are prescribed as an important conservative treatment option in patients with foot problems related to rheumatoid arthritis. However, a broad variation in FOs is used, both in clinical practice and in research. To date, there is no overview on the outcomes of the treatment with different kinds of FOs in patients with rheumatoid arthritis and a specific foot problem. The objectives of the present study were to summarize the comparative effectiveness of FOs in the treatment of various foot problems in patients with rheumatoid arthritis, on the primary outcomes foot function and foot pain, and the secondary outcomes physical functioning, health related quality of life, compliance, adverse events, the costs of FOs and patient satisfaction.

Methods

Studies comparing different kinds of FOs, with a presumed therapeutic effect, in the treatment of foot problems related to rheumatoid arthritis were included. A literature search was conducted in The Cochrane Central Registry for Controlled Trials (CENTRAL), PubMed, EMBASE and PEDro up to May 18th, 2018. Data was meta‐analyzed, when this was not possible qualitative data analysis was performed.

Results

Ten studies were identified, with a total number of 235 patients. These studies made a comparison between different materials used (soft versus semi‐rigid), types of FOs (custom‐made versus ready‐made; total‐contact versus non‐total contact), or modifications applied (metatarsal bars versus domes). Also, different techniques to construct custom‐made FOs were compared (standard custom‐molding techniques versus more sophisticated techniques). A medium effect for (immediate) reduction of forefoot plantar pressure was found in favor of treatment with soft FOs compared to semi‐rigid FOs (SMD 0.60, 95% CI 0.07–1.14; P = 0.03; 28 participants). Other comparisons between FOs resulted in non‐significant effects or inconclusive evidence for one kind of FOs over the other.

Conclusions

Foot orthoses made of soft materials may lead to more (immediate) forefoot plantar pressure reduction compared to foot orthoses constructed of semi‐rigid materials. Definitive high quality RCTs, with adequate sample sizes and long‐term follow‐up, are needed to investigate the comparative (cost‐) effectiveness of different kinds of foot orthoses for the treatment of foot problems related to rheumatoid arthritis.
Improving seismic image using the common-horizon panel
Authors: Liu Lu
Published: June 2019

Generating high-quality seismic images requires accurate velocity models. However, velocity errors are predictably brought into the models. To mitigate the influences of velocity errors, we have used the common-horizon panel (CHP) for migration velocity analysis. CHP provides quantitative information to adjust mispositioned interfaces or correct deformed wavefields, which leads to improved image quality. It is generated by extrapolating seismic gathers to a selected target horizon and applying the time-shift imaging condition. Compared with the commonly used common-image gathers, the events in CHPs are more trackable because geologic interfaces are typically continuous in space. For a correct velocity model, the panel indicates a flat event at zero time lag, whereas in the case of an erroneous velocity model, the event becomes kinematically oscillating. This distinguishing difference provides a practical criterion to verify whether the migration velocity model is correct and to estimate the velocity or wavefield errors based on how much the event deviates from zero time lag. Tests on synthetic and field data sets have shown that the seismic images are improved by using the proposed CHP technique.
Regularization strategies for deep-learning-based salt model building
Authors: Sen Satyakee , Kainkaryam Sribharath , Ong Cen , Sharma Arvind
Published: June 2019

Salt model building has long been considered a severe bottleneck for large-scale 3D seismic imaging projects. It is one of the most time-consuming, labor-intensive, and difficult-to-automate processes in the entire depth imaging workflow requiring significant intervention by domain experts to manually interpret the salt bodies on noisy, low-frequency, and low-resolution seismic images at each iteration of the salt model building process. The difficulty and need for automating this task is well-recognized by the imaging community and has propelled the use of deep-learning-based convolutional neural network (CNN) architectures to carry out this task. However, significant challenges remain for reliable production-scale deployment of CNN-based methods for salt model building. This is mainly due to the poor generalization capabilities of these networks. When used on new surveys, never seen by the CNN models during the training stage, the interpretation accuracy of these models drops significantly. To remediate this key problem, we have introduced a U-shaped encoder-decoder type CNN architecture trained using a specialized regularization strategy aimed at reducing the generalization error of the network. Our regularization scheme perturbs the ground truth labels in the training set. Two different perturbations are discussed: one that randomly changes the labels of the training set, flipping salt labels to sediments and vice versa and the second that smooths the labels. We have determined that such perturbations act as a strong regularizer preventing the network from making highly confident predictions on the training set and thus reducing overfitting. An ensemble strategy is also used for test time augmentation that is shown to further improve the accuracy. The robustness of our CNN models, in terms of reduced generalization error and improved interpretation accuracy is demonstrated with real data examples from the Gulf of Mexico.
An analysis of fractal dimension and tortuosity based on 2D numerical reconstruction model of reservoir rocks
Authors: Luo Liang , Jin Jiahong , Wei Wei , Cai Jianchao
Published: June 2019

The microstructure of reservoir rocks plays an important role in oil and gas accumulation and production. We examine a universal method to evaluate these properties of rocks, such as pore tortuosity, matrix porosity, and connectivity, and we respectively construct a 2D numerical reconstruction rock model with different microstructure parameters by the Monte Carlo method and the quartet structure generation set method. We further study the heterogeneity (characterized by fractal dimension and tortuosity) of the constructed image for reservoir rocks by the numerical and theoretical analysis and obtain the formulas for fractal dimension and tortuosity versus porosity. The simulation results show that the logarithmic relation is between the pore fractal dimension and porosity, and the relationship between tortuosity and porosity has the form of power. This process provided an important method to advance 2D reconstruction technology of reservoir rocks and effectively determine the relationship between microstructure and porosity.
Open dialogue in the UK: qualitative study
Authors: Tribe Rachel H. , Freeman Abigail M. , Livingstone Steven , Stott Joshua C. H. , Pilling Stephen
Published: June 2019

Background

Open dialogue is an integrative approach to the organisation of specialist mental health services and therapeutic meetings.

Aims

This qualitative study sought to explore service users' and clinicians’ experiences of network meetings during the implementation of open dialogue in a modified version, for a UK-based mental health service.

Method

In total 19 participants were interviewed (8 service users and 11 clinicians) and an inductive thematic analysis of the data was conducted.

Results

Four dominant themes were identified: (1) open dialogue delivery, (2) the impact of open dialogue principles; (3) intense interactions and enhanced communication, and (4) organisational challenges. Clinicians considered open dialogue as a preferred, but challenging way of working, while being therapeutic. The data indicated that service users' experiences of network meetings were mixed. There was a wide variety of service user views as to what the purpose of a network meeting was and for some witnessing reflective conversations felt strange. However, the majority described feeling listened to and understood, excluding one service user who described their experience as distressing. Clinicians expressed an authentic self in their interactions with service users and both service users and clinicians described network meetings as emotionally expressive, although this was described as overwhelming at times.

Conclusions

The results of this thematic analysis indicate that service users' and clinicians’ experiences of open dialogue warrant further investigation. The intensity of interactions in network meetings should be carefully considered with service users before gaining consent to commence treatment. Implementation of open dialogue should be monitored to assess clinician- and service-level adherence to the principles of the approach.

Declaration of interest

None.
Sodium valproate in psychiatric practice: time for a change in perception
Authors: Owens David Cunningham
Published: June 2019

Sodium valproate and related preparations have recently undergone regulatory review following concern about effects on the unborn child and doctors' failure to communicate risk. The issues are wider. Valproate is overused in psychiatry based on the false perception that ‘ease’ of use equates to better safety than alternatives. Valproic acid can disrupt fundamental physiological processes, the consequences of which are poorly understood and little discussed in the psychiatric literature. Valproate may be useful in a small number of patients with bipolar disorder but current prescribing patterns are unjustified. Perception needs to change.

Declaration of interest

D.C.O. is psychiatric commissioner on the Commission on Human Medicines and a member of the European Medicines Agency's Scientific Advisory Group on Psychiatry. He chaired the European Medicines Agency's review of the psychiatric use of valproate in pregnancy and women of childbearing potential.