Effect of cytomegalovirus infection on breastfeeding transmission of HIV and on the health of infants born to HIV-infected mothers

Cytomegalovirus (CMV) infection can be acquired in utero or postnatally through horizontal transmission and breastfeeding. The effect of postnatal CMV infection on postnatal HIV transmission is unknown

Plasma Micronutrient Concentrations Are Altered by Antiretroviral Therapy and Lipid-Based Nutrient Supplements in Lactating HIV-Infected Malawian Women

Background: Little is known about the influence of antiretroviral therapy with or without micronutrient supplementation on the micronutrient concentrations of HIV-infected lactating women in resource-constrained settings

Effects of clutter on information processing deficits in individuals with hoarding disorder

Current cognitive behavioral models of hoarding view hoarding as a multifaceted problem stemming from various information processing deficits. However, there is also reason to suspect that the consequences of hoarding may in turn impact or modulate deficits in information processing. The current study sought to expand upon the existing literature by manipulating clutter to examine whether the presence of a cluttered environment affects information processing. Participants included 34 individuals with hoarding disorder. Participants were randomized into a clutter or non-clutter condition and asked to complete various neuropsychological tasks of memory and attention. Results revealed that hoarding severity was associated with difficulties in sustained attention. However, individuals in the clutter condition relative to the non-clutter condition did not experience greater deficits in information processing. Limitations include the cross-sectional design and small sample size. The current findings add considerably to a growing body of literature on the relationships between information processing deficits and hoarding behaviors. Research of this type is integral to understanding the etiology and maintenance of hoarding

Attachment theory and hoarding disorder: A review and theoretical integration

Hoarding disorder (HD) is a severe and persistent mental illness characterized by extreme difficulty parting with possessions and considerable clutter that can result in dangerous living conditions. HD poses a considerable public health burden; however, treatment for HD remains relatively limited, as many individuals do not respond to treatment and/or do not maintain treatment gains, suggesting there are important factors not being adequately addressed. In particular, one area that is not well-understood nor well-integrated into cognitive behavioral models is the pathological attachment individuals with HD hold to their possessions. The current review delineates existing work regarding attachment in HD and integrates findings regarding attachment into existing cognitive behavioral models of HD. We use attachment theory as a foundation by which to examine HD and better understand the dysfunctional relationships seen in those who hoard. We propose that both maladaptive cognitions and dysfunctional attachments to people and possessions jointly underlie saving behaviors characteristic of the disorder. The hypotheses put forth in this theory may help to advance our knowledge of HD, identify potential factors that can be targeted in intervention and prevention efforts, and provide important future directions for empirical work. •Hoarding disorder (HD) is characterized by excessive saving behaviors.•Existing theoretical models do not adequately explain dysfunctional attachment in HD.•Reviews existing empirical and theoretical work regarding HD and attachment processes.•A framework for integrating attachment into theoretical models of HD is provided.•Interpersonal treatment approaches may be promising augmentative strategies

Engaging stakeholders to develop a suicide prevention learning module for Louisiana firearm training courses

Abstract Background Firearm suicide is a significant public health problem in the United States of America among the general and veteran populations. Broad-based preventive strategies, including lethal means safety, have been emphasized as a key approach to suicide prevention. Prior research has identified ways to improve the reach and uptake of lethal means safety messages. However, few resources have been created with these lessons in mind. Methods Louisiana firearm owners and instructors were recruited through a larger project, Veteran-Informed Safety Intervention and Outreach Network, as well as a publicly available database of firearm instructors to participate in focus groups to provide feedback on an existing suicide prevention learning module (developed in Utah) for use by firearm instructors. Their feedback was used to adapt the module, which included a brief video and PowerPoint presentation. Firearm owners and instructors were then invited back for another round of focus groups to provide feedback on this adapted learning module. Team-based rapid qualitative analysis was conducted to identify themes across transcripts from these four focus groups. Results Firearm owners and instructors agreed on several key themes, including the importance of messenger relatability and aligning the lethal means safety message with firearm owner values. Feedback suggested these themes were adequately addressed in the adapted learning module and contributed to overall module acceptability. The final theme, present across the original and adapted learning modules (i.e., Utah and Louisiana), was openness to further information and training on firearm suicide prevention. Conclusion Consistent with a public health approach to suicide prevention, the current study used stakeholder engagement to develop a suicide prevention learning module perceived as representative, accurate, and acceptable to Louisiana firearm owners and instructors. These findings can be used to inform firearm suicide prevention efforts in other states

Effects of a brief anxiety sensitivity reduction intervention on obsessive compulsive spectrum symptoms in a young adult sample

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) has been identified as a transdiagnostic cognitive risk factor for a wide range of affective disorders, including conditions within the obsessive compulsive (OC) spectrum. A growing body of research has demonstrated that directly reducing AS leads to subsequent reductions of other psychiatric symptoms, including anxiety, worry, and mood. To date, no study has examined the efficacy of a brief AS intervention on reducing OC and hoarding symptoms. Non-treatment seeking young adults (N = 104; 83.7% female; 81.7% Caucasian) were selected for having elevated levels of AS, and were then randomized into a single-session, computer-assisted AS intervention or a control condition. OC and hoarding symptoms were assessed at post-treatment, as well as at one week and one month follow-ups. Results revealed that the intervention, but not the control condition, reduced OC symptoms across the post-intervention follow-up period. Mediation analysis demonstrated that changes in AS mediated changes in OC symptoms due to the intervention. In contrast, the intervention did not have a specific effect on reducing hoarding symptoms. These findings have important ramifications for understanding the relationship between AS and OC spectrum symptoms, and raise interesting treatment and prevention implications

A Randomized Clinical Trial Targeting Anxiety Sensitivity for Patients With Suicidal Ideation

Anxiety sensitivity (AS) is a well-established transdiagnostic risk factor for anxiety and mood psychopathology including suicide. A variety of interventions using cognitive-behavioral skills as well as cognitive bias modification (CBM) suggest that AS can be quickly and effectively reduced in nonclinical and nontreatment seeking samples. However, it is unclear whether AS reduction protocols will have efficacy for more severe clinical samples. Moreover, the combination of cognitive-behavioral techniques with CBM focused on changing interpretation bias (CBM-I) related to AS has not been evaluated.A patient sample with co-occurring anxiety psychopathology and active suicidal ideation (N = 74) was randomly assigned to a brief 1-session computerized treatment including: (a) psychoeducation and interoceptive exposure (i.e., cognitive anxiety sensitivity treatment [CAST]) plus CBM-I for AS; or (b) health information condition plus sham CBM for AS. Participants were assessed immediately after the 1-hr intervention as well as at 1- and 4-month follow-ups.Consistent with hypotheses, participants in the active treatment showed significantly greater AS reduction that was maintained through follow-up (effect sizes ranged from medium to large for the overall AS and the AS subscales). Mediation analyses suggested that changes in AS mediated suicide outcomes.In sum, these are the first findings to suggest that brief AS reduction protocols have efficacy both in terms of risk and symptom outcomes in patient samples showing active suicidal ideation. (PsycINFO Database Recor