Agenesis of the corpus callosum with associated inter-hemispheric cyst and right frontal pachygyria presenting with psychiatric symptoms in a Kenyan

This case report presents a 26 year old man who had a history of childhood onset seizures, mild cognitive slowing and social withdrawal. He gradually developed symptoms of depression and attempted suicide once. He presented to the authors following a recurrence of his seizures. On examination they noted a normal general and neurological examination apart from some frontal lobe signs on mental status examination. He also had features of psychosis and labile mood. On CT brain scan he had agenesis of the corpus callosum (CC) with associated interhemispheric cyst and right frontal pachygyria. The authors suggest that clinicians in developing countries should be alert to organic disorders presenting with psychiatric symptoms. South African Psychiatry Review Vol. 9(4) 2006: 229-23

Perceived economic and behavioural effects of the mentally ill on their relatives in Kenya: a case study of the Mathari Hospital

Objective: There is no documented evidence in Kenya on relatives’ perceptions of economic and behavioural effects of the mentallyill patients and their coping mechanisms. To document what relatives of mentally ill patients perceive to be the economic effects of the patients on the family and how they are affected by and cope with the disturbed behaviours of the patients. Method: This was a cross-sectional descriptive study conducted at the Mathari Psychiatric Hospital. Informed consent was obtained from both the relatives and the patients admitted at the hospital. Data on socio-demographic and economic profiles were obtained from thepatients and their relatives. The relatives were interviewed using a structured questionnaire to determine what they perceived to be the economic effects of the mental illness, how the various disturbed behaviours of the mentally ill affected them, and how they coped. The data were analysed using SPSS version 11.5 and results are presented in narratives and tables. Results: One hundred and seventy-five relatives and 107 patients were recruited and interviewed. The patients were younger and better educated but economically less well off than their relatives. The relatives perceived that the mentally ill patients caused financial constraints and that various disturbed behaviours, particularly, verbal and physical aggression and refusal of the patient to take medicine or go to hospital, affected the family in different ways. Different coping mechanisms were used, depending on whether or not the behaviours were intrusive. Conclusion: Mentally ill patients adversely affect their families in diverse ways. There is need for appropriate policy to address the needs of families with mentally ill patients at the family and community levels. However, these must be evidence-based and this calls for further research.Key words: Mental illness; Caregivers; Keny

Systematic review and meta-analysis: prevalence of alcohol use among young people in eastern Africa.

OBJECTIVE: Systematic review and meta-analysis of published studies of alcohol use among young people (age 15-24 years) in eastern Africa to estimate prevalence of alcohol use and determine the extent of use of standardised screening questionnaires in alcohol studies. METHODS: Five databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, Africa-wide, and PsycINFO) were searched for publications until 30th June 2013. Results were summarised using the guidelines on preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) and on quality assessment using the modified quality assessment tool for systematic reviews of observational studies (QATSO). Heterogeneity was assessed using the I(2) statistic (DerSimonian-Laird). RESULTS: We identified 2785 potentially relevant studies, of which 56 were eligible for inclusion. Only two studies (4%) used the standardised Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) questionnaire, and six studies (13%) used the Cut down, Annoyed, Guilt, Eye opener (CAGE) questionnaire. The reported median prevalence of alcohol use was ever-use 52% [interquartile range (IQR): 20-58%], use in the last month 28% (IQR: 17-37%), use in the last year 26% (IQR: 22-32%), and problem drinking as defined by CAGE or AUDIT 15% (IQR: 3-36%). We observed high heterogeneity between studies, with the highest prevalence of ever use of alcohol among university students (82%; 95%CI: 79-85%) and female sex workers (66%; 95%CI: 58-74%). Current use was most prevalent among male sex workers (69%; 95%CI: 63-75%). CONCLUSIONS: Reported alcohol use and problem drinking were common among diverse groups of young people in eastern Africa, indicating the urgent need for alcohol-focused interventions in this population. Few studies have used standardised alcohol screening questionnaires. Epidemiological research to investigate alcohol-focused interventions in young people should aim to apply such questionnaires that should be validated for use in this population

Composite Higgs Search at the LHC

The Higgs boson production cross-sections and decay rates depend, within the Standard Model (SM), on a single unknown parameter, the Higgs mass. In composite Higgs models where the Higgs boson emerges as a pseudo-Goldstone boson from a strongly-interacting sector, additional parameters control the Higgs properties which then deviate from the SM ones. These deviations modify the LEP and Tevatron exclusion bounds and significantly affect the searches for the Higgs boson at the LHC. In some cases, all the Higgs couplings are reduced, which results in deterioration of the Higgs searches but the deviations of the Higgs couplings can also allow for an enhancement of the gluon-fusion production channel, leading to higher statistical significances. The search in the H to gamma gamma channel can also be substantially improved due to an enhancement of the branching fraction for the decay of the Higgs boson into a pair of photons.Comment: 32 pages, 16 figure

Janus kinase 2 regulates Bcr–Abl signaling in chronic myeloid leukemia

Despite the success of imatinib mesylate (IM) in the early chronic phase of chronic myeloid leukemia (CML), patients are resistant to IM and other kinase inhibitors in the later stages of CML. Our findings indicate that inhibition of Janus kinase 2 (Jak2) in Bcr–Abl+ cells overcomes IM resistance although the precise mechanism of Jak2 action is unknown. Knocking down Jak2 in Bcr–Abl+ cells reduced levels of the Bcr–Abl protein and also the phosphorylation of Tyr177 of Bcr–Abl, and Jak2 overexpression rescued these knockdown effects. Treatment of Bcr–Abl+ cells with Jak2 inhibitors for 4–6 h but not with IM also reduced Bcr–Abl protein and pTyr177 levels. In vitro kinase experiments performed with recombinant Jak2 showed that Jak2 readily phosphorylated Tyr177 of Bcr–Abl (a Jak2 consensus site, YvnV) whereas c-Abl did not. Importantly, Jak2 inhibition decreased pTyr177 Bcr–Abl in immune complexes but did not reduce levels of Bcr–Abl, suggesting that the reduction of Bcr–Abl by Jak2 inhibition is a separate event from phosphorylation of Tyr177. Jak2 inhibition by chemical inhibitors (TG101209/WP1193) and Jak2 knockdown diminished the activation of Ras, PI-3 kinase pathways and reduced levels of pTyrSTAT5. These findings suggest that Bcr–Abl stability and oncogenic signaling in CML cells are under the control of Jak2

Vacuum stability bounds on Higgs coupling deviations in the absence of new bosons

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