Social network interventions in mental healthcare: a protocol for an umbrella review

Introduction: Social networks (SNs) can play a crucial role in the process of recovery from mental illness. Yet there is no standard best practice for involving SNs to optimise patient recovery. It is therefore critical to explore the diversity of SN approaches in mental health, highlight gaps in the evidence and suggest future directions for research and practice. This protocol describes the methods for an umbrella review of SN interventions for the care and/or treatment of mental illness. // Methods and analysis: Nine electronic databases will be searched for the relevant journal articles: CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus and Ovid PsycINFO. We will include reviews which extracted information about the quantity, structure and quality of patient’s SNs as well as frequency of contact. The range of publication dates of the included articles will be from 2010 and 2021, as recommended by Joanna Briggs Institute guidelines. The Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 tool and ratings of the quality of evidence will be used to assess the quality of the included reviews. The results will be presented in accordance with guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement. Findings will inform the development of an SN framework to guide the design and evaluation of psychosocial interventions. // Ethics and dissemination: This umbrella review will involve secondary data analysis and ethical approval is not required. The target audience includes clinicians, researchers and service users, who will be reached with tailored materials through journal publications, conference presentations and social media. The presentation of the results will provide a more complete picture of relevant evidence and explicit basis from which to improve psychosocial well-being for people diagnosed with a mental illness

Shared decision making interventions in mental healthcare: a protocol for an umbrella review

Introduction: Shared decision making (SDM) has been advocated as a key component of person-centred care and recovery from mental illness. Although the principles of SDM have been well documented, there is a lack of guidance about how to accomplish SDM in mental healthcare. The objective of the present protocol is to describe the methods for an umbrella review to determine the effectiveness elements of SDM interventions for persons diagnosed with a mental illness. An umbrella review’s key characteristic is that it only considers for inclusion the highest level of evidence, namely other systematic reviews and meta-analyses. / Methods and Analysis: Electronic searches will be performed in CINAHL, PubMed, Scopus, Ovid MEDLINE, Ovid EMBASE, Ovid Cochrane Library, Web of Science, Scopus and Ovid PsycINFO. Based on Joanna Briggs Institute recommended guidelines, review articles will be included if they were published between 2010 and 2021. This approach will help identify current and emerging evidence-based treatment options in mental illness. Included articles will be assessed for quality using Assessment of Multiple Systematic Reviews 2 tool and ratings of the quality of evidence in each review. Presentation of results will align with guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses 2020 statement. Findings will be stratified by mode of intervention and implementation characteristics and will inform development of SDM taxonomy in mental healthcare. / Ethics and dissemination: This umbrella review will focus on the analysis of secondary data and does not require ethics approval. Findings will be disseminated widely to clinicians, researchers and services users via journal publication, conference presentations and social media. The results will contribute to the conceptualisation and understanding of effective SDM interventions in mental healthcare and to improving the quality of SDM for individuals with a mental illness. / PROSPERO registration number: CRD42020190700

Voltage controlled terahertz transmission through GaN quantum wells

We report measurements of radiation transmission in the 0.220--0.325 THz frequency domain through GaN quantum wells grown on sapphire substrates at room and low temperatures. A significant enhancement of the transmitted beam intensity with the applied voltage on the devices under test is found. For a deeper understanding of the physical phenomena involved, these results are compared with a phenomenological theory of light transmission under electric bias relating the transmission enhancement to changes in the differential mobility of the two-dimensional electron gas

Nanoscale conductive pattern of the homoepitaxial AlGaN/GaN transistor

The gallium nitride (GaN)-based buffer/barrier mode of growth and morphology, the transistor electrical response (25–310 °C) and the nanoscale pattern of a homoepitaxial AlGaN/GaN high electron mobility transistor (HEMT) have been investigated at the micro and nanoscale. The low channel sheet resistance and the enhanced heat dissipation allow a highly conductive HEMT transistor ( I ds > 1 A mm −1 ) to be defined (0.5 A mm −1 at 300 °C). The vertical breakdown voltage has been determined to be ∼850 V with the vertical drain-bulk (or gate-bulk) current following the hopping mechanism, with an activation energy of 350 meV. The conductive atomic force microscopy nanoscale current pattern does not unequivocally follow the molecular beam epitaxy AlGaN/GaN morphology but it suggests that the FS-GaN substrate presents a series of preferential conductive spots (conductive patches). Both the estimated patches density and the apparent random distribution appear to correlate with the edge-pit dislocations observed via cathodoluminescence. The sub-surface edge-pit dislocations originating in the FS-GaN substrate result in barrier height inhomogeneity within the HEMT Schottky gate producing a subthreshold current

Phase II study of single-agent bosutinib, a Src/Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor, in patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer pretreated with chemotherapy

Background: This phase II study evaluated single-agent bosutinib in pretreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Patients and methods: Patients received oral bosutinib 400 mg/day. The primary end point was the progression-free survival (PFS) rate at 16 weeks. Secondary end points included objective response rate, clinical benefit rate, 2-year overall survival rate, safety, and changes in levels of bone resorption/formation biomarkers. Results: Seventy-three patients were enrolled and treated. Median time from diagnosis of metastatic disease to initiation of bosutinib treatment was 24.5 months. For the intent-to-treat population, the PFS rate at 16 weeks was 39.6%. Unexpectedly, all responding patients (n = 4) were hormone receptor positive. The clinical benefit rate was 27.4%. The 2-year overall survival rate was 26.4%. The main toxic effects were diarrhea (66%), nausea (55%), and vomiting (47%). Grade 3-4 laboratory aminotransferase elevations occurred in 14 (19%) patients. Myelosuppression was minimal. No consistent changes in the levels of bone resorption/formation biomarkers were seen. Conclusions: Bosutinib showed promising efficacy in prolonging time to progression in chemotherapy-pretreated patients with locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer. Bosutinib was generally well tolerated, with a safety profile different from that of the Src/Abl tyrosine kinase inhibitor dasatinib in a similar patient population.peer-reviewe

Dimensions of a Projection Column and Architecture of VPM and POm Axons in Rat Vibrissal Cortex

This is the first article in a series of 3 studies that investigate the anatomical determinants of thalamocortical (TC) input to excitatory neurons in a cortical column of rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1). S1 receives 2 major types of TC inputs, lemiscal and paralemniscal. Lemiscal axons arise from the ventral posteromedial nucleus (VPM) of the thalamus, whereas paralemniscal fibers originate in the posteromedial nucleus (POm). While these 2 TC projections are largely complementary in L4, overlap in other cortical layers is still a matter of debate. VPM and POm axons were specifically labeled in the same rat by virus-mediated expression of different fluorescent proteins. We show that columnar and septal projection patterns are maintained throughout most of the cortical depth with a lower degree of separation in infragranular layers, where TC axons form bands along rows. Finally, we present anatomical dimensions of “TC projection domains” for a standard column in S1

Cell Type–Specific Thalamic Innervation in a Column of Rat Vibrissal Cortex

This is the concluding article in a series of 3 studies that investigate the anatomical determinants of thalamocortical (TC) input to excitatory neurons in a cortical column of rat primary somatosensory cortex (S1). We used viral synaptophysin-enhanced green fluorescent protein expression in thalamic neurons and reconstructions of biocytin-labeled cortical neurons in TC slices to quantify the number and distribution of boutons from the ventral posterior medial (VPM) and posteromedial (POm) nuclei potentially innervating dendritic arbors of excitatory neurons located in layers (L)2–6 of a cortical column in rat somatosensory cortex. We found that 1) all types of excitatory neurons potentially receive substantial TC input (90–580 boutons per neuron); 2) pyramidal neurons in L3–L6 receive dual TC input from both VPM and POm that is potentially of equal magnitude for thick-tufted L5 pyramidal neurons (ca. 300 boutons each from VPM and POm); 3) L3, L4, and L5 pyramidal neurons have multiple (2–4) subcellular TC innervation domains that match the dendritic compartments of pyramidal cells; and 4) a subtype of thick-tufted L5 pyramidal neurons has an additional VPM innervation domain in L4. The multiple subcellular TC innervation domains of L5 pyramidal neurons may partly explain their specific action potential patterns observed in vivo. We conclude that the substantial potential TC innervation of all excitatory neuron types in a cortical column constitutes an anatomical basis for the initial near-simultaneous representation of a sensory stimulus in different neuron types