Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Therapy (SFBT) on Reducing Symptoms of Depression in Women

زمینه و هدف: درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور یکی از انواع درمان‌های متداول در کاهش مشکلات روانشناختی از جمله افسردگی در بین درمانگران و مشاوران خانواده است. پژوهش حاضر با هدف بررسی اثر بخشی درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور بر کاهش نشانگان افسردگی زنان طراحی شد. روش بررسی: پژوهش حاضر از نوع نیمه تجربی و از روش پیش آزمون- پس آزمون و پیگیری با گروه کنترل بهره گرفته شده است. جامعه این پژوهش شامل کلیه زنانی بودند که با مشکل افسردگی به مرکز همیاران سلامت روان شهر بجنورد تحت نظارت سازمان بهزیستی خراسان شمالی در سال 1392 مراجعه نموده اند و بر اساس مصاحبه بالینی و تشخیصی، افسردگی در مورد آنها تشخیص داده شده بود. با استفاده از نمونه گیری در دسترس، 20 نفر از زنان بعنوان نمونه انتخاب شدند و با گمارش تصادفی در دو گروه آزمایش و کنترل قرار گرفتند. ابزار پژوهش پرسشنامه افسردگی بک (Beck) بود که توسط آزمودنی‌ها در مراحل پیش آزمون، پس آزمون و پیگیری تکمیل گردید. درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور در 6 جلسه 5/1 ساعته برای آزمودنی‌های گروه آزمایش برگزار شد اما برای گروه کنترل مداخله‌ای ارایه نگردید. داده‌ها با بهره‌گیری از نرم افزار SPSS و به روش تحلیل کوواریانس تک متغیره مورد تجزیه و تحلیل قرارگرفتند. یافته‌ها: نتایج کاهش معنادار نمرات افسردگی زنان گروه آزمایش را در مراحل پس آزمون و پیگیری نسبت به گروه کنترل نشان داد. یافته ها حاکی از آن بود که درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور باعث کاهش علایم افسردگی زنان گروه مداخله شده و نتایج در دوره پیگیری نیز از ثبات لازم برخوردار بوده است (001/0 >P). نتیجه گیری: درمان کوتاه مدت راه حل محور بر کاهش افسردگی موثر است. مشاوران و روان درمانگران می‌توانند از این رویکرد درمانی موثر و کارآمد جهت حل مشکلات روانشناختی مراجعان بهره ببرند

Biochemical responses of Alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) cultivars subjected to NaCl salinity stress

This investigation was conducted to determine NaCl salinity effects on antioxidant enzyme s activities, reducing sugar contents and lipid peroxidation in two alfalfa cultivars. Plants grown in solution cultures were subjected to 0, 100, 150 and 200 mM solutions of sodium chloride. Yazdi and Diabolourde alfalfa were used as tolerant and sensitive cultivars, respectively, in a germination experiment under similar conditions. Results show that the amount of reducing sugars and the activities of peroxidase (POD), catalase (CAT), ascorbate peroxidase (APX) and superoxide dismutase (SOD) enzymes increased with the increase in salt concentration. However, SOD activities decreased at high salt concentrations. The increase in the activities of antioxidant enzymes in response to salt treatments was higher in the tolerant cultivar. The results also show that salt treatment provoked an oxidative stress in both cultivars, as shown by the increase in lipid peroxidation. However, the level of lipid peroxidation was higher in the sensitive cultivar. The increase in antioxidant activities could also be a response to the cellular damage induced by NaCl. It seems that the tolerant cultivar has a better mechanism to cope with the deleterious effects ROS produced under salt stress.Key words: Alfalfa, antioxidant enzymes, malondialdehyde, salt stress

A mutation in Arabidopsis SAL1 alters its in vitro activity against IP3 and delays developmental leaf senescence in association with lower ROS levels

Key message: Our manuscript is the first to find a link between activity of SAL1/OLD101 against IP 3 and plant leaf senescence regulation and ROS levels assigning a potential biological role for IP 3. Abstract: Leaf senescence is a genetically programmed process that limits the longevity of a leaf. We identified and analyzed the recessive Arabidopsis stay-green mutation onset of leaf death 101 (old101). Developmental leaf longevity is extended in old101 plants, which coincided with higher peroxidase activity and decreased H 2O 2 levels in young 10-day-old, but not 25-day-old plants. The old101 phenotype is caused by a point mutation in SAL1, which encodes a bifunctional enzyme with inositol polyphosphate-1-phosphatase and 3′ (2′), 5′-bisphosphate nucleotidase activity. SAL1 activity is highly specific for its substrates 3-polyadenosine 5-phosphate (PAP) and inositol 1, 4, 5-trisphosphate (IP 3), where it removes the 1-phosphate group from the IP 3 second messenger. The in vitro activity of recombinant old101 protein against its substrate IP 3 was 2.5-fold lower than that of wild type SAL1 protein. However, the in vitro activity of recombinant old101 mutant protein against PAP remained the same as that of the wild type SAL1 protein. The results open the possibility that the activity of SAL1 against IP 3 may affect the redox balance of young seedlings and that this delays the onset of leaf senescence

Pre-clinical characterisation of E2814, a high-affinity antibody targeting the microtubule-binding repeat domain of tau for passive immunotherapy in Alzheimer's disease

Tau deposition in the brain is a pathological hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer’s disease (AD). During the course of these tauopathies, tau spreads throughout the brain via synaptically-connected pathways. Such propagation of pathology is thought to be mediated by tau species (“seeds”) containing the microtubule binding region (MTBR) composed of either three repeat (3R) or four repeat (4R) isoforms. The tau MTBR also forms the core of the neuropathological filaments identified in AD brain and other tauopathies. Multiple approaches are being taken to limit tau pathology, including immunotherapy with anti-tau antibodies. Given its key structural role within fibrils, specifically targetting the MTBR with a therapeutic antibody to inhibit tau seeding and aggregation may be a promising strategy to provide disease-modifying treatment for AD and other tauopathies. Therefore, a monoclonal antibody generating campaign was initiated with focus on the MTBR. Herein we describe the pre-clinical generation and characterisation of E2814, a humanised, high affinity, IgG1 antibody recognising the tau MTBR. E2814 and its murine precursor, 7G6, as revealed by epitope mapping, are antibodies bi-epitopic for 4R and mono-epitopic for 3R tau isoforms because they bind to sequence motif HVPGG. Functionally, both antibodies inhibited tau aggregation in vitro. They also immunodepleted a variety of MTBR-containing tau protein species. In an in vivo model of tau seeding and transmission, attenuation of deposition of sarkosyl-insoluble tau in brain could also be observed in response to antibody treatment. In AD brain, E2814 bound different types of tau filaments as shown by immunogold labelling and recognised pathological tau structures by immunohistochemical staining. Tau fragments containing HVPGG epitopes were also found to be elevated in AD brain compared to PSP or control. Taken together, the data reported here have led to E2814 being proposed for clinical developmen

Consensus Middle East and North Africa Registry on Inborn Errors of Immunity

Background: Inborn errors of immunity (IEIs) are a heterogeneous group of genetic defects of immunity, which cause high rates of morbidity and mortality mainly among children due to infectious and non-infectious complications. The IEI burden has been critically underestimated in countries from middle- and low-income regions and the majority of patients with IEI in these regions lack a molecular diagnosis. Methods: We analyzed the clinical, immunologic, and genetic data of IEI patients from 22 countries in the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) region. The data was collected from national registries and diverse databases such as the Asian Pacific Society for Immunodeficiencies (APSID) registry, African Society for Immunodeficiencies (ASID) registry, Jeffrey Modell Foundation (JMF) registry, J Project centers, and International Consortium on Immune Deficiency (ICID) centers. Results: We identified 17,120 patients with IEI, among which females represented 39.4%. Parental consanguinity was present in 60.5% of cases and 27.3% of the patients were from families with a confirmed previous family history of IEI. The median age of patients at the onset of disease was 36 months and the median delay in diagnosis was 41 months. The rate of registered IEI patients ranges between 0.02 and 7.58 per 100,000 population, and the lowest rates were in countries with the highest rates of disability-adjusted life years (DALY) and death rates for children. Predominantly antibody deficiencies were the most frequent IEI entities diagnosed in 41.2% of the cohort. Among 5871 patients genetically evaluated, the diagnostic yield was 83% with the majority (65.2%) having autosomal recessive defects. The mortality rate was the highest in patients with non-syndromic combined immunodeficiency (51.7%, median age: 3.5 years) and particularly in patients with mutations in specific genes associated with this phenotype (RFXANK, RAG1, and IL2RG). Conclusions: This comprehensive registry highlights the importance of a detailed investigation of IEI patients in the MENA region. The high yield of genetic diagnosis of IEI in this region has important implications for prevention, prognosis, treatment, and resource allocation

Choroid plexus tumours

Choroid plexus tumours are rare epithelial brain tumours and limited information is available regarding their biology and the best treatment. A meta-analysis was done to determine prognostic factors and the influence of various treatment modalities. A thorough review of the medical literature (1966–1998) revealed 566 well-documented choroid plexus tumours. These were entered into a database, which was analysed to determine prognostic factors and treatment modalities. Most patients with a supratentorial tumour were children, while the most common sites in adults were the fourth ventricle and the cerebellar pontine angle. Cerebellar pontine angle tumours were more frequently benign. Histology was the most important prognostic factor, as one, five, and 10-year projected survival rates were 90, 81, and 77% in choroid plexus-papilloma (n=353) compared to only 71, 41, and 35% in choroid plexus-carcinoma respectively (P<0.0005). Surgery was prognostically relevant for both choroid plexus-papilloma (P=0.0005) and choroid plexus-carcinoma (P=0.0001). Radiotherapy was associated with significantly better survival in choroid plexus-carcinomas. Eight of 22 documented choroid plexus-carcinomas responded to chemotherapy. Relapse after primary treatment was a poor prognostic factor in choroid plexus-carcinoma patients but not in choroid plexus-papilloma patients. Treatment of choroid plexus tumours should start with radical surgical resection. This should be followed by adjuvant treatment in case of choroid plexus-carcinoma, and a ‘wait and see’ approach in choroid plexus-papilloma

Proceedings of Abstracts, School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference 2022

© 2022 The Author(s). This is an open-access work distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. For further details please see https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/. Plenary by Prof. Timothy Foat, ‘Indoor dispersion at Dstl and its recent application to COVID-19 transmission’ is © Crown copyright (2022), Dstl. This material is licensed under the terms of the Open Government Licence except where otherwise stated. To view this licence, visit http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3 or write to the Information Policy Team, The National Archives, Kew, London TW9 4DU, or email: [email protected] present proceedings record the abstracts submitted and accepted for presentation at SPECS 2022, the second edition of the School of Physics, Engineering and Computer Science Research Conference that took place online, the 12th April 2022

Soft power and soft disempowerment: Qatar, global sport and football’s 2022 World Cup finals

This paper examines the critical role of global sport within Qatar’s international strategy, most notably through the successful bid to stage the 2022 football World Cup. Our discussion draws particularly on interviews with key stakeholders in the Qatari sport system, as well as fieldwork in Qatar and the analysis of relevant documents and secondary materials. The paper is separated into five main parts. First, we set out our theoretical framework, which draws on the concepts of globalization and soft power; to assist in the analysis of Qatar’s engagement with global sport, we introduce the two further concepts of ‘glocal consciousness’ and ‘soft disempowerment’. Second, we provide the reader with background information on Qatar and Qatari sport. Third, we discuss three key themes that emerged mainly from our interviews on Qatar and global sport: exhibiting Qatar’s supremacies as a microstate; the pursuit of peace, security and integrity; and confronting national health crises. Fourth, we explore issues of soft disempowerment and reputational risk with regard to these three themes and, in particular, critical international comment surrounding Qatar’s hosting of the 2022 World Cup. Fifth, we conclude by arguing that Qatar’s soft disempowerment, although damaging in the short term, leaves the door open for the state to respond in a positive manner, regenerating its soft power capabilities in the process