Effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional-competence training for prisoners: a controlled study

Abstract: Background: Previous research has called for improving psychological interventions and developing new treatments for prisoners. Animal-assisted prison-based programmes have increasingly been used as an approach, but there is a lack of studies investigating the effectiveness of such programmes. Objective: To investigate the effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional- competence training on the socioemotional competences of prisoners compared to treatment as usual. Methods: In a controlled trial, we investigated 62 prisoners that participated in either a 6-month dog- assisted psychotherapeutic programme or the standard treatment. We assessed social and emotional competences before and after the training and at a 4-month follow-up. Data were analysed with linear models. Results: The prisoners' self-assessed social and emotional competences did not differ. The psychotherapists rated the prisoners' emotional competences in the intervention group higher at the follow-up but not after the training. The psychotherapists did not rate the prisoners' social competences in the intervention group differently but did find them to have higher self-regulation at follow-up and lower aggressiveness after the training than the control group. Conclusions: This study indicates that dog-assisted programmes with a therapeutic aim might be beneficial for prisoners. However, the inconsistent results indicate that more research is needed to determine the potential and limits of animal-assisted programmes in forensic settings

Multinuclear magnetic resonance study of sterically crowded stannylphosphines and stannylamines : stereochemical influences on chemical shielding and spin-spin couplings

Multinuclear (1H, 15N, 29Si, 31P, 119Sn) NMR data of sterically crowded acyclic stannylphosphines tBu3SnPHY (Y = H, SnMe3, SntBu3, SiMe3; 1-3, 10), (tBu2RSn)2PH (R = Me, Cl; 4, 5), tBu3SnPY2 (Y = SnMe3, SiMe3; 6, 11), PH(SntBu2PHSntBu3)2 (7), SntBu2(PY2)2 (Y = H, SiMe3, PHSntBu3; 8, 9, 12), cyclic stannylphosphines (tBu2SnPY)n (n = 2, Y = H, C3H6Cl, tBu, SnMe3; 13-16; n = 3, Y = H; 18), (Me2SnPSntBu3)2 (17), and stannylamines tBu3SnNHY (Y = H, SnMe3, SntBu3; 19-21) were obtained by various 1D- and 2D-techniques. 31P- and 15N-shieldings may be explained qualitatively in terms of two counteracting influences, viz electronegativity differences and steric requirements of the substituents. In a similar manner, the trends in one-bond coupling 1KSnP and 1KSnM may be rationalized using a simple model based on the deformation of bond angles by sterically demanding substituents. The signs of long-range couplings 2KSnPH and 1KPSnCCH could be determined, which may be useful for future structural studies. Temperature-dependent effects in the spectra of 13, 18 allow conclusions about the conformational dynamics of the molecules

Effects of a Dog-Assisted Social- and Emotional-Competence Training for Prisoners: A Controlled Study

Background: Previous research has called for improving psychological interventions and developing new treatments for prisoners. Animal-assisted prison-based programmes have increasingly been used as an approach, but there is a lack of studies investigating the effectiveness of such programmes. Objective: To investigate the effects of a dog-assisted social- and emotional-competence training on the socioemotional competences of prisoners compared to treatment as usual. Methods: In a controlled trial, we investigated 62 prisoners that participated in either a 6-month dog-assisted psychotherapeutic programme or the standard treatment. We assessed social and emotional competences before and after the training and at a 4-month follow-up. Data were analysed with linear models. Results: The prisoners’ self-assessed social and emotional competences did not differ. The psychotherapists rated the prisoners’ emotional competences in the intervention group higher at the follow-up but not after the training. The psychotherapists did not rate the prisoners’ social competences in the intervention group differently but did find them to have higher self-regulation at follow-up and lower aggressiveness after the training than the control group. Conclusions: This study indicates that dog-assisted programmes with a therapeutic aim might be beneficial for prisoners. However, the inconsistent results indicate that more research is needed to determine the potential and limits of animal-assisted programmes in forensic settings

Body surface scan anthropometrics are related to cardiorespiratory fitness in the general population

The assessment of cardiorespiratory fitness (CRF) is an important tool for prognosis evaluation of cardiovascular events. The gold standard to measure CRF is cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to determine peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak). However, CPET is not only time consuming but also expensive and is therefore not widely applicable in daily practice. The aim of our study was to analyze, whether and which anthropometric markers derived from a 3D body scanner were related to VO2peak in a general population-based study. We analyzed data (SHIP-START-3) from 3D body scanner and CPET of 1035 subjects (529 women; 51.1%, age range 36–93). A total of 164 anthropometric markers were detected with the 3D body scanner VITUS Smart XXL using the software AnthroScan Professional. Anthropometric measurements were standardized and associated with CRF by sex-stratified linear regression models adjusted for age and height. Anthropometric markers were ranked according to the  − log- p values derived from these regression models. In men a greater left and right thigh-knee-ratio, a longer forearm-fingertip length, a greater left thigh circumference and greater left upper arm circumference were most strongly associated with a higher VO2peak. In women a greater left and right thigh circumference, left calf circumference, thigh thickness and right calf circumference were most strongly associated with a higher VO2peak. The detected VO2peak-related anthropometric markers could be helpful in assessing CRF in clinical routine. Commonly used anthropometric markers, e.g. waist and hip circumference, were not among the markers associated with VO2peak

Genetic Risk Score for Intracranial Aneurysms: Prediction of Subarachnoid Hemorrhage and Role in Clinical Heterogeneity

Background: Recently, common genetic risk factors for intracranial aneurysm (IA) and aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage (ASAH) were found to explain a large amount of disease heritability and therefore have potential to be used for genetic risk prediction. We constructed a genetic risk score to (1) predict ASAH incidence and IA presence (combined set of unruptured IA and ASAH) and (2) assess its association with patient characteristics. Methods: A genetic risk score incorporating genetic association data for IA and 17 traits related to IA (so-called metaGRS) was created using 1161 IA cases and 407 392 controls from the UK Biobank population study. The metaGRS was validated in combination with risk factors blood pressure, sex, and smoking in 828 IA cases and 68 568 controls from the Nordic HUNT population study. Furthermore, we assessed association between the metaGRS and patient characteristics in a cohort of 5560 IA patients. Results: Per SD increase of metaGRS, the hazard ratio for ASAH incidence was 1.34 (95% CI, 1.20-1.51) and the odds ratio for IA presence 1.09 (95% CI, 1.01-1.18). Upon including the metaGRS on top of clinical risk factors, the concordance index to predict ASAH hazard increased from 0.63 (95% CI, 0.59-0.67) to 0.65 (95% CI, 0.62-0.69), while prediction of IA presence did not improve. The metaGRS was statistically significantly associated with age at ASAH (β=-4.82×10-3per year [95% CI, -6.49×10-3to -3.14×10-3]; P=1.82×10-8), and location of IA at the internal carotid artery (odds ratio=0.92 [95% CI, 0.86-0.98]; P=0.0041). Conclusions: The metaGRS was predictive of ASAH incidence, although with limited added value over clinical risk factors. The metaGRS was not predictive of IA presence. Therefore, we do not recommend using this metaGRS in daily clinical care. Genetic risk does partly explain the clinical heterogeneity of IA warranting prioritization of clinical heterogeneity in future genetic prediction studies of IA and ASAH