The many roads to psychosis: recent advances in understanding risk and mechanisms.

Schizophrenia is a chronic and severe mental illness which frequently leads to substantial lifelong disability. The past five years have seen major progress in our understanding of the complex genetic architecture of this disorder. Two major barriers to understanding the core biological processes that underlie schizophrenia and developing better interventions are (1) the absence of etiologically defined biomarkers and (2) the clinical and genetic heterogeneity of the disorder. Here, we review recent advances that have led to changes in our understanding of risk factors and mechanisms involved in the development of schizophrenia. In particular, mechanistic and clinically oriented approaches have now converged on a focus on disruptions in early neurodevelopment and synaptic plasticity as being critical for both understanding trajectories and intervening to change them. Translating these new findings into treatments that substantively change the lives of patients is the next major challenge for the field

The zwitterion 1-butylimidazolium-3- (n-butanesulfonate)

The mol&shy;ecule of the title compound, C11H20N2O3S, contains a positively charged imidazolium head group and a negatively charged sulfonate tethered together by a four-carbon chain. There is weak intermolecular hydrogen bonding within the structure between the sulfonate O atoms and the H atoms of the imidazolium ring. The sulfonate group causes a twisting of the butyl chain and a decrease in the dihedral angle between the second and third carbon chain compared to the unsubstituted butyl group.<br /

Efficacy of Using Virtual Reality Systems to Enhance Balance in Individuals With Vestibular Disorders: A Systematic Review

Background: A common impairment with vestibular disorders is diminished balance. Previous systematic reviews have analyzed the efficacy of virtual reality (VR) systems in vestibular rehabilitation in both clinical and home settings. However, none have specifically focused on the improvement of balance with VR systems in individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders. Purpose: The purpose of this systematic review was to assess the efficacy of using VR systems to treat balance impairments in individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders. Methods: Two searches were completed, the first in August 2020 and the second in January 2021. Databases searched included: EBSCOhost (CINAHL Complete and Medline) and PubMed. Search terms for the EBSCOhost databases included: ‘virtual reality OR vr OR augmented reality’ AND ‘vestibular rehabilitation OR vestibular therapy’. For PubMed, the search terms were ‘virtual reality AND vestibular disorders’ and ‘virtual reality AND balance’. A single hand search was also utilized. Results: Ten articles were included for analysis. This systematic review determined that virtual reality systems are an effective way to improve balance in individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders. Previous literature was also supported in that it is best to combine VR rehabilitation with conventional vestibular rehabilitation exercises for the most effective treatment of individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders. Conclusions: Future research should focus on standardizing an outcome measure to best assess balance changes in individuals with peripheral vestibular disorders as a result of using VR-based treatments. This would also allow for further analysis of the effectiveness of different types of VR systems in vestibular rehabilitation.https://digitalcommons.misericordia.edu/research_posters2021/1011/thumbnail.jp

Motor deficits in schizophrenia quantified by nonlinear analysis of postural sway.

Motor dysfunction is a consistently reported but understudied aspect of schizophrenia. Postural sway area was examined in individuals with schizophrenia under four conditions with different amounts of visual and proprioceptive feedback: eyes open or closed and feet together or shoulder width apart. The nonlinear complexity of postural sway was assessed by detrended fluctuation analysis (DFA). The schizophrenia group (n = 27) exhibited greater sway area compared to controls (n = 37). Participants with schizophrenia showed increased sway area following the removal of visual input, while this pattern was absent in controls. Examination of DFA revealed decreased complexity of postural sway and abnormal changes in complexity upon removal of visual input in individuals with schizophrenia. Additionally, less complex postural sway was associated with increased symptom severity in participants with schizophrenia. Given the critical involvement of the cerebellum and related circuits in postural stability and sensorimotor integration, these results are consistent with growing evidence of motor, cerebellar, and sensory integration dysfunction in the disorder, and with theoretical models that implicate cerebellar deficits and more general disconnection of function in schizophrenia

Winnipeg Quality of Life Project Phase One Report

This project addresses the lack of neighbourhood statistical data and survey information on the quality of life in the inner city available to community groups. Many organizations and individuals in Winnipeg’s inner city are working to enhance individual quality of life in the inner city and to raise the standard of living. However, there is no adequate way, at this time, to measure change occurring in neighbourhoods. Inner city organizations and larger governmental and non-governmental organizations collect data useful to measure outcomes of specific programs and general social trends; unfortunately these data and the survey instruments used are not standardized between organizations. It is difficult to use these data when measuring the community-wide impacts of programs, perceptions of residents, and the social or economic progress of neighbourhoods and communities

Ionic liquids and reactions at the electrochemical interface

Ionic liquids (ILs) represent a fascinating, and yet to be fully understood, medium for a variety of chemical, physical and biological processes. Electrochemical processes form an important subset of these that are particularly of interest, since ILs tend to be good electrochemical solvents and exhibit other properties which make them very useful as electrolytes in electrochemical devices. It is important therefore to understand the extent to which electrochemical reactions and processes behave in a relatively &ldquo;normal&rdquo;, for example aqueous solution, fashion as opposed to exhibiting phenomena more uniquely the product of their organic ionic nature. This perspective examines a range of electrochemical reactions in ionic liquids, in many cases in the context of real world applications, to highlight the phenomena as far as they are understood and where data gaps exist. The important areas of lithium and conducting polymer electrochemistry are discussed in detail.<br /

Organic ionic plastic crystals : recent advances

Investigations into the synthesis and utilisation of organic ionic plastic crystals have made significant progress in recent years, driven by a continued need for high conductivity solid state electrolytes for a range of electrochemical devices. There are a number of different aspects to research in this area; fundamental studies, utilising a wide range of analytical techniques, of both pure and doped plastic crystals, and the development of plastic crystal-based materials as electrolytes in, for example, lithium ion batteries. Progress in these areas is highlighted and the development of new organic ionic plastic crystals, including a new class of proton conductors, is discussed.<br /