Forging partnerships for mental health: The case of a prefecture in crisis ravaged Greece

Public health and in particular mental health have been severely affected by the multitude of socioeconomic crises experienced by people in Greece. The severe austerity programmes, have reduced access to health services and increased demand for publically funded health care. This paper presents a case study focusing on the impact of these measures on the lives of mental health providers in one prefecture in Crete. Focus group methodology was applied and the data were analysed using thematic analysis. Analyses revealed three superordinate themes that converge at many levels and appear to be going counter to the circumstances: firstly, 'forging partnerships for mental health'; secondly, 'extending our reach'; and thirdly 'transformations in professional identity through praxis'. These themes are discussed using the words of the participants and the relevant literature. © 2013 © 2013 Taylor & Francis

Patients with multiple sclerosis in psychotherapy: Processes of meaning making and self transformation

BackgroundRecent empirical literature on autoimmune diseases has focused extensively on the implementation and evaluation of psychosocial interventions. Psychotherapy and counselling processes for multiple sclerosis (MS) have gained special attention given the cognitive and behavioral dimensions of the symptoms as well as their unpredictable course. The current study aims to gain a deeper understanding of the meaning making processes for persons with MS (PwMS) who are in psychotherapy treatment.MethodThe sample of this study consisted of ten PwMS who described their experience of the illness and of psychotherapy of choice through semi-structured interviews. Data collection and analysis adhered to Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis guidelines.ResultsThe results revealed that PwMS struggled with understanding the initial symptoms, contemplated taking medication, and related symptom development to psychological factors such as depression. Participants were preoccupied with disability representations and questioned the trustworthiness of their bodies. They worked towards integrating the illness into their identity and described how psychotherapy encouraged psychological agency whilst feeling supported and "accepted".ConclusionsPsychotherapy contributes to the processes of shaping participants' life worlds, offering a space to self-organize and reflect within genuine therapeutic relationships

The path towards a professional identity: An IPA study of Greek family therapy trainees

Objective: Contemporary psychotherapy research has focused mainly on practitioners' training and education. The impact of training on professional development and the application of therapeutic skills have been the primary foci of the empirical literature. The aim of this paper is to present the experiences of seven family therapy trainees regarding their personal paths toward the development of professional identity as they underwent training in systemic psychotherapy. Method: In-depth interviews were conducted and analysed using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Results & Conclusions: Seven themes were identified: The Quest, Developing by Relating, Learnings, Personification of Training, Use of Self, Self-Care and Empowerment, and Reflecting on the Role of the Therapist. The findings are discussed with regard to the development of the 'therapist as a person', gaining acknowledgement and autonomy, and the development of a community of therapeutic practice. © 2013 British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy

Developing BIOTEL: A Semi-Automated Spreadsheet for Estimating Telomere Length and Biological Age

Introduction: Telomere length (TL) is causally related to aging and several age-related diseases. Specifically, the abundance of short telomeres and the rate of telomere shortening are strong determinants of cell homeostasis. Thus, tools for analyzing and manipulating TL data can vastly improve research focused on aging. Aim: In this study, we developed a semi-automated worksheet, BIOTEL, to generate individual and group TL statistics and provide a crude estimation of biological age.Results: Data from the Telomere Length Database Project (TLDP) were implemented to the spreadsheet to produce TL statistics. 150 participants were included, and their age was from 21 to 82 years, and the sex distribution ratio was 52.3%: 47.7% (male: female). Initially, we analyzed the fluorescence intensities of telomeres that were measured on metaphase spread leukocytes using three-dimensional (3D) quantitative-fluorescent in situ hybridization (Q-FISH) procedures (3D DNA FISH) with a (C3TA2)3 peptide nucleic acid (PNA) probe. Raw data of fluorescence intensities, demographic data and medical records from the participants were imported into the worksheet. Basic statistical analyses of TL data were provided through BIOTEL, including TL percentiles, specialized charts for TL distribution including the percentage of critically short telomeres (< 3,000 kilobases), individual telomere profiles, and graphs of biological age vs. chronological age.Conclusion: BIOTEL ver. 2.4 is a functional semi-automated worksheet that calculates a wide range of TL statistics, thus a useful tool with applications in research of telomeres and biological age estimation

How telemedicine can improve the quality of care for patients with alzheimer’s disease and related dementias? A narrative review

Background and Objectives: Dementia affects more than 55 million patients worldwide, with a significant societal, economic, and psychological impact. However, many patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD) and other related dementias have limited access to effective and individualized treatment. Care provision for dementia is often unequal, fragmented, and inefficient. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated telemedicine use, which holds promising potential for addressing this important gap. In this narrative review, we aim to analyze and discuss how telemedicine can improve the quality of healthcare for AD and related dementias in a structured manner, based on the seven dimensions of healthcare quality defined by the World Health Organization (WHO), 2018: effectiveness, safety, people-centeredness, timeliness, equitability, integrated care, and efficiency. Materials and Methods: MEDLINE and Scopus databases were searched for peer-reviewed articles investigating the role of telemedicine in the quality of care for patients with dementia. A narrative synthesis was based on the seven WHO dimensions. Results: Most studies indicate that telemedicine is a valuable tool for AD and related dementias: it can improve effectiveness (better access to specialized care, accurate diagnosis, evidence-based treatment, avoidance of preventable hospitalizations), timeliness (reduction of waiting times and unnecessary transportation), patient-centeredness (personalized care for needs and values), safety (appropriate treatment, reduction of infection risk),integrated care (interdisciplinary approach through several dementia-related services), efficiency (mainly cost-effectiveness) and equitability (overcoming geographical barriers, cultural diversities). However, digital illiteracy, legal and organizational issues, as well as limited awareness, are significant potential barriers. Conclusions: Telemedicine may significantly improve all aspects of the quality of care for patients with dementia. However, future longitudinal studies with control groups including participants of a wide educational level spectrum will aid in our deeper understanding of the real impact of telemedicine in quality care for this population

Happiness around the world: A combined etic-emic approach across 63 countries.

What does it mean to be happy? The vast majority of cross-cultural studies on happiness have employed a Western-origin, or "WEIRD" measure of happiness that conceptualizes it as a self-centered (or "independent"), high-arousal emotion. However, research from Eastern cultures, particularly Japan, conceptualizes happiness as including an interpersonal aspect emphasizing harmony and connectedness to others. Following a combined emic-etic approach (Cheung, van de Vijver & Leong, 2011), we assessed the cross-cultural applicability of a measure of independent happiness developed in the US (Subjective Happiness Scale; Lyubomirsky & Lepper, 1999) and a measure of interdependent happiness developed in Japan (Interdependent Happiness Scale; Hitokoto & Uchida, 2015), with data from 63 countries representing 7 sociocultural regions. Results indicate that the schema of independent happiness was more coherent in more WEIRD countries. In contrast, the coherence of interdependent happiness was unrelated to a country's "WEIRD-ness." Reliabilities of both happiness measures were lowest in African and Middle Eastern countries, suggesting these two conceptualizations of happiness may not be globally comprehensive. Overall, while the two measures had many similar correlates and properties, the self-focused concept of independent happiness is "WEIRD-er" than interdependent happiness, suggesting cross-cultural researchers should attend to both conceptualizations

Loss separation termination : A portfolio on endings

EThOS - Electronic Theses Online ServiceGBUnited Kingdo

The Nitric Oxide (NO) Donor Molsidomine Counteract Social Withdrawal and Cognition Deficits Induced by Blockade of the NMDA Receptor in the Rat

The deficiency of the gaseous molecule nitric oxide (NO) seems to be critically involved in the pathogenesis of schizophrenia. Thus, molecules that can normalize NO levels, as are NO donors, might be of utility for the medication of this psychiatric disease. The aim of the present study was to detect the ability of the NO donor molsidomine to reduce schizophrenia-like impairments produced by the blockade of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor in rats. Molsidomine’s ability to attenuate social withdrawal and spatial recognition memory deficits induced by the NMDA receptor antagonist ketamine were assessed using the social interaction and the object location test, respectively. Further, the efficacy of the combination of sub-effective doses of molsidomine with sub-effective doses of the atypical antipsychotic clozapine in alleviating non-spatial recognition memory deficits was evaluated utilizing the object recognition task. Molsidomine (2 and 4 mg/kg) attenuated social withdrawal and spatial recognition memory deficits induced by ketamine. Co-administration of inactive doses of molsidomine (1 mg/kg) and clozapine (0.1 mg/kg) counteracted delay-dependent and ketamine-induced non-spatial recognition memory deficits. The current findings suggest that molsidomine is sensitive to glutamate hypofunction since it attenuated behavioral impairments in animal models mimicking the negative symptoms and cognitive deficits of schizophrenia. Additionally, the present results support the potential of molsidomine as an adjunctive drug for the therapy of schizophrenia

Модулирование процесса старения в организме человека: последние достижения в области биомаркеров для диагностики и лечения

Aging is a complex biological process. Main factors that interplay in the aging process include free radicals and oxidation, insulin and insulin growth factors, sirtuins, mTOR, microbiome, lack of micronutrients, and declining proteasome activity which lead to cellular damage. Damaged cells are being replaced by somatic stem cells which proliferate to generate new cells. For each cell replication the telomeres of the related stem cells become shorter and this is the basic factor that modulates aging. Telomere length shortens with age and leads to senescence. Shorter telomeres are associated with increased incidence of aging related diseases and shorter lifespan. The percentage of short telomeres and rate of telomere shortening predicts longevity in mammals. Measurement of single telomeres through Q-FISH is the only reliable method to evaluate single telomere length and percentage of short telomeres. Repeated measurements at a distance of 6 months or a year can reveal the rate of change of the short telomeres, and response of patients to treatments, lifestyle, diet, supplementation and exercise modifications. A natural product telomerase activator TA-65, an astragalus extract, has been found to lengthen telomere in humans. By experimenting with different combinations of cycloastragenol (astragalus extract active molecule) we’ve able to increase telomerase activation in relation to the control cellsСтарение – это сложный биологический процесс. Основные факторы, участвующие в процессе старения и приводящие к повреждению клеток, включают свободные радикалы, процессы окисления инсулина, инсулиноподобные факторы роста, сиртуины, mTOR, микробиом, отсутствие микроэлементов и снижение активности протеасом. Поврежденные клетки заменяются соматическими стволовыми клетками, которые размножаются, генерируя новые клетки. При каждой клеточной репликации теломеры родственных стволовых клеток становятся короче, и это основной фактор, который модулирует старение. Длина теломер сокращается с возрастом и приводит к старению. Более короткие теломеры ассоциируются с увеличением заболеваний, связанных со старением и сокращением продолжительности жизни. Данные о процентном содержании коротких теломер и скорости сокращения теломер позволяют предсказать продолжительность жизни млекопитающих. Измерение отдельных теломер с помощью Q-FISH является единственным надежным методом оценки длины теломеры и доли коротких теломер. Повторные измерения через 6 месяцев или год могут выявить скорость изменения длины коротких теломер и реакцию пациентов на лечение, изменение образа жизни, диеты, пищевых добавок и физической активности. Было обнаружено, что натуральный продукт – активатор теломеразы TA-65, экстракт астрагала, удлиняет теломеры людей. Экспериментируя с различными комбинациями циклоастрагенола (активная молекула экстракта астрагала), мы смогли достичь активации теломеразы по сравнению с контрольными клеткам

Модулирование процесса старения в организме человека: последние достижения в области биомаркеров для диагностики и лечения

Aging is a complex biological process. Main factors that interplay in the aging process include free radicals and oxidation, insulin and insulin growth factors, sirtuins, mTOR, microbiome, lack of micronutrients, and declining proteasome activity which lead to cellular damage. Damaged cells are being replaced by somatic stem cells which proliferate to generate new cells. For each cell replication the telomeres of the related stem cells become shorter and this is the basic factor that modulates aging. Telomere length shortens with age and leads to senescence. Shorter telomeres are associated with increased incidence of aging related diseases and shorter lifespan. The percentage of short telomeres and rate of telomere shortening predicts longevity in mammals. Measurement of single telomeres through Q-FISH is the only reliable method to evaluate single telomere length and percentage of short telomeres. Repeated measurements at a distance of 6 months or a year can reveal the rate of change of the short telomeres, and response of patients to treatments, lifestyle, diet, supplementation and exercise modifications. A natural product telomerase activator TA-65, an astragalus extract, has been found to lengthen telomere in humans. By experimenting with different combinations of cycloastragenol (astragalus extract active molecule) we’ve able to increase telomerase activation in relation to the control cellsСтарение – это сложный биологический процесс. Основные факторы, участвующие в процессе старения и приводящие к повреждению клеток, включают свободные радикалы, процессы окисления инсулина, инсулиноподобные факторы роста, сиртуины, mTOR, микробиом, отсутствие микроэлементов и снижение активности протеасом. Поврежденные клетки заменяются соматическими стволовыми клетками, которые размножаются, генерируя новые клетки. При каждой клеточной репликации теломеры родственных стволовых клеток становятся короче, и это основной фактор, который модулирует старение. Длина теломер сокращается с возрастом и приводит к старению. Более короткие теломеры ассоциируются с увеличением заболеваний, связанных со старением и сокращением продолжительности жизни. Данные о процентном содержании коротких теломер и скорости сокращения теломер позволяют предсказать продолжительность жизни млекопитающих. Измерение отдельных теломер с помощью Q-FISH является единственным надежным методом оценки длины теломеры и доли коротких теломер. Повторные измерения через 6 месяцев или год могут выявить скорость изменения длины коротких теломер и реакцию пациентов на лечение, изменение образа жизни, диеты, пищевых добавок и физической активности. Было обнаружено, что натуральный продукт – активатор теломеразы TA-65, экстракт астрагала, удлиняет теломеры людей. Экспериментируя с различными комбинациями циклоастрагенола (активная молекула экстракта астрагала), мы смогли достичь активации теломеразы по сравнению с контрольными клеткам