Advancing the Science of Recovery: The Utility of the Recovery Assessment Scale in the Prediction of Self-Directed Health and Wellness Outcomes in Adults with a Diagnosis of a Serious Mental Illness

Adults with serious mental illness commonly experience comorbid chronic physical conditions and experience a reduced life expectancy of 10-25 years compared to the general population (Saha et al. in Arch Gen Psychiatry 64(10):1123–31.  2007; Hayes et al. in Acta Psychiatr Scand 131(6):417–25. 2015; Walker et al. in JAMA Psychiatry 72(4):334–41. 2015). Dimensions of personal recovery may have real-world implications that extend beyond functional and mental health outcomes to impact the self-directed health and wellness of adults with serious mental illness. This study examined the predictive utility of the Recovery Assessment Scale with respect to medical self-efficacy, self-management, psychiatric symptoms, and community functioning for adults with serious mental illness. Data were derived from a secondary analysis of baseline and 10-month data collected from a randomized control trial with adults aged 18 years and older with a diagnosis of bipolar disorder, schizoaffective disorder, schizophrenia, or major depressive disorder (N=56). A linear regression was conducted to examine the predictive value of total baseline RAS scores on self-efficacy at 10 months while controlling for study group. This model significantly predicted self-efficacy (F (2, 53) = 13.28, p < .001) and accounted for 36.1% of the variance. Total baseline RAS scores significantly predicted self-efficacy (β = 059, p < .001); specifically, higher baseline RAS scores were associated with greater self-efficacy. A greater degree of recovery may facilitate greater medical self-efficacy in managing chronic disease in people diagnosed with a serious mental illness. Future intervention approaches may consider recovery-focused therapeutic targets such as peer support to promote self-efficacy to manage chronic diseases in people with serious mental illness.

     

Effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate and thermal cycling on the bond strength of resin cements to the root dentin

Odontology - This study evaluated the effect of epigallocatechin-3-gallate (EGCG) solution and thermal cycling on the bond strength (BS) of fiber posts to the root dentin using two different resin...     

Collagen metabolism in experimental lung silicosis. A trimodal behavior of collagenolysis

In spite of several studies, both in vivo and in vitro, the pathogenesis of silicosis remains unclear, mainly in those mechanisms related to fibrogenesis. In this study, we analyzed the concentration, biosynthesis, and degradation of collagen in silica-treated rats 7, 15, 30, 45, and 60 days after instillation. Our results showed a significant increase in collagen content and biosynthesis from the 15th day onward. However, our most remarkable finding was related to collagenolytic activity. In this sense, the silicotic rats presented a trimodal behavior: some animals showed an increased degradation, others had similar values to those of the controls, and others exhibited a decrease of collagenolytic activity. Altogether, these results suggest that collagen deposition in silicotic lungs is due to a rise in biosynthesis and, at least in some animals, to a decrease in degradation. Neverthless, the steps of collagenolysis must be studied in more detail.     

Interepidemic transmission of dengue in the city of Colima, Mexico

OBJECTIVE: To determine the occurrence of interepidemic dengue in a community infested with Aedes aegypti and to analyze its epidemiologic characteristics. MATERIAL AND METHODS: A longitudinal probabilistic study was carried out in Colima City between 2001 and 2002. The sample population consisted of 245 subjects. The following were recorded for each subject: sex, age, socio-economic level and dengue fever symptoms, testing for serum IgG and IgM antidengue, using quick immunochromatography as well as ELISA tests, in a seven-month follow-up period. RESULTS: Twelve individuals showed recent dengue infection (incidence: 1.77%; 95%: confidence interval 0.9-3.1%). Of these, eight had recent clinical symptoms (chi 2 = 19.6; p < 0.0001, odss ratio 19.6). Poisson regression analysis showed no evidence of correlation between recent infection and sex, age, or socioeconomic level. CONCLUSIONS: Communities infested with A. aegypti, like Colima, may continually exhibit dengue infection with no apparent epidemic. Such infections are seemingly not associated with age, sex, or socioeconomic level, but with clinical symptoms. This situation could be considered an early indicator of interepidemic transmission.