49 research outputs found
Regulating Mobile Mental Health Apps
Mobile medical apps (MMAs) are a fastâgrowing category of software typically installed on personal smartphones and wearable devices. A subset of MMAs are aimed at helping consumers identify mental states and/or mental illnesses. Although this is a fledgling domain, there are already enough extant mental health MMAs both to suggest a typology and to detail some of the regulatory issues they pose. As to the former, the current generation of apps includes those that facilitate selfâassessment or selfâhelp, connect patients with online support groups, connect patients with therapists, or predict mental health issues. Regulatory concerns with these apps include their quality, safety, and data protection. Unfortunately, the regulatory frameworks that apply have failed to provide coherent riskâassessment models. As a result, prudent providers will need to progress with caution when it comes to recommending apps to patients or relying on appâgenerated data to guide treatment
Subcellular Localization of the Leucine Biosynthetic Enzymes in Yeast
When baker's yeast spheroplasts were lysed by mild osmotic shock, practically all of the isopropylmalate isomerase and the ÎČ-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase was released into the 30,000 Ă g supernatant fraction, as was the cytosol marker enzyme, glucose-6-phosphate dehydrogenase. α-Isopropylmalate synthase, however, was not detected in the initial supernatant, but could be progressively solubilized by homogenization, appearing more slowly than citrate synthase but faster than cytochrome oxidase. Of the total glutamate-α-ketoisocaproate transaminase activity, approximately 20% was in the initial soluble fraction, whereas solubilization of the remainder again required homogenization of the spheroplast lysate. Results from sucrose density gradient centrifugation of a cell-free particulate fraction and comparison with marker enzymes suggested that α-isopropylmalate synthase was located in the mitochondria. It thus appears that, in yeast, the first specific enzyme in the leucine biosynthetic pathway (α-isopropylmalate synthase) is particulate, whereas the next two enzymes in the pathway (isopropylmalate isomerase and ÎČ-isopropylmalate dehydrogenase) are âsoluble,â with glutamate-α-ketoisocaproate transaminase activity being located in both the cytosol and particulate cell fractions
Shared psychotic disorder and criminal responsibility: a review and case report of folie aÌ trois,âThe
We present a case of shared psychotic disorder involving three sisters who were successful in establishing an insanity defense on numerous felony charges in the South Carolina criminal court system. Two of the authors of this article were court-appointed examiners in this case. We then present a history of shared psychotic disorder, an overview of the use of this diagnosis in the defense of insanity, and a discussion of the disposition of individuals with "temporary insanity." Finally, we compare shared psychotic disorder, culturally based belief systems, and religious cults, with a focus on their common and contrasting characteristics
Genetically Raised Circulating Bilirubin Levels and Risk of Ten Cancers: A Mendelian Randomization Study
Bilirubin, an endogenous antioxidant, may play a protective role in cancer development. We applied two-sample Mendelian randomization to investigate whether genetically raised bilirubin levels are causally associated with the risk of ten cancers (pancreas, kidney, endometrium, ovary, breast, prostate, lung, Hodgkin's lymphoma, melanoma, and neuroblastoma). The number of cases and their matched controls of European descent ranged from 122,977 and 105,974 for breast cancer to 1200 and 6417 for Hodgkin's lymphoma, respectively. A total of 115 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) associated (p < 5 Ă 10-8) with circulating total bilirubin, extracted from a genome-wide association study in the UK Biobank, were used as instrumental variables. One SNP (rs6431625) in the promoter region of the uridine-diphosphoglucuronate glucuronosyltransferase1A1 (UGT1A1) gene explained 16.9% and the remaining 114 SNPs (non-UGT1A1 SNPs) explained 3.1% of phenotypic variance in circulating bilirubin levels. A one-standarddeviation increment in circulating bilirubin (â 4.4 ”mol/L), predicted by non-UGT1A1 SNPs, was inversely associated with risk of squamous cell lung cancer and Hodgkin's lymphoma (odds ratio (OR) 0.85, 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.73-0.99, P 0.04 and OR 0.64, 95% CI 0.42-0.99, p 0.04, respectively), which was confirmed after removing potential pleiotropic SNPs. In contrast, a positive association was observed with the risk of breast cancer after removing potential pleiotropic SNPs (OR 1.12, 95% CI 1.04-1.20, p 0.002). There was little evidence for robust associations with the other seven cancers investigated. Genetically raised bilirubin levels were inversely associated with risk of squamous cell lung cancer as well as Hodgkin's lymphoma and positively associated with risk of breast cancer. Further studies are required to investigate the utility of bilirubin as a low-cost clinical marker to improve risk prediction for certain cancers
The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
The genetic architecture of the human cerebral cortex
The cerebral cortex underlies our complex cognitive capabilities, yet little is known about the specific genetic loci that influence human cortical structure. To identify genetic variants that affect cortical structure, we conducted a genome-wide association meta-analysis of brain magnetic resonance imaging data from 51,665 individuals. We analyzed the surface area and average thickness of the whole cortex and 34 regions with known functional specializations. We identified 199 significant loci and found significant enrichment for loci influencing total surface area within regulatory elements that are active during prenatal cortical development, supporting the radial unit hypothesis. Loci that affect regional surface area cluster near genes in Wnt signaling pathways, which influence progenitor expansion and areal identity. Variation in cortical structure is genetically correlated with cognitive function, Parkinson's disease, insomnia, depression, neuroticism, and attention deficit hyperactivity disorder
The associations of anthropometric, behavioural and sociodemographic factors with circulating concentrations of IGF-I, IGF-II, IGFBP-1, IGFBP-2, and IGFBP-3 in a pooled analysis of 16,024 men from 22 studies
Insulinâlike growth factors (IGFs) and insulinâlike growth factor binding proteins (IGFBPs) have been implicated in the aetiology of several cancers. To better understand whether anthropometric, behavioural and sociodemographic factors may play a role in cancer risk via IGF signalling, we examined the crossâsectional associations of these exposures with circulating concentrations of IGFs (IGFâI and IGFâII) and IGFBPs (IGFBPâ1, IGFBPâ2 and IGFBPâ3). The Endogenous Hormones, Nutritional Biomarkers and Prostate Cancer Collaborative Group dataset includes individual participant data from 16,024 male controls (i.e. without prostate cancer) aged 22â89âyears from 22 prospective studies. Geometric means of protein concentrations were estimated using analysis of variance, adjusted for relevant covariates. Older age was associated with higher concentrations of IGFBPâ1 and IGFBPâ2 and lower concentrations of IGFâI, IGFâII and IGFBPâ3. Higher body mass index was associated with lower concentrations of IGFBPâ1 and IGFBPâ2. Taller height was associated with higher concentrations of IGFâI and IGFBPâ3 and lower concentrations of IGFBPâ1. Smokers had higher concentrations of IGFBPâ1 and IGFBPâ2 and lower concentrations of IGFBPâ3 than nonsmokers. Higher alcohol consumption was associated with higher concentrations of IGFâII and lower concentrations of IGFâI and IGFBPâ2. African Americans had lower concentrations of IGFâII, IGFBPâ1, IGFBPâ2 and IGFBPâ3 and Hispanics had lower IGFâI, IGFâII and IGFBPâ3 than nonâHispanic whites. These findings indicate that a range of anthropometric, behavioural and sociodemographic factors are associated with circulating concentrations of IGFs and IGFBPs in men, which will lead to a greater understanding of the mechanisms through which these factors influence cancer risk