Feasibility of an Internet-based positive psychological intervention for hemodialysis patients with symptoms of depression

ABSTRACT

Background: Depression is a pervasive psychological issue facing hemodialysis (HD) patients. Novel technology-based treatment strategies that deploy psychology-based interventions have not been the focus for therapy and few published studies exist. The aim of the current trial is to determine the feasibility and acceptability of an Internet-based positive psychological intervention in HD patients with comorbid depressive symptoms. Methods: HD patients (n = 14) with elevated symptoms of depression were enrolled in a single-arm pre-post trial with clinical assessments at baseline and immediately post intervention. Chairside during regularly scheduled HD treatment, patients utilized a web browser to complete online modules promoting skills for increasing positive emotion over a 5-week period using Apple IPads. Targeted skills included noting of daily positive events, gratitude, positive reappraisal, acts of kindness, and mindfulness/meditation. Results: Twelve of 14 patients completed the program for an 85.7% retention rate. Participants felt satisfied with each session and offered consistently positive feedback. On average, participants visited the website 3.5 times per week. Significant improvements were evident for depressive symptoms (15.3 vs. 10.9; p = 0.04), as per the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale. Conclusions: An innovative Internet-based positive psychological intervention represents a feasible and useful therapeutic option for HD patients with depressive symptoms.     

HIV Acquisition and Transmission Potential Among African American Men Who Have Sex with Men and Women in Three U.S. Cities

Black men who have sex with men and women (BMSMW) are at increased HIV risk, but few efficacious interventions meet their unique needs. Three HIV prevention interventions were evaluated with a common protocol. Baseline data were pooled to describe sexual behavior involving transmission risk with male, female, and male-to-female transgender partners and identify factors associated with transmission risk. BMSMW from Los Angeles, Philadelphia, and Chicago who reported sexual risk and bisexual behavior in the past year were recruited via modified chain referral sampling and community recruitment. Baseline assessments were conducted via audio computer-assisted interview and sexual behaviors assessed over the past 3 months. From December 2010 to November 2012, 584 BMSMW were enrolled across the three cities. More than half (55%) were recruited by other participants. Overall, the mean age was 43 years. Seventy-five percent reported an annual income <$10,000 and selling sex was prevalent (31%). Three-quarters identified as bisexual. Thirty-nine percent were HIV-positive. Among HIV-positive participants, 46% reported sex without condoms with HIV-negative or unknown male partners and 45% with HIV-negative or unknown female partners. Overall, factors associated with sex without condoms included network size, education, income, sexual orientation identification, HIV status, exchange sex, homonegativity, and social support. Findings support the need for enhanced HIV prevention efforts for this population. Future studies should examine contextual factors in addition to individual risk behaviors to inform the development and implementation of promising strategies to prevent HIV and promote the overall health and wellness of BMSMW and their sexual partners.     

HIV Prevention Among Young Women in South Africa: Understanding Multiple Layers of Risk

Despite concerted prevention efforts, young South African women remain at the epicenter of the HIV epidemic. Although these women have grown up in a community powerfully affected by HIV, systematic investigation into how this “second generation” of HIV-affected youth navigates HIV risk is lacking. This study qualitatively explored a complex interplay of factors influencing HIV risk among young pregnant women in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa. We conducted in-depth interviews with 35 pregnant women (22 HIV-uninfected and 13 HIV-infected) aged 18–21, 18 healthcare providers, and focus groups with 19 community stakeholders. Among the young women, HIV knowledge was high, and many reported taking some action to prevent pregnancy or HIV; however, these efforts were not routinely implemented. Themes related to HIV acquisition risk from all participants were organized using a socioecological framework and revolved around individual and developmental experiences (personal experience with HIV, perceived invincibility), family barriers (lack of adult supervision, pressure to leave school), relational barriers (lack of disclosure and partner communication, “burn out” around attempts to discuss condom use with partners, overdependence on partners), community-level barriers (township environment, lack of structured activities), and social barriers (poverty, HIV-related stigma). Some novel concepts emerged from the data, including an understanding of how overdependence on the romantic relationship may develop. Current HIV prevention efforts, including traditional HIV counseling and testing, condom distribution, and biomedical agents for HIV prevention, are unlikely to be effective without a broader, ecological up-to-date understanding of the evolving, intertwined, and complex constellation of factors that drive HIV risk behavior in this high-risk population.     

Preschool Gender-Typed Play Behavior at Age 3.5 Years Predicts Physical Aggression at Age 13 Years

Gender differences in play behavior and physical aggression have been consistently reported. Theoretical perspectives concerning evolutionary, social, and social-cognitive mechanisms suggest that male-typical play behavior during childhood increases subsequent physical aggression. The evidence supporting these connections is limited, however. The present study investigated the association between gender-typed play behavior in early childhood and physical aggression in early adolescence using a sample drawn from a longitudinal, population study, the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children. Based on gender-typed play behavior as measured by the Pre-School Activities Inventory at age 3.5 years, samples of masculine (64 boys, 60 girls), feminine (80 boys, 66 girls), and randomly selected control children (55 boys, 67 girls) were recruited at age 13 years and administered the Reinisch Aggression Inventory. After controlling for a range of sociodemographic variables, maternal characteristics, and behavioral problems, including hyperactivity and conduct problems at age 3.5, significant group differences in physical aggression at age 13 were found among children classified as masculine, control, and feminine at age 3.5. Masculine children exhibited significantly more physical aggression than control children or feminine children, and control children exhibited significantly more physical aggression than feminine children. The association between gender-typed play behavior and physical aggression was not moderated by sex. These results suggest that the degree of childhood gender-typed play behavior independently predicts the degree of physical aggression at adolescence in boys and in girls.     

Pedophilia-Themed Obsessive–Compulsive Disorder: Assessment,Differential Diagnosis,and Treatment with Exposure and Response Prevention

Fears of sexually harming children are fairly common among clients suffering from obsessive–compulsive disorder (OCD), yet these symptoms are largely unrecognized and frequently misdiagnosed by mental health professionals. Specifically, clients with pedophilia-themed OCD (P-OCD) experience excessive worries and distressing intrusive thoughts about being sexually attracted to, and sexually violating, children. Expressing these concerns may provoke misjudgments from uninformed mental health professionals that a client is presenting instead with pedophilic disorder. This misdiagnosis and subsequent improper interventions can then contribute to increased fear, anxiety, and in many cases, depression, in affected clients. Therefore, it is imperative that mental health professionals first possess a good understanding of this common manifestation of OCD. As such, in this article, we described obsessions and compulsions typical of P-OCD, in order to inform the reader of the distinctive differences between P-OCD and pedophilic disorder. Information about how to assess for P-OCD symptoms is then provided, followed by suggestions on how to tailor aspects of exposure and response prevention to treat this specific form of OCD.     

利用蛋白质组学技术筛选特发性肺间质纤维化患者血清生物标志物

目的 利用蛋白质组学技术筛选并鉴定特发性肺间质纤维化患者和健康人血清差异表达蛋白。方法 收集山东大学第二医院于2014年10月至2015年10月收治的30例特发性肺间质纤维化患者及健康人血清各30份,组内等量混合后,去除高丰度蛋白,经同位素标记相对和绝对定量试剂标记后采用二维液相色谱-串联质谱鉴定并进行相对定量。对鉴定出的差异蛋白进行基因功能聚类（GO）分析和通路富集分析,筛选出与特发性肺间质纤维化发生相关的蛋白质。结果 质谱鉴定出置信度>95%的蛋白质共490个,其中差异表达蛋白25个。与对照组相比,25个差异蛋白中有4个表达上调,21个表达下调。GO分析显示,大多数差异蛋白处于细胞外区域（92%）;通路富集分析显示,含差异蛋白数量最多的通路为补体和凝血级联通路。结论 特发性肺间质纤维化患者血清中鉴定出了与补体及凝血相关的差异蛋白,其具体功能有待进一步研究。     

Factors Associated with Home Meal Preparation and Fast-Food Sources Use among Low-Income Urban African American Adults

This study aimed to assess the factors associated with home meal preparation (HMP) and fast-food sources use (FFS) frequencies of low-income African-American adults and their healthy food beliefs and attitudes, food-related psychosocial factors, food acquisition patterns, food sources use, and BMI. We used cross-sectional data from 295 adults living in Baltimore, USA. HMP was inversely associated with FFS, which had lower odds of HMP ≥1 time/day and higher BMI scores. HMP was positively associated with positive beliefs and self-efficacy toward healthy foods, getting food from healthier food sources, and lower FFS. Higher odds of HMP ≥1 time/day were associated with getting food from farmers’ market and supermarkets or grocery stores. FFS had an inverse association with positive beliefs and self-efficacy toward healthy foods, and a positive association with less healthy food acquisition scores. Higher odds of FFS ≥1 time/week were associated with getting food from corner stores, sit-down restaurants, and convenience stores.