Positive aspects of voice-hearing:a qualitative metasynthesis

Voice-hearing occurs in clinical and non-clinical samples, and the role of spiritual and cultural frameworks of understanding for percipients has received increased attention. This review aimed to identify and synthesise the existing qualitative literature relating to positive aspects of voice-hearing experiences, and to make recommendations based on these findings for clinical practice and future research. Qualitative papers that included positive aspects of voice-hearing were identified by undertaking a systematic search of six electronic databases, resulting in 22 papers. The quality of each paper was assessed and the meta-ethnographic approach was used to extract and synthesise the data. Six themes were identified relating to voices providing safety and protection, guidance, creating psychological and emotional well-being, providing companionship, facilitating personal growth and development, and connecting hearers to religious or spiritual belief systems. The findings suggest positive aspects of voice-hearing that may have clinical and research implications

Comparative Effects of Non-Steroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drugs (NSAIDs) on Blood Pressure in Patients with Hypertension

Background Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) may disrupt control of blood pressure in hypertensive patients and increase their risk of morbidity, mortality, and the costs of care. The objective of this study was to examine the association between incident use of NSAIDs and blood pressure in patients with hypertension. Methods We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adult hypertensive patients to determine the effects of their first prescription for NSAID on systolic blood pressure and antihypertensive drug intensification. Data were collected from an electronic medical record serving an academic general medicine practice in Indianapolis, Indiana, USA. Using propensity scores to minimize bias, we matched a cohort of 1,340 users of NSAIDs with 1,340 users of acetaminophen. Propensity score models included covariates likely to affect blood pressure or the use of NSAIDs. The study outcomes were the mean systolic blood pressure measurement after starting NSAIDs and changes in antihypertensive therapy. Results Compared to patients using acetaminophen, NSAID users had a 2 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure (95% CI, 0.7 to 3.3). Ibuprofen was associated with a 3 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure compared to naproxen (95% CI, 0.5 to 4.6), and a 5 mmHg increase compared to celecoxib (95% CI, 0.4 to 10). The systolic blood pressure increase was 3 mmHg in a subgroup of patients concomitantly prescribed angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors or calcium channel blockers and 6 mmHg among those prescribed a beta-adrenergic blocker. Blood pressure changes in patients prescribed diuretics or multiple antihypertensives were not statistically significant. Conclusion Compared to acetaminophen, incident use of NSAIDs, particularly ibuprofen, is associated with a small increase in systolic blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Effects in patients prescribed diuretics or multiple antihypertensives are negligible

Dressing changes in a burns unit for children under the age of five:a qualitative study of mothers’ experiences

This study aimed to investigate the experiences of mothers who had attended their child’s burn dressing changes. Participants were recruited from a burns unit based within a children’s hospital. Face-to-face interviews were conducted with five mothers of children under the age of five who had undergone a series of dressing changes taking place on the burns unit. The interview guide explored parents’ experience of initial and subsequent dressing changes. Participants were prompted to explore their expectations, thoughts, feelings and behaviours associated with these experiences. The interviews were recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcripts were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. The analysis identified four themes: ‘needing to fulfil the responsibilities associated with being a mother’; ‘emotional synchrony between mother and child’; ‘being informed and knowing what to expect’; and ‘the importance of establishing rapport with nurses performing dressing changes’. Findings from this research can inform services to help optimise mothers’ experiences of dressing changes in this stage of pediatric burn care

On the Migration of Jupiter and Saturn: Constraints from Linear Models of Secular Resonant Coupling with the Terrestrial Planets

We examine how the late divergent migration of Jupiter and Saturn may have perturbed the terrestrial planets. We identify six secular resonances between the nu_5 apsidal eigenfrequency of Jupiter and Saturn and the four eigenfrequencies of the terrestrial planets (g_{1-4}). We derive analytic upper limits on the eccentricity and orbital migration timescale of Jupiter and Saturn when these resonances were encountered to avoid perturbing the eccentricities of the terrestrial planets to values larger than the observed ones. If Jupiter and Saturn migrated with eccentricities comparable to their present day values, smooth migration with exponential timescales characteristic of planetesimal-driven migration (\tau~5-10 Myr) would have perturbed the eccentricities of the terrestrial planets to values greatly exceeding the observed ones. This excitation may be mitigated if the eccentricity of Jupiter was small during the migration epoch, migration was very rapid (e.g. \tau<~ 0.5 Myr perhaps via planet-planet scattering or instability-driven migration) or the observed small eccentricity amplitudes of the j=2,3 terrestrial modes result from low probability cancellation of several large amplitude contributions. Further, results of orbital integrations show that very short migration timescales (\tau<0.5 Myr), characteristic of instability-driven migration, may also perturb the terrestrial planets' eccentricities by amounts comparable to their observed values. We discuss the implications of these constraints for the relative timing of terrestrial planet formation, giant planet migration, and the origin of the so-called Late Heavy Bombardment of the Moon 3.9+/-0.1 Ga ago. We suggest that the simplest way to satisfy these dynamical constraints may be for the bulk of any giant planet migration to be complete in the first 30-100 Myr of solar system history.Comment: Accepted for publication in The Astrophysical Journa

Low-temperature mechanical dissipation of thermally evaporated indium film for use in interferometric gravitational wave detectors

Indium bonding is under consideration for use in the construction of cryogenic mirror suspensions in future gravitational wave detectors. This paper presents measurements of the mechanical loss of a thermally evaporated indium film over a broad range of frequencies and temperatures. It provides an estimate of the resulting thermal noise at 20 K for a typical test mass geometry for a cryogenic interferometric gravitational wave detector from an indium layer between suspension elements

Risk of hyperkalemia associated with selective COX-2 inhibitors

Selective cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) inhibitors have been linked to cardiac death. The mechanism for this adverse effect appears to be by ischemic insult; however another mechanism could involve hyperkalemia. The objective of this study was to determine the effects of selective COX-2 inhibitors and non-selective nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on serum potassium concentration and the electrocardiogram

Australian Youth Mental Health and Climate Change Concern After the Black Summer Bushfires

Climate change and its effects present notable challenges for mental health, particularly for vul-nerable populations, including young people. Immediately following the unprecedented Black Summer bushfire season of 2019/2020, 746 Australians (aged 16–25 years) completed measures of mental health and perceptions of climate change. Results indicated greater presentations of depression, anxiety, stress, adjustment disorder symptoms, substance abuse, and climate change distress and concern, as well as lower psychological resilience and perceived distance to climate change, in participants with direct exposure to these bushfires. Findings highlight significant vulnerabilities of concern for youth mental health as climate change advances

Dopaminergic drug treatment remediates exaggerated cingulate prediction error responses in obsessive-compulsive disorder

Abstract: Rationale: Patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) have been found to show exaggerated error responses and prediction error learning signals in a variety of EEG and fMRI tasks, with data converging on the anterior cingulate cortex as a key locus of dysfunction. Considerable evidence has linked prediction error processing to dopaminergic function. Objective: In this study, we investigate potential dopaminergic dysfunction during reward processing in the context of OCD. Methods: We studied OCD patients (n = 18) and controls (n = 18) whilst they learned probabilistic associations between abstract stimuli and monetary rewards in the fMRI scanner involving administration (on separate visits) of a dopamine receptor agonist, pramipexole 0.5 mg; a dopamine receptor antagonist, amisulpride 400 mg; and placebo. We fitted a Q-learning computational model to fMRI prediction error responses; group differences were examined in anterior cingulate and nucleus accumbens regions of interest. Results: There were no significant group, drug, or interaction effects in the number of correct choices; computational modeling suggested a marginally significant difference in learning rates between groups (p = 0.089, partial ƞ2 = 0.1). In the imaging results, there was a significant interaction of group by drug (p = 0.013, partial ƞ2 = 0.13). OCD patients showed abnormally strong cingulate signaling of prediction errors during omission of an expected reward, with unexpected reduction by both pramipexole and amisulpride (p = 0.014, partial ƞ2 = 0.26, 1-β error probability = 0.94). Exaggerated cingulate prediction error signaling to omitted reward in placebo was related to trait subjective difficulty in self-regulating behavior in OCD. Conclusions: Our data support cingulate dysfunction during reward processing in OCD, and bidirectional remediation by dopaminergic modulation, suggesting that exaggerated cingulate error signals in OCD may be of dopaminergic origin. The results help to illuminate the mechanisms through which dopamine receptor antagonists achieve therapeutic benefit in OCD. Further research is needed to disentangle the different functions of dopamine receptor agonists and antagonists during bidirectional modulation of cingulate activation