Violent behavior of patients living in psychiatric residential facilities: A comparison of male patients with different violence histories

People with severe mental disorders and a history of violence are often seen as a difficult-to-manage segment of the population. In addition, this group is usually characterized by a high risk of crime recidivism, and poor compliance with community and aftercare programs. To investigate a sample of male patients living in Residential Facilities (RFs) with a history of violent behavior against people and to compare their characteristics with those of never-violent residents; to analyze the associations between aggressive behaviors in the last two years and a history of previous violence; and, to assess the predictors of aggressive behaviors. This study is part of a prospective observational cohort study which involved 23 RFs in Northern Italy. A comprehensive set of sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment-related information was gathered, and standardized assessments were administered to each participant. Also a detailed assessment of aggressive behaviors in the past two years was carried out. The study involved 268 males: 81 violent and 187 never-violent. Compared to never-violent patients, violent patients were younger, with a higher proportion of personality disorders, and have displayed an increased number of aggressive behaviors in the last two years. The presence of a history of violent behavior in the past significantly increases the probability of committing aggressive acts in the future

The effect of service satisfaction and spiritual well-being on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia.

Quality of life (QOL) has been considered an important outcome measure in psychiatric research and determinants of QOL have been widely investigated. We aimed at detecting predictors of QOL at baseline and at testing the longitudinal interrelations of the baseline predictors with QOL scores at a 1-year follow-up in a sample of patients living in Residential Facilities (RFs). Logistic regression models were adopted to evaluate the association between WHOQoL-Bref scores and potential determinants of QOL. In addition, all variables significantly associated with QOL domains in the final logistic regression model were included by using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We included 139 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum. In the final logistic regression model level of activity, social support, age, service satisfaction, spiritual well-being and symptoms' severity were identified as predictors of QOL scores at baseline. Longitudinal analyses carried out by SEM showed that 40% of QOL follow-up variability was explained by QOL at baseline, and significant indirect effects toward QOL at follow-up were found for satisfaction with services and for social support. Rehabilitation plans for people with schizophrenia living in RFs should also consider mediators of change in subjective QOL such as satisfaction with mental health services

Biocompatibility of Graphene Oxide

Herein, we report the effects of graphene oxides on human fibroblast cells and mice with the aim of investigating graphene oxides' biocompatibility. The graphene oxides were prepared by the modified Hummers method and characterized by high-resolution transmission electron microscope and atomic force microscopy. The human fibroblast cells were cultured with different doses of graphene oxides for day 1 to day 5. Thirty mice divided into three test groups (low, middle, high dose) and one control group were injected with 0.1, 0.25, and 0.4 mg graphene oxides, respectively, and were raised for 1 day, 7 days, and 30 days, respectively. Results showed that the water-soluble graphene oxides were successfully prepared; graphene oxides with dose less than 20 μg/mL did not exhibit toxicity to human fibroblast cells, and the dose of more than 50 μg/mL exhibits obvious cytotoxicity such as decreasing cell adhesion, inducing cell apoptosis, entering into lysosomes, mitochondrion, endoplasm, and cell nucleus. Graphene oxides under low dose (0.1 mg) and middle dose (0.25 mg) did not exhibit obvious toxicity to mice and under high dose (0.4 mg) exhibited chronic toxicity, such as 4/9 mice death and lung granuloma formation, mainly located in lung, liver, spleen, and kidney, almost could not be cleaned by kidney. In conclusion, graphene oxides exhibit dose-dependent toxicity to cells and animals, such as inducing cell apoptosis and lung granuloma formation, and cannot be cleaned by kidney. When graphene oxides are explored for in vivo applications in animal or human body, its biocompatibility must be considered

Emerging Themes and Future Directions of Multi-Sector Nexus Research and Implementation

Water, energy, and food are all essential components of human societies. Collectively, their respective resource systems are interconnected in what is called the “nexus”. There is growing consensus that a holistic understanding of the interdependencies and trade-offs between these sectors and other related systems is critical to solving many of the global challenges they present. While nexus research has grown exponentially since 2011, there is no unified, overarching approach, and the implementation of concepts remains hampered by the lack of clear case studies. Here, we present the results of a collaborative thought exercise involving 75 scientists and summarize them into 10 key recommendations covering: the most critical nexus issues of today, emerging themes, and where future efforts should be directed. We conclude that a nexus community of practice to promote open communication among researchers, to maintain and share standardized datasets, and to develop applied case studies will facilitate transparent comparisons of models and encourage the adoption of nexus approaches in practice

Effect of (-)eburnamonine, papaverine and UDP-glucose on cerebral energy state during and after experimental hypoxia and ischaemia in beagle dog

The effect of (-)eburnamonine, papaverine and UDP-glucose intracarotid perfusion has been evaluated in the brain of beagle dogs during various conditions of cerebral damage (hypoxia, hypoxia plus incomplete ischaemia, hypoxia plus complete ischaemia), and after 3, 15 or 30 min of the post-hypoxic recovery and recirculation. The behaviour of fuels (glycogen, glucose), of glycolytic pathway intermediates (glucose-6-phosphate, pyruvate) and end-product (lactate), of the pool of labile phosphates (ATP, ADP, AMP, creatine phosphate) and the energy charge potential of the brain were evaluated in the motor area of the cerebral cortex. The different pharmacological effects of (-)eburnamonine, papaverine and UDP-glucose are discussed with regard to the biochemical changes taking place during the physiopathological conditions teste

Solid containing rotationally free nanocrystalline (Y-Fe2O3: Material for a nanosclae magnetic compass

A nanocomposite material has been characterized that contains nanometer size magnets that are free to rotate in response to an applied magnetic field. The composite consists of 5–10 nm crystals of γ-Fe2O3 dispersed in a solid methanol polymer matrix. The material was prepared by freezing a methanol-based ferrofluid of γ-Fe2O3 and subjecting it to a magnetic field applied in alternate directions to anneal the matrix. Before the field treatment, the solid displays magnetic behavior characteristic of an ordinary nanoscopic magnetic material. It is superparamagnetic above the blocking temperature (160 K) and hysteretic below, showing magnetic remanence and coercivity. After the field treatment to anneal the matrix, the same solid shows only Curie–Weiss behavior above and below the blocking temperature over the temperature range from 4.2 to 200 K and in response to applied magnetic fields as low as 1.59 kA/m. The data are consistent with a solid containing rotationally free, nanoscopic magnets encased in cavities of very small dimensions. The free rotation of the particles precludes the observation of magnetic relaxation phenomena that are characteristic of magnetic solids and ferrofluids. The present solid portends a class of magnetic materials with very little or no electrical and magnetic loss

Effect of ischemia and pharmacological treatment on subcellular from neonatal rat brain

The effects of complete ischemia and of in vivo pharmacological treatment with trimetazidine were studied on some enzymatic activities related to energy transduction: lactate dehydrogenase for anaerobic glycolysis; citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase for the Krebs' cycle; total NADH-cytochrome c reductase and cytochrome oxidase for the electron transport chain; glutamate dehydrogenase for amino acid metabolism and acetylcholine esterase for acetylcholine metabolism. These enzymatic activities were evaluated in brains of 10-day-old rats, at three different subcellular levels: homogenate in toto, purified mitochondrial fraction, crude, synaptosomal fraction. Complete normothermic post-decapitative ischemia of 30 min duration increased the activity of cytochrome oxidase in the homogenate in toto and increased the activities of citrate synthase and malate dehydrogenase in the purified mitochondrial fraction, the activities of the enzymes evaluated in the crude synaptosomal fraction being unaffected. The i.p. treatment with trimetazidine (at the dose level of 50 mg . kg-1) was without any significant effect on the tested enzymatic activitie

Dose/action and time/action relationships of some biological molecules evaluated on the cerebral enzymatic activities

Dose/action and time/action relationships relative to the effect of the in vivo treatment with some biological molecules (cytidine, uridine and glutamine) on several enzymatic activities connected with cerebral metabolism (lactate dehydrogenase, malate dehydrogenase, total NADH cytochrome c reductase, cytochrome oxidase and citrate synthase) were studied in the normal rat brain. While time/action curves were found to be in agreement with classical pharmacodynamic descriptions, dose/action curves exhibited a varying behavior according to the biological substrate tested (brain homogenate in toto or crude mitochondrial fraction from brain in toto). Often enzymatic activity changes as a function of dose failed to show linear correlations, a parabolic pattern being observed. At any rate, the changes affecting several cerebral enzymatic activities may account for some pharmacodynamic properties of the biological molecules teste