Emotion differentiation in early recovery from alcohol use disorder: Associations with in-the-moment affect and 3-month drinking outcomes

Background

Early recovery from alcohol use disorder (AUD) is commonly associated with high levels of negative affect, stress, and emotional vulnerability, which confer significant relapse risk. Emotion differentiation—the ability to distinguish between discrete emotions—has been shown to predict relapse after treatment for a drug use disorder, but this relationship has not been explored in individuals recovering from AUD.

Methods

The current study used thrice daily random and up to thrice daily self-initiated ecological momentary assessment surveys (N = 42, observations = 915) to examine whether 1) moments of high affective arousal are characterized by momentary differences in emotion differentiation among individuals in the first year of a current AUD recovery attempt, and 2) individuals’ average emotion differentiation would predict subsequent alcohol use measured by the timeline follow-back over a 3-month follow-up period.

Results

Multilevel models showed that moments (Level 1) of higher-than-average negative affect (p < 0.001) and/or stress (p = 0.033) were characterized by less negative emotion differentiation, while moments of higher-than-average positive affect were characterized by greater positive emotion differentiation (p < 0.001). At the between-person level (Level 2), participants with higher stress overall had lower negative emotion differentiation (p = 0.009). Linear regression showed that average negative, but not positive, emotion differentiation was inversely associated with percent drinking days over the subsequent 3-month follow-up period (p = 0.042). Neither form of average emotion differentiation was associated with drinking quantity.

Conclusions

We found that for individuals in early AUD recovery, affective states are associated with acute shifts in the capacity for emotion differentiation. Further, we found that average negative emotion differentiation prospectively predicts subsequent alcohol use.

     

Associations of chemokine system polymorphisms with clinical outcomes and treatment responses of chronic hepatitis C

BACKGROUND & AIMS: CCR5Delta32, a 32-base pair deletion of the CC chemokine receptor (CCR) 5 gene, is associated with slowed human immunodeficiency virus disease progression in heterozygotes and protection against infection in homozygotes. A recent study found a higher than expected frequency of CCR5Delta32/Delta32 in patients with hepatitis C virus infection. The roles of other disease-associated chemokine system polymorphisms have not been evaluated in hepatitis C virus infection. METHODS: Six chemokine system polymorphisms (CCR5Delta32, CCR5 promoter 59029-G/A, CCR2 -64I, RANTES [regulated upon activation, normal T cells expressed and secreted] -403 -G/A, and -28 -C/G and stromal derived factor 1 -3'A) were studied in 417 patients with liver diseases (339 with hepatitis C) and 2380 blood donors. The clinical parameters of hepatitis C virus infection were compared between carriers and noncarriers of each genetic variant. RESULTS: The frequency of CCR5Delta32 homozygosity was 0.8% in whites with hepatitis C virus and 1.1% in controls (P = 0.75). The CCR5Delta32 allele was not associated with any of the clinical parameters of hepatitis C virus infection. Hepatitis C virus-seropositive whites with the RANTES -403-A allele were less likely to have severe hepatic inflammation compared with those without (odds ratio, 0.34; P = 0.03). In multivariate analysis, the CCR5 promoter 59029 -A allele was marginally associated with a sustained response to interferon therapy (odds ratio, 3.07; P = 0.048). CONCLUSIONS: In this cohort, the frequency of CCR5Delta32 homozygosity in patients with hepatitis C was similar to controls. The high prevalence of CCR5Delta32 homozygosity in the hepatitis C virus patients of the earlier study likely reflects resistance to human immunodeficiency virus infection in hemophiliacs rather than a susceptibility to hepatitis C virus infection. Expression of CCR5 and RANTES may be important in the modulation of hepatic inflammation and response to interferon therapy in chronic hepatitis C.     

The pulmonary bioprosthetic heart valve: its unsuitability for use as an aortic valve replacement

BACKGROUND AND AIM OF THE STUDY: The porcine pulmonary bioprosthetic heart valve represents an alternative means of aortic valve replacement (AVR), though knowledge of its biomechanical function and characteristics is limited. The valve has potential advantages over the aortic bioprosthesis; notably, it lacks the muscular shelf of the right coronary cusp of the latter bioprosthesis. The study aim was to investigate the suitability of the porcine pulmonary bioprosthetic valve for AVR. METHODS: Porcine pulmonary and aortic roots were zero pressure-fixed with 0.5% buffered glutaraldehyde, characterized, and compared with fresh porcine pulmonary and aortic roots. The in-vitro analysis included assessment of mechanical properties, hydrodynamic function, geometry of the pulmonary root, and durability. RESULTS: The fixed pulmonary roots and fresh aortic roots were similar in certain aspects of mechanical response, notably leaflets in the radial direction and the root wall. The fixed pulmonary root was slightly more compliant than the fixed aortic root, and this led to an improvement in forward flow hydrodynamic function. The reverse flow hydrodynamic function of the pulmonary roots was poor; fresh pulmonary roots exhibited a trivial closed valve regurgitant volume. On fixation, this characteristic was aggravated, leading to a gross closed valve regurgitant volume in 50% of all fixed pulmonary roots. The cause of leakage was identified as a prolapsed anterior leaflet. Durability of the fixed pulmonary root was also inferior to that of the fixed aortic root; three fixed pulmonary roots subjected to accelerated fatigue testing showed signs of leaflet macroscopic damage. CONCLUSION: Overall, the performance of the porcine pulmonary bioprosthesis was far inferior to that of the currently used porcine aortic bioprosthesis. Hence, the porcine pulmonary bioprosthetic valve was deemed unsuitable for AVR.     

The effect of losartan and losartan/hydrochlorothiazide fixed-combination on magnesium, zinc, and nitric oxide metabolism in hypertensive patients: a prospective open-label study

BACKGROUND: Thiazide diuretics and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors can cause excessive urinary zinc (Zn) loss and Zn depletion. Thiazides may also induce magnesium (Mg) deficiency, which may exacerbate hypertension. Data on the effects of angiotensin receptor blockers on Zn and Mg homeostasis are scarce. METHODS: Seventeen hypertensive patients were studied (ten men and seven women, age 50 +/- 3 years, blood pressure 158 +/- 5 / 95 +/- 3 mm Hg). Patients were treated with losartan 50 mg/day for 4 weeks followed by a fixed combination of 50 mg losartan and 12.5 mg hydrochlorothiazide for 4 weeks more. Blood and 24-h urine were collected at baseline and after each study period. Zinc and Mg levels were measured in serum, urine, and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. Nitric oxide metabolites were measured in urine. RESULTS: Treatment with losartan resulted in a significant increase in the urinary Zn/creatinine ratio (from 0.020 +/- 0.004 microg/mg to 0.034 +/- 0.005 microg/mg, P = .02), which was further increased by the losartan/hydrochlorothiazide combination (from 0.034 +/- 0.005 microg/mg to 0.053 +/- 0.008 microg/mg, P = .03). Serum Zn levels were significantly decreased after losartan/hydrochlorothiazide (from 80.0 +/- 4.0 microg/dL at baseline to 74.0 +/- 3.0 microg/dL, P = .007). Peripheral blood mononuclear Zn concentrations were decreased also, but this was not statistically significant. Serum, urinary, and peripheral blood mononuclear Mg levels were not significantly affected by treatment. Nitric oxide urinary metabolites were unchanged throughout the study. CONCLUSIONS: Treatment with losartan causes an increase in urinary Zn excretion and induces Zn deficiency in patients with hypertension. The addition of hydrochlorothiazide has an additive effect. Magnesium and nitric oxide metabolism are not affected by either treatment.     

Assistive technology and people: a position paper from the first global research,innovation and education on assistive technology (GREAT) summit

Abstract

Assistive technology (AT) is a powerful enabler of participation. The World Health Organization’s Global Collaboration on Assistive Technology (GATE) programme is actively working towards access to assistive technology for all. Developed through collaborative work as a part of the Global Research, Innovation and Education on Assistive Technology (GREAT) Summit, this position paper provides a “state of the science” view of AT users, conceptualized as “People” within the set of GATE strategic “P”s. People are at the core of policy, products, personnel and provision. AT is an interface between the person and the life they would like to lead. People’s preferences, perspectives and goals are fundamental to defining and determining the success of AT. Maximizing the impact of AT in enabling participation requires an individualized and holistic understanding of the value and meaning of AT for the individual, taking a universal model perspective, focusing on the person, in context, and then considering the condition and/or the technology. This paper aims to situate and emphasize people at the centre of AT systems: we highlight personal meanings and perspectives on AT use and consider the role of advocacy, empowerment and co-design in developing and driving AT processes.     

Using In-Vivo Modeling and Feedback to Teach Classroom Staff to Implement a Complex Behavior Intervention Plan

Behavior intervention plans (BIPs), implemented with high treatment integrity, are effective in decreasing challenging behaviors in individuals with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). High treatment integrity requires staff training such as Behavioral Skills Training (BST). Modeling and feedback alone, however, have been shown to be briefer and as effective as BST. Due to limited resources educational settings may prefer briefer training models to train staff to implement BIPs. This study used only two of the BST components, in-vivo modeling and feedback, to train three classroom staff members to implement a complex BIP. All three staff acquired the skills rapidly.