The Accidental Terrorist: Okhrana Connections to the Extreme-Right and the Attempt to Assassinate Sergei Witte in 1907

This article represents a case study in the relationship between the tsarist secret police (commonly known as the Okhrana in the West and okhranka in Russia) and acts of political terror perpetrated by the extreme-right in late imperial Russia. This specific case concerns the tangled web of conspiracy, propaganda and controversy that surrounded the attempted assassination of former-Chairman of the Council of Ministers, Sergei Witte, in 1907

Liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry assay for the quantification of free and total sialic acid in human cerebrospinal fluid.

Contains fulltext : 87264.pdf (publisher's version ) (Closed access)BACKGROUND: Analysis of sialic acid (SA) metabolites in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) is important for clinical diagnosis. In the present study, a high-performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry (HPLC/MS/MS) method for free sialic acid (FSA) and total sialic acid (TSA) in human CSF was validated. METHODS: The method utilized a simple sample-preparation procedure of protein precipitation for FSA and acid hydrolysis for TSA. Negative electrospray ionisation was used to monitor the transitions m/z 308.2-->87.0 (SA) and m/z 311.2--> 90.0 ((13)C(3)-SA). Conjugated sialic acid (CSA) was calculated by subtracting FSA from TSA. We established reference intervals for FSA, TSA and CSA in CSF in 217 control subjects. The method has been applied to patients' samples with known differences in SA metabolites like meningitis (n=6), brain tumour (n=2), leukaemia (n=5), and Salla disease (n=1). RESULTS: Limit of detection (LOD) was 0.54 microM for FSA and 0.45 mM for TSA. Intra- and inter-assay variation for FSA (21.8 microM) were 4.8% (n=10) and 10.4% (n=40) respectively. Intra- and inter-assay variation for TSA (35.6 microM) were 9.7% (n=10) and 12.8% (n=40) respectively. Tested patients showed values of TSA above established reference value. CONCLUSION: The validated method allows sensitive and specific measurement of SA metabolites in CSF and can be applied for clinical diagnoses

Individual Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Behavior Therapy for Treating Depressive Symptoms in Patients With Diabetes: Results of a Randomized Controlled Trial

OBJECTIVE Depression is a common comorbidity of diabetes, undesirably affecting patients’ physical and mental functioning. Psychological interventions are effective treatments for depression in the general population as well as in patients with a chronic disease. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy of individual mindfulness-based cognitive therapy (MBCT) and individual cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) in comparison with a waiting-list control condition for treating depressive symptoms in adults with type 1 or type 2 diabetes. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS In this randomized controlled trial, 94 outpatients with diabetes and comorbid depressive symptoms (i.e., Beck Depression Inventory-II [BDI-II] ≥14) were randomized to MBCT (n = 31), CBT (n = 32), or waiting list (n = 31). All participants completed written questionnaires and interviews at pre- and postmeasurement (3 months later). Primary outcome measure was severity of depressive symptoms (BDI-II and Toronto Hamilton Depression Rating Scale). Anxiety (Generalized Anxiety Disorder 7), well-being (Well-Being Index), diabetes-related distress (Problem Areas In Diabetes), and HbA1c levels were assessed as secondary outcomes. RESULTS Results showed that participants receiving MBCT and CBT reported significantly greater reductions in depressive symptoms compared with patients in the waiting-list control condition (respectively, P = 0.004 and P < 0.001; d = 0.80 and 1.00; clinically relevant improvement 26% and 29% vs. 4%). Both interventions also had significant positive effects on anxiety, well-being, and diabetes-related distress. No significant effect was found on HbA1c values. CONCLUSIONS Both individual MBCT and CBT are effective in improving a range of psychological symptoms in individuals with type 1 and type 2 diabete

Is type of depressive symptoms associated with patient-perceived need for professional psychological care in depressed individuals with diabetes?

Aims The objective of this study is to investigate whether type of depressive symptoms (i.e. cognitive-affective or somatic) is related to a patient-perceived need for professional psychological care in individuals with diabetes. Methods In total 2266 participants were recruited as part of the screening procedure for a multi-center randomized controlled trial on the treatment of depressive symptoms among individuals with diabetes. Individuals were invited to complete Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). Patients with elevated depressive symptoms (BDI-II 14) were interviewed about their psychological care need. Based on their care needs patients were categorized into: unmet need, no need, met need and unclear need. These groups were compared on type of depressive symptoms, as categorized into cognitive-affective symptoms and somatic symptoms. Results 568 eligible individuals had elevated depressive symptoms, of whom 519 were reached. Among these depressed individuals, 19.7% (102 of 519) had an unmet need for psychological care. Participants with an unmet need were younger (p<0.001) and had higher total depression scores compared to the group with no need (p<0.001). They also scored higher on cognitive-affective symptoms (p<0.001), whereas somatic symptoms did not significantly differ (p = 0.232). Logistic regression revealed that cognitive-affective symptoms predicted an unmet need (p = 0.001). However, overall predictive capacity of type of depressive symptoms on care needs was weak. Conclusions Cognitive-affective symptoms of depression—but not somatic symptoms—were associated with an unmet need for psychological care among depressed individuals with diabetes. Future research is needed to reveal better predictors explaining the discrepancy between distress and low care needs in order to optimize screening procedures

Quality of life and late toxicity after short-course radiotherapy followed by chemotherapy or chemoradiotherapy for locally advanced rectal cancer - The RAPIDO trial

Background and purpose: The RAPIDO trial demonstrated a decrease in disease-related treatment failure (DrTF) and an increase in pathological complete responses (pCR) in locally advanced rectal cancer (LARC) patients receiving total neoadjuvant treatment (TNT) compared to conventional chemoradiotherapy. This study examines health-related quality of life (HRQL), bowel function, and late toxicity in patients in the trial.Materials and methods: Patients were randomized between short-course radiotherapy followed by pre-operative chemotherapy (EXP), or chemoradiotherapy and optional post-operative chemotherapy (STD). The STD group was divided into patients who did (STD+) and did not (STD-) receive post-operative chemotherapy. Three years after surgery patients received HRQL (EORTC QLQ-C30, QLQ-CR29 and QLQ-CIPN20) and LARS questionnaires. Patients who experienced a DrTF event before the toxicity assessments (6, 12, 24, or 36 months) were excluded from analyses.Results: Of 574 eligible patients, 495 questionnaires were returned (86%) and 453 analyzed (79% com-pleted within time limits). No significant differences were observed between the groups regarding QLQ-C30, QLQ-CR29 or LARS scores. Sensory-related symptoms occurred significantly more often in the EXP group compared to all STD patients, but not compared to STD+ patients. Any toxicity of any grade and grade > 3 toxicity was comparable between the EXP and STD groups at all time-points. Neurotoxicity grade 1-2 occurred significantly more often in the EXP and STD+ group at all time-points compared to the STD-group.Conclusion: The results demonstrate that TNT for LARC, yielding improved DrTF and pCRs, does not com-promise HRQL, bowel functional or results in more grade >3 toxicity compared to standard chemoradio-therapy at three years after surgery in DrTF-free patients.(c) 2022 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Radiotherapy and Oncology 171 (2022) 69-76 This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-ND license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/)