Sleep complaints are common in depression. The goal of this investigation was to check relationships between sleep estimation and the values of behavioral attitudes.

The tasks of the investigation were to estimate behavioral attitudes in major depression and to check whether they are determined by the level of depression.

Brain alterations have been sought since the beginning of the century to explain the ‘dementia’ of dementia præcox. Kraepelin suggested in 1913 that it might have its internal origins in early childhood, while Southard (1915) considered likely a congenital or early acquired basis for the development of the disease. Afterwards, degenerative processes were described for decades until neurodevelopmental theories emerged recently (Lewis, 1988).

Using pneumoencephalography, Jacobi and Winkler (1927) first reported that some patients with schizophrenia presented enlarged ventricles. Johnstone et al (1976, 1978), in CT-scan studies, observed an increase in mean lateral ventricular size in a group of institutionalized schizophrenic patients. This finding has been replicated by other studies (Weinberger et al, 1983) but challenged by others (Gluck et al, 1980; Jernigan et al, 1982).

Cognitive impairment is central to many psychiatric conditions and is a determinant factor of functioning. The evaluation of cognition is time-consuming and recourse to it limited by cost, accessibility of expertise, and, in the case of computerized batteries, equipment. The SCIP is a 15 minute paper and pencil evaluation of cognitive function which can be integrated into clinical practice. It is thus a tool which can assist in determining which patients require a more extensive evaluation and can inform the elaboration of a personalized treatment plan. Our group (Groupe Comorbidité psychiatrique et Dimensions) has validated a french translation of the SCIP and is testing the acceptability of its integration into clinical practice in selected clinical populations. We will present preliminary data regarding the use of the SCIP in adult attention deficit disorder. Forty adult patients with attention deficit disorder were invited to participate in the study. In order to maintain a sample representative of clinical practice the only exclusion criteria were inability to speak french and inability to give informed consent. Demographic characteristics were collected, and a multiaxial DSM-IV diagnosis determined by the treating physician, SCIP was administered. The time to administer the SCIP was recorded, and a qualitative questionnaire of patient impressions was completed. We will present preliminary results of this study.

There has been a growing concern over establishing norms that ensure the ethically acceptable and scientifically sound conduct of clinical trials. Among the leading norms internationally are the World Medical Association's Declaration of Helsinki, guidelines by the Council for International Organizations of Medical Sciences (CIOMS), the International Conference on Harmonization's standards for industry (ICH), and the CONSORT group's reporting norms (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials), in addition to the influential U.S. Federal Common Rule, Food and Drug Administration's (FDA) body of regulations, and information sheets by the Department of Health and Human Services. There are also many norms published at more local levels by official agencies and professional groups.

Any account of international standards should cover both scientific and ethical norms at once – the two are conceptually intertwined. Recent sources recognize that “[s]cientifically unsound research on human subjects is unethical in that it exposes research subjects to risks without possible benefit.”

Biogeochemical signatures were compared in ‘living’ and ‘dead’ Parmelia sulcata samples with their oak bark substratum. Eighteen elements reached maximum concentrations in ‘dead’ lichens, at lower concentrations than reported from industrial regions. High N concentrations in ‘dead’ lichens confirm exceedances of critical levels established for deciduous woodlands, supported by alien algae and ‘nitrophytic’ lichen colonization. Negative δ15N values recorded in lichen samples indicate N originated mainly from ammonia. Less negative δ15N values in healthy samples near busy roads suggest local NOx accumulation by Parmelia. Higher δ15N values in bark may result from different processes. Twenty-eight elements reach higher concentrations in healthy lichens near roads carrying higher traffic volumes. Thirteen elements correlate positively with lichen δ15N, suggesting that δ15N is a powerful indicator of the balance between agricultural and vehicular N influx. Maximum Ca and Sr concentrations recorded in bark and their spatial distribution suggest a local geological origin. High concentrations of Ga, Ba, Pb and Ni bark contents testify to a previous pollution legacy, including that from petrol which carried higher lead concentrations than today. Mn concentrations are higher than reported from other studies and show no clear relationship with local roads. Mn is known to limit lichen diversity and health in coniferous forests in US and Germany, but not yet in deciduous woodlands. Current atmospheric conditions and the former pollution legacy must be understood to conserve epiphytes and for biomonitoring.

We have demonstrated that single point diamond turning can be used to generated high optical quality finished surfaces on a new organic nonlinear crystal, L-arginine phosphate (LAP). The proper choice of cutting conditions can produce surfaces with less than 5 angstroms rms surface roughness. Local softening or melting near the cutting tool tip may play a key role in the machining process by ensuring that material is removed by ductile cutting rather than brittle fracture. At the same time, the low melting temperature of LAP makes lubrication and cooling especially important to prevent extensive melting and tool fouling. In spite of the presence of a weak cleavage plane in LAP, the surface quality is relatively insensitive to crystallographic orientation. Tool wear is apparently negligible, so that surface flatness is governed by the stability of the diamond turning machine. Data on residual subsurface strain and preliminary measurements of the optical damage thresholds of diamond turned LAP surfaces will be presented.

Beta-adrenergic-mediated cyclic AMP accumulation was reduced in lymphocytes obtained from depressed patients from that observed in an age- and sex-matched group of control subjects. Among the depressed patients, those not responding to treatment showed significantly lower pretreatment responses to isoproterenol compared with patients who exhibited significant clinical improvement during antidepressant treatment. Late-night (terminal) insomnia was significantly associated with the blunted response to beta-adrenergic stimulation. In depressed patients with the lowest isoproterenol response, the effect of forskolin (which acts distal to the receptor and directly stimulates the catalytic subunit) on cyclic AMP accumulation was also significantly decreased. This suggests that post-receptor modulations of signal amplification also play a role in the reduced response to beta-adrenergic stimulation in depression.