Understanding the Recovery Process in Psychosis

Conceptualizing recovery in the context of severe and persisting mental health conditions is a complex issue. In recent years, there has been a call to re-focus research from understanding the concept of recovery to improving understanding of the process of recovery. There is a paucity of knowledge about the core processes involved in recovery from psychosis. Objective: The authors aimed to gain insight into possible processes involved in recovery through analyzing data generated from a large qualitative study investigating employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. Research Design and Methods: Participants were 137 individuals drawn from six key stakeholder groups. Data obtained from focus groups (14) and individual interviews (34) were analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: The main recovery processes identified were: learning effective coping strategies; recognizing personal potential; identifying and realizing personal goals; participation in social and occupational roles; positive risk-taking; and reclaiming personal identity. Discussion: The results of this study have implications for treatment as well as the daily support needs of people recovering from psychosis

Structure and dynamics in framework materials

This thesis details a study of framework materials of the AM2O8 and AM2O7 families, which are of interest due to their unusual thermal expansion properties, phase transitions and often complex structures. The combination of results from NMR and diffraction techniques has enabled several new insights into the structure and dynamics to be made. Chapter 1 reviews the literature on negative thermal expansion materials that are of relevance to this project. Chapter 2 outlines the background to the key experimental techniques employed in this work. Chapter 3 outlines 17O isotopic enrichment techniques and qualitative results for several AM2O8 phases. 17O NMR results for cubic ZrW2O8 including variable temperature spectra and 2DExchange Spectroscopy (EXSY) are presented. The a / ß phase transition and low temperature oxygen mobility in ZrW2O8 are investigated. NMR results enabled the determination of a mechanism of oxygen exchange different to the previously suggested mechanism, which is disproved. The results of in situ diffraction experiments to investigate phase transitions inZrMo2O8 are also presented. 17O enriched samples of cubic-, trigonal- and LT- ZrMo2O8 samples were prepared, and their 17O NMR spectra recorded. Chapter 4 describes quantitative 17O NMR studies used to characterise oxygen dynamics inZrW2O8. The results of a range of NMR experiments, including a combination of 1D EXSY and saturation recovery experiments, are interpreted to give a measure of the rate and the activation energy for oxygen exchange. The experiments and derivation of the required theoretical background are detailed. Chapter 5 outlines a range of structural studies on AM2O7 materials. The room temperature superstructure of HfP2O7 is determined using a combination of X-Ray and neutron diffraction.31P NMR is reported for the high temperature phases of HfP2O7 and ZrP2O7 for the first time. The symmetry of the high temperature phase of HfP2O7 is investigated by Rietveld refinement of neutron diffraction data. Unusual effects in the 51V NMR spectra of HfV2O7 and ZrV2O7 are also reported. Chapter 6 outlines preliminary work on computational methods to investigate the structural dependence of the 31P NMR chemical shift of pyrophosphate materials. DFT calculations of NMR parameters were carried out, and a methodology developed for the derivation of suitable theoretical model structures

Muscular expressions: profiling genes in complex tissues

Gene-expression profiling has yielded important information about simple systems, but complex tissues have not yet been widely profiled. Four recent studies of mammalian skeletal muscles have added to the catalogs of their gene expression differences, but have yet to lead to better understanding of the molecular processes underlying their physiological differences

Perspectives on recovery in psychosis

This paper explores the concept of recovery in relation to people living with psychosis. Previous studies have examined recovery from the perspectives of clinicians and people living with psychosis. This article examines perceptions of recovery among multiple stakeholder groups. Research Design and Method: The study used data from a large Australian qualitative study which investigated employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. The sample comprised 137 participants drawn from six key stakeholder groups: people living with psychosis; care-givers; health professionals; employers; employment consultants; and community members. Data gathered during 14 focus groups and 31 individual interviews were imported into NVivo 10 and analyzed using thematic analysis. Results: Five themes were identified in relation to the perceived meaning of recovery in psychosis: symptomatic relief; a contented life; a meaningful life; a contributing life and functional improvement. Conclusions: The findings highlight the diverse perceptions that exist among stakeholders regarding what constitutes recovery in psychosis

Brain connectivity Patterns Dissociate action of specific Acupressure Treatments in Fatigued Breast cancer survivors

Funding This work was supported by grants R01 CA151445 and 2UL1 TR000433-06 from the National Institutes of Health. The funding source had no role in the design and conduct of the study; collection, management, analysis, and interpretation of the data; preparation, review, or approval of the manuscript; and decision to submit the manuscript for publication. We thank the expert assistance by Dr. Bradley Foerster in acquisition of 1H-MRS and fMRI data.Peer reviewedPublisher PD

Mismatch repair defects and O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase expression in acquired resistance to methylating agents in human cells.

Fifteen variants with >/=30-fold resistance to N-methyl-N-nitrosourea were isolated from the Burkitt's lymphoma Raji cell line. Eight had received a single treatment with a highly cytotoxic dose. The remainder, including the previously described RajiF12 cell line, arose following multiple exposures to initially moderate but escalating doses. Surprisingly, methylation resistance arose in three clones by reactivation of a previously silent O6-methylguanine-DNA methyltransferase gene. Five clones, including RajiF12, displayed the microsatellite instability and increased spontaneous mutation rates at the hypoxanthine-guanine phosphoribosyltransferase locus, consistent with deficiencies in mismatch repair. Defects in either the hMutSalpha or hMutLalpha mismatch repair complexes were identified in extracts of these resistant clones by in vitro complementation using extracts from colorectal carcinoma cell lines. Defects in hMutLalpha were confirmed by Western blot analysis. Remarkably, five methylation-resistant clones in which mismatch repair defects were demonstrated by biochemical assays did not exhibit significant microsatellite instability

Mortality of fish subjected to explosive shock as applied to oil well severance on Georges Bank

A very extensive bibliography of papers on underwater explosions and their effects on marine life has been collected and summarized. When exposed to blast effects, vertebrates with swim bladders or lungs that contain gas are at least an order of magnitude more sensitive than other life. Regression analysis of several different experiments on explosive damage to fish has been combined with reports of fish concentrations and explosives used in oil well severance in order to estimate the probable extent of damage to fish populations from a limited number of severance explosions. Damage per explosion should not be significant and is probably considerably less than that caused by a one hour tow of a bottom trawl net.Prepared for the Technology Assessment and Research Program of the Minerals Management Service, Department of the Interior, under Contract 14-08-0001-18920

A Metaphorical Analysis of Employment Barriers and Support Needs in Psychosis

This study uses metaphor analysis to explore the employment-related experiences of people living with psychosis and those around them such as family, community members, professionals and employers. Data was derived from transcripts of 14 focus groups and 31 interviews conducted during a qualitative study of the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis. The sample comprised participants drawn from six key stakeholder groups, namely people diagnosed with a persisting psychotic disorder, care-givers, health professionals, employers, employment providers and local community members. Transcripts from focus groups and interviews were imported into NVivo 10 and explored through the lens of a metaphor analysis. The study identified three common metaphorical themes used by participants to describe their experiences of job seeking and employment: a combat theme; a sports theme and a journey theme. The study demonstrates that metaphor analysis can be a useful form of triangulation to enrich our understanding of the employment barriers and support needs of people living with psychosis