When a totally bounded group topology is the Bohr Topology of a LCA group

We look at the Bohr topology of maximally almost periodic groups (MAP, for short). Among other results, we investigate when a totally bounded abelian group $(G,w)$ is the Bohr reflection of a locally compact abelian group. Necessary and sufficient conditions are established in terms of the inner properties of $w$. As an application, an example of a MAP group $(G,t)$ is given such that every closed, metrizable subgroup $N$ of $bG$ with $N \cap G = \{0\}$ preserves compactness but $(G,t)$ does not strongly respects compactness. Thereby, we respond to Questions 4.1 and 4.3 in [comftrigwu]

Determinants of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism in Virtual Reality environments among patients with alcohol use disorder

The identification of variables that can modulate the efficacy of cue exposure using virtual reality (VR) is crucial. This study aimed to explore determinant variables of cue-elicited alcohol craving and perceived realism (PR) of environments and alcoholic beverages during a VR cue-exposure session among alcohol use disorder (AUD) outpatients. A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 72 outpatients with AUD from a clinical setting. Alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure and PR of virtual environments and alcoholic drinks were evaluated after a VR session of exposure to alcohol-related contexts and cues. Sociodemographic, psychological and consumption characteristics were examined as possible predicting variables. Multiple linear regression analyses showed that the AUD severity and PR of beverages were predictors of cue-elicited alcohol craving. Educational level, PR of beverages and age were predictors of the PR of VR environments. In relation to the PR of VR beverages, cue-elicited alcohol craving and the PR of environments were predictors. A simple mediational model was also performed to analyze the influence of the PR of beverages on the relationship between the AUD severity and alcohol craving experienced during VR exposure: an indirect or mediational effect was found. PR of alcoholic beverages was (1) a key predictor of the PR of VR environments (and vice versa) and the alcohol craving (and vice versa) experienced during VR cue-exposure sessions using ALCO-VR software among AUD patients and (2) a mediator between AUD severity and cue-elicited alcohol craving

Identificação de metabólitos secundários no extrato etanolico de folhas de Solanum stramonifolium Jacq.

O objetivo deste trabalho foi realizar a identificação de metabólitos secundários no extrato etanólico de folhas de S. stramonifolium, visando encontrar compostos de grande interesse para a medicina

Identificação de metabólitos secundários no extrato etanólico de frutos Solanum stramonifolium Jacq.

O presente trabalho teve como objetivo realizar a identificação de metabólitos secundários no extrato etanólico de frutos de S. stramonifolium Jacq., visando encontrar compostos de grande interesse para a medicina

Craving and Anxiety Responses as Indicators of the Efficacy of Virtual Reality-Cue Exposure Therapy in Patients Diagnosed with Alcohol use Disorder

Introduction: Virtual Reality (VR) technology has shown promising results as an assessment and treatment instrument in substance use disorders, particularly in attempts to reduce craving. A common application of the VR technology in treatment is based on cue-exposure therapy (CET). Following from previous results, the present case series is part of a larger project aiming to test the efficacy of the Virtual Reality-Cue Exposure Therapy (VR-CET) versus Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy (CBT). Method: Eight patients between ages 40 and 55 (Mage = 49, SD = 5.54) from the Addictive Behaviors Unit at the Hospital Clinic of Barcelona participated in this study after providing written informed consent. Patients were randomly assigned to the VR-CET group (three patients) or the CBT group (five patients). The protocol of the clinical trial consisted of a pre-treatment session (the initial assessment session), six sessions of CBT or VR-CET, and a post-treatment session (post-assessment session). The VR-CET sessions consisted of exposure to alcohol-related cues and environments aiming to reduce anxiety and craving responses to alcohol-related stimuli. The CBT sessions consisted of classical standardized therapy for the treatment of addictions, as previously applied in other clinical trials. In the pre- and post-treatment sessions, patients completed several measures of alcohol craving and anxiety and visual analog scales (VAS) during VR exposure. Results: Our data indicated a significant reduction in both groups in all scores of craving and anxiety responses, as assessed by the different instruments. In addition, the VR-CET group obtained lower scores on anxiety and craving responses than the CBT group. Conclusions: In this ongoing project, the first phase of the clinical trial showed significant improvements in terms of craving and anxiety reduction in both groups, emphasizing that VR-CET can be as efficient as CBT. In addition, patients in the VR-CET group obtained slightly better scores than patients in the CBT group, suggesting the clinical potential of the VR technology in the treatment of substance use disorders. We propose that VR-based CET can be a useful complement to existing treatment methods for AUD patients

Attentional bias, alcohol craving, and anxiety implications of the virtual reality cue-exposure therapy in severe alcohol use disorder: a case report

Aims: Attentional bias (AB), alcohol craving, and anxiety have important implications in the development and maintenance of alcohol use disorder (AUD). The current study aims to test the effectiveness of a Virtual Reality Cue-Exposure Therapy (VR-CET) to reduce levels of alcohol craving and anxiety and prompt changes in AB toward alcohol content. Method: A 49-year-old male participated in this study, diagnosed with severe AUD, who also used tobacco and illicit substances on an occasional basis and who made several failed attempts to cease substance misuse. The protocol consisted of six VR-CET booster sessions and two assessment sessions (pre- and post-VR-CET) over the course of 5 weeks. The VR-CET program consisted of booster therapy sessions based on virtual reality (VR) exposure to preferred alcohol-related cues and contexts. The initial and final assessment sessions were focused on exploring AB, alcohol craving, and anxiety using paper-and-pencil instruments and the eye-tracking (ET) and VR technologies at different time points. Results: Pre and post assessment sessions indicated falls on the scores of all instruments assessing alcohol craving, anxiety, and AB. Conclusions: This case report, part of a larger project, demonstrates the effectiveness of the VR-CET booster sessions in AUD. In the post-treatment measurements, a variety of instruments showed a change in the AB pattern and an improvement in craving and anxiety responses. As a result of the systematic desensitization, virtual exposure gradually reduced the responses to significant alcohol-related cues and contexts. The implications for AB, anxiety and craving are discussed

Predictors of Changes in alcohol craving levels during a virtual reality cue exposure treatment among patients with alcohol use disorder

Background/Objective: Determining the predictive variables associated with levels of alcohol craving can ease the identification of patients who can benefit from treatments. This study aimed to describe changes (improvement or no change/deterioration) in alcohol craving levels and explore the predictors of these changes from admission to discharge in outpatients with alcohol use disorder (AUD) undergoing treatment-as-usual (TAU), or treatment-as-usual supplemented with virtual reality cue-exposure therapy (TAU + VR-CET). Method: A prospective cohort study was conducted amongst 42 outpatients with AUD (n = 15 TAU + VR-CET and n = 27 TAU) from a clinical setting. Changes in the levels of alcohol craving between admission and discharge were assessed with the Multidimensional Alcohol Craving Scale. Sociodemographic characteristics (age, gender, education, and socioeconomic and civil status), cognitive-a ective behavioral patterns (AUD severity, abstinence duration, psychiatric comorbidity, state anxiety, attentional bias, and substance use), and type of treatment (TAU + VR-CET and only TAU) were also evaluated. Results: The TAU + VR-CET group showed greater changes of improvement in the levels of alcohol craving than the TAU group ( 2 = 10.996; p = 0.001). Intragroup changes in alcohol craving from pre to post-treatment were significant in the TAU + VR-CET group ( 2 = 13.818; p = 0.003) but not within the TAU group ( 2 = 2.349; p = 0.503). The odds of an improvement in any of the craving levels between pre- and post-test was 18.18 (1/0.055) times higher in the TAU + VR-CET group with respect to the TAU group. The use of illicit drugs in the month prior to the test increased the odds of having a positive change by 18.18 (1/0.055) with respect to not having consumed. Conclusions: Including VR-CET in TAU programs may provide benefits in the treatment of AUDs mainly among patients with intense alcohol craving and individuals having used illicit substances prior to treatment

High-pressure x-ray diffraction and ab initio study of Ni2Mo3N, Pd2Mo3N, Pt2Mo3N, Co3Mo3N, and Fe3Mo3N: Two families of ultra-incompressible bimetallic interstitial nitrides

We have studied by means of high-pressure x-ray diffraction the structural stability of Ni2Mo3N, Co3Mo3N, and Fe3Mo3N. We also report ab initio computing modeling of the high-pressure properties of these compounds, Pd2Mo3N, and Pt2Mo3N. We have found that the nitrides remain stable in the ambient-pressure cubic structure at least up to 50 GPa and determined their equation of state. All of them have a bulk modulus larger than 300 GPa. Single-crystal elastic constants have been calculated in order to quantify the stiffness of the investigated nitrides. We found that they should have a Vickers hardness similar to that of cubic spinel nitrides like gamma-Si3N4Comment: 25 pages, 6 figures, 3 table

Muscle thickness and echogenicity measured by ultrasound could detect local sarcopenia and malnutrition in older patients hospitalized for hip fracture

Background: The aim of this work was to assess whether the muscle thickness and echogenicity were associated with dysphagia, malnutrition, sarcopenia, and functional capacity in acute hospital admission for a hip fracture. Methods: Observational study that assessed nutritional status by Global Leadership Initiative on Malnutrition, risk of dysphagia and sarcopenia by European Working Group on Sarcopenia in Older People and Barthel functional index. We measured muscle thickness and echogenicity of masseter, bicipital, and quadriceps rectus femoris (RF) and vastus intermedius (VI) by ultrasound. Results: One hundred and one patients were included in the study (29.7% sarcopenia and 43.8% malnutrition). Logistic regression models adjusted for age, sex, and body mass index showed an inverse association of the masseter thickness with both sarcopenia (OR: 0.56) and malnutrition (OR: 0.38) and quadriceps with sarcopenia (OR: 0.74). In addition, patients at high risk of dysphagia had lower masseter thickness (p: 0.0001) while patients able to self-feeding had thicker biceps (p: 0.002) and individuals with mobility on level surfaces higher thickness of biceps (p: 0.008) and quadriceps (p: 0.04). Conclusion: Thickness of the masseter was associated with risk of dysphagia, biceps with the ability to self-feed, and that of the quadriceps RF-VI with mobility