The Effects of Inconsistent Parenting on the Development of Uncertain Self-Esteem and Depression Vulnerability

Although there are numerous reports of how adverse parent-child interactions during development might contribute to problems with self-esteem and later risk for depression, less research has focused on the potential deleterious effects of parenting inconsistency during development. The purpose of the current study was to test whether reports of inconsistent parent-child interactions during development are associated with uncertain self-esteem and depression vulnerability in adulthood. In order to test this possibility, a previously depressed group (high-risk) of college students and a never depressed group (low-risk) of college students were compared on measures of trait self-esteem, self-esteem certainty, parental bonding (care and over-protection), and a new retrospective measure of parenting consistency (Consistency of Parenting Scale; COPS; Luxton, 2007). Structural equation modeling (SEM) was used to test a series of structural and latent means models that examined whether inconsistent parenting contributes to the development of uncertain self-esteem and depression risk--above and beyond the influence of negative parenting dimensions alone (i.e., low care and overprotection). The results indicated that only consistency of mother care was associated with certainty of self-esteem in the high-risk group and only mother consistency of control was associated with self-esteem certainty in the low-risk group. The high-risk group also reported higher levels of father inconsistency of care and lower levels of both trait self-esteem and self-esteem certainty compared to the low-risk group. Although there was not a general moderating effect of gender on the association between the parenting variables and self-esteem certainty, gender by depression status model tests indicated that the association between inconsistent mother control and certainty of self-esteem was only among low-risk women and the association between inconsistent mother care and self-esteem certainty was only among high-risk women. Both high-risk women and high-risk men reported higher levels of father inconsistency of care compared to low-risk women. These findings are important because they suggest that inconsistent parenting practices might have an adverse influence on the development of the self-esteem of children, which may make children more vulnerable for depression later in life. Limitations and future directions are also discussed

Comorbid chronic tic disorder and tourette syndrome in children requiring inpatient mental health treatment

Objective: Children needing admission to an inpatient mental health unit often present with severe neuropsychiatric disorders characterised by complex psychopathology. We aimed to examine all admitted children with comorbid chronic tic disorder (CTD) and Tourette syndrome (TS) over a 10-year period and determine the clinical significance of these diagnoses. Method: A retrospective, naturalistic study was conducted, comparing children with and without CTD/TS in terms of co-morbid diagnoses, medication use, access to education, aggression contributing to the admission, duration of admission, functional outcomes and satisfaction with treatment. Data were analysed using Chi-square/Fisher’s exact test and t-test for categorical and continuous variables, respectively, and subsequently with unadjusted and adjusted linear and logistic regression analyses. Results: A relatively high proportion of children had co-morbid CTD/TS (19.7%). There was a significant association with co-morbid obsessive-compulsive disorder, intellectual disability and autism spectrum disorder but not attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. CTD/TS were associated with longer admissions even after adjustments for confounding but did not seem to be independently associated with other examined clinical characteristics. Conclusions: The prevalence of CTD/TS in children needing inpatient treatment is significant. In our sample, comorbid CTD/TS seem to represent a marker of overall symptom severity as evidenced by longer admissions

Exercise referral for drug users aged 40 and over: results of a pilot study in the UK.

OBJECTIVES: To test whether older drug users (aged 40 and over) could be recruited to an exercise referral (ER) scheme, to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability and measure the impact of participation on health. DESIGN: Observational pilot. SETTING: Liverpool, UK. PARTICIPANTS: (1) 12 men and 5 women recruited to ER. (2) 7 specialist gym instructors. OUTCOME MEASURES: Logistic feasibility and acceptability of ER and associated research, rate of recruitment, level of participation over 8 weeks and changes in health. RESULTS: 22 gym inductions were arranged (recruitment time: 5 weeks), 17 inductions were completed and 14 participants began exercising. Attendance at the gym fluctuated with people missing weeks then re-engaging; in week 8, seven participants were in contact with the project and five of these attended the gym. Illness and caring responsibilities affected participation. Participants and gym instructors found the intervention and associated research processes acceptable. In general, participants enjoyed exercising and felt fitter, but would have welcomed more support and the offer of a wider range of activities. Non-significant reductions in blood pressure and heart rate and improvements in metabolic equivalents (METs; a measure of fitness) and general well-being were observed for eight participants who completed baseline and follow-up assessments. The number of weeks of gym attendance was significantly associated with a positive change in METs. CONCLUSIONS: It is feasible to recruit older drug users into a gym-based ER scheme, but multiple health and social challenges affect their ability to participate regularly. The observed changes in health measures, particularly the association between improvements in METs and attendance, suggest further investigation of ER for older drug users is worthwhile. Measures to improve the intervention and its evaluation include: better screening, refined inclusion/exclusion criteria, broader monitoring of physical activity levels, closer tailored support, more flexible exercise options and the use of incentives

Developing a comprehensive information security framework for mHealth: a detailed analysis

It has been clearly shown that mHealth solutions, which is the use of mobile devices and other wireless technology to provide healthcare services, deliver more patient-focused healthcare, and improve the overall efficiency of healthcare systems. In addition, these solutions can potentially reduce the cost of providing healthcare in the context of the increasing demands of the aging populations in advanced economies. These solutions can also play an important part in intelligent environments, facilitating real-time data collection and input to enable various functionalities. However, there are several challenges regarding the development of mHealth solutions: the most important of these being privacy and data security. Furthermore, the use of cloud computing is becoming an option for the healthcare sector to store healthcare data; but storing data in the cloud raises serious concerns. This paper investigates how data are managed both on mHealth devices as well as in the cloud. Firstly, a detailed analysis of the entire mHealth domain is undertaken to determine domain-specific features and a taxonomy for mHealth, from which a set of security requirements are identified in order to develop a new information security framework. It then examines individual information security frameworks for mHealth devices and the cloud, noting similarities and differences. Furthermore, key mechanisms to implement the new framework are discussed and the new framework is then presented. Finally, the paper presents how the new framework could be implemented in order to develop an Advanced Digital Medical Platform

HES5 silencing is an early and recurrent change in prostate tumourigenesis.

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer in men, resulting in over 10 000 deaths/year in the UK. Sequencing and copy number analysis of primary tumours has revealed heterogeneity within tumours and an absence of recurrent founder mutations, consistent with non-genetic disease initiating events. Using methylation profiling in a series of multi-focal prostate tumours, we identify promoter methylation of the transcription factor HES5 as an early event in prostate tumourigenesis. We confirm that this epigenetic alteration occurs in 86-97% of cases in two independent prostate cancer cohorts (n=49 and n=39 tumour-normal pairs). Treatment of prostate cancer cells with the demethylating agent 5-aza-2'-deoxycytidine increased HES5 expression and downregulated its transcriptional target HES6, consistent with functional silencing of the HES5 gene in prostate cancer. Finally, we identify and test a transcriptional module involving the AR, ERG, HES1 and HES6 and propose a model for the impact of HES5 silencing on tumourigenesis as a starting point for future functional studies.The authors are grateful to study volunteers for their participation and staff at the Welcome Trust Clinical Research Facility, Addenbrooke’s Clinical Research Centre, Cambridge. They also thank the NIHR Cambridge Biomedical Research Centre, the DOH HTA (ProtecT grant), and the NCRI/MRC (ProMPT grant) for help with the bio-repository, The University of Cambridge, Hutchison Whampoa Limited and Cancer Research UK for funding. They are grateful to the CRUK Cambridge Institute Genomics and Bioinformatics Core Facilities. Cross-validation of HES5 methylation includes the use of data generated by the TCGA Research Network.This is the final version of the article. It was originally published in the Endocrine-Related Cancer, April 1, 2015 22 131-144 doi: 10.1530/ERC-14-0454

The Early Effects of Rapid Androgen Deprivation on Human Prostate Cancer.

The androgen receptor (AR) is the dominant growth factor in prostate cancer (PCa). Therefore, understanding how ARs regulate the human transcriptome is of paramount importance. The early effects of castration on human PCa have not previously been studied 27 patients medically castrated with degarelix 7 d before radical prostatectomy. We used mass spectrometry, immunohistochemistry, and gene expression array (validated by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction) to compare resected tumour with matched, controlled, untreated PCa tissue. All patients had levels of serum androgen, with reduced levels of intraprostatic androgen at prostatectomy. We observed differential expression of known androgen-regulated genes (TMPRSS2, KLK3, CAMKK2, FKBP5). We identified 749 genes downregulated and 908 genes upregulated following castration. AR regulation of α-methylacyl-CoA racemase expression and three other genes (FAM129A, RAB27A, and KIAA0101) was confirmed. Upregulation of oestrogen receptor 1 (ESR1) expression was observed in malignant epithelia and was associated with differential expression of ESR1-regulated genes and correlated with proliferation (Ki-67 expression).We thank CRUK, The NIHR, The Academy of Medical Sciences(RG:63397) and the National Cancer Research Prostate Cancer: Mechanisms of Progression and Treatment (ProMPT) collaborative (G0500966/75466), Hutchison Whampoa Limited, the Human Research Tissue Bank (Addenbrooke’s Hospital, supported by the NIHR Cambridge BRC), and Cancer Research UK

Comparing counselling alone versus counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app for university students experiencing anxiety or depression (CASELOAD): protocol for a feasibility trial.

BACKGROUND: University counselling services face a unique challenge to offer short-term therapeutic support to students presenting with complex mental health needs and in a setting which suits the academic timetable. The recent availability of mobile phone applications (apps) offers an opportunity to supplement face-to-face therapy and has the potential to reach a wider audience, maintain engagement between therapy sessions, and enhance therapeutic outcomes. The present study, entitled Counselling plus Apps for Students Experiencing Levels of Anxiety or Depression (CASELOAD), aims to explore the feasibility of supplementing counselling with guided use of a well-being app. METHODS/DESIGN: Forty help-seeking university students (aged 18 years and over) with symptoms of moderate anxiety or depression will be recruited from a University Counselling Service (UCS) in the United Kingdom (UK). Participants will be recruited via counsellors who provide the initial clinical assessment and who determine treatment allocation to one of two treatments on the basis of client-treatment fit. The two conditions comprise (1) counselling alone (treatment as usual/TAU) or (2) counselling supplemented with guided use of a well-being app (enhanced intervention). Trained counsellors will deliver up to six counselling sessions in each treatment arm across a 6-month period, and the session frequency will be decided by client-counsellor discussion. Assessments will occur at baseline, every counselling session, post-intervention (3 months after consent) and follow-up (6 months after consent). Assessments will include clinical measures of anxiety, depression, psychological functioning, specific mental health concerns (e.g. academic distress and substance misuse), resilience and therapeutic alliance. The usage, acceptability, feasibility and potential implications of combining counselling with guided use of the well-being app will be assessed through audio recordings of counselling sessions, telephone interviews with participants, focus groups with counsellors and counsellor notes. DISCUSSION: This study will inform the design of a randomised pilot trial and a definitive trial which aim to improve therapy engagement, reduce dropout and enhance clinical outcomes of student counselling. TRIAL REGISTRATION: ISRCTN55102899

How to improve the peer review method: Free-selection vs assigned-pair protocol evaluated in a computer networking course

This study provides field research evidence on the efficiency of a “free-selection” peer review assignment protocol as compared to the typically implemented “assigned-pair” protocol. The study employed 54 sophomore students who were randomly assigned into three groups: Assigned-Pair (AP) (the teacher assigns student works for review to student pairs), Free-Selection (FS) (students are allowed to freely explore and select peer work for review), and No Review (NR) (control group). AP and FS student groups studied and reviewed peer work in the domain of Computer Networking, supported by a web-based environment designed to facilitate the two peer review protocols. Our results indicate that students following the Free Selection protocol demonstrate (a) better domain learning outcomes, and (b) better reviewer skills, compared to the AP condition. Overall, the study analyzes the benefits and shortcomings of the FS vs AP review assignment protocol, providing evidence that the FS condition can be multiply beneficial to students who engage in peer review activities

Global shortage of technical agars: back to basics (resource management)

Bacteriological and technical agars are in short supply with potential consequences for research, public health, and clinical labs around the world. To diagnose bottlenecks and sustainability problems that may be putting the industry at risk, we analyzed the available time series for the global landings of Gelidium, the most important raw materials for the industry. Data on the harvest of Gelidium spp. have been reported since1912, when Japan was the only producer. After World War II the diversification of harvested species and producing countries resulted in a strong increase in global landings. Maximum harvest yields of almost 60,000 t year(-1) in the 1960s were sustained until the 1980s, after which landings decreased continuously to the present. In the 2010s, a reduction in the global production to about 25,000 t year(-1) was observed, which was lower than the yields of the 1950s. Landings by important producers such as Japan, Korea, Spain, and Portugal have collapsed. This is the ultimate cause of the present shortage of bacteriological and technical agars. However, an important factor at play is the concentration of the global landings of Gelidium in Morocco, as its relative contribution increased from 23% in the 1960s to the present 82%. Two specific bottlenecks were identified: restrictive export quotas of unprocessed Gelidium in favor of the national agar industry and resource management regulations that were apparently not enforced resulting in over-harvesting and resource decline. The global industry may well be dependent on resource management basics. Simple harvest statistics must be gathered such as the harvest effort and the variation of harvest yields along the harvest season. We discuss how this information is fundamental to manage the resource. The available harvest statistics are generally poor and limited and vary significantly among different sources of data. Probable confusions between dry and wet weight reporting and poor discrimination of the species harvested need to be resolved

A Herpesvirus Encoded Deubiquitinase Is a Novel Neuroinvasive Determinant

The neuroinvasive property of several alpha-herpesviruses underlies an uncommon infectious process that includes the establishment of life-long latent infections in sensory neurons of the peripheral nervous system. Several herpesvirus proteins are required for replication and dissemination within the nervous system, indicating that exploiting the nervous system as a niche for productive infection requires a specialized set of functions encoded by the virus. Whether initial entry into the nervous system from peripheral tissues also requires specialized viral functions is not known. Here we show that a conserved deubiquitinase domain embedded within a pseudorabies virus structural protein, pUL36, is essential for initial neural invasion, but is subsequently dispensable for transmission within and between neurons of the mammalian nervous system. These findings indicate that the deubiquitinase contributes to neurovirulence by participating in a previously unrecognized initial step in neuroinvasion