Effects of Psychopathy on Neurocognitive Domains of Impulsivity in Abstinent Opiate and Stimulant Users

Background: Psychopathy and substance use disorders (SUDs) are both characterized by neurocognitive impairments reflecting higher levels of impulsivity such as reward-driven decision-making and deficient inhibitory control. Previous studies suggest that psychopathy may exacerbate decision-making deficits, but it may be unrelated to other neurocognitive impairments among substance dependent individuals (SDIs). The aim of the present study was to examine the role of psychopathy and its interpersonal-affective and impulsive-antisocial dimensions in moderating the relationships between dependence on different classes of drugs and neurocognitive domains of impulsivity.Method: We tested 693 participants (112 heroin mono-dependent individuals, 71 heroin polysubstance dependent individuals, 115 amphetamine mono-dependent individuals, 76 amphetamine polysubstance dependent individuals, and 319 non-substance dependent control individuals). Participants were administered the Psychopathy Checklist: Screening Version (PCL:SV) and seven neurocognitive tasks measuring impulsive choice/decision-making (Iowa Gambling Task; Cambridge Gambling Task; Kirby Delay Discounting Task; Balloon Analog Risk Task), and impulsive action/response inhibition (Go/No-Go Task, Immediate Memory Task, and Stop Signal Task).Results: A series of hierarchical multiple regressions revealed that the interpersonal-affective dimension of psychopathy moderated the association between decision-making, response inhibition and both amphetamine and heroin dependence, albeit differently. For amphetamine users, low levels of interpersonal-affective traits predicted poor decision-making on the Iowa Gambling Task and better response inhibition on the Stop Signal task. In contrast, in heroin users high interpersonal-affective psychopathy traits predicted lower risk taking on the Cambridge Gambling Task and better response inhibition on the Go/No-Go task. The impulsive-antisocial dimension of psychopathy predicted poor response inhibition in both amphetamine and heroin users.Conclusions: Our findings reveal that psychopathy and its dimensions had both common and unique effects on neurocognitive function in heroin and amphetamine dependent individuals. Our results suggest that the specific interactions between psychopathy dimensions and dependence on different classes of drugs may lead to either deficient or superior decision-making and response inhibition performance in SDIs, suggesting that psychopathy may paradoxically play a protective role for some neurocognitive functions in specific subtypes of substance users

Validation of the Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) With Bulgarian Substance Dependent Individuals

Background: The Substance Use Risk Profile Scale (SURPS) is a 23-item self-report questionnaire that assesses four well-validated personality risk factors for substance misuse (Impulsivity, Sensation Seeking, Anxiety Sensitivity, and Hopelessness). While the SURPS has been used extensively with adolescents at risk for substance dependence, its properties with adult substance-dependent populations have been understudied. Further, the validity of the Bulgarian version of the SURPS has not been evaluated. The aims of the present study were to examine the factor structure of the Bulgarian version of the SURPS, its psychometric properties, and its ability to distinguish individuals with substance dependence from healthy controls.Methods: Participants included 238 individuals ages 18 to 50 (45% female): 36 “pure” (i.e., mono-substance dependent) heroin users, 34 “pure” amphetamine users, 32 polysubstance users, 64 controls with no history of substance dependence, 43 unaffected siblings of heroin users, and 29 unaffected siblings of amphetamine users. We explored the factor structure of the Bulgarian version of the SURPS with confirmatory factor analyses, examined its reliability and validity, and tested for group differences between substance dependent and non-dependent groups.Results: Confirmatory factor analyses (CFA) replicated the original four-factor model of the SURPS. The four subscales of the SURPS demonstrated good internal consistency (Cronbach's alphas ranged from 0.71 to 0.85) and adequate concurrent validity. Significant group differences were found on the Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking subscales, with the three substance dependent groups scoring higher than controls.Conclusions: The SURPS is a valid instrument for measuring personality risk for substance use disorders in the Bulgarian population. The Bulgarian version of the SURPS demonstrates adequate to good reliability, concurrent validity, and predictive validity. Its ability to distinguish between groups with and without a history of substance dependence was specific to externalizing traits such as Impulsivity and Sensation Seeking, on which opiate, stimulant, and polysubstance dependent individuals scored higher than non-dependent controls

Testing macroecological abundance patterns: The relationship between local abundance and range size, range position and climatic suitability among European vascular plants

Aim: A fundamental question in macroecology centres around understanding the relationship between species' local abundance and their distribution in geographical and climatic space (i.e. the multi‐dimensional climatic space or climatic niche). Here, we tested three macroecological hypotheses that link local abundance to the following range properties: (a) the abundance-range size relationship, (b) the abundance-range centre relationship and (c) the abundance-suitability relationship. Location: Europe. Taxon: Vascular plants. Methods: Distribution range maps were extracted from the Chorological Database Halle to derive information on the range and niche sizes of 517 European vascular plant species. To estimate local abundance, we assessed samples from 744,513 vegetation plots in the European Vegetation Archive, where local species' abundance is available as plant cover per plot. We then calculated the 'centrality', that is, the distance between the location of the abundance observation and each species' range centre in geographical and climatic space. The climatic suitability of plot locations was estimated using coarse‐grain species distribution models (SDMs). The relationships between centrality or climatic suitability with abundance was tested using linear models and quantile regression. We summarized the overall trend across species' regression slopes from linear models and quantile regression using a meta‐analytical approach. Results: We did not detect any positive relationships between a species' mean local abundance and the size of its geographical range or climatic niche. Contrasting yet significant correlations were detected between abundance and centrality or climatic suitability among species. Main conclusions: Our results do not provide unequivocal support for any of the relationships tested, demonstrating that determining properties of species' distributions at large grains and extents might be of limited use for predicting local abundance, including current SDM approaches. We conclude that environmental factors influencing individual performance and local abundance are likely to differ from those factors driving plant species' distribution at coarse resolution and broad geographical extents

Filtering Knowledge: A Comparative Analysis of Information-Theoretical-Based Feature Selection Methods

The data used in machine learning algorithms strongly influences the algorithms' capabilities. Feature selection techniques can choose a set of columns that meet a certain learning goal. There is a wide variety of feature selection methods, however, the ones we cover in this comparative analysis are part of the information-theoretical-based family. We evaluate MIFS, MRMR, CIFE, and JMI using the machine learning algorithms Logistic Regression, XGBoost, and Support Vector Machines.Multiple datasets with a variety of feature types are used during evaluation. We find that MIFS and MRMR are 2-4 times faster than CIFE and JMI. MRMR and JMI choose columns that lead to significantly higher accuracy and lower root mean squared error earlier. The results we present here can help data scientists pick the right feature selection method depending on the datasets used.CSE3000 Research ProjectComputer Science and Engineerin

Concentration of Polyphenolic Antioxidants in Apple Juice and Extract Using Ultrafiltration

The aim of the present work was to study the potential of ultrafiltration with three polyacrylonitrile membranes (1, 10, and 25 kDa) to concentrate polyphenolic antioxidants in apple juice and extract. The permeate flux, total polyphenols, polyphenolic profile, phenolic acid content, and total antioxidant capacity were determined using the FRAP and DPPH tests, the content of water-soluble proteins during ultrafiltration was established, and the concentration factors and rejections were determined. The permeate flux decreased by increasing the volume reduction ratio and decreasing the molecular weight cut-off of the membranes. The concentration factor and rejection of polyphenolics increased with the increase in the volume reduction ratio (VRR) for all membranes and both liquids. The concentration and rejection effectiveness of the 1 kDa membrane was higher than those observed for 10 and 25 kDa during the ultrafiltration of the apple extract, while these values were comparable for 1 and 10 kDa during the ultrafiltration of the apple juice. The concentration factors and rejections of total polyphenols were higher in the extract than in the juice. Chlorogenic acid was the main compound in the polyphenol profile of apple juice. The total content of phenolic acids, determined by using HPLC, increased by 15–20% as a result of the membrane concentration, but the separation process did not significantly change the ratio between the individual compounds

Аortic regurgitation – hemodynamic changes and evaluation

Клапните сърдечни заболявания са водеща причина за нарушения в качеството и продължителността на живот. Епидемиологията им варира значително в целия свят. От изключително важно значение е познаването на хемо- динамичните промени, до които водят. Това позволява правилно изработване на статегия относно бъдещи интер- венции върху клапния апарат. През последните години се отбелязва изключителен напредък в разработването  на различни методики в сферата на оперативно и интервенционалното лечение на клапните заболявания. В този раздел ние се спираме основно на аортната регургитация и нейната значимост. Valvular diseases are a leading cause of morbidity, mortality and impaired quality of life in all over the world with different epidemiology. It is extremely important to know the hemodynamic changes for the proper development of a strategy for future interventions. The recent years shows progress in various methodologies of the field of surgery and interventional treatments of valvular diseases. In this section, we focus mainly on aortic regurgitation and its clinical significance

Invasive hemodynamic assessment of patients with cardiomyopathies

Инвазивната хемодинамична оценка на сърдечните заболявания придобива все по-голяма роля през последни- те десетилетия. Поради по-широката си достъпност и безопасност неинвазивните техники са основните методи, използващи се за оценка на сърдечната функция. Хемодинамичната оценка чрез сърдечна катетеризация се при- лага за решаване на диагностични проблеми, които не могат да бъдат решени чрез рутинните методики. Този тип изследване трябва да бъде индивидуализирано спрямо конкретните проблеми на всеки пациент и базирано на получените от неинвазивните изследвания резултати. Инвазивната диагностика се използва широко при оценка- та на пациентите с различни сърдечно-съдови заболявания, включително и кардиомиопатии. В настоящия обзор разглеждаме ролята на сърдечната катетеризация, нейните предимства и недостатъци като част от цялостната оценка на пациентите с кардиомиопатии.  Invasive hemodynamic assessment of cardiac diseases has become an important diagnostic tool in recent decades. Non-invasive methods are the main techniques used to assess cardiac function, due to their wider availability. Cardiac catheterization is useful when there are diagnostic problems that cannot be solved with routine methods. Cardiac catheterization should be individualized according to the specific problems of the patient and based on the results from non-invasive methods. Invasive diagnostics is used in the assessment of patients with various cardiovascular diseases, including cardiomyopathies. In this review, we consider the role of cardiac catheterization, its advantages and disadvantages as part of the overall assessment of patients with cardiomyopathies.

Survival of patients with cardiomyopathies

Кардиомиопатиите са хетерогенна група заболявания. Основният патогенетичен механизъм е миокардна увреда, резултат най-често на генетични мутации. Те са една от водещите причини за развитие на сърдечна недостатъч- ност, внезапна сърдечна смърт и животозастрашаващи аритмии. Прогнозата при пациентите с кардиомиопатии се определя основно от наличието или липсата на определени фактори, асоциирани с неблагоприятно протичане, както и от етапа на диагностицирането им. Преживяемостта при отделните видове кардиомиопатии е различна, като водеща причина за повишена смъртност е късното откриване на заболяването и съответно забавеното за- почване на лечение. Основните кардиомиопатии, разгледани в настоящия обзор, са хипертрофична, дилативна, рестриктивна, ЛК некомпактност и аритмогенна деснокамерна кардиомиопатия. Cardiomyopathies are a heterogeneous group of diseases. The main pathogenetic mechanism is myocardial damage due to genetic mutations. Cardiomyopathies are one of the leading causes of heart failure, sudden cardiac death, and life-threatening arrhythmias. Certain factors associated with poor prognosis determined the prognosis in this group of patients. Survival in different types of cardiomyopathies depends on the time of diagnosis and initial treatment. The types of cardiomyopathies discussed in this review are hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, dilative cardiomyopathy, restrictive cardiomyopathy, left ventricle non-compaction, and arrhythmogenic right ventricular cardiomyopathy

Serum biomarkers for pulmonary hypertension

Налице са значими изследвания и научни разработки, свързани с патофизиологията на пулмоналната хипертония (ПХ), вследствие на което се увеличават възможностите за терапевтичното и повлияване. Традиционните методи за диагностика и мониториране на ПХ включват ехокардиография и дясна сърдечна катетеризация, допълнени от оценка на функционалния клас по NYHA и 6-минутен тест с ходене (6 MWT). Нарастващият брой циркулаторни биомаркери, които се повишават при ПХ може да подпомогне клиницистите както в диагностиката, така и при оценка тежестта на заболяването и отговора от лечението. In the fi eld of development of pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension, there are growing number of signifi cant recent advances, which leads to new therapeutic agents. Traditional methods of diagnosing and monitoring this condition have comprised echocardiography and right heart catheterization, in addition to functional measures, such as estimation of functional class and the 6-min walk test. An increasing number of biomarkers have been described that are elevated in pulmonary hypertension and which may assist the clinician in diagnosis and in the assessment of disease severity and response to treatment.