Do personality traits predict post-traumatic stress?: a prospective study in civilians experiencing air attacks

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COMORBIDITY AND SUICIDALITY IN PATIENTS DIAGNOSED WITH PANIC DISORDER/AGORAPHOBIA AND MAJOR DEPRESSION

Background: Comorbidity of anxiety and depression (both current and lifetime) is associated with greater chronicity and an increased risk of suicidality. We wished to ascertain which symptom clusters had the strongest association with suicidality. Our aims were (1) to examine the presence of current comorbidity and suicidality in patients diagnosed with panic disorder/agoraphobia (PD/A) and major depression (MD), and their relationship with duration of psychiatric treatment and frequency of hospital admission; and (2) to examine which coexisting symptoms were most strongly predictive of suicidality in sub-groups and the overall group. Subjects and methods: The study sample comprised 100 patients with PD/A and MD. The following assessment instruments were applied: the Panic and Agoraphobia Scale, the Beck Anxiety Inventory, the Beck Depression Inventory-II, the Beck Scale for Suicide Ideation, the Obsessive-Compulsive Inventory-Revised, the Liebowitz Social Anxiety Scale and the Whiteley Index of Hypochondriasis. Results: High rates of current comorbidity were seen in both groups. Patients with MD had significantly higher suicidality scores, but were also older, with a longer duration of psychiatric treatment and more frequent hospitalizations. In the overall group, psychiatric comorbidity was correlated with duration of psychiatric treatment and frequency of hospitalizations (with the exception of hypochondriasis which was not correlated with frequency of hospitalization). In both sub-groups and the overall group, suicidality was correlated with scores for all examined comorbidity (with the exception of hypochondriasis in the PD/A group): however, after multiple regression only obsessive-compulsive symptomatology predicted suicidality in all sub-groups and the overall group, as well as depression in the overall group. Depression supposed as dependent variable and obsessive-compulsive symptomatology as a mediator explained around 37% of the variance in suicidal ideation. Conclusion: Patients with PD/A or MD show high rates of current comorbidity. The effect of depression on suicidality was significant, but a non-trivial impact was also mediated by obsessive-compulsive symptomatology

Embedding physical activity into community-based peer support groups for those severely affected by mental illness

Despite a growing evidence base on the effectiveness of community-based physical activity interventions for mental health, there is a lack of studies that focus on those affected by severe mental illness (SMI), who often experience poorer physical health, and are less physically active than the wider population. The use of peer support groups in this context is also understudied, despite benefits being documented in other contexts. This study examined the impact and process of a nationwide project to embed physical activity into peer support groups for those affected by SMI. Following the embedding of physical activity within peer support groups, interviews and focus groups were conducted to explore the experiences of those involved with the project and analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. The key findings related to: 1) the social aspects of embedding physical activity in the groups; 2) the focus on peer support and informal physical activity (rather than organised sport) being beneficial; 3) doing things differently and lessons to learn; and 4) the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. Overall, we found that peer support is an important feature to include in projects encouraging those severely affected by mental illness to become more physically active

A pilot study of transrectal endoscopic ultrasound elastography in inflammatory bowel disease

BACKGROUND: Using standard diagnostic algorithms it is not always possible to establish the correct phenotype of inflammatory bowel disease which is essential for therapeutical decisions. Endoscopic ultrasound elastography is a new endoscopic procedure which can differentiate the stiffness of normal and pathological tissue by ultrasound. Therefore, we aimed to investigate the role of transrectal ultrasound elastography in distiction between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis. ----- METHODS: A total 30 Crohn's disease, 25 ulcerative colitis, and 28 non-inflammatory bowel disease controls were included. Transrectal ultrasound elastography was performed in all patients and controls. In all ulcerative coltis patients and 80% of Crohn's disease patients endoscopy was performed to assess disease activity in the rectum. ----- RESULTS: Significant difference in rectal wall thickness and strain ratio was detected between patients with Crohn's disease and controls (p = 0.0001). CD patients with active disease had higher strain ratio than patients in remission (p = 0.02). In ulcerative colitis group a significant difference in rectal wall thickness was found between controls and patients with active disease (p = 0.03). A significant difference in rectal wall thickness (p = 0.02) and strain ratio (p = 0.0001) was detected between Crohn's disease and ulcerative colitis patient group. Crohn's disease patients with active disease had a significantly higher strain ratio compared to ulcerative colitis patients with active disease (p = 0.0001). ----- CONCLUSION: Transrectal ultrasound elastography seems to be a promising new diagnostic tool in the field of inflammatory bowel disease. Further study on a larger cohort of patients is needed to definitely assess the role of transrectal ultrasound elastography in inflammatory bowel disease

Analysis of drug-induced and spontaneous cardioversions reveals similar patterns leading to termination of atrial fibrillation

Introduction: The mechanisms leading to the conversion of atrial fibrillation (AF) to sinus rhythm are poorly understood. This study describes the dynamic behavior of electrophysiological parameters and conduction patterns leading to spontaneous and pharmacological AF termination. Methods: Five independent groups of goats were investigated: (1) spontaneous termination of AF, and drug-induced terminations of AF by various potassium channel inhibitors: (2) AP14145, (3) PA-6, (4) XAF-1407, and (5) vernakalant. Bi-atrial contact mapping was performed during an open chest surgery and intervals with continuous and discrete atrial activity were determined. AF cycle length (AFCL), conduction velocity and path length were calculated for each interval, and the final conduction pattern preceding AF termination was evaluated. Results: AF termination was preceded by a sudden episode of discrete activity both in the presence and absence of an antiarrhythmic drug. This episode was accompanied by substantial increases in AFCL and conduction velocity, resulting in prolongation of path length. In 77% ± 4% of all terminations the conduction pattern preceding AF termination involved medial to lateral conduction along Bachmann’s bundle into both atria, followed by anterior to posterior conduction. This finding suggests conduction block in the interatrial septum and/or pulmonary vein area as final step of AF termination. Conclusion: AF termination is preceded by an increased organization of fibrillatory conduction. The termination itself is a sudden process with a critical role for the interplay between spatiotemporal organization and anatomical structure

Recognition of dance-like actions: memory for static posture or dynamic movement?

Dance-like actions are complex visual stimuli involving multiple changes in body posture across time and space. Visual perception research has demonstrated a difference between the processing of dynamic body movement and the processing of static body posture. Yet, it is unclear whether this processing dissociation continues during the retention of body movement and body form in visual working memory (VWM). When observing a dance-like action, it is likely that static snapshot images of body posture will be retained alongside dynamic images of the complete motion. Therefore, we hypothesized that, as in perception, posture and movement would differ in VWM. Additionally, if body posture and body movement are separable in VWM, as form- and motion-based items, respectively, then differential interference from intervening form and motion tasks should occur during recognition. In two experiments, we examined these hypotheses. In Experiment 1, the recognition of postures and movements was tested in conditions in which the formats of the study and test stimuli matched (movement-study to movement-test, posture-study to posture-test) or mismatched (movement-study to posture-test, posture-study to movement-test). In Experiment 2, the recognition of postures and movements was compared after intervening form and motion tasks. These results indicated that (1) the recognition of body movement based only on posture is possible, but it is significantly poorer than recognition based on the entire movement stimulus, and (2) form-based interference does not impair memory for movements, although motion-based interference does. We concluded that, whereas static posture information is encoded during the observation of dance-like actions, body movement and body posture differ in VWM

What scans we will read: imaging instrumentation trends in clinical oncology

Oncological diseases account for a significant portion of the burden on public healthcare systems with associated costs driven primarily by complex and long-lasting therapies. Through the visualization of patient-specific morphology and functional-molecular pathways, cancerous tissue can be detected and characterized non- invasively, so as to provide referring oncologists with essential information to support therapy management decisions. Following the onset of stand-alone anatomical and functional imaging, we witness a push towards integrating molecular image information through various methods, including anato-metabolic imaging (e.g., PET/ CT), advanced MRI, optical or ultrasound imaging. This perspective paper highlights a number of key technological and methodological advances in imaging instrumentation related to anatomical, functional, molecular medicine and hybrid imaging, that is understood as the hardware-based combination of complementary anatomical and molecular imaging. These include novel detector technologies for ionizing radiation used in CT and nuclear medicine imaging, and novel system developments in MRI and optical as well as opto-acoustic imaging. We will also highlight new data processing methods for improved non-invasive tissue characterization. Following a general introduction to the role of imaging in oncology patient management we introduce imaging methods with well-defined clinical applications and potential for clinical translation. For each modality, we report first on the status quo and point to perceived technological and methodological advances in a subsequent status go section. Considering the breadth and dynamics of these developments, this perspective ends with a critical reflection on where the authors, with the majority of them being imaging experts with a background in physics and engineering, believe imaging methods will be in a few years from now. Overall, methodological and technological medical imaging advances are geared towards increased image contrast, the derivation of reproducible quantitative parameters, an increase in volume sensitivity and a reduction in overall examination time. To ensure full translation to the clinic, this progress in technologies and instrumentation is complemented by progress in relevant acquisition and image-processing protocols and improved data analysis. To this end, we should accept diagnostic images as “data”, and – through the wider adoption of advanced analysis, including machine learning approaches and a “big data” concept – move to the next stage of non-invasive tumor phenotyping. The scans we will be reading in 10 years from now will likely be composed of highly diverse multi- dimensional data from multiple sources, which mandate the use of advanced and interactive visualization and analysis platforms powered by Artificial Intelligence (AI) for real-time data handling by cross-specialty clinical experts with a domain knowledge that will need to go beyond that of plain imaging

Joint action aesthetics

Synchronized movement is a ubiquitous feature of dance and music performance. Much research into the evolutionary origins of these cultural practices has focused on why humans perform rather than watch or listen to dance and music. In this study, we show that movement synchrony among a group of performers predicts the aesthetic appreciation of live dance performances. We developed a choreography that continuously manipulated group synchronization using a defined movement vocabulary based on arm swinging, walking and running. The choreography was performed live to four audiences, as we continuously tracked the performers’ movements, and the spectators’ affective responses. We computed dynamic synchrony among performers using cross recurrence analysis of data from wrist accelerometers, and implicit measures of arousal from spectators’ heart rates. Additionally, a subset of spectators provided continuous ratings of enjoyment and perceived synchrony using tablet computers. Granger causality analyses demonstrate predictive relationships between synchrony, enjoyment ratings and spectator arousal, if audiences form a collectively consistent positive or negative aesthetic evaluation. Controlling for the influence of overall movement acceleration and visual change, we show that dance communicates group coordination via coupled movement dynamics among a group of performers. Our findings are in line with an evolutionary function of dance–and perhaps all performing arts–in transmitting social signals between groups of people. Human movement is the common denominator of dance, music and theatre. Acknowledging the time-sensitive and immediate nature of the performer-spectator relationship, our study makes a significant step towards an aesthetics of joint actions in the performing arts

The low-income consumer in Greater Reading An analysis of constrained food shopping behaviour

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Commonhold Is the cure worse than the complaint?

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