Violent behavior of patients living in psychiatric residential facilities: A comparison of male patients with different violence histories

People with severe mental disorders and a history of violence are often seen as a difficult-to-manage segment of the population. In addition, this group is usually characterized by a high risk of crime recidivism, and poor compliance with community and aftercare programs. To investigate a sample of male patients living in Residential Facilities (RFs) with a history of violent behavior against people and to compare their characteristics with those of never-violent residents; to analyze the associations between aggressive behaviors in the last two years and a history of previous violence; and, to assess the predictors of aggressive behaviors. This study is part of a prospective observational cohort study which involved 23 RFs in Northern Italy. A comprehensive set of sociodemographic, clinical, and treatment-related information was gathered, and standardized assessments were administered to each participant. Also a detailed assessment of aggressive behaviors in the past two years was carried out. The study involved 268 males: 81 violent and 187 never-violent. Compared to never-violent patients, violent patients were younger, with a higher proportion of personality disorders, and have displayed an increased number of aggressive behaviors in the last two years. The presence of a history of violent behavior in the past significantly increases the probability of committing aggressive acts in the future

The effect of service satisfaction and spiritual well-being on the quality of life of patients with schizophrenia.

Quality of life (QOL) has been considered an important outcome measure in psychiatric research and determinants of QOL have been widely investigated. We aimed at detecting predictors of QOL at baseline and at testing the longitudinal interrelations of the baseline predictors with QOL scores at a 1-year follow-up in a sample of patients living in Residential Facilities (RFs). Logistic regression models were adopted to evaluate the association between WHOQoL-Bref scores and potential determinants of QOL. In addition, all variables significantly associated with QOL domains in the final logistic regression model were included by using the Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). We included 139 patients with a diagnosis of schizophrenia spectrum. In the final logistic regression model level of activity, social support, age, service satisfaction, spiritual well-being and symptoms' severity were identified as predictors of QOL scores at baseline. Longitudinal analyses carried out by SEM showed that 40% of QOL follow-up variability was explained by QOL at baseline, and significant indirect effects toward QOL at follow-up were found for satisfaction with services and for social support. Rehabilitation plans for people with schizophrenia living in RFs should also consider mediators of change in subjective QOL such as satisfaction with mental health services

Disposal of centrifuged sludge from Water Treatment Plant (WTP) in concrete matrix: an alternative method for environmental protection

The increase in the demand for drinking water implies in an increase in sludge production in Water Treatment Plants (WTP). Despite the fact that this residue is generated by soil erosion in upstream locations, the required chemical treatment for its removal compels to correct disposal in order not to induce negative impact on the environment. So far, the common destination for the sludge is the river courses, even though it is classified as solid residue. In this work, an alternative disposal of the humid sludge in concrete matrixes is proposed, partially replacing fine aggregates (sand) and cement, whose extraction and application also cause environmental impact. Initially, the materials used in concrete (filler-modified Portland cement, fine and coarse aggregates) were characterized, as well as the sludge obtained from Passaúna WTP, located in Curitiba's metropolitan area. For the materials research, a reference concrete (with no addition of sludge) and four concrete mixtures with sludge contents of 3, 5, 7 and 10 wt.% (replacing fine aggregate) were produced. The properties of fresh and hardened concretes, including the compressive strength, were evaluated. The sludge is composed by Si, Fe and Al compounds, and by clay minerals of kaolinite group, and its moisture content is about 87%. In compressive strength testing, the mixtures containing up to 5% of sludge presented a f c28 higher than 25 MPa. For sludge contents over 5%, f c28 was lower, especially for the concrete with 10% waste. It could be concluded that the mixtures with up to 5% sludge from WTP can be employed in applications ranging from the manufacture of concrete artifacts and bricks to the construction of Portland cement concrete floors. On the order hand, the use of more than 5% sludge in concrete is restricted to applications where the workability of concrete is not a required parameter, such as residential pavements, sidewalks and floors.O crescimento da demanda por água potável tem implicado em um aumento da quantidade de resíduos nas estações de tratamento de água (ETA). Apesar destes terem sido gerados por processo erosivo do solo nos mananciais que antecedem as ETAs, o tratamento químico requerido para a sua remoção obriga a uma disposição correta para não impactar, negativamente, o meio ambiente. Até agora, o destino mais comum para o lodo de ETA são os cursos d'água, mesmo ele sendo considerado um resíduo sólido. Neste trabalho, é proposta alternativa de co-disposição deste resíduo, ainda úmido, em matrizes de concreto, substituindo-se parcialmente seus insumos: os agregados miúdos e o cimento, cuja extração e emprego também causam impacto ambiental. Inicialmente, caracterizaram-se os insumos do concreto (cimento Portland CPII-F 32, areia e brita), além do lodo extraído da ETA Passaúna, localizada na região metropolitana de Curitiba. Para os estudos de dosagem, utilizou-se um concreto-referência (sem adição de lodo) e traços de concreto com teores de 3, 5, 7 e 10% de lodo em relação ao peso de areia e em substituição à mesma. Nos concretos resultantes foram avaliadas propriedades tanto no estado fresco quanto no endurecido. O lodo é constituído, praticamente, de compostos de Si, Al e Fe, e do argilomineral do grupo caulinita, tendo teor de umidade em torno de 87%. Nos ensaios de resistência à compressão, as dosagens até 5% apresentaram um f c28 maior que 25 MPa. Para as dosagens com teores de lodo superiores a 5%, o f c28 foi menor, principalmente, para a dosagem de 10%. A análise dos dados permite concluir que os traços com até 5% de lodo podem ser aplicados em situações que vão desde a fabricação de artefatos e blocos até a construção de pavimentos em concreto de cimento Portland. Em relação às misturas com teores acima de 5%, a sua utilização é restrita a aplicações em que a trabalhabilidade não é um parâmetro primordial, como contrapisos, calçadas e pavimentos residenciais.8595Coordenação de Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES

Behavior of granular rubber waste tire reinforced soil for application in geosynthetic reinforced soil wall

AbstractLarge quantities of waste tires are released to the environment in an undesirable way. The potential use of this waste material in geotechnical applications can contribute to reducing the tire disposal problem and to improve strength and deformation characteristics of soils. This paper presents a laboratory study on the effect of granular rubber waste tire on the physical properties of a clayey soil. Compaction tests using standard effort and consolidated-drained triaxial tests were run on soil and mixtures. The results conveyed an improvement in the cohesion and the angle of internal friction the clayey soil-granular rubber mixture, depending on the level of confining stress. These mixtures can be used like backfill material in soil retaining walls replacing the clayey soil due to its better strength and shear behavior and low unit weight. A numerical simulation was conducted for geosynthetic reinforced soil wall using the clayey soil and mixture like backfill material to analyzing the influence in this structure

Lacidipine inhibits the activation of the transcription factor NF-kappa B and the expression of adhesion molecules induced by pro-oxidant signals on endothelial cells

Objective: The adhesion of monocytes to endothelium, an early event in atherosclerosis is mediated by cell adhesion molecules. Signal-transduction pathways for these binding molecules include the translocation of the transcription factor NF-kappaB; moreover, intracellularly generated oxygen-derived free radicals play a major role in this process. In this study we evaluated the extent to which lacidipine, a calcium antagonist with antioxidant properties, affects the expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1) and E-selectin on human umbilical vein endothelial cells, induced by different pro-oxidant signals such as oxidized low density lipoprotein (LDL) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). Methods: We incubated 5 mumol/l Cu2+-oxidized LDL and TNF-alpha (2 ng/ml) with human umbilical vein endothelial cells for 48 and 6 h, respectively. ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin were measured by flow cytometry. NF-kappaB was evaluated by electrophoretic mobility shift assay. Results: The incubation of 5 mumol/l Cu2+-oxidized LDL not only caused a dose-dependent increase in ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin (P < 0.001), but also synergically increased their TNF-alpha-induced expression (P < 0.001). The addition of lacidipine to human umbilical vein endothelial cells significantly reduced the expression of ICAM-1, VCAM-1 and E-selectin induced by TNF-alpha alone or with oxidized LDL (P < 0.001). The reduction in adhesion molecule expression caused by lacidipine was paralleled by a significant fall in NF-kappaB translocation. Conclusions: The results suggest that lacidipine may have prevented NF-kappaB-mediated adhesion molecule expression by exerting its effects on oxygen-derived free radicals. The results support previous observations that lacidipine may have therapeutic effects in atherosclerosis