Celecoxib as an Adjuvant to Fluvoxamine in Moderate to Severe Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Double-blind, Placebo-controlled, Randomized Trial

Introduction: A growing body of evidence implicates inflammatory cascades in the pathophysiology of obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), making this pathway a target for development of novel treatments. Methods: 50 outpatients with moderate to severe OCD participated in the trial, and underwent 10 weeks of treatment with either celecoxib (200 mg twice daily) or placebo as an adjuvant to fluvoxamine. Participants were investigated using Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The main outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of celecoxib in improving the OCD symptoms. Results: General linear model repeated measures demonstrated significant effect for time � treatment interaction on the Y-BOCS total scores F (1.38, 66.34)=6.91, p=0.005. Kaplan-Meier estimation with log-rank test demonstrated significantly more rapid response in the celecoxib group than the placebo group (p<0.001). There was no significant difference in adverse event frequencies between the groups. Discussion: The results of the current study suggest that celecoxib could be a tolerable and effective adjunctive treatment for more rapid and more satisfying improvements in OCD symptoms. © Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart, New York

Minocycline combination therapy with fluvoxamine in moderate-to-severe obsessive�compulsive disorder: A placebo-controlled, double-blind, randomized trial

Aim: Several lines of evidence implicate glutamatergic dysfunction in the pathophysiology of obsessive�compulsive disorder (OCD), presenting this neurotransmitter as a target for the development of novel pharmacotherapy. The objective of this study was to assess the efficacy of minocycline as an augmentative agent to fluvoxamine in the treatment of patients with OCD. Methods: One hundred and two patients with the diagnosis of moderate-to-severe OCD were recruited to this study. A randomized double-blind trial was designed and patients received either L-carnosine or placebo as adjuvant to fluvoxamine for 10 weeks. The patients randomly received either minocycline 100 mg twice per day or placebo for 10 weeks. All patients received fluvoxamine (100 mg/day) for the first 4 weeks, followed by 200 mg/day for the rest of the trial, regardless of their treatment groups. Participants were evaluated using the Yale�Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS). The main outcome measure was to assess the efficacy of minocycline in improving the OCD symptoms. Results: General linear model repeated measures demonstrated significant effect for time � treatment interaction on the Y-BOCS total scores, F(1.49, 137.93) = 7.1, P = 0.003, and Y-BOCS Obsession subscale score, F(1.54, 141.94) = 9.72, P = 0.001, and near significant effect for the Y-BOCS Compulsion subscale score, F(1.27, 117.47) = 2.92, P = 0.08. A significantly greater rate of partial and complete response was observed in the minocycline group (P < 0.001). The frequency of side-effects was not significantly different between the treatment arms. Conclusion: The results of this study suggest that minocycline could be a tolerable and effective adjuvant in the management of patients with OCD. © 2016 The Authors. Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences © 2016 Japanese Society of Psychiatry and Neurolog

Towards an understanding of marine fouling effects on the vortex-induced vibrations of circular cylinders: partial coverage issue

<p>The results of in-water vortex-induced vibration (VIV) experiments on circular cylinders artificially covered with barnacles are reported. The paper focusses on the effects of the partial coverage and the shape of the fouling elements. An artificial barnacle typical of marine fouling was synthesised using 3-D printing. Coverage ratios of 80, 50 and 30% were examined and the results compared with those from a smooth cylinder. The Reynolds number ranged from 5.8 × 10³ to 6.6 × 10⁴. The experimental results show that the fouling reduced the peak VIV amplitude, narrowed the synchronisation region and lowered the hydrodynamic force coefficients such as the coefficients of lift force RMS, the mean drag force and the fluctuating drag force RMS. The shape of the artificial barnacles had little effect on the maximum oscillation amplitude. The coverage ratio appeared to have a lower impact on the lift force than those on the amplitude and the frequency responses.</p

Optimizing the hybrid PVDG and DSTATCOM integration in electrical distribution systems based on a modified homonuclear molecules optimization algorithm

Abstract The increasing use of non‐linear loads in electrical distribution systems (EDS) led to a greater need for reactive power compensation, losses minimization, improved voltage and stability. This paper proposes the optimal integration of hybrid photovoltaic distributed generation (PVDG) and distribution static synchronous compensator (DSTATCOM) into IEEE 33 and 69‐bus EDS. A modified version of homonuclear molecules optimization (mHMO) is developed to determine the optimal allocation of the devices, while minimizing a multi‐objective function (MOF) based on total active power losses (TAPL), total voltage deviation (TVD), and investment cost of integrated devices (ICPVDG and ICDSTATCOM). The primary objective of the mHMO is to enhance the equilibrium between exploration and exploitation in the original HMO by implementing a fresh exploration stage. The effectiveness of mHMO was assessed using CEC17 benchmark functions. The findings demonstrate that mHMO achieved excellent results, including high‐quality solution and a favourable convergence rate. Additionally, results demonstrate that mHMO outperforms its basic version in reducing TAPL by 94.27% and 97.87% for the two EDS, while improving voltage profiles and reducing the cost of integrated devices. This study shows the potential of hybrid PVDG‐DSTATCOM in improving the performance of EDS and highlights the effectiveness of mHMO in optimizing their integration

Celecoxib for the treatment of mild-to-moderate depression due to acute brucellosis: a double-blind, placebo-controlled, randomized trial

What is known and objectiveDepression is a debilitating complication of brucellosis and how best to treat this is a matter of debate. Inflammatory processes are involved in the pathogenesis of both brucellosis and depression. Therefore, we hypothesized that celecoxib could be beneficial for the treatment of depression due to brucellosis. MethodsForty outpatients with depression due to brucellosis with a Hamilton Depression Rating Scale score (HDRS) <19 participated in a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial and underwent 8weeks of treatment with either celecoxib (200mg bid) or placebo as an adjunctive to antibiotic therapy. Patients were evaluated using HDRS at baseline and weeks 4 and 8. Result and discussionRepeated-measures analysis demonstrated significant effect for time x treatment interaction on the HDRS score F (143, 5741)=3722, P<0001. Significantly greater response to treatment occurred in the celecoxib group than in the placebo group at the study end 10 patients (50%) vs. no patient (0%), respectively, P<0001. No serious adverse event was observed. What is new and conclusionCelecoxib is a safe and effective treatment for depression due to brucellosis when compared with placebo

Structural Stability

IASS-IACM 2008 Session: Structural Stability -- Session Organizer: Herbert MANG (Technical University of Vienna) -- Plenary Lecture: Abstract, Slides and Video: "Answers to three not quite straightforward questions in structural stability" by Andreas STEINBOECK, Gerhard HOEFINGER, Xin JIA, Herbert A. MANG (Technical University of Vienna) -- Keynote Lecture: "Limit-point and postbuckling behavior of steel trusses under thermal and mechanical loadings" by Yeong Bin YANG , T.J. LIN (National Taiwan University) -- "Modeling thin-walled cold-formed steel members and systems" by Benjamin W. SCHAFER , R. H. SANGREE, Cristopher MOEN, M. SEIF, Y. SHIFFERAW, V. ZEINODDINI, Z. J. LI, O. IUORIO, Y. GUAN (Johns Hopkins University) -- "Multi parametrical instability of straight bars" by Jan B. OBREBSKI (Warsaw University of Technology) -- "The effect of predetermined delaminations on buckling and post-buckling behavior of spatial composite timber beams and frames" by Miran SAJE , Urban RODMAN, Dejan ZUPAN, Igor PLANINC (University of Ljubljana) -- Keynote Lecture: "Buckling and sensitivity analysis of imperfect shells involving contact" by Karl SCHWEIZERHOF , Eduard EWERT (University of Karlsruhe) -- Keynote Lecture: "Determining the stability of tensegrities and generic global rigidity" by Robert CONNELLY (Cornell University) -- "Initial imperfection identification in shell buckling problems" by Christopher J. STULL , Christopher J. EARLS, Wilkins AQUINO (Cornell University) -- "Buckling phenomena, analysis and design of axially compressed cylindrical shells with co-existent external pressure" by Werner GUGGENBERGER , Medhanye B. TEKLEAB (TU Graz