Facteurs d’affiliation aux pairs sont étroitement associés à la criminalité des jeunes incarcérés à la prison centrale de Kinshasa : Affiliation Factors to Peers are strongly associated to the Criminality among the Youth of the Central Prison of Kinshasa

Context and objective. Increasing crime is one of the major social problems facing in the context of armed conflicts of various kinds. The objective of this study is to investigate the determinants of the peer affiliation domain of criminal and violent criminal behavior. Methods. We undertook a case-control study included 500 subjects: 297 incarcerated criminals (189 violent criminals, as crime against a person and 108 non-violent criminals, as crime against property) against 203 noncriminal subjects, between August 2015 and December 2016. We selected control subjects from general population of the city of Kinshasa and matched them with cases according to gender, age (± 2 years) and geographical origin. Logistic regression analysis was used to investigate the determinants of criminality and of violent criminality. Results. Compared to noncriminals, criminals were significantly gang members (55.6% versus 4.9%, p<0.001), carry guns (40.1% versus 7.9%, p<0.001), attend parties with friends without parental supervision (69.7% versus 34%, p<0.001), and have friends who sell drugs (44.4% versus 14.8%, p<0.001). Compared to non-violent criminals, violent criminals were significantly more likely to be gang members (60.8% versus 46.3%, p=0.015), carry weapons (46.6% versus 28.7%, p=0.003) and have friends who sell heroin (50.3% versus 34.3%, p=0.008). In multivariate logistic regression analyse, being a gang member (ORa 13.6; 95% CI: 6.76-27.67), carrying a weapon (ORa 2.85; 95% CI: 1.5-5.42) and unsupervised parties (ORa 1.95; 95% CI: 1.25-3.02) were the independently associated with crime. Only carrying weapons (ORa 1.87; 95% CI: 1.05-3.32) emerged as an independent determinant of violent crime. Conclusion. Violent and non-violent crime is a continuum in which the former differs from the latter in terms of carrying a weapon. Gang involvement, social gatherings with friends and carrying weapons are the common threads of their criminal behavior. Contexte et objectif. La criminalité croissante compte parmi les problèmes sociaux majeurs en République Démocratique du Congo aux prises à des conflits armés de diverse nature. Cette étude a pour objectif de rechercher les déterminants du domaine d’affiliation aux pairs du comportement criminel et criminel violent. Méthodes. Nous avons entrepris une étude cas-témoin enrôlant 500 sujets : 297 criminels incarcérés (189 criminels violents, crime contre la personne et 108 criminels non violents, crime contre la propriété) contre 203 sujets non criminels, entre août 2015 et décembre 2016. Les témoins ont été recrutés dans la population générale de la ville de Kinshasa et appariés aux cas, selon le sexe (même), l’âge (± 2 ans) et la provenance géographique. L’analyse de régression logistique a été utilisée pour rechercher les déterminants de la criminalité. Résultats. Comparés aux non criminels, les criminels étaient significativement membres de gang (55,6% versus 4,9%, p < 0,001), porteurs des armes (40,1% versus 7,9% ; p <0,001), dans des soirées entre amissans supervision parentale (69,7% versus 34%, p<0,001), et  avaient des amis vendeurs de drogues (44,4% versus 14,8%, p<0,001). Par rapport aux criminels non violents, les criminels violents étaient significativement membres de gang (60,8% versus 46,3%, p=0,015), porteurs des armes (46,6% versus 28,7%, p=0,003) et avaient des amis vendeurs de drogues (50,3% versus 34,3%, p=0,008). En analyse de régression logistique multivariée, être membre de gang (ORa 13,6; IC 95% : 6,76-27,67), porter une arme (ORa 2,85; IC 95% : 1,5-5,42) et assister dans les soirées sans supervision (ORa 1,95; IC 95% : 1,25-3,02) constituaient les déterminants indépendamment associés à la criminalité. Seul porter des armes (ORa 1,87; IC 95% : 1,05-3,32) a émergé comme déterminant indépendant de la criminalité violente. Conclusion. La criminalité violente et non violente constitue un continuum dans lequel la première se différencie de la deuxième par le port d’arme. La participation à un gang, les soirées entre amis et le port d’arme constituent le fils conducteur de leur comportement criminel. &nbsp

Alcohol-Related Context Modulates Performance of Social Drinkers in a Visual Go/No-Go Task: A Preliminary Assessment of Event-Related Potentials

Background Increased alcohol cue-reactivity and altered inhibitory processing have been reported in heavy social drinkers and alcohol-dependent patients, and are associated with relapse. In social drinkers, these two processes have been usually studied separately by recording event-related potentials (ERPs) during rapid picture presentation. The aim of our study was to confront social drinkers to a task triggering high alcohol cue-reactivity, to verify whether it specifically altered inhibitory performance, by using long-lasting background picture presentation. Methods ERP were recorded during visual Go/No-Go tasks performed by social drinkers, in which a frequent Go signal (letter “M”), and a rare No-Go signal (letter “W”) were superimposed on three different types of background pictures: neutral (black background), alcohol-related and non alcohol-related. Results Our data suggested that heavy social drinkers made more commission errors than light drinkers, but only in the alcohol-related context. Neurophysiologically, this was reflected by a delayed No-Go P3 component. Conclusions Elevated alcohol cue-reactivity may lead to poorer inhibitory performance in heavy social drinkers, and may be considered as an important vulnerability factor in developing alcohol misuse. Prevention programs should be designed to decrease the high arousal of alcohol stimuli and strengthen cognitive control in young, at-risk individuals.This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

A population-based phenome-wide association study of cardiac and aortic structure and function

Differences in cardiac and aortic structure and function are associated with cardiovascular diseases and a wide range of other types of disease. Here we analyzed cardiovascular magnetic resonance images from a population-based study, the UK Biobank, using an automated machine-learning-based analysis pipeline. We report a comprehensive range of structural and functional phenotypes for the heart and aorta across 26,893 participants, and explore how these phenotypes vary according to sex, age and major cardiovascular risk factors. We extended this analysis with a phenome-wide association study, in which we tested for correlations of a wide range of non-imaging phenotypes of the participants with imaging phenotypes. We further explored the associations of imaging phenotypes with early-life factors, mental health and cognitive function using both observational analysis and Mendelian randomization. Our study illustrates how population-based cardiac and aortic imaging phenotypes can be used to better define cardiovascular disease risks as well as heart–brain health interactions, highlighting new opportunities for studying disease mechanisms and developing image-based biomarkers

The minimum slope for preventing accumulation of solids in newly designed sewers: comparison of existing criteria and perspectives of future engineering trends

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Automated 3D detection of Giardia lamblia cysts as an assessment of potential drinking-water resources using DHM with partially coherent source

info:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

Trauma awareness and preparedness: Their influence on posttraumatic stress disorder development related to armed conflict experience

This study examined influences of trauma awareness and preparedness on the development of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in civilian and military personnel with exposure to the civil war. Participants were 302 people with exposure to civil war in the Democratic Republic of Congo (civilians = 68%; females = 47%; age range = 16 to 76 years old, SD = 13.58 years). Participants completed the Posttraumatic Checklist Scale, General Self-Efficacy Scale, and Traumatic Events List. The data were analysed to predict PTSD development from trauma awareness and preparedness, taking exposure to multiple traumas into account as a risk factor. Findings suggest that trauma awareness and preparedness play an important role among military personnel in moderating the risk of developing PTSD, more so than among the civilian population. Mental health professionals working with civil war survivors should seek to explore trauma awareness and preparedness as resources for minimising risk for PTSD in armed conflict situations.SCOPUS: ar.jinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe

High apnea/hypopnea index in weaned severe alcoholic patients

FLWINinfo:eu-repo/semantics/published12th Congress of the European Sleep Research Societ

Facteurs d’affiliation aux pairs sont étroitement associés à la criminalité des jeunes incarcérés à la prison centrale de Kinshasa

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Cerebral blood flow in just detoxified alcohol dependent patients. A 99 m Tc-HMPAO-SPECT study.

Chronic alcohol abuse is responsible for several organic brain disorders. However, even the most characteristic of them are largely underdiagnosed by routine procedures. Therefore, there is need for sensitive, noninvasive and low-cost diagnostic procedures. 99m-Tc-HMPAO-SPECT could be an interesting candidate in this indication, because it estimates the distribution of the cerebral blood flow and the metabolic activity of the brain with a good resolution. We used this technique in 17 healthy volunteers and in a sample of 50 patients dependent on alcohol, without other major physical or mental disorder. SPECT was performed during the attendance of these patients in an inpatient detoxification program. We observed abnormal SPECT in 34 patients, but only in 2 volunteers (p < 0.001). The main abnormality was heterogeneity of the distribution of the tracer. SPECT abnormalities appear to be due nor to withdrawal syndrome, nor to medication. On the contrary, they are correlated with stigmata of heavy alcoholism. Furthermore, a genetic vulnerability to alcohol was suspected because SPECT abnormalities are more frequent in patients with an history of drinking problems in their relatives.Journal Articleinfo:eu-repo/semantics/publishe