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Gravitational waves from coalescing neutron stars encode information about nuclear matter at extreme densities, inaccessible by laboratory experiments. The late inspiral is influenced by the presence of tides, which depend on the neutron star equation of state. Neutron star mergers are expected to often produce rapidly rotating remnant neutron stars that emit gravitational waves. These will provide clues to the extremely hot post-merger environment. This signature of nuclear matter in gravitational waves contains most information in the 2–4 kHz frequency band, which is outside of the most sensitive band of current detectors. We present the design concept and science case for a Neutron Star Extreme Matter Observatory (NEMO): a gravitational-wave interferometer optimised to study nuclear physics with merging neutron stars. The concept uses high-circulating laser power, quantum squeezing, and a detector topology specifically designed to achieve the high-frequency sensitivity necessary to probe nuclear matter using gravitational waves. Above 1 kHz, the proposed strain sensitivity is comparable to full third-generation detectors at a fraction of the cost. Such sensitivity changes expected event rates for detection of post-merger remnants from approximately one per few decades with two A+ detectors to a few per year and potentially allow for the first gravitational-wave observations of supernovae, isolated neutron stars, and other exotica.
The aim was to analyse invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) serotypes in children aged ⩽17 years according to clinical presentation and antimicrobial susceptibility. We conducted a prospective study (January 2012–June 2016). IPD cases were diagnosed by culture and/or real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Demographic, microbiological and clinical data were analysed. Associations were assessed using the odds ratio (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Of the 253 cases, 34.4% were aged <2 years, 38.7% 2–4 years and 26.9% 5–17 years. Over 64% were 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate vaccine (PCV13) serotypes. 48% of the cases were diagnosed only by real-time PCR. Serotypes 3 and 1 were associated with complicated pneumonia (P < 0.05) and non-PCV13 serotypes with meningitis (OR 7.32, 95% CI 2.33–22.99) and occult bacteraemia (OR 3.6, 95% CI 1.56–8.76). Serotype 19A was more frequent in children aged <2 years and serotypes 3 and 1 in children aged 2–4 years and 5–17 years, respectively. 36.1% of cases were not susceptible to penicillin and 16.4% were also non-susceptible to cefotaxime. Serotypes 14, 24F and 23B were associated with non-susceptibility to penicillin (P < 0.05) and serotypes 11, 14 and 19A to cefotaxime (P < 0.05). Serotype 19A showed resistance to penicillin (P = 0.002). In conclusion, PCV13 serotypes were most frequent in children aged ⩽17 years, mainly serotypes 3, 1 and 19A. Non-PCV13 serotypes were associated with meningitis and occult bacteraemia and PCV13 serotypes with pneumonia. Non-susceptibility to antibiotics of non-PCV13 serotypes should be monitored.
Determination of antibodies against ToRCH antigens at the beginning of pregnancy allows assessment of both the maternal immune status and the risks to an adverse pregnancy outcome. Age-standardised seroprevalences were determined in sera from 1009 women of childbearing age residing in Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Poland, Turkey or China using a multiparametric immunoblot containing antigen substrates for antibodies against Toxoplasma gondii, rubella virus, cytomegalovirus (CMV), herpes simplex viruses (HSV-1, HSV-2), Bordetella pertussis, Chlamydia trachomatis, parvovirus B19, Treponema pallidum and varicella zoster virus (VZV). Seroprevalences for antibodies against HSV-1 were >90% in samples from Brazil and Turkey, whereas the other four countries showed lower mean age-adjusted seroprevalences (range: 62.5–87.9%). Samples from Brazilian women showed elevated seroprevalences of antibodies against HSV-2 (40.1%), C. trachomatis (46.8%) and B. pertussis (56.6%) compared to the other five countries. Seroprevalences of anti-T. gondii antibodies (0.5%) and anti-parvovirus B19 antibodies (7.5%) were low in samples from Chinese women, compared to the other five countries. Samples from German women revealed a low age-standardised seroprevalence of anti-CMV antibodies (28.8%) compared to the other five countries. These global differences in immune status of women in childbearing age advocate country-specific prophylaxis strategies to avoid infection with ToRCH pathogens.
Economic hardship (EH) may link to poorer child diet, however whether this association is due to resource limitations or effects on family functioning is unknown. This study examines whether parenting stress mediates the association between EH and child consumption of foods high in saturated fats and added sugars (SFAS).
Design:
Data were collected from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing study. EH was assessed using eight items collected when children were between 1–9 years old. Mothers reported parenting stress and frequency of child consumption of high SFAS foods when children were 9 years old. Latent growth curve modelling (LGCM) and structural equation modelling tested direct associations between the starting level/rate of change in EH and high SFAS food consumption, and parenting stress as a mediator of the association.
Setting:
Twenty US cities.
Participants:
Mothers/children (n 3846) followed birth through age 9 years, oversampled ‘high-risk’, unmarried mothers.
Results:
LGCM indicated a curvilinear trend in EH from ages 1–9, with steeper increases from ages 3–9 years. EH did not directly predict the frequency of high SFAS foods. Average EH at 3 and 5 years and change in EH from ages 1–9 predicted higher parenting stress, which in turn predicted more frequent consumption of high SFAS foods.
Conclusions:
Findings suggest it may be important to consider parenting stress in early prevention efforts given potential lasting effects of early life EH on child consumption of high SFAS foods. Future research should explore how supports and resources may buffer effects of EH-related stress on parents and children.
This work presents updates in the diagnostics systems, magnetohydrodynamics (MHD) calculations and simulations of microwave heating scenarios of the small modular Stellarator of Costa Rica 1 (SCR-1). Similarly, the design of a flexible bolometer and magnetic diagnostics (a set of Mirnov coils, Rogowski coils and two diamagnetic loops) are introduced. Furthermore, new MHD equilibrium calculations for the plasma of the SCR-1 device were performed using the VMEC code including the poloidal cross-section of the magnetic flux surfaces at different toroidal positions, profiles of the rotational transform, magnetic well, magnetic shear and total magnetic field norm. Charged particle orbits in vacuum magnetic field were computed by the magnetic field solver BS-SOLCTRA (Vargas et al. In 27th IAEA Fusion Energy Conference (FEC 2018), 2018. IAEA). A visualization framework was implemented using Paraview (Solano-Piedra et al. In 23rd IAEA Technical Meeting on the Research Using Small Fusion Devices (23rd TM RUSFD), 2017) and compared with magnetic mapping results (Coto-Vílchez et al. In 16th Latin American Workshop on Plasma Physics (LAWPP), 2017, pp. 43–46). Additionally, simulations of microwave heating scenarios were performed by the IPF-FDMC full-wave code. These simulations calculate the conversion of the ordinary waves to extraordinary waves and allow us to identify the location where the conversion takes place. Finally, the microwave heating scenarios for the $330^{\circ }$ toroidal position are presented. The microwave heating scenarios showed that the O–X–B mode conversion is around 12–14 %. It was possible to identify the spatial zone where the conversion takes place (upper hybrid frequency).
An experiment of divergent selection for intramuscular fat was carried out at Universitat Politècnica de València. The high response of selection in intramuscular fat content, after nine generations of selection, and a multidimensional scaling analysis showed a high degree of genomic differentiation between the two divergent populations. Therefore, local genomic differences could link genomic regions, encompassing selective sweeps, to the trait used as selection criterion. In this sense, the aim of this study was to identify genomic regions related to intramuscular fat through three methods for detection of selection signatures and to generate a list of candidate genes. The methods implemented in this study were Wright’s fixation index, cross population composite likelihood ratio and cross population – extended haplotype homozygosity. Genomic data came from the 9th generation of the two populations divergently selected, 237 from Low line and 240 from High line. A high single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) density array, Affymetrix Axiom OrcunSNP Array (around 200k SNPs), was used for genotyping samples. Several genomic regions distributed along rabbit chromosomes (OCU) were identified as signatures of selection (SNPs having a value above cut-off of 1%) within each method. In contrast, 8 genomic regions, harbouring 80 SNPs (OCU1, OCU3, OCU6, OCU7, OCU16 and OCU17), were identified by at least 2 methods and none by the 3 methods. In general, our results suggest that intramuscular fat selection influenced multiple genomic regions which can be a consequence of either only selection effect or the combined effect of selection and genetic drift. In addition, 73 genes were retrieved from the 8 selection signatures. After functional and enrichment analyses, the main genes into the selection signatures linked to energy, fatty acids, carbohydrates and lipid metabolic processes were ACER2, PLIN2, DENND4C, RPS6, RRAGA (OCU1), ST8SIA6, VIM (OCU16), RORA, GANC and PLA2G4B (OCU17). This genomic scan is the first study using rabbits from a divergent selection experiment. Our results pointed out a large polygenic component of the intramuscular fat content. Besides, promising positional candidate genes would be analysed in further studies in order to bear out their contributions to this trait and their feasible implications for rabbit breeding programmes.
Sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) worsens over pregnancy, and obstructive sleep apnea is associated with serious maternal complications. Intrauterine exposures that provoke insulin resistance (IR), inflammation, or oxidative stress may have long-term offspring health consequences. In obesity, worsening maternal SDB appears to be an exposure that increases the risk for both small- or large-for-gestational-age (SGA, LGA, respectively), suggesting distinct outcomes linked to a common maternal phenotype. The aim of this paper is to systematically review and link data from both mechanistic rodent models and descriptive human studies to characterize the impact of maternal SDB on fetal development. A systematic review of the literature was conducted using PubMed, Embase, and CINAHL (01/2000–09/2019). Data from rodent (9 studies) and human models (48 studies, 5 meta-analyses) were included and reviewed using PRISMA guidelines. Evidence from rodent models suggests that intermittent maternal hypoxia results in mixed changes in birth weight (BW) followed by accelerated postnatal growth, while maternal sleep fragmentation results in normal BW followed by later metabolic derangement. Human studies support that maternal SDB is associated with both SGA and LGA, both of which may predispose offspring to later obesity. Evidence also suggests a link between SDB, inflammation, and oxidative stress that may impact maternal metabolism and/or placental function. SDB is common in pregnancy and affects fetal growth and development. Given that SDB has significant potential to adversely influence the intrauterine metabolic environment, larger, prospective studies in humans are urgently needed to fully elucidate the effects of this exposure on offspring metabolic risk.
Stress and trauma have been reported as leading contributing factors in schizophrenia. And certainly child abuse (neglect, emotional, physical and sexual abuse among others) has a lasting negative impact, which is well established in literature.
Objectives
To consider the presence of infant trauma and its relationship with psychopathology in paranoid schizophrenics.Methods. 37 patients (mean age 29±6.3; years from onset 9.20±4.7), meeting DSM IV paranoid schizophrenia criteria, undergoing treatment in a university hospital are studied. The PANSS is administered in order to rate psychopathology.
Results
27 patients had infant trauma (55.8%). Main traumas are: sexual abuse (12.8%), child abuse (7.7%), both sexual and child abuse (5.18%), parental separation (7.7%), extra-rigid parents (2.6%), alcoholic parents (18.2%), child abuse and mother's death in childhood (2.6%). Infant trauma and psychopathology showed a significant relationship concerning Hostility (No 1.75±1.209, Yes 2.26±1.759), Unnatural Movements and Posture (No 1.55±0.945, Yes 1.16±0.545), Depression (No 1.25±0.550, Yes 1.74±1.284) and Preoccupation (No 2.75±1.410, Yes 3.26±1.996).
Conclusions
Infant trauma is common in paranoid schizophrenia and our findings give some evidence to a relationship with psychopathology, especially with dimensions as Hostility, Unnatural Movements and Posture, Depression and Preoccupation. Despite sample size, a high proportion (55.8%) of the patients presented infant trauma and future research is needed in order to open new avenues in this field, particularly studies concerning infant trauma and symptomatology specificity will be greatly appreciated as well as the plausible link to personality traits and personality disorders.
In the case of a first episode of psychosis among members of different associations of families of mentally ill people, little is known about their priorities and how satisfied they are with the help provided to them. A survey was conducted in five European family associations. Respondents emphasized the need for early (ambulant) intervention through outreach with very practical goals directed at creating stability and social functioning. About one-third of the respondents are unsatisfied or very unsatisfied. The highest percentage of unsatisfied respondents was in the following five areas of care: advice on how to handle specific problems; help with preserving or regaining social functioning; help with regaining structure and routine; information; prompt assistance preferably in patientˈs own environment. The agreement of these findings with findings from earlier studies underlines the importance of suggesting specific changes in the delivery of care.
In a previous study (Senín-Calderón et al., 2010) we observed that the REF scale of referential thinking (Lenzenweger et al., 1997) didn’t discriminate among different mental disorders.
Objectives and hypotheses
We try to verify if self-references in various disorders are related to the severity of psychopathology (patients from public hospital and a private clinical). We predict that there will be differences between patients and controls, but not between the clinical samples. Psychotic disorders will be characterized by a significantly greater presence of self-references.
Methods
Participants: 287 subjects, 47 patients from a private clinical center, 57.4% women (mean age = 35.02, SD = 12.69), 30 patients from a public hospital, 53.3% women (38.36 years, SD = 9.53), and 210 controls selected from the general population, 50.5% women (33.80 years, SD = 11.79). Cross-sectional design, correlation method. All analysis were accepted at p < .05.
Results
There are significant differences in self-references between patients and controls in frequency (t (285) = 2.33, p = . 021) and intensity (t (83.98) = 3.59, p = . 001). No significant differences between patients groups (p>.05) (REF-intensity without homogeneity, p < .05). No significant differences in self-references between types of diagnoses except psychotic patients versus adjustment disorder (frequency and intensity).
Conclusions
Self-references are highlighted in psychosis but, with the exception of adjustment disorders, doesn’t discriminate between personality, mood or anxiety disorders. Differences are more related to the clinical severity (BPRS) than with referential thinking.
Despite the high prevalence of obsessive-compulsive symptoms located around 2-3% of the population, there continue to be cases where the characteristics of the patient or the circumstances of their environment, they fall short queries mental health or when they do not for the disorder itself, but for another reason obsessional symptoms worsen.
Objectives:
Expose using clinical case, the existence of patients with obsessive pathology whose characteristics do not seek mental health consultation, until this is associated with a new disease that interferes significantly in vital organization.
Results:
We report the case of a man of 88 years old, married at 60, was admitted to the psychiatric consultation at the request of his wife 29 years his junior, for behavioral disorders several years of evolution and history of obsessive symptoms compulsive, which did not interfere with their daily lives by the lack of insight and poor social environment
Conclusions:
OCD is included in anxiety disorders.
It is characterized by the presence of obsessions and compulsions that interfere with personal, work and / or patient's social.
There are cases that own personality traits of the patient, this disorder is not diagnosed early and choose to go only when associated with worsening cognitive impairment rituals and interfere with family life.
Terms such as mark, affront or bad name are usually employed in habitual dictionaries to describe the concept of stigma. Related to the area of mental health, this concept includes also the presence of false myths and negative evaluations towards the mental patient. The consecuence of that are prejudiced behaviours that demage the life of the stigmatized patient. Due to the significant repercussion of this fact, evaluate the level of mental stigmatization become fundamental.
Objectives
To evaluate the presence of behavioural discrimination among the general public from Madrid city against people with mental health problems.
Material and Methods
This RIBS scale (Reported and Intended Behaviour Scale) was used to evaluate the previously cited discrimination. Different sociodemographic variables were also included to be able to establish the possible Association between them and the scale reults. 100 participants from general population from Madrid completed this questionnaire. A descriptive and analytical analysis were carried out using the statistics programme spss v. 21.
Results and Conclusions
In line with the results from previous studies, this analysis shows a high rate of behavioural discrimination against people with mental health problems. This situation may be a negative condition to the access of mental patients to mental health services. Besides, it may affect in a deleterious way to many others vital areas of the patient. Theese results reinforce the need of encourage anti-stigma programmes.
There is an increasing demand for treatment for dependence on different psychiatric medication like benzodiazepines. The goal is to determine the user's profile that is attended in a mental health center.
Material/Methods
We obtained a sample of 30 users, divided into two groups: A) main drug benzodiazepines, B) primary drug others.
Sociodemographic, psychiatric and drug use variables are collected, making a descriptive retrospective analysis, using means for quantitative variables and proportions for categorical variables.
Results
Group A is composed mainly of women (63.6%) of average age 46 years, and the group B of males (75%) with slightly higher average age (48 years). In group A and B the average level of education is primary/secondary education. Overall, they do not work and are single, having more pensioners and separated in group B.
In both groups, more than half have a history of affective disorders, often followed by anxiety disorders, with higher prevalence in group A (54.6% vs 36.8%), and personality disorders (77.3% and 75%).
In reference to group B, the primary drug of abuse is mostly alcohol. In general there is higher prevalence of nicotine dependence.
Conclusion
The profile of group A is a middle-aged woman who presents comorbidity with affective and personality disorders. The profile of group B is a middle-aged man, alcohol dependent, with earlier onset of use and with personality disorder.
Recently, a renaissance of interest in ‘negative symptoms’ as emotional withdrawal or blunted affect, has occurred. Some investigators believe that these symptoms are important indicators of outcome, of response to treatment and of a distinct underlying pathologic process.
Research on the negative-symptom syndrome in schizophrenia has been handicapped until recently.
Aims:
This research aims at studying whether acute phase proteins, precisely, Alpha1-glycoprotein, can be considered as a marker of negativesymptom in Schizophrenia.
Methods:
29 chronic schizophrenics were assessed by the Positive and Negative Syndrome Scale (PANSS). A routine blood test including Alpha1-glycoprotein levels was carried out.
Results:
Alpha1-glycoprotein shows a positive correlation, according to Pearson correlation coefficient, with the Negative Scale at an almost significant level (p=.05), and at a significant level in the following items, Blunted affect (p=.03), Passive/apathetic Social Withdrawal (p=.01) of the Negative spectrum and Poor Attention (p=.02) of the General Psychopathology Scale.
Conclusions:
There is a significant correlation with two Negative variables and an almost significant one, spite of the small sample, with the Negative Scale. Further studies with bigger samples are needed in order to consider alpha1-glycoprotein as a schizophrenia negative psychopathology marker.
Suicide is a public health problem of the first magnitude for both its costs and its implications for the population. The attention to suicide attempts is itself one of the first reasons for psychiatric consultation, if not the first, in hospitals. Among the risk factors for suicide is the presence of mental disorders on Axis I and II, and the existence of previous attempts.
Objectives:
Studying the behavior of some of the risk factors for suicide known (psychiatric history and previous attempts) in a sample from service Emergency Hospital Juan Ramón Jiménez
Methods:
Performed a retrospective analysis (for a period of 6 months of 2013) of the risk factors associated with suicidal behavior of patients seen in the emergency department of our hospital for attempted suicide.
Results:
In an interim analysis found that up to 50% of patients treated for attempted suicide had made ??previous attempts. Most of them had any axis I disorder (> 75%) and were or had been in outpatient psychiatric follow. Extensive treatment with psychotropic drugs performed most (> 80%)
Conclusions:
The high number of cases with previous attempts provides a clear example of the problem of suicidal behavior relapse. The importance of this is increased when you consider that most were receiving or had received psychiatric treatment, reflecting the limitations in our daily clinical practice we have to control this pubic health problem.
Several studies show a high prevalence of stigma related to mental illnes. This implicate the presence of prejudiced behaviours and false beliefs when treating with people with mental disorders. The literature reveals elevated rates of stigmatization in general population. Also, it is documented in general healthcare professionals and even in mental health workers or medicine students. This scene supposes an obstacle in several vital areas. The evaluation of stigma in medicine students become fundamental considering that they will be professionals soon.
Objectives
To evaluate the attitudes towards mental illness in a sample of medicine students from Madrid.
Material and Methods
The MICA (Mental Illness Clinician’ s Attitudes) scale v4 was used to evaluate the objective. Different sociodemographic variables were also included just like information about the clinical speciality the would like to choose. The posible association between theese variables and the scale reults was evaluated. 100 medical students in their 5°-6° year of the degree completed this questionnaire. The sample was collected from the Universidad Complutense de Madrid. A descriptive and analytical analysis were carried out using the statistics programme spss v. 21.
Results and Conclusions
The results suggest that the rates of stigma between medical students from this sample are higher than desirable. That situation reinforce the need of encourage anti-stigma programmes which probably should include a longer contact between medical students and psychiatric patients.
Lithium has been used in the treatment of bipolar disorder in pregnant women. However, information on the pharmacokinetics of lithium during perinatal period is scarce.
Objectives
To study pharmacokinetics of lithium during delivery and in the neonatal period.
Methods
A prospective, observational and naturalistic study was conducted at the PERINATAL PSYCHIATRY PROGRAM CLÍNIC-BARCELONA, from 2005 to 2012. We included all consecutive cases of pregnant women with bipolar disorder I or II (n = 22), and on maintenance treatment with lithium monotherapy (n = 13) or polytherapy (n = 9) during pregnancy who elected artificial feeding. Lithium plasma concentrations in maternal blood and umbilical cord were detected. Lithium plasma concentrations in infants (n = 16) at delivery and in the neonatal period were obtained to calculate elimination half-life, which was estimated by lineal regression. Technique: AVL 9180 electrolyte analyser using a lithium-selective electrode (detection limit =0.10 mEq/L).
Results
Women did not fulfil diabetes criteria pre-pregnancy and during pregnancy. Attending to neonatal outcomes, infants exposed to polytherapy had a higher weight at birth (percentils) than those exposed to lithium alone [53.38 (33.40) vs. 70.22 (26.25)]. No statistically significant differences were found in umbilical cord:maternal plasma concentration ratio between those treated with lithium monotherapy and women treated with polytherapy (1.05 vs. 1.08). The lithium mean elimination half-life (SD) in infants was 6.73 (9.12) days.
Conclusions
Lithium crosses placental barrier almost completely. Elimination half-life in neonates exposed to lithium in utero was 6.73 days. Moreover, lithium treatment during pregnancy requires therapeutics monitoring in exposed dyads.
To demonstrate the therapeutic efficacy of aripiprazole LP by a case of difficult clinical management and that we often find in our daily practice.
Methods
Description of a clinical case of a 21-year-old man, recently diagnosed with paranoid schizophrenia with no awareness of disease neither treatment adherence and harmful use of THC and cocaine that are identified as precipitating factors for multiple hospital admissions.
Results
Injectable medication with objective clinical improvement is significant, cessation of readmissions, achieving improvement in all parameters measured functionality and proper adherence to treatment as well as outpatient mental health of both devices as of drug dependence.
Conclusion
Psychiatry is facing the great challenge of modifying the natural history to the deterioration of schizophrenia, a disease considered one of the leading causes of years lived with disability. The objectives medium and long-term treatment of this disease are centered on the delay-avoidance disability and improving the functioning and quality of life of people with this disease.
Disclosure of interest
The authors have not supplied their declaration of competing interest.