Prevalence of mental disorders in French prisons for men

BACKGROUND: Psychiatric surveys conducted in prison populations find high prevalence rates, but diagnoses may be difficult in this particular context. None of these surveys have been conducted in France. METHODS: 800 incarcerated male were sampled at random. Each prisoner was interviewed by a group of 2 clinicians, at least one of them being a senior psychiatrist. One of the clinicians used a structured clinical interview which generated DSM IV diagnosis (MINI plus); the second completed the procedure with an open clinical interview. RESULTS: Prevalence rates for a diagnosis given independently by both clinicians and for a consensual diagnosis were respectively: 3.8% (6.2%) for schizophrenia, 17.9% (24%) for major depressive disorder, 12.0% (17.7%) for generalized anxiety and 10.8% (14.6%) for drug dependence. CONCLUSION: Psychiatric diagnosis can be difficult to interpret in prison, especially using traditional standardized interviews. The approach proposed here, with good reliability and closer to a day-to-day clinical practice, yields high prevalence rates

Prevalence and factors associated with alcohol and drug-related disorders in prison: a French national study

BACKGROUND: Most studies measuring substance-use disorders in prisons focus on incoming or on remand prisoners and are generally restricted to drugs. However, there is evidence that substance use initiation or continuation occurs in prison, and that alcohol use is common. The aim of this study is 1) to assess prevalence of both drug and alcohol abuse and dependence (DAD/AAD) in a national randomised cohort of French prisoners, short or long-term sentence 2) to assess the risk factors associated with DAD/AAD in prison. a stratified random strategy was used to select 1) 23 prisons among the different types of prison 2) 998 prisoners. Diagnoses were assessed according to a standardized procedure, each prisoner being assessed by two psychiatrists, one junior, using a structured interview (MINI 5 plus), and one senior, completing the procedure with an open clinical interview. At the end of the interview the clinicians met and agreed on a list of diagnoses. Cloninger's Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI) was also used. RESULTS: More than a third of prisoners presented either AAD or DAD in the last 12 months. Cannabis was the most frequent drug and just under a fifth of prisoners had AAD. AAD and DAD were clearly different for the following: socio-demographic variables, childhood history, imprisonment characteristics, psychiatric comorbidity and Cloninger's TCI. Profiles of AAD in prison are similar to type II alcoholism. CONCLUSION: Regular screening of AAD/DAD in prison, and specific treatment programmes taking into account differences between prisoners with an AAD and prisoners with a DAD should be a public health priority in priso

Characterization of multinucleated giant cells in synovium and subchondral bone in knee osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis

Background: Multinucleated giant cells have been noticed in diverse arthritic conditions since their first description in rheumatoid synovium. However, their role in the pathogenesis of osteoarthritis (OA) or rheumatoid arthritis (RA) still remains broadly unknown. We aimed to study the presence and characteristics of multinucleated giant cells (MGC) both in synovium and in subchondral bone tissues of patients with OA or RA. Methods: Knee synovial and subchondral bone samples were from age-matched patients undergoing total joint replacement for OA or RA, or non-arthritic post mortem (PM) controls. OA synovium was stratified by histological inflammation grade using index tissue sections. Synovitis was assessed by Krenn score. Histological studies employed specific antibodies against macrophage markers or cathepsin K, or TRAP enzymatic assay. Results: Inflamed OA and RA synovia displayed more multinucleated giant cells than did non-inflamed OA and PM synovia. There was a significant association between MGC numbers and synovitis severity. A TRAP negative/cathepsin K negative Langhans-like subtype was predominant in OA, whereas both Langhans-like and TRAP-positive/ cathepsin K negative foreign-body-like subtypes were most commonly detected in RA. Plasma-like and foam-like subtypes also were observed in OA and RA synovia, and the latter was found surrounding adipocytes. TRAP positive/ cathepsin K positive osteoclasts were only identified adjacent to subchondral bone surfaces. TRAP positive osteoclasts were significantly increased in subchondral bone in OA and RA compared to PM controls. Conclusions: Multinucleated giant cells are associated with synovitis severity, and subchondral osteoclast numbers are increased in OA, as well as in RA. Further research targeting multinucleated giant cells is warranted to elucidate their contributions to the symptoms and joint damage associated with arthritis

Gastric Juvenile Polyposis with High-Grade Dysplasia in Pachydermoperiostosis

Pachydermoperiostosis (PDP) is the primary form of hypertrophic osteoarthropathy. It is a very rare disease consisting of pachydermia, digital clubbing and radiologic periostosis. Various digestive symptoms in PDP are seen in 11–49% of patients and juvenile polyps may be found at gastric endoscopy. We report here the history of a patient with PDP who was referred for assessment of severe anemia. Endoscopy of the upper digestive tract showed multiple polyps of the stomach with two huge lesions exhibiting foci of high-grade dysplasia. This observation suggests that PDP can be considered as a precancerous condition of the stomach and systematic screening using endoscopy should be considered in these patients

Height and timing of growth spurt during puberty in young people living with vertically acquired HIV in Europe and Thailand.

OBJECTIVE: The aim of this study was to describe growth during puberty in young people with vertically acquired HIV. DESIGN: Pooled data from 12 paediatric HIV cohorts in Europe and Thailand. METHODS: One thousand and ninety-four children initiating a nonnucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor or boosted protease inhibitor based regimen aged 1-10 years were included. Super Imposition by Translation And Rotation (SITAR) models described growth from age 8 years using three parameters (average height, timing and shape of the growth spurt), dependent on age and height-for-age z-score (HAZ) (WHO references) at antiretroviral therapy (ART) initiation. Multivariate regression explored characteristics associated with these three parameters. RESULTS: At ART initiation, median age and HAZ was 6.4 [interquartile range (IQR): 2.8, 9.0] years and -1.2 (IQR: -2.3 to -0.2), respectively. Median follow-up was 9.1 (IQR: 6.9, 11.4) years. In girls, older age and lower HAZ at ART initiation were independently associated with a growth spurt which occurred 0.41 (95% confidence interval 0.20-0.62) years later in children starting ART age 6 to 10 years compared with 1 to 2 years and 1.50 (1.21-1.78) years later in those starting with HAZ less than -3 compared with HAZ at least -1. Later growth spurts in girls resulted in continued height growth into later adolescence. In boys starting ART with HAZ less than -1, growth spurts were later in children starting ART in the oldest age group, but for HAZ at least -1, there was no association with age. Girls and boys who initiated ART with HAZ at least -1 maintained a similar height to the WHO reference mean. CONCLUSION: Stunting at ART initiation was associated with later growth spurts in girls. Children with HAZ at least -1 at ART initiation grew in height at the level expected in HIV negative children of a comparable age

Study of Bc+B_c^+ decays to the K+K−π+K^+K^-\pi^+ final state and evidence for the decay Bc+→χc0π+B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+

A study of $B_c^+\to K^+K^-\pi^+$ decays is performed for the first time using data corresponding to an integrated luminosity of 3.0 $\mathrm{fb}^{-1}$ collected by the LHCb experiment in $pp$ collisions at centre-of-mass energies of $7$ and $8$ TeV. Evidence for the decay $B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}(\to K^+K^-)\pi^+$ is reported with a significance of 4.0 standard deviations, resulting in the measurement of $\frac{\sigma(B_c^+)}{\sigma(B^+)}\times\mathcal{B}(B_c^+\to\chi_{c0}\pi^+)$ to be $(9.8^{+3.4}_{-3.0}(\mathrm{stat})\pm 0.8(\mathrm{syst}))\times 10^{-6}$. Here $\mathcal{B}$ denotes a branching fraction while $\sigma(B_c^+)$ and $\sigma(B^+)$ are the production cross-sections for $B_c^+$ and $B^+$ mesons. An indication of $\bar b c$ weak annihilation is found for the region $m(K^-\pi^+)<1.834\mathrm{\,Ge\kern -0.1em V\!/}c^2$, with a significance of 2.4 standard deviations.Comment: All figures and tables, along with any supplementary material and additional information, are available at https://lhcbproject.web.cern.ch/lhcbproject/Publications/LHCbProjectPublic/LHCb-PAPER-2016-022.html, link to supplemental material inserted in the reference

The Young and Bright Type Ia Supernova ASASSN-14lp: Discovery, Early-Time Observations, First-Light Time, Distance to NGC 4666, and Progenitor Constraints

On 2014 Dec. 9.61, the All-Sky Automated Survey for SuperNovae (ASAS-SN or "Assassin") discovered ASASSN-14lp just $\sim2$ days after first light using a global array of 14-cm diameter telescopes. ASASSN-14lp went on to become a bright supernova ($V = 11.94$ mag), second only to SN 2014J for the year. We present prediscovery photometry (with a detection less than a day after first light) and ultraviolet through near-infrared photometric and spectroscopic data covering the rise and fall of ASASSN-14lp for more than 100 days. We find that ASASSN-14lp had a broad light curve ($\Delta m_{15}(B) = 0.796 \pm 0.001_{\textrm{stat}}$), a $B$-band maximum at $2457015.823 \pm 0.030_{\textrm{stat}}$, a rise time of $16.94^{+ 0.11 }_{- 0.11 }$ days, and moderate host--galaxy extinction ($E(B-V)_{\textrm{host}} = 0.329 \pm 0.001_{\textrm{stat}}$). Using ASASSN-14lp we derive a distance modulus for NGC 4666 of $\mu = 30.834 \pm 0.003_{\textrm{stat}} \pm 0.16_{\textrm{syst}}$ corresponding to a distance of $14.68 \pm 0.02_{\textrm{stat}} \pm 1.15_{\textrm{syst}}$ Mpc. However, a tip of the red giant branch distance to the host galaxy should be measured to allow ASASSN-14lp to be added to the calibrating sample of Type Ia supernovae. Finally, using our early-time photometric and spectroscopic data along with our derived light curve properties, we rule out red giant secondaries with limits on the radius of a non-degenerate companion as small as $0.34 \rm{R}_\odot$ for favorable viewing angles and estimates of the explosion time

Measurement of the Bottom-Strange Meson Mixing Phase in the Full CDF Data Set

We report a measurement of the bottom-strange meson mixing phase \beta_s using the time evolution of B0_s -> J/\psi (->\mu+\mu-) \phi (-> K+ K-) decays in which the quark-flavor content of the bottom-strange meson is identified at production. This measurement uses the full data set of proton-antiproton collisions at sqrt(s)= 1.96 TeV collected by the Collider Detector experiment at the Fermilab Tevatron, corresponding to 9.6 fb-1 of integrated luminosity. We report confidence regions in the two-dimensional space of \beta_s and the B0_s decay-width difference \Delta\Gamma_s, and measure \beta_s in [-\pi/2, -1.51] U [-0.06, 0.30] U [1.26, \pi/2] at the 68% confidence level, in agreement with the standard model expectation. Assuming the standard model value of \beta_s, we also determine \Delta\Gamma_s = 0.068 +- 0.026 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps-1 and the mean B0_s lifetime, \tau_s = 1.528 +- 0.019 (stat) +- 0.009 (syst) ps, which are consistent and competitive with determinations by other experiments.Comment: 8 pages, 2 figures, Phys. Rev. Lett 109, 171802 (2012

Analysis of nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the exhaled breath condensate (EBC) of subjects with asthma as a complement to exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO) measurements: a cross-sectional study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>The study of pulmonary biomarkers with noninvasive methods, such as the analysis of exhaled breath condensate (EBC), provides a useful approach to the pathophysiology of asthma. Although many recent publications have applied such methods, numerous methodological pitfalls remain. The first stage of our study consisted of validating methods for the collection, storage and analysis of EBC; we next sought to clarify the utility of analysing nitrogen oxides (NOx) in the EBC of asthmatics, as a complement to measuring exhaled nitric oxide (FeNO).</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>This hospital-based cross-sectional study included 23 controls matched with 23 asthmatics. EBC and FeNO were performed and respiratory function measured. Intra-assay and intra-subject reproducibility were assessed for the analysis of NOx in the EBC of 10 healthy subjects.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>The intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) was excellent for intra-assay reproducibility and was moderate for intra-subject reproducibility (Fermanian's classification). NOx was significantly higher in asthmatics (geometric mean [IQR] 14.4 μM [10.4 - 19.7] vs controls 9.9 μM [7.5 - 15.0]), as was FeNO (29.9 ppb [17.9 - 52.4] vs controls 9.6 ppb [8.4 - 14.2]). FeNO also increased significantly with asthma severity.</p> <p>Conclusions</p> <p>We validated the procedures for NOx analysis in EBC and confirmed the need for assays of other biomarkers to further our knowledge of the pathophysiologic processes of asthma and improve its treatment and control.</p