Prognostic Value of Motor Timing in Treatment Outcome in Patients With Alcohol- and/or Cocaine Use Disorder in a Rehabilitation Program

Introduction: Individuals with Substance Use Disorder (SUD) often have cognitive deficits in multiple domains, including motor timing deficits, with recovery times of up to 1 year. Cognitive deficits influence treatment outcomes and abstinence. To our knowledge, timing deficits have not been investigated with regard to treatment outcome and relapse.Methods: This prospective study tested the prognostic value of motor timing in SUD with regard to treatment outcome. The study sample consisted of 74 abstinent in-patients at a private treatment programme for drug/alcohol dependence at the Momentum Mental Healthcare clinic in Somerset West, South Africa, diagnosed with alcohol and/or cocaine dependence. Participants were tested at three points: (i) Within 72 hours of the start of the treatment programme (ii) after completion of the treatment programme at 8 weeks (measure of treatment response) through filling out self-report questionnaires and experimental motor task testing, and (iii) a third visit followed through a telephonic interview at 12-months (measure of relapse).Results: Motor timing alone predicted 27 percent of the variance in alcohol self-efficacy score change, and 25 percent variance in cocaine self-efficacy change scores at treatment completion. Specifically, spatial errors, synchronization errors and inter- response interval errors of a spatial tapping task at baseline predicted self-efficacy in alcohol self-efficacy. Cocaine self-efficacy was predicted by spatial errors and contact times of a spatial tapping task at very high tempi (300 ms) only. The high rate of dropout at 12 months post-treatment did not allow for further analysis of the prognostic value of motor timing on relapse.Conclusions: The results of this investigation show us that motor timing holds prognostic value with regard to treatment outcomes. Motor timing predictors for relapse require further investigation going forward

Optimization and testing of dried antibody tube: The EuroFlow LST and PIDOT tubes as examples

Within EuroFlow, we recently developed screening tubes for hematological malignancies and immune deficiencies. Pipetting of antibodies for such 8-color 12-marker tubes however is time-consuming and prone to operational mistakes. We therefore evaluated dried formats of the lymphocytosis screening tube (LST) and of the primary immune deficiency orientation tube (PIDOT). Both tubes were evaluated on normal and/or on patient samples, comparing the mean fluorescence intensity of specific lymphocyte populations. Our data show that the dried tubes and liquid counterparts give highly comparable staining results, particularly when analyzed in multidimensional plots. In addition, the use of dried tubes may result in a reduced staining variability between different samples and thereby contributes to the generation of more robust data. Therefore, by using ready-to-use reagents in a dried single test tube format, the laboratory efficiency and quality will be improved

ADP Ribosylation Factor Like 2 (Arl2) Regulates Breast Tumor Aggressivity in Immunodeficient Mice

We have previously reported that ADP ribosylation factor like 2 (Arl2), a small GTPase, content influences microtubule dynamics and cell cycle distribution in breast tumor cells, as well as the degree and distribution of phosphorylated P53. Here we show, in two different human breast adenocarcinoma models, that Arl2 content has a major impact on breast tumor cell aggressivity both in vitro and in vivo. Cells with reduced content of Arl2 displayed reduced contact inhibition, increased clonogenic or cluster formation as well as a proliferative advantage over control cells in an in vitro competition assay. These cells also caused larger tumors in SCID mice, a phenotype which was mimicked by the in vivo administration of siRNA directed against Arl2. Cells with increased Arl2 content displayed reduced aggressivity, both in vitro and in vivo, with enhanced necrosis and were also found to contain increased PP2A phosphatase activity. A rt-PCR analysis of fresh human tumor breast samples suggested that low Arl2 expression was associated with larger tumor size and greater risk of lymph node involvement at diagnosis. These data underline the role of Arl2, a small GTPase, as an important regulator of breast tumor cell aggressivity, both in vitro and in vivo

Optimization and testing of dried antibody tube: The EuroFlow LST and PIDOT tubes as examples

Within EuroFlow, we recently developed screening tubes for hematological malignancies and immune deficiencies. Pipetting of antibodies for such 8-color 12-marker tubes however is time-consuming and prone to operational mistakes. We therefore evaluated dried formats of the lymphocytosis screening tube (LST) and of the primary immune deficiency orientation tube (PIDOT). Both tubes were evaluated on normal and/or on patient samples, comparing the mean fluorescence intensity of specific lymphocyte populations. Our data show that the dried tubes and liquid counterparts give highly comparable staining results, particularly when analyzed in multidimensional plots. In addition, the use of dried tubes may result in a reduced staining variability between different samples and thereby contributes to the generation of more robust data. Therefore, by using ready-to-use reagents in a dried single test tube format, the laboratory efficiency and quality will be improved

A photon dominated region code comparison study

International audienceAims:We present a comparison between independent computer codes, modeling the physics and chemistry of interstellar photon dominated regions (PDRs). Our goal was to understand the mutual differences in the PDR codes and their effects on the physical and chemical structure of the model clouds, and to converge the output of different codes to a common solution. Methods: A number of benchmark models have been created, covering low and high gas densities n = 10^3,105.5 cm-3 and far ultraviolet intensities chi = 10, 105 in units of the Draine field (FUV: 6 Results: We investigated the impact of PDR geometry and agreed on the comparison of results from spherical and plane-parallel PDR models. We identified a number of key processes governing the chemical network which have been treated differently in the various codes such as the effect of PAHs on the electron density or the temperature dependence of the dissociation of CO by cosmic ray induced secondary photons, and defined a proper common treatment. We established a comprehensive set of reference models for ongoing and future PDR model bench-marking and were able to increase the agreement in model predictions for all benchmark models significantly. Nevertheless, the remaining spread in the computed observables such as the atomic fine-structure line intensities serves as a warning that there is still a considerable uncertainty when interpreting astronomical data with our models

Molecular remission is an independent predictor of clinical outcome in patients with mantle cell lymphoma after combined immunochemotherapy: a European MCL intergroup study

The prognostic impact of minimal residual disease (MRD) was analyzed in 259 patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) treated within 2 randomized trials of the European MCL Network (MCL Younger and MCL Elderly trial). After rituximab-based induction treatment, 106 of 190 evaluable patients (56%) achieved a molecular remission (MR) based on blood and/or bone marrow (BM) analysis. MR resulted in a significantly improved response duration (RD; 87% vs 61% patients in remission at 2 years, P = .004) and emerged to be an independent prognostic factor for RD (hazard ratio = 0.4, 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.9, P = .028). MR was highly predictive for prolonged RD independent of clinical response (complete response [CR], complete response unconfirmed [CRu], partial response [PR]; RD at 2 years: 94% in BM MRD-negative CR/CRu and 100% in BM MRD-negative PR, compared with 71% in BM MRD-positive CR/CRu and 51% in BM MRD-positive PR, P = .002). Sustained MR during the postinduction period was predictive for outcome in MCL Younger after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT; RD at 2 years 100% vs 65%, P = .001) and during maintenance in MCL Elderly (RD at 2 years: 76% vs 36%, P = .015). ASCT increased the proportion of patients in MR from 55% before high-dose therapy to 72% thereafter. Sequential MRD monitoring is a powerful predictor for treatment outcome in MCL. These trials are registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00209222 and #NCT00209209. (Blood. 2010; 115(16): 3215-3223

16th National Congress of the South African Society of Psychiatrists (SASOP)

List of abstracts and authors: 1. Antipsychotics in anxiety disorders Christer Allgulander 2. Anxiety in somatic disorders Christer Allgulander 3. Community rehabilitation of the schizophrenic patient Orlando Alonso Betancourt, Maricela Morales Herrera 4. Dual diagnosis: A theory-driven multidisciplinary approach for integrative care David Blackbeard 5. The emotional language of the gut - when 'psyche' meets 'soma' Helen Clark 6. The Psychotherapy of bipolar disorder Franco Colin 7. The Psychotherapy of bipolar disorder Franco Colin 8. Developing and adopting mental health policies and plans in Africa: Lessons from South Africa, Uganda and Zambia Sara Cooper, Sharon Kleintjes, Cynthia Isaacs, Fred Kigozi, Sheila Ndyanabangi, Augustus Kapungwe, John Mayeya, Michelle Funk, Natalie Drew, Crick Lund 9. The importance of relapse prevention in schizophrenia Robin Emsley 10. Mental Health care act: Fact or fiction? Helmut Erlacher, M Nagdee 11. Does a dedicated 72-hour observation facility in a district hospital reduce the need for involuntary admissions to a psychiatric hospital? Lennart Eriksson 12. The incidence and risk factors for dementia in the Ibadan study of ageing Oye Gureje, Lola Kola, Adesola Ogunniyi, Taiwo Abiona 13. Is depression a disease of inflammation? Angelos Halaris 14. Paediatric bipolar disorder: More heat than light? Sue Hawkridge 15. EBM: Anova Conundrum Elizabeth L (Hoepie) Howell 16. Tracking the legal status of a cohort of inpatients on discharge from a 72-hour assessment unit Bernard Janse van Rensburg 17. Dual diagnosis units in psychiatric facilities: Opportunities and challenges Yasmien Jeenah 18. Alcohol-induced psychotic disorder: A comparative study on the clinical characteristics of patients with alcohol dependence and schizophrenia Gerhard Jordaan, D G Nel, R Hewlett, R Emsley 19. Anxiety disorders: the first evidence for a role in preventive psychiatry Andre F Joubert 20. The end of risk assessment and the beginning of start Sean Kaliski 21. Psychiatric disorders abd psychosocial correlates of high HIV risk sexual behaviour in war-effected Eatern Uganda E Kinyada, H A Weiss, M Mungherera, P Onyango Mangen, E Ngabirano, R Kajungu, J Kagugube, W Muhwezi, J Muron, V Patel 22. One year of Forensic Psychiatric assessment in the Northern Cape: A comparison with an established assessment service in the Eastern Cape N K Kirimi, C Visser 23. Mental Health service user priorities for service delivery in South Africa Sharon Kleintjes, Crick Lund, Leslie Swartz, Alan Flisher and MHaPP Research Programme Consortium 24. The nature and extent of over-the-counter and prescription drug abuse in cape town Liezl Kramer 25. Physical health issues in long-term psychiatric inpatients: An audit of nursing statistics and clinical files at Weskoppies Hospital Christa Kruger 26. Suicide risk in Schizophrenia - 20 Years later, a cohort study Gian Lippi, Ean Smit, Joyce Jordaan, Louw Roos 27.Developing mental health information systems in South Africa: Lessons from pilot projects in Northern Cape and KwaZulu-Natal Crick Lund, S Skeen, N Mapena, C Isaacs, T Mirozev and the Mental Health and Poverty Research Programme Consortium Institution 28. Mental health aspects of South African emigration Maria Marchetti-Mercer 29. What services SADAG can offer your patients Elizabeth Matare 30. Culture and language in psychiatry Dan Mkize 31. Latest psychotic episode Povl Munk-Jorgensen 32. The Forensic profile of female offenders Mo Nagdee, Helmut Fletcher 33. The intra-personal emotional impact of practising psychiatry Margaret Nair 34. Highly sensitive persons (HSPs) and implications for treatment Margaret Nair 35. Task shifting in mental health - The Kenyan experience David M Ndetei 36. Bridging the gap between traditional healers and mental health in todya's modern psychiatry David M Ndetei 37. Integrating to achieve modern psychiatry David M Ndetei 38. Non-medical prescribing: Outcomes from a pharmacist-led post-traumatic stress disorder clinic A Parkinson 39. Is there a causal relationship between alcohol and HIV? Implications for policy, practice and future research Charles Parry 40. Global mental health - A new global health discipline comes of age Vikram Patel 41. Integrating mental health into primary health care: Lessons from pilot District demonstration sites in Uganda and South Africa Inge Petersen, Arvin Bhana, K Baillie and MhaPP Research Programme Consortium 42. Personality disorders -The orphan child in axis I - Axis II Dichotomy Willie Pienaar 43. Case Studies in Psychiatric Ethics Willie Pienaar 44. Coronary artery disease and depression: Insights into pathogenesis and clinical implications Janus Pretorius 45. Impact of the Mental Health Care Act No. 17 of 2002 on designated hospitals in KwaZulu-Natal: Triumphs and trials Suvira Ramlall, Jennifer Chipps 46. Biological basis of addication Solomon Rataemane 47. Genetics of Schizophrenia Louw Roos 48. Management of delirium - Recent advances Shaquir Salduker 49. Social neuroscience: Brain research on social issues Manfred Spitzer 50. Experiments on the unconscious Manfred Spitzer 51. The Psychology and neuroscience of music Manfred Spitzer 52. Mental disorders in DSM-V Dan Stein 53. Personality, trauma exposure, PTSD and depression in a cohort of SA Metro policemen: A longitudinal study Ugashvaree Subramaney 54. Eating disorders: An African perspective Christopher Szabo 55. An evaluation of the WHO African Regional strategy for mental health 2001-2010 Thandi van Heyningen, M Majavu, C Lund 56. A unitary model for the motor origin of bipolar mood disorders and schizophrenia Jacques J M van Hoof 57. The origin of mentalisation and the treatment of personality disorders Jacques J M Hoof 58. How to account practically for 'The Cause' in psychiatric diagnostic classification C W (Werdie) van Staden POSTER PRESENTATIONS 59. Problem drinking and physical and sexual abuse at WSU Faculty of Health Sciences, Mthatha, 2009 Orlando Alonso Betancourt, Maricela Morales Herrera, E, N Kwizera, J L Bernal Munoz 60. Prevalence of alcohol drinking problems and other substances at WSU Faculty of Health Sciences, Mthatha, 2009 Orlando Alonso Betancourt, Maricela Morales Herrera, E, N Kwizera, J L Bernal Munoz 61. Lessons learnt from a modified assertive community-based treatment programme in a developing country Ulla Botha, Liezl Koen, John Joska, Linda Hering, Piet Ooosthuizen 62. Perceptions of psychologists regarding the use of religion and spirituality in therapy Ottilia Brown, Diane Elkonin 63. Resilience in families where a member is living with schizophreni Ottilia Brown, Jason Haddad, Greg Howcroft 64. Fusion and grandiosity - The mastersonian approach to the narcissistic disorder of the self William Griffiths, D Macklin, Loray Daws 65. Not being allowed to exist - The mastersonian approach to the Schizoid disorder of the self William Griffiths, D Macklin, Loray Daws 66. Risky drug-injecting behaviours in Cape Town and the need for a needle exchange programme Volker Hitzeroth 67. Neuroleptic malignant syndrome in adolescents in the Western Cape: A case series Terri Henderson 68. Experience and view of local academic psychiatrists on the role of spirituality in South African specialist psychiatry, compared with a qualitative analysis of the medical literature Bernard Janse van Rensburg 69. The role of defined spirituality in local specialist psychiatric practice and training: A model and operational guidelines for South African clinical care scenarios Bernard Janse van Rensburg 70. Handedness in schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorder in an Afrikaner founder population Marinda Joubert, J L Roos, J Jordaan 71. A role for structural equation modelling in subtyping schizophrenia in an African population Liezl Koen, Dana Niehaus, Esme Jordaan, Robin Emsley 72. Caregivers of disabled elderly persons in Nigeria Lola Kola, Oye Gureje, Adesola Ogunniyi, Dapo Olley 73. HIV Seropositivity in recently admitted and long-term psychiatric inpatients: Prevalence and diagnostic profile Christina Kruger, M P Henning, L Fletcher 74. Syphilis seropisitivity in recently admitted longterm psychiatry inpatients: Prevalence and diagnostic profile Christina Kruger, M P Henning, L Fletcher 75. 'The Great Suppression' Sarah Lamont, Joel Shapiro, Thandi Groves, Lindsey Bowes 76. Not being allowed to grow up - The Mastersonian approach to the borderline personality Daleen Macklin, W Griffiths 77. Exploring the internal confirguration of the cycloid personality: A Rorschach comprehensive system study Daleen Macklin, Loray Daws, M Aronstam 78. A survey to determine the level of HIV related knowledge among adult psychiatric patients admitted to Weskoppies Hospital T G Magagula, M M Mamabolo, C Kruger, L Fletcher 79. A survey of risk behaviour for contracting HIV among adult psychiatric patients admitted to Weskoppies Hospital M M Mamabolo, T G Magagula, C Kruger, L Fletcher 80. A retrospective review of state sector outpatients (Tara Hospital) prescribed Olanzapine: Adherence to metabolic and cardiovascular screening and monitoring guidelines Carina Marsay, C P Szabo 81. Reported rapes at a hospital rape centre: Demographic and clinical profiles Lindi Martin, Kees Lammers, Donavan Andrews, Soraya Seedat 82. Exit examination in Final-Year medical students: Measurement validity of oral examinations in psychiatry Mpogisheng Mashile, D J H Niehaus, L Koen, E Jordaan 83. Trends of suicide in the Transkei region of South Africa Banwari Meel 84. Functional neuro-imaging in survivors of torture Thriya Ramasar, U Subramaney, M D T H W Vangu, N S Perumal 85. Newly diagnosed HIV+ in South Africa: Do men and women enroll in care? Dinesh Singh, S Hoffman, E A Kelvin, K Blanchard, N Lince, J E Mantell, G Ramjee, T M Exner 86. Diagnostic utitlity of the International HIC Dementia scale for Asymptomatic HIV-Associated neurocognitive impairment and HIV-Associated neurocognitive disorder in South Africa Dinesh Singh, K Goodkin, D J Hardy, E Lopez, G Morales 87. The Psychological sequelae of first trimester termination of pregnancy (TOP): The impact of resilience Ugashvaree Subramaney 88. Drugs and other therapies under investigation for PTSD: An international database Sharain Suliman, Soraya Seedat 89. Frequency and correlates of HIV Testing in patients with severe mental illness Hendrik Temmingh, Leanne Parasram, John Joska, Tania Timmermans, Pete Milligan, Helen van der Plas, Henk Temmingh 90. A proposed mental health service and personnel organogram for the Elizabeth Donkin psychiatric Hospital Stephan van Wyk, Zukiswa Zingela 91. A brief report on the current state of mental health care services in the Eastern Cape Stephan van Wyk, Zukiswa Zingela, Kiran Sukeri, Heloise Uys, Mo Nagdee, Maricela Morales, Helmut Erlacher, Orlando Alonso 92. An integrated mental health care service model for the Nelson Mandela Bay Metro Stephan van Wyk, Zukiswa Zingela, Kiran Sukeri 93. Traditional and alternative healers: Prevalence of use in psychiatric patients Zukiswa Zingela, S van Wyk, W Esterhuysen, E Carr, L Gaauch

Experimental Evidence of Large Changes in Terrestrial Chlorine Cycling Following Altered Tree Species Composition

Organochlorine molecules (Clorg) are surprisingly abundant in soils and frequently exceed chloride (Cl−) levels. Despite the widespread abundance of Clorg and the common ability of microorganisms to produce Clorg, we lack fundamental knowledge about how overall chlorine cycling is regulated in forested ecosystems. Here we present data from a long-term reforestation experiment where native forest was cleared and replaced with five different tree species. Our results show that the abundance and residence times of Cl− and Clorg after 30 years were highly dependent on which tree species were planted on the nearby plots. Average Cl− and Clorg content in soil humus were higher, at experimental plots with coniferous trees than in those with deciduous trees. Plots with Norway spruce had the highest net accumulation of Cl− and Clorg over the experiment period, and showed a 10 and 4 times higher Cl− and Clorg storage (kg ha−1) in the biomass, respectively, and 7 and 9 times higher storage of Cl− and Clorg in the soil humus layer, compared to plots with oak. The results can explain why local soil chlorine levels are frequently independent of atmospheric deposition, and provide opportunities for improved modeling of chlorine distribution and cycling in terrestrial ecosystem

Molecular remission is an independent predictor of clinical outcome in patients with mantle cell lymphoma after combined immunochemotherapy: A European MCL intergroup study

The prognostic impact of minimal residual disease (MRD) was analyzed in 259 patients with mantle cell lymphoma (MCL) treated within 2 randomized trials of the European MCL Network (MCL Younger and MCL Elderly trial). After rituximab-based induction treatment, 106 of 190 evaluable patients (56%) achieved a molecular remission (MR) based on blood and/or bone marrow (BM) analysis. MR resulted in a significantly improved response duration (RD; 87% vs 61% patients in remission at 2 years, P = .004) and emerged to be an independent prognostic factor for RD (hazard ratio = 0.4, 95% confidence interval, 0.1-0.9, P = .028). MR was highly predictive for prolonged RD independent of clinical response (complete response [CR], complete response unconfirmed [CRu], partial response [PR]; RD at 2 years: 94% in BM MRD-negative CR/CRu and 100% in BM MRD-negative PR, compared with 71% in BM MRD-positive CR/CRu and 51% in BM MRDpositive PR, P = .002). Sustained MR during the postinduction period was predictive for outcome in MCL Younger after autologous stem cell transplantation (ASCT; RD at 2 years 100% vs 65%, P = .001) and during maintenance in MCL Elderly (RD at 2 years: 76% vs 36%, P = .015). ASCT increased the proportion of patients in MR from 55% before high-dose therapy to 72% thereafter. Sequential MRD monitoring is a powerful predictor for treatment outcome in MCL. These trials are registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT00209222 and #NCT00209209