Caregiver psychoeducation for schizophrenia: Is gender important?

INTRODUCTION: Females care for individuals with chronic illness more commonly than males and have different attitudes to illness. Additionally, they experience greater burden and reduced quality of life, when compared to their male counterparts. Since knowledge has been shown to be related to burden, we sought to determine whether there were gender differences in knowledge acquisition during a six-week caregiver psychoeducation programme (CPP). METHODS: Caregivers of people with schizophrenia completed a 23-item adapted version of the self-report Family Questionnaire (FQ) before and after the six-week CPP. Using a Generalized Linear Mixed Model, we studied the differences in proportions of correct answers before and after the programme by gender. RESULTS: Over a 46-month study period, 115 caregivers (58% female) participated in the programme. There was an overall improvement in knowledge with an effect size of 1.12. The improvement was statistically significant (P<0.001) within each of six specific areas of knowledge. However, female caregivers gained more knowledge overall and specifically regarding signs and symptoms, recovery and especially caregiver support. Knowledge gains regarding medication were roughly equal, while male caregivers gained more knowledge about risk factors. DISCUSSION: Our findings indicate that there are gender differences in the amount and type of knowledge gained during a CPP, with female caregivers showing greater knowledge acquisition than their male counterparts in most areas. Interventions designed to assist caregivers may be improved by targeting areas of knowledge specific to each gender. Such an approach might further reduce burden and improve the outcome for their relatives affected by schizophrenia.     

Frequency of HIV testing among persons with disabilities: results from the National Health Interview Survey, 2002.

We examined rates of HIV testing of persons with disabilities relative to HIV testing rates of people without disabilities in the United States. Using data from the 2002 NHIS we examined the association between self-reported disability and having ever been tested for HIV. Adults with disability were more likely than nondisabled adults to report having been tested (odds ratio [OR] = 1.56; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.33, 1.84). However, this association differed by dis- ability. Individuals with mental health or physical disabilities were more likely to report having been tested (OR = 1.64; 95% CI = 1.32, 2.03 and OR = 1.50; 95% CI = 1.18, 1.91, respectively); individuals with intellectual disability were least likely to report having been tested (OR = 0.27; 95% CI = 0.09, 0.84). Findings were not statistically significant within the sensory or multiple disability categories. Findings may reflect factors unique to disabled populations, including increased risk of certain HIV risk factors. Targeted outreach and provider education are needed to ensure individuals with intellectual disability receive appropriate counseling and testing.     

FGF Signaling in Prostate Cancer Progression

Objective: prostate cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in men in the United States. Localized prostate cancer can be cured by androgen ablation, but when the disease escapes the confines of the gland, the     

Alcohol and Smoking as Risk Factors in Chronic Pancreatitis and Pancreatic Cancer

The aim of this study was to compare alcohol andsmoking as risk factors in the development of chronicpancreatitis and pancreatic cancer. We considered onlymale subjects: (1) 630 patients with chronic pancreatitis who developed 12 pancreatic and 47extrapancreatic cancers; (2) 69 patients withhistologically well documented pancreatic cancer and noclinical history of chronic pancreatitis; and (3) 700 random controls taken from the Verona pollinglist and submitted to a complete medical check-up.Chronic pancreatitis subjects drink more than controlsubjects and more than subjects with pancreatic cancer without chronic pancreatitis (P < 0.001).The percentage of smokers in the group with chronicpancreatitis is significantly higher than that in thecontrol group [odds ratio (OR) 17.3; 95% CI 12.6-23.8; P < 0.001] and in the group with pancreaticcarcinomas but with no history of chronic pancreatitis(OR 5.3; 95% CI 3.0-9.4; P < 0.001). In conclusion,our study shows that: (1) the risk of chronic pancreatitis correlates both with alcoholintake and with cigarette smoking with a trendindicating that the risk increases with increasedalcohol intake and cigarette consumption; (2) alcoholand smoking are statistically independent risk factors forchronic pancreatitis; and (3) the risk of pancreaticcancer correlates positively with cigarette smoking butnot with drinking.     

Impact of manganese on primary hippocampal neurons from rodents

Manganese‐enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (MEMRI) is a powerful tool for in vivo tract tracing or functional imaging of the central nervous system. However Mn²⁺ may be toxic at high levels. In this study, we addressed the impact of Mn²⁺ on mouse hippocampal neurons (HN) and neuron‐like N2a cells in culture, using several approaches. Both HN and N2a cells not exposed to exogenous MnCl₂ were shown by synchrotron X‐ray fluorescence to contain 5 mg/g Mn. Concentrations of Mn²⁺ leading to 50% lethality (LC50) after 24 h of incubation were much higher for N2a cells (863 mM) than for HN (90 mM). The distribution of Mn²⁺ in both cell types exposed to Mn²⁺ concentrations below LC50 was perinuclear whereas that in cells exposed to concentrations above LC50 was more diffuse, suggesting an overloading of cell storage/detoxification capacity. In addition, Mn²⁺ had a cell‐type and dose‐dependent impact on the total amount of intracellular P, Ca, Fe and Zn measured by synchrotron X‐ray fluorescence. For HN neurons, immunofluorescence studies revealed that concentrations of Mn²⁺ below LC50 shortened neuritic length and decreased mitochondria velocity after 24 h of incubation. Similar concentrations of Mn²⁺ also facilitated the opening of the mitochondrial permeability transition pore in isolated mitochondria from rat brains. The sensitivity of primary HN to Mn²⁺ demonstrated here supports their use as a relevant model to study Mn²⁺‐induced neurotoxicity. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Hypothesis on the time course of antigen dependent changes in lymphoid organs proved by experimental data of depleted growing rats''mesenteric lymph nodes

The results described in this paper partially agree with the hypothesis that mesenteric lymph nodes (MLN) of depleted growing rats recover their antigen specific determinants after the oral administration of 20% casein for 5-9 days following the time course of antigen dependent changes observed in virgin lymph nodes. With respect to the 39 days old control group, depleted MLN showed a highly diminished number of mature T cells (W3/13+) as well as surface and intracellular alpha heavy chain (alpha s and alpha cit). The oral administration of a 20% casein diet during 5 days tends to restore the appearance of these determinants; however, normal values were not attained even if refeeding was continued for 9 days. The discrepancy between the proposed hypothesis and the observed results might be ascribed to: a) defective migration of T cells from thymus; b) the diminished number of TH cells involved in terminal differentiation; c) inability of B cells to respond to T cell-derived factors.     

Metabotropic glutamate receptors in the main olfactory bulb drive granule cell-mediated inhibition

Main olfactory bulb (MOB) granule cells (GCs) express high levels of the group I metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR), mGluR5. We investigated the role of mGluRs in regulating GC activity in rodent MOB slices using whole cell patch-clamp electrophysiology. The group I/II mGluR agonist (+/-)-1-aminocyclopentane-trans-1,3-dicarboxylic acid (ACPD) or the selective group I agonist (RS)-3,5-dihydroxyphenylglycine (DHPG) depolarized ( approximately 20 mV) and increased the firing rate of GCs. In the presence of ionotropic glutamate and GABA receptor antagonists, DHPG evoked a more modest depolarization ( approximately 8 mV). In voltage clamp, DHPG, but not group II [(2S,2'R,3)-2-(2',3'-dicarboxycyclopropyl)glycine, DCG-IV] or group III [L(+)-2-amino-4-phosphonobutyric acid, L-AP4] mGluR agonists, induced an inward current. The inward current reversed polarity near the potassium equilibrium potential, suggesting mediation by closure of potassium channels. The DHPG-evoked inward current was unaffected by the mGluR1 antagonist (S)-(+)-alpha-amino-4-carboxy-2-methylbenzeneacetic acid (LY367385), was blocked by the group I/II mGluR antagonist (alphaS)-alpha-amino-alpha-[(1S,2S)-2-carboxycyclopropyl]-9H-xanthine-9-propanoic acid (LY341495), and was absent in GCs from mGluR5 knockout mice. LY341495 also attenuated mitral cell-evoked voltage-sensitive dye signals in the external plexiform layer and mitral cell-evoked spikes in GCs. These results suggest that activation of mGluR5 increases GC excitability, an effect that should increase GC-mediated GABAergic inhibition of mitral cells. In support of this: DHPG increased the frequency of spontaneous GABAergic inhibitory postsynaptic currents in mitral cells and LY341495 attenuated the feedback GABAergic postsynaptic potential elicited by intracellular depolarization of mitral cells. Our results suggest that activation of mGluR5 participates in feedforward and/or feedback inhibition at mitral cell to GC dendrodendritic synapses, possibly to modulate lateral inhibition and contrast in the MOB.