Early stages of bipolar disorder: characterization and strategies for early intervention

Objective: To characterize the early stages of bipolar disorder (BD), defined as the clinical prodrome/subsyndromal stage and first-episode phase, and strategies for their respective treatment. Methods: A selective literature search of the PubMed, Embase, PsycINFO, and ISI databases from inception until March 2014 was performed. Included in this review were articles that a) characterized prodromal and first-episode stages of BD or b) detailed efficacy and safety/tolerability of interventions in patients considered prodromal for BD or those with only one episode of mania/hypomania. Results: As research has only recently focused on characterization of the early phase of BD, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of any treatment option in the early phase of BD. Case management; individual, group, and family therapy; supportive therapy; and group psychoeducation programs have been proposed. Most evidence-based treatment guidelines for BD do not address treatment specifically in the context of the early stages of illness. Evidence for pharmacotherapy is usually presented in relation to illness polarity (i.e., manic/mixed or depressed) or treatment phase. Conclusions: Although early recognition and treatment are critical to preventing unfavorable outcomes, there is currently little evidence for interventions in these stages of BD

Note on the sea anemone, Sagartia paguri Verrill

Volume: 26Start Page: 427End Page: 42

XXIV.—On the genus Alicia (Cladactis), with an anatomical description of A. cost\ue6, Panc

Volume: 15Start Page: 213End Page: 21

Diversity of Saint Helena Island and zoogeography of zoantharians in the Atlantic Ocean: jigsaw falling into place

Diversity surveys in isolated sites, such as oceanic islands, provide biogeographic data that can improve our analyses and knowledge of evolutionary processes in the oceans. Zoantharians (Cnidaria: Anthozoa) are common and widespread components of shallow-water reefs, but distributional analyses are scarce for this group. In this study, we collected Zoantharia specimens from around Saint Helena Island (STH) in the mid-Atlantic and identified species using external morphology and molecular data. Moreover, we compiled and analysed the most comprehensive distributional data for zoantharian species in the subtropical and tropical Atlantic Ocean to date. Our results show eight zoantharian species in STH, which includes seven new records for STH waters. Furthermore, all families and genera of the suborder Brachycnemina recorded are widespread in the Atlantic Ocean, including at least four amphi-Atlantic species. The Caribbean is the richness centre in the Atlantic Ocean for zoantharian species, a pattern similar to that observed for many other subtropical/tropical marine taxa. However, Zoantharia may have a lower endemism rate in some areas than other common reef animals, for example zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and reef fishes. Moreover, zoantharian species have a more extensive distribution than close-related taxa such as zooxanthellate scleractinian corals and hydrocorals in the Atlantic Ocean.Japanese Government (MEXT)Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT)JSPSMinistry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (MEXT)Japan Society for the Promotion of Scienc