Accumulation in coastal West Antarctic ice core records and the role of cyclone activity

Cyclones are an important component of Antarctic climate variability, yet quantifying their impact on the polar environment is challenging. We assess how cyclones which pass through the Bellingshausen Sea affect accumulation over Ellsworth Land, West Antarctica, where we have two ice core records. We use self-organizing maps (SOMs), an unsupervised machine learning technique, to group cyclones into nine SOM nodes differing by their trajectories (1980–2015). The annual frequency of cyclones associated with the first SOM node (SOM1, which generally originate from lower latitudes over the South Pacific Ocean) is significantly (p < 0.001) correlated with annual accumulation, with the highest seasonal correlations (p < 0.001) found during autumn. While significant (p < 0.01) increases in vertically integrated water vapor over the South Pacific Ocean coincide with this same group of cyclones, we find no indication that this has led to an increase in moisture advection into, nor accumulation over, Ellsworth Land over this short time period

WELLFOCUS PPT – modified positive psychotherapy to improve well-being in psychosis: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The promotion of well-being is an important goal of recovery oriented mental health services. No structured, evidence-based intervention exists that aims to increase the well-being in people with severe mental illness such as psychosis. Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is a promising intervention for this goal. Standard PPT was adapted for use with people with psychosis in the UK following the Medical Research Council framework for developing and testing complex interventions, resulting in the WELLFOCUS Model describing the intended impact of WELLFOCUS PPT. This study aims to test the WELLFOCUS Model, by piloting the intervention, trial processes, and evaluation strategy. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a non-blinded pragmatic pilot RCT comparing WELLFOCUS PPT provided as an 11-session group therapy in addition to treatment as usual to treatment as usual alone. Inclusion criteria are adults (aged 18–65 years) with a main diagnosis of psychosis who use mental health services. A target sample of 80 service users with psychosis are recruited from mental health services across the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Participants are randomised in blocks to the intervention and control group. WELLFOCUS PPT is provided to groups by specifically trained and supervised local therapists and members of the research team. Assessments are conducted before randomisation and after the group intervention. The primary outcome measure is well-being assessed by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Secondary outcomes include good feelings, symptom relief, connectedness, hope, self-worth, empowerment, and meaning. Process evaluation using data collected during the group intervention, post-intervention individual interviews and focus groups with participants, and interviews with trial therapists will complement quantitative outcome data. DISCUSSION: This study will provide data on the feasibility of the intervention and identify necessary adaptations. It will allow optimisation of trial processes and inform the evaluation strategy, including sample size calculation, for a future definitive RCT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN04199273 – WELLFOCUS study: an intervention to improve well-being in people with psychosis, Date registered: 27 March 2013, first participant randomised on 26 April 2013

From objectivity to subjectivity: conceptualization and measurement of well-being in mental health

The concept of well-being has not been well defined or reliably measured in academic research. This article identifies four academic strands of well-being conceptualization and measurement (economic, medical, psychological and integrative) and shows how well-being has shifted from being conceived as a collectivist concept with objective measures, to being conceived in individualistic terms with subjective measures. Given its clinical relevance the main emphasis is on subjective well-being. While well-being has become a key concept in mental health, the article also discusses some limitations to its use in practice and proposes considerations for future research. Key issues are a consensus definition of well-being in people with mental illness, and empirical studies on the measurement of well-being and its determinants. Future research might be based on the good life approach, the Complete State Model of Mental Health or the academic field of Positive Psychology.</p

WELLFOCUS PPT – modified positive psychotherapy to improve well-being in psychosis: study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

Abstract Background The promotion of well-being is an important goal of recovery oriented mental health services. No structured, evidence-based intervention exists that aims to increase the well-being in people with severe mental illness such as psychosis. Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is a promising intervention for this goal. Standard PPT was adapted for use with people with psychosis in the UK following the Medical Research Council framework for developing and testing complex interventions, resulting in the WELLFOCUS Model describing the intended impact of WELLFOCUS PPT. This study aims to test the WELLFOCUS Model, by piloting the intervention, trial processes, and evaluation strategy. Methods/Design This study is a non-blinded pragmatic pilot RCT comparing WELLFOCUS PPT provided as an 11-session group therapy in addition to treatment as usual to treatment as usual alone. Inclusion criteria are adults (aged 18–65 years) with a main diagnosis of psychosis who use mental health services. A target sample of 80 service users with psychosis are recruited from mental health services across the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Participants are randomised in blocks to the intervention and control group. WELLFOCUS PPT is provided to groups by specifically trained and supervised local therapists and members of the research team. Assessments are conducted before randomisation and after the group intervention. The primary outcome measure is well-being assessed by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Secondary outcomes include good feelings, symptom relief, connectedness, hope, self-worth, empowerment, and meaning. Process evaluation using data collected during the group intervention, post-intervention individual interviews and focus groups with participants, and interviews with trial therapists will complement quantitative outcome data. Discussion This study will provide data on the feasibility of the intervention and identify necessary adaptations. It will allow optimisation of trial processes and inform the evaluation strategy, including sample size calculation, for a future definitive RCT. Trial registration Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN04199273 – WELLFOCUS study: an intervention to improve well-being in people with psychosis, Date registered: 27 March 2013, first participant randomised on 26 April 2013

WELLFOCUS PPT - modified positive psychotherapy to improve well-being in psychosis:study protocol for a pilot randomised controlled trial

BACKGROUND: The promotion of well-being is an important goal of recovery oriented mental health services. No structured, evidence-based intervention exists that aims to increase the well-being in people with severe mental illness such as psychosis. Positive psychotherapy (PPT) is a promising intervention for this goal. Standard PPT was adapted for use with people with psychosis in the UK following the Medical Research Council framework for developing and testing complex interventions, resulting in the WELLFOCUS Model describing the intended impact of WELLFOCUS PPT. This study aims to test the WELLFOCUS Model, by piloting the intervention, trial processes, and evaluation strategy. METHODS/DESIGN: This study is a non-blinded pragmatic pilot RCT comparing WELLFOCUS PPT provided as an 11-session group therapy in addition to treatment as usual to treatment as usual alone. Inclusion criteria are adults (aged 18–65 years) with a main diagnosis of psychosis who use mental health services. A target sample of 80 service users with psychosis are recruited from mental health services across the South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust. Participants are randomised in blocks to the intervention and control group. WELLFOCUS PPT is provided to groups by specifically trained and supervised local therapists and members of the research team. Assessments are conducted before randomisation and after the group intervention. The primary outcome measure is well-being assessed by the Warwick-Edinburgh Mental Well-being Scale. Secondary outcomes include good feelings, symptom relief, connectedness, hope, self-worth, empowerment, and meaning. Process evaluation using data collected during the group intervention, post-intervention individual interviews and focus groups with participants, and interviews with trial therapists will complement quantitative outcome data. DISCUSSION: This study will provide data on the feasibility of the intervention and identify necessary adaptations. It will allow optimisation of trial processes and inform the evaluation strategy, including sample size calculation, for a future definitive RCT. TRIAL REGISTRATION: Current Controlled Trials ISRCTN04199273 – WELLFOCUS study: an intervention to improve well-being in people with psychosis, Date registered: 27 March 2013, first participant randomised on 26 April 2013

Pancreatic T cell protein-tyrosine phosphatase deficiency ameliorates cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis

BACKGROUND: Acute pancreatitis (AP) is a common clinical problem whose incidence has been progressively increasing in recent years. Onset of the disease is trigged by intra-acinar cell activation of digestive enzyme zymogens that induce autodigestion, release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acinar cell injury. T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) is implicated in inflammatory signaling but its significance in AP remains unclear. RESULTS: In this study we assessed the role of pancreatic TCPTP in cerulein-induced AP. TCPTP expression was increased at the protein and messenger RNA levels in the early phase of AP in mice and rats. To directly determine whether TCPTP may have a causal role in AP we generated mice with pancreatic TCPTP deletion (panc-TCPTP KO) by crossing TCPTP floxed mice with Pdx1-Cre transgenic mice. Amylase and lipase levels were lower in cerulein-treated panc-TCPTP KO mice compared with controls. In addition, pancreatic mRNA and serum concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6 were lower in panc-TCPTP KO mice. At the molecular level, panc-TCPTP KO mice exhibited enhanced cerulein-induced STAT3 Tyr705 phosphorylation accompanied by a decreased cerulein-induced NF-κB inflammatory response, and decreased ER stress and cell death. CONCLUSION: These findings revealed a novel role for pancreatic TCPTP in the progression of cerulein-induced AP

Pancreatic T cell protein-tyrosine phosphatase deficiency ameliorates cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis.

BackgroundAcute pancreatitis (AP) is a common clinical problem whose incidence has been progressively increasing in recent years. Onset of the disease is trigged by intra-acinar cell activation of digestive enzyme zymogens that induce autodigestion, release of pro-inflammatory cytokines and acinar cell injury. T-cell protein tyrosine phosphatase (TCPTP) is implicated in inflammatory signaling but its significance in AP remains unclear.ResultsIn this study we assessed the role of pancreatic TCPTP in cerulein-induced AP. TCPTP expression was increased at the protein and messenger RNA levels in the early phase of AP in mice and rats. To directly determine whether TCPTP may have a causal role in AP we generated mice with pancreatic TCPTP deletion (panc-TCPTP KO) by crossing TCPTP floxed mice with Pdx1-Cre transgenic mice. Amylase and lipase levels were lower in cerulein-treated panc-TCPTP KO mice compared with controls. In addition, pancreatic mRNA and serum concentrations of the inflammatory cytokines TNFα and IL-6 were lower in panc-TCPTP KO mice. At the molecular level, panc-TCPTP KO mice exhibited enhanced cerulein-induced STAT3 Tyr705 phosphorylation accompanied by a decreased cerulein-induced NF-κB inflammatory response, and decreased ER stress and cell death.ConclusionThese findings revealed a novel role for pancreatic TCPTP in the progression of cerulein-induced AP