Psychiatric disorders among war-abducted and non-abducted adolescents in Gulu district, Uganda: a comparative study

Objective:We aimed to assess the nature and patterns of psychiatric disorders among adolescents who had been war-abducted in the war in northern Uganda, compared to non-abducted adolescents living in Gulu district, Uganda.Method: A cros sectional study that used an unmatched case-control design compared 82 abducted and 71 non-abducted adolescents for scores on measures of psychological distress and for selected psychiatric diagnoses using the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) and the Mini International Neural-Psychiatric Interview for Children and Adolescents English version 2.0 (M.I.N.I-KID). Results: More than 90% of adolescents reported exposure to severe trauma, either through direct or indirect experiences. Significantly more war abducted adolescents reported PTSD (26.8%v.12.7%) (p=0.03) major depression (19.5%v.4.2%) (p=0.004), and generalised anxiety disorder (13.4v.4.2%) (p=0.049) than non abducted adolescents. By contrast, non-abducted adolescents reported more past suicidality (p=0.004, χ2=8.2) than adolescents who were abducted. However, despite high rates of psychiatric disorder, these adolescents had good psychosocial adjustment. Conclusion: Adolescents in war affected areas whether warabducted or not have varied and clinically significant emotional responses to different kinds of traumatic exposure. In a war-affected area, the development of a sustainable service for adolescents that tries to address the full range of mental health problems may be more appropriate than a psychological trauma service that focuses on one diagnosis.African Journal of Psychiatry Vol. 10 (4) 2007: pp. 225-23

Site fidelity of Hippocampus guttulatus Cuvier, 1829 at Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Southern Italy; Ionian Sea)

Lack of detailed knowledge on ecological niche, life cycles, spatial distribution, reproductive biology and space use strongly affects the selection of useful tools and measures in the conservation of threatened marine species. Especially for sedentary and slow species, behaviour and movement capacities are supposed to be the most important functional traits. Indeed, behavioural variability concerning available space and the close presence of individuals is considered a crucial trait for the population dynamics assessments, especially when disturbances of various causes are present in the environment. The present study aimed to investigate the site fidelity and degree of movement of Hippocampus guttulatus, an emblematic and threatened Mediterranean seahorse species. With this aim, a number of seahorses were tagged and monitored throughout two years within a limited area of the lagoon of Mar Piccolo of Taranto (Southern Italy). The studied individuals were initially morphometrically measured for size, sex and life-cycle stage and subsequently monitored through repeated four-month surveys each year. Obtained results indicated high site fidelity regardless of habitat type. Movement pattern was in line with the data on congeneric species, although values were slightly higher. The analyses showed differences in movement degree among different sexes and life-cycle stages and indicated greater mobility of adult females compared to males and juveniles. The investigated parameters showed a great variability suggesting that even small-scale environmental factors can influence the species mobility. Finally, a change in the population structure has been observed, with the loss of large individuals in 2016 and reduced recruitment in 2017. These findings indicated the possible presence of stressors that could lead to the alteration of the seahorse population at Mar Piccolo of Taranto

VLBI observations at 147 GHz: first detection of transatlantic fringes in bright AGN

At 147 GHz (2mm wavelength), we detected three prominent AGN (NRAO150, 3C279, 1633+382) with Very Long Baseline Interferometry (VLBI) with an angular resolution of only 18 micro-arcseconds on the baseline between two antennas in Arizona (10m HHT and 12m KittPeak) and the IRAM 30m antenna on Pico Veleta in Spain. This is a new world record in radio interferometry and astronomical imaging and opens fascinating future possibilities to directly image and study the innermost regions in Quasars and other Active Galactic Nuclei.Comment: 4 pages, 3 figures, appears in: Proceedings of the 6th European VLBI Network Symposium held on June 25th-28th in Bonn, Germany. Edited by: E. Ros, R.W. Porcas, A.P. Lobanov, and J.A. Zensu

Changes in the Circadian Rhythm in Patients with Primary Glaucoma

Purpose The current study was undertaken to investigate whether glaucoma affects the sleep quality and whether there is any difference between patients with primary glaucoma (primary open angle glaucoma, POAG and primary angle-closure glaucoma, PACG) and healthy subjects, using a validated self-rated questionnaire, the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI). Methods The sleep quality of patients with POAG and PACG was tested against normal controls. Subjects were divided into three sub-groups according to age. Differences in the frequency of sleep disturbances (PSQI score >7) were assessed. The differences of sleep quality within the three groups and within the POAG group depending on the patients’ intraocular pressure (IOP) and impairment of visual field (VF) were also studied. Results 92 POAG patients, 48 PACG patients and 199 controls were included. Sleep quality declined with age in control and POAG group (tendency chi-square, P0.05). No significant differences were found in POAG group between patients with a highest IOP in daytime and at nighttime (χ2-test, P>0.05). Conclusions The prevalence of sleep disorders was higher in patients with POAG and PACG than in controls. PACG patients seemed to have a more serious problem of sleep disorders than POAG patients between 61 to 80 years old. No correlation was found between the prevalence of sleep disorders and impairment of VF or the time when POAG patients showed a highest IOP

First Impressions of HIV Risk: It Takes Only Milliseconds to Scan a Stranger

Research indicates that many people do not use condoms consistently but instead rely on intuition to identify sexual partners high at risk for HIV infection. The present studies examined neural correlates for first impressions of HIV risk and determined the association of perceived HIV risk with other trait characteristics. Participants were presented with 120 self-portraits retrieved from a popular online photo-sharing community (www.flickr.com). Factor analysis of various explicit ratings of trait characteristics yielded two orthogonal factors: (1) a ‘valence-approach’ factor encompassing perceived attractiveness, healthiness, valence, and approach tendencies, and (2) a ‘safeness’ factor, entailing judgments of HIV risk, trustworthiness, and responsibility. These findings suggest that HIV risk ratings systematically relate to cardinal features of a high-risk HIV stereotype. Furthermore, event-related brain potential recordings revealed neural correlates of first impressions about HIV risk. Target persons perceived as risky elicited a differential brain response in a time window from 220–340 ms and an increased late positive potential in a time window from 350–700 ms compared to those perceived as safe. These data suggest that impressions about HIV risk can be formed in a split second and despite a lack of information about the actual risk profile. Findings of neural correlates of risk impressions and their relationship to key features of the HIV risk stereotype are discussed in the context of the ‘risk as feelings’ theory

The diagnosis and management of neuropathic pain in daily practice in Belgium: an observational study

<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>This open, multicentre, observational survey investigated how physicians diagnose neuropathic pain (NeP) by applying the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) scale, and how neuropathic pain conditions are managed in daily practice in Belgium.</p> <p>Methods</p> <p>Physicians were asked to complete the Leeds Assessment of Neuropathic Symptoms and Signs (LANSS) scale for diagnosing NeP, and to fill out a questionnaire regarding the management of NeP, together with a questionnaire evaluating the impact of pain on sleep and daily life. Data on 2,480 pain patients were obtained. A LANSS score ≥ 12 (meaning NeP is most probably present) was reported for 1,163 patients. Pathologies typically associated with NeP scored above 12 on the LANSS scale, contrary to pathologies generally considered as being of non-neuropathic origin.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>Over 90% of the patients with a LANSS score ≥ 12 reported that the pain impaired sleep. A high impact on social, family and professional life was also recorded. Additional examinations were performed in 89% of these patients. Most patients were taking multiple drugs, mainly paracetamol and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, indicating that physicians generally tend to follow treatment guidelines of chronic nociceptive pain, rather than the specific ones for NeP. Specific neuropathic guidelines rather recommend the use of anti-epileptic drugs, tricyclic antidepressants or weak opioids as first-line treatment.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>In our survey, application of the LANSS scale lead to pronounced treatment simplification with fewer drug combinations. Awareness about NeP as well as its specific treatment recommendations should be raised among healthcare providers. We concluded that the LANSS screening scale is an interesting tool to assist physicians in detecting NeP patients in routine clinical care.</p

Consistency of impact assessment protocols for non-native species

Standardized tools are needed to identify and prioritize the most harmful non-native species (NNS). A plethora of assessment protocols have been developed to evaluate the current and potential impacts of non-native species, but consistency among them has received limited attention. To estimate the consistency across impact assessment protocols, 89 specialists in biological invasions used 11 protocols to screen 57 NNS (2614 assessments). We tested if the consistency in the impact scoring across assessors, quantified as the coefficient of variation (CV), was dependent on the characteristics of the protocol, the taxonomic group and the expertise of the assessor. Mean CV across assessors was 40%, with a maximum of 223%. CV was lower for protocols with a low number of score levels, which demanded high levels of expertise, and when the assessors had greater expertise on the assessed species. The similarity among protocols with respect to the final scores was higher when the protocols considered the same impact types. We conclude that all protocols led to considerable inconsistency among assessors. In order to improve consistency, we highlight the importance of selecting assessors with high expertise, providing clear guidelines and adequate training but also deriving final decisions collaboratively by consensus