Comparison of Neurofeedback Treatment on PTSD Symptoms within Military and Non-Military Populations

Novel, effective, and accessible therapeutic interventions for treating Posttraumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) symptoms are in demand given the significant physical and psychosocial impairment associated with the disorder. Although PTSD is largely treated using various forms of cognitive behavioral therapy, treatment-resistance, or non-response, rates continue to remain high. Research has shown that talk-therapies can often trigger the limbic system, keeping it in a continual state of fight or flight. Consequently, many trauma survivors are motivated to consider alternative treatments for PTSD, such as artifact corrected EEG neurofeedback training, shifting the primary focus of the intervention away from the emotional part of the brain. Artifact corrected EEG neurofeedback therapy addresses two primary facets identified through the Integrated Visual and Auditory Continuous Performance Test – 2 (IVA-2). The IVA-2 assesses whether or not, and to what degree, a person’s visual and auditory processing systems have the capacity to interpret information from the environment. Secondly, when assessment results are coupled with neurofeedback, individuals learn to train their brain for better self-regulation. Impaired visual and auditory processing may prevent information from being accurately interpreted, and therefore, increases the likelihood of maintaining a person’s perceptual distortions, in perpetuity. This study explored the relationship between trauma related symptoms (i.e., inattention and impulsivity) and visual and auditory functioning by analyzing archival data, based on a population of veterans and non-military adults with self-reported PTSD. The results of this study suggest that EEG neurofeedback therapy is clinically effective for improving visual and auditory attentional functioning in both military and non-military persons, in the context of trauma. Improved attentional functioning may boost organizational skills, decision making, frustration tolerance, and comprehension. This is crucial information because there continues to be high levels of treatment non-response and drop-out rates among veterans with PTSD who are participating in cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) based programs. Two-thirds of veterans who complete CBT programs remain in the clinical range for PTSD, with notable attention deficits. Treatment-outcome research, such as this study, is vital to improve the effectiveness of therapeutic interventions for persons diagnosed with PTSD, particularly within specific populations that have high non-response rates, such as veterans

Wall-to-wall stress induced in (6,5) semiconducting nanotubes by encapsulation in metallic outer tubes of different diameters: A resonance Raman study of individual C(60)-derived double-wall carbon nanotubes

We measure resonant Raman scattering from 11 individual C(60)-derived double-wall carbon nanotubes all having inner semiconducting (6,5) tubes and various outer metallic tubes. The Raman spectra show the radial breathing modes (RBM) of the inner and the outer tubes to be simultaneously in resonance with the same laser energy. We observe that an increase in the RBM frequency of the inner tubes is related to an increase in the RBM frequency of the outer tubes. The Raman spectra also contain a sharp G(-) feature that increases in frequency as the nominal diameter of the outer metallic tubes decreases. Finally, the one-phonon second-order D-band mode shows a two-way frequency splitting that decreases with decreasing nominal wall-to-wall distance. We suggest that the stress which increases with decreasing nominal wall-to-wall distance is responsible for the hardening that is observed in the frequencies of the RBM, D and G(-) modes of the inner (6,5) semiconducting tubes.ArticleNANOSCALE. 2(3):406-411 (2010)journal articl

Improving the light collection efficiency of silicon photomultipliers through the use of metalenses

Metalenses are optical devices that implement nanostructures as phase shifters to focus incident light. Their compactness and simple fabrication make them a potential cost-effective solution for increasing light collection efficiency in particle detectors with limited photosensitive area coverage. Here we report on the characterization and performance of metalenses in increasing the light collection efficiency of silicon photomultipliers (SiPM) of various sizes using an LED of 630 nm, and find a six to seven-fold increase in signal for a 1.3×1.3 mm² SiPM when coupled with a 10-mm-diameter metalens manufactured using deep ultraviolet stepper lithography. Such improvements could be valuable for future generations of particle detectors, particularly those employed in rare-event searches such as dark matter and neutrinoless double beta decay

(E)-N-(Anthracen-9-yl­methyl­idene)-4-nitro­aniline

In the title molecule, C21H14N2O2, the anthracenyl system is approximately planar [maximum deviation = 0.056 (4) Å] and is oriented at a dihedral angle of 73.6 (1)° with respect to the benzene ring. An intra­molecular C—H⋯N hydrogen bond generates an S(6) ring motif. The crystal packing is stabilized by C—H⋯π and π–π inter­actions [centroid–centroid distances of 3.688 (2), 3.656 (1) and 3.716 (2) Å]

Effect of dietary docosahexaenoic acid supplementation on the participation of vasodilator factors in aorta from orchidectomized rats

Benefits of n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs) against cardiovascular diseases have been reported. Vascular tone regulation is largely mediated by endothelial factors whose release is modulated by sex hormones. Since the incidence of cardiovascular pathologies has been correlated with decreased levels of sex hormones, the aim of this study was to analyze whether a diet supplemented with the specific PUFA docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) could prevent vascular changes induced by an impaired gonadal function. For this purpose, control and orchidectomized rats were fed with a standard diet supplemented with 5% (w/w) sunflower oil or with 3% (w/w) sunflower oil plus 2% (w/w) DHA. The lipid profile, the blood pressure, the production of prostanoids and nitric oxide (NO), and the redox status of biological samples from control and orchidectomized rats, fed control or DHA-supplemented diet, were analyzed. The vasodilator response and the contribution of NO, prostanoids and hyperpolarizing mechanisms were also studied. The results showed that orchidectomy negatively affected the lipid profile, increased the production of prostanoids and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and decreased NO production and the antioxidant capacity, as well as the participation of hyperpolarizing mechanisms in the vasodilator responses. The DHAsupplemented diet of the orchidectomized rats decreased the release of prostanoids and ROS, while increasing NO production and the antioxidant capacity, and it also improved the lipid profile. Additionally, it restored the participation of hyperpolarizing mechanisms by activating potassium. Since the modifications induced by the DHA-supplemented diet were observed in the orchidectomized, but not in the healthy group, DHA seems to exert cardioprotective effects in physiopathological situations in which vascular dysfunction existsThis study was supported by grants to MF from the Fondo de Investigaciones Sanitarias (PI1100406), Comunidad de Madrid (S2013/ABI- 2783, “INSPIRA1-CM”), Fondo Europeo de Desarrollo Regional, and Centro de Estudios América Latina (Grupo Santander-UAM)

Alginate inhibits iron absorption from ferrous gluconate in a randomized controlled trial and reduces iron uptake into Caco-2 cells

Previous in vitro results indicated that alginate beads might be a useful vehicle for food iron fortification. A human study was undertaken to test the hypothesis that alginate enhances iron absorption. A randomised, single blinded, cross-over trial was carried out in which iron absorption was measured from serum iron appearance after a test meal. Overnight-fasted volunteers (n=15) were given a test meal of 200g cola-flavoured jelly plus 21 mg iron as ferrous gluconate, either in alginate beads mixed into the jelly or in a capsule. Iron absorption was lower from the alginate beads than from ferrous gluconate (8.5% and 12.6% respectively, p=0.003). Sub-group B (n=9) consumed the test meals together with 600 mg calcium to determine whether alginate modified the inhibitory effect of calcium. Calcium reduced iron absorption from ferrous gluconate by 51%, from 11.5% to 5.6% (p=0.014), and from alginate beads by 37%, from 8.3% to 5.2% (p=0.009). In vitro studies using Caco-2 cells were designed to explore the reasons for the difference between the previous in vitro findings and the human study; confirmed the inhibitory effect of alginate. Beads similar to those used in the human study were subjected to simulated gastrointestinal digestion, with and without cola jelly, and the digestate applied to Caco-2 cells. Both alginate and cola jelly significantly reduced iron uptake into the cells, by 34% (p=0.009) and 35% (p=0.003) respectively. The combination of cola jelly and calcium produced a very low ferritin response, 16.5% (p<0.001) of that observed with ferrous gluconate alone. The results of these studies demonstrate that alginate beads are not a useful delivery system for soluble salts of iron for the purpose of food fortification