bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Implication of the RAGE–EN‐RAGE axis in endometriosis
Authors: Sharma Indu , Dhawan Veena , Saha Subhash Chand , Rashmi Bagga , Dhaliwal Lakhbir Kaur 
Published: June 2010

AbstractObjectiveTo investigate the involvement of the receptor gene for advanced glycation (RAGE), its ligand EN‐RAGE, and COX‐2 in endometriosis.MethodsThe mRNA and protein expression of the corresponding genes were determined from endometriotic cells from 28 study patients and healthy endometrial stromal cells from 20 controls by semiquantitative RT‐PCR and Western blot analysis, respectively, using β‐actin as an invariant control.ResultsThe expression of COX‐2, RAGE, and EN‐RAGE was significantly increased, as evidenced by the significantly greater mRNA and protein expression in the cells of the study patients (P < 0.001). Previous treatment for endometriosis did not lessen mRNA and protein expression (P < 0.001).ConclusionOur findings strengthen the hypothesis of an underlying inflammation in the pathophysiology of endometriosis and suggest exploring anti‐inflammatory therapies as adjunct treatment.
Drogenkonsum Jugendlicher und junger Erwachsener – Ergebnisse der Drogenaffinitätsstudie 2008
Authors: Stander Volker , Orth Boris 
Published: June 2010

Einleitung
Seit 1973 führt die Bundeszentrale für gesundheitliche Aufklärung (BZgA) in regelmäßigen Abständen Repräsentativerhebungen zur Drogenaffinität Jugendlicher und junger Erwachsener im Alter von 12 bis 25 Jahren durch. Es fanden bisher elf Querschnittserhebungen statt; die ersten sechs im Gebiet der alten Bundesrepublik und seit 1993 nun fünf in ganz Deutschland.
Der mit dem Begriff Drogenaffinität bezeichnete Untersuchungsgegenstand bezieht sich nicht nur auf die illegalen Rauschmittel, sondern auch auf Alkohol- und Tabakkonsum. Die Drogenaffinitätsstudie erhebt darüber hinaus die Konsummotive und die situativen Bedingungen des Gebrauchs von Alkohol, Tabak und illegalen Rauschmitteln, sowie die fördernden und hindernden Einflussfaktoren auf den Drogenkonsum Jugendlicher und junger Erwachsener. Ebenso enthält sie Indikatoren zur kommunikativen Erreichbarkeit der Jugendlichen mit Präventionsmaßnahmen.
Abrasion-derived sediments under intensified winds at the latest Pleistocene leading edge of the advancing Sinai–Negev erg
Authors: Enzel Yehouda , Amit Rivka , Crouvi Onn , Porat Naomi 
Published: June 2010

AbstractQuaternary desert loess and sandstone–loessite relationships in the geological record raise questions regarding causes and mechanisms of silt formation and accretion. In the northern Sinai–Negev desert carbonate terrain, only sand abrasion in active erg could have produced the large quantities of quartzo-feldspathic silts constituting the late Quaternary northwestern Negev loess. In the continuum of source (medium to fine sand of dunes) to sink (silts in loess) the very fine sand is unaccounted for in the record. This weakens the sand abrasion model of silt formation as a global process. Here, we demonstrate that, as predicted by experiments, abrasion by advancing dunes generated large quantities of very fine sand (60–110 μm) deposited within the dune field and in close proximity downwind. This very fine sand was generated 13–11 ka, possibly synchronous with the Younger Dryas under gusty sand/dust storms in the southeastern Mediterranean and specifically in the northern Sinai–Negev erg. These very fine sands were washed down slope and filled small basins blocked by the advancing dunes; outside these sampling basins it is difficult to identify these sands as a distinct product. We conclude that ergs are mega-grinders of sand into very fine sand and silt under windy Quaternary and ancient aeolian desert environments.
Palynological records of Holocene monsoon change from the Gulf of Tonkin (Beibuwan), northwestern South China Sea
Authors: Li Zhen , Zhang Yulan , Li Yongxiang , Zhao Jing 
Published: June 2010

AbstractPalynological records in cores C4 and B106 from the Gulf of Tonkin reveal signals of paleo-monsoon and paleoenvironmental change during the late Pleistocene and Holocene. Before ∼ 13.4 cal kyr BP, the Gulf of Tonkin was exposed to the atmosphere and covered by grassland. Starting at ∼ 11.7 cal kyr BP, the Gulf of Tonkin was inundated by brackish water, indicated by the appearance of the brackish algae Cleistosphaeridium, Sentusidinium and Spiniferites, a decrease of herb content, and an increase of Pinus. After Hainan Island was completely separated from the Leizhou Peninsula by Qiongzhou Strait at ∼ 8.5 cal kyr BP, a continuous marine sedimentary environment was found. The current patterns were similar to those of the present, with a general trend of current homogenization reflected by gradually decreasing quantities of Quercus pollen and a narrowing gap between the palynological concentrations of the southern and northern parts of the region. The data suggest that three short periods of strengthened winter monsoons and currents were centered at ∼ 6.0 cal kyr BP, ∼ 2.7 cal kyr BP and ∼ 0.2 cal kyr BP and that two short periods of strengthened summer monsoons and currents were centered at ∼ 7.5 cal kyr BP and ∼ 3.4 cal kyr BP.
S26-02 - Antipsychotic Treatment: Polypharmacy Versus Monotherapy
Authors: Naber D. 
Published: June 2010

Numerous studies in different countries throughout the world have shown that 30-60% of schizophrenia patients, when treated with antipsychotic drugs, receive two or more antipsychotics simultaneously.Reasons for antipsychotic polypharmacy are not often well described, they might be insufficient efficacy (was the maximal tolerable dosage given?), tolerability problems (severe or transient, treatable by other drugs?) or an “unfinished switching procedure”: Cross-tapering from antipsychotic A to antipsychotic B is stopped halfway at a reduced dosage of A and a sub-therapeutic dosage of B, because this combination seems to work. However, it is not known whether B alone would be better.Most often, antipsychotics with different receptor binding and side effect profiles are combined, although scientific evidence supporting the common practice is rather limited. Most controlled studies did not reveal an advantage of the combination versus monotherapy. Particularly for clozapine, where anecdotal reports and open trials indicated the usefulness of a combination with amisulpride, aripiprazole or risperidone, double-blind trials were mostly negative. However, in individual patients, hard or impossible to define, well-reflected combinations might be justified.The few controlled studies and the resulting suggestions for everyday practice are presented to answer the following questions: When (after how many weeks of monotherapy) is a combination justified? Are there any criteria to decide switching the antipsychotic versus combining antipsychotics? Which combination(s) of antipsychotics might be useful?
S26-03 - Off Label Use of Drugs in Psychiatry
Authors: Bitter I. 
Published: June 2010

IntroductionOne type of the treatment interventions is the “off label” use of a drug, which may include the use of a drug in a nonapproved indication, dose range, age group, drug combination and drug formulation. Research in this field is insufficient, while the medical, financial and legal consequences of off label use maybe serious. In case of off label use of a drug the manufacturer does not have any responsibility in case of adverse or serious adverse events.MethodsLabels (summary of product characteristics) of antipsychotic drugs have been compared for indications and examples of regulations for off label use have been collected.ResultsLabels (summary of product characteristics) very rarely include indications for children, adolescents and for the elderly. A significant proportion of psychotic disorders listed in DSM-IV or in ICD 10 and major clinical syndromes have not been included as indications in the label of antipsychotic drugs. The same compound marketed by different companies under different names may have different labels.The regulations for off label use of drugs vary between countries and as of today there is no common European regulation for off label drug use. In some countries off label drug prescription is not restricted, these prescriptions maybe reimbursed. Some countries restrict reimbursement of off label prescriptions and there are countries restricting the prescriptions.ConclusionsMore research (especially in young and old age groups) is needed in this field and some European guidelines/regulation would increase the safety of using drugs off label.
S20-01 - Parathyroid Hormone and Cognitive Deficits in Lithium-Treated Bipolar Patients
Authors: Severus E. , Fast K. , Tomova N. , Berger M. , Obermeier M. , Seemüller F. , Dittmann S. , Bernhard B. , Möller H.-J. , Riedel M. 
Published: June 2010

IntroductionLong-term lithium-treatment has been associated with deficits in several cognitive domains in euthymic bipolar patients. At the same time, long-term lithium treatment is also associated with an increase in parathyroid levels, often without a concomitant increase in calcium levels. Such an isolated increase in parathyroid levels has been linked to depressive symptoms and cognitive deficits in otherwise healthy individuals.AimsTo investigate whether increased parathyroid levels are associated with cognitive deficits in euthymic bipolar patients.MethodsWe plan to recruit 30 euthymic bipolar patients on lithium treatment for this study. Patients will take part in several neuropsychological tests, covering executive functioning, memory and attention. In parallel, blood levels of lithium, parathyroid hormone, 25-hydroxyvitamin D, creatinine, calcium and phosphate will be assessed, besides clinical chemistry and blood cell count. In addition, to account for potential confounders, a variety of clinical variables will be recorded, including established mood rating scales and demographic variables as well as further parameters relevant to the course of the illness.ResultsAs the study is still ongoing results are not available yet at this moment.DiscussionResults will be discussed in the context of previous studies examining the impact of lithium and parathyroid hormone on mood and cognition in healthy individuals and patients with bipolar disorder, respectively. Dependent on the outcome of this study, potential future studies, including intervention trials aiming at lowering increased PTH levels in bipolar patients on lithium will be outlined.
S29-03 - Web-Based Psychoeducation for Bipolar Disorder
Authors: Smith D.J. 
Published: June 2010

IntroductionPsychoeducational interventions are promising long-term therapeutic options for bipolar disorder. We have developed a novel, web-based psychoeducational treatment for bipolar disorder, called “Beating Bipolar” www.BeatingBipolar.org. This was developed using an interative process involving several focus groups with patients, carers, families and professionals. The key areas covered in the package are: i) diagnosis; ii) causes; iii) medication; iv) lifestyle; v) relapse prevention and early intervention; vi) psychological approaches; vii) gender-specific considerations and viii) advice for family and carers. The 8 modules are delivered online on a fortnightly basis over a four-month period.Objectives and aimsWe aim to test the acceptability of the package to users and are currently conducting an exploratory randomised clinical trial (Trial registration: ISRCTN81375447).MethodsThe primary outcome measure will be quality of life, measured using the WHOQOL-Bref, and secondary outcome assessments will include scores on the Global Assessment of Functioning (GAF), the Functioning Assessment Short Test (FAST), the Schedule of Assessment of Insight (SAI), the Montgomery Asberg Depression Rating Scale (MADRS), the Young Mania Rating Scale (YMRS), and the number and severity of depressive and manic or hypomanic episodes experienced during the 10-month follow-up period. An assessment of costs and a detailed process evaluation involving qualitative interviews with participants will also be completed.ResultsInitial findings will be presented during the symposium.ConclusionsIt is expected that findings from this exploratory trial will inform the design of a definitive randomised controlled trial of this intervention in the future.
S13-01 - Substance Abuse Treatment as a Predictor of Criminal Recidivism Among Psychiatrically Examined Swedish Offenders
Authors: Durbeej N. , Gumpert C.H. , Alm C. , Eriksson Å. , Berman A.H. , Kristiansson M. , Lindqvist P. , Palmstierna T. 
Published: June 2010

BackgroundSubstance abuse is clearly associated with criminal recidivism among offenders with and without mental disorder. Treatment for substance abuse correlates with lower rates of re-offending among participants in outpatient-based as well as institution-based substance abuse treatment programs. However, for offenders with mental disorder, research on the possible preventive effect of substance abuse treatment on criminal recidivism is sparse. This paper reports from on an ongoing naturalistic and prospective interview study on the relationship between post-release outpatient substance abuse treatment and re-offending.MethodsThe Stockholm county sample comprises 246 offenders of both genders subjected to a forensic psychiatric assessment, who screened positive for substance abuse problems. Eighty-five percent (n=210) agreed to participate in the study. Baseline data and follow-up interview data, collected immediately on release from incarceration (prison/forensic hospital) and 6 and 12 months later, include self-reported substance abuse, treatment involvement and criminality. By February 2010, data will be available from the first follow-up for 150 participants, from the second follow-up for 80 individuals and from the third follow-up for 10 subjects.Results and conclusionsThe focus of the presentation will be recidivism comparisons between substance abuse treatment utilizers and those who decline treatment. Data on ongoing levels of substance abuse, mental health problems and offending will serve as dependent variables. Additional analyses will present perceived benefit from and reasons for accepting or rejecting treatment.
S13-04 - Risk Reductions in Dangerous and Severe Personality Disordered Forensic In-Patients Measured with the HCR-20 Violence Risk Assessment Scheme
Authors: Sheldon K. , Gallagher J. 
Published: June 2010

ObjectivesAdmission to one of the Dangerous and Severe Personality Disordered (DSPD) services in England and Wales is heavily determined by risk status and monitoring of changes in risk over time is a core procedure. However, the extent to which DSPD services are effective in terms of reducing risk is one of the most important questions yet to be answered. This paper seeks to examine whether risk, as measured by the Historical-Clinical-Risk-20 (HCR-20) (Webster et al. 1997), posed by patients admitted to a high-secure psychiatric DSPD unit reduces according to length of time in the unit.MethodsAdmission and discharge/current treatment status HCR-20 measures were collected for 58 concurrent DSPD admissions for period 25th March 2004 to 22nd July 2009.ResultsOverall longer ‘treatment’ times were associated with lower scores on the dynamic risk scales of the HCR-20 for a group of patients admitted to the high secure DSPD facility. Specifically, Clinical and Risk scores both reduced by .05 points (monthly). Historical risk did not change over time.ConclusionsThese changes are promising, since positive changes in a high-risk group of mentally disordered offenders on such factors as insight and impulsivity are known to be hard to accomplish. The results provide support for the proposition that the C and R scales of the HCR-20 are dynamic. Attention to whether risk reduction translates to lower institutional infractions and future recidivism is recommended.
S11-03 - Evidence-Based Psychotherapy for Chronic Depression
Authors: Kuehner C. 
Published: June 2010

BackgroundThe various forms of chronic depression account for about 1/3 of depressive disorders. Chronic depression is characterized by low rates of spontaneous remissions, requiring longer and more intense treatment than episodic depression. While considerable research has confirmed the efficacy of specific psychotherapies in the treatment of episodic depression, only few studies have addressed chronic depression.AimTo assess the efficacy of specific psychotherapies in chronic depression and to provide recommendations for future research.MethodSystematic review of the literature.ResultsIdentified studies varied largely regarding sample sizes, outcome criteria, and characteristics of treatment. Limited research suggests that more traditional approaches (CBT, IPT) have shown only modest success in the treatment of chronic depression. The Cognitive Behavioral Analysis System of Psychotherapy (CBASP), combining behavioural, cognitive, and interpersonal strategies, has demonstrated good efficacy in combination with medication in one large study so far. In general, combinations of pharmacotherapy and psychotherapy appear to improve treatment effects with regard to broader outcome criteria and longterm outcome.ConclusionA broader empirical basis is needed to allow firmer conclusions on the efficacy of different types of psychotherapy in chronic depression. Larger randomized studies are needed, particularly those investigating additive effects of combined treatment, comparisons of specific interventions, and dose-related outcomes. It may also be necessary to expand traditional short-term approaches by designing studies which explicitly adopt suggested model-specific options for chronicity. Studies should also consider possible predictors of outcome, such as early versus late onset and comorbidity, as well as health economic aspects.
S23-03 - Lithium Treatment and the Risk of Dementia
Authors: Kessing L. 
Published: June 2010

IntroductionTo investigate whether treatment with lithium in patients with mania or bipolar disorder is associated with a decreased rate of dementia.MethodsLinkage of register data on prescribed lithium in all patients discharged from psychiatric health care service with a diagnosis of mania or bipolar disorder and subsequent diagnoses of dementia in Denmark during a period from 1995 to 2005.ResultsContinued treatment with lithium was associated with a reduced rate of dementia in patients with bipolar disorder, in contrast to continued treatment with anticonvulsants, antidepressants or antipsychotics. Methodological reasons for these findings cannot be excluded due to the non-randomized nature of data. A total of 4.856 patients with a diagnosis of a manic or mixed episode or bipolar disorder at their first psychiatric contact were included in the study. Among these patients, 2,449 (50.4%) were exposed to lithium, 1,781 were exposed to anticonvulsants (36.7%), 4,280 to antidepressants (88.1%) and 3,901 to antipsychotics (80.3%) during the study period. A total of 216 patients got a diagnosis of dementia during follow-up (103.6 / 10.000 person years). During the period following the second prescription of lithium the rate of dementia was decreased compared to the period following the first prescription. In contrast, the rates of dementia during multiple prescription periods with anticonvulsants, antidepressants or antipsychotics, respectively, were not significantly decreased compared to the rate of dementia during the period with one prescription.ConclusionContinued treatment with lithium was associated with a reduced rate of dementia.
S19-03 - Differences and Commonalities in Different Migrant Groups and Suicidality
Authors: Kastrup M. 
Published: June 2010

A nationwide register study was carried out in Denmark comprising 50,877 persons aged 18-66, who were registered in 2003 in the Danish Psychiatric Register or the National Patient Register with a psychiatric ICD-10 diagnosis.Of the population 87.1% were ethnic Danes, 7.8% migrants, 4.0% descendants with one Danish born parent, 0.7% descendants with both parents born outside Denmark and 0.3% foreign adoptees. Males comprised 49%, women 51% of the population.The 5 ethnic groups had significant differences in utilization of care, in diagnostic distribution and in the use of coercion.Self-mutilating behaviour was seen more frequently among female descendants from non-Western countries than among migrant women from non -Western countries as well as among young adopted women. Similarly, we see that personality disorders were higher in adopted and descendant young women. In males, we found that substance abuse was higher among men in all ethnic groups, but lower among migrant groups compared to Danes.The paper will discuss possible explanations to these findings in terms of e.g. cultural identity, acculturation and gender issues and relate findings to findings found in other European countries.
S02-02 - Did Video Kill the Radio Star? - Assessing Gambling and Multimedia Use in Luxembourg's High School Students
Authors: Paulos C. , Duscherer K. 
Published: June 2010

For years, addiction prevention was centered on substance abuse. This focus has shifted recently, especially in regard to children and teenagers, with a growing concern on potentially knotty behaviors, namely gambling and computer, Internet or video game abuse. With the recent soar and availability of the new technologies, it is however extremely difficult to assess which kind of behavioral patterns can be considered as normal, or not, in the contemporary teenage population. To gather benchmark results, we therefore initiated two nationwide surveys, reaching all the students enrolled in the public or private high schools in the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg.The first survey aims at assessing the frequency and modalities of gambling in Luxembourg's high school students. These data will be especially relevant for the pending legislative discussions whether the national gambling regulations should include a paragraph about the protection of minors or not.The second survey aims at assessing multimedia use by Luxembourg's high school students. These questions not only inquire the accessibility to various technologies, but also try to depict teenagers’ daily behavior and use of the available technologies. The main objective of this survey is to assess to which extend the technologies are used in different tasks (i.e. work, communication, leisure), but also to appraise whether this population has pleasing access to the current media.