316 research outputs found
The Importance of Early Diagnosis and Treatment of Postpartum Depression
Postpartum depression (PPD) is a major depressive episode following childbirth that can have serious consequences affecting the family. Consequences range from marital problems and issues with child development to maternal suicide and infantcide. Depression in mothers can lead to cognitive and social impairment in the child as well as paternal postpartum depression in the father. Due to the severity of these problems, it is important to diagnose and treat mothers as soon as possible. There are several symptoms that are evident in mothers suffering from PPD that lead to diagnosis. Symptoms are similar to those of major depressive episodes, but they occur 24 hours to several months postpartum. Treatment options for PPD include psychotherapy as well as tricyclic antidepressants and selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors. While these medications have been shown to be the most effective pharmacological options, more research needs to be conducted to establish their effects on the infants. The possibility of preventative therapy also needs to be addressed to minimize the long-term effects of the disorder
Treatment Options for Seasonal Affective Disorder
Many patients who have undiagnosed Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD) may come into the pharmacy to try to self-treat their symptoms with over-the-counter and herbal drugs. Often, patients don\u27t recognize their symptoms as a true depressive disorder since they are not constant. The pharmacist has the opportunity to talk to these patients, educate them on the disease state and explain that they do have options, both pharmacologic and non-pharmacologic. It also is important for pharmacists to point out any interactions that the herbal or over-the-counter medications may have with other medications and to refer patients to their physician for further treatment. Currently, the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM) IV does not recognize SAD as a separate disorder but rather a specifier of Major Depressive Disorder (MDD). However, there are currently recommendations to include SAD as a distinct disorder in DSM V, which is to be released in May 2013
The Use of Propranolol in the Treatment of Posttraumatic Stress Disorder
This article examines the rising issue of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and possible treatment options. PTSD is a behavioral disorder resulting from memory formation and association with a traumatic event. A search of the published literature reveals several positive studies and case reports suggesting that propranolol, a beta adrenergic receptor antagonist, may be useful for both treatment and prevention of PTSD. Additionally, current studies are being completed in different population groups to determine the overall effectiveness and mechanism by which propranolol is able to provide relief from certain symptoms common to the disorder. This article discusses the medical evidence and possible treatment role of propranolol for patients suffering from PTSD
Peripheral blood leukocyte response and macrophage function during Eimeria adenoeides infection in turkey poults
Intestinal coccidiosis, caused by various species of Eimeria, is an economically important disease of chickens and turkeys. The peripheral blood leukocyte response and macrophage functions during a coccidial infection in turkeys have not been defined. To examine these aspects of innate immunity during primary Eimeria infection in turkeys, 4-week-old poults were orally inoculated with either 50,000 E. adenoeides oocyst (24 infected poults) or water (24 control poults). To monitor the concentrations and proportions of white blood cells (WBC) throughout the course of infection, heparinized blood was collected from 12 infected and 12 control poults prior to inoculation (day 0), and on days 4, 7, and 11 post-inoculation (PI). To study macrophage function, Sephadex-elicited abdominal exudate cells (macrophages) were collected on day 7 PI from 12 infected and 12 control poults. Macrophages were used to study phagocytosis of unopsonized and antibody-opsonized sheep red blood cells (SRBC), production of nitric oxide, and production of cytotoxic factors. E. adenoeides infection was associated with alterations in the concentration of WBC, including a decrease in the numbers of circulating lymphocytes on day 4 and a rise in lymphocytes and heterophils on day 11. Although phagocytic activity was not different in macrophages from infected and control poults, macrophages from infected poults exhibited greater cytotoxic activity. Data from these studies strongly suggest that components of innate immunity were recruited and activated during this primary infection of turkey poults with E. adenoeides. Further investigations are needed to determine the role of these components in limiting primary infection by E. adenoeides
Seasonal and ontological variation in diet and age-related differences in prey choice, by an insectivorous songbird
The diet of an individual animal is subject to change over time, both in response to short-term food fluctuations and over longer time scales as an individual ages and meets different challenges over its life cycle. A metabarcoding approach was used to elucidate the diet of different life stages of a migratory songbird, the Eurasian reed warbler (Acrocephalus scirpaceus) over the 2017 summer breeding season in Somerset, the United Kingdom. The feces of adult, juvenile, and nestling warblers were screened for invertebrate DNA, enabling the identification of prey species. Dietary analysis was coupled with monitoring of Diptera in the field using yellow sticky traps. Seasonal changes in warbler diet were subtle, whereas age class had a greater influence on overall diet composition. Age classes showed high dietary overlap, but significant dietary differences were mediated through the selection of prey; (i) from different taxonomic groups, (ii) with different habitat origins (aquatic vs. terrestrial), and (iii) of different average approximate sizes. Our results highlight the value of metabarcoding data for enhancing ecological studies of insectivores in dynamic environments
The Australia Telescope 20 GHz Survey: The Source Catalogue
We present the full source catalogue from the Australia Telescope 20 GHz
(AT20G) Survey. The AT20G is a blind radio survey carried out at 20 GHz with
the Australia Telescope Compact Array (ATCA) from 2004 to 2008, and covers the
whole sky south of declination 0 deg. The AT20G source catalogue presented here
is an order of magnitude larger than any previous catalogue of high-frequency
radio sources, and includes 5890 sources above a 20 GHz flux-density limit of
40 mJy. All AT20G sources have total intensity and polarisation measured at 20
GHz, and most sources south of declination -15 deg also have near-simultaneous
flux-density measurements at 5 and 8 GHz. A total of 1559 sources were detected
in polarised total intensity at one or more of the three frequencies. We detect
a small but significant population of non-thermal sources that are either
undetected or have only weak detections in low-frequency catalogues. We
introduce the term Ultra-Inverted Spectrum (UIS) to describe these radio
sources, which have a spectral index alpha(5, 20) > +0.7 and which constitute
roughly 1.2 per cent of the AT20G sample. The 20 GHz flux densities measured
for the strongest AT20G sources are in excellent agreement with the WMAP 5-year
source catalogue of Wright et al. (2009), and we find that the WMAP source
catalogue is close to complete for sources stronger than 1.5 Jy at 23 GHz.Comment: 21 pages, accepted for publication in MNRA
The Science Case for an Extended Spitzer Mission
Although the final observations of the Spitzer Warm Mission are currently
scheduled for March 2019, it can continue operations through the end of the
decade with no loss of photometric precision. As we will show, there is a
strong science case for extending the current Warm Mission to December 2020.
Spitzer has already made major impacts in the fields of exoplanets (including
microlensing events), characterizing near Earth objects, enhancing our
knowledge of nearby stars and brown dwarfs, understanding the properties and
structure of our Milky Way galaxy, and deep wide-field extragalactic surveys to
study galaxy birth and evolution. By extending Spitzer through 2020, it can
continue to make ground-breaking discoveries in those fields, and provide
crucial support to the NASA flagship missions JWST and WFIRST, as well as the
upcoming TESS mission, and it will complement ground-based observations by LSST
and the new large telescopes of the next decade. This scientific program
addresses NASA's Science Mission Directive's objectives in astrophysics, which
include discovering how the universe works, exploring how it began and evolved,
and searching for life on planets around other stars.Comment: 75 pages. See page 3 for Table of Contents and page 4 for Executive
Summar
Meta-analysis of gender performance gaps in undergraduate natural science courses
To investigate patterns of gender-based performance gaps, we conducted a meta-analysis of published studies and unpublished data collected across 169 undergraduate biology and chemistry courses. While we did not detect an overall gender gap in performance, heterogeneity analyses suggested further analysis was warranted, so we investigated whether attributes of the learning environment impacted performance disparities on the basis of gender. Several factors moderated performance differences, including class size, assessment type, and pedagogy. Specifically, we found evidence that larger classes, reliance on exams, and undisrupted, traditional lecture were associated with lower grades for women. We discuss our results in the context of natural science courses and conclude by making recommendations for instructional practices and future research to promote gender equity
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