In Würde zu sich stehen : Konzept und Wirksamkeit eines peer-geleiteten Programms zu Offenlegung und Stigmabewältigung

Background: Due to the stigma associated with mental disorders, many people with mental illness face the difficult choice whether to disclose their illness to others. (Non-)Disclosure is a key reaction in coping with stigma. Disclosure as well as non-disclosure have risks and benefits, depending on the environment and the individual. Methods: "Honest, Open, Proud" (HOP; German: ,In Würde zu sich stehen'/IWS) is a peer-led group program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions. It is not HOP’s aim to make participants disclose, but to support a well-informed and empowered decision. Results: Currently three RCTs, with several others underway, show HOP's positive effects in terms of reductions in stigma stress, disclosure distress, self-stigma, or depressive symptoms. Adolescent participants reported better quality of life, recovery, and attitudes to help-seeking. Adaptations for different diagnoses and age groups have been developed. Conclusions: HOP appears to be a feasible and effective program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions and in their coping with stigma. Future developments and public health implications are discussed

Structures of SALSA/DMBT1 SRCR domains reveal the conserved ligand-binding mechanism of the ancient SRCR fold

The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) family of proteins comprises more than 20 membrane-associated and secreted molecules. Characterised by the presence of one or more copies of the similar to 110 amino-acid SRCR domain, this class of proteins have widespread functions as antimicrobial molecules, scavenger receptors, and signalling receptors. Despite the high level of structural conservation of SRCR domains, no unifying mechanism for ligand interaction has been described. The SRCR protein SALSA, also known as DMBT1/gp340, is a key player in mucosal immunology. Based on detailed structural data of SALSA SRCR domains 1 and 8, we here reveal a novel universal ligand-binding mechanism for SALSA ligands. The binding interface incorporates a dual cation-binding site, which is highly conserved across the SRCR superfamily. Along with the well-described cation dependency on most SRCR domain-ligand interactions, our data suggest that the binding mechanism described for the SALSA SRCR domains is applicable to all SRCR domains. We thus propose to have identified in SALSA a conserved functional mechanism for the SRCR class of proteins

In Würde zu sich stehen : Konzept und Wirksamkeit eines peer-geleiteten Programms zu Offenlegung und Stigmabewältigung

Background: Due to the stigma associated with mental disorders, many people with mental illness face the difficult choice whether to disclose their illness to others. (Non-)Disclosure is a key reaction in coping with stigma. Disclosure as well as non-disclosure have risks and benefits, depending on the environment and the individual. Methods: "Honest, Open, Proud" (HOP; German: ,In Würde zu sich stehen'/IWS) is a peer-led group program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions. It is not HOP’s aim to make participants disclose, but to support a well-informed and empowered decision. Results: Currently three RCTs, with several others underway, show HOP's positive effects in terms of reductions in stigma stress, disclosure distress, self-stigma, or depressive symptoms. Adolescent participants reported better quality of life, recovery, and attitudes to help-seeking. Adaptations for different diagnoses and age groups have been developed. Conclusions: HOP appears to be a feasible and effective program to support people with mental illness in their disclosure decisions and in their coping with stigma. Future developments and public health implications are discussed

Structures of SALSA/DMBT1 SRCR domains reveal the conserved ligand-binding mechanism of the ancient SRCR-fold

The scavenger receptor cysteine-rich (SRCR) family of proteins comprises more than 20 membrane-associated and secreted molecules. Characterised by the presence of one or more copies of the ∼110 amino-acid SRCR domain, this class of proteins have widespread functions as antimicrobial molecules, scavenger receptors, and signalling receptors. Despite the high level of structural conservation of SRCR domains, no unifying mechanism for ligand interaction has been described. The SRCR protein SALSA, also known as DMBT1/gp340, is a key player in mucosal immunology. Based on detailed structural data of SALSA SRCR domains 1 and 8, we here reveal a novel universal ligand-binding mechanism for SALSA ligands. The binding interface incorporates a dual cation-binding site, which is highly conserved across the SRCR superfamily. Along with the well-described cation dependency on most SRCR domain–ligand interactions, our data suggest that the binding mechanism described for the SALSA SRCR domains is applicable to all SRCR domains. We thus propose to have identified in SALSA a conserved functional mechanism for the SRCR class of proteins

Severe clinical events in 100 patients with schizophrenia: a retrospective clinical description using a system-specific psychopathological approach.

Catatonic states and numerous other severe clinical events can complicate the course of schizophrenia. Whether these severe courses are associated with particular system-specific symptom dimensions remain unclear. Aim is to assess the frequency of severe clinical events in a clinical population and to investigate the association of these events with sociodemographic data and system-specific psychopathology, combining qualitative and quantitative data. We performed a comprehensive retrospective description of a well-described and geographically stable sample of 100 patients with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and linked severe clinical events with sociodemographic data at inclusion into the study (as indicators of social functioning) and symptoms at first admission, classified with the Bern Psychopathology Scale (BPS). We found 12 mentions of catatonic stupor or excitement, 45 of suicide attempts, 26 of suicidality, 18 of deliberate self-harm, 18 of self-threatening behaviour other than deliberate self-harm, 34 of violence against other persons, 18 of violence against objects and six of sexual harassment. Disinhibited language on first admission seemed to be a protective factor against suicidality and disinhibited motor behaviour seemed to predict self-threatening and violent behaviour. Catatonia and violence in particular seemed to be socially disabling. This exploratory study showed that the BPS is a promising instrument and might represent a system-specific approach in identifying patients at risk for severe sequelae of schizophrenia. This will have to be tested in future prospective studies

An inhibitor of complement C5 provides structural insights into activation

Contains fulltext : 216674.pdf (Publisher’s version ) (Open Access

North by East piece on Maine towns that are doing away with annual town meetin

North by East piece on Maine towns that are doing away with annual town meetings in favor of referendums. Of Maine\u27s 491 municipal governments, some 50 have representative councils, another 20 have town meetings by referendum, and the rest hold town meetings

A novel inhibitor of complement C5 provides structural insights into activation

Abstract The complement system is a crucial part of innate immune defences against invading pathogens. The blood-meal of the tick Rhipicephalus pulchellus lasts for days, and the tick must therefore rely on inhibitors to counter complement activation. We have identified a novel class of inhibitors from tick saliva, the CirpT family, and generated detailed structural data revealing their mechanism of action. We show direct binding of a CirpT to complement C5 and have determined the structure of the C5-CirpT complex by cryo-electron microscopy. This reveals an interaction with the peripheral macro globulin domain 4 (C5_MG4) of C5. To achieve higher resolution detail, the structure of the C5_MG4-CirpT complex was solved by X-ray crystallography (at 2.7 Å). We thus present the novel fold of the CirpT protein family, and provide detailed mechanistic insights into its inhibitory function. Analysis of the binding interface reveals a novel mechanism of C5 inhibition, and provides information to expand our biological understanding of the activation of C5, and thus the terminal complement pathway