Crack-cocaine users have less family cohesion than alcohol users

Objective: Many studies correlate characteristics of family functioning and the development of drug addiction. This study sought to evaluate and compare the family environment styles of two groups of psychoactive substance users: 1) alcohol-only users and 2) crack-cocaine users. Methods: Three hundred and sixty-four users of alcohol, crack-cocaine, and other drugs, recruited from research centers in four Brazilian capitals participated in this study. Subjects were evaluated through the Family Environment Scale and the Addiction Severity Index, 6th version (ASI-6). ASI-6 t-scores were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. A final model was obtained using a logistic regression analysis. All analyses were adjusted for partner, age, and psychiatric t-score. Results: We found a significant difference between groups in the cohesion subscale (p = 0.044). The post-hoc test revealed a difference of 1.06 points (95% CI 0.11-2.01) between groups 1 (6.45 +/- 0.28) and 2 (5.38 +/- 0.20). No significant between-group differences were observed in the other subscales. However, categorical analyses of variables regarding family dynamic showed that crack users more often reported that sometimes people in their family hit each other (30.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.007) and that people in their family frequently compared each other regarding work and/or school achievement (57.2% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.041). Conclusion: These results suggest that families of crack-cocaine users are less cohesive than families of alcohol users. This type of family environment may affect treatment outcome, and should thus be adequately approached.SENADNational Institutes of Health/National Institute on Drug AbuseUniv Fed Rio do Grande UFRGS, HCPA, CPAD, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilHCPA, Unidade Bioestat, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Rio Grande do Sul, Lab Biossinais Fenomenol & Cognicao, Inst Psicol, Porto Alegre, RS, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psicobiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilUniv Fed Rio de Janeiro UFRJ, Inst Psiquiatria, Rio De Janeiro, RJ, BrazilUniv Fed Sao Paulo UNIFESP, Dept Psicobiol, Sao Paulo, SP, BrazilSENAD: TC 005/2005Web of Scienc

Crack-cocaine users have less family cohesion than alcohol users

Objective: Many studies correlate characteristics of family functioning and the development of drug addiction. This study sought to evaluate and compare the family environment styles of two groups of psychoactive substance users: 1) alcohol-only users and 2) crack-cocaine users. Methods: Three hundred and sixty-four users of alcohol, crack-cocaine, and other drugs, recruited from research centers in four Brazilian capitals participated in this study. Subjects were evaluated through the Family Environment Scale and the Addiction Severity Index, 6th version (ASI-6). ASI-6 t-scores were compared by analysis of variance (ANOVA) and post-hoc tests. A final model was obtained using a logistic regression analysis. All analyses were adjusted for partner, age, and psychiatric t-score. Results: We found a significant difference between groups in the cohesion subscale (p = 0.044). The post-hoc test revealed a difference of 1.06 points (95%CI 0.11-2.01) between groups 1 (6.45±0.28) and 2 (5.38±0.20). No significant between-group differences were observed in the other subscales. However, categorical analyses of variables regarding family dynamic showed that crack users more often reported that sometimes people in their family hit each other (30.4% vs. 13.2%, p = 0.007) and that people in their family frequently compared each other regarding work and/or school achievement (57.2% vs. 42.6%, p = 0.041). Conclusion: These results suggest that families of crack-cocaine users are less cohesive than families of alcohol users. This type of family environment may affect treatment outcome, and should thus be adequately approached

Impact of COVID-19 on cardiovascular testing in the United States versus the rest of the world

Objectives: This study sought to quantify and compare the decline in volumes of cardiovascular procedures between the United States and non-US institutions during the early phase of the coronavirus disease-2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. Background: The COVID-19 pandemic has disrupted the care of many non-COVID-19 illnesses. Reductions in diagnostic cardiovascular testing around the world have led to concerns over the implications of reduced testing for cardiovascular disease (CVD) morbidity and mortality. Methods: Data were submitted to the INCAPS-COVID (International Atomic Energy Agency Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocols Study of COVID-19), a multinational registry comprising 909 institutions in 108 countries (including 155 facilities in 40 U.S. states), assessing the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on volumes of diagnostic cardiovascular procedures. Data were obtained for April 2020 and compared with volumes of baseline procedures from March 2019. We compared laboratory characteristics, practices, and procedure volumes between U.S. and non-U.S. facilities and between U.S. geographic regions and identified factors associated with volume reduction in the United States. Results: Reductions in the volumes of procedures in the United States were similar to those in non-U.S. facilities (68% vs. 63%, respectively; p = 0.237), although U.S. facilities reported greater reductions in invasive coronary angiography (69% vs. 53%, respectively; p < 0.001). Significantly more U.S. facilities reported increased use of telehealth and patient screening measures than non-U.S. facilities, such as temperature checks, symptom screenings, and COVID-19 testing. Reductions in volumes of procedures differed between U.S. regions, with larger declines observed in the Northeast (76%) and Midwest (74%) than in the South (62%) and West (44%). Prevalence of COVID-19, staff redeployments, outpatient centers, and urban centers were associated with greater reductions in volume in U.S. facilities in a multivariable analysis. Conclusions: We observed marked reductions in U.S. cardiovascular testing in the early phase of the pandemic and significant variability between U.S. regions. The association between reductions of volumes and COVID-19 prevalence in the United States highlighted the need for proactive efforts to maintain access to cardiovascular testing in areas most affected by outbreaks of COVID-19 infection

Ultralight vector dark matter search using data from the KAGRA O3GK run

Among the various candidates for dark matter (DM), ultralight vector DM can be probed by laser interferometric gravitational wave detectors through the measurement of oscillating length changes in the arm cavities. In this context, KAGRA has a unique feature due to differing compositions of its mirrors, enhancing the signal of vector DM in the length change in the auxiliary channels. Here we present the result of a search for U(1)B−L gauge boson DM using the KAGRA data from auxiliary length channels during the first joint observation run together with GEO600. By applying our search pipeline, which takes into account the stochastic nature of ultralight DM, upper bounds on the coupling strength between the U(1)B−L gauge boson and ordinary matter are obtained for a range of DM masses. While our constraints are less stringent than those derived from previous experiments, this study demonstrates the applicability of our method to the lower-mass vector DM search, which is made difficult in this measurement by the short observation time compared to the auto-correlation time scale of DM

¿Es posible el diagnóstico de la neoplasia folicular no invasiva con características nucleares de tipo de carcinoma papilar de tiroides (NIFTP) en nuestro medio?

Introducción: La variante folicular encapsulada no invasiva del carcinoma papilar detiroides (CPT) se re-clasificó como neoplasia folicular de tiroides no invasiva concaracterísticas nucleares de tipo papilar (NIFTP). Estos tumores se consideran comoneoplasias de muy bajo potencial maligno, con riesgo casi nulo de recurrencia ymortalidad. Objetivos: i) valorar la prevalencia de NIFTP en pacientes con CPT, ii) evaluar laevolución de los mismos y, iii) determinar las alteraciones moleculares halladas en estetipo de neoplasia.Materiales y Métodos: Estudio multicéntrico retrospectivo, observacional,longitudinal, que incluyó a pacientes con diagnóstico de CPT mayores de 18 añospertenecientes a 11 centros asistenciales de Argentina, diagnosticados entre el 1 deenero de 2006 y el 31 de diciembre de 2016. El diagnóstico de NIFTP se efectuó segúnlos criterios referidos por Nikiforov en el año 2016 y fue confirmado por al menos dospatólogos. Se incluyeron 2677 muestras de pacientes con diagnóstico de carcinomapapilar de tiroides. De estos, 612 (22%) fueron carcinoma papilar variante folicular y33 (1,23%) reunieron criterios diagnósticos de NIFTP. Resultados: De las 2677 muestras analizadas, se diagnosticó NIFTP en 33 pacientes(1,23%), el total de pacientes evaluados habían sido tratados con tiroidectomía total y el51% recibió ablación con radioyodo (mediana 100 mCi). Ningún paciente presentómetástasis ganglionares, a distancia, o necesidad de re-intervención quirúrgica. Luegode un seguimiento promedio de 30,5 meses, la respuesta final se consideró excelente enel 82% y 3% presentó una respuesta indeterminada. En 5 casos (15%) no huboseguimiento para establecer respuesta. Se observaron mutaciones de RAS en 4 (17%) yde BRAF V600E en 3 (13%). Conclusiones: La prevalencia de NIFTP en esta serie se encuentra dentro de las másbajas reportadas. La respuesta excelente al tratamiento en la mayoría de pacientes conseguimiento confirma el carácter indolente de estos tumores. Los hallazgos molecularesdifieren de lo publicado, lo que podría deberse a particularidades geográficas y/o étnicas.Introduction: Non-invasive encapsulated follicular variant of papillary thyroid cancer was reclassified as non-invasive follicular thyroid neoplasm with papillary-like nuclear features (NIFTP) in 2016. These neoplasms have an extremely low potential of malignancy. Objectives: i) to assess the prevalence of NIFTP in patients with papillary thyroid carcinoma, ii) to evaluate their outcomes and iii) to determine their molecular profile. Materials and methods: Multicenter, descriptive, retrospective study. Patients from 11 referral centers with papillary thyroid cancer diagnosed from January 2006 to December 2016 were included. Diagnosis of NIFTP was based on criteria described by Nikiforov in 2016. At least two pathologists agreed on the diagnosis. Two thousand six hundred and seventy seven patients with papillary thyroid cancer were included; 612 (22%) of them were follicular variant papillary thyroid cancer, and 33 (1.23%) were classified as NIFTP. Results: Thirty three patients (1.23%) fulfilled diagnostic criteria for NIFTP. All patients underwent total thyroidectomy, and 51% were treated with radioiodine (median dose 100 mCi). No metastatic lymph nodes, distant metastases or recurrences were found. After a mean follow up of 30.5 months, 82% of patients had an excellent response, 3% had an indeterminate response and data was missing in the remaining 15%. RAS mutations were detected in 4 patients (17%) and BRAF V600E in 3 (13%). Discussion: The prevalence of NIFTP in our series is among the lowest reported. Excellent outcomes of patients underscore their low malignant potential. However, molecular findings differ from other series, which may be related to environmental or ethnic features of our population.Fil: Saban, Melina. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Orlandi, Ana Maria. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Dr. Teodoro Álvarez"; ArgentinaFil: Deutsch, Susana I. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Juan A. Fernández"; ArgentinaFil: Pitoia, Fabián. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Lowenstein, Alicia Edita. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Calabrese, M. C.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Carlos Durand; ArgentinaFil: Cavallo, Andrea. Hospital de Alta Complejidad de Formosa; ArgentinaFil: Lotti, Alejandro. Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires; ArgentinaFil: Mosnteros Albi, M.. Hospital Dr. Arturo Oñativia - Salta Capital.; ArgentinaFil: Tolaba, N. Hospital Dr. Arturo Oñativia - Salta Capital.; ArgentinaFil: Nallar Dera, Marcelo. Hospital Dr. Arturo Oñativia - Salta Capital.; ArgentinaFil: Jaen, A.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Figurelli, Silvina. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Juan A. Fernández"; ArgentinaFil: Carrizo, F.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Oncología "Ángel H. Roffo"; ArgentinaFil: Colobraro, A.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Garcia Tascon, G.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Dr. Teodoro Álvarez"; ArgentinaFil: Saccoliti, M.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Carlos Durand.; ArgentinaFil: Paes de Lima, A.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Lencioni, María Julia. Hospital de Alta Complejidad de Formosa; ArgentinaFil: Califano, Ines. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Instituto de Oncología "Ángel H. Roffo"; ArgentinaFil: Cabezon, C.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Abelleira, E.. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Alcaraz, G.. Hospital Privado Universitario de Córdoba; ArgentinaFil: Brenta, Gabriela. Hospital Cesar Milstein; ArgentinaFil: Bielski, Laila. Sanatorio Guemes Sociedad Anonima.; ArgentinaFil: Castro Jozami, Lorena. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Juan A. Fernández"; ArgentinaFil: Corino, M.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Faure, Eduardo. Complejo Medico Policial Bartolome Churruca Andres Visca; ArgentinaFil: Frascaroli, G.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Dr. Teodoro Álvarez"; ArgentinaFil: Gauna, Alicia Teresa. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Guerra, Jorgelina. Universidad Austral. Hospital Universitario Austral; ArgentinaFil: Gutierrez, S.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Carlos Durand.; ArgentinaFil: Ilera, Veronica. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Iorcansky, S.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Martinez, Maria Paz. Hospital Alemán; ArgentinaFil: Moldes, Sofia. Complejo Medico Policial Bartolome Churruca Andres Visca; ArgentinaFil: Negueruela, M.. Universidad Austral. Hospital Universitario Austral; ArgentinaFil: Oneto, A.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Carlos Durand.; ArgentinaFil: Parisi, Carina. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Reyes, Adriana. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Rosemblit, Cinthia. Pontificia Universidad Católica Argentina "Santa María de los Buenos Aires". Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Oficina de Coordinación Administrativa Houssay. Instituto de Investigaciones Biomédicas; ArgentinaFil: Russo Picasso, Maria Fabiana. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Salas, Monica Delia. Universidad de Buenos Aires. Facultad de Medicina. Hospital de Clínicas General San Martín; ArgentinaFil: Sartorio, Mariana Gabriela. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas. Centro Científico Tecnológico Conicet - Rosario. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario. Universidad Nacional de Rosario. Facultad de Ciencias Bioquímicas y Farmacéuticas. Instituto de Biología Molecular y Celular de Rosario; ArgentinaFil: Schnitman, M.. Hospital Italiano; ArgentinaFil: Sklate, Roxana. Hospital Tornu; ArgentinaFil: Croome, Silva. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos "Ramos Mejía"; ArgentinaFil: Storani, Maria Elena. Municipalidad de Vicente Lopez (buenos Aires); ArgentinaFil: Vazquez, A.. Gobierno de la Ciudad Autonoma de Buenos Aires. Hospital General de Agudos Carlos Durand.; ArgentinaFil: Zund, Santiago. Centro de Educaciones Médicas e Investigación Clínica "Norberto Quirno"; ArgentinaFil: Zunino, A.. Gobierno de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires; Argentin

Impact of COVID-19 on Diagnostic Cardiac Procedural Volume in Oceania: The IAEA Non-Invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Objectives: The INCAPS COVID Oceania study aimed to assess the impact caused by the COVID-19 pandemic on cardiac procedure volume provided in the Oceania region. Methods: A retrospective survey was performed comparing procedure volumes within March 2019 (pre-COVID-19) with April 2020 (during first wave of COVID-19 pandemic). Sixty-three (63) health care facilities within Oceania that perform cardiac diagnostic procedures were surveyed, including a mixture of metropolitan and regional, hospital and outpatient, public and private sites, and 846 facilities outside of Oceania. The percentage change in procedure volume was measured between March 2019 and April 2020, compared by test type and by facility. Results: In Oceania, the total cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was reduced by 52.2% from March 2019 to April 2020, compared to a reduction of 75.9% seen in the rest of the world (p&lt;0.001). Within Oceania sites, this reduction varied significantly between procedure types, but not between types of health care facility. All procedure types (other than stress cardiac magnetic resonance [CMR] and positron emission tomography [PET]) saw significant reductions in volume over this time period (p&lt;0.001). In Oceania, transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) decreased by 51.6%, transoesophageal echocardiography (TOE) by 74.0%, and stress tests by 65% overall, which was more pronounced for stress electrocardiograph (ECG) (81.8%) and stress echocardiography (76.7%) compared to stress single-photon emission computerised tomography (SPECT) (44.3%). Invasive coronary angiography decreased by 36.7% in Oceania. Conclusion: A significant reduction in cardiac diagnostic procedure volume was seen across all facility types in Oceania and was likely a function of recommendations from cardiac societies and directives from government to minimise spread of COVID-19 amongst patients and staff. Longer term evaluation is important to assess for negative patient outcomes which may relate to deferral of usual models of care within cardiology

Reduction of cardiac imaging tests during the COVID-19 pandemic: The case of Italy. Findings from the IAEA Non-invasive Cardiology Protocol Survey on COVID-19 (INCAPS COVID)

Background: In early 2020, COVID-19 massively hit Italy, earlier and harder than any other European country. This caused a series of strict containment measures, aimed at blocking the spread of the pandemic. Healthcare delivery was also affected when resources were diverted towards care of COVID-19 patients, including intensive care wards. Aim of the study: The aim is assessing the impact of COVID-19 on cardiac imaging in Italy, compare to the Rest of Europe (RoE) and the World (RoW). Methods: A global survey was conducted in May–June 2020 worldwide, through a questionnaire distributed online. The survey covered three periods: March and April 2020, and March 2019. Data from 52 Italian centres, a subset of the 909 participating centres from 108 countries, were analyzed. Results: In Italy, volumes decreased by 67% in March 2020, compared to March 2019, as opposed to a significantly lower decrease (p &lt; 0.001) in RoE and RoW (41% and 40%, respectively). A further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 summed up to 76% for the North, 77% for the Centre and 86% for the South. When compared to the RoE and RoW, this further decrease from March 2020 to April 2020 in Italy was significantly less (p = 0.005), most likely reflecting the earlier effects of the containment measures in Italy, taken earlier than anywhere else in the West. Conclusions: The COVID-19 pandemic massively hit Italy and caused a disruption of healthcare services, including cardiac imaging studies. This raises concern about the medium- and long-term consequences for the high number of patients who were denied timely diagnoses and the subsequent lifesaving therapies and procedures