Meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies for postpartum depression

Objective: Postpartum depression (PPD) is a common subtype of major depressive disorder (MDD) that is more heritable, yet is understudied in psychiatric genetics. The authors conducted meta-analyses of genome-wide association studies (GWASs) to investigate the genetic architecture of PPD. Method: Meta-analyses were conducted on 18 cohorts of European ancestry (17,339 PPD cases and 53,426 controls), one cohort of East Asian ancestry (975 cases and 3,780 controls), and one cohort of African ancestry (456 cases and 1,255 controls), totaling 18,770 PPD cases and 58,461 controls. Post-GWAS analyses included 1) single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP)–based heritability (), 2) genetic correlations between PPD and other phenotypes, and 3) enrichment of the PPD GWAS findings in 27 human tissues and 265 cell types from the mouse central and peripheral nervous system. Results: No SNP achieved genome-wide significance in the European or the trans-ancestry meta-analyses. The of PPD was 0.14 (SE=0.02). Significant genetic correlations were estimated for PPD with MDD, bipolar disorder, anxiety disorders, posttraumatic stress disorder, insomnia, age at menarche, and polycystic ovary syndrome. Cell-type enrichment analyses implicate inhibitory neurons in the thalamus and cholinergic neurons within septal nuclei of the hypothalamus, a pattern that differs from MDD. Conclusions: While more samples are needed to reach genome-wide levels of significance, the results presented confirm PPD as a polygenic and heritable phenotype. There is also evidence that despite a high correlation with MDD, PPD may have unique genetic components. Cell enrichment results suggest GABAergic neurons, which converge on a common mechanism with the only medication approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for PPD (brexanolone)

The drama of boys: an ethnographic study and performance

© 2010 Dr. Richard James Thomas SallisThis thesis, entitled The Drama of Boys – an ethnographic study and performance examines boys’ participation in drama at a coeducational government school in inner Melbourne, Australia. An educational ethnography, it focuses on the ways in which the boys participated in the drama classes at years seven, eight, eleven and twelve and how this related to the work of the drama teachers and the female students. It is also an account of the processes undertaken by the researcher to create an ethnographic performance (a play based on research data) derived from the findings related to boys’ participation in the Drama programme at the school. The researcher investigated what characterised boys’ participation in drama at the school and the factors that influenced this. The sources of ethnographic data were observations of the drama classes, interviews with staff and students and an analysis of school documentation and other relevant artefacts. There appeared to be a direct relationship between ‘boy-friendly’ curriculum approaches operating in the Drama programme and the positive and productive participation of boys in the drama classes. The Drama classrooms were found to be sites where the male students negotiated a complex range of private and public personas and roles associated with their masculinity. The expression of masculine identity by the male drama students affirmed and contested some of the hegemonic masculinities operating elsewhere in their school. The students and their drama teachers asserted that the range of masculinities the male students ‘performed’ in Drama appeared to be broader than those they expressed and experienced in other aspects of their school life including those that had a positive impact on their schooling. The data revealed that the pedagogical approach of the drama teachers correlated with contemporary understandings of ‘boy-friendly’ teaching strategies and this enhanced the boys’ participation in the subject. Some of the student participants identified what they deemed to be the positive attributes of the Drama programme in relation to the enhanced participation of boys in the classes. The thesis also maps, analyses and evaluates the processes undertaken by the researcher to transform ethnographic data into an ethnodramatic script. He found that he had to address ethical and procedural difficulties when writing and presenting the ethnodramatic script. However working as an ethnodramatist enhanced his role as an ethnographic researcher and was a useful adjunct to the Drama programme in the school. An unexpected outcome was that the ethnodramatic project fostered the boys’ participation in the drama classes. It was discovered that ethnographic performance can be a useful method and form with which to report on ethnographic research findings and an effective way to share research data with drama teachers and their students. The researcher found that the collaborative and consultative processes he established with the participants enhanced his work as an ethnodramatist including the development of the play script and presenting it as a readers’ theatre performance

Masculinities and drama

Deposited with permission of the author. © 2004 Richard James Thomas SallisThis thesis is focused on boys, masculinities and drama education. It examines the ways in which the drama curriculum in an all-boys' school enabled the students to explore their multiple masculinities. The thesis is also a study of two ethnographic performance pieces that were developed from data associated with the expression of masculinities in the setting. The thesis is an account of an ethnographic study of masculinities and drama at years nine, ten and eleven at a single-sex boys' school in Melbourne, Australia. Over three school terms, the researcher collected data through observation of drama classes, interviews with drama staff and students and analysis of school documents. The thesis identifies the complex masculinities that the researcher experienced in the Drama classrooms and in the wider school setting; the male students exhibited a range of masculinities, both individually and as a group. The study documents how the strategies employed by the dran1a staff at the school were consistent with those of a 'boy-friendly curriculum' (lmms, 2004a) and were formulated by the drama staff to meet what they saw as the curriculum and/or social needs of their male students. The Drama classrooms were found to be sites where students were invited to tryout and test roles associated with their masculinity. While the drama teachers at the school did not see it as their role to encourage their students to abandon certain masculinities in favour of others, they empowered the boys to explore and express their 'multiple masculinities' and encouraged 'positive' or 'egalitarian' ones. The researcher wrote an ethnographic performance script based on his interpretations of the relationships between masculinities and drama pedagogy in the setting. The thesis analyses the processes undertaken by the researcher to transform the data into an ethnographic performance script. It also documents the work on an ethnographic performance by the year eleven drama students based on the researcher's original script and the requirements of the 'non-naturalistic ensemble performance' task as part of the Victorian Certificate of Education (Board of Studies, 2000). The thesis argues that an ethnographic performance script performed in a 'nonnaturalistic' style (Board of Studies, 2000) is an effective narrative form with which to present ethnographic research data to drama educators. The devising and enactment of the ethnographic performances illuminated aspects of the drama teachers' practice and fostered reflection. The ethnographic performances also provided insights into the positive ways the drama curriculum met the educational and social needs of its male students

The GoodNEWS (Genes, Nutrition, Exercise, Wellness, and Spiritual Growth) Trial: A community-based participatory research (CBPR) trial with African-American church congregations for reducing cardiovascular disease risk factors — recruitment, measurement, and randomization

Introduction Although cardiovascular diseases (CVD) are the leading cause of death among Americans, significant disparities persist in CVD prevalence, morbidity, and mortality based on race and ethnicity. However, few studies have examined risk factor reduction among the poor and ethnic minorities. Methods Community-based participatory research (CBPR) study using a cluster randomized design — African-American church congregations are the units of randomization and individuals within the congregations are the units of analysis. Outcome variables include dietary change (Diet History Questionnaire), level of physical activity (7-Day Physical Activity Recall), lipoprotein levels, blood pressure, fasting glucose, and hemoglobin A1c. Results Eighteen (18) church congregations were randomized to either a health maintenance intervention or a control condition. Complete data were obtained on 392 African-American individuals, 18 to 70 years of age, predominantly employed women with more than a high school diploma. Treatment and intervention groups were similar at baseline on saturated fat intake, metabolic equivalent of tasks (METS) per day, and other risk factors for CVD. Conclusions The GoodNEWS trial successfully recruited and evaluated CVD-related risk among African-American participants using a CBPR approach. Several logistical challenges resulted in extending the recruitment, preliminary training, and measurement periods. The challenges were overcome with the assistance of a local community consultant and a professional event planner. Our experience supports the need for incorporating non-traditional community-based staff into the design and operational plan of CBPR trials

Novel Psychoactive Substances: A New Challenge for Prevention and Treatment

Az új pszichoaktív szerek epidemiológiai jellemzői, főbb pszichoaktív és szomatikus hatásai, valamint a terápia és a megelőzés lehetősége

Gaming disorder and its treatment

This chapter provides a brief overview of gaming disorder (GD) and its treatment. There are now over twenty different screens for assessing problematic gaming although relatively few have used nationally representative samples. The prevalence rates in these nationally representative studies have ranged from 1.2 percent to 8.5 percent depending upon country and screening instrument used. There have been a number of studies describing treatment of GD, although many of these tend not to distinguish between Internet Use Disorder and GD. In terms of treatment for GD, both psychological and pharmacological approaches have been adopted. More specifically, psychological treatment using a cognitive-behavioral framework (CBT) appears to be the most widely used. Furthermore, pharmacological treatment using opioid receptor antagonists, antidepressants, antipsychotics, opioid receptor antagonists, and psychostimulants has been reported in the literature. It is concluded that standardized and comprehensive methods of diagnosis are at present lacking, and that further research into GD is needed from clinical, epidemiological, cross-cultural, and neurobiological perspectives of GD

Prevention and Treatment of Work Addiction

This chapter provides an overview of the key areas of agreement and debate about workaholism, particularly its conceptualization, prevention, and treatment. The chapter integrates biomedical and health psychology perspectives with a view to challenging and advancing understanding on how to prevent people from developing a problematic relationship with work, and how best to support those experiencing the problem. The chapter begins by reviewing the conceptualization of workaholism, and then reviews the existing evidence concerning the main correlates and vulnerability factors. This discussion then leads to an exploration into alternative ways that workaholism can be theorized, in particular biopsychosocial models and critical theory of addiction. Building upon this combined theoretical perspective, the chapter ends by reviewing and speculating on different aspects of prevention and treatment according to the different stakeholders involved