A randomized clinical trial comparing family-focused treatment and individual supportive therapy for depression in childhood and early adolescence

OBJECTIVE: Despite the morbidity and negative outcomes associated with early-onset depression, few studies have examined the efficacy of psychosocial treatment for depressive disorders during childhood. Integrating family in treatment could have particularly salutary effects during this developmental period. This trial compared immediate posttreatment effects of family-focused treatment for childhood depression (FFT-CD) with those of individual supportive psychotherapy (IP) for children 7 to 14 years old with depressive disorders. METHOD: Children were randomized to 15 sessions of FFT-CD (n = 67) or IP (n = 67) over 4 months. The primary treatment outcome was adequate clinical depression response, defined as at least a 50% decrease in score on the Children's Depression Rating Scale-Revised (CDRS-R). Additional outcomes included patient-centered outcomes (parent- and child-reported treatment satisfaction), remission (defined as CDRS-R score ≤28), change in continuous CDRS-R score, and change in child and parent reports of depressive and non-depressive symptoms and social adjustment. RESULTS: Significant improvement was evident across groups for depressive and non-depressive symptoms, global response, and functioning and social adjustment. Compared with children randomized to IP, children randomized to FFT-CD showed higher rates of adequate clinical depression response (77.7% versus 59.9%; number needed to treat = 5.72; odds ratio 2.29; 95% CI 1.001-5.247; t = 1.97, p = .0498). Across treatments, families reported high satisfaction; compared with IP families, FFT-CD families reported greater knowledge and skills for managing depression. There were no significant differences between treatment arms on secondary outcomes. CONCLUSION: Results support the value of psychosocial intervention, emphasize the important role that families play, and highlight the potential for FFT-CD for supporting recovery in children with depression. Clinical trial registration information-Systems of Support Study for Childhood Depression; http://clinicaltrials.gov; NCT01159041.R01 MH082856 - NIMH NIH HHS; R01 MH082861 - NIMH NIH HH

Some Upper Bounds for Commutativity and Cyclicity Measures in Finite Groups

The number of commuting and cyclic n-tuples in a group are enumerated for certain classes of groups

Pediatric Terrorism Preparedness National Guidelines and Recommendations: Findings of an Evidenced-based Consensus Process

A cadre of experts and stakeholders from government agencies, professional organizations, emergency medicine and response, pediatrics, mental health, and disaster preparedness were gathered to review and summarize the existing data on the needs of children in the planning, preparation, and response to disasters or terrorism. This review was followed by development of evidence-based consensus guidelines and recommendations on the needs of children in disasters, including chemical, biological, and radiological terrorism. An evidence-based consensus process was used in conjunction with a modified Delphi approach for selection of topic areas and discussion points. These recommendations and guidelines represent the first national evidence-based standards for pediatric disaster and terrorism preparedness

Broken-Symmetry Unrestricted Hybrid Density Functional Calculations on Nickel Dimer and Nickel Hydride

In the present work we investigate the adequacy of broken-symmetry unrestricted density functional theory (DFT) for constructing the potential energy curve of nickel dimer and nickel hydride, as a model for larger bare and hydrogenated nickel cluster calculations. We use three hybrid functionals: the popular B3LYP, Becke's newest optimized functional Becke98, and the simple FSLYP functional (50% Hartree-Fock and 50% Slater exchange and LYP gradient-corrected correlation functional) with two basis sets: all-electron (AE) Wachters+f basis set and Stuttgart RSC effective core potential (ECP) and basis set. We find that, overall, the best agreement with experiment, comparable to that of the high-level CASPT2, is obtained with B3LYP/AE, closely followed by Becke98/AE and Becke98/ECP. FSLYP/AE and B3LYP/ECP give slightly worse agreement with experiment, and FSLYP/ECP is the only method among the ones we studied that gives an unaceptably large error, underestimating the dissociation energy of nickel dimer by 28%, and being in the largest disagreement with the experiment and the other theoretical predictions.Comment: 17 pages, 7 tables, 7 figures; submitted to J. Chem. Phys.; Revtex4/LaTeX2e. v2 (8/5/04): New (and better) ECP results, without charge density fitting (which was found to give large errors). Subtracted the relativistic corrections from all experimental value

Radiographic Visualization of Arterial Lesions in Cholesterol-Fed Rabbits

Peer Reviewedhttp://deepblue.lib.umich.edu/bitstream/2027.42/67327/2/10.1177_000331977102200703.pd

Evaluation of Merlot Clones and Performance of Sangiovese, Tempranino, Syrah, and Viognier in Southern Oregon

It is anticipated that at least one additional clone (Merlot 347) will be added when it becomes available in 1999. All clones are being propagated on 101-14 rootstock. Plots will be located in 5 vineyards from Ashland to the Applegate Valley. Each vineyard will have 20 vines of each clone, planted as four randomly arrayed replicate groups of five vines each

The disease cycle of side rot of pear, caused by Phialophora malorum

Potential sources of inoculum of Phialophora malorum were investigated. P. malorum was found to be a soil-borne fungus whose role as a postharvest pathogen of pear is dependent upon passive dispersal with infested soil. P. malorum survived in soil under a wide range of conditions, with greatest survival in cool, moderately dry soil of nearneutral pH. P. malorum was not a primary colonizer of fallen fruit on orchard soil, but propagule numbers increased subsequent to fruit decay by other microorganisms. Cankers were induced when P. malorum was inoculated into injured bark of pear trees. However, cankers were nonperrenating, and P. malorum was not recovered from cankered tissue for more than one season. The fungus also survived saprophytically on the bark of pear trees, but dispersal of inoculum from infested bark to fruit or other areas of bark on the same trees was not observed. Inoculation of fruit and redistribution of inoculum from infested to previously uninfested fruit in packinghouse immersion dump tank solutions was demonstrated. Infection took place at fruit wounds. Spore penetration into wounds was influenced by wound diameter and hydrostatic pressure during immersion dumping. Infection via intact lenticels could not be induced. Results suggest that sanitation to avoid contamination of packinghouse immersion tanks with orchard soil may reduce disease incidence. As a weak competitor in colonizing pear tissue, P. malorum appears vulnerable to control through enhancement of fruit resistance or biological control

Management of Nitrogen and Calcium in Pear Trees for Enhancement of Fruit Resistance to Postharvest Decay

Management of pear (Pyrus communis L.) trees for low N and high Ca content in the fruit reduced the severity of postharvest fungal decay. Application of N fertilizer 3 weeks before harvest supplied N for tree reserves and for flowers the following spring without increasing fruit N. Calcium chloride sprays during the growing season increased fruit Ca content. Nitrogen and Ca management appear to be additive factors in decay reduction. Fruit density and position in the tree canopy influenced their response to N fertilization. Nitrogen: Ca ratios were lower in fruit from the east quadrant and bottom third of trees and from the distal portion of branches. High fruit density was associated with low N: Ca ratios. Nutritional manipulations appear to be compatible with other methods of postharvest decay control.EEA Alto ValleFil: Sugar, David. Oregon State University. Southern Oregon Experiment Station; Estados UnidosFil: Righetti, Timothy L. Oregon State University. Department of Horticulture; Estados UnidosFil: Sanchez, Enrique Eduardo. Instituto Nacional de Tecnología Agropecuaria (INTA). Estación Experimental Agropecuaria Alto Valle; ArgentinaFil: Khemira, Habib. Oregon State University. Department of Horticulture; Estados Unido

Characterization of neurophysiologic and neurocognitive biomarkers for use in genomic and clinical outcome studies of schizophrenia.

BackgroundEndophenotypes are quantitative, laboratory-based measures representing intermediate links in the pathways between genetic variation and the clinical expression of a disorder. Ideal endophenotypes exhibit deficits in patients, are stable over time and across shifts in psychopathology, and are suitable for repeat testing. Unfortunately, many leading candidate endophenotypes in schizophrenia have not been fully characterized simultaneously in large cohorts of patients and controls across these properties. The objectives of this study were to characterize the extent to which widely-used neurophysiological and neurocognitive endophenotypes are: 1) associated with schizophrenia, 2) stable over time, independent of state-related changes, and 3) free of potential practice/maturation or differential attrition effects in schizophrenia patients (SZ) and nonpsychiatric comparison subjects (NCS). Stability of clinical and functional measures was also assessed.MethodsParticipants (SZ n = 341; NCS n = 205) completed a battery of neurophysiological (MMN, P3a, P50 and N100 indices, PPI, startle habituation, antisaccade), neurocognitive (WRAT-3 Reading, LNS-forward, LNS-reorder, WCST-64, CVLT-II). In addition, patients were rated on clinical symptom severity as well as functional capacity and status measures (GAF, UPSA, SOF). 223 subjects (SZ n = 163; NCS n = 58) returned for retesting after 1 year.ResultsMost neurophysiological and neurocognitive measures exhibited medium-to-large deficits in schizophrenia, moderate-to-substantial stability across the retest interval, and were independent of fluctuations in clinical status. Clinical symptoms and functional measures also exhibited substantial stability. A Longitudinal Endophenotype Ranking System (LERS) was created to rank neurophysiological and neurocognitive biomarkers according to their effect sizes across endophenotype criteria.ConclusionsThe majority of neurophysiological and neurocognitive measures exhibited deficits in patients, stability over a 1-year interval and did not demonstrate practice or time effects supporting their use as endophenotypes in neural substrate and genomic studies. These measures hold promise for informing the "gene-to-phene gap" in schizophrenia research