A high-density SNP linkage scan with 142 combined subtype ADHD sib pairs identifies linkage regions on chromosomes 9 and 16

As part of the International Multi-centre ADHD Genetics project we completed an affected sibling pair study of 142 narrowly defined Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, fourth edition combined type attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) proband-sibling pairs. No linkage was observed on the most established ADHD-linked genomic regions of 5p and 17p. We found suggestive linkage signals on chromosomes 9 and 16, respectively, with the highest multipoint nonparametric linkage signal on chromosome 16q23 at 99 cM (log of the odds, LOD=3.1) overlapping data published from the previous UCLA (University of California, Los Angeles) (LOD>1, approximately 95 cM) and Dutch (LOD>1, approximately 100 cM) studies. The second highest peak in this study was on chromosome 9q22 at 90 cM (LOD=2.13); both the previous UCLA and German studies also found some evidence of linkage at almost the same location (UCLA LOD=1.45 at 93 cM; German LOD=0.68 at 100 cM). The overlap of these two main peaks with previous findings suggests that loci linked to ADHD may lie within these regions. Meta-analysis or reanalysis of the raw data of all the available ADHD linkage scan data may help to clarify whether these represent true linked loci.     

Are relational style and neuropsychological performance predictors of social attributions in chronic schizophrenia?

Attributional style is defined as the pervasive tendency to explain the cause of social actions in terms of oneself, or others, or the context of the event. While the clinical correlates of this aspect of social cognition have been widely researched, its links with relationship style and neuropsychological performance, although hypothesised, have received less attention. This study investigated whether attributional style is predicted by variance in either relationship style or neuropsychological performance in schizophrenia. We assessed attributional style (using the Internal, Personal and Situational Attributions Questionnaire [IPSAQ]), relationship style (using Bartholomew and Horowitz's Relationship Questionnaire), and neuropsychological function (using the Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence, the Wechsler Memory Test, and the Cambridge Automated Test Battery) in 73 stabilised outpatients with chronic schizophrenia and 78 controls matched for age and gender. 'Externalising bias' (attributing positive rather than negative events to oneself) was predicted by verbal ability in both patients and controls. 'Personalising bias' (attributing negative events to others rather than to situational factors) was predicted by higher secure relationship style ratings, but only in the patient group. This study highlights the importance of relationship style and neuropsychological performance for different aspects of attributional style in schizophrenia.     

Predisposing factors and precipitants for bathing disability in older persons

OBJECTIVES: To identify potential predisposing factors and precipitants for bathing disability. DESIGN: Prospective cohort study. SETTING: Greater New Haven, Connecticut. PARTICIPANTS: Seven hundred fifty-four community-living residents aged 70 and older. MEASUREMENTS: Potential predisposing factors were measured every 18 months for 6 years during comprehensive home-based assessments. Participants were followed with monthly telephone interviews for a median of 61 months to ascertain exposure to potential precipitants, which included illnesses and injuries leading to hospitalization or restricted activity, and to determine the occurrence of persistent disability in bathing. RESULTS: Over the course of nearly 8 years, 333 (44.2%) participants developed persistent disability in bathing. After accounting for age, sex, and race, nine predisposing factors were independently associated with persistent bathing disability. The strongest associations were found for inability to rise from a chair, low bathing self-efficacy, and low physical activity, each of which more than doubled the risk of persistent bathing disability. After the potential precipitants were added to the final model, the associations between the predisposing factors and persistent bathing disability were only modestly diminished. The effects of the precipitants on persistent bathing disability were large, with multivariable hazard ratios of 24.6 for hospitalization and 3.01 for restricted activity only. The relative contributions of the predisposing factors and precipitants to the development of persistent bathing disability were 47.7% and 27.1%, respectively. CONCLUSION: Disability in bathing is attributable to a combination of predisposing factors that make community-living older persons vulnerable and intervening illnesses or injuries that act as precipitants. These factors and precipitants may be suitable targets for the prevention of bathing disability.     

In vivo articular cartilage contact at the glenohumeral joint: preliminary report

BACKGROUND: Little is known about normal in vivo mechanics of the glenohumeral joint. Such an understanding would have significant implications for treating disease conditions that disrupt shoulder function. The objective of this study was to determine articular contact locations between the glenoid and humeral articular surfaces in normal subjects during shoulder abduction with neutral, internal, and external rotations. We hypothesized that glenohumeral articular contact is not perfectly centered and is variable in normal subjects tested under physiological loading conditions. METHODS: Orthogonal fluoroscopic images and magnetic resonance image-based computer models were used to characterize the centroids of articular cartilage contact of the glenohumeral joint at various static, actively stabilized abduction and rotation positions in five healthy shoulders. The shoulder was investigated at 0 degrees , 45 degrees , and 90 degrees abduction with neutral rotation and then at 90 degrees abduction combined with active maximal external rotation and active maximal internal rotation. RESULTS: For all the investigated positions, the centroid of contact on the glenoid surface for each individual, on average, was more than 5 mm away from the geometric center of the glenoid articular surface. Intersubject variation of the centroid of articular contact on the glenoid surface was observed with each investigated position, and 90 degrees abduction with maximal internal rotation showed the least variability. On the humeral head surface, the centroids of contact were located at the superomedial quarter for all investigated positions, except in two subjects' positions at 0 degrees abduction, neutral rotation. CONCLUSIONS: The data showed that the in vivo glenohumeral contact locations were variable among subjects, but in all individuals they were not at the center of the glenoid and humeral head surfaces. This confirms that "ball-in-socket" kinematics do not govern normal shoulder function. These insights into glenohumeral articular contact may be relevant to an appreciation of the consequences of pathology such as rotator cuff disease and instability.