Differences and overlap in self-reported symptoms of bipolar disorder and borderline personality disorder

Background: Differential diagnosis between bipolar disorder (BD) and borderline personality disorder (BPD) is often challenging due to some overlap in symptoms and comorbidity of disorders. We investigated correlations in self-reported symptoms of BD and BPD in screening questionnaires at the levels of both total scores and individual items and explored overlapping dimensions. Methods: The McLean Screening Instrument (MSI) for BPD and the Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ) for BD were filled in by patients with unipolar and bipolar mood disorders (n = 313) from specialized psychiatric care within a pilot study of the Helsinki University Psychiatric Consortium. Pearson's correlation coefficients between total scores and individual items of the MSI and the MDQ were estimated. Relationships between MDQ and MSI were evaluated by exploratory factor analysis (EFA). Results: The correlation between total scores of the MDQ and MSI was moderate (r = 0.431, P <0.001). Significant correlations were found between the MSI items of "impulsivity'' and "mood instability'' and all MDQ items (P <0.01). In the EFA, the MSI "impulsivity'' and "mood instability'' items had significant cross-loadings (0.348 and 0.298, respectively) with the MDQ factor. The MDQ items of "irritability'', "flight of thoughts'' and "distractibility'' (0.280, 0.210 and 0.386, respectively) cross-loaded on the MSI factor. Conclusions: The MDQ and MSI items of "affective instability'', "impulsivity'', "irritability'', "flight of thoughts'' and "distractibility'' appear to overlap in content. The other scale items are more disorder-specific, and thus, may help to distinguish BD and BPD. (C) 2015 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Temperature effects in low-frequency Raman spectra of corticosteroid hormones

Experimental Raman spectra of the corticosteroid hormones corticosterone and desoxycorticosterone are recorded at different temperatures (in the range of 30–310 K) in the region of low-frequency (15–120 cm−1) vibrations using a solid-state laser at 532.1 nm. The intramolecular vibrations of both hormones are interpreted on the basis of Raman spectra calculated by the B3LYP/6-31G(d) density functional theory method. The intermolecular bonds in tetramers of hormones are studied with the help of the topological theory of Bader using data of X-ray structural analysis for crystalline samples of hormones. The total energy of intermolecular interactions in the tetramer of desoxycorticosterone (−49.1 kJ/mol) is higher than in the tetramer of corticosterone (−36.9 kJ/mol). A strong intramolecular hydrogen bond O21-H⋯O=C20 with an energy of −42.4 kJ/mol was revealed in the corticosterone molecule, which is absent in the desoxycorticosterone molecule. This fact makes the Raman spectra of both hormones somewhat different. It is shown that the low-frequency lines in the Raman spectra are associated with skeletal vibrations of molecules and bending vibrations of the substituent at the C17 atom. The calculated Raman spectrum of the desoxycorticosterone dimer allows one to explain the splitting and shift of some lines and to interpret new strong lines observed in the spectra at low temperatures, which are caused by the intermolecular interaction and mixing of normal vibrations in a crystal cell. On the whole the calculated frequencies are in a good agreement with the experimental results

Vicious Walkers and Hook Young Tableaux

We consider a generalization of the vicious walker model. Using a bijection map between the path configuration of the non-intersecting random walkers and the hook Young diagram, we compute the probability concerning the number of walker's movements. Applying the saddle point method, we reveal that the scaling limit gives the Tracy--Widom distribution, which is same with the limit distribution of the largest eigenvalues of the Gaussian unitary ensemble.Comment: 23 pages, 5 figure

Anxiety symptoms in a major mood and schizophrenia spectrum disorders

Background: Comorbid anxiety symptoms and disorders are present in many psychiatric disorders, but methodological variations render comparisons of their frequency and intensity difficult. Furthermore, whether risk factors for comorbid anxiety symptoms are similar in patients with mood disorders and schizophrenia spectrum disorders remains unclear. Methods: The Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) was used to measure anxiety symptoms in psychiatric care patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder (SSA, n = 113), bipolar disorder (BD, n = 99), or depressive disorder (DD, n = 188) in the Helsinki University Psychiatric Consortium Study. Bivariate correlations and multivariate linear regression models were used to examine associations of depressive symptoms, neuroticism, early psychological trauma and distress, self-efficacy, symptoms of borderline personality disorder, and attachment style with anxiety symptoms in the three diagnostic groups. Results: Frequent or constant anxiety was reported by 40.2% of SSA, 51.5% of BD, and 55.6% of DD patients; it was described as severe or extreme by 43.8%, 41.4%, and 41.2% of these patients, respectively. SSA patients were significantly less anxious (P = 0.010) and less often avoided anxiety-provoking situations (P = 0.009) than the other patients. In regression analyses, OASIS was associated with high neuroticism, symptoms of depression and borderline personality disorder and low self-efficacy in all patients, and with early trauma in patients with mood disorders. Conclusions: Comorbid anxiety symptoms are ubiquitous among psychiatric patients with mood or schizophrenia spectrum disorders, and in almost half of them, reportedly severe. Anxiety symptoms appear to be strongly related to both concurrent depressive symptoms and personality characteristics, regardless of principal diagnosis. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Self-reported symptoms of schizotypal and borderline personality disorder in patients with mood disorders

Background: Distinguishing between symptoms of schizotypal (SPD) and borderline personality disorders (BPD) is often difficult due to their partial overlap and frequent co-occurrence. We investigated correlations in self-reported symptoms of SPD and BPD in questionnaires at the levels of both total scores and individual items, examining overlapping dimensions. Methods: Two questionnaires, the McLean Screening Instrument (MSI) for BPD and the Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire Brief (SPQ-B) for SPD, were filled in by patients with mood disorders (n = 282) from specialized psychiatric care in a study of the Helsinki University Psychiatric Consortium. Correlation coefficients between total scores and individual items of the MSI and SPQ-B were estimated. Multivariate regression analysis (MRA) was conducted to examine the relationships between SPQ-B and MSI. Results: The Spearman's correlation between total scores of the MSI and SPQ-B was strong (rho = 0.616, P <0.005). Items of MSI reflecting disrupted relatedness and affective dysregulation correlated moderately (r(phi) varied between 0.2 and 0.4, P <0.005) with items of SPQ. Items of MSI reflecting behavioural dysregulation correlated only weakly with items of SPQ. In MRA, depressive symptoms, sex and MSI were significant predictors of SPQ-B score, whereas symptoms of anxiety, age and SPQ-B were significant predictors of MSI score. Conclusions: Items reflecting cognitive-perceptual distortions and affective symptoms of BPD appear to overlap with disorganized and cognitive-perceptual symptoms of SPD. Symptoms of depression may aggravate self-reported features of SPQ-B, and symptoms of anxiety features of MSI. Symptoms of behavioural dysregulation of BPD and interpersonal deficits of SPQ appear to be non-overlapping. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Self-reported psychosis-like experiences in patients with mood disorders

Background: Self-reported psychosis-like experiences (PEs) may be common in patients with mood disorders, but their clinical correlates are not well known. We investigated their prevalence and relationships with self-reported symptoms of depression, mania, anxiety, borderline (BPD) and schizotypal (SPD) personality disorders among psychiatric patients with mood disorders. Methods: The Community Assessment of Psychic Experiences (CAPE-42), Mood Disorder Questionnaire (MDQ), McLean Screening Instrument (MSI), The Beck Depressive Inventory (BDI), Overall Anxiety Severity and Impairment Scale (OASIS) and Schizotypal Personality Questionnaire-Brief form (SPQ-B) were filled in by patients with mood disorders (n = 282) from specialized care. Correlation coefficients between total scores and individual items of CAPE-42 and BDI, SPQ-B, MSI and MDQ were estimated. Hierarchical multivariate regression analysis was conducted to examine factors influencing the frequency of self-reported PE. Results: PEs are common in patients with mood disorders. The "frequency of positive symptoms" score of CAPE-42 correlated strongly with total score of SPQ-B (rho = 0.63; P <0.001) and moderately with total scores of BDI, MDQ OASIS and MSI (rho varied from 0.37 to 0.56; P <0.001). Individual items of CAPE-42 correlated moderately with specific items of BDI, MDQ SPQ-B and MSI (r(phi) varied from 0.2 to 0.5; P <0.001). Symptoms of anxiety, mania or hypomania and BPD were significant predictors of the "frequency of positive symptoms" score of CAPE-42. Conclusions: Several, state- and trait-related factors may underlie self-reported PEs among mood disorder patients. These include cognitive-perceptual distortions of SPD; distrustfulness, identity disturbance, dissociative and affective symptoms of BPD; and cognitive biases related to depressive or manic symptoms. (C) 2016 Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.Peer reviewe

Продуктивность лактирующих коров при использовании в рационах сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси с внесением нового биологического консерванта

The effect of a new biological preservative representing a mix of lyophilized Lactobacillus plantarum VKPM V-4173, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis VKPM V-2092 and Propionibacterium acidipropionici VKPMV-5723 strains (40 : 40 : 20) on the quality of haylage prepared from a mix of vetch, oats, and pea has been studied. The total bacteria content in the preservative was 1·1011 CFU/g. Five different variants of conservation of alfalfa haylage prepared at the budding stage were evaluated under laboratory conditions. The variants included a self-conserved control and the preservative at two different dosages (3 and 6 g/ton) with and without the addition of cellulolytic enzymes. The best results were observed in the case of both the enzyme-free and the enzyme-containing preservative at the dosage equal to 6 g/ton. These variants provided the maximum protein content in the haylage (94.3% and 94.5% of the initial content, respectively) and a high content of lactic acid (62.9% and 65.4% of the total acid content, respectively) and also good organoleptic characteristics. The determined optimum biopreservative dosage was tested under industrial conditions using 750 tons of vetch-oats-pea haylage. The use of the biopreservative provided a high-quality haylage of high nutritive value. Industrial evaluation of the effect on the productivity of milk cattle (n = 15) of the addition of the biopreservative to the haylage showed that the maximum average daily yield of milk with basic fat content (3.4%) was obtained from cows of the experimental group whose ration included haylage prepared with the use of the studied preservative. This yield came to32.7 kg , which exceeded the yield for the control group (fed on self-conserved haylage) by 7.0%. Three months feeding of cows with the haylage prepared with the use of the new preservative brought a significant saving of money (4,862 rubles per a head at the prices of 2015–2016). Исследовано влияние нового биологического консерванта, представляющего собой смесь лиофильно высушенных бактерий: Lactobacillus plantarum ВКПМ В-4173, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ВКПМ В-2092 и Propionibacterium acidipropionici ВКПМ В-5723 (в соотношении 40 : 40 : 20) на качество сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси. Общее содержание бактерий в консерванте составляло 1·1011 КОЕ/г. В лабораторном опыте оценены четыре варианта закладки сенажа из люцерны, приготовленного в фазе бутонизации, с нормами внесения консерванта 3 и 6 г/т в присутствии и в отсутствие ферментов. В качестве контроля использовали самоконсервированный сенаж. По результатам эксперимента наилучшие результаты обеспечивало внесение биоконсерванта в количестве 6 г/т как совместно с ферментом, так и без него. В этих вариантах отмечена высокая сохранность протеина (94,5% и 94,3% от содержания в исходной массе) и высокое содержание молочной кислоты (65,4% и 62,9% от общего содержания всех кислот), а также хорошие органолептические показатели. Указанная оптимальная норма внесения биоконсерванта протестирована в производственных испытаниях при закладке 750 тонн сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси. Применение биоконсерванта позволило получить сенаж высокого качества, имеющий высокую энергетическую и питательную ценность. Проведены производственные испытания с оценкой эффекта скармливания сенажа, заготовленного путем самоконсервирования (контроль) и с внесением исследуемого биоконсерванта (опыт), на молочную продуктивность новотельных коров черно-пестрой породы (n = 15), качество молока и затраты кормов на единицу продукции. Среднесуточный удой молока базисной жирности (3,4%) коров опытной группы в период раздоя составил 32,7 кг, что на 7% выше по сравнению с контрольными животными, получавшими самоконсервированный сенаж. Скармливание молочным коровам в период раздоя сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси с внесением нового биологического консерванта обеспечило экономию в размере 4 862 рубля на голову в ценах 2015–2016 года.Исследовано влияние нового биологического консерванта, представляющего собой смесь лиофильно высушенных бактерий: Lactobacillus plantarum ВКПМ В-4173, Lactococcus lactis subsp. lactis ВКПМ В-2092 и Propionibacterium acidipropionici ВКПМ В-5723 (в соотношении 40 : 40 : 20) на качество сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси. Общее содержание бактерий в консерванте составляло 1·1011 КОЕ/г. В лабораторном опыте оценены четыре варианта закладки сенажа из люцерны, приготовленного в фазе бутонизации, с нормами внесения консерванта 3 и 6 г/т в присутствии и в отсутствие ферментов. В качестве контроля использовали самоконсервированный сенаж. По результатам эксперимента наилучшие результаты обеспечивало внесение биоконсерванта в количестве 6 г/т как совместно с ферментом, так и без него. В этих вариантах отмечена высокая сохранность протеина (94,5% и 94,3% от содержания в исходной массе) и высокое содержание молочной кислоты (65,4% и 62,9% от общего содержания всех кислот), а также хорошие органолептические показатели. Указанная оптимальная норма внесения биоконсерванта протестирована в производственных испытаниях при закладке 750 тонн сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси. Применение биоконсерванта позволило получить сенаж высокого качества, имеющий высокую энергетическую и питательную ценность. Проведены производственные испытания с оценкой эффекта скармливания сенажа, заготовленного путем самоконсервирования (контроль) и с внесением исследуемого биоконсерванта (опыт), на молочную продуктивность новотельных коров черно-пестрой породы (n = 15), качество молока и затраты кормов на единицу продукции. Среднесуточный удой молока базисной жирности (3,4%) коров опытной группы в период раздоя составил 32,7 кг, что на 7% выше по сравнению с контрольными животными, получавшими самоконсервированный сенаж. Скармливание молочным коровам в период раздоя сенажа из вико-овсяно-гороховой смеси с внесением нового биологического консерванта обеспечило экономию в размере 4 862 рубля на голову в ценах 2015–2016 года

Search for lepton-flavour-violating decays of Higgs-like bosons.

A search is presented for a Higgs-like boson with mass in the range 45 to 195 GeV/c2 decaying into a muon and a tau lepton. The dataset consists of proton-proton interactions at a centre-of-mass energy of 8 TeV , collected by the LHCb experiment, corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 2 fb-1 . The tau leptons are reconstructed in both leptonic and hadronic decay channels. An upper limit on the production cross-section multiplied by the branching fraction at 95% confidence level is set and ranges from 22 pb for a boson mass of 45 GeV/c2 to 4 pb for a mass of 195 GeV/c2

Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions in the forward region in pp collisions at √s=7 TeV

Bose-Einstein correlations of same-sign charged pions, produced in protonproton collisions at a 7 TeV centre-of-mass energy, are studied using a data sample collected by the LHCb experiment. The signature for Bose-Einstein correlations is observed in the form of an enhancement of pairs of like-sign charged pions with small four-momentum difference squared. The charged-particle multiplicity dependence of the Bose-Einstein correlation parameters describing the correlation strength and the size of the emitting source is investigated, determining both the correlation radius and the chaoticity parameter. The measured correlation radius is found to increase as a function of increasing charged-particle multiplicity, while the chaoticity parameter is seen to decreas