A longitudinal twin study of the association between childhood autistic traits and psychotic experiences in adolescence

- Background: This twin study investigated whether autistic traits during childhood were associated with adolescent psychotic experiences. - Methods: Data were collected from a community sample of approximately 5000 twin pairs, which included 32 individuals with diagnosed autism spectrum conditions (ASC). Parents rated autistic traits in the twins at four points between ages 8–16 years. Positive, negative, and cognitive psychotic experiences were assessed at age 16 years using self- and parent-report scales. Longitudinal twin analyses tested the associations between these measures. - Results: Autistic traits correlated weakly or nonsignificantly with positive psychotic experiences (paranoia, hallucinations, and grandiosity), and modestly with cognitive psychotic experiences (cognitive disorganisation). Higher correlations were observed for parent-rated negative symptoms and self-reported anhedonia, although the proportion of variance in both accounted for by autistic traits was low (10 and 31 %, respectively). The majority of the genetic influences on negative symptoms and anhedonia were independent of autistic traits. Additionally, individuals with ASC displayed significantly more negative symptoms, anhedonia, and cognitive disorganisation than controls. - Conclusions: Autistic traits do not appear to be strongly associated with psychotic experiences in adolescence; associations were also largely restricted to negative symptoms. Of note, the degree to which the genetic and environmental causes of autistic traits influenced psychotic experiences was limited. These findings thus support a phenotypic and etiological distinction between autistic traits and psychotic experiences

Electrochemical and surface characterisation of carbon-film-coated piezoelectric quartz crystals

The electrochemical properties of carbon films, of thickness between 200 and 500 nm, sputter-coated on gold- and platinum-coated 6 MHz piezoelectric quartz crystal oscillators, as new electrode materials have been investigated. Comparative studies under the same experimental conditions were performed on bulk electrodes. Cyclic voltammetry was carried out in 0.1 M KCl electrolyte solution, and kinetic parameters of the model redox systems Fe(CN)(6)(3+/4+) and [Ru(NH(3))(6)](3+/2+) as well as the electroactive area of the electrodes were obtained. Atomic force microscopy was used in order to examine the surface morphology of the films, and the properties of the carbon films and the electrode-solution interface were studied by electrochemical impedance spectroscopy. The results obtained demonstrate the feasibility of the preparation and development of nanometer thick carbon film modified quartz crystals. Such modified crystals should open up new opportunities for the investigation of electrode processes at carbon electrodes and for the application of electrochemical sensing associated with the EQCM. (C) 2009 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.255188084809

Corrosion of dental amalgams: electrochemical study of Ag-Hg, Ag-Sn and Sn-Hg phases

Dental amalgams, formed by reaction of mercury with a powder alloy containing mainly Ag, Sn, Cu and Zn, have a complex metallurgical structure which can contain up to six phases. Their observed corrosion is thus a complex process, which involves contributions from each of the phases present as well as intergranular corrosion. It is thus of interest to investigate the corrosion of individual phases present in dental amalgams. In this work the corrosion behaviour in 0.9% NaCl solution of Ag-Hg, Ag-Sn and Sn-Hg phase components of dental amalgams was investigated by electrochemical methods. The corrosion resistance was found to decrease in the order gamma (1)-Ag2\Hg3, gamma -Ag3Sn and gamma (2)-Sn7Hg. (C) 2001 Elsevier B.V. Ltd. All rights reserved