Trajectories of change in well-being during cognitive-behavior therapies for anxiety disorders: quantifying the impact and covariation with improvements in anxiety

Despite substantial evidence supporting the efficacy of cognitive behavioral therapy for reducing many forms of mental illness, less is known about whether CBT also promotes mental health or well being. We will discuss results of a recent study (Gallagher et al., 2019) examining changes in well being d uring different CBT treatments for anxiety disorders and how these changes relate to anxiety. In that study, 223 adults (55.6% female, Mage=31.1 yrs) were randomized to one of five CBT protocols for anxiety disorders at an outpatient clinic. Effect sizes w ere calculated to examine the timing and magnitude of changes in well being as a result of CBT. Further, parallel process latent growth curve models were conducted to examine the extent to which trajectories of changes in well being correlated with the tra jectories of change in both clinician rated and self reported anxiety during active treatment. Results indicated that there were moderate to large increases in overall well being and the three components of subjective, psychological, and social well being, mainly during the second half of CBT, and these increases were maintained at a 6 month follow up. Further, trajectories of change in well being across treatment were strongly correlated with trajectories of change in clinician rated and self reported anxi ety. Together, these findings suggest that different CBT protocols for anxiety consistently produce robust and lasting changes in different domains of positive mental health and increases in well being are strongly linked to changes in anxiety during treatment.Published versio

Direct patterning of gold nanoparticles using flexographic printing for biosensing applications

In this paper, we have presented the use of flexographic printing techniques in the selective patterning of gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) onto a substrate. Highly uniform coverage of AuNPs was selectively patterned on the substrate surface, which was subsequently used in the development of a glucose sensor. These AuNPs provide a biocompatible site for the attachment of enzymes and offer high sensitivity in the detection of glucose due to their large surface to volume ratio. The average size of the printed AuNPs is less than 60 nm. Glucose sensing tests were performed using printed carbon-AuNP electrodes functionalized with glucose oxidase (GOx). The results showed a high sensitivity of 5.52 μA mM−1 cm−2 with a detection limit of 26 μM. We have demonstrated the fabrication of AuNP-based biosensors using flexographic printing, which is ideal for low-cost, high-volume production of the devices

Ultrathin Gold Nanowire-Functionalized Carbon Nanotubes for Hybrid Molecular Sensing

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have shown great potential as sensing component in the electrochemical, field effect transistor and optical sensors, because of their extraordinary onedimensional electronic structure, thermal conductivity, tunable and stable near-infrared emission. However, the insolubility of CNTs due to strong van der Waals interactions limits their use in the field of nanotechnology. In this study, we demonstrate that non-covalent ultrathin gold nanowires functionalized multi-walled carbon nanotube (GNW-CNT) hybrid sensing agents show highly efficient and selective immune molecular sensing in electrochemical and near-infrared photoacoustic imaging methods. A detection limit of 0.01 ng/mL for the Alpha-Fetoprotein (AFP) antigen with high selectivity is shown. The extraordinary optical absorption, thermal and electric conductivity of hybrid GNW-CNTs presented in this study could be an effective tactic to integrate imaging, sensing and treatment functionalities

Analysis of Antibody and Cytokine Markers for Leprosy Nerve Damage and Reactions in the INFIR Cohort in India

Leprosy is one of the oldest known diseases. In spite of the established fact that it is least infectious and a completely curable disease, the social stigma associated with it still lingers in many countries and remains a major obstacle to self reporting and early treatment. The nerve damage that occurs in leprosy is the most serious aspect of this disease as nerve damage leads to progressive impairment and disability. It is important to identify markers of nerve damage so that preventive measures can be taken. This prospective cohort study was designed to look at the potential association of some serological markers with reactions and nerve function impairment. Three hundred and three newly diagnosed patients from north India were recruited for this study. The study attempts to reflect a model of nerve damage initiated by mycobacterial antigens and maintained by ongoing inflammation through cytokines such as Tumour Necrosis Factor alpha and perhaps extended by antibodies against nerve components